St Matthew 2: 13 – 15

Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.’ Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt,  and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, ‘Out of Egypt I have called my son.’

Reflection

Joseph shows two traits worth thinking about in devotions, especially when starting a new year.  He was ready to hear and follow God’s guidance.  And he had a strong sense of responsibility to care for his family. 

Matthew had already introduced Joseph (Mt 1:19) as a righteous man, committed to doing what was right in the expectations of God, and of people, according to religious custom and rituals.  And he wrote of Joseph’s experience of being guided by an angel in a dream, while seeking the right action to take when his betrothed was found to be pregnant. 

So now, when wealthy astrologers from the east, who came with gifts to pay homage to ‘the child born to be king’, were divinely warned in a dream not to go back to King Herod, Joseph was alert to another dream himself.  He was ready to follow the angel’s guidance instantly in the night, to heed the warning of danger from Herod, and the instruction to take mother and child south-west to Egypt.

Matthew later indicated (Mt 13:55) that Joseph was known as the carpenter.  Maybe to care for mother and new baby in Bethlehem, Joseph worked for food and accommodation, as they were in a house when the astrologers visited.  Or maybe he gained carpentry skills and tools in Egypt, to earn a living for himself and family there and later in Nazareth. 

Joseph’s sense of family responsibility may also have come through his genealogy (Mt 1:1-17), descended from Abraham, and 14 generations to David, then 14 generations to the Exile, and 14 more to Jesus.  Joseph may have contributed to Jesus’s upbringing: awareness of this position in Jewish history and of the role of the Holy Spirit, as well as early experience in Egypt giving Jesus a more global outlook.

Prayer

Father God,
please help us to be ready to listen to you,
whether through startling, unexpected ways,
or through careful Bible study, discussion with others,
and your prompting in situations.

And please help us with our responsibilities
in families, or friendships, or wider society,
to follow your guidance, discern your activity,
and use the skills and opportunities you give,
with love, in Christ’s name.

St Matthew 2 1 – 12

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem,  asking, ‘Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.’  When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.  They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:

“And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
    who is to shepherd my people Israel.”’

Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared.  Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, ‘Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.’ When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure-chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

Reflection

“At the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow” declared Paul to the Philippians. But here, at the beginning of Matthew’s gospel, the wisest ones come and bow their knees. The worship of the stars has pointed magi from the East towards Israel, the testimony of the prophets then points to Judah. Every tongue is beginning to confess that Christ is Lord. 

Even Herod’s tongue is tempted towards acknowledging and confessing the Messiah. Though he is trying to trick his visitors into betraying the newborn king, his deceit requires that he admit and repeat prophecy that points to the Christ child. He must repeat it, and even pretend due obeisance. But the magi give true honour, true worship, to the child. The stars are one sign of his significance, the name Jesus another: this name promises rescue.

Herod’s true intentions are not worship but murder. This petty king, whom we call Herod the Great, is king only if the Roman Empire allows it. His ‘great’ power feels fragile to him.  Sensing threat from the child king he acts quickly, cruelly, to suppress any hints that tyrants like him can and do fall. 

So Herod fails to see the promise of true freedom. This messiah will redeem us from the power of evil and death. In his anxiety and fear, Herod turns from the truth. Turns fully, and opposes what is good. May we be wise enough to notice when our anxiety is turning us away from what we know and trust God is doing in the world. And may we find a guiding star in our confession that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Prayer

Jesus, we know you by so many names:
Messiah, Saviour,
Lamb of God,
Christ-child,
Prince of peace.
Holy one,
we bow before you:
grateful for all you have done for us
before we ever knew it.
May we praise your name and speak it boldly:
Jesus, Christ, Lord.

Titus 2:11-14

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.

Reflection

This letter emphasises teaching, telling, and training. In those early, post-Pauline days there were many challenges in encouraging churches to be consistent in belief and behaviour. Two thirds through the letter there is a reminder of the grace of God, giving a sounder reason for how followers of Jesus are to live their lives than the rather top-down, slightly frantic, efforts to keep human beings in order which characterise the letter to this point.

The letter so far has focused on directive learning, ensuring people do the right things because they’ve been taught the right things, and therefore know exactly how they are supposed to behave. That’s a valid approach in many cases, with echoes of practicing scales when learning a musical instrument or repeating hill starts during driving lessons. Recent learning theories suggest that repetition sets up neural pathways and muscle memory so that practice eventually becomes permanent.  So training and self-discipline can help us to behave well.

In these few short verses there’s a glimmer of different forms of learning, based less on being told what to do and more on an instinctive response to God’s love. Drawing out the truth that lies within human experience and learning from one another become possible, as believers turn to God in Christ and seek to shape their lives through love. It is not all about “do what I tell you, because I say so, and you will be alright, and in the process we will maintain social order”.

Scattered churches were exhorted in this letter to live disciplined lives in the here and now, while waiting for the point in the future when all would be fulfilled. While the rest of the letter goes on to lay down further clear rules for living, there is this pivotal moment when they, and we, are reminded that we are what we are, and we do what we do, because of our faith in God. 

Prayer

Give to me Lord, a thankful heart
and a discerning mind:
give, as I play the Christian’s part,
the strength to finish what I start
and act on what I find.
 
When in the rush of days, my will
is habit-bound and slow
help me to keep in vision still
what love and power and peace can fill
a life that trusts in you
 
Caryl Micklem, from Rejoice & Sing 497

Isaiah 9: 2 – 7

The people who walked in darkness
    have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness—
    on them light has shined.
You have multiplied the nation,
    you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you
    as with joy at the harvest,
    as people exult when dividing plunder.
For the yoke of their burden,
    and the bar across their shoulders,
    the rod of their oppressor,
    you have broken as on the day of Midian.
For all the boots of the tramping warriors
    and all the garments rolled in blood
    shall be burned as fuel for the fire.
For a child has been born for us,
    a son given to us;
authority rests upon his shoulders;
    and he is named
Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
His authority shall grow continually,
    and there shall be endless peace
for the throne of David and his kingdom.
    He will establish and uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
    from this time onwards and for evermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Reflection

Darkness, and that complete darkness where you can see nothing, allows no light in. It’s impenetrable, it hides everything. So walking in this sort of darkness is hard.

This is an epiphany, a dazzling and brilliant light shines and reveals life.
Birthed in this light is joy and a release from burdens. 

Who has brought this to us? A baby? Ah, but this baby is born with authority. This baby has many titles and many names. But his mother simply calls him Yeshua or “God rescues me”.
We’ve just celebrated the story of his humble birth.

We know that great things await him. 
These won’t be symbols of what we consider great. No palace or earthly throne.
The trampling military boots and the garments soaked in blood are thrown on the fire. A new sort of throne emerges and the fire purges the stain of war. 

This isn’t a Prince of conflict, but a Princes of Peace. 
A new beginning, but a hope that will come at a cost to this Messiah.
Jesus will bring justice and righteousness, but to do so will have to endure injustice. 

The idea of a Messiah who will begin as a baby and live humbly might be anathema to some who expected a warrior, and Isaiah talking about zeal may have fueled their expectations for one who would overturn power.

But this Christ, this Wonderful Counsellor had come to overturn something far more vital – the expectation that God was only for the pious and the devout, the holy and spiritually pure.

Jesus opened God’s arms wide enough to embrace everyone. The humble, the lowly, the forgotten and the marginalised were carried on his shoulders. The same shoulders that carried the authority of a Messiah.

May the God of rescue, bless us and carry us hopefully into a new year.

Prayer

God of justice, righteousness and rescue
lead us from darkness to be children of light.
May the peace that you offer to us
be peace that we share with the world. Amen

St Luke 2: 36 – 38

There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband for seven years after her marriage,  then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshipped there with fasting and prayer night and day.  At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.

Reflection 

Anna is the last of the older people in Luke’s story ( Zechariah, Elizabeth, Simeon and Anna) who serve as transitions to the new covenant.  Anna, perhaps a little eccentric: she worships night and day and practises fasting and prayer, she is well known in the Temple, and now she comes forward and starts speaking to whoever is around.  In her devotion to God she is centred on him, hears his word and speaks it to others: she is the only prophetess named in the New Testament.  She links the child Jesus to the redemption of Jerusalem, thanking God that this is the beginning of the end of Roman oppression and a return to the rule of God and his Messiah.  Although she does not know how the story will be played out, she is full of praise as she trusts in God.

It appears that Anna’s lifestyle invigorates her: she’s mobile, articulate, alert and spiritually aware, and she finds her place in Biblical history as Luke feels she is worth remembering.  Is she providing us with a Biblical model for ageing, an older wise woman, active in a way that is unexpected, not staying at home and giving up?  She ends Luke’s Nativity narrative, pointing forward to what is to come.

Anna is not an important person, but she is sensitive to God’s voice through years of devotion to him, and available when called to act.  Most of us are not important either, but we are called to play our part: God has a role for each of us.

Christmas is a time that we can either become consumed by the traditions of the season or slow down and meditate on the Lord whose coming we celebrate. May you, like Anna, be a holy person who is better at listening to the Lord than any other pursuit.

Prayer

Father, help us slow down and listen to you. In the coming year help us, like Anna, to value the time we spend in your presence. To value the time we spend in prayer. And to listen to your leading. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

St Luke 2: 21 – 35

After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, ‘Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord’),  and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, ‘a pair of turtle-doves or two young pigeons.’ Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.  Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law,  Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying,

‘Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word;
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles  and for glory to your people Israel.’

And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him.  Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, ‘This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.’

Reflection

Five gold rings!
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves, and
A partridge in a pear tree!

I did not grow up poor, unlike some of our neighbours. My father was always in work, as was my mother at times. We avoided poverty, though we were never in danger of being rich.

On the other hand, Jesus did come from a poor family, even though his father, Joseph worked with wood. The clue to Mary and Joseph’s poverty is in what’s shared in our seasonal song and today’s reading: ‘they offered a sacrifice according to what was stated in the law of Lord, a pair of turtle doves or two young pigeons.’

Normally, when presenting a newborn child at the temple, religious law required parents to bring a sheep for sacrifice. If they could not afford that, then two turtle doves sufficed (Leviticus 12). Mary and Joseph could not afford a sheep; they were poor; Jesus grew up in poverty.

Few people choose to be poor (and I’m not one of them). In Jesus, though, God did choose to become incarnate not only as a creature, but as one who was poor. The salvation which God has prepared for all emerged from the ranks of the poor.

There’s nothing romantic about being poor or wrong with not being so. As my woodworker grandfather would say, “money may not make you happy, but at least you can be miserable in comfort.”

All the same, if you are poor, there’s affirmation here that God chooses to live with you and be one of you. If, though, like me, you are not poor, what are the implications for loving, following and being with Jesus, who chose or was chosen to be poor? And how should we relate to those who share in Jesus’s poverty?

Prayer

Lord Jesus, 
thank you for all of the riches that come my way, 
and thank you for coming to live among those who were poor. 
Inspire me, I pray, to respond appropriately to this reality. Amen.

 
Today’s service is led by the Revd Walt Johnson

 
Welcome

Hello, and welcome to our Service of the Word on Sunday 28 December 2025. My name is Walt Johnson. I serve as a non-stipendiary Minister of Word and Sacraments in the Bolton and Salford Missional Partnership in the North-Western Synod of the URC.

In the church’s calendar, 28 December is Holy Innocents’. The day when we reflect on Herod’s brutal order to have killed the children under two in Bethlehem. It is a part of the Christmas Story that does not find its way into the Nativity plays.  I am writing this service in mid-October: a new fragile peace between Israel and Gaza has been declared after two years of war. So many parents mourning the loss of their children, from babies to adults. Bereavement comes to us all. At the moment, I am also preparing for a funeral of a woman in her mid-sixties. Her frail and elderly parents – now in their nineties – never expected that they would have to arrange their own daughter’s funeral. We have just celebrated Christmas, and for some of you joining with us today, it will have been the first Christmas without a certain loved one. Today, amid the on-going Christmas festivities, we also pause and hold before God our pain of loss.

We come together now as God’s people to worship our Lord, Jesus Christ, Who was born as one of us: in the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Call to Worship 

Listen to these words of new life, as found in: the prophet Isaiah (9:6): “For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” And in the Gospel of Luke (2:10-11): “The angel said… ‘Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord.”

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Light shines in the darkness…and the darkness will never overcome it! Our eyes see our salvation, which God has prepared in the presence of all peoples. The Light shines in the darkness…and the darkness will never overcome it!

Hymn     Unto Us a Boy Is Born 
Latin, 14th Century, translated by Percy Dearmer (1867-1936) Public Domain. Sung by Maddy Prior with the Carnival Band

Unto us a boy is born!
The King of all creation.
Came He to a world forlorn,
The Lord of ev’ry nation.

Cradled in a stall was He
with sleepy cows and asses;
but the very beasts could see
that He the world surpasses.

Herod then with fear was filled:
“A prince,” he said, “in Jewry!”
All the little boys he killed
At Bethl’hem in his fury.

Now may Mary’s son, who came
so long ago to love us,
lead us all with hearts aflame
unto the joys above us.

Omega and Alpha He!
Let the organ thunder,
While the choir with peals of glee
doth rend the air asunder.

Prayer of Approach

Loving God, 
we thank You that You sent Your son, Jesus, to be born as one of us.
As a frail and tiny baby, born in humble surroundings, 
He grew and lived our common life.
We thank You that in His life He met with people just like us.
We thank You for His obedience, even to His death on the Cross.
We thank You that through His resurrection 
and His glorious Ascension, He opened for us the gate of Glory.
We thank You for the Gift of the Holy Spirit 
who speaks through Your holy Word, 
that we might be more and like Him.
We offer You our service today, 
as we lift our voices in song,
as we open our hearts and minds to Your Word, 
as we reflect on its meaning for us today.
We come to You as we are: 
with all we have and all who we are,
with our strength and with our frailty, 
with our joys and with our sorrows.
Thanks be to You, our Creator God. Amen.

Prayer of Confession

Jesus says to us: “Love the Lord Your God, with all Your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” Jesus also says to us: “Love your neighbour as yourself”. We take a moment to reflect on those times when we have not loved God, when we have not loved others, and when we have even not loved ourselves…

Silence 

To the bidding, “Lord, have mercy”, please respond with “Christ, have mercy.”

Loving God, we confess that, in our own lives, we do not always do what is right or turn away from what is wrong. Lord, have mercy…Christ, have mercy.

We confess that we live in a world in which many are hungry – even for bread, many are sad or hurt, and there is much that is unfair and unjust. Lord, have mercy…Christ, have mercy.

We ask Your forgiveness, we recognise Your mercy, and accept Your grace,  we ask for courage to make a new beginning. Lord, have mercy…Christ, have mercy.

Assurance of Pardon

Listen for the assurance of pardon, as spoken through the prophet Isaiah:  “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”  Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come; thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation; 
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.

Hymn     Peace Child
Shirley Erena Murray © Hope Publishing Company, 1992 OneLicence. Sung by the Thomastown Folk Choir, Ireland.

Peace child, in the sleep of the night,
in the dark before light You come, You come
in the silence of stars, in the violence of wars —
Saviour, your name.

Peace child, to the road and the storm,
to the gun and the bomb You come, You come,
through the hate and the hurt, through the hunger and dirt —
bearing a dream.
 
Peace child, to our dark and our sleep,
to the conflict we reap, now come, now come,
be your dream born alive, held in hope, wrapped in love:
God’s true Shalom.

Prayer of Illumination

Lord Jesus, You who are the Word made flesh: You say to us: “What has come into being in Him was life, and the life was the light of all people.”
Lord Jesus, You say to us: “Because of the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to shine upon those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” Amen.

Talk Part 1

Christmas Day was just four days ago, and among the celebrations with gifts, food and the company of our loved ones, we may have taken some time to reflect on the Christmas story, the version in our heads which stems from a mixing the accounts contained in two Gospels – Matthew and Luke. Many of us, as young children, may have taken part in nativity plays, where the Christmas story, drawn from both Gospels plays itself out on the stage, usually finishing with a beautiful scene of the Holy Family, the Angel Gabriel, the Shepherds and the Wise Men and their three gifts.
In church, we try to get it right and remember the Wise Men two weeks after Christmas, at Epiphany; however, between Christmas and Epiphany, we remember an event which the Church calls “Holy Innocents”, which according to Matthew’s Gospel should come after Epiphany! Nevertheless, today we are reflecting on a very dark episode in the Christmas story, one which many will overlook, and certainly not seen in school Nativity plays. A poem entitled “Holy Innocents” by Christina Rosetti…

Poem     Holy Innocents by Christina Rosetti, 1 July 1853

Sleep, little baby, sleep;
The holy Angels love thee,
And guard thy bed, and keep
A blessed watch above thee.
No spirit can come near
Nor evil beast to harm thee:
Sleep, Sweet, devoid of fear
Where nothing need alarm thee.
The Love which doth not sleep,
The eternal Arms surround thee:
The Shepherd of the sheep
In perfect love hath found thee.
Sleep through the holy night,
Christ-kept from snare and sorrow,
Until thou wake to light
And love and warmth to-morrow.

Talk Part 2

The Birth Narrative in St Luke’s Gospel with the Angel Gabriel, the visit to Elizabeth, the census, the journey to Bethlehem, the stable and the shepherds is largely positive and much of this narrative is written with Mary, Jesus’ mother, very much in the centre.

Compare this with the Birth Narrative in Matthew’s Gospel, which is much shorter and more from Joseph’s perspective: the assurance he received in a dream to marry Mary, despite the pregnancy, the further two dreams in which Joseph takes the Holy Family into and return from exile. Added into this is the experience of the Wise Men, who themselves are warned in dream. The account in Matthew seems much darker. Also, Matthew points out to his readers that certain things in his narration are the fulfilment of prophecy from many centuries before Jesus’ birth.

In our experience of Nativity plays, King Herod is the baddie. Herod the Great was not a Jew. He was from Idumea, south of Judea. His reign over his kingdom was brought about at the same time as the Roman conquest of Judea in 37 BCE. Secular historians of the time describe Herod as a king who never felt secure: he had a secret-police of sorts; he had many close to him killed: one wife, his mother, his brothers and several sons. He was a harsh king who imposed very heavy taxes on his people to rebuild the Temple. We know that he was highly suspicious of the Wise Men when they came to him first, before going on to Bethlehem.

And so we set the scene: a king, Herod, who was paranoid and very afraid of potential rivals; and, the Holy Family, Jesus, whose birth was foretold by prophets. Into this mix comes this terrible event, in which innocent children under 2 years old are slaughtered.

Reading     St Matthew 2:13-18

Now after [the magi] had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, “Out of Egypt I have called my son.” When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the magi. Then what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: “A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they are no more.”

Talk Part 3

We do not know how long the Holy Family stayed in Bethlehem, nor how long after the birth did the Magi visit Herod and then come to Bethlehem. Clearly, the 2 years have some significance. The Gospel is silent on the number of children who were killed; however, given the smaller population in the ancient world, and that Bethlehem was known to be a village, we are probably talking about tens of children; nevertheless, the act was indeed no less brutal.

God’s hand through Joseph’s dream was at work, and the Holy Family fled as refugees into Egypt, and we are told towards the end of the Gospel reading that only after Herod’s death – which historians tells us was in 4 BCE – did the Holy Family return home to Nazareth. There are parallels between the story of Moses in the book of Exodus and today’s reading from Matthew’s Gospel. Today, we are reflecting on the massacre of these children.

In verse 18, we read: “A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they are no more.” Ramah is another name for that area of Judea. Rachel was Jacob’s second and most beloved wife and is said to be buried near Bethlehem. Her name represents the mothers of the massacred children.

We cannot imagine what it must have been like for those mothers, those parents and those families, into whose lives this massacre came and changed them forever. What must they have felt? They had done nothing wrong. Their children certainly had done nothing wrong, yet they were slaughtered by a brutal, paranoid, tyrannical king.

We have a saying: not to rub salt into the wound, meaning to make the pain worse. But let us contextualise those words from verse 18 which were first written by the prophet Jeremiah some 600 years previously.

How must those mothers and families have felt when they heard that the massacre of their children had been foretold? What thoughts and feelings must they have had? Why had God seemingly singled out their children in their town in their time to fulfil the prophecy? Indeed, the words of Jeremiah are true: “She refused to be consoled.”

Hymn     Before the World Began
John L Bell (born 1949) and Graham Maule (1958-2019) © 1987 WGRG, c/o Iona Community, 21 Carlton Court, Glasgow, G5 9JP, One Licence No. # A-734713. Sung by unknown singers at St David’s Anglican Church, Edmonton, Canada.

Before the world began, one Word was there;
grounded in God he was, rooted in care;
by him all things were made, in him was love displayed;
through him God spoke, and said, ‘I am for you’.

Life found in him its source, death found its end;
light found in him its course, darkness its friend.
for neither death nor doubt nor darkness can put out
the glow of God, the shout, ‘I am for you’.

The Word was in the world which from him came;
unrecognised he was, unknown by name;
one with all humankind, with the unloved aligned,
convincing sight and mind, ‘I am for you’.

All who received the Word by God were blessed;
sisters and brothers they of earth’s fond guest.
So did the Word of Grace proclaim in time and space
and with a human face, ‘I am for you’.
 
Reading     Isaiah 63: 7-9

I will recount the gracious deeds of the Lord, the praiseworthy acts of the Lord, because of all that the Lord has done for us and the great favour to the house of Israel that he has shown them according to his mercy, according to the abundance of his steadfast love. For he said, “Surely they are my people, children who will not act deceitfully,” and he became their saviour in all their distress. It was no messenger or angel but his presence that saved them; in his love and pity it was he who redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.

Talk Part 4

Sometimes, those who chose the Lectionary readings have selected complementary readings. Today is not one of those days: our reading from Isaiah juxtaposes the joy of salvation alongside Jeremiah’s lament.

“I will recount the gracious deeds of the LORD…”

“Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him…”

“The great favour to the house of Israel that [the LORD] has shown them…”

“[Herod] sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem…”

“[The LORD] became their saviour in all their distress…”

“Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they are no more.”

Putting these readings side-by-side unsettles us. When deep emotions caused in the face of trauma of others are evoked, that force is a powerful one and stirs our deep feelings and the difficult, awkward unanswered – perhaps, even, unanswerable – questions come to the surface.
What was God playing at, when, as it seems, he marked those Bethlehem children for death in a prophecy made 600 years previously?

Why did God save his own Son, Jesus, and yet bring agony to many families, for what seems all the for the sake of making a theological point?
Whether we like to admit it or not, we all have sense against injustice within us, and from time to time, that sense against injustice is brought to the fore, either through the seemingly inexplicable happenings of circumstance, or the plain horror of what could only be describe as “evil”.
Herod’s massacre – whether or not we accept Jeremiah’s prophecy – was an evil act, born out of the paranoia, fear and malevolence of a man who abused his power as a king.

Returning to our Gospel reading: the pain of the mothers whose children were slaughtered. We may never experience that level of evil, but we will still experience a level of injustice within us which rails against God in despair and complete failure to understand why these things have happened to us.

And then, there are the things in our lives, which are not born of evil or malevolence, but nevertheless cause us the same level of pain and despair: a loved one struck down with a certain disease… Why him? Why her? They are such a good and loving person and yet there are so many wicked people out there in good health! And inexplicable loss… of a job, of a friendship or relationship, or of property… And then there’s the pain of emptiness and despair, for those who strive and yet never seem to find… the couple longing to conceive and have children, those looking for asylum, looking for a relationship, looking for work… why is it that it seems so easy for others, yet impossible for me?

You might not feel so comfortable right now, but yet we can take a step back from the personal and ask wider questions which evoke the same feelings within us… Why is there suffering in the world? Why is there evil in the world? Why doesn’t God ‘do something’?  These questions are simply too big.

And here is the great mystery: our God, the Creator, became the created. And that miracle happened at Christmas. Our Creator God became human in the baby Jesus. And just like we are angered by injustice, so was Jesus: He spoke out against the hypocritical authorities; He wept bitterly when his friend Lazarus died. Each of the four Gospels is filled with stories of how Jesus drew alongside individuals in their place and time of need.

I would like to think that as Jesus walked around Judea during his ministry, that he would have returned to Bethlehem, and he would have met the mothers whose children were massacred by Herod, and that by drawing alongside them for a time, that they experienced some comfort.

You may have had the experience yourself, as I have, of being with someone in pain, and all that is required is to be alongside them: words are unnecessary. This in itself is an act of being Christ-like. This is what Jesus did, and as His followers, we are called to be like Him: we are now His hands to do His work, His feet to go where He would have us go, His voice to speak His words to a world in pain.

And so, in the depth of pain, either our own or that of another, remember that Jesus understands: He became human; from the manger at Christmas to the Cross of Easter, He is one of us; He is in it with us. Jesus is in it with us. Let us reflect on that most profound mystery for a moment.
Jesus is in it with us… He is in it with us. Amen.

Hymn     Who Can Sound the Depths of Sorrow?
Graham Kendrick, © 1988 Make Way Music OneLicence # A-734713 Sung by the Frodsham Methodist Church Cloud Choir and used with their kind permission.

Who can sound the depths of sorrow
in the Father heart of God,
for the children we’ve rejected,
for the lives so deeply scarred?
And each light that we’ve extinguished
has brought darkness to our land:
upon our nation, upon our nation have mercy Lord!

Who can stand before Your anger;
who can face Your piercing eyes?
For You love the weak and helpless,
and You hear the victims’ cries.
Yes, You are a God of justice,
and Your judgement surely comes:
upon our nation, upon our nation have mercy Lord!

Who will stand against the violence?
Who will comfort those who mourn?
In an age of cruel rejection,
who will build for love a home?
Come and shake us into action,
come and melt our hearts of stone:
upon Your people, upon Your people, have mercy Lord!

Who can sound the depths of mercy
in the Father heart of God,
for there is a Man of Sorrows,
who for sinners shed his blood!
He can heal the wounds of nations,
He can wash the guilty clean,
because of Jesus, have mercy, Lord. 

Affirmation of Faith

We believe in God.
Despite God’s silence and secrets, we believe that God lives.
Despite evil and suffering, we believe that God made the world,
    so that all would be happy in life.
Despite the limitations of our reason,
    and the revolts of our hearts, we believe in God.

We believe in Jesus Christ.
Despite the centuries which separate us,
from the time when He came to earth, we believe in Jesus’ word.
Despite our incomprehension and our doubt,
we believe in His resurrection.
Despite His weakness and poverty, we believe in His reign.

We believe in the Holy Spirit.
Despite appearances, we believe the Spirit guides the Church.
Despite death, we believe in eternal life.
Despite ignorance and disbelief,
    we believe that the Kingdom of God is promised to all. 
Thanks be to God. Amen.

Prayers of Concern

O God of justice and righteousness, 
we pray for Your broken world. 
For those where Christmas has not been a time of joy. 
For those affected by war and violence. 
O God of peace, we give thanks for our freedom 
and for those who work for peace and those who keep us safe.

O Lord, hear our prayer…and let our cry go unto You.

O God of compassion, 
we pray for all those who have lost their homes: 
for refugees and seekers of asylum, 
for the homeless in our own land. 
We pray for those organisations who open their doors 
and extend loving arms of welcome.
O God of tenderness and love, 
we remember those are affected by illnesses of body or mind. 
We pray for the bereaved, 
especially for those spending a first Christmas without a loved one. 
We give thanks and pray for those whom we love. 

O Lord, hear our prayer…and let our cry go unto You.

O God of Rachel, who refused to be comforted, 
we pray for those parents who have lost a child. 
Whether during pregnancy, or at birth; 
whether in infancy, in youth or in older age – Lord, have mercy.
O Father God, O God of Mary, 
You Who know what it is like to lose a child.

O Lord, hear our prayer…and let our cry go unto You.

O God of mission, we pray for Your Church. 
We pray for boldness and openness of heart 
to respond to Your Spirit’s calling. 
We give thanks for the life of Your Church. 
We pray for those hearing the Christmas story for the first time. 

O Lord, hear our prayer…and let our cry go unto You.

O God Incarnate, who became as we are, 
we give thanks for the gift of Your Son, Jesus, 
as we recall and celebrate the story of His birth. 
We pray for ourselves and for our journeys of faith.

O Lord, hear our prayer…and let our cry go unto You.

Merciful God, accept these prayers, 
for the sake of Your Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ, 
who was born, lived our common life, 
died for us and was raised to life! Amen.

Hymn     Tell Out My Soul
Timothy Dudley-Smith (1926-2024) from Luke 1 vs46-55
© administered by Oxford University Press OneLicence No. # A-734713 Performed by Ruth and Joy Everingham and used with their kind permission.

Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord!
Unnumbered blessings, give my spirit voice;
tender to me the promise of his word;
in God my Saviour shall my heart rejoice.

Tell out, my soul, the greatness of his Name!
Make known his might, the deeds his arm has done;
his mercy sure, from age to age the same;
his holy Name, the Lord, the Mighty One.

Tell out, my soul, the greatness of his might!
Powers and dominions lay their glory by.
Proud hearts and stubborn wills are put to flight,
the hungry fed, the humble lifted high.

Tell out, my soul, the glories of his word!
Firm is his promise, and his mercy sure.
Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord
to children’s children and for evermore!
 
Blessing

Thank you for joining in with our worship today. 
We commit You to the grace of God Who welcomes all.
We commit You to the mercy of God – those who have followed, and those who have failed.
We commit You to the protection of God – who ever was, and who is, and who will always be.
We commit You to the love of God, our Creator, who made us in all our diversity and loves each one of us deeply.
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to You.
May the Lord lift up the light of His smile upon you and give you peace. Amen.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being  in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.  He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him.  He came to what was his own,  and his own people did not accept him.  But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God,  who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.  (John testified to him and cried out, ‘This was he of whom I said, “He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.”’)  From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.  The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.  No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.

Reflection

I never feel it is Christmas until I hear the wonderful opening words from John’s Gospel. Nowhere is the mystery of faith so beautifully captured than in the statement that “the Word became flesh and lived among us”.

The Word is the force that brought about creation. The Word is the big bang. The Word is the emergence of life. The Word is evolution. With the birth of Jesus, the Word became vulnerable: the Creator was no longer hidden but came into the world he had created, and that world was as messy and conflict-ridden as our world today.

The Word living among us brings both a new hope and also a significant challenge. The hope comes from the Creator whose love for us is demonstrated by his coming in grace and truth. He shares our journey, comforts those who suffer, and shines a light that darkness cannot overcome.

However, as we take hope from the incarnation, we realise that this presents us with a significant challenge.  We may look at the world and wonder what God is up to. Humanity is not doing too well at the moment and this Christmas we may feel that there isn’t much that we can celebrate. The Word challenges us to play our part, to receive God’s grace, to be God’s children and act accordingly.  God is not a puppet master. He constantly responds to the decisions that we freely make.  Mary freely accepted the role God had given her and God’s intervention through Jesus was hugely vulnerable to human action and human response, as it continues to be today.

John’s account of the Word becoming flesh and living among us confirms that God’s Providence has a human face. The most important way God chose to work in the real world was through a real baby. God is in the mess with us. No matter how difficult things get, God is here alongside us, and God accompanies us on our journey.

Prayer

God, we give thanks for your Word.
You spoke and everything came into being.
May we, like John, testify to your coming into the world.
As we face the darkness of winter, shine your light upon us.
As we look at our troubled world, pour out your grace upon us.
When we fail to recognise you, pour out your forgiveness upon us.
May the Word give us hope as we step out in your name.
Amen

Friday, 26 December 2025 

St Luke 2: 15 – 20

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.’  So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Reflection

This story is so familiar.  Together with the previous days’ readings it is overlain with so very many years of rich Christmas experiences.  A wonderful, wonderful narrative that transports us back in time through our own Christmas celebrations in churches, schools and homes.  Memories are peopled by those who have been with us as we have heard, acted and sung this drama of the shepherds finding the baby in the manger in Bethlehem. 

I am a romantic when it comes to Christmas.  Romantic in the sense that both the theology of it, and the Christian traditions around it, are portals into love and joy.

But then, on the other hand, there is the reality of life in and around Bethlehem today.  Our Commitment for Life briefings on Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory keep before us the horror of the suffering of the 21st Century equivalents of the shepherds and their communities.  The charity Embrace the Middle East has this year felt the need to launch a campaign “Childhood Behind the Bars” drawing attention to the hundreds of under 18 year old Palestinians held in detention by the Israeli military.  Its report makes for chilling reading.

Yet, says John’s Gospel, “the light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it”.  This is our faith.  It is this to which we cling. The reaction and behaviour of the shepherds Is a prototype of what has been lived out myriad times in the intervening centuries.  Ordinary people hear a life altering message about the Saviour.  They agree together to act on the news.  They step out in faith and discover that the message is true.  The Saviour is present.  They can’t stop talking about him and they return to their life and their duties overflowing with praise for his presence.

 Prayer

Ever present Saviour,
like those shepherds we glorify and praise God
for all that we have heard and seen of You.
Touch us anew with the wonder of your presence.
Help us to share this good news in ways that others can grasp.
We pray for the people of the land into which you were born.
We pray for peace with justice, for mercy and compassion,
for darkness to be overcome with your light. Amen