As we gather together there is some technical information that most of you already know, but just in case someone does not:
There is a copy of the service in the red book by the door to the sanctuary.
The service will be in voice and text.
Worship music will be in the media player.
Thank you for not touching the media player—We have learned the hard way that if you poke it, it gets cranky and the video stops playing for everyone.  
So if the player isn't working in your viewer, please follow the YouTube link!
GATHERING: 
In many ways, today’s sermon is about finding beauty in awful, brutal darkness.  
To that point, I’ve decide to share with you bits and pieces—
nothing I would go so far as to call a spoiler—
of a video game series entitled The Last of Us.
I hope you know me well enough by now to know that there’s a point to it, but I still feel the need to warn you:
The game has a rather harsh setting, and its characters tend to speak in the vernacular—by which I mean to say they use “adult language.”
I trust that you can handle it.
Having said all that, please find the beauty in this scene from The Last of Us:
YouTube Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMjdl_uYXgE

Please feel free to type any announcements you have for us into Local Chat.

WELCOME
Welcome to First United Church of Christ and Conference Center, Second Life.
We have official standing with the Eastern Association of the Southern California Nevada Conference of the United Church of Christ as a Real Life church located in Second Life.
And I still think that's pretty cool, because I have sat in South Central Pennsylvania—I have sat in Northern Maine—
and I am currently sitting in Central Connecticut—
and I still think it's pretty cool that we can partner with my brothers and sisters and non-binary siblings all across the country 
and all of you wherever you are!
Speaking of wherever you are:
"No matter who you are, 
or where you are on life's journey, 
you are welcome here."
Most churches have a time of offering.
Making an offering, sharing what you can in God’s name, is a spiritual practice.
That offering can be one of prayer or of presence, 
of work on behalf of the church doing things like reading scripture or serving on the board of directors,
of helping with any of the many things that are needed for the church to function,
and/or, that offering can be one of money.
As a UCC church, we support the work of the wider church both with prayer and with donations. 
And it's true that we don't have a physical building, but there are monetary costs for this ministry to function.
So if you would like to make an offering by participating in leading worship or social events,
or if you would like to become a member of this church,
let any clergy or staff member know.
If you would like to make a financial offering to support this ministry there is a donation bowl by the door to the sanctuary, 
or if you prefer you can make a donation in RL currency on our website:
www.firstuccsl.org
And since we are a 501(c)(3) public charity, monetary donations are tax deductible in the U.S. 
We thank you for the blessing of your presence and your offering of support. 
SCRIPTURE LESSON
Jeremiah 29:1, 4-14
These are the words of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the remaining elders among the exiles,
and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon…
Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon:
Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat what they produce.
Take wives and have sons and daughters;
take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters;
multiply there, and do not decrease.
But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.
For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel:
Do not let the prophets and the diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream, for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name;
I did not send them, says the Lord.
For thus says the Lord:
Only when Babylon’s seventy years are completed will I visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place.
For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.
Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you.
When you search for me, you will find me;
if you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me, says the Lord,
and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord,
and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile. 
SERMON      "Giraffes and Rabbis"
Most of you already know this, but I love a good story.  
I love telling collaborative stories through playing Dungeons and Dragons,
I love reading stories in books,
I love watching stories in the cinema and on television, I
 love playing through stories in the form of video games,
and I love receiving the stories of my patients as part of my work as a chaplain,
and all of your stories, too.
Stories are kind of my thing.
Now, usually when I share a story with you, I try to to know the whole story—
or as much as I _can_ know—
before I speak to it, but I want to talk to you a little bit about one that I’m working through pretty slowly and I don’t want to wait for the end.
And don’t worry, the part I want to talk about isn’t a spoiler, so far as I know.
About a year ago, I discovered a video game entitled The Last of Us.  It’s about a zombie apocalypse and—
well, to be truthful, the story is brutal in almost every way imaginable.
And then, it gives you a break.  A moment that is not only free of tension but is actually beautiful.
Like a herd of giraffes grazing their way through the overgrown ruins of a city.
Because the game designers know that they can only push you so far without—
well—
let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
So the sequel to The Last of Us came out not that long ago—my folks bought it for me for Christmas—and I’ve been slowly working through it, now.
I haven’t found anything quite as magical or necessary as that herd of giraffes yet, but there is a scene where two of the main characters find themselves in a mostly intact synagogue.
As it happens, one of those characters, Dina, is Jewish, and the two of them have a wonderful conversation as they explore the place.
She talks about how she likes coming from a long line of survivors.
She talks about how prayer calms her, puts things in perspective, deal with grief and show respect.
She talks about how Jewish holidays are all about food—and celebrating the fact that they haven’t been annihilated by their enemies.
Which brought the conversation full circle—she comes from a long line of survivors.
But what really struck me—and what I suspect represents an ongoing theme in this story—was a letter that they found in the Rabbi’s office:
“Lieutenant Torres -
Seventy years ago, my grandfather fled Germany with his family as World War II began.
He escaped thanks to the kindness and bravery of a Polish family.
And so the wheel turns, and the cycle continues: tonight, my family has packed our belongings, and due to your kindness we will be leaving this city, escorted by your brave men.
Thank you for helping me preserve what we could of our shul.
It is difficult to leave our home behind, but in the end, it is people - living people - that matter.
You bear a heavy burden on your shoulders, and I hope our late-night talks were of some comfort to you.
If I can leave you with one thought:
for every turn away from a better world, there is often a stronger correction towards it.
Do not lose hope for the future.
As the old saying goes, "it takes but one candle to dispel the darkness."
May God watch over you always.
Rabbi Zivah Saunders”
What I see in that herd of giraffes, and what I hear in Dina’s faith, and what I see stated outright in that letter is hope.
And I think that’s a story worth telling.
There’s actually a lot of hope in the Biblical witness.  Even when the chosen people were in exile.
Yes, there were gut-wrenching laments, like Psalm 137.
But there’s also the Word of God as it came to the Prophet Jeremiah, 
“For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.
Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you.
When you search for me, you will find me;
if you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me, says the Lord…”
And there’s the Word of God as it came to the Prophet Isaiah:
“Comfort, O comfort my people,
   says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
   and cry to her
that she has served her term,
   that her penalty is paid,
that she has received from the Lord’s hand
   double for all her sins.
A voice cries out:
‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord,
   make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be lifted up,
   and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
   and the rough places a plain.
Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
   and all people shall see it together,
   for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.’”
Because God knows what the storytellers who created The Last of Us knows—that you can only push a person so far without hope.
I don’t know about you, but for me quite a bit of the last year or four has been pretty awful.
I will freely admit that there have been times when I absolutely did not see the way forward.
But if there’s one thing I’ve learned from scary video games, it’s that there’s always a way forward.
It might be terrifying!
But there’s always a way to move forward.
And so I dare to pray aloud the Word of the Lord, “Comfort, o comfort my people.”
I dare to proclaim aloud the Word of the Lord, “For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.
Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you.
When you search for me, you will find me;
if you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me, says the Lord…”
And if I can leave you with one thought:
for every turn away from a better world, there is often a stronger correction towards it.
Do not lose hope for the future.
As the old saying goes, "it takes but one candle to dispel the darkness."
May God watch over you always.
What do you say?
Amen?
PRAYER PREPARATION:
Please find the beauty and the hope in this scene from The Last of Us II.
YouTube Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PHHgO-ajTk

We have come to our time in worship that I really do believe is the core of what we do here together, and that is where we uplift our joys and concerns with one another in prayer.
And so I would like to invite you to enter this time of prayer with a sense of reverence. 
We're about to enter into a conversation with God, and that shouldn't be done lightly,
but rather "... with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 
making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace"  (Ephesians 4:2-3) 
Please type your prayers into chat, or if you need to use voice simply emote raising your hand so everybody can have a voice.
And as we pray together, you may wish to respond to others with words like, "God hear our prayer," or with any other words the Spirit leads to you use.
COMMUNITY PRAYER
If there was a prayer inside of you that you couldn't quite get out, it's ok.
Because the Psalmist tells us that God knows what we are going to say before the words can even form on our tongues.
And so we know.
We _ know _ that God has heard our prayers.  Those spoken out loud, those typed into SL chat, and those spoken only in the silence of our hearts.
And that we pray them in the name of the Son, Jesus Christ.
Amen.
LISTEN!
We have done a lot of talking.  Let us take a moment of silence to listen to what God might be saying.
Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening...
PASTORAL PRAYER
Architect of the Universe, who made the particles that formed the atoms and molecules that became bodies of gas and light and rock—
the one who made the very earth we live upon—
we give You thanks and praise.
Your works are beyond what we can comprehend, and You are still at work, creating new stars and galaxies, things we will never see or know.
Yet You have made Yourself known to us, and You have broken open our lives to understanding Your love at work in us.
Our words fail us, for we are in awe of You, the Beginning and the End, the Creator of All Things, and the One who makes everything new.
We praise You, and lift our prayers to You, El Shaddai, Almighty One.  Amen.    (Rev. Mindi Welton-Mitchell, http://rev-o-lution.org)
BENEDICTION:
And now it really is just this simple:
God loves you
So don't forget to love each other
Go with God
Go in Peace
And amen!
CLOSING:  
Here's one more little piece of beauty I discovered in The Last of Us II.  Extra points if you recognize the song before Ellie gets to the chorus!
YouTube Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKeU1twQYX4