Advent Resources and More…

Dear Friends,

All our Advent and Christmas resources, including prayers for the lighting of Advent Candles, have been loaded up to the Worship Notes page here now.  We hope you find these useful as Advent and Christmas services are planned.  Over the next couple of weeks the January material will be published too.

We heard this week the sad news that Alan Creedy has died.  Alan wrote a moving set of Daily Devotions on suffering from the perspective of someone living with Motor Neuron Disease.  A private committal service will be held in December with a celebration of his life in the New Year.  May Alan rest in peace and rise in glory.

David Coleman, chaplain to Eco Congregation Scotland has created an Advent calendar of short devotional videos for each day of Advent which can be found here.  There are videos featuring Lindsey Sanderson, Moderator of the National Synod of Scotland, the Revd Dr Shaw James Paterson, Moderator of the Church of Scotland’s General Assembly, and myself.  They can be downloaded and widely shared.  

A lot of work goes on behind the scenes in preparing the Daily Devotions which go out every day; not just from the writers but from those who record them for podcasts to local contacts who print them off for people in their congregations.  I’d like to recruit a few more people to load the material into this email programme.  It’s a fairly easy task; you need an eye for detail, about an hour to spare a month (probably less) and a willingness to be trained.  I’d offer training for, hopefully, a group of new folks via Zoom.  Please do let me know if you’d be able to help.

I hope that as Advent starts you find time amid the busyness of the season to contemplate the readings offered and the rich tapestry of Advent hymns which see us through the season.

With every good wish

Andy

The Rev’d Andy Braunston
Minister for Digital Worship
 

St Luke 4: 1 – 13

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness,  where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. The devil said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.’  Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, “One does not live by bread alone.”’ Then the devil  led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.  And the devil said to him, ‘To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please.  If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.’  Jesus answered him, ‘It is written,

“Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.”’

Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here,  for it is written, “He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you”,
and
“On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.”’

Jesus answered him, ‘It is said, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”’  When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.

Reflection

Today’s text reminds us that our capacity to repent and resist temptation comes from our relationship with God, and the grace of his deliverance, rather than from our own strength and initiative.

We live in a world of competing stories. In such a world, we must know the Christian story in order to resist the false stories that seek to take us captive. The reading has two competing stories: the story that Jesus taps into in order to resist the devil and successfully navigate the temptations laid before him, and the narrative the devil presents.

The story of the temptations takes place in two significant locations: the wilderness and Jerusalem. Historically, the wilderness was the place where God met the Jewish people at Sinai after rescuing them. In the wilderness God shaped them into a covenant people cared for and led by God with cloud and fire. In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus is also led in the wilderness, and he faces temptation by his adversary, the devil.

Jesus is the Son of God who will bring salvation to both Jews and Gentiles, who has been baptised and is filled with the Holy Spirit. Now, Jesus is led into the wilderness, and we see the introduction of the second character, the devil who is bold, cunning, clever, and powerful. It is the devil who tempts, and the devil who ends the temptation and departs from Jesus. In each temptation, the devil speaks first and Jesus replies. The story ends when the devil finishes the temptation and leaves Jesus, for the time being.

Underlying the dialogue between the devil and Jesus are two competing storylines with the devil offering a storyline of self-indulgence, self-aggrandisement, and self-serving religious identity.  Meanwhile, Jesus responds with a storyline of biblical quotations that show awareness of the true source of life and identity, his reliance on God, and his understanding of God’s character.

We too should be dependent on God for life, glory, and identity.

Prayer

Passionate God, 
firing us with the flames of your Holy Spirit, 
we commit ourselves with passion to the cause of your Kingdom, 
for the love of Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen

 

St Luke 3: 23 – 38

Jesus was about thirty years old when he began his work. He was the son (as was thought) of Joseph son of Heli, son of Matthat, son of Levi, son of Melchi, son of Jannai, son of Joseph, son of Mattathias, son of Amos, son of Nahum, son of Esli, son of Naggai, son of Maath, son of Mattathias, son of Semein, son of Josech, son of Joda, son of Joanan, son of Rhesa, son of Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, son of Neri,  son of Melchi, son of Addi, son of Cosam, son of Elmadam, son of Er,  son of Joshua, son of Eliezer, son of Jorim, son of Matthat, son of Levi, son of Simeon, son of Judah, son of Joseph, son of Jonam, son of Eliakim,  son of Melea, son of Menna, son of Mattatha, son of Nathan, son of David,  son of Jesse, son of Obed, son of Boaz, son of Sala, son of Nahshon,  son of Amminadab, son of Admin, son of Arni, son of Hezron, son of Perez, son of Judah,  son of Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham, son of Terah, son of Nahor,  son of Serug, son of Reu, son of Peleg, son of Eber, son of Shelah,  son of Cainan, son of Arphaxad, son of Shem, son of Noah, son of Lamech,  son of Methuselah, son of Enoch, son of Jared, son of Mahalaleel, son of Cainan,  son of Enos, son of Seth, son of Adam, son of God.

Reflection

What possible relevance could these verses have to our lives today? Is this listing of Jesus’s ancestors, many of whom we have never heard of, anything more than a buffer between the dramatic accounts of Jesus’s baptism and his temptations? It seems at first sight tediously dull.  There’s no room for discussion in such a list; it seems to be nothing more than a stereotypical succession of names according to the formula “X son of Y.” Yet this is more than a bare list, it is a genealogy, a family tree.  And genealogies are not just a historical record; they have meaning. They also speak to relationships in the present. For the early Christian community this really mattered.   They needed to know how they related to Jesus and one way of answering the question was to point to his line of descent.   Significantly then, Luke raises questions at the very beginning about Jesus’ paternity: Jesus was, he writes, “thought” to be the son of Joseph.  The implications of that statement are obvious.  If not Joseph, then who? who really was Jesus’ father?
 
Luke  goes into reverse gear – he starts with Jesus, at the age of thirty, beginning his work, and charges back through the generations past David, far beyond Abraham, to Adam – encompassing the entire human race in Jesus’s ancestors.  And beyond Adam, the last ancestor to be named is God. In this breath-taking scheme, Luke substantiates and affirms Jesus’ identity as son of God. Jesus is the son of God through God’s creative work in Adam, through his promise to David and through Joseph’s legal fatherhood.
 
Luke’s genealogy enables us to situate ourselves in God’s great plan, through Jesus, to save all those he has created.   That includes us and our posterity.   It fills us with hope.
 
Prayer
 
Gracious God,
our father,
we rejoice in the love you have shown us,
the freedom you give us,
the hope of which we are assured,
through your son our saviour Jesus Christ.
Amen

 

St Luke 3: 21 – 22

Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’

Reflection

So far in Luke’s Gospel, we’ve seen the Holy Spirit come upon Mary, Elizabeth, John, Zechariah, and Simeon. John the Baptist has prepared the way for Jesus, promising a baptism of the Holy Spirit, and now, as Jesus is baptised, the Holy Spirit descends like a dove and Jesus hears these wonderful words of affirmation.

If we’re honest, don’t we long to hear such words spoken over us? The good news is that in Christ, and through the Spirit coming to dwell within us, we can be adopted into God’s family too (see Romans 8:9-17). We can become sons and daughters of the living God. As Paul makes clear in Ephesians 1:3-14, we have been abundantly blessed, chosen, loved, predestined, adopted and redeemed in Christ – and the Spirit is the “deposit guaranteeing our inheritance.” So the Spirit is the presence and love of God, poured out into our hearts (Romans 5:5), reminding us both who we are (beloved sons and daughters) – and whose we are (God’s).

This is wonderful, but as Jesus will soon experience, God’s affirmation and Holy Spirit do not guarantee an easy path through life. In just a few verses, the Spirit will lead Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. The Spirit leads Jesus to a place of extreme thirst and hunger, where his very identity, authority and protection will be challenged. But, the Spirit is clearly at work through this, for after resisting the devil’s attacks, we read, “Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee…He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.” Perhaps there’s some spiritual arithmetic here: Affirmation + Temptation = Effective Ministry and Mission. Like Christ, God blesses us – and allows us to be tested – that we might be a blessing to others.

Prayer

Holy Spirit, you stirred the waters of creation,
and you stir our hearts with your love.
We praise you for every spiritual blessing we have received:
that we are chosen, loved, predestined, adopted and redeemed in Christ.  
In every situation, remind us that we are beloved sons and daughters,
and help us to stand firm in your grace and truth when we face temptation.
In our blessedness, may we bless others, to your glory.
Amen

 

St Luke 3: 1 – 20

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins,as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah,

‘The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
“Prepare the way of the Lord,
    make his paths straight.
Every valley shall be filled,
    and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall be made straight,
    and the rough ways made smooth;
and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”’

John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?  Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our ancestor”; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.  Even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.’

And the crowds asked him, ‘What then should we do?’ In reply he said to them, ‘Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.’ Even tax-collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, ‘Teacher, what should we do?’  He said to them, ‘Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.’  Soldiers also asked him, ‘And we, what should we do?’ He said to them, ‘Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.’

As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, ‘I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing-fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing-floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’

So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people. But Herod the ruler, who had been rebuked by him because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and because of all the evil things that Herod had done,  added to them all by shutting up John in prison.

Reflection

I wonder if Luke is having a little joke at this point in the gospel, as he describes John’s threats of unquenchable fire as ‘proclaiming the good news’!  But if we read back a little, Luke quotes Isaiah, implying that John is the voice crying out in the wilderness, promising that all flesh shall see the salvation of God.

In politics and public affairs people sometimes talk about ‘flying kites’ or ‘rolling the pitch’.  A story might make it into the newspapers that ‘No. 10 sources are considering such and such a change’ – and depending on how the idea goes down, it might die a death if Ministers judge that overcoming opposition wouldn’t be worth the effort – or it might get developed further.  Alternatively, in order to make the case for a change that might seem unpalatable, leaders might spend time underlining the problems with the status quo, and explaining why apparently easy options don’t work, so that a later reform proposal isn’t coming out of the blue.

What is John’s role in the gospel story?  We may be used to hearing readings like this in Advent, with a strong emphasis on preparing for Jesus’ coming.  But are we diminishing his message to merely pitch-rolling?  The vision Luke quotes from Isaiah goes further than just ‘doing the right thing’, despite John’s answers to the tax-collectors and soldiers – Isaiah sees the whole landscape being reshaped!  If this is what John means by bearing ‘fruits worthy of repentance’, then what fruits should we be bearing?

Prayer

Lord, we give thanks for your servant John.
We remember that people who remind us about right and wrong don’t always please the powerful.
Help us to hear their challenge, 
and bear true fruits of repentance, 
that in our lives we may reshape the landscape of our world
that your people may come closer to your kingdom.
Amen

 

St Luke 2: 41 – 52

Now every year Jesus’  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.

Reflection

How reassuring the Holy Family was as full of cross-generational misunderstandings as most families today!  Parent: How could you do this to us?  Child: What’s the stress – it’s obvs I’m here!  Yet behind this is a deep sense of intergenerational community that we have largely lost. The festival includes all ages of relatives and friends, those who travel physically and metaphorically together in a shared life of faith.  The boy Jesus is safe, known and loved, his parents trusting the whole village to raise their son.  In an age of abuse revelations, when no institution appears trustworthy and individuals exploit trust, how might we rebuild such communities? How might we exercise the wisdom of serpents alongside the innocence of doves within relationships and balance protecting the vulnerable with God’s declaration it is not good for us to be alone and the lonely are placed in families?

In the Temple we see twelve-year-old Jesus sitting among the teachers (not sent out to Junior Temple) actively engaged through listening and asking questions and showing amazing wisdom and understanding.  How might we enable our children and young people to be actively engaged in their and our faith formation – creating spaces where together we listen to one another, enriched by both the questions and answers of different generations?

This story is alive with resonances of Jesus’ calling – a deep awareness of his Sonship, a desire to dwell in the Father’s presence, a stepping out of the safety of family life into the public eye, ongoing questions and discussions with religious teachers about the life of faith, a shocking absence for 3 days and a joyful reunion with those lovingly searching for him.  How might we enable children and young people to discern God’s call on their lives both now and into the future through their current experiences, passions and gifts?

Prayer

Loving God,
as we and all your children grow and change
in wisdom, in age,
in relationship with you and with others,
give us grace to enable and welcome change.
Help us to accommodate growing and changing children and young people,
to change with them,
and together to respond to your call
to grow up into the fulness of Christ.
Amen.

 
Today’s service is led by the Revd Nicky Gilbert

 
Introduction

Welcome to this service for 24th of November the day for the traditional feast of Christ the King.  I am Nicky Gilbert, a non-stipendiary Area Minister in the Wessex Synod on the south coast of England. As we near the season of Advent, we join together to think about Jesus as our king, and we worship him. 

Call to Worship 

The Lord reigns, he is robed in majesty;
    the Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength;
    indeed, the world is established, firm and secure.
Your throne was established long ago;
    you are from all eternity.

Hymn     Immortal Invisible
Walter C. Smith (1867) Public Domain BBC Songs of Praise

Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
in light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
almighty, victorious, thy great name we praise.

Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,
nor wanting, nor wasting, thou rulest in might;
thy justice like mountains high soaring above
thy clouds, which are fountains of goodness and love.

To all life thou givest, to both great and small;
in all life thou livest, the true life of all;
we blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree,
and wither and perish but naught changeth thee.

Great Father of glory, pure Father of light,
thine angels adore thee, all veiling their sight;
all praise we would render, O help us to see
’tis only the splendour of light hideth thee.
 
Opening Prayers

Jesus our King; we come to honour you.
You have promised to meet with us.
You have called us to come, so here we are.
To listen to your heart, to look for your path,
to think about your truth, and to learn about your love.
King of our hearts meet with us here, wherever here is, Amen.

Reading     St John 18: 33-37

Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?” “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?” Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.” “You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”

Reading     Psalm 132: 1-12

Lord, remember David and all his self-denial.
He swore an oath to the Lord, 
he made a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob:
“I will not enter my house or go to my bed,
I will allow no sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids,
till I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
We heard it in Ephrathah, we came upon it in the fields of Jaar:
“Let us go to his dwelling place, let us worship at his footstool, saying,
‘Arise, Lord, and come to your resting place,
you and the ark of your might.
May your priests be clothed with your righteousness;
may your faithful people sing for joy.’”
For the sake of your servant David, do not reject your anointed one.
The Lord swore an oath to David, a sure oath he will not revoke:
“One of your own descendants I will place on your throne.
If your sons keep my covenant and the statutes I teach them,
then their sons will sit on your throne for ever and ever.”

Hymn     We have a king who rides a donkey
Fred Kaan © 1968 Hope Publishing Company Sung by Andrea Maxson and Grimsby Minster’s Organist and Director of Music, Steven Maxson Printed and podcast in accordance to the terms of OneLicence  # A-734713  
 
We have a king who rides a donkey,
We have a king who rides a donkey,
We have a king who rides a donkey,
and his name is Jesus:
Jesus the king is risen
Jesus the king is risen
Jesus the king is risen
early in the morning.

Trees are waving a royal welcome
Trees are waving a royal welcome
Trees are waving a royal welcome
for the king called Jesus:
Jesus the king is risen
Jesus the king is risen
Jesus the king is risen
early in the morning.

We have a king who cares for people,
We have a king who cares for people,
We have a king who cares for people,
and his name is Jesus:
Jesus the king is risen
Jesus the king is risen
Jesus the king is risen
early in the morning.

A loaf and a cup upon the table,
A loaf and a cup upon the table,
A loaf and a cup upon the table,
bread-and-wine is Jesus:
Jesus the king is risen
Jesus the king is risen
Jesus the king is risen
early in the morning.

We have a king with a bowl and towel,
We have a king with a bowl and towel,
We have a king with a bowl and towel,
servant-king is Jesus:
Jesus the king is risen
Jesus the king is risen
Jesus the king is risen
early in the morning.

What shall we do with our life this morning?
What shall we do with our life this morning?
What shall we do with our life this morning?
Give it up in service!
Jesus the king is risen
Jesus the king is risen
Jesus the king is risen
early in the morning.

Sermon     King Sized?

For those of us born in the last 70 years we have not been used to having a king. We had a queen and our understanding of royalty was coloured by that. The one who loved her animals and served her people and chose to align herself with refugee bears like Paddington rather than great rulers.  It still feels little odd to sing God save our gracious king…. But Charles in now our king and he also chooses to align himself to the environment and work for a better future.

Kings, as I said, until now, were ideas that belonged in history books or fairy stories. King Henry VIII, fighting for religious reform/ freedom from Rome/ doing whatever he wanted depending on the season. King Canute trying to stop the waves as the tide came in. King Arthur and his round table and his brave knights fighting for good. Story kings who sent their sons on silly quests and locked their daughters in towers… King Midas who turned everything he touched to gold.

In Jesus’ time too kings were a mixed bunch, the Egyptian kings were Pharos, half divine. With power over the life and death of their subjects. The Romans had emperors who ruled over great empires with fear and power, absorbing one land after another. The Jews had puppet kings and rulers like Herod and Pilate who had no power without Roman support, as did the Roman ruled Britons when the Romans got here soon after. There were kings who took on legionary status, like king Solomon and king David who, although not a perfect person, was proclaimed as a great king.

Our psalm today was probably one of the ones that people sang on their way to the temple for special festivals, although it talks of David building God’s house it was his son, Solomon, who did build the first temple, using some of the preparations his father had made. Solomon too was legendary for his wisdom, people came from far and wide to hear him, even other rulers like the queen of Sheba.

So when we say that Jesus is king what do we mean? Many kings were thought of as great because they enlarged their people’s territory,  like king David, but Jesus is a king without an earthly kingdom, no territory here at all.  But Jesus, like king David, was shepherd for his people and protector and guide. Jesus did not build great temples although he did cause trouble in them from time to time.  Arguing with his teachers, clearing out the money changers. Jesus, like Henry VIII, argued with the religious leaders of his day, seeking reform, but unlike Henry he didn’t just want his own way.

Canute was a foreign king, a Viking, who won the hearts of many of his subjects, he brought peace and stability to the land, he may have been showing his people that he could not turn the tide; only God can do that!
Jesus did not hold back the tide like Canute tried to do, but did still the storm, even the wind and waves obeyed him. He longs for peace for his people, but not necessarily stability!
Jesus sends his disciples on quests but not silly ones (not usually anyway!) ones that bring his love and kingdom closer.  Taking the Good News of healing and acceptance, to the poor, the lost, the hungry. Jesus is not a king who locks anyone in a tower! Jesus was not half divine like the Pharos, but wholly divine and wholly human. Too much for our feeble minds to take in.

Jesus, like king Arthur, had his followers, who pledged to follow him and work for good, and a (not round) table of bread and wine to welcome us all. Jesus like our queen served his people to the very end. And aligned himself with the forgotten, the poor, the refugees, the outcasts. ( But not bears…)

Jesus’ reign never stops, his kingdom and kingship is forever. Unlike Midas, His treasure is not gold, but when he touches people they are changed. We are his treasure! He is no puppet king, he owes his power to no one, and no one falls outside his jurisdiction. Kings and queens still come and seek his wisdom. He is humble and compassionate and never sends his people where he will not go or eats while his people are hungry or turns his people away without noticing them.
 
So what does all this mean for us? We have a King who is not afraid, or too grand, or to busy, to walk among his people. We are his people, let us follow him as closely as we can. He is our forever king, and we are his people. Called to serve him in his kingdom now and later! Hooray for our King, Amen.

Hymn     Be Thou My Vision
Ancient Irish, Attributed to St Patrick, Public Domain 
sung by the choir and people of First Plymouth Church, Lincoln, Nebraska

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
naught be all else but to me, save that Thou art;
Thou my best thought, by day and or by night,
waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me Lord;
Thou my soul’s shelter and Thou my high tower.
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor vain empty praise,
Thou mine inheritance, now and always;
Thou and Thou only first in my heart,
High King of heaven, my treasure Thou art.

High King of heaven, my victory won,
May I reach heaven’s joys O bright heaven’s Sun.
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.
 
Prayers for the World and Lord’s Prayer

Gracious God; we pray for the world you love.
We pray for kings and queens 
and prime ministers and presidents 
and all earthly rulers.
The loyal and compassionate, 
the trustworthy and honest, 
the wise and the considerate. 
Give them the strength to continue in wisdom.

We pray also for leaders who fall short of these high ideals, 
for those who forget 
who they are meant to be protecting and supporting,
give them ears to hear the voices of those they have power over 
and hearts to listen in compassion.

We pray for those who make big decisions, 
doctors and teachers, nurses and aid workers, parents and police.
Help them to listen to the needs of others.

We pray for all those who have to live with the decisions of others.  
The powerless, the landless, and the disempowered.

We pray for our communities, 
for less division and more cooperation, 
less anger and more understanding. 
We ask that you show us how to be the best neighbour that we can be.

We pray for our families for all the love we find there, 
and for grace and forgiveness when things get hard.

We pray for ourselves, 
you know when we fall short of being the best we can be,
you know when we find it hard to maintain our boundaries, 
and when we fail in our compassion. 
You know the things that keep us awake at night 
and the things we look forward to.
Guide and protect us dear King. 
Help us to be the good subjects of your Kingdom.

All these things we pray about with hope and trust, 
in the name of Jeus who loves us and who left us these words, 
Our Father…

Hymn     The King of Love My Shepherd Is
H. W. Baker (1868)  Sung by Chris Brunelle and used with his kind permission
 
The King of love my shepherd is,
whose goodness faileth never.
I nothing lack if I am his,
and he is mine forever.

Where streams of living water flow,
with gentle care he leads me;
and where the verdant pastures grow,
with heavenly food he feeds me.

Perverse and foolish, I have strayed,
but yet in love he sought me;
and on his shoulder gently laid,
and home, rejoicing, brought me.

And so through all the length of days,
your goodness fails me never;
Good Shepherd, may I sing your praise
within your house forever.
 
Blessing

May God the father who loves you,
Jesus the King who reigns over you,
and God the spirit who empowers you, 
be with you and those you love and pray for, 
now and forever. Amen.

Luke 1: 67 – 80

Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke this prophecy:

‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
    for he has looked favourably on his people and redeemed them.
He has raised up a mighty saviour for us
in the house of his servant David,
as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us.
Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors,
and has remembered his holy covenant,
the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham,
to grant us that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies,
might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness
    before him all our days.
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
    for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
to give knowledge of salvation to his people
    by the forgiveness of their sins.
By the tender mercy of our God,
    the dawn from on high will break upon us,
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
    to guide our feet into the way of peace.’

The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day he appeared publicly to Israel.

Reflection

“You need to have a sit-down with your ego,” warned pop band The Saturdays in the 2010 hit, Ego. While that advice was aimed at an egotistical lover, the lyrics have echoed throughout this week’s Daily Devotion passages.
Shedding our ego is a theme that’s also explored in more spiritual depth by Franciscan friar and popular writer Richard Rohr. He asserts that letting go of one’s ego is necessary in order to focus on God, switching priorities from individuality to community.

Sadly, putting aside our egos is something we’re not always good at doing in churches. Too many of us like the sound of our own voice and forget we have two ears and only one mouth, a useful reminder about the need for balance between listening and speaking.

In today’s Bible passage, we have examples of not one but two people putting their own egos aside to prepare the way for others. First Zechariah, then John.

Over the past two days, we’ve followed the story of how Zechariah the priest was left unable to speak after hearing the news that his son would prepare the way for Jesus. Even though Zechariah’s incense offering took place away from public gaze, as a priest he was used to being the centre of attention.

Instead, he needs to put aside his own ego and focus on the work his son will complete for God. In today’s verses, he praises God for that mission.

As for John the Baptist, during the coming weeks of Advent we’ll remember how he became the voice in the wilderness, preparing the way for Jesus. It’s a call parents and guardians, ministers and Sunday school teachers, elders and deacons have answered too, down through the ages, setting aside their egos to nurture children and congregations.

As for us, in what ways do we need to put aside our own egos? Today and in the days ahead, who are the people we need to let speak instead?

Prayer

God of my mouth,
please help me to have a sit-down with my ego.
Please stop me from loving the sound of my own voice.
Please prevent me from drowning out the voices of the prophets that need to be heard.
God of my ears,
please help me to knock some sense into my ego.
Please stop me from speaking when I need to listen.
Please make me listen, and not just hear.
In the name of Christ,  
Amen.

St Luke 1: 57 – 66

Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. Her neighbours and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him Zechariah after his father.  But his mother said, ‘No; he is to be called John.’  They said to her, ‘None of your relatives has this name.’ Then they began motioning to his father to find out what name he wanted to give him. He asked for a writing-tablet and wrote, ‘His name is John.’ And all of them were amazed.  Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began to speak, praising God. Fear came over all their neighbours, and all these things were talked about throughout the entire hill country of Judea.  All who heard them pondered them and said, ‘What then will this child become?’ For, indeed, the hand of the Lord was with him.

Reflection
I have always been rather intrigued by the meaning of names; and so, when the time came to name our children, we chose names that we were fond of and then looked up their meanings to ensure that they were the characteristics which we would like our children to have, once grown. For example, one of the meanings of a name we liked was ‘weary cow’ (we didn’t think this was a particular characteristic we longed for in anyone) but spelt a different way means ‘bearer of good news’!
According to a webpage titled Behind the name, John means ‘YHWH is gracious’, and Zechariah means ‘YHWH remembers’. It’s as if the whole passage of Luke 1 is summed up in the meaning of these two names.

Elizabeth has not been able to have children – a curse in a culture where children are so valued to carry on one’s family name; and now she has, at an advanced age, given birth to a son, who, as we know, will announce his cousin’s Lordship. So not only was YHWH gracious (defined as ‘courteous, kind, and pleasant’ according to the online Oxford dictionary), in remembering Elizabeth and giving her a child, but YHWH is gracious (defined as ‘showing divine grace’) to the child who will be the first to recognise Jesus as the Messiah – both in the womb and then later in his own public ministry.

Priest Zechariah must have often wondered what YHWH was remembering, because perhaps he felt it wasn’t him! Until YHWH did remember! And the rest, as they say, is history.

We chose names for our children because of who we hope they will become, but YHWH chose us because of who we already are, no matter our name, no matter our age and no matter our status in society.

YHWH is gracious and remembers.

Prayer

YHWH, thank you that you are a remembering, gracious, personal God who, no matter who I am or where I may be in my life and faith journey,  has not forgotten me and still calls me by name. Amen.

St Luke 1: 5 – 24

In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. His wife was a descendant of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.  Both of them were righteous before God, living blamelessly according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord.  But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were getting on in years.

Once when he was serving as priest before God and his section was on duty,  he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and offer incense.  Now at the time of the incense-offering, the whole assembly of the people was praying outside.  Then there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was terrified; and fear overwhelmed him.  But the angel said to him, ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John.  You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth,  for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink; even before his birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit.  He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. With the spirit and power of Elijah he will go before him, to turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.’ Zechariah said to the angel, ‘How will I know that this is so? For I am an old man, and my wife is getting on in years.’ The angel replied, ‘I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. But now, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time, you will become mute, unable to speak, until the day these things occur.’

Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah, and wondered at his delay in the sanctuary.  When he did come out, he could not speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. He kept motioning to them and remained unable to speak.  When his time of service was ended, he went to his home.

After those days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she remained in seclusion. She said,  ‘This is what the Lord has done for me when he looked favourably on me and took away the disgrace I have endured among my people.’

Reflection

When we read the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth we are reading the story of two people whose lives did not turn out the way they expected. Upright people who have lived with disappointment, not through any fault of theirs.  Is it any wonder then that Zechariah takes some convincing? He wants some evidence. Despite the angel telling him ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard’ he is doubtful. He stops just short of yelling ‘fake news’ at the angel, in his struggle to believe God is working on it.

It is seriously hard when it feels like our prayers are falling into silence. Those dark moments when we wonder if God is even listening. When we perhaps feel forgotten. This passage holds a reminder that God hears prayer. Zechariah’s years of waiting did not mean God had ignored him.

For Zechariah the answer simply came in God’s timing, which was far better and more miraculous than Zechariah could have imagined – he just had to be willing to hear God in return. Prayer is always a dialogue with God. We both speak and listen. God hears us, but we need to be open to hearing God’s voice in return, to being changed, to being called away from the easy answer we seek towards the work of justice and Kin(g)dom.

Prayer

Thank you God for hearing our prayers, spoken and unspoken, formed and formless.
Help us to listen to you speaking in the world around us. Silence us when necessary, and teach us to shout for justice when required.
Amen