St Luke 8: 4 – 15

When a great crowd gathered and people from town after town came to Jesus, he said in a parable:  ‘A sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell on the path and was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. Some fell on the rock; and as it grew up, it withered for lack of moisture. Some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew with it and choked it.  Some fell into good soil, and when it grew, it produced a hundredfold.’ As he said this, he called out, ‘Let anyone with ears to hear listen!’ Then his disciples asked him what this parable meant. He said, ‘To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God; but to others I speak in parables, so that

“looking they may not perceive, and listening they may not understand.”

‘Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. The ones on the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. The ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe only for a while and in a time of testing fall away. As for what fell among the thorns, these are the ones who hear; but as they go on their way, they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. But as for that in the good soil, these are the ones who, when they hear the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patient endurance.

Reflection

I find it interesting that there are a number of times when the disciples haven’t quite grasped what Jesus has been saying. From their puzzled position they ask what he means when he speaks. In this encounter Jesus’ rationale for speaking in parables is even more interesting. The disciples are expected to understand, but for others, Jesus speaking in parables is not necessarily meant for understanding. But even the disciples don’t understand.
 
And so Jesus goes further in his explanation of the nature of the seed and what it means. It is about the word of God and how it is heard and grows amongst people.
 
Sometimes I sow seeds, either in the garden or in plant pots, and am never quite sure whether they will flourish and bear fruit or not. It’s part of reflecting on God’s gift of creation to be able to look at them, and ponder about what is happening and wait to see what will emerge.
 
Jesus teaches about the word of God being planted in good soil which enables God’s word to take deep root into our lives. It’s about being able to resist times of testing or the distractions that life can bring, such as ‘the riches and pleasure of life.’
 
Instead, being planted in good soil brings about patient endurance, and the ability to hold fast to God’s word with an honest and good heart.
 
It’s a bit of a contrast to some aspects of today’s world, when living in the moment, rather than digging deep into life, is seen as a priority.
As I look ahead to the coming year and review what lies ahead, it feels like a good question to ask ‘Is my life going to be embedded in good soil and offer rich fruit?’ Does my faith and the life of the church offer this possibility of growth, development, and the possibility of bringing positive change in this troubled world?
 
Prayer

Loving and creator God,
in the year that lies ahead,
I pray that you will sow
the seed of your word again in my life.
Open my eyes,
in this your created world,
to see where your seed shoots up.
Help me to listen to the people
in whose lives your word flourishes.
May I be like good soil,
in which your word grows and bears fruit.
Amen.

St Luke 8: 1 – 3

Soon afterwards he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him, as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out,  and Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their resources.

Reflection

I recently went to Dublin, and visited an exhibition of Biblical scrolls found in Egypt. Part of the exhibition discussed errors that crept into the Bible, and how comparison of multiple ancient manuscripts can help us to identify them. In some cases, the text was even intentionally changed. 

One of the errors we might spot in our Bibles today is a passage in Romans 16, which describes a woman called Junia, ‘outstanding (or prominent/of note) among the apostles’. Some scholars believe that the Junia mentioned in Romans is the same person as the Joanna we meet here in Luke, one name being her Hebrew name and the other her Roman name. After the Reformation, some considered it so scandalous that the Bible might be describing a female apostle, that they changed her name to Junias, and said she was a man. Junia’s renaming and misgendering occupied a prominent place in the Dublin exhibition. 

Today’s passage from Luke reveals a truth about the ministry of Jesus and the early Christian Church: women were important. In Luke we meet some of the women who spent time with Jesus, as well as caring materially for the work ‘out of their resources’. Without the influential and generous women of the first century, the early Church would have struggled. As well as the women we’ve already named, there’s Phoebe – a deacon who was a benefactor and protector of many, Priscilla the missionary, Nympha – who had a house church, and many more. 

In the Church today there are many women who serve us as ministers and elders, as well as those who are generous with their time, resources, skills and care in other ways. May we be grateful for all the women, past and present, who have led, served, supported and inspired us.

Prayer

God,
We thank you for the women who cared for Jesus,
who led the early Church, and who inspire us today.
We pray for the women in the wider Church
and in society who have yet to achieve true equality. 
We pray for everyone working to build a bigger table,
in which we acknowledge and nurture the gifts of all people. 
We pray in the name of Jesus,
who treated women with profound respect. Amen

St Luke 7: 36 – 50

One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and took his place at the table. And a woman in the city, who was a sinner, having learned that he was eating in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster jar of ointment.  She stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to bathe his feet with her tears and to dry them with her hair. Then she continued kissing his feet and anointing them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to himself, ‘If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him—that she is a sinner.’  Jesus spoke up and said to him, ‘Simon, I have something to say to you.’ ‘Teacher,’ he replied, ‘speak.’ ‘A certain creditor had two debtors; one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debts for both of them. Now which of them will love him more?’  Simon answered, ‘I suppose the one for whom he cancelled the greater debt.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘You have judged rightly.’  Then turning towards the woman, he said to Simon, ‘Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has bathed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair.  You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not stopped kissing my feet.  You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which were many, have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.’  Then he said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’  But those who were at the table with him began to say among themselves, ‘Who is this who even forgives sins?’  And he said to the woman, ‘Your faith has saved you; go in peace.’

Reflection

It is said that when a woman hits forty (or thereabouts) she becomes invisible. I read a series of crime novels where the basic premise was that an older woman was invisible and could therefore rob a bank undetected, if she so wished. (She didn’t. She solved the cases instead.) But invisibility has always been part of a woman’s lot in a man’s world and sometimes to her advantage. As in this case. The woman has managed to find her way, uninvited, into the inner circle, where the chief guest is reclining at dinner.

The men involved have names: Jesus and Simon. The woman has two labels: ‘woman’ and ‘sinner’. It feels like a hostile situation, surrounded by those who label her so unkindly. 

I find it interesting that Jesus actually confronts his host with his blindness to the woman. ‘Do you see this woman?’ he has to ask. I wonder who we don’t really see in our everyday lives? Who are the people burdened with labels instead of names – refugees, illegal immigrants, the women and children represented only by numbers killed in men’s wars?

Let us never forget God sees each one as a precious individual person, each one as worthy as the folk who think they are important, the folk who think they have the right to abuse and kill them. Instead, there is one Lord who declares that these ‘invisible people’ are the ones with faith, whose sins are forgiven.

Prayer

Open our eyes to truly see the people we encounter, Lord.
Give us hearts that recognise them as Your children just as much as we are, and may we take the time to learn each other’s names, and stories.
Amen

St Luke 7: 18 – 35

The disciples of John reported all these things to Jesus. So John summoned two of his disciples and sent them to the Lord to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?’  When the men had come to him, they said, ‘John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?”’  Jesus had just then cured many people of diseases, plagues, and evil spirits, and had given sight to many who were blind.  And he answered them, ‘Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have good news brought to them.  And blessed is anyone who takes no offence at me.’ When John’s messengers had gone, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: ‘What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind?  What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who put on fine clothing and live in luxury are in royal palaces.  What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written,

“See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
    who will prepare your way before you.”

I tell you, among those born of women no one is greater than John; yet the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.’  (And all the people who heard this, including the tax-collectors, acknowledged the justice of God, because they had been baptized with John’s baptism.  But by refusing to be baptized by him, the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected God’s purpose for themselves.) ‘To what then will I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like? They are like children sitting in the market-place and calling to one another,

“We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
    we wailed, and you did not weep.”

For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, “He has a demon”;  the Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, “Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax-collectors and sinners!”  Nevertheless, wisdom is vindicated by all her children.’

Reflection

A very happy and revolutionary New Year!

I struggle to think of a better encounter with Jesus to inspire us as we take a breath to ponder the past, present, and future.

John the Baptist has sent two of his disciples to ask Jesus ‘are you the one who is to come or are we to wait for another?’. We have just spent the glorious period of Advent pondering the same question; perhaps wondering what we wait for in our own lives, the life of the Church and the wider world – so I hope we don’t have more waiting to do!

There is just the slightest sense of exasperation in Luke’s words. Jesus has been doing all these amazing things, so go, and tell John everything you’ve seen!
Go and tell. Perhaps Luke is echoing Isaiah 52 and those beautiful feet bringing good news on the mountain. My feet may not be beautiful, but I hope the good news they carry is!

The answer to the question ‘are you the one’, as we get ourselves prepared for 2025, is ‘go and tell what you have seen’. In other words, as we look to the future of such a struggling world, there is something important in opening our senses to the ever-present glimpses of God’s love and peace, then following the call to go and tell!

This verse struck me: ‘Blessed is anyone who takes no offence at me’.  I wonder if there is something in this about being willing to listen, willing to change, willing to tell. Is there a blessing to be found in being open to the potential offence and challenge in Jesus’ words and actions?

I think there is, so may this New Year be filled with the blessing of noticing the surprising and rebellious love of God. May we be blessed by the potential to change and grow and then get out there and share that blessing with others!

Prayer

Gracious God,
we give thanks for the past and pay attention to its lessons.
We notice the present and dwell in its richness.
We look to the future with its hope and potential.
Bless us, we pray, with open hearts and vital senses;
alert to the truth that Jesus has come
and is leading us to a new kin-dom.
So be it. Amen

St Luke 7: 11 – 17

Soon afterwards Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went with him.  As he approached the gate of the town, a man who had died was being carried out. He was his mother’s only son, and she was a widow; and with her was a large crowd from the town.  When the Lord saw her, he had compassion for her and said to her, ‘Do not weep.’  Then he came forward and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, ‘Young man, I say to you, rise!’  The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.  Fear seized all of them; and they glorified God, saying, ‘A great prophet has risen among us!’ and ‘God has looked favourably on his people!’  This word about him spread throughout Judea and all the surrounding country.

Reflection

Two large crowds clash at the town gates: one trying to get in, one trying to get out; one celebrating recent events, one mourning recent events.  This could be the recipe for a riot in many circumstances today.  But the leader of one group sees and has compassion on the leader of the other group.  Jesus sees the tears of the grieving widow and mother, and is moved to intervene from a place of love.

Jesus comes forward and touches the open bier where the son’s body is visible to all – a shocking action as touching a dead body is the most ‘unclean’ act imaginable.  He directly addresses the dead young man (just as he will a dead girl in Capernaum and his friend Lazarus in the tomb) and suddenly he is alive.

This takes place just over the hill from Shunem where Elisha raised a woman’s son, and has strong echoes of Elijah raising the widow of Zarephath’s son.  Jesus’ act fits the tradition of the great prophets, restoring life, repairing families, renewing hope.  No wonder the crowd proclaim ‘A great prophet has risen among us!’.  Indeed, this is the last of the acts that will shortly be reported to John the Baptist in prison as signs of hope that the kingdom is coming.

A young man’s resurrection is a present joy and a future hope.  His mother, as a widow, would have been dependent on him financially for security, as well as emotionally.  There are resonances of the compassion Jesus will have on his own mother in his dying moments, when he will offer provision of love and care through his closest disciple becoming a surrogate son.  These intergenerational bonds are truly precious in the kingdom of God.

I wonder what the young man had to say on awakening in his own funeral?

Prayer

Jesus give us eyes of compassion.
This New Year’s Eve 
help us mourn with those who mourn 
and laugh with those who laugh.
May we be and seek signs of life restored, 
families repaired, hope renewed.
As the year turns, 
Jesus give us ears attuned to the young as well as old.
May we give you praise and glory 
as we see your kingdom come in the year ahead.
Amen.

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.