Sleepers Wake: A Groundhog Liturgy

Sleepers Wake: A Groundhog Liturgy

Scott is taking today off as a religious holiday, but here’s a throwback from February 2011, in case you’re feeling short on worship materials for Groundhog’s Day:

Hymn: All Creatures of Our God (Voices United #217)
All creatures of our God, come sing,
with hoof and scale and fur and wing:
Hallelujah, hallelujah!
Bright burning sun with golden beam,
soft shining moon with silver gleam,
sing praises, sing praises,
hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah!

Scripture:
Enter the caves of the rocks
and the holes of the ground
from the fearful glory of God’s majesty
when God rises to shake the earth.
On that day people will throw to the groundhogs
their idols of silver and gold. (Isa 2:19-20)

Justice is far from us,
and righteousness does not reach us.
We wait for light, and lo! there is darkness;
for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows. (Isa 59:9)

At that time the great protector of the people, will arise.
Everyone whose name is found written in the book will be delivered.
Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake.
Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens. (Dan 12:1-3)

For once you were shadows,
But now in God you are light.
Live as children of light.
“Sleepers, awake!
Rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.” (Eph 5:8&14)

My beloved spoke and said to me,
“Arise, my darling, my beautiful one.
See! The winter is past;
the rains are over and gone.
Flowers appear on the earth;
the season of singing has come,
the cooing of doves
is heard in our land.” (Song of Solomon 2:10-12)

Reflection: How to you keep your spirit alive in the waiting time?

Prayer:
Good God Almighty, it’s cold!
It’s a miracle that we survive at all.
Don’t let our hearts be frozen.
Make us conscious in the cold
of those who shiver for want of kindness, justice and compassion.

Groundhog of All Being,
Wake us from our hibernation
at least long enough to recognize the world around.
Let us not shirk from our shadows,
but rather face the unresolved.
Let us confront those things that need changing
and accept the things that simply are.
Don’t let us rush back to sleep prematurely.

O you who descended into the earth,
and rose again with the dawn,
Open our eyes to light,
even the cold crisp light of winter.
Let it awaken in us irrational hope,
the unreasonable possibility of spring in the depth of winter,
the possibility of kindness in a world desperate for warmth.

God of the meantime,
Let us huddle together while we wait,
let us nestle and dream, reach out to each other
and comfort each other in the warmth of our prayers.

(Prayer cycles and prayers for specific people)

From deep inside our burrows
we call out for you.
Hear our chirps and growls and snores,
and in your love answer.
Amen.

Hymn: Joy Comes With the Dawn (Voices United #166)