inspiration in your inbox 30 December 2024   We return to where we broke off the story before Christmas. St Luke 7: 1 – 10   After Jesus had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. A centurion there had a slave whom he valued highly, and who was ill and close to death.  When he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to him, asking him to come and heal his slave.  When they came to Jesus, they appealed to him earnestly, saying, ‘He is worthy of having you do this for him,  for he loves our people, and it is he who built our synagogue for us.’  And Jesus went with them, but when he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to say to him, ‘Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof;  therefore I did not presume to come to you. But only speak the word, and let my servant be healed.  For I also am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, “Go”, and he goes, and to another, “Come”, and he comes, and to my slave, “Do this”, and the slave does it.’ When Jesus heard this he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, he said, ‘I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.’  When those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health. Reflection The ancient city of Capernaum, nestled along the shores of the Sea of Galilee, once served as a Roman army garrison town. Despite the military presence, some soldiers sought to build friendships with the local community. The Centurion in today’s story was one such philanthropic individual. We often assume marginalised people are at the bottom of the social or economic ladder. But this Centurion shows us the complexity of Jesus’ ministry to the marginalised, as he, too, was embraced by Jesus’ compassionate attention. Even though he held a position of power within the mighty Roman Empire, the Jewish community typically viewed him with disdain. The Centurion might have felt this tension, as seen in his humble and perhaps even embarrassed request for help for his sick servant. Yet, his philanthropy earned him the respect of the synagogue elders. This led him to ask Jesus to heal his servant from afar, a remarkable display of faith that amazed Jesus, who rarely encountered such belief even among the more devout. What about us? Many of us might find ourselves in “middle-ranking” positions, whether in the middle class, middle management, or balancing various responsibilities and obligations. We might carry what we define as shameful experiences or traits of our own. But we can find comfort in this story. Like the Centurion, we, too, are seen with love by Jesus. This story highlights two essential truths: First, even when we feel undeserving of Jesus’ presence, he takes joy in being with us. Second, deep expressions of faith can come from the most unexpected places. Prayer Dear Jesus,  thank you for your healing love  and for seeing beyond societal labels to the hidden wounds in all of us.  May your grace reach  even the most unexpected places in our lives.  Amen.

Today’s writer The Revd Daniel Harris, Community Minister, Rochdale Bury & North Manchester Missional Partnership New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

 
Today’s service is led by the Revd Phil Nevard

 
Introduction

Welcome in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit!  I’m Rev’d Phil Nevard, a URC minister in South Cambridgeshire.  The Sunday immediately after Christmas can sometimes feel a bit “after the Lord Mayor’s show.  But however much we are flagging, God isn’t; however jaded we might be with carols and Christmas, God isn’t.  God welcomes a new day and another chance to draw close to you that you might draw close to them.  In the time it has taken us to celebrate Jesus’ birth, he’s grown into a 12yr old lad and is asking questions in the Temple.  So we’ve some catching up to do!  We gather to worship God.

Prayer of approach

It may feel like the bleak mid-winter, frosty wind make moan …
but we have come to worship and our hearts are wanned.
Our spirits are lifted by the presence of God’s Spirit.
Our joy is brightened as we hear the call of Christ.
Our fellowship is strengthened as we gather in His name.
In the bleak mid-winter, we gather to worship God. 

Our God, heaven cannot hold Him nor earth contain … 
Our God who created the universe cannot be tamed.
Our God who sustains life itself is beyond the reach of mere words.
Our God who is alpha and omega, beginning and end, 
is bigger than we can imagine.
In the bleak mid-winter, we gather to worship God. 

Enough for him whom cherubim worship night and day –
a breast full of milk and a manger full of hay.
That awesome powerful creator God is born a helpless babe.
The God whom heaven cannot hold is cradled in a mother’s arms.
The God whom earth cannot contain is seen and heard and touched.
In the bleak mid-winter, we gather to worship God. 

What can I give him, poor as I am? Some money for the offertory? 
An hour of my time on Sunday morning?
A few good deeds to keep my conscience clear?
Obedience, faith, belief … he wants more than that, He wants my heart.
In the bleak mid-winter, we gather to worship God. 

Hymn     In the Bleak Midwinter
Christina Georgina Rossetti (c. 1872) Public Domain Sung and Performed by Walton Salvation Army and used with their kind permission.
 
In the bleak midwinter frosty wind made moan,
earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone:
snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
in the bleak midwinter, long ago.

Our God, heaven cannot hold him, nor earth sustain;
heaven and earth shall flee away when he comes to reign:
in the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed
the Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.

Enough for him whom cherubim worship night and day,
a breastful of milk and a mangerful of hay:
enough for him whom angels fall down before,
the ox and ass and camel which adore.

Angels and archangels may have gathered there,
cherubim and seraphim thronged the air,
but only his mother, in her maiden bliss,
worshiped the Beloved with a kiss.
 
What can I give him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb,
if I were a wise man I would do my part,
yet what I can I give him, give my heart.

Confession and Absolution

Too often we let our hearts grow cold and dark,
to match the weather, rather than face our transgressions.
In the cold dim winter God’s light is hard to see, 
we long to hear God’s promise to unburden our hearts.
God calls us to repentance and offers us the light of Christ. 

(moment of quiet)

God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. Feel the warmth, feel the sensation of a melting heart; know that you are forgiven, know that you are restored.  Thanks be to God

Prayer for illumination

Living God, help us so to hear your holy Word
that we may truly understand;
that, understanding, we may believe
and believing, we may follow in all faithfulness and obedience,
seeking your honour and glory in all that we do;
through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Reading     1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26

Samuel was ministering before the Lord, a boy wearing a linen ephod.  His mother used to make for him a little robe and take it to him each year, when she went up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.  Then Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, and say, ‘May the Lord repay you with children by this woman for the gift that she made to the Lord’; and then they would return to their home.

Music for Quiet Reflection      Lord, Now Lettest (Nunc Dimittis)
arranged by Geoffrey Burgon and sung by the choir of St Andrew’s Cathedral Sydney and used with their kind permission.  

Reading     St Luke 2:41-52

Now every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Assuming that he was in the group of travellers, they went a day’s journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents  saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, ‘Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.’  He said to them, ‘Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?’ But they did not understand what he said to them.  Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favour.

Hymn     Child in the Manger
Mary MacDonald (1789-1872) translated L Macbean (1853-1931). Public Domain. Sung and performed by members of Dalgety Church and used with their kind permission.

Child in the manger, infant of Mary;
outcast and stranger, Lord of all;
Child who inherits all our transgressions,
all our demerits on Him fall.

Once the most holy Child of salvation
gently and lowly lived below;
now as our glorious mighty Redeemer,
see Him victorious o’er each foe.
 
Prophets foretold Him, infant of wonder;
angels behold Him on His throne;
worthy our Saviour of all our praises;
happy forever are His own.

Sermon

You might not be ready for Jesus to be twelve yet, I’m not sure I am!  But here we are, four days on from Christmas Day, and Jesus is already a pretentious kid asking too many questions!  There are people in the church who get deeply grumpy with the world for celebrating Christmas too early and then abandoning it on boxing day. WAIT! They say, wait a little longer, THEN we’ll do Christmas.  But then when we do, before all the mice pies are gone, Jesus is twelve, and before Aunt Thelma has finally vacated the spare room and gone home, Jesus is grown up and being baptised in the Jordan!  No time is spent enjoying Jesus as a baby!

The stories surrounding Jesus’ birth in the gospels are not the same as the “Baby’s First Years” books that we might keep as parents, or if they are, they are like the third child’s book where you never bothered to record anything!  Our youngest can still get very cross that we have no idea what her first word was.  She found that out when she asked us separately and we each gave a different made-up answer!  We were royally rumbled!

The stories surrounding Jesus’ birth in the gospels, however you view them, are very carefully crafted to set the scene for Jesus’ ministry and to connect his life and mission to the broader narrative of Israel’s history.  The birth of the Jesus to a virgin or young maiden draws on Isaiah 7:14; the place of Jesus’ birth draws on Micah 5:2; the Holy Family’s flight to Egypt evokes Hosea 11:1; the slaughter of the innocents evokes Jeremiah 31:15; the role of John the Baptist evokes Isaiah 40:3; the theme of light and darkness evokes Isaiah 9:2; the Davidic family tree evokes Samuel 7:12-13.

So we shouldn’t be surprised that here we have Jesus as a young boy in the temple growing in wisdom and in divine and human favour, just as Samuel was described as a young boy in the temple growing in stature and in favour with the LORD and with the people.  Luke is inviting the reader to put these two stories together and allow them to speak to us.

So let’s have a go at doing just that.  I’ll highlight the traditional three things that occur to me.

Firstly, both of these stories have faithful mothers – Hannah and Mary.  Both of them, in some sense, gave their first-born to God.  Sometimes world-views have changed so much since biblical times that it is difficult to draw direct lessons.  I think most of us would struggle to understand what it might mean to give your child to God.  We are steeped in the idea that our children will make their own minds up and chart their own paths through life.  But try this on for size.  I wonder whether both Mary and Hannah are both trusting God with their children, in the sense that God will love and guide and cherish them as God has every generation, but that they are also both trusting the next generation with God.

The story of Samuel is told very much at a time when the old guard is dying out – Eli is on his last legs.  This story abut Jesus also features an elderly generation who might consider themselves to be on their last legs.  Simeon is quite open about it, “Now I have seen this boy I can depart in peace.”  The shape of worship and how the nation understands faith in God will now be shaped by a new generation. There is something grace-filled about handing on a baton, something faith-filled and hope-filled.  Samuel might only be 7 or 8yrs old Jesus is only 12.  Hannah and Mary trust God with them, but also trust them with God.

Secondly, I’m not sure how we’d deal with either of these two kids today.  I suspect we might think something was wrong, or that they were a bit weird or even creepy.  Our world does not encourage intense religious devotion at an early age. We might think it was a bit unhealthy, over-zealous or that they had been indoctrinated by some dangerously radical sect.  For children, we might consider them to be a bit obsessively over-consumed by religious devotion.

I wonder, though, whether their stories might be an opportunity for us to look back over our own journeys of faith.  For Samuel, the beginning was not really a choice he made – his mum made it for him!  I suspect there is a generation where that rings true… “I was dragged to church as a kid!”  For some people that led to a rejection of church as soon as possible, for others it was an experience of something on which they then built their own choices and faith-commitments, like Samuel did.  I suspect Samuel’s calling unfolded gradually whereas Jesus was clear about who he was and what God’s calling for his life was very early on.  Jesus was in the temple by his own choice, it wasn’t his parents’ doing, they had no idea where he was!
Maybe as we approach yet another new year it’s a good time to reflect on your own spiritual journey. Whether you feel like you are still discovering your calling or whether you have known it for a long time, God’s timing and purpose are unique for each person. Where do you think God might be leading you next?

Thirdly, the whole growing in wisdom and favour thing.  Whatever 2025 holds for you, may it hold this!  May you be a wiser person at the end of 2025.  That probably needs to come with small print, because wisdom is often gained through hardship and pain.  Our faith will not offer us a pain and hardship-free 2025, but it might offer us a greater depth of wisdom and understanding, especially if that pain and hardship is borne as we are part of a faithful, worshipping community of God’s people.

May you also gain favour with God and with people in 2025.  Again, some small print!  Even a cursory knowledge of the lives of Samuel and Jesus will tell us that “gaining favour with people” did not mean being fawning and ingratiating!  Far from it!  I suspect what it means for them and us is that we might increasingly live our lives in such a way that we leave a trace of grace wherever we go, the aroma of God, the flavour of hope… that kind of life is attractive and compelling.

So, now I’ve added the small-print, I’m very much aware that this might sound like “May you live in interesting times” but…

As we pack away Christmas and head into 2025,  may you grow in wisdom  and may you grow in favour  with God and among all God’s people.   Amen

Hymn     All Poor Ones and Humble
Based on a traditional Welsh Carol v1 translated by Kathene E Roberts, v 2 translated by T Penar Davies. Sung by an unknown Church Quartet © 1928 Oxford University Press OneLicence # A-734713  

All poor ones and humble and all those who stumble,
come hastening and feel not afraid,
for Jesus our treasure, with love past all measure,
in lowly poor manger was laid.
Though wise men who found him laid rich gifts around him
yet oxen they gave him their hay, 
and Jesus in beauty accepted their duty, contented in manger he lay.

Then haste we to show him the praises we owe him,
our service he ne’er can despise,
whose love still is able to show us that stable,
where softly in manger he lies.

Or Christ Child will lead us The Good Shepherd feed us,
And with us abide till his day.
Then hatred he’ll banish; Then sorrow will vanish,
And death and despair flee away.
And he shall reign ever, And nothing shall sever
From us the great love of our King;
His peace and his pity shall bless his fair city;
and praises we ever shall sing.  
 
Then haste we to show him the praises we owe him,
our service he ne’er can despise,
whose love still is able to show us that stable,
where softly in manger he lies.

Nunc Dimittis

Now Lord you let your servant go in peace:
Your word has been fulfilled.
My own eyes have seen the salvation
which you have prepared in the sight of every people:
a light to reveal you to the nations, and the glory of your people Israel.

Glory to the father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Offertory Prayer

Church offertory is rarely a plate or a bag passed from person to person these days.  It is more likely to be a much more invisible digital bank transfer set to some automatic schedule which  is harder for us to notice.  What we give to God through the life of our church has always been more than what’s in a bag or on a plate – it’s all of our acts of service in and through the life of this congregation.  So let us give thanks for all of that.

Loving God, You give to us without counting the cost,
You give to us beyond human measure. Accept these and all our gifts to be used in your service  each and every day. Amen.

Prayers of Intercession

Loving and Eternal God,

We give thanks for the gift of Your Son, Jesus Christ, who came to dwell among us, bringing light and hope to our world. As we reflect on the story of Jesus in the temple, we are reminded of His wisdom, His sense of purpose, and His deep connection with You, even from a young age.

We pray today for all children and young people, that they may grow in wisdom and stature, and in favour with You and with others. May their homes and communities be places where they are nurtured and encouraged to explore their faith and discover the calling You have placed on their lives. We lift before You parents, guardians, and all who care for children, asking that You grant them the patience, love, and wisdom to guide them faithfully.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

We pray for the Church, that it may be a place where all are welcome, where questions are embraced, and where the teachings of Jesus are lived out in our words and actions. Help us to be a community that supports one another in our journeys of faith, and that reaches out to those in need, reflecting the love and compassion of Christ in all we do.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

We pray for those who are lost, confused, or searching for meaning in their lives. Just as Mary and Joseph searched anxiously for Jesus, we ask that You guide all who are seeking, that they may find their way to You. May we, as Your people, be ready to offer comfort, direction, and hope to those who are struggling.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

We remember before You those who are in need today—those who are sick, lonely, grieving, or burdened by the challenges of life. (pause to add names and situations that rest heavy on YOUR heart) As we carry them in our hearts, we ask for Your healing presence to surround them. May they feel the peace that comes from knowing they are loved and held by You, even in the midst of their difficulties.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Finally, Lord, we pray for ourselves, that like Jesus, we may grow in our understanding of Your will for our lives. As we stand at the threshold of a new year, help us to be attentive to Your voice, to seek Your wisdom in all that we do, and to be faithful in our calling as Your disciples.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

We offer these prayers, those spoken formally out loud
and those whispered in the quietness of our hearts
in the name of Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord. Amen.

Hymn     Ring a Bell for Peace
Marian Collihole © 1972 Stainer and Bell  OneLicence # A-734713  Played by Cheryl Jackson and sung by Crystal Schau of the Music Team of Transcona Memorial United Church.

Ring a bell for peace,for the babe born on this night,
ring a bell through the country and the town;
ring a bell for peace, come and see the wondrous light,
ring a bell, ring it merry up and down.

Blow a horn for joy, for the babe born in the hay,
blow a horn through the country and the town;
blow a horn for joy, come and hear what people say,
blow a horn, blow it merry up and down.

Play a flute for hope, for the babe now fast asleep,
play a flute through the country  and the town;
play a flute for hope, see the shepherds leave their sheep, 
play a flute, play it merry up and down.

Beat the drum for faith, for the babe beneath the star,
beat the drum through the country and the town;
beat the drum for faith, come and play both near and far,
beat the drum, beat it merry up and down.

Blessing

Loving God,
as we go out into your world,
may we know your presence with us
in all the pressures and potential of the coming week.
Help us to leave traces of grace
wherever we are and whatever we do. Amen.

St Luke 2: 39 – 40

When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favour of God was upon him.

Reflection

There’s a moment near the end of the 2009 Star Trek “reboot” when the Starship Enterprise swoops in to save the day that always makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. The swell of the choir, the flash of the special effects, and the film reaches its dramatic conclusion.

Reboots have become big business for Hollywood. From director JJ Abrams’ Star Trek and Star Wars projects through to Daniel Craig’s James Bond origin stories, producers have enticed audiences into cinemas by resetting their storylines to offer fresh takes on familiar characters.

As Christians, we’re witnesses to perhaps the greatest “reboot” ever. Jesus died on the Cross to wash away our sins and rose from the grave to give us a “reboot”, a fresh start, an opportunity for a one-on-one relationship with God.

We access that reboot day-by-day in our personal prayers and week-by-week when we come to pray together as part of our worship. At the same time, we pray for help to forgive others for their sins against us, helping them to find that fresh start, that reboot.

Hogmanay is approaching. For many of us, it’s a time for reflection, often tinged with melancholy, as the dark evenings and long nights remind us of all we’ve lost and how we’ve failed.

Yet Hogmanay can also be a fresh start, a reboot, a new beginning. Even though it may simply be the turn of a page in the arbitrary way we measure time, the new year brings with it a new potential.

That potential leaps out from today’s passage in Luke’s Gospel. Jesus as a child is brimming with potential, growing and strengthening, gaining wisdom and favour from God.

Today’s passage mirrors Luke 1:80 as Jesus’s cousin, John the Baptist, grows and becomes strong in strength and spirit as well. It’s a timely reminder of how we as followers of Jesus are brimming with potential too.

Prayer

God of the reboot,
thank you for your never-ending, overflowing, grace 
which allows us to say sorry and to start again.
As we approach Hogmanay, 
help us to grow in faith and in number.
Strengthen us for service; fill us with your wisdom.
And pour out your favour upon us, 
so that we can love our neighbour and, 
in doing so, love you more deeply.
In Jesus’s name we pray. 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

Today we would probably discourage anyone from dedicating every hour of every day to our local church.  In these verses, however, we catch a glimpse of the Prophetess Anna who has dedicated her life, following the death of her husband, to prayer and fasting in the temple.  According to Luke she is very old.  She has spent years in this way.  She has seen people come and go.  She has probably blessed many.  For those younger people visiting the temple, she might have seemed to be part of the ‘old regime.’  

Anna encounters Jesus and his parents.  In him she catches a glimpse of God and her hopes from the future.  She blesses him.  Despite her great age Anna is looking towards the future and God’s continuing work. 

We spend our lives in a variety of ways.  Some of us are prayer warriors.  Many of us give ourselves to working for God in church and in community settings–in paid and volunteer roles.  Some days we may be tempted to despair–for our world can feel very broken.  When our church is closing, when wars continue to rage, when people can’t pay their bills, when crops fail and people are hungry, we may wonder where God is at work?  How can the future be shaped by the love, justice and mercy embodied in Jesus?  

If Anna had those fears at any point in her life, they were refocused in the hope and love she saw in Jesus, even as a wee one.  As we have again welcomed the wee Jesus, we have caught a glimpse of love, justice and mercy embodied in him.  Like Anna may we turn from the past and focus on the hope of the future found in him.  In our daily lives may we find ways to look forward in faith and embody the love, justice and mercy found in Jesus.  

Prayer

May we turn from idolising the past to watching for signs of God in the present.  
May we give ourselves to God’s work, wherever we find ourselves.
May we, young and old, bless those we encounter.  
May we give ourselves to creating a future which embodies the Kingdom of God.  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

Many of us harbour secrets, not just from others but from ourselves.  When this is taken to excess, we are in danger of creating an inner darkness, which at its worst can make us feel fearful, isolated, and in need of healing, even though this isn’t how we want to live.

We may fear the light of exposure, but there’s a softer light, the “light for revelation” that Simeon spoke of.  This light, brought by Jesus, brings peace, healing, and life.  Simeon experienced this light when he held Jesus and spoke of seeing salvation.  Others in the Bible also encountered this light, revealing their inner truths and leading them to transformation.

This light of revelation also shines on our hidden selves, revealing our deepest desires and fears.  It invites us to open our hearts, face our inner darkness, and let go of secrets.  This is how we can move towards wholeness and live authentically.

We may carry guilt, shame, or unfulfilled dreams within us.  We may hide our true selves for fear of rejection, or because it seems too good to be true; but knowing our deepest desires is sacred.  It’s like Simeon’s meeting with Jesus, where our old lives meet new life, and we encounter salvation.

What if today you brought your secret into the light for revelation?  What might you see?

This gentle light will not betray or accuse you.  Instead, it reveals love, peace, forgiveness, reconciliation, mercy, compassion, healing, wholeness, acceptance, beauty, hope, and new life.

That’s what Simeon saw in the temple, and there’s no reason it cannot be what we see.  This light, by revealing our innermost thoughts, leads us to a sacred meeting place within ourselves, where we encounter the transformative love and acceptance of Jesus.

Prayer

Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

 
Today’s service is led by the Revd Dr Alex Clare-Young

 
Introduction

Happy Christmas! My name is Alex, I’m a pioneer minister in Cambridge City Centre, and I am recording today’s sermon from Downing Place URC, Cambridge, which is the church that I work out of.  For me, Christmas is a time to celebrate love, generosity, and justice.  It can also be a lonely and difficult day for many of us. Let’s take time this Christmas to pause and give thanks for all that we have, to reach out to each-other in mutual support, and to find solidarity in the cries of a newborn God, living in frightening times.  
 
Scripture Sentences Psalm 96 & Call to Worship

O sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth. Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it. Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy!

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.  We come to worship!
Soon the bells will start.  We come to let our prayers ring out!
And the thing that’ll make ’em ring is the carol that you sing.
We come to sing our praises! Right within your heart.  We come to ponder, deep in our hearts.

Hymn     O Come All Ye Faithful
Latin, 18th century, possibly by John Francis Wade (c.1711-1786) and others, the choir of King’s College, Cambridge.

O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem;
come and behold him, born the King of angels;

O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him, 
Christ the Lord.

God of God, Light of light,
Lo! he abhors not the Virgin’s womb;
very God, begotten, not created;

O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him, 
Christ the Lord.

Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation,
sing, all ye citizens of heaven above,
‘Glory to God in the highest’:

O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him, 
Christ the Lord.

Yea, Lord, we greet thee, born this happy morning;
Jesus, to thee be glory given:
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing:
 
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him, 
Christ the Lord.

Prayers of Approach, Confession and Forgiveness

So this is Christmas, and what have we done?
God we thank you for the year that is ending,
and for the one just beginning.
And so this is Christmas, we thank you for fun – 
with near and with dear ones, with old and with young.
As we meet you in this space, we let go of fear,
we draw near to you, we wait for peace…

So this is Christmas and yet we still live in a world where the strong exploit the weak, where the rich ones snatch wealth from the poor ones,
where the words “War is over, if you want it, war is over now,” ring with challenge, rather than peace.

God forgive us, God forgive us.
Christ child forgive us, Christ child forgive us.
Spirit of change, transform us, Spirit of change, transform us.

God’s peace is not the easy peace, but Christ’s gift to us is that peace is within grasp, as we hear that good news, we yearn to be part of the change we seek.  Amen.

A Prayer for Illumination

God, you let go of majesty,
humbled yourself to draw near,
cried with the screams of the newborn,
reached out to wrap your tiny fists around our outstretched fingers.
Help us to let go, humble us, hear our cries, stretch our minds,
as we open the gifts of your Word, Amen.

Reading     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 onward and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this. 

Hymn     See in Yonder Manger Low
Edward Caswall (1814-1878) sung by the choir of Paisley Abbey

See! in yonder manger low,
born for us on earth below,
see! the tender Lamb appears
promised from eternal years.

Hail, thou ever-blessed morn!
Hail, redemption’s happy dawn!
Sing through all Jerusalem,
‘Christ is born in Bethlehem!’

Lo! within a manger lies
he who built the starry skies,
he who, throned in height sublime,
sits amid the cherubim.

Hail, thou ever-blessed morn!
Hail, redemption’s happy dawn!
Sing through all Jerusalem,
‘Christ is born in Bethlehem!’

Sacred Infant, all Divine,
what a tender love was thine,
thus to come from highest bliss
down to such a world as this!

Hail, thou ever-blessed morn!
Hail, redemption’s happy dawn!
Sing through all Jerusalem,
‘Christ is born in Bethlehem!’

Reading     St Luke 2:1-16

In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, “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. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favours!” 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. 

Sermon

At Christmas I often hear folks suggesting, in churches and in the media that there is a divide, or a competition, between secular and sacred, that is witnessed in the shopping and partying, the good food and gifts. But is there really a divide? Or are we stoking a culture war that doesn’t exist? The joy of giving, spending time with chosen family, volunteering to help those who are isolated, singing carols together – to me, Christmas is the one time at which vast numbers of folks join in sharing the Good News of love and the gap between secular and sacred – if such a gap exists – is at its most narrow. This year, I’ve been reflecting on the way in which Christmas songs reflect the Gospel message, the Good News that is ushered in in a simple home.

As Perry Como and The Fontane Sisters know:

“It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas
Soon the bells will start
And the thing that’ll make ’em ring is the carol that you sing
Right within your heart

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas
Toys in every store
But the prettiest sight to see is the holly that will be
On your own front door”

Our own front door can, indeed, be a place of hope for the hopeless, and rest for the weary. Throughout the worst parts of the Covid19 crisis, many stood outside our own front doors sharing hope and joy with others, despite our necessary isolation. Despite the terror of war and oppression, many have opened those same doors to individuals and families fleeing Ukraine. 

Jesus’s migrant parents, travelling from one region to another to fulfil the census ordered by an overly powerful ruler knocked on a door, far from home, only to be told that there was no room at the inn. This is often the message that migrants to our own shores receive, too. And yet, the innkeeper, thinking creatively, offers room at the manger. It’s not ideal, but it is honest: a real, individual human being sharing the little that he has so that new hope might be brought to birth in a troubled world.

As we celebrate that new hope, I wonder if we can help our leaders to think creatively, making room for hope to shine in the lives of all weary travellers, from all over the world. 
Even more optimistic yet were Yoko Ono and John Lennon, writing:

So this is Christmas (War is over)
And what have we done? (If you want it)
Another year over (War is over)
And a new one just begun (Now)
And so Happy Christmas (War is over)
We hope you have fun (If you want it)
The near and the dear ones (War is over)
The old and the young (Now)
War is over, if you want it,
War is over now.

Do we want it? Of course we do. Ono and Lennon cleverly mix their idealistic claim that war is over now, with the narrative of a Christmas celebrated with family and friends. The onus, they suggest, is on us. Peace is possible, but it is neither easy nor simple. It is not without sacrifice. Peace wasn’t easy on that first Christmas day, either. Imagine being told that the hope of peace for the whole world rested on the tiny shoulders of the new born son for whom you laboured long in the straw and the mess… Christmas is about labouring for peace, rather than resting in it. And so, as we celebrate that labouring towards peace, I wonder if we can be people live out that call to peace, embodied in the Christ child, as we lighten the yoke of oppression for others. 

Joni Mitchell does not share Lennon’s optimism about this special day, lamenting:

It’s coming on Christmas they’re cutting down trees,
they’re putting up reindeer and singing songs of joy and peace.
Oh, I wish I had a river I could skate away on

In our reading from Isaiah, the prophet foretells a time at which we will have ‘joy as if at the harvest’. Christmas day is all about that joy of abundance – abundant presents, abundant food, abundant good company. But we live in a world of scarcity, where the greed of capitalism leads to immense piles of wasted food, where the idolatrous love of borders leads to a lack of folks to work together to harvest food, and where both the cost of living crisis and the fear of differences tear families apart and leave little to celebrate. It’s coming on Christmas, and it is time to stop cutting down trees. As you open your gifts today, enjoy them, savour them, and spare a thought for those who have less, or even nothing at all. Consider how you might live simply this year, skating towards a better future for all. 

But, for now, let’s turn towards the joy of Christmas. Perhaps one of the most well-known, and, in my opinion, joyously annoying Christmas songs is brought to us by Mariah Carey. She tells us that:

I don’t want a lot for Christmas there is just one thing I need.
I don’t care about the presents underneath the Christmas tree
I just want you for my own. More than you could ever know. 
Make my wish come true. All I want for Christmas is you.

The Gospels suggest that shepherds – ordinary, smelly night-workers with little power – were the first invited to meet Christ. And they celebrate by sharing that Good News with everyone that they know. Today is a day to meet Christ – to meet the love of God. Whether we spend today alone or with others, God is with us. Desperate to meet those shepherds, God sends a whole host of angels out to invite them to Christ’s side. God is so desperate to meet us, and to meet every person that we encounter, that they send us out to share our lives with each-other and with strangers near and far.

On witnessing God meeting with the shepherds, with these unlikely and yet cherished guests, Mary treasured their words, and pondered them in her heart. I wonder what would change if we treasured the words of everyone we met, if we really listened, if we really saw Christ in every stranger’s eyes. I wonder what you are pondering in your heart today.

The thing about that song, ‘all I want for Christmas is you’ is that, if that you is Christ, then it is all of us. We see Christ in each other. We love Christ by loving each other. This Christmas, let’s celebrate Christ, by celebrating each-other. This Christmas, and all through the coming year, I pray that we might encounter and share Christ’s love in ever new ways, with everyone we meet. May it be so. Amen.

Hymn     Who Would Think That What Was Needed
John L. Bell (b.1949) and Graham Maule (b.1958)  © WGRG, Iona Community, Glasgow G2 3DH, Scotland. Sung by Northallerton Methodist Church and used with their kind permission.

Who would think that what was needed
to transform and save the earth
might not be a plan or army,
proud in purpose, proved in worth?
Who would think, despite derision,
that a child should lead the way?
God surprises earth with heaven,
coming here on Christmas Day.

Shepherds watch and wise men wonder,
monarchs scorn and angels sing;
such a place as none would reckon
hosts a holy helpless thing.
Stable beasts and by-passed strangers
watch a baby laid in hay:
God surprises earth with heaven,
coming here on Christmas Day. 

Centuries of skill and science 
span the past from which we move,
yet experience questions whether, 
with such progress, we improve.
While the human lot we ponder, 
lest our hopes and humour fray,
God surprises earth with heaven, 
coming here on Christmas Day.

Prayers of Intercessions

It’s coming on Christmas,  they’re cutting down trees.
They’re putting up reindeer and singing songs of joy and peace.
Oh, I wish I had a river I could skate away on…

God, sometimes the outstretched arms of the world make us simply want to skate away, and yet, you are in the trees starved of oxygen and the rivers full of plastic.   Our gift to you is love, Your gift to us is grace.  Hear our prayers.  Hear our prayers.

God, sometimes the outstretched arms of the world make us simply want to skate away, and yet, you are in the tears of those who mourn and yearn, the hands of those with nothing to spare, the bodies of those who live and love expansively, and the scars of those we don’t yet understand.
Our gift to you is love, Your gift to us is grace. Hear our prayers. Hear our prayers.

God, sometimes the outstretched arms of the world make us simply want to skate away, and yet, you are in each of us, in our flesh, in our thoughts, in our fears and hopes, and in our actions… Our gift to you is love, Your gift to us is grace. Hear our prayers. Hear our prayers.

This Christmas, instead of skating away, may we skate towards a new world, where we, Christ’s hands, save the earth, where we, Christ’s feet, journey with the unloved, where we, Christ’s people, join in Christ’s work.
In Jesus’s name we pray, Amen

Offertory 

This is a season of giving. Let’s take a moment to commit our time, our talents, and our treasure to God’s work.

God, giver of good gifts, thankyou for the joy of giving. We commit our gifts to you, that they might be used to do your will. Amen.

Hymn     Joy to the World
Isaac Watts (1674-1748) sung by Pentatonix

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
let earth receive her King;
let every heart prepare him room,
and heaven and nature sing,
and heaven and nature sing,
and heaven, and heaven and nature sing.

Joy to the world, the Saviour reigns!
let all their songs employ;
while fields and floods, 
rocks, hills and plains
repeat the sounding joy,
repeat the sounding joy,
repeat, repeat the sounding joy.
 
He rules the world with truth and grace, 
and makes the nations prove
the glories of 
his righteousness 
and wonders of his love, 
and wonders of his love, 
and wonders, wonders of his love.

Blessing

All I want for Christmas is you!
Go with love and laughter,
go with ponderings and words of love,
go with joy to live out peace,
and know that the blessing of God:
The blessing of the One in Three 
who yearns, who births, and who is born,
is with you this Christmas.   Amen. 
 

 
Today’s service is led by the Revd Andy Braunston

 
Welcome

Good evening and welcome to worship on this most holiest of nights when, with Christians around the world we gather in the dark to welcome the light.  We listen again, in music and words, to the story of God becoming one with us.  My name is Andy Braunston and I’m leading worship from the Peedie Kirk United Reformed Church in Orkney – a place that experiences depths of darkness in the winter and days of near endless sunlight in the Summer.  So, I bid you welcome as, once again, we welcome the Light of the World.  

Call To Worship

One:        Come and hear the news the angels bring!

Many:    News of great joy and mirth!

One:        Come, leave your sadness and listen to the angels’ news

Many:    News of great joy and mirth!

One:    Come, out of darkness & into light & listen to the angels’ news:

Many:    News of great joy and mirth!

One:        Come and worship!

Hymn     On Christmas Night All Christians Sing
English traditional after Luke Wadding (d.1686)  BBC Songs of Praise

On Christmas night all Christians sing,
to hear the news the angels bring,
on Christmas night all Christians sing,
to hear the news the angels bring,
news of great joy, news of great mirth,
news of our merciful King’s birth.

Then why should we on earth be so sad,
since our Redeemer made us glad,
then why should we on earth be so sad,
since our Redeemer made us glad,
when from our sin he set us free,
all for to gain our liberty?

When sin departs before his grace,
then life and health come in its place;
when sin departs before his grace,
then life and health come in its place;
heaven and earth with joy may sing,
all for to see the new-born King.

All out of darkness we have light,
which made the angels sing this night:
all out of darkness we have light,
which made the angels sing this night;
‘Glory to God, on earth be peace,
goodwill to all shall never cease.’
 
Prayers of Approach, Confession and Forgiveness

In the darkness of this night, Eternal One, You bathe us in light.
In the shadows of these long days, O Most High, Your light shines on us.  
In the midst of gloom and despair, O Emmanuel, You increase our joy.

O God, You free us from all that oppresses and drags us down,
but we prefer the darkness of sin, to the light of love.  
You send us the Prince of Peace, but we prefer wars and rumours of war.
You send us a Wonderful Counsellor,
but we prefer listening to whispering shadows.
Forgive us, good God, and give us time to change,
time to turn towards You,  time to work for justice,  and time to heal. Amen.  

Hear the words of the angels:  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.  Accept the salvation offered to you, live in freedom and work for change.  Amen.

Prayer for Illumination

Lighten our darkness, we beseech You, O God; and by Your great mercy, break open Your word to us as it is read, proclaimed, and understood,
for the love of Your only Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ, Amen.

Reading     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 onward and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.

Hymn     It Came Upon the Midnight Clear
Edmund Hamilton Sears (1810-1876) (alt.) performed by Geraldine Latty & Carey Luce Engage Worship used with their kind permission.

It came upon the midnight clear, that glorious song of old,
from angels bending near the earth to touch their harps of gold:
Through all the earth, goodwill and peace from heaven’s all-gracious King!’
The world in solemn stillness lay to hear the angels sing.

With sorrow brought by sin & strife the world has suffered long;
and, since the angels sang, have passed two thousand years of wrong;
the nations, still at war, hear not the love-song which they bring;
O, hush the noise & cease the strife to hear the angels sing.

And those whose journey now is hard whose hope is burning low,
who tread the rocky path of life with painful steps and slow,
O listen to the news of love which makes the heavens ring!
And rest beside the weary road and hear the angels sing!

And still the days are hastening on, by prophets seen of old,
towards the fulness of the time, when comes the age foretold:
then earth and heaven renewed shall see, the prince of peace, their king;
and all the world repeat the song which now the angels sing.

Reading     St Luke 2:1-14

In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “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. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favours!”

Hymn     While Shepherds Watched
Nahum Tate c1700 sung by unknown performer on the aMiscellany YouTube channel.

While shepherds watched their flocks by night, all seated on the ground, 
the angel of the Lord came down, and glory shone around.

‘Fear not,’ said he for mighty dread had seized their troubled mind
‘glad tidings of great joy I bring to you and all your kind.

‘To you, in David’s town, this day is born of David’s line
a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord; and this shall be the sign:

‘The heavenly babe you there shall find to human view displayed,
all meanly wrapped in swaddling clothes and in a manger laid.’ 

Thus spake the seraph, and forthwith appeared a shining throng
of angels praising God, who thus addressed their joyful song:

‘All glory be to God on high, and to the earth be peace;
Goodwill henceforth from heaven to earth, begin and never cease.

Sermon

These are difficult times really.  We live in an age of economic and political instability where wars and rumours of wars abound.  Inflation attacks our savings; wages, pensions and benefits aren’t increasing enough to keep up and, whilst the fuel crisis has been delayed, it is still a real threat.  Mr Putin has broken about every law going and Ukraine aches under the burden of invasion, war and terror.  The poor and downtrodden flee war, persecution and violence yet rich countries close their borders.  These are dark times indeed.

Our readings also reflect dark times – appropriate for worship in the dark closest to the longest night.  Isaiah’s prophecy comes at a time when the northern kingdom of Israel was being ground down by Assyria, where invasion, battle, and terror were every day events where, like Ukraine now, the nation was threatened with extinction. In the midst of the gloom of the age the prophet points to hope – a great light will dawn on a nation that’s lived in darkness, joy will be increased – joy great than when soldiers divide plunder.  Oppression will be lifted, uniforms will be burned and the nation was to find peace in a new born baby – a baby who would be wise, have the authority of the Most High and who would be a prince of peace.  Isaiah’s words were grounded in the political and economic realities of his time.

The famous passage from St Luke telling of the angels appearing to poor shepherds out on the hills is also grounded in the realities of the time.  The Roman overlords wanted everyone counted – why?  Almost certainly to know who to tax.  Not only did the Romans rule Israel but they wanted the Jews to pay for the invasion and occupation through harsh taxes.  Luke grounds his story in the reign of the Emperor Augustus and during the governorship of Quirinius.  We read this story every year and give these details little thought – but Luke makes it clear that Jesus was born in a nation under occupation and brutal military rule.  No thought given to how poor people could comply with the census; Mary struggled to find somewhere to give birth with dignity and safety.  The first people told of this great event weren’t the rich and powerful but poor, outcast shepherds.  Jesus was born in the night during the darkness of an occupied, downtrodden, poor country where world politics and imperial intrigue were played out.  

In the darkness of invasion, war, and a precarious national existence, Isaiah offered hope, hope in the birth of a child who would bathe the people in light, deliver them from oppression, and bring peace.

In the darkness of occupation, poverty, and national obliteration Luke has angels come to sing of Christ’s birth – good news to the poor and the outsiders, good news for those on the edge.  Good news for us too.

In our dark times God gives us hope.  

• Hope that evil and warfare won’t have the last word. 
• Hope that the prince of peace will inspire us to change our ways.
• Hope that perpetrators of war crimes will face justice.
• Hope that the poor won’t always be with us.
• Hope that fairer policies and politics, economics and ethics will come.

The baby whose birth we mark on this most holy night both fulfilled and disappointed the dreams of his people.  In Him, God came to share our humanity, our pain, our suffering and, through his death and resurrection, transformed our lives forever.  Yet, the people longed for political liberation, for the overthrow of the Roman empire and restoration – just as God had restored Israel of old.  Jesus was, of course, a revolutionary and, in the long run, the radical love that he taught and which Christians espoused fatally undermined slavery  – the economic basis of the Empire.  He wasn’t, however, the political freedom fighter that people thought they needed.

We long for change now, not through revolution but through Jesus’ same radical love being used to change our world.  Jesus’ wisdom helps undermine the empires of our day: the economic Leviathans which privilege the rich and powerful; the ethical systems which say truth is relative, and the social powers which divide us in order to rule.  

Instead, that wonderful counsellor calls us to see the world as it really is.

Instead, that Prince of Peace calls us to love our enemies with a radical, truth telling, assertive love which calls out crime and oppression.

Instead, that child whom Isaiah named as everlasting Father, calls us to recognise our interconnectedness and mutual responsibilities as people related to each other in the human family.

In these dark times we are given light; light to see the way, light to challenge what goes on in the dark, and light to bring life to others.

Let us pray:

Lord Jesus, we see you laid to rest on Mary’s lap,
sleeping under the gaze of animal and angel,
of anxious parents and excited shepherds.

Lord Jesus, on your lap are lain all wreaths of empire,
in you the poor find their wealth, the oppressed find their freedom,
and the powerful find judgement.

Lord Jesus, plead for us now, 
as your light breaks into our darkness,
that we may share your love and life in the gloom of our world.  Amen.

Hymn     What Child is This?
W Chatterton Dix  1865 sung by the Sunday 7pm Choir of St. Francis de Sales Church in Ajax, Ontario, Canada and used with their kind permission.

What Child is this who laid to rest 
on Mary’s lap is sleeping?
Whom Angels greet with anthems sweet,
while shepherds watch are keeping?

This, this is Christ the King,
whom shepherds guard and angels sing.
Haste, haste, to bring Him laud,
The Babe, the Son, of Mary.

Why lies he in such mean estate
where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christian fear: for sinners here
the silent Word is pleading.

So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh,
Come Peasant, King, to own Him
The King of Kings salvation brings,
Let loving hearts enthrone Him.
 
Intercessions

In the darkness of this night, O God, we come to your light, bringing the gloom of our world before you.

We remember before you 

those who worship in secret this night, for fear of the authorities…
those who sleep on the streets this night….
those who work this night…
those who are in pain this night…

that the hope you bring will permeate their lives.
We remember before you 

those who lead, or aspire to lead, our nations…
those who worry about paying their bills this winter…
those living in war torn lands…
those looking for light in the dark…
that the hope you bring will permeate their lives.

We remember before you, in silence, those we know in any kind of need…

that the hope you bring will permeate their lives.

We join our prayers together as we pray, with Jesus…  

Our Father…

Holy Communion

Jesus, we praise You and give You thanks,
because you emptied Yourself of power,
and became foolishness for our sake;
for we celebrate the night when
You were delivered as one of us, a baby needy and naked, 
wrapped in a woman’s blood, born into poverty and exile,
to proclaim good news to the poor, and to let the broken victims go free.

We remember the night when, gathered with your friends
You took bread and having blessed it, broke it and said:

“Take this all of you and eat it, for this is my body which will be broken for you,  do this in memory of me”

In the same way when the Supper was finished,
you took the cup filled with wine, blessed it and said:

“Take this all of you and drink from it, for this is the cup of my blood,
the blood of the new and everlasting covenant, which will be shed for you. Do this in memory of me.”

Let us proclaim the mystery of our faith……

Christ has died!  Christ is Risen!  Christ will come again!
Come now dearest Spirit of our God,
embrace us with Your comfortable power,
brood over these bodily things and make us one body in Christ,
as we eat this bread and wine, His body and blood.
As Mary’s body was broken for him, and her blood shed,
so may we show forth His brokenness for the life of the world
and may creation be made whole through the new birth in His blood.

Therefore, with the woman who gave You birth,
with the women who befriended You and fed you,
the woman who anointed You for death,
the women who met You risen from the tomb,
and with all Your lovers, women and men,
throughout the ages, we praise You as we realise that:

Through You, with You, in You, in the unity of the Holy Spirit all glory and honour is Yours, almighty Creator, for ever and ever, Amen.

Music During Communion     The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came

Hymn     Hark the Herald Angels Sing
Charles Wesley (1707-1788) and others BBC Songs of Praise
 
Hark! the herald angels sing, ‘Glory to the new-born King,
peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!’
Joyful, all ye nations, rise, join the triumph of the skies,
with the angelic hosts proclaim, ‘Christ is born in Bethlehem’.

Hark! the herald angels sing, ‘Glory to the new-born King’.

Christ, by highest heaven adored, Christ, the everlasting Lord,
late in time behold him come, offspring of a virgin’s womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see; hail, the Incarnate Deity,
pleased as a man with us to dwell, Jesus, our Immanuel!

Hark! the herald angels sing, ‘Glory to the new-born King’.

Hail, the heaven-born Prince of Peace! Hail, the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings, risen with healing in his wings.
Mild he lays his glory by, born that we no more may die,
born to raise the folk of earth, born to give us second birth:

Hark! the herald angels sing, ‘Glory to the new-born King’.

Blessing

May the joy of the angels, 
the eagerness of the shepherds, 
the perseverance of the wise men, 
the obedience of Joseph and Mary 
and the peace of the Christ-child 
be yours this Christmas; 
and the blessing of God Almighty, 
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, 
be among you and remain with you always. Amen.

St Luke 1: 39 – 56

In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit  and exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.  And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me?  For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leapt for joy.  And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.’

And Mary said,

‘My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
    and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
    in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
    to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’

And Mary remained with her for about three months and then returned to her home.

Reflection

With the rush of Christmas preparations, the days of December become for many a time of haste. And it’s a theme, and a word, to be found also within the Christmas narrative. Soon we’ll read again of shepherds hurrying down to Bethlehem; soon we’ll hear again the news once announced to them: a Saviour’s birth in a borrowed space, with a manger as a make-do crib.

But the mention of haste that I find most moving is the one that occurs here in today’s passage. 

Mary has said “Yes” to God. But who among her townsfolk will believe her tale of angelic announcement and divine favour? So she sets out “with haste” and heads for the hills. Is she doing what so many young and vulnerable mothers-to-be across the generations have felt forced to do? Is she running away from home?

Yet as Mary seeks sanctuary with an elder kinswoman, there comes a hastening of joy in Elizabeth’s heart and even within her womb. And as these two blessed women meet, the elder is inspired to draw forth from the younger a song not of shame but of deliverance. 

Now boldness is brought to birth in Mary – and haste is set aside. For this Magnificat, this recital of mercy on the meek and the up-ending of every vain power-play, stands as a mighty affirmation of God’s enduring purpose and plan. Centuries later, Martin Luther King Jr would remark that though the arc of the moral universe may be long, “it bends towards justice”. But for now, let no-one dare mask or mansplain what Mary clearly knows: that her baby boy, embodying God’s merciful justice, will one day rule the nations.

And though Luke’s account of what follows is brief, clearly courage is cradled. Mary stays for about three months – just long enough, perhaps, to accompany Elizabeth through to childbirth? Then she returns home – just in time for her own baby bump to start showing.

Prayer

In the hastening-on of these December days,
so pregnant with our hopes and fears,
may every runaway find refuge
and every victim find a voice.

Sovereign God, faithful and just:
frustrate the plans, we pray,
of those who flaunt their power;
but lift up the lowly.

Mighty One, be magnified in us,
as we rejoice in your salvation.
Let your mercy be made known
in this and every generation. Amen.

 
Today’s service is led by the Revd Andy Braunston, Minister for Digital Worship.

Opening Music  Good Christians All Rejoice arranged and played by the Revd Phil Nevard and used with his kind permission.

Introduction 

Welcome to this Carol Service where, through reading, reflection, prayer and song we will celebrate God becoming one of us in Jesus.  At this time of the year there are a range of emotions – excitement and exhaustion, a sense of community and a sense, sometimes, of being alone, a time of reflecting over the year just past and a sense of wondering what’s coming next.  We take all our hopes and fears and bring them to Bethlehem’s crib and unite them with God, revealed to us in the vulnerability of a child about to become a refugee.  My name is Andy Braunston; I am the United Reformed Church’s Minister for Digital Worship I’ve put this service together using some material from Nick Fawcett who was a Baptist Minister and writer and who produced fascinating reflections which we’ll here in this service.  They, and the Biblical readings, are brought to us from many of my colleagues who work for us all in the URC.  I hope you find this a useful way to start our Christmas celebrations together.  Let’s sing now the ancient Advent hymn, O Come O Come Emmanuel which brings in song various prophecies in the Old Testament which we apply to Christ.

Hymn  O Come O Come Emmanuel
Translator: J. M. Neale (1851)
sung by the people of St. Augustine by-the-Sea Episcopal Church in Santa Monica, California
and used with their kind permission

O come, O come, Emmanuel, 
And ransom captive Israel, 
That mourns in lonely exile here 
Until the Son of God appear. 

Rejoice! Rejoice!  Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel! 

2 O come, Thou Wisdom from on high, 
Who orderest all things mightily; 
To us the path of knowledge show, 
And teach us in her ways to go. 

3 O come, O come, thou Lord of might, 
Who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s height 
In ancient times didst give the law,
In cloud and majesty and awe. 
 
4 O come, Thou branch of Jesse’s tree, 
Free them from Satan’s tyranny 
That trust thy mighty power to save, 
And give them victory o’er the grave. 
 
5 O come, Thou Key of David, come, 
And open wide our heavenly home; 
Make safe the way that leads on high, 
And close the path to misery. 

6 O come, Thou Day-spring from on high, 
And cheer us by thy drawing nigh; 
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night, 
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.

7 O come, Desire of nations, bind 
In one the hearts of all our kind; 
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease, 
And be Thyself our King of Peace. 

8 O come, O come, Emmanuel, 
And ransom captive Israel, 
That mourns in lonely exile here 
Until the Son of God appear. 

Prayer

We come to You, O God, longing for You to come to us;
to lighten the gloom of our world,
to speak peace to our nations furiously at war,
to overturn the tables and rebalance the scales.

As Your people of old longed for their Messiah, we long for You to come again.  
As we prepare to celebrate Your coming to us in Jesus long ago,
gladden our hearts, open our minds, 
and take us again to the heart of these stories,
that we may live knowing You are one with us.  Amen.

Lighting of Advent Candles

We who dwell in a land of great shadows,
light these candles, O God,
to celebrate Your light and life.
For in the gloom of oppression You have freed Your people bringing salvation to all,
and showing Your glory in the cries of a vulnerable helpless baby
in whom our redemption draws ever nearer.  Amen. 

Andy: We hear again now the story of Gabriel’s visit to Mary, read for us by Sam Richards, Head of  Children and Youth Work.

Reading  St Luke 1: 26 – 38  read by Sam Richards & members of the Children & Youth Work team

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you.’ But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ The angel said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born  will be holy; he will be called Son of God.  And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren.  For nothing will be impossible with God.’  Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’ Then the angel departed from her.

Andy: As we reflect on those words from Luke’s Gospel we sing the Basque Carol

Hymn  The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came
Translator: S. Baring-Gould Public Domain Sung by Chris Brunelle and used with his kind permission.

The angel Gabriel from heaven came,
his wings as drifted snow, his eyes as flame;
“All hail,” said he to meek and lowly Mary,
“most highly favoured lady.” Gloria!

2 For know a blessed virgin mother you shall be.
All generations praise continually.
Your Son shall be Immanuel, by seers foretold,
most highly favoured lady.” Gloria!

3 Then gentle Mary meekly bowed her head;
“To me be as it pleases God,” she said.
“My soul shall laud and magnify his holy name.”
Most highly favoured lady, Gloria!

4 Of her, Immanuel, the Christ, was born
in Bethlehem, all on a Christmas morn,
and Christian folk throughout the world will ever say,
“Most highly favoured lady.” Gloria!

Andy:  The stories we tell at Christmas needed Joseph’s blessing yet we don’t often think about him.  In this reflection Roo Stewart, Head of Public Issues for the URC, plays the role of Joseph, Mary’s fiancé.

Meditation of Joseph 

I didn’t know what to think, 
not when she first told me – 
my sweet innocent Mary, pregnant!
I suppose I should have been angry, 
and I was later, extremely!
But that wasn’t my first reaction; 
it was shock, more like, disbelief, an inability to take it in.
You see, I just couldn’t see her playing around, 
deceiving me behind my back – not Mary.
Other girls perhaps, but she wasn’t like them;
I’d have trusted her with my life if necessary.
So when she started chattering on about this angel, 
about being with child by the Holy Spirit, do you know what?
I listened!
No, honestly, I really did!
Maybe that does sound daft,
but I just couldn’t believe she was making it all up, 
inventing an excuse to get her off the hook.
And, let’s face it, 
if it were an excuse it was a pretty lame one;
Precisely.
I mean, when’s the last time you saw an angel?
But if I took it calmly at first, it wasn’t long before the doubts set in, 
the questions that couldn’t be answered, 
the niggling voices that wouldn’t go away.
And in no time suspicion had grown into something worse – 
resentment, bitterness, condemnation.
I’d have called off the engagement, 
there’s no doubt about that;
much as I liked the girl,
there was simply no way a man in my position 
could countenance going through with it, 
not if I wanted to keep any semblance of respectability.
She was tarnished, 
according to the Law anyway, 
her purity soiled; 
and if I took no notice the village gossips would soon put their heads together
and decide I had done the tarnishing –
too impatient to wait until the goods had been paid for.
So that was it.
My mind was made up.
It was just a question finding the right words and the right time, 
breaking it to her as gently as I could.
Only then I had this dream,
almost a vision you might say it was, looking back, 
so powerfully did it speak to me.
Suddenly it was me seeing angels, not Mary,
it was me hearing the voice of God instead of her;
and it was the same message, 
the same story – this child she carried, born of God, his gift to humankind,
the one who would at last redeem his people.
Did I believe it?
Well, I suppose I must have done, in a way.
I married her after all, despite the snide remarks, the wagging tongues.
Maybe, of course, I wanted to marry her anyway, or just didn’t want to hurt her.
Maybe I simply liked the thought of being a dad, and wanted to believe that story of hers, 
incredible though it seemed.
To be truthful
there were probably all kinds of reasons behind my decision; 
yet perhaps it’s through such things as those, 
just as much as through dreams and visions, 
our everyday thoughts and feelings, 
that God chooses to speak to us.
Perhaps through those most of all.

Prayer 

We give You thanks, O God, 
for Joseph, who long ago, 
risked ridicule and dared to trust – 
in his fiancée and his dreams;
we thank You for all who nurture children,
parents and step parents,
foster families and friends,
and for those who show that love is deeper than genes.
Amen.

We listen now to Luke’s account of the birth of Jesus read by Carrie Kaunda, the URC’s Training and Development Coordinator for Safeguarding.

Reading St Luke 2: 1 – 7 

In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

 We sing Michael Perry’s hymn See Him Lying on a Bed of Straw

Hymn See Him Lying in a Bed of Straw
Michael Perry (1942-1996) Jubilate Hymns OneLicence 
Performed and Recorded by Frodsham Methodist Church and used with their kind permission

See him lying on a bed of straw:
a draughty stable with an open door;
Mary cradling the babe she bore
the prince of glory is his name.

O now carry me to Bethlehem
to see the Lord of love again:
just as poor as was the stable then,
the prince of glory when he came.

2 Star of silver, sweep across the skies,
show where Jesus in the manger lies;
shepherds, swiftly from your stupor rise
to see the saviour of the world!

3 Angels, sing again the song you sang,
sing the glory of God’s gracious plan;
Sing that Bethl’em’s little baby can
be the saviour of us all.

4 Mine are riches, from your poverty,
from your innocence, eternity;
mine, forgiveness by your death for me,
child of sorrow for my joy.

One of the fascinating things about the Christmas stories is there are always characters on the edge that we don’t often think about.  Andy Jackson, our Head of Communications, now plays the role of the Inn Keeper.

Meditation of the innkeeper 

I felt sorry for that couple, I really did.
They were at their wits’ end, the pair of them, just about all in.
But it was the lady who concerned me most; fit to drop she was,
and hardly a surprise given her condition – 
not that I’m an expert in these matters 
but I felt sure her pains had already started; 
and so it was to prove, poor lass.
As for him, he was beside himself, frantic with worry,
almost abusive in his frustration; and I can’t say I blamed him – 
I’d have been the same in the circumstances.
Yet what could I do?
There wasn’t a room to spare, 
that was the fact of the matter.
We were packed already, bulging at the seams,
and I could hardly turf someone else out just to fit them in, could I?
I mean – be reasonable – that would have caused a right-old to-do, no use to anybody.
So I offered them the stable, if they could make use of it.
Not much of a prospect I agree,
especially on such a night as that turned out, but it was a roof over their heads,
a shelter from the worst of the wind if nothing else.
All right, so I still feel bad about it, 
wish now I’d taken the wife’s advice and given up our room for them.
But to be honest we were both whacked, what with all the extra custom to see to.
We had an inn to run, remember,
 and we were rushed off our feet, 
longing only for a good night’s sleep ourselves.
so we gave them the stable and that’s the end of it-
no point brooding over what might have been.
And to be fair, they were grateful,
glad of anywhere to put their heads down.
But when I heard the baby crying, 
that’s when it got to me – out there in those conditions!
I felt ashamed, disgusted with myself.
So we hurried out, the wife and I, anxious to help,
not sure what we might find though fearing the worst.
But what a surprise!
There was no panic, no sign of confusion.
Quite the contrary – they seemed so peaceful, so full of joy, utterly content.
And the way they looked at that child – I mean, 
I’ve heard of worshipping your kids but this was something else – 
they were over the moon, absolutely ecstatic!
And that wasn’t the half of it, 
for suddenly there in the shadows I spotted a bunch of shepherds – 
God knows where they came from.
Thought for a moment they were up to no good, 
but they weren’t.
They just stood there gawping into the manger, 
wide-eyed with wonder,
almost as though they’d never seen a baby before!
And then they walked away, 
joy in their faces, delight in their steps.
It’s all quiet now, the inn and the stable, 
as if that night had never happened.
And so far as I know both mother and child are well.
You could say that’s down to me in part,
for at least I did something to help if no one else did.
Yet I can’t help feeling I should have done more, 
that I let everyone down somehow –
that it wasn’t finally them I left out in the cold – 
it was me.

Prayer

For the gift of hospitality, O God, we give thanks; 
for those who open their hearts and their homes to people in need,
for those who collect food for the hungry, clothes for the cold,
and give money to the needy, we thank You 
and remember that You were to be found
cold, naked, and vulnerable,
and are still be found on the edge of our world. Amen.

Now we listen to the famous words of Isaiah, long seen by Christians to be a prophecy of Jesus’ coming brought to us by Sam Richards and members of the Children and Youth Work team.

Reading Isaiah 9: 2 – 7 
read by Sam Richards & members of the Children & Youth Work team

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.

 With those stirring words in our minds, we sing the lovely carol In the Bleak Midwinter.  

Hymn In the Bleak Midwinter
Christina Georgina Rossetti (c. 1872) Public Domain
sung by Liverpool Walton Salvation Army and used with their kind permission.

In the bleak midwinter
frosty wind made moan,
earth stood hard as iron,
water like a stone: 
snow had fallen,
snow on snow, snow on snow,
in the bleak midwinter, long ago.

2 Our God, heaven cannot hold him,
nor earth sustain;
heaven and earth shall flee away
when he comes to reign:
in the bleak midwinter
a stable place sufficed
the Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.

3 Angels and archangels
may have gathered there,
cherubim and seraphim
thronged the air,
but only his mother,
in her maiden bliss,
worshipped the Beloved with a kiss.

5 What can I give him,
poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd,
I would bring a lamb,
if I were a wise man
I would do my part,
yet what I can I give him, give my heart.

Now we think of the maiden mother who worshipped the Beloved with a kiss as Karen Campbell, our Secretary for Global and Intercultural Ministries,  brings us a take on how Mary may have been feeling.

Meditation of Mary 

What a day it’s been!
I’m shattered, exhausted, and yet I’m over the moon!
Does that sound strange?
Well, let me tell you what happened, then you’ll understand.
It could hardly have started worse,
arriving in Bethlehem like that to find the place packed.
My heart sank.
I knew we wouldn’t find anywhere, not a chance, but Joseph wouldn’t have it.
‘Next time,’ he kept saying, ‘you’ll see.’ 
Next time indeed!
A stable, that’s what we ended up with – 
hardly the accommodation I had in mind!
It wouldn’t have mattered, mind you, 
not in the usual run of things, 
but I was nine months pregnant 
and my pains had started that morning, 
getting stronger by the minute.
I was in agony by the end, 
you can imagine, just about desperate by then, 
not bothered where we stopped just so long as I could rest.
That’s why we accepted the innkeeper’s offer, 
makeshift though it was.
I lay there with cattle breathing down my neck, 
straw prickling my back,
and what felt like a gale whistling beneath the door – 
but I didn’t care;
I didn’t care about anything by then, 
just wanted the baby to be born.
Poor Joseph, he was beside himself.
No idea how to cope or what to do next,
but thankfully one of the women from the inn took pity on us.
You’ll never kindly now good it was 
to see her kindly reassuring face, 
her confident smile beaming down at me
through the haze of pain.
It seemed like an eternity for all that,
but it wasn’t long really.
And then that sound, that wonderful exhilarating sound, 
my son, Jesus, crying!
I didn’t want to let go of him, but I had to, of course, eventually.
I was exhausted, just about all in.
So I wrapped him in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger.
Sleep came easy after that, blissful peace at last,
but a moment ago I woke with a start, remembering those words in that vision I had –
‘And they shall name him Emmanuel, God with us’.
My child, Emmanuel?
Can it really be true?
God come to his people?
He’s everything to me, I admit that, I could gladly worship him.
But others? I wonder.
Time alone will tell, I suppose.
Anyway, no more time for talking, I need my sleep.
But wait, who’s this knocking on the door?
Shepherds!
What on earth can they want at this time of night?
I don’t know.
What a day it’s been!
What a day!

Prayer

Lord, it’s hard sometimes to know what to make of Your mother;
she’s pretty central to the story but she wouldn’t want to displace You.
Her ‘yes’ was vital yet dangerous.
We catch glimpses of her in the gospels;
sometimes urging You to act, sometimes scolding You,
but, most hauntingly, standing with You at the Cross.
We can’t imagine her pain nor her joy;
we thank You for all who say ‘yes’ to You,
for all who show fierce yet tender love, 
for all who show the simple trust and faith we need to emulate.
Amen.

And now the action moves away from Bethlehem to the fields as Marion Brown, Stepwise and Digital Learning Administrator tells the next part of the story.

Reading St Luke 2: 8 – 20  

In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘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. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,

‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favours!’

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.

There are many tunes associated with our next hymn, this one probably being the most fun…

Hymn While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks
Nahum Tate (1700) performed by Ruth and Joy Everingham 
and used with their kind permission

While shepherds watched their flocks by night,
all seated on the ground,
an angel of the Lord came down,
and glory shone around.

2 “Fear not,” said he for mighty dread
had seized their troubled mind
“glad tidings of great joy I bring
to you and humankind.

3 “To you, in David’s town, this day
is born of David’s line
a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord;
and this shall be the sign:

4 “The heavenly babe you there shall find
to human view displayed,
all meanly wrapped in swaddling bands
and in a manger laid.”

5 Thus spoke the seraph and forthwith
appeared a shining throng
of angels praising God, who thus
addressed their joyful song:

6 “All glory be to God on high,
and to the world be peace;
goodwill henceforth from heav’n to earth
begin and never cease.”

As images of the fields, and Ilkley Moor, fade away we listen now to Victoria James, our Chief Operating Officer, as she brings a shepherd’s perspective to us.  

Meditation of the Shepherds

It was just an ordinary day, that’s what I can’t get over; 
nothing special about it, 
nothing different, 
just another ordinary day.
And we were all just ordinary people, 
that’s what made it even more puzzling; 
not important, 
not influential,
just plain ordinary shepherds out working in the fields.
Yet we apparently were the first, 
singled out for special favour!
The first to know, 
the first to see, 
the first to celebrate, 
the first to tell!
I’m still not sure what happened – 
one moment night drawing in, 
and the next bright as day; 
one moment laughing and joking together, 
and the next rooted to the spot in amazement; 
one moment looking forward to getting home, 
and the next hurrying down to Bethlehem.
There just aren’t words to express what we felt, 
but we knew we had to respond, 
had to go and see for ourselves.
Not that we expected to find anything mind you, 
not if we were honest.
Well, you don’t, do you?
I mean, it’s not every day the Messiah arrives, is it?
And we’d always imagined when he finally did it would be in a blaze of glory, 
to a fanfare of trumpets, 
with the maximum of publicity.
Yet do you know what?
When we got there
it was to find everything just as we had been told, 
wonderfully special, 
yet surprisingly ordinary.
Not Jerusalem but Bethlehem, 
not a palace but a stable,
not a prince enthroned in splendour but a baby lying in a manger.
We still find it hard to believe even now,
to think God chose to come through that tiny vulnerable child.
But as the years have passed –
and we’ve seen not just his birth but his life, 
and not just his life but his death, 
and not just his death, his his empty tomb, 
his graveclothes, his joyful followers – 
we’ve slowly come to realise it really was true.
God had chosen to come to us, 
and more than that, to you – to ordinary, everyday people,
in the most ordinary, everyday of ways.
How extraordinary!

Prayer

Sheep can be very cute Lord,
lovely as lambs gambolling around the fields,
serene as they munch grass, playful as they explore,
obedient to the dogs sent to round them up;
their wool and their meat have been useful for thousands of years;
but these days we don’t think much of shepherds;
modern machinery makes sheep keeping a bit easier than it was in your day,
but those shepherds, up all night, protecting their flock,
not able to keep all the Law as sheep needed protection all the time,
they were the ones You sent the angels to!
We still sing of peace and goodwill,
we still imagine the angels rejoicing.
Help us, Good Shepherd, 
to sing their song, to work for peace, to show goodwill,
and to keep, at the heart of it all,  the simple trusting love of a baby. Amen

We listen now as Sharon Barr, our Designated Safeguarding Lead, reads the theological musics of the writer of John’s Gospel

Reading St John 1: 1 – 18

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.

As we ponder John’s prologue we sing one of the oldest hymns still used in the Church, Of The Father’s Love Begotten.

Hymn Of The Father’s Love Begotten
Aurelius Clemens Prudentius Translator: J. M. Neale 
sung at the Shenandoah Christian Music Camp and used with their kind permission

Of the Father’s love begotten,
ere the worlds began to be,
He is Alpha and Omega,
He the Source, the Ending He,
of the things that are, that have been,
and that future years shall see
evermore and evermore!

2 O that birth forever blessed,
when the virgin, full of grace,
by the Holy Ghost conceiving,
bore the Saviour of our race;
and the Babe, the world’s Redeemer,
first revealed His sacred face,
evermore and evermore!

3  O ye heights of heav’n, adore Him;
angel hosts, His praises sing:
pow’rs, dominions, bow before Him
and extol our God and King;
let no tongue on earth be silent,
every voice in concert ring,
evermore and evermore!

That song echoes down the ages for us.  Now Nicola Furley-Smith, our Secretary of Ministries, muses on what it must have been like for a resident of Bethlehem all those years ago.

Meditation of a Resident of Bethlehem 

Have you heard the news?
They’re saying the Messiah’s been born right here in Bethlehem.
Honestly, that’s what I was told, the Christ,
God’s promised deliverer, come at last to set us free.
Do I believe it?
Well, I’m not sure.
It’s hard to credit, I admit,
but this friend I spoke to seemed pretty certain.
Heard it from a shepherd apparently,
some chap who claimed to have seen the child for themselves, and by all accounts he was delirious with excitement, absolutely full of it.
He may have been mistaken, of course, or simply spinning some old yarn – 
you never can be sure, can you?
And, believe me, I don’t go round believing everything I hear.
But this friend of mine,
the one who heard it from the shepherd,
 he was full of it too.
You would have thought he’d been there,
 in the stable, beside the manger, 
the way he spoke.
He was utterly convinced, there’s no question about that, 
and as I listened to him chattering on, 
I felt the urge welling up inside me, 
just as he had done, to tell someone else,
to share the good news with those around me.
If he was right then this wasn’t something to keep to myself, 
not for the privileged few, but a message for everybody, one they all needed to hear.
But before I say anything more, 
risk making a complete fool of myself, 
there’s something I have to do – 
something my friend should have done and which the shepherds presumably did – 
and that is go and see for myself.
Call me a cynic if you like but I believe it’s important – 
no, more than that, vital – 
for if you’re going to accept something, 
let alone expect others to do the same,
you have to be sure of your ground,
as certain as you can be that it’s not just all some grand delusion.
So I’m going now,
off to find out the truth for myself, off to see this child,
if he really exists, with my own eyes.
And if I find everything just as I’ve been told, 
the baby lying there in a manger, wrapped in strips of cloth,
then I shall go and tell others what I have seen – 
for let’s be honest, 
what else would there be to do?
What else could anybody do in my place?

Prayer

It’s hard, Lord, 
when we think and sing about Bethlehem 
to separate out the town when you were born and what it is now;
a place caught up in pain, violence, disputed land, and hatred.
We want to think of it sleeping in stillness,
but the TV news reminds us of a different reality.
Help us to work, for peace, to see, in Your birth and life,
a pathway to a fierce truth-telling, justice-seeking love 
which meets the hopes and fears of all the years.  Amen.

The shepherds weren’t the only folk searching for Jesus as our next reading reminds us.  

Reading   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.

One of the interesting things is about Christmas is we sing material from across the ages with modern hymns taking their place alongside Victorian carols and ancient material.  Our next carol comes from the 14th Century but has been very popular because of the pairing of lovely words with a fun tune.
 
Hymn Good Christian Friends Rejoice
Latin 14th Century, translator JM Neal, Public Domain 
sung by the Beyond the Walls Choir and used with their kind permission

Good Christian friends, rejoice
with heart and soul and voice;
give ye heed to what we say:
Jesus Christ is born today!
Ox and ass before him bow,
and he is in the manger now.
Christ is born today! Christ is born today!

2 Good Christian friends, rejoice
with heart and soul and voice;
now ye hear of endless bliss:
Jesus Christ was born for this!
God has opened heaven’s door,
and we are blest forevermore.
Christ was born for this! Christ was born for this!

3 Good Christian friends, rejoice
with heart and soul and voice;
now ye need not fear the grave:
Jesus Christ was born to save!
Calls you one and calls you all
to gain the everlasting hall.
Christ was born to save! Christ was born to save!

 For our final reflection Neil Hunter, our Digital Content Manager, plays the role of one of those mysterious magi.

Meditation of the Magi 

We knew it would be worth it the moment we saw the star,
worth the hassle,
worth the effort, 
worth the sacrifice.
But there were times then we wondered, can tell you!
As we laboured over those dusty barren tracks,
as we watched fearfully for bandits in the mountains, 
as the sun beat down without a break, 
and still no sign of an end to it, 
we wondered, all too often.
We asked ourselves whether we’d got it wrong, misread the signs.
We argued over whether we’d taken the wrong turning somewhere along the way.
We questioned the wisdom of carrying on as the days dragged by.
And when finally we got to Jerusalem
only to find his own people had no idea what was going on, 
then we really became worried.
Quite astonishing – the biggest event in their history, 
and they didn’t even realise it was happening!
Thankfully they looked it up, 
eventually, 
somewhere in one of their old prophets, 
and we knew where to go then.
It was all there in writing if only they’d taken the trouble to look – 
God knows why they couldn’t see it!
Anyway, we made it at last, tired, sore and hungry, but we made it.
And it was worth it, more than we had ever imagined, 
for in that child was a different sort of king, a different sort of kingdom,
from any we’d ever encountered before.
As much our ruler as theirs, as much our kingdom as anyone’s.
So we didn’t just present our gifts to him, 
we didn’t just make the customary gestures of acknowledgement.
We fell down and worshipped him.
Can you imagine that?
Us, respected, wealthy, important,
kneeling before a toddler.
Yet it seemed so natural,
the most natural response we could make, 
the only response that would do!

Prayer

It’s odd, Lord, really, 
that those astrologers found You; 
the wisdom of other peoples having a lead on the court.
But then it’s odd that you were found not in a palace but a stable,
not in a bed but in a manger,
not with the up and in but the down and out.  
I imagine those gifts were useful though,
kingly gold and priestly incense in particular;
I guess your mum was too polite to turn the myrrh down though,
nasty stuff, as bitter as sacrifice, an odd gift for a baby.
But then the odd story continues,
terrible murder, lonely exile, the highs and lows of ministry,
the betrayal of politics, and enthronement on a cross. 
Help us this Christmas, Lord, to ponder the oddness of following You.  Amen.
 
A carol service wouldn’t be the same without this exuberant carol from Charles Wesley.  If you’ve not had your favourite carol yet, don’t worry we have URC services being sent out for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, the Sunday after Christmas and Epiphany!  We sing now, Hark the Herald Angels Sing.

Hymn Hark the Herald Angels Sing  
Charles Wesley, Public Domain, Sung by the Northern Baptist association and used with their kind permission

Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King:
peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!”
Joyful, all ye nations, rise,
join the triumph of the skies;
with th’angelic hosts proclaim,
“Christ is born in Bethlehem!”

Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King”

2 Christ, by highest heaven adored,
Christ, the everlasting Lord,
late in time behold him come,
offspring of the Virgin’s womb:
veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
hail th’incarnate Deity,
pleased with us in flesh to dwell,
Jesus, our Immanuel. 

3 Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings,
risen with healing in his wings.
Mild he lays his glory by,
born that we no more may die,
born to raise us from the earth,
born to give us second birth.

Blessing 

May the joy of the angels,
the eagerness of the shepherds,
the perseverance of the wise men,
the obedience of Joseph and Mary,
and the peace of the Christ child
be yours this Christmas;
and the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you always.

Closing Music   Good Christians All Rejoice arranged and played by Phil Nevard and used with his kind permission.

 
 

 

 

St Luke 6: 46 – 49

Jesus said: ‘Why do you call me “Lord, Lord”, and do not do what I tell you? I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, hears my words, and acts on them. That one is like a man building a house, who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock; when a flood arose, the river burst against that house but could not shake it, because it had been well built.  But the one who hears and does not act is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the river burst against it, immediately it fell, and great was the ruin of that house.’

Reflection

Doing what the Lord tells us creates strength and resilience.  We may not feel strong or resilient, but when we face a catastrophic onslaught we discover, to our surprise, that we have the strength and resilience to withstand the attack.  This is what Jesus’ metaphor about house building teaches us.

I believe it is true.  But I am the first to acknowledge that others have had to face, and are facing, onslaughts far more catastrophic than I have had to face.  So my faith in this truth is on the one hand firm, and on the other hand provisional.

Despite that though, the parable remains clear.  Life throws at us all the destructive happenings that it can, and we find out in the midst of it all that there is at the heart of our being a stability, a power, a security that we had no idea we had been constructing piece by piece, obedience by obedience, over the years.

Maybe here is the kernel of why the faith has lasted two millennia.  Groups of people and individuals have experienced in the reality of their lives that Christ is a sure foundation and that obeying Christ’s teaching really does form them to be people who weather storms.

But of course the slant of this text is the other way round.  “Why do you not do what I tell you?”  Do you hear the frustration in this utterance?  Humanity is given free will and, freely and repetitively, humanity chooses the easy way that leads to disaster.

So, was the Incarnation a waste of time?  Something to think about over the coming week as we turn to the familiar Christmas readings.

Prayer

Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world, grant us peace.