Christmas 2
1 Thes. : 3: 9-13
Show us your ways, O Lord;
Lead us into truth,
Wrap us in your mercy,
Cradle us in forgiveness,
Lead us into humility and reveal to us your steadfast love and faithfulness.
Eternal God, in the span of history you made yourself known to
those who went before us. You are the comfort of the traveller and the
sanctuary of the prophet. In days past you brought our forebears to this
place and established us in hope. With various needs we gather, seeking to
claim for this generation the leading of your wisdom.
Meet us here, Lord.
You know our weakness and our failures are not hidden from you
for we stand before you without pretence. In the quiet of this sanctuary
restore us with your acceptance, cure us with your forgiveness.
Look on us with Love, Lord.
Gentle God, move among us; heal the wounds that rob us of
strength and with your love restore us to life. Show us how to use the past
as a step rather than as a burden. Instil in us such faith that we may have
no need to fear and such love that we may be a light in the darkness of life
for others.
Work your will among us, Lord. Amen
When the early settlers arrived in this land their first act, after three months or more in a tossing sailing ship, was to give thanks to God for their safe arrival. In our comfortable and secure modern life the threat of death is often seen as a distant irrelevance and the practice of our antecedents seems to some to be a quaint archaism. Yet from time to time when death comes close we too feel an awesome relief that helps us understand something of their spirit.
For the ancient Hebrews the promise of the Messiah had become a faint and distant hope. Like the promise that was heard in Scotland of fertile land that a man could own, open spaces, oceans full of fish, forests full of timber and religious freedom.
Luke calls his hearers to recognise that the time line of history has shortened right up. The signs he refers to are reflections of what he has learned of the ministry of Jesus. The revelation of God fresh in his understanding. The Jesus who called his friends to follow him is not calling them to old familiar paths but to new and frightening freedoms in which they will have to address life as pioneers.
As the early settlers carved a place for themselves among forests and
tussock along unmarked pathways and unbridged rivers so the followers of
Jesus are invited to plot a new, a unique, course that exchanges the old
securities of home and custom and religious observance for the challenges of a Gospel of Grace. Loving God with all their energy and their neighbour as themselves.
The time is short. As surely as the bud burst of the fig signals the arrival of spring so the advent of Jesus signals the new beginning.
The call is to escape the captivity of the customs we have made into laws and the rules we have made from habits. The opportunity is to begin again. Examining the community in which we walk as if we had not seen it before and subjecting all our prejudices and presuppositions to the white light of the coming of Jesus.
Compassionate God, the wonder of your love astounds us for you
forgive even those who think they do not deserve your forgiveness, you shelter the powerless and treasure the fallen. Help us to see the world through the prism of your love.
We pray for the innocents of the world. The infants we have received
in your name, that they may ever be nurtured in grace.
We pray for little children everywhere that they may be allowed to
enjoy laughter, good food, glowing health and peaceful surroundings. Where
they are threatened, watch over them and show us how to love them for you.
Lord of the little children, hear our prayer.
We pray for those who need a new beginning.
We remember those who have suffered grief and see the world through the
shadows of sadness, give us patience as we deal with them, compassion as we care for them and love as we walk beside them.
We remember those who are under threat of death; for those with incurable
disease and all who experience a captivity of spirit by whatever name it is
known. We pray for their families as they struggle to face reality and the
anguish of watching love fade
God of compassion, show us how to love them for you.
We pray for the Church; that it may be a centre of peace, hope and
enlightenment in the community.
Where it is weary; refresh it.
Where it is smug; awake it;
Where it is torn with dissent, heal it;
Where it is strong, humble it
That in all places we may be agents of your will. Amen
O come, O come,Emmanuel
Come thou long expected Jesus
Lord Jesus once a child
All my hope..
Phil 1:3 - 11
Thanksgiving with joy; Sharing in the Gospel;
prayerful concern; love that overflows; a harvest of righteousness
Blessed be the Lord God:
with kindness and favour the redeemer has considered his people.
The promises of God are fulfilled and the Saviour comes.
The ancient vows are kept and in the light of
God¹s enduring mercy a new day dawns.
In the wisdom of your purpose there is love, Lord.
In the gentle grace of your will there is power;
We gather to offer our lives in worship, to seek your presence and grasp the might of your compassion.
Meet us here and accept us, Lord we pray.
We are aware that too easily we have taken your love for granted: we
have enjoyed the good things of life in your world and seldom paused to
offer thanks; we have been quick to complain when things went wrong for us. The irritations of life have loomed large but we have regarded the pain of others as less important. Our concerns have been for our own comfort while the life struggles of those less fortunate have not concerned us. We have found fault and proudly read the errors of others when acceptance and assistance might have been more use.
Forgive our selfishness, O Lord.
Let the light of your love illuminate our view of your world. Help us to see our neighbour as you see them: to love the unlovable as you love them and care for the careless as you care for them
Show us a new view of your purpose for us that, strengthened by your Holy
Spirit , we may declare by our deeds and our words the wonder of your love
for all.
Lead us into life, Lord. Amen
In the midst of the commercial season John the Baptist made his voice heard. It's always the commercial season. The political season never stops either. Notice how the setting Luke clarifies in terms of who was wielding power and where. Politics and commerce do not have a very good track record when it comes to righteousness and repentance.
But it is not the goodness of people that necessarily makes them historical figures and what Luke gives us is an approximation of the date of the ministry of the prophet in terms of what was happening about him.
John¹s call is for his people to return to the best of their past. To listen to the wisdom of the prophet Isaiah and prepare themselves for the future by turning away from their selfishness and self-interest for a new thing is about to burst upon them. A new judgement.
The prophetic stream of Israel has been like a dormant bulb lying in the soil and John sees himself as the messenger of the new covenant. He is the forerunner who alerts the household of Israel to the approach of the bridegroom. It's time to shine the family silver, dust out the dark corners of the room, shake the mats and be ready.
John does not see himself as the "one who is to come" but he is doing his best to have "what is" ready for what is to come.
It is easy for us, historically remote from the event, to confuse the message of John with the Gospel that is incarnate in Jesus Christ. Certainly Luke wrote after the events of the resurrection and he saw all the events in the light of the mystery and experience of the ministry of Jesus but what John is offering the people of his day is the best' run out model' from the past. It has its own integrity and in many ways it is the foundation on which the message of Jesus is delivered. It is the context.
Just as cell phones and computers are part of the context of the present.
But John is like a traveller standing on a high hill. What he knows is the path of the past and what the future holds is yet to be explored. His task is to make sure that everything possible for the next stage is in hand. This is all about anticipation - being prepared for what is to be!
Phil. 4: 4 - 7
Rejoice in the Lord
Let your gentleness be known
The peace of God is with you.
Look for the child in your neighbour;
See the anticipation build
even the world that heeds not the call
Is captured by the love of God.
Come, let us rejoice and celebrate together.
God of Grace, the wonder of the revisited story gathers momentum and
we can scarcely wait for the preparation to end and the event begin.
Reminders are at every hand as the promise nears fulfilment.
We come with anticipation and expectation,
we come with hope and with recollection,
we come with our fears and our joys, and offer you ourselves in worship.
RECEIVE US, LORD, WE PRAY.
With reminders of the past and memories of the nativity plays of
other years we come prepared yet fearful that our expectations may not be met.
Capture our hearts afresh, Lord.
Hold us in the arms of our families,
Open our eyes to the travellers who relive the Bethlehem experience.
WALK WITH US, MERCIFUL GOD.
Let the starlight of old reveal the wonder of your love that we might
know, show and share the grace of your compassion.
AMEN
In the warm anticipation of Christmas we become mindful of the needs of
those who have no security and we offer our prayers for them.
O God, we pray for the children of all the world, that they may be
allowed to skip and dance with joy, to play and laugh and sing; to be children
We remember the multitude of infants whose only expectation is the poverty
of powerlessness and the humiliation of desperate need.
AS WE WOULD CARE FOR THE CHRIST-CHILD SHOW US HOW TO CARE FOR THEM.
We pray for the mothers of every land as they struggle to provide what is
good, what is best, what is loving, for their children.
We remember those who suffer the anguish of grief as their children die and
the devastation of those who cannot provide for the children they bore.
AS WE WOULD CARE FOR THE CHRIST-CHILD SHOW US HOW TO CARE FOR THEM.
We pray for parents everywhere as they strive to equip their children
for life in a world of competing demands.
For those who sacrifice their own comfort and well being for the sake of
their children;
for those who have lost the struggle and drift in life without hope for the
present, or the future, victims of forces they do not understand,
AS WE WOULD CARE FOR THE CHRIST-CHILD SHOW US HOW TO CARE FOR THEM.
Let all the world, in every corner sing
Angels from the realms of glory
O little town of Bethlehem
The advent of our God
"God has no grandchildren" a somewhat harsh but thought provoking challenge. John sought to disabuse the people of his day of the comfortable belief that they were O.K. simply because long ago Abraham was accorded favour. John's preaching was uncompromising. Contrast verse 9 The axe is already laid at the root of every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down with the message of Luke 13 verses 6 - 9. Here is judgement and destruction. This is talk of death where the power of the parable is the hope for a new beginning a new fruiting, new life nurtured by the care of the wise gardener.
This preaching of John's does not give us the right to offend or judge or exclude for John speaks from the Jewish not the Christian view. What he does however is to remind his listeners of the responsibility of the well dressed, comfortable, wealthy, to share their good fortune with those less blessed. Similarly he treats with the tax collectors - calling them to honesty and away from greed. The soldiers, seeking guidance are likewise called to act with restraint, being themselves subject to the law and the exercise of justice. Here we seem to have some internal evidence for the reality of John's preaching. It adds nothing of any significance to the narrative but clearly reflects [as was no doubt the writer¹s intention] the best of the law of Israel. It is however simply rules to be kept. Because it is just and right. It is not a matter of love but a matter of duty. Good advice and fair but lacking the essential ingredient that would allow it to survive in the hard world of greed and self interest.
His ethics are sound enough but there is no power to change lives.
John is demonstrably clearing the path for what is to come. It is preparation, not fulfilment, for he looks for the one who is to come.
Hebrews 10: 5 - 10
God, I have come to do your will
the offering of the body of Jesus Christ
As a shepherd watches over his flock,
So the Lord God watches over his people.
As a shepherd guards his flock
So the Lord God guards those who trust him.
Smile on us, O God, as you have smiled on those who went before us. Forgive us, restore us, do not be angry with us.
Draw near us, accept our worship, we pray. Amen
Light of light,
God of the universe;
the whole of creation awaits your word and we, children of your
love, gather to offer you our praise and wait for your leading. With joyful
anticipation we come,
Meet us here, Lord of life.
Searching for you we have scrambled among the stony places of disappointment
and the thorns of our own failures have torn our spirits. Discouraged and
grumpy we have allowed opportunities to slip past us and our weakness has
made us feel guilty.
Wash us with your healing grace, pardon our past fault, renew us in life,
Lord. Pour your forgiveness over us, Lord.
Let the light of your love fill our lives.
Show us how to live with each other in peace and joy.
Let us become ambassadors of your grace.
Walk with us, Lord. Amen
Rich with the blessings of the Gospel we bow to pray for those whose
needs we recognise.
We pray for those who see no need to pause at the manger side; for those who have become bitter with life and fail to notice the beauty of the
ancient simple story.
We pray for those who see Christmas only in terms of their self
indulgence, who put the lives of others at risk as they drive their cars
while overtired or while attention is impaired.
We pray for those who while on holiday adventures allow bravado and
inexperience to put safety and life at risk.
Lord, as you love us all show us how to care for each other.
We pray for the Church as it celebrates the birth of the Christ-child.
Save it from the indulgence of remembering only the past and being ready to
do only that which it has always done. Save it too from the folly of
becoming captive to the whim of the moment in a scramble for relevance.
Give the Church leaders everywhere the wisdom of Solomon, the patience
of Job and the compassion of Christ that they may lead their congregations
into a gracious and compassionate ministry to your world.
Hear our prayer. O Lord.
We pray for those whose lives have become burdened with sadness and for whom this season is a painful reminder of loss.
Show us how to share the burden of our neighbours and lead us in your
peace. Amen
Tell out my soul
While shepherds watched
The story of Mary¹s visit to Elizabeth is an exquisitely human story that captures the real tension and anxiety of this part of the narrative. It captures some of the cultural and social tensions that surround the pregnancy and while we see it from the post resurrection perspective the local women who drew water at the well in the village were not privy to our comprehension of the story.
Mary carries both the promise of the child and the criticism of the culture.
Tradition suggests that she was quite young and since she was not yet resident in the home of her betrothed husband Joseph the local tongues would have wagged. It is again an element of internal integrity that the story has been retained in the traditions of the Church. It might have been easier to argue the case for the divinity of Jesus if his conception and birth had remained a deep mystery.
The humanity of the story links the incarnation with the heart of every family. The themes of anxiety and anticipation are common in every pregnancy. The naturalness of Mary visiting her aunt to share her news/anxiety/excitement is identifiable.
The identification of Elizabeth as the mother of John is not essential to the narrative but it is an indication that the early church recognised the significant link between the old dispensation and the new. John, who is to be the 'forerunner' is identified as the one who recognises Jesus as the Messiah even at this pre-partum moment. What emphasis we give to this recognition depends on the degree to which we consider the narrative to be historical and to what degree we see it as a poetic witness to the reality which is to be. It seems that the early church may have been content not to examine the distinction. Should we?
We can not know what impact the reference from Micah may have had to the setting of the birth story in Bethlehem and we should probably not read more into it than a natural conjunction of the identification of the 'city of David' as the place from which the child arises. The significance of the Bethlehem birth for the first generation Christians should not however be overlooked. It is proper that the Messiah should be born as a descendant of David to fulfil the messianic expectation of the people of Israel. Here again is the identification of the Christ with the lowly [but holy] roots of Jewish leadership.
Sing a new song all the earth!
Sing songs of rejoicing, dance to a new tune for the grace of god has overcome the burdens of the world.
The advent of the new age is about to dawn so let
the whole of creation dance and sing with joy.
Lord of ancient ages, God of the universe your presence in the
Christ-child we acclaim with wonder and surprise. That you, powerful and
mighty might yet express yourself in the powerless infant leaves us in awe.
Your love is beyond our full comprehension. We grasp the fringe of your
compassion and are left wondering how you can love the unlovely, the
downtrodden and the uncaring. We cannot plumb the depth of your grace but
for the moment we acknowledge that none are excluded and we take refuge in your love.
Let the peace of forgiveness and the joy of hope transform us that we
may worship with humility at the manger side and go to the world rejoicing.
Fill us with new life, Lord. Amen
Hear our prayers, O Lord, for those who wait:
for those who wait in hope - for the contact with old friends
- for the phone calls from family;
- for the mail contact that will bridge the years;
- for the messages of sad good-bye
- for the news of new beginnings;
- grant that their hopes may be realised.
We pray for those who dream of peace;
- peace that heals old wounds;
- peace that sets the prisoners free;
- peace that is an end to pain;
- peace that is the setting for new life.
We pray for those who can express their joy;
- for children , bright faced with
expectation;
- for young people in love;
- for artists, musicians and the spirit people who illuminate life;
- for families reunited.
We pray for those who share their love;
- in family and community;
- with unknown strangers in need;
- with the extravagant generosity that reflects your grace.
Lord, let us be the agents of your hope, peace, joy and love at
this time. Amen
O come, all ye faithful
Star child, earth child
Silent night
Away in a manger
Hark the herald angels
We know it is coming That moment of accomplishment when the bells will ring and declare that the Natal day has arrived yet there is within us the sense of anticipation. Like waiting for the train that we know will come. Anticipation is precious. Our bodies retune for the moment.
The days of preparation have brought to us the songs of Christmas, in the shops on the radio and the food of Christmas celebrations has tempted our palates. The messages from almost forgotten friends and the scramble to get it all done before Christmas.
Now there is nothing to do but wait. It is too late to paint the roof or mow the lawns; too late to spring clean the house or bake a Christmas Cake. Now all we can do is wait for the moment.
The story is probably the most familiar story in the world. Of Mary and Joseph, the donkey , the innkeeper, the stable, the baby, the shepherds and angels. Translated, embellished, retold and pictured. Yet the reality is that it hinges on the reality that God is the God of the little people of the world. A carpenter and his wife, in an unwelcoming town. Their accommodation is as good or better than many will know tonight but the smell is not a bother, the company no problem. It is here that God and humanity come into conjunction. We declare it to be the purpose of God. The divine engages with the frailty of humanity. The Logos invested in a tiny dependant child and the Almighty takes the form of a carpenter¹s son to begin a ministry of identification with you and me.
This much God loves us.
[For a charming version of the Christmas story read: Jesus Christmas Party
by Nicholas Allan - A red Fox Mini Treasure]
As the clouds of night roll back and the beauty of the new day
dawns so the shadows of past sadness are folded and put away in the bright
light of this day.
Let us shout with joy - for the birth of our saviour is remembered today.
Let us sing with glee for the past is washed away.
Let us celebrate with laughter and feasting the nativity of Jesus our Lord.
Drawn by the light of love the shepherds gathered about the manger.
Remembering that dawn we too come to offer our praise, O God. In the wonder of the memory we offer our songs, our prayers, our silence, our thoughts.
Receive us as of old , O God.
Surrounded by the host of witnesses who have shared this celebration
with us we touch again the realities that are beyond our measure. Your
grace, O God, unlimited for us and all humankind. Flood our lives with your
grace, that we may act with compassion and mercy to declare your love.
Walk with us, O God.
With all creation we acknowledge the majesty of your benefit to us. Rich
beyond measure in your acceptance, we join with the host of faithful, past
and present to offer our praise and thanksgiving. Wonderful is your gift to us, O God.
Amen
With light hearts and cheerful minds we turn, like the shepherds
of old to go back to the world, hear our prayer for the world about us, Lord.
We pray for Christians everywhere as they wake to celebrate with joy.
Give them open hearts and willing hands to make the meaning of the day real.
We pray for those who do not share or understand our joy, show us how to
live the story of your love so that all may rejoice.
We pray for those whose present crisis presses so hard there is no time
or room for celebration, no energy or spirit to sing;
Show us how to care gently that their healing may begin,
We remember those who are close to our hearts but separated from us by
distance and circumstance and those whose isolation denies them the
fulfilment of being with others.
We pray for those in distant outposts of service whose dedication to
their tasks denies them the familiar tastes and smells of Christmas.
We pray for those whose lives have been shattered by violence , whose
expectations have been confounded by disaster and those for whom the sad
reminders of the past they have lost rob the day of joy.
Compassionate God, show us how to love them for you.
We pray for those who have gathered with us: travellers, families,
friends, let the good intentions of our hearts become the gentle actions of our hands and the words of your grace become the measure of our conversation.
Hear our prayers and lead us, Lord. Amen
Angels from the realms of glory
While shepherds watched
Joy to the world
Once in Royal David¹s city
The angelic choirs are the poetic summit of creation. The finest expression of holy honouring and the shepherds are the unimportant, the expendable commoners. The angelic beings were the most perfect messengers of God - assumed to come from the very presence of the highest heaven. The shepherds were the rough clad guardians of the sheep. Smelly, rough handed, common, often the youngest members of the families better equipped to defend the flock from roving wolves than join in the chorus of the angelic music.
Here in the presence of the infant they have equal significance. They are the men who, sleeping rough on the hard ground of the hillside are the first receivers of the nativity declaration. Men who watched the stars move the hours of night and found their worth in the simplest comforts of the outdoors. Not academics in silent libraries or dedicated monks in a hard bed cell but ordinary men such as in our day might whistle up a dog, shear a sheep, lamb a ewe, and rejoice in a spring with plenty of warm rain.
But all that does not mean that these men were dumb or stupid. Guardians of the family flock and fortune they had time to talk quietly and retell the ancient traditions of 'God with us '. To ponder the significance of what is important - families, peace, good grass, fresh water, shade from the sun. Men with time to think and memories tuned with practice. To them comes the call, the message the mission. NOT evangelists but men with a truth to share. The shepherds leave Bethlehem with a new task. Our task.
Hebrews 1: 1-4
Long ago God spoke but now the Son of
God reflects the very nature of God's being
Sing songs of joy to the Lord:
sing your sweetest praise;
join the chorus of angels and saints;
Sing praise at the manger side for our saviour is born.
Wonderful are your ways, O God, remarkable are your dealings
with us, gentle is your discipline but powerful is your leading.
With the unexpected and the powerless you confront us and with your
powerful love you sweep away all resistance with a flood of grace.
In the Bethlehem stable we meet our King wrapped in the swaddlings of a
poor family and in his presence our view of others is turned around. Power
and wealth come to nothing in the face of your love. Wonderful are your
ways, O God.
We have looked for strength and power and influence;
we have sought comfort and security;
we have wanted to be known and recognised yet you took the form of a dependant child to show us our folly.
Wonderful are your ways, O God.
In the light of the Bethlehem story forgive the foolishness of our
desires and the extravagance of our self interest; set aside our past
failures and renew within us such holy humility that we may glimpse your
incarnation in each other and stand in the light of the beaconing star.
Restore us to life in love, Lord. Amen
With lightened hearts and cheered minds we turn with the shepherds
to go back to the world, hear our prayers for the world about us Lord.
We pray for Christians everywhere as they celebrate with joy. Give them
loving hearts and willing hands to make the meaning of this day real.
We pray for those who do not know or understand the reason for our joy;
show us how to live the story of your love so that all may rejoice.
We pray for those whose lives have been shattered by the frailty of life
and the cruelty of others; for those whose sadness clouds the day and whose
memories are of better times.
We pray for those whose present crisis presses so hard that there is no
room or time to rejoice and no spirit or energy to sing; show us how to
gently care that healing may begin,
We remember today those who, while close to our hearts, are separated by
distance and whose isolation denies them the fulfilment of sharing with others.
God of shepherds and angels show us how to live and love for you that
the joy of this day may be for all your children. Amen
Infant Holy
Child in a manger
All poor men and humble
Joy to the world
Love came down at Christmas
The anticipation that captures every heart and supports us even when things are not unfolding as we would wish is now realised. For us, in this part of the history of humanity, it is hard to imagine the impact of the promise realised of which John speaks.
The people of Israel had dreamed of the day when Messiah would come.
That day would be a time for singing, dancing and feasting. Their expectation was that he might come on a war horse to overwhelm all their enemies with the power of his sword.
Looking back to the life and ministry of Jesus John recognises that the expectations had been met in a totally different way. God did not sweep away all their problems but showed them a new way to overcome the root of their need. John sees in Jesus the unfolding of the new way. A way not of confrontation but compassion; not of judgement but of forgiveness; not of authority but humility. His confession of the significance of Jesus in these first verses of his Gospel record need to be read at the end of the Gospel for it is in the light of what Jesus revealed about God that John¹s confession makes sense. It is what Jesus reveals about the nature of God that makes his feet beautiful (Isaiah 52) The coming of the Messiah is not an instant cure for the world's ills, or for the pain that Israel felt (feels) but it offers the prescription that if taken seriously and rigourously applied overcomes hate, hurt, enmity, anger, and all the other illness of humankind. The message of the manger is that love can overcome.
Col 3:12 -17
Paul's practical advice to those who would call themselves Christian.
Dress in love and do everything in the name of Jesus
Be compassionate, kind, humble, meek, long-suffering, forgiving, peaceful.
Praise the Lord all creatures;
Praise the Lord all peoples of the earth
Let every created thing praise the Lord,
For God's wonderful deeds invite our praise.
Generous is your hand, O God, countless gifts and unnumbered kindnesses have been poured out onyour creation. The richness of your love and the grace of your forgiveness have found a focus in the Bethlehem story and its beauty and simplicity have charmed the generations. With the shepherds we come to kneel and wonder, to celebrate and sing. Meet us here, Lord, and lead us on.
Well fed and replete with remembrance we have resisted the change
that might challenge our comfortable prejudices or demand of us more than we have offered in the past. We have set the incarnation story in history and
ignored the possibility that you might want to reveal it in the present. We
have seen you as the God of yesterday. Meet us here and now, Lord.
The thorns of past hurts we have gathered and held close and our guilt
we have worn like armour - a protective burden. Undo the tangled knots of
our pain, Lord, free us from the gathered pain of the past and show us the
way to peace , reconciliation and love. Set us free in the sunrise of your
love, Lord. Amen
Lord of the Church, hear our prayers for the people of the earth.
We pray for the Churches that gather in the communities we know. Grant
to their leaders perception and wisdom that they may recognise the needs of
those about them and with a wise and loving concern offer the gospel in ways
that show your love.
We pray for our neighbours in community and remember their special needs;
those who have suffered disappointments and feel let down;
those with fresh memories of grief and bereavement,
those who face difficult decisions that have shaken their confidence and left them with doubts,
those who seem unable to let go the past and suffer repeatedly as they
relive their hurts, their failures.
Grant to them a vision of your healing hand and the touch of ours, gentle God.
We pray for those who rejoice and shine the light of good cheer on the world's gloom.
for those who have found new love,
for those who celebrate with old friends,
for those with good news to share,
As you looked and saw the world was good help us to see it with your eyes, O
Lord. Amen
I love to hear the story
The virgin Mary had a baby boy
From heaven above to earth I come
God rest you merry people all
The shadow of the cross extends to the story of the nativity for Luke makes a point of the three days that Jesus is separated from his parents. Writing as he does from the other side of the resurrection, he ensures that his readers are reminded that the story is a whole and the beginning and the end are totally joined.
Many children have been distracted by what they regard as the most important thing for the moment. Generations of boys have lost track of the time as they became absorbed in some venture or other. Jesus is here a perfectly normal child. He knows he is safe in the temple and he forgets his parents do not know where he is. But having said that Luke reminds us that otherwise Jesus is the model child for his parents. He borrows from 1 Samuel the expression that was familiar to every Jewish household 'he grew in wisdom , experience and favour'.
Mary's treasure: like a collection of baby photographs she holds these experiences as mementoes to be recalled , polished, relived as every mother does.
Christmas is a time when with family gatherings we have time and opportunity to revisit the treasures of what makes us a family. The events, occasions, disasters and triumphs, the laughter and tears which are the natural stuff of love.
Paul attempts to distil the essential oils of Christian love in his letter to his friends as he remembers them. He recalls that what is great about his time with them, and which reflects the love of God is that store of graces among which he identifies compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience, forgiveness and peace. He invites them to dress in the swaddling bands of Christian love.
Eph.1: 3 - 14
Spiritual blessings
God of the universe,
as the sun melts the frost and dissolves the snow
so your love overcomes fear and gives new life.
Shine your love into our lives that we may be part of the new beginnings of your grace,
draw near us and heal us, Lord. Amen
From all the generations the witness to your faithfulness is heard, O Lord.
From land to land across the seas the message of your grace and mercy is heard. Wonderful is your loving kindness, healing is your love.
Bruised from life and hurting from the testing we have known we come seeking the balm of your peace, Lord. Touch us with your mercy, warm us with your grace that we may be refreshed and renewed from your company. Help us to let go the pain of the past that we may rejoice in the company of the saints and take refuge in your forgiveness. Wonderful is your loving kindness, healing is your love.
As we worship reshape our view, clear our understanding, remind us of the
wonder of your love that we may rise refreshed to carry your peace to the
world in Jesus name. Amen
God of the east and west, Lord of the north and south, as people of every
nation have gathered about the manger to celebrate the nativity we have
become aware of our obligations to them and humbly we offer our prayers.
We pray for peace on earth. As the angels sang so we pray that the
weapons of war may be melted into the tools of industry and the energy of
young people may be used to enrich the lives of the less fortunate.
We pray for the wholeness of life - your intention for all people. With
heavy hearts we remember the needs of so many whose life expectancy is
limited by malnutrition, disease and the lethal litter of past wars
We pray for the children whose lives have been warped by the
dislocation of society, whose education has been interrupted , whose hopes
have been twisted and whose laughter has been stilled.
We pray for the leaders of nations that they may recognise the truth
and act with grace towards those with whom they have disagreed. Grant that
where security has been destroyed and families scattered there may yet be a
new beginning of hope.
We pray for our own land, that here there may be a sanctuary for the needy, a place of hope for the dispossessed and a refuge for the downtrodden.
Give peace and grace to our nation, Lord.
We offer our silent prayers for those known to us whose need is great,
naming them in our hearts, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
God of mercy and peace, hear our prayer, use us as your agents of love,
In Jesus name. Amen
Stand up and bless the Lord
Child in a manger
As with gladness
Most of us live within a set of rules. The people of Israel lived within the rules derived from the commandments that Moses received on the mountain. The generations of teachers had interpreted the commandments to find answers to a thousand questions of behaviour. Many of us live by a set of rules that were the framework within which we grew up. Parental guidance alerted us to what was acceptable behaviour and what was not. Some of our family rules were built on the Mosaic commandments - after all our parents had learned them in Sunday School. But the rules derived from Moses' teaching could not cope with the complications of our society so extensions needed to be employed. Our parents had, of course the benefit of the two commandments of Jesus though for many these were not given any authority greater than the more familiar laws of Moses. John reminds his readers that while Moses gave the law [and that was interpreted for the Hebrews] by Jesus Christ came Grace and truth. The law was for Israel. The shock of the incarnation is that God's love, expressed in grace and truth, comes with the ministry of Jesus Christ. The boundaries of God's relationship with humanity are blown away. The God of Israel is seen to be the God of all humanity and the love of God is not to be measured in terms of obedience to the law of Moses or descent from Abraham but by the shockingly extravagant grace of God. In the Gospel frame the Samaritan is no longer an outcast but the very expression of the grace of God. The God of creation gives each of us the opportunity to recognise the frozen beauty of the snow clad mountains, to taste the luxury of fine flour made into crust-crisp bread is the God of all. The God love is extended towards every mortal. The incarnation begins a revolution in religious thought. The wise men will come from foreign lands to worship and their gifts will be acceptable. As the prophets of Israel had imagined , in their better moments, [ Jer 31: 7 - 14] the strangers, foreigners, and the imperfect will come and celebrate the God whom Israel has known but is now known to be the Lord of all. The new law calls for grace and truth to rule in our lives.