En bøn for December. A Prayer for December.

P: Dejlig December begynder nu.

En dejlig måned med forventningens glæde

En fortravlet måned med alt det vi skal nå.

Alle: Vor Gud, lad Decembers dage blive båret af kærlighed, håb og tro.

P: Delightful December now begins.

A delightful month of expectations and joy.

A busy month with all that we need to do.

All: Our God, let the Days of December be carried by love, hope and faith.

P: Dejlige December begynder nu.

Vi tæller dagene. Vi tænder lys,

Vi dvæler i dybe minder.Vi skaber nye gode minder.

Alle: Vor Gud, lad Decembers dage bliver båret af kærlighed, håb og tro.

P: Delightful December now begins.

We count the days. We light the candles.

We dwell in deep memories. We create new ones.

All: Our God, let the Days of December be carried by love, hope and faith

P: Dejlige December begynder nu.

Tænd lys i vore hjerter. Luk dørene op.

Lad os tro på at lyset er stærkest og håbet er vort.

Alle: Vor Gud, lad Decembers dage blivr båret af kærlighed, håb og tro.

P: Delightful December now begins.

Enlighten our hearts. Open the doors.

We believe that the light is always strongest, and that hope is ours.

All: Our God, let the Days of December be carried by love, hope and faith. AMEN.

 

Sermon at Cheer Candlelight Service.

Gospel: John 1.1-5

Ordet

I begyndelsen var Ordet, og Ordet var hos Gud, og Ordet var Gud. Han var i begyndelsen hos Gud. Alt blev til ved ham, og uden ham blev intet til af det, som er. I ham var liv, og livet var menneskers lys. Og lyset skinner i mørket, og mørket greb det ikke.

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 4 in him was life,[a] and the life was the light of all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

 

It is the First of December. And the lovely, delightful month of December has begun. We are filled with expectations and hopes. We are filled with memories and stories. We are counting the days of December. And we should be counting our blessings too. And one of them is to be seated here in our beautiful Danish Lutheran Church and later eating, drinking, dancing and enjoying an evening in the hall together.

On this First Day of December, let us be joyful, mindful, faithful, - yes full of gratitude, joy, faith, love and deep care for each other. Let this first day of December set the tone for the rest of the Month.

The Danish pastor and poet Johannes Mollehave writes in an Advent Poem:

 

Vi venter på det lys Vorherre tændte som hyrderne og hele verden så.

Og det er altid glædeligt at vente. Når det er glæden selv man venter på.    

 

We are waiting for the light that our God lit for the shepherds and that the whole wide world saw. And it is always joyful to wait, when it is joy itself that you are waiting for.

 

It is the first of December and tomorrow it is the first Sunday in Advent. In front of us are the days of December and the Season of Advent with all the expectations and preparations. And it is always joyful to wait when it is joy itself that you are waiting for.

So, may I suggest, that this December and this Advent, we will set time aside every day to be thankful and be joyous. Despite how our own small private world looks like, despite how our greater public world looks like, let us be thankful and be joyous, - if not just for a few minutes every day. As I reminded all the children recently Practice many Random Acts of Kindness and many senseless acts of beauty.

We might be tired and worried. We might be constantly in hurry and in movement. We might be heavy by sadness, despair, grief or worries. We might feel lonely and lost.

But despite of all that which is our world and our reality, let us promise to spent time this December and this advent to focus on Gods word and Gods promise to us. God did not wait to come to this world until this world was perfect. God did come to this world as the world was and still is. The is darkness. There is cold. There is betrayal. There is evil. And yet God came – to remind us that darkness can not overcome the light. That goodness, mercy, light and joy will always overcome the forces of darkness. Because God is, was and will always be in the light, in the love, in the hope, in the faith, in the words, in the beginning and in the end.

Despite of all which might holds us down, keep us sad or up late at night; all that worries us and all that reminds us of all the betrayals, heartaches, sorrows or losses of this past year and all of our years, - let us promise in the light of Gods Word and Gods light, to share kind words and light all the lights we can, in order to be kind and be mindful, in order to be a good friend, a good neighbor, a good Christian, a good man or woman.

December it is. Dejlige December. Delightful December.

Many of you know the Danish Word DEJLIG. Dejlig means delightful, lovely, good, hyggelig, nice and beautiful.

In many of our Danish Christmas and Advent hymns we do sing Dejlig: just note today:

Dejlig er den himmelblaa.. we sing about the lovely beautiful blue blue skies and even more the beautiful big starry skies, that tells us that even in the darkness of nights the light is still there: leading us, protecting us and preaching to us.

Dejlig er Jorden we will sing..... The earth is lovely, the world is wonderful. This world of ours where generations pass, and time is ticking, and still the wonderful story from that first night in Bethlehem sends its rays of light to our time.

And we will sing Glade jul Dejlige jul…. About this joyous, lovely, beautiful and delightful time of year that not only marks our calendar, but marks our spirits, our souls, our hopes and our faith.

December er Dejlig. December is delightful.

Let strive to make it even more Dejlig, even more delightful, lovely, beautiful, loving, caring and joyous.

Because in the beginning was the light, and it still is.

Because in the beginning was the word, and it still is.

Because God loved the world so much that he sends his only son not to condemn but to save…. And he still does.

So, as we dine and dance into December today, and as we light our Advent candle tomorrow, let us remember that God is not hidden in some faraway cloud or in a dusty old book. God is here with us in the blur and mystery, in the sorrows and joys of our lives. During all lists and rush, God is with us like an old song that echoes in our minds and remind us of this wonderful world of ours.

Let something wonderful begin in us – something surprising and promising. Let December be delightful and Dejlig.

Let love fill us. Let joy overwhelm us. Let our longing be met by the light that cannot be overcome by any darkness.

Amen.