Welcome to worship at
St. Paul’s Lutheran Church!
A Service for the Longest Night “Blue Christmas”
December 21, 2025,
7:00 P.M.
Welcome to
this “Longest Night” service. The name comes from the day in December when we
experience the shortest day and the longest night of the year. But the name
also applies to the feeling many people have during the Christmas season. It is
the “long dark night of the soul,” or “the winter of our discontent” in which
the memories of the past and the pain of the present darken our lives.
And so
tonight we bring our pain and our anguish, our doubts and our fears to this
service, acknowledging the reality of sorrow and suffering amidst the lights
and glitter of holiday cheer. But we do not come as those who have no hope, for
we trust that the baby born in Bethlehem is the light of the world, the light
no darkness can overcome.
On this
night we do not walk alone. We walk with each other and with Jesus Christ who
was and who is and who is to come.
GATHERING
Prelude “les Sauvage Fleurs” Paul Clyderman
Call to Worship
One: There is something deeper than trouble.
All: It is mercy.
One: God's amazing grace;
All: Carrying, lifting, holding us in all seasons.
One: There is something more powerful than despair.
All: It is mercy.
One: God's amazing love;
All: Seeing us through dark nights, waves of sadness,
mountains of grief.
One: There is something longer lasting than
pain.
All: It is mercy.
One: God's healing touch;
All: Bringing us hope, leading us to joy, teaching us to sing.
“O Come, O Come,
Emmanuel”
Litany of
Remembering & Lighting the Advent Candles
P In the light of the first
candle we remember those we have loved and lost; their names, their faces,
their voices and the memories that bind them to us.
C The
light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.
Silence is observed
P In the light of the second
candle we offer up to God the pain of our loss; the loss of relationships, the
loss of jobs, the loss of health, the loss of joy and peace.
C The
light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.
Silence is
observed
P In the light of the third
candle we remember our journey through this season; the feelings of disconnect;
the anger, the heartbreak, the longing, the loneliness.
C The
light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.
Silence is observed
P In the light of the fourth
candle we remember our faith and the gift of hope that is the Christmas story,
for God has come to earth to dwell with us as Immanuel.
C The
light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.
Silence is observed
Prayer
P Let us pray: O Lord, support us all the day long of this troubled life, until the
shadows lengthen and the evening comes and the busy world is hushed, the fever
of life is over, and our work is done. Then, in your mercy, grant us a safe
lodging, and a holy rest, and peace at the last, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
C Amen.
Please be seated.
Word
Psalm 121
P Let us pray,
C Come, Lord God, and be present with us
in our suffering.
Fill our darkness with light and
give us the strength to lift
our eyes to the hills. Help us to see you coming to our aid.
Amen
Isaiah
43:1-7
P Let us pray,
C Come, Lord Christ, and be present with us as we pass through the rivers of doubt, the floods of sorrow, and the fires of suffering, that we may pass freely to the other side confident in your enduring love. Amen
Matthew
5:1-10
P Let us pray,
C Come, Holy Spirit, and bless us in this
time, as we mourn and weep, as we
struggle, and as we long for healing.
Fill us with your goodness
and remind us always of your promise to
life everlasting. Amen
Sermon The Rev.
Timothy Muse
Hymn of the
Day ELW
#279
“O Little Town of Bethlehem”
Creed
I believe in
God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in
Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy
Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of
the Father,
and he will come to judge the living
and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen
Prayers of Intercession
P Walking in the light of
the coming Savior, let us pray for the church, the world, and all who await the
dawn of God's justice.
P Almighty God, you have
knit your chosen people together into one body of Christ. Give to your whole church in heaven and on
earth your light and your peace. Lord in
your mercy:
C Hear
our prayer.
P Give courage and faith to all who mourn, doubt, struggle, and suffer in
this season of celebration, that they might have a sure and certain hope in
your loving care, and that casting all their burdens on you, they may find
strength. Lord in your mercy:
C Hear
our prayer.
P Grant to all of us here, walking as yet by faith, that, where this world
groans in grief and pain, your Holy Spirit may lead us to bear witness to your
light and life. Lord in your mercy:
C Hear
our prayer.
P Help us, faced with things we cannot understand, to believe and trust in
the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, and the resurrection to life
everlasting. Lord in your mercy:
C Hear
our prayer.
P Show us your light, O God,
and bring us to the day of our redemption, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
C Amen.
Sharing of
the Peace
P The peace of Christ be with you
always.
C And also with you.
Prayer
P God of abundance, we bring before you
the precious fruits of your creation, and
with them our very lives. Teach us
patience and
hope as we care for all those in
need until the coming of your Son,
our Savior and Lord.
C Amen.
The Great
Thanksgiving
P: The Lord be with you.
Q: And also with you.
R: Lift up your hearts.
C: We lift them to the Lord
P: Let us give thanks to the
Lord, our God.
C: It is right to give our
thanks and praise
P It is indeed right, our
duty and our joy… we praise your name and join their unending hymn:
Sanctus
Eucharistic
Prayer
Lord’s Prayer
C Our Father, who art in
heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our
trespasses,
as we forgive those who
trespass against us;
and lead us not into
temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the
glory, forever and ever. Amen
Invitation
to Communion
P These are God’s gifts, you
are God’s people, come and be fed.
Lamb of God
(All who
believe in Jesus Christ are welcome to commune. You will come forward and
receive the bread then take a cup with wine. We offer grape juice and glutton
free wafers, if that is your desire. If you do not wish to receive communion,
you are welcome to come forward for a blessing.)
After
everyone has received communion there will be an opportunity to come forward
for prayer, laying on of hands, and anointing.
Post-Communion Blessing
P The body and blood of our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ strengthen you and keep you in his grace.
C Amen.
Prayer
P Holy One, we give you thanks that in
this bread and cup we have feasted again
on your endless love. Let that love
overflow more and more in our lives,
that we may be messengers to prepare your
way, harvesters of justice and righteousness, and
bearers of your eternal Word, our
Savior Jesus Christ.
C Amen.
Blessing
P May God direct your ways in peace,
make you abound in love for one another
and for all, and strengthen your hearts until the coming
of our Lord Jesus. Almighty God,
Father, + Son, and Holy Spirit,
bless you now and forever.
C Amen.
Sending Hymn ELW #543
“Go, My
Children, With My Blessing”
Dismissal
P Go in peace. Christ is
with you.
C Thanks
be to God.
Postlude
“Coventry Carol” Philip Keveren
WORSHIP LEADERS
Preaching
Minister: Pastor Timothy Muse
Presiding
Minister: Pastor Diana Thompson
Organist: Kathy Sloan
Christmas Eve Services:
12:00 PM Chapel Service
6:00 PM Family Service
9:30 PM Traditional Liturgy
All are welcome to come and celebrate!
