Service Sheet (pdf)
Welcome
As the Covid19 restrictions have been eased to allow limited gathering of families and friends during this period I hope you all have been able to find safe ways to mark and celebrate Christmas in a meaningful way, hopefully in the company of some you know and love. There can be few of you who will be having anything like a ‘normal’ Christmas- and for those of you struggling or grieving at this time we offer our prayers and ask you to contact a pastoral visitor or minister if you find you have the need for extra support or a listening ear over the days ahead.
Call to worship
We start our worship for this first Sunday after Christmas by listening to our Sisters and Brothers in Victoria Methodist Church in Bristol singing “We see the eyes of Mary shine” – number 219 in Singing the Faith.-These words paint the picture of Mary and Joseph holding Jesus in the stable and pose the question -do they know or understand that they are a part of something much, much, bigger than they can imagine. – As we imagine that scene we can ask ourselves, and wonder, at the same question.
Prayer
The grace of God has dawned upon the world
With healing for all.
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light:
Light has dawned upon us,
Dwellers in a land as dark as death.
For a child has been born for us,
a son given to us.
God is love;
And his love was disclosed to us in this,
That he sent his only Son into the world to bring us life.
We know how generous our Lord Jesus Christ has been:
He was rich, yet for our sake he became poor,
So that through his poverty we might become rich.
God has spoken to us in the son
Whom he has made heir to the whole universe.
The word became flesh and came to dwell among us.
We saw his glory,
Such glory as befits the Fathers only Son, full of grace and truth.
A Song of the Incarnation- Methodist Service Book – Christmas Communion Liturgy
Carol Introduction
Many of us have said that perhaps the thing we miss most in our online worship this year has been the opportunity to sing, and particularly to sing together. At Christmas time I, and perhaps many of you, have not had opportunity to sing many Christmas carols this year. A few of our number have taken socially distanced carol singing out into the streets, which no doubt has been appreciated by those living in those neighbourhoods (at least we hope so!), and some chapels have hosted Carol services with recorded songs instead of live congregational singing, and of course our Sunday online services have included carols, as you would expect. Others of us have missed even these opportunities and perhaps have relied on broadcast services and carol concerts.
We hear now, (or hum or sing if we are able to at home) – a favourite carol: Silent night. But before we do I invite you to pause and think for a moment about the words.
The precious time following a birth can be quiet, intimate, wonderful. In verse one this carol takes us into that space, where Mary and Joseph are calmly gazing on their new born Jesus. “Mary and Joseph in stable bare watch over the child beloved and fair sleeping in heavenly rest.”
We tend to take that intimate mood into the rest of the carol but, if we stepback,verse two can be viewed, if you will, in contrast to that mood. In what must be a classic of‘quiet understatement’ the angels are singing to the shepherds that ‘Christ the redeemer is here’ and do so, “resounding clear and long, far and near”…. We sing this in a whisper. Surely in reality they must have been really loud, really disrupting the peace and quiet of the evening, seemingly splitting the sky open from horizon to horizon, and probably causing the shepherds to fall over in shock at their appearing, something more like the feel of the carol “Hark the herald angels sing”? But, yes, we continue to sing this verse gently and quietly and continue this mood into verse 3.
Indulge me for a moment: Here I like to think of the smiling face of the baby Jesus not as angelic, but chuckling, with a cheeky, knowing baby grin as though to say to us all …. “Just watch this space… you’ve no idea! Silent night? Maybe now… but not for long! I have work to do!”But surely, you say, that’s not realistic! You’re reading something into the scene, and into the words. But, hold on – don’t we all do that, one way or another? Was this scene really as sentimental as we sometimes feel it to be?
Silent night, Holy night, special words, a special scene. Whatever you think of the words, the message is clear – there is something profound, and deep, happening here. Perhaps quiet is the best way to convey it. What is going on?
Carol
StF 217 Silent night holy night. – HaP 112
Reading: Luke 2:22-40
In our reading we jump forward a little while -we’re not sure how long - from the time of Jesus’s birth in Bethlehem, to a time in Jerusalem.
22 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”[a]), 24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”[b]
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss[c] your servant in peace.
30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”
33 The child’s father and mother marvelled at what was said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
36 There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four.[d] She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.
39 When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.
Bible Gateway: Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Sermon part 1
Simeon, and Anna, have both been faithfully looking, praying, and longing for God’s promised One. Preachers will have told you that at this time the people of Israel expected someone to come and be their Saviour, their Redeemer, their Messiah, their Lord, their King – different words or titles but this ‘special someone’ would free them from the occupation of their land by the Romans and establish Israel as an independent nation, free of interference from neighbouring nations and empires once and for all. Then, at last, they would be able to truly live as God wants them to live.
We can see this expectation in the words Anna spoke. We are told by Luke that she “spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.” That phrase- looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem- hints at something big happening, specifically the taking back of the capital city by the people of Israel from the controlling, interferinghands of the occupying Roman powers. Would Jesus be the one to do this? Would he overthrow the Romans? In this passage Simeon also says something similar, “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that thoughts of many hearts will be revealed.” That sounds like the powers-that-be will be overturned through this child, Jesus. In other words, he will reveal the thoughts and motivations of those in power, and will become the target of their opposition. Luke is telling us through the words ofSimeon that Jesus is to be this promised leader, this saviour. He is less clear if the powers-that-be that will be overturned are Jewish or Roman, or both.
It might be difficult for us to realise the potency of this Jewish hope for a Messiah. Many expected this saviour to be a warrior leader like King David of old, who brought the tribes together and made Israel one.Then, for nine hundred years of history, the people suffered various calamities: break ups, occupations, slavery and exiles. But in 168 BC there had been the big Jewish revolt,led by the Maccabees, against the occupying Syrian empire. Perhaps the special saviour which God had promised through his Prophets would lead the people like that - great military, revolutionary leaders like the Maccabees.They had had success, but then the Romans came and put Israel down…they were under the yoke of foreign powers once again. But they continued to hope, they longed, yearned, for change…indeed, the time was ripe for change. All it needed was for the right person to come along. This is the background to the Christmas story. It feeds the widespread hope that a leader will come.
As Christians we naturally look upon the story of Christmas, the birth of Christ, through the lens of our Christian theology – especially the lens of our Christian spiritual experience. That story tells us of Jesus coming from God to save us and the world from our sins and open the way to heaven. Once there, in heaven, we will see Jesus as a heavenly king, the Prince of Peace, the saviour of the world, sharing in God’s glory. As we read the Christmas story in the Gospels year by year, we tend to overlook the things in the story that don’t fit into that way of seeing things. In particular we tend not to see the things relating to the Jewish hope that the Messiah would be a military leader and king. At this time of year, we’d rather see Jesus as king in a spiritual way, coming into this world from somewhere up in heaven well away from this world and then going back and living there now. The trouble with this way of seeing Jesus is that it plays down the role he had, and we have, in making real changes in the world. It seems,as he came into public life as a teacher and healer, that Jesus indeed came to see himself as a spiritual and not a military leader. However, he was very firmly in this world engaging with the nitty gritty of life in all its complicated, often harsh, realities.
Carol
We’re going to hear, hum or sing, another carol now Stf 205 – It came upon the midnight clear – HaP108
Sermon part 2:
The words of the carol clearly express a longing, a desire, a hope that there will be peace in the world, just as in heaven. That is the hope of us as Christians. In some ways that is the equivalent hope for us of the hope that Simeon, Anna and the whole of the nation of Israel had for a new world, one where God’s ways were made real in the lives of the people. For them it was focussed on the coming of a promised leader, one who would free them from the Romans: for us it is focussed on Christ, who through us, makesGod’s love real in the world and changes it for the better.
Earlier in Luke (1:51-53) we hear Mary, Jesus’ mother, give voice to the expectation that God would work through his promised leader, to bring about God’s justice- to “perform mighty deeds with his strength, to scatter those who are proud, bring down rulers from their thrones, to lift up the humble and weak, fill the hungry with good things, send the rich away empty.” Somehow these words combine the hopes of the people in her day, and the hopes for us in our day to make the world a better place.
When Jesus grew up, he made God’s love real in the world.It involved turning upside down the priorities and status of people of his day. It was not an easy message for anyone to hear. He told the poor they mattered, the sick and the oppressed that they were free, the rich to give riches away, the powerful to cancel debts and trade fairly, the religious to live up to God’s demands to care for others, for leaders of all types that they only held power because God allowed them to and that it wasn’t theirs to own. In addition, he chose to champion the way of peace, of non-violence. And ultimately, he chose the way of the cross – of accepting death at the hands of those who rejected him, and opposed his way. Who could have predicted that he would do all that in his life, who could have predicted he would be a fulfilment of the hopes of Israel – not as a warrior King, but as a spiritual king, one who challenges us all?In the Christmas story Zechariah prophesied it, the angels declared it, Mary believed it and sang about it, Simeon and Anna both recognised it.
In adult life Jesus was a force to be reckoned with, he made real challenges and real changes in his world. If his spirit is in us then we should expect to make similar challenges and changes in our day. As his followers we will first expect to be challenged by his examplespeaking into our lives. That will be painful, uncomfortable, humbling, and hugely disruptive. Our values, status and priorities will be threatened and even overturned, just like the people he challenged in his day.Once we have come to terms with that, we will be ready to make our contribution to making a better world, with his spirit to aid us in our witness. Jesus fulfilled the promise proclaimed by Mary his mother, the angels, and Simeon and Anna. He fulfils it still, through us, today. The promise of Christmas, Christ’s coming, is with us still. “Christ the Redeemer is here.”
Prayers:
Father, we think of the variety of individuals who make up your church;
Make us quick to encourage one another and slow to criticise.
Silence for prayer
Thank you Lord, for restoring us through love.
Father, we think of the responsibility we all have in looking after our world, and our desperate need for guidance.
Silence for prayer
Thank you Lord, for restoring us through love.
Father, we think of the joys and sorrows among families and friends
And our need of the grace to forgive one another.
Silence for prayer
Thank you Lord, for restoring us through love.
Father, we think of the pain which so many suffer all over the world, and of their thirst for comfort and encouragement.
Silence for prayer
Thank you Lord, for restoring us through love.
Father, we think of all those who dedicate their lives to building with you,
And thank you for their faithfulness.
Silence for prayer
Thank you Lord, for restoring us through love.
Merciful Father, accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ, Amen.
Susan Sayers, New Intercessions for the church year, 1995 Kevin Mayhew.
The Lord’s prayer
Carol
StF 228 – Hail to the Lord’s Anointed.- HaP 125
Blessing:
May the living presence of Jesus the redeemer, the glorious light of the Spirit the sustainer, and the enveloping love of the Father the creator, be with you and those you love, this Christmas time and for always. Amen.
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