Friday, December 15, 2023

Looking into the Lectionary - A free family Christmas Eve service

December 24, 2023
Fourth Sunday of Advent
Luke 1:26-38 and Luke 2:1-14

Browsing the new releases shelf at my library, the book Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life by psychologist Dacher Keltner called to me. In the 1960s neuroscientists began mapping emotions in the human brain such as anger, fear, sadness, surprise and joy. Awe was left unstudied — scientists at the time viewed it as a phenomenon of the soul, or of the sacred; an experience that defied measurement. But in 2003, Keltner and his colleagues immersed themselves in studies of mystics and anthropologists’ accounts of experiences of awe in dance, music, art and religion. The scientists recognized awe as a distinct emotion, registered uniquely in the brain, Keltner writes, defining it as “the feeling of being in the presence of something vast that transcends your current understanding of the world.”

The Greek word fobeō runs throughout Luke’s first and second chapters, which can be translated as “fear” or “awe.” Whenever God or one of God’s messengers comes near, biblical characters feel this mix of emotions, a disorienting reverence at being in the presence of something that transcends understanding.

When the angel Gabriel greets Mary with the news that she will give birth to God’s son, Mary is “much perplexed” (v. 29) — disoriented and awestruck by this word from God. The angel responds to Mary’s awe with words of reassurance: “Do not be afraid (fobeō), Mary, for you have found favor with God” (v. 30).

In Luke 2, an angel of the Lord appears to the shepherds to bring the good news of great joy that our Savior has been born. In the presence of the angel, these field hands were “terrified” (fobeō).

When experiencing awe, Keltner discovered a trend. People’s sense of themselves as independent individuals diminished while their sense of connectedness, being a small part of something larger, increased.  ...

Read the rest of the commentary on the website.

Order of worship for December 24, 2023. These liturgies are free to use.
Horizons — The lepers’ encounter by Rosalind Banbury
 
Embracing love: Celebrating successes and overcoming jealousy by Chris Burton
Sing of Love— Weekly Christian ed lesson by Joelle Brummit-Yale
Want the worship resources for December 17, 2023? You can find them here.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT...


Is there room for mysticism inside the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)?
Lydia Griffiths maintains there is rich diversity among Protestant religious thinkers when it comes to a transforming relationship with God.

Parties canceled. Celebrations toned down. Hanukkah won’t be the same this year.
With the Israeli military in the midst of a destructive showdown in its war with Hamas, many U.S. Jews aren’t in the mood for triumphant Hanukkah cheer.

Dad, will you be in “The Nutcracker”?
In an unexpected casting of Drosselmeyer, Matt Rich finds – in life and in ministry – the role you think you are going to play might not be the role you get.

“There are no new pains:” A feminist Advent reflection
Liz Cooledge Jenkins reflects on Elizabeth, Luke's Gospel, and Audre Lorde.

When History Repeats Itself
"It was a terrifying time/ Which we, by faith, now think sublime;/ But then, a madman on the throne,/ Drove everyone away from home..." — Scott L. Barton

A Family Christmas Eve Service by Jenny Lee
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