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DECEMBER 26, 2021
Greeting
The grace of our saviour, Jesus the Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all
And also with you
Lighting the Christ Candle
We have lit the candle of Hope, a sign that God is with us, encouraging us along our way.
We are filled with God’s hope this day
We have lit the candle of Peace, a reminder that Jesus came to share God’s peace with all
We are ready to share God’s peace this day.
We have lit the candle of Joy, a sign that God has promised us life in abundance.
We celebrate God’s joy this day.
We have lit the candle of Love, a sign of God’s generous care and concern for others.
We offer God’s love to one and all.
Today we light the Christ candle, a reminder of the One who shared the light of truth with the world.
We give thanks for the presence of Christ in our lives.
Call to Worship
Praise the Lord from the heavens and in the heights;
Praise God, sun and moon!
God’s name alone is exalted;
God is above the earth and heaven.
Young and old together, all creatures great and small,
Let us praise God’s holy name, now and evermore!
Opening Prayer
God of our lives and the times in which we live,
we come before you on this last Sunday of the year,
marvelling that another year has passed.
For some of us, time has slipped by and we wonder where another year went.
For others, the pressures of the pandemic have been intense;
the sorrows, heavy; the conflicts, challenging.
O God, you have seen us through this peculiar year and we are grateful.
We praise you for your love,
for your comfort and joy which are there whenever we need them.
In this time of worship, receive our prayers and our praises
as we honour your gifts of Light and Love
which shine upon us through Jesus Christ
this day and every day by your grace.
Opening Hymn VU # 245: “Praise the Lord with the Sound of Trumpet”
Praise the Lord with the sound of trumpet,
praise the Lord with the harp and lute,
praise the Lord with the gentle sounding flute.
Praise the Lord in the field and forest,
praise the Lord in the city square,
praise the Lord anytime and anywhere.
Praise the Lord in the wind and sunshine,
praise the Lord in the dark of night,
praise the Lord in the rain or snow or in the morning light.
Praise the Lord in the deepest valley,
praise the Lord on the highest hill,
praise the Lord, never let your voice be still.
Praise the Lord with the crashing cymbal,
praise the Lord with the pipe and string,
praise the Lord with the joyful songs you sing.
Praise the Lord on a weekday morning,
praise the Lord on a Sunday noon,
praise the Lord by the light of sun or moon.
Praise the Lord in the time of sorrow,
praise the Lord in the time of joy,
praise the Lord in the every moment, nothing let your praise destroy.
Praise the Lord in the peace and quiet,
praise the Lord in your work or play,
praise the Lord every where in every way!
Prayer of Confession
God of our lives and the time in which we live,
we know you are with us through thick and thin,
in times of great joy and at moments of disappointment.
We confess we sometimes feel let down when the joy of Christmas day has passed.
Our hope seems to get folded away with the gift wrap,
our energy for the future feels a bit tattered.
Forgive us when our faithfulness flickers like a Christmas candle burning down.
Renew our hope and energy for the year ahead
through the steadfast grace of Christ our Lord.
Assurance of Grace
The mercy of our God is from everlasting to everlasting. Hear and believe the good news of the Gospel. In Jesus Christ, God’s generous love reaches out to embrace us. We are forgiven and set free to begin again. Let us forgive one another just as God has forgiven us. May the peace of Christ be with us all.
Scripture Readings
Hebrew Scriptures: 1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26 Psalm 148
New Testament Scriptures: Colossians 3:12-17
Hear what the scriptures are saying to the church.
Thanks be to God!
*Hymn VU # 240: “Praise, My Soul, the God of Heaven”
Praise, my soul, the God of heaven;
glad of heart your carols raise;
ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven
who, like me, should sing God's praise?
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Praise the Maker all your days!
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Praise God for the grace and favour
shown our forebears in distress;
God is still the same forever,
slow to chide, and swift to bless:
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Sing our Maker's faithfulness!
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Like a loving parent caring,
God knows well our feeble frame;
gladly all our burdens bearing,
still to countless years the same.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
All within me, praise God's name!
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Frail as summer's flower we flourish,
blows the wind and it is gone;
but, while mortals rise and perish,
God endures unchanging on.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Praise the high eternal one.
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Angels, teach us adoration,
you behold God face to face;
sun and moon and all creation,
dwellers all in time and space.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Praise with us the God of grace!
Gospel Reading: Luke 2:41-52
This is the Good News of Jesus the Christ.
Praise be to God!
Prayer of Illumination
Source of all wisdom and understanding,
by your Word you give wisdom to guide us on the path you set before us.
Send your Holy Spirit to open our hearts and minds to receive your Word
and strengthen us to follow Jesus into the year that waits before us. Amen
Message
It was obligatory for men to attend the three main feasts in Jerusalem, but it is evident that Mary and Joseph went up as a couple. They also took Jesus with them “according to the custom of the feast”. Habits set in youth remain with us throughout life - and we will find Jesus later, as an adult, going into the synagogue in Nazareth on the Sabbath day “as His custom was”
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Holy days were also holidays, and a party of extended family and friends would make the arduous journey from Nazareth to Jerusalem in caravan together. This explains the circumstances of Mary and Joseph ‘losing’ Jesus: they each presumed that He was with someone else. ‘Home Alone’ in reverse!
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Sometimes we lose sight of Jesus, and imagine that He must be ‘lost’ to us. This is not the case. If we trace our steps back towards the point in our lives where we last encountered Him, we will find Him. In fact, He has never left the precincts of the Temple.
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“After three days” is sometimes thought to be a covert anticipation of Jesus being ‘three days’ out of sight in the tomb. There may be some symbolism here. However, Luke usually refers to the resurrection of Jesus under the motif of “the third day” .The Rabbis understood the age of twelve to be the threshold between childhood and adulthood: the enquiring mind is beginning to prepare for the day when the youngster must leave the nest. Yet Jesus was not asking questions of those with Doctorates as one who does not know - but rather as a method of teaching them! It was His answers, not His questions, which caused the astonishment.
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Joseph was not the father of Jesus, as Mary had briefly suggested in her frustration: yet we may understand her consternation. The first recorded words of Jesus may appear stern, as do those which He spoke at the wedding feast in Cana. However, Jesus’ attitude to His mother is not without its tenderness.
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This incident in the Temple was a precursor to the fact that Jesus would one day be leaving the comforts of home, in order to be about the affairs of His heavenly Father. For the time being, Mary and Joseph could not understand what Jesus was telling them.
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So Jesus returned with them to Nazareth, and continued to submit Himself to their ‘parenthood’. Mary, for her part, treasured all the sayings about Him in her heart. Not just what He had said, but also the words of Simeon, and of the angel.
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The incarnate Jesus continued to grow. This is Jesus subjecting Himself to human limitations: part of the mystery of His self-emptying. He has been through all the stages of human experience needed to qualify Him as our Great High Priest.
A New Creed
We are not alone,
we live in God’s world.
We believe in God:
who has created and is creating,
who has come in Jesus,
the Word made flesh,
to reconcile and make new,
who works in us and others
by the Spirit.
We trust in God.
We are called to be the Church:
to celebrate God’s presence,
to live with respect in Creation,
to love and serve others,
to seek justice and resist evil,
to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen,
our judge and our hope.
In life, in death, in life beyond death,
God is with us.
We are not alone.
Thanks be to God.
*Hymn # 400: “Have Thine Own Way Lord”
Have thine own way, Lord!
Have thine own way!
Thou art the potter,
I am the clay.
Mold me and make me
after thy will,
while I am waiting,
yielded and still.
Have thine own way, Lord!
Have thine own way!
Search me and try me,
Savior today!
Wash me just now, Lord,
wash me just now,
as in thy presence
humbly I bow.
Have thine own way, Lord!
Have thine own way!
Wounded and weary,
help me I pray!
Power, all power,
surely is thine!
Touch me and heal me,
Savior divine!
Have thine own way, Lord!
Have thine own way!
Hold o'er my being
absolute sway.
Fill with thy Spirit
till all shall see
Christ only, always,
living in me!
Offering Invitation
The letter to the Colossians reminds us that whatever we do, in word or deed, we do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. May our offering this day show our gratitude to God in Jesus’ name.
Offering Hymn VU # 543: “We Give Thee But Thine Own”
We give thee but thine own,
whate’er the gift may be:
all that we have is thine alone,
a trust, O God, from thee.
Prayer of Dedication
God of love, we give thanks for the many blessings you have given us throughout our lives. We are grateful to celebrate the birth of your greatest gift, our Saviour Jesus, once again. Bless the offerings we make in his name, and use them and us to serve you well in the coming year. Amen
Prayers of the People
Lord God, creator of heaven and earth,
we bring you our prayers with glad and grateful hearts
in this season of hope and joy.
For your image set within us all, calling us to love one another and to care for your creation,
we give you thanks.
For the gift of your Son who redeems us and guides us to serve you in the world,
we give you thanks.
For the energy and inspiration of your Holy Spirit, who equips us to meet the challenges we face,
we give you thanks.
By your Holy Spirit, empower us to show your love to those for whom we pray this day:
For the Church and those who lead in it, as they seek to refresh ministries after months of pandemic restrictions . . .
Silence
For the world that you have asked us to care for amid the challenges the climate crisis creates…
Silence
For those who rule in the nations of the world, that they will attend to the needs of the most vulnerable and cries for justice in their lands . . .
Silence
For those who serve as teachers, instructors, and mentors, and for students who face a world of constant change and challenge . . .
Silence
For those who serve others as healers and caregivers, especially those feeling exhausted by the demands the pandemic has created on them and their workplaces . . .
Silence
For those struggling with poverty, homelessness, and hunger, and the challenges to recover amid steep economic pressures . . .
Silence
For those who mourn the loss of someone dear and those who feel alone or neglected...
Silence
For those imprisoned for defending truth and justice, and all who experience exclusion, powerlessness and oppression . . .
Silence
As this year of ongoing and unexpected challenges draws to a close,
give us grateful hearts for what has been loving and life-giving;
give us peace about things that have been painful;
and focus our attention on emerging opportunities to grow closer to you and to each other.
Keep us faithful in all we do in the name of Jesus Christ, our friend and saviour, who taught us to pray together: “Our Father…”
Commissioning
Go to praise God in all that you do. Go to celebrate the presence of God in all of creation. Clothe yourselves in love and let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts. Grow in wisdom and grace and know that, wherever you may be, you are never lost – for God is with you. Always. Amen.
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Benediction
Go now in peace, go now in peace
May the love of God surround you
Everywhere, everywhere you may go.
Hope you all had a great Christmas Day!
Margaret
Sections taken from The Presbyterian Church of Canada
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Greeting
Our journey through Advent has brought us to Christmastime. When we come together in God’s name, God-is-with-us and God’s love is close at hand. May the God of Advent Hope, Peace, Joy and Love live in your hearts.
And in your heart also.
Lighting the Advent Candle
The fourth candle of Advent is lit. Are you ready?
We are ready to welcome hope in our lives. We are ready to live in peace.We are invited to dance with joy. We are called to live in love.
We are ready to welcome the Christ Child!
Maranatha. Come, Lord Jesus.
Let us open our hearts and our lives!
Lighting the Christ Candle
For four Sundays of Advent, including today, we have been looking for signs of the presence of Christ in our world. For these four Sundays we have shared the ancient longing that God should come to live among us and reign in the lives of all people.
Today we also celebrate the birth of Jesus, and with the lighting of the Christ candle, we proclaim that Jesus is Emmanuel, God-with -us.
He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it. What came into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
The true light, which enlightens everyone is coming into the world—to all who receive him, who believe in his name, he gives the power to become children of God. (The Christ candle is lit)
Jesus Christ, the light of the world! Alleluia!
Call to Worship
Come into our church, O God, where carols are sung with enthusiasm,
And enable us to see Jesus, who is the guiding light.
Opening Prayer
God, we long for you to be with us—not as an echo from the distant past, not as a rumor spread by wishful thinkers, not as the substance of someone else’s faith, but as a presence strong and real.
So come again, Lord Jesus, be the light that lightens each of our lives and be born in new ways in each of our beating hearts today. Light up every dark place on this earth with the steady beams of the light of grace and truth. The light comes from you alone. Amen.
Opening Hymn VU 35 Good Christian Friends, Rejoice
Good Christian friends, rejoice
with heart and soul and voice!
Give ye heed to what we say:
News! News!
Jesus Christ is born today.
Ox and ass before him bow,
and he is in the manger now.
Christ is born today!
Christ is born today!
Good Christian friends, rejoice
with heart and soul and voice!
Now ye hear of endless bliss:
Joy! Joy!
Jesus Christ was born for this!
He hath opened heaven's door,
and we are blest for evermore.
Christ was born for this!
Christ was born for this!
Good Christian friends, rejoice
with heart and soul and voice!
Now ye need not fear the grave:
Peace! Peace!
Jesus Christ was born to save!
Calls you one and calls you all
to gain his everlasting hall.
Christ was born to save!
Christ was born to save!
Prayer of Confession
Dear God, open the hinge to the door of the Bethlehem stable, and may we truly see with new eyes, and be present at this Bethlehem event. May those times when we have failed you and others be forgiven. May those times when we have failed to reach out to others be wiped out. May we be a new people surrounded by the love of Christ.
Words of Assurance
Our God embraces those who seek new life. We are forgiven! This is the message of hope, peace, joy and love revealed through Jesus the Christ and offered to us this day.
Thanks be, that we are God’s forgiven children!
Scripture Readings
Hebrew Scriptures Isaiah 9:2-7; Psalm 96
New Testament Reading Titus 2:11-14
Hear what the scriptures are saying to the church.
Thanks be to God!
*Hymn VU 6 A Candle Is Burning
A candle is burning, a flame warm and bright,
a candle of HOPE in December's dark night.
While angels sing blessings from heaven's starry sky,
our hearts we prepare now for Jesus is nigh.
A candle is burning, a candle of PEACE,
a candle to signal that conflict must cease.
For Jesus is coming to show us the way
a message of peace humbly laid in the hay.
A candle is burning, a candle of JOY,
a candle to welcome brave Mary's new boy.
Our hearts fill with wonder and eyes light and glow
as joy brightens winter like sunshine on snow.
A candle is burning, a candle of LOVE,
a candle to point us to heaven above.
A baby for Christmas, a wonderful birth
for Jesus is bringing God's love to our earth.
We honor Messiah with Christ's candle flame
our Christmas Eve candles glad tidings proclaim.
O Come, all you faithful, rejoice in this night
as God comes among us, the Christian's true light.
The Gospel Reading Luke 2:1-20
This is the Good News of Jesus the Christ!
Praise be to God!
Prayer of Illumination
Holy God of angels, shepherds, magi, and refugee families, we pray to you today: to prepare our hearts to receive the hope of the Christmas story. Amen.
Message “Christmas Is for Everyone”
Today I want to share a Christmas story told to us in a class when I was in seminary.
Dec 25th was close at hand but the promise of Christmas itself seemed far away.
Tony the butcher, noticed it first. People usually came in to order a Christmas goose or a ham, but they weren’t doing it this year. Perhaps it was the poor economy or the fact that tax payments were due. What ever the reason, as Tony watched the people walk by his shop he thought, “Isn’t anyone going to celebrate Christmas this year?”
Donna, the seamstress, noticed it next. She often helped people mend their clothes or do alterations in time for the Christmas celebrations. She was hoping to earn some extra income now that she had a new baby and her husband was only working part-time. But no one was asking for her help, “I guess they are going to skip the Christmas parties,” she thought. “No one wants to go out in clothes that have been patched three or four times.”
But it was Father Michael, the local parish priest, who was most worried. It seemed to Father Michael that the people were giving up on Christmas altogether. No-one felt included by the promise of Christmas. He had seen it when he was visiting a family who had just had a big fight. The kids were nattering about what they wanted for Christmas. First their mom told them they couldn’t afford it. Then their dad lost his temper and said, “I don’t want to hear another word about Christmas.” Father Michael knew, there would be no Christmas at their house that year.
And that wasn’t all. Father Michael had been talking to some of the street people who hung out around the warehouses. He had asked them where they were going to be on Christmas Day. Some of them said they didn’t know Christmas was coming. And worst of all, street kids named John and Luke said, “Christmas? What’s that?” No one, it seemed to Father Michael, felt that the promise of Christmas included them.
It is not as if Father Michael hadn’t tried hard enough. He had celebrated Advent and he had told everyone about the promise of Christmas. He had tried to make it clear that the promise of Christmas was for everyone. Christmas was a promise that God loved and cared for them, especially if they were needy or poor. But it didn’t seem to make a difference. Only the better off people like Tony the butcher seemed to be paying attention.
The one person who was looking forward to Christmas that year was a character known as ‘crazy Frank.’ Frank was always coming up with strange ideas. Some people thought he was a religious nut. And many did not know what to make of him.
Well, this year Frank had decided to have a real Christmas. True to form, he wasn’t just going to have a Christmas tree or a Christmas meal with a few friends. He was going to have a real Christmas.
The first sign that Frank was up to something was the strange structure he began to build in his front yard. It was made out of old boards and reclaimed nails. When Tony saw Frank put on the roof, he thought to himself, “That’s a barn. I thought there was a by-law against that in town.
The next unusual sign was the mysterious appearance of cows, chickens and a donkey. When a local by-law enforcement official appeared, Frank said, “the law is very clear. It says you can’t raise animals for the selling or eating of them. But it doesn’t say you can’t display them. I am just putting on a display.” The town official just walked away shaking his head and thinking, “What can I expect from crazy Frank?”
But it was Donna, the seamstress, who was the most doubtful. Frank had come to her one day and asked, “What are you doing for Christmas?” “Not much,” Donna said. “I’ll get up and feed the baby. My husband will probably sleep in because of the holiday. Other than that, there won’t be anything unusual.” Frank said, “Why don’t you come to my house? I need someone to play the role of Mary, bring your baby and your husband. They can be baby Jesus and Joseph.” Donna was astonished. “Why should I come to your house, “she asked?” “Because it is Christmas,” was Frank’s only reply.
It didn’t take long for the people of the town to hear what was going on. Frank was going to have a real Christmas. And he was going to have it right there in his front yard.
December 25th arrived. Father Michael rose early and led his traditional Christmas morning service. Attendance was sparse, but Father Michael wasn’t surprised. People weren’t feeling included in Christmas that year. After breakfast, Father Michael thought he would head over to crazy Frank’s real Christmas. He wondered what kind of trouble Frank’s chickens and donkey were causing. As Father Michael turned onto Frank’s Street, he could see he wasn’t alone. A crowd was gathering in front of Frank’s house. In fact, it seemed that most of the town had shown up to see what was happening. For there, in the front yard of Frank’s house was Christmas! The donkey and cows were munching on fresh hay. Donna was there with her husband and her baby, dressed up like the Holy Family. The two street kids were dressed up like shepherds and Tony the butcher was dressed like a wise man. He was handing out oranges and candy to the children in the street.
But the strangest sight of all was crazy old Frank. He was dressed in white, sort-of like an angel. And—he was singing! “Of all things,” Father Michael thought, “Frank is singing about Christmas!” Father Michael looked all around him at the townspeople who had crowded around the stable in Frank’s front yard. A look of awe covered their faces. Father Michael realized that Christmas had come to their town that year after all. Despite their poverty, their anger, and their indifference, Christmas HAD come! They all realized that the promise of Christmas, included even them!
The promise of Christmas includes everyone. The birth of Jesus was a sign that God cares for all people. This means that no matter how lonely a person feels, no matter how unloved, disappointed or upset a person may be, God loves them. They are important to God the Creator. That is the promise of Christmas.
It is why angels appeared “to certain poor shepherds.” At the time of Jesus birth, shepherds were some of the poorest and most overlooked members of society. But the appearance of the angels meant that the promise of Christmas included them.
It is why the Magi or the Wise Ones were led by the star to the stable. These wise ones were princes from foreign lands. The appearance of the star meant that the promise of Christmas included foreigners—and princes too.
This is why crazy old Frank decided to make Christmas come true for the people of his town. You see this story you just heard was like something that happened in a little town called Greccio, in Italy, almost 800 years ago. Frank being Italian was called Francis and came from the nearby town of Assisi. In 1223, Saint Francis of Assisi decided to make Christmas real for the poor people of Greccio.
Churches in Italy were so fancy and wealthy, it was hard for the poor people to feel that they were included in the Good News of Christ’s birth. They couldn’t see that Christmas was a promise that included them. So, St. Francis (crazy old Frank, in the minds of many people) made up a Christmas scene with live animals and props. When the people of Greccio saw the Christmas scene for the first time, they realized that the promise of Christmas WAS for them. The promise of Christmas, includes you and me. It is a promise that somewhere, perhaps in a totally unexpected way, God is reaching out to us with love. When everything else is going wrong, when the economy is in shambles or when people we care for most—are far away from us, God still cares. The gift of an infant named Jesus (placed in a manger) is the sign of God’s love at Christmastime.
By the way, the little town of Greccio became famous for the nativity scene, first begun by crazy old St. Francis of Assisi in the year 1223. The tradition of the nativity scene itself was born that Christmas. But that’s not all. You see, when St. Francis sang about Christmas, he began another tradition. We are told that the tradition of singing Christmas carols also started that day. The very act of singing a Christmas carol is a sign of Christmas. It is a promise that includes you and me.
As we silently focus on the promise of Christmas, you might reflect on how the promise of God’s gift of love at Christmas includes you?
Amen.
*Hymn VU 44 It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
It came upon the midnight clear,
that glorious song of old,
from angels bending near the earth,
to touch their harps of gold,
"Peace on the earth, good will to all,
from heaven's all-gracious King!"
The world in solemn stillness lay
to hear the angels sing.
Still through the cloven skies they come
with peaceful wings unfurled;
and still their heavenly music floats
o'er all the weary world;
above its sad and lowly plains
they bend on hovering wing,
and ever o'er its Babel sounds
the blessed angels sing.
Yet with the woes of sin and strife
the world has suffered long;
beneath the angel strain have rolled
two thousand years of wrong;
and warring humankind hears not
the love song which they bring.
O hush the noise and cease your strife,
and hear the angels sing.
For, lo! the days are hastening on,
by prophets seen of old,
when with the ever-circling years
shall come the time foretold,
when peace shall over all the earth
its ancient splendours fling,
and the whole world send back the song
which now the angels sing.
*A New Creed
We are not alone,
we live in God’s world.
We believe in God:
who has created and is creating,
who has come in Jesus,
the Word made flesh
to reconcile and make new,
who works in us and others
by the Spirit.
We trust in God.
We are called to be the Church:
to celebrate God’s presence,
to live with respect in Creation,
to love and serve others,
to seek justice and resist evil,
to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen,
our judge and our hope.
In life, in death, in life beyond death,
God is with us.
We are not alone.
Thanks be to God.
Offering Invitation
Sharing our faith, our journeys and ourselves is what Christmas is about. Let us offer up our faith, hope, love, and ourselves as we give our offering.
*Hymn VU 543 We Give Thee But Thine Own
We give thee but thine own,
whate’er the gift may be:
all that we have is thine alone,
a trust, O God, from thee.
Prayer of Dedication
May these gifts sound notes of faith and promise through our ministries here and in the places where we cannot go. These offerings are to herald your arrival, O Christ, because you come to save are every beckoning. Amen.
Prayers of the People
Generous God, you gave your only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and be born of your chosen one Mary. Today we celebrate in scripture and in song the story of God’s Son coming into the world to show us the way and to save us from our sins.
We pray for the needs of the whole world; for peace on earth and goodwill among all his peoples; for unity and brotherhood within the wider church that he came to build, and especially in this church and this community of faith.
We remember in his name, the poor and helpless, the cold, hungry, the oppressed; the sick and those that mourn, the lonely and the unloved, the aged and the little children.
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We remember all Christians who rejoice with us and celebrate the Word made flesh and with whom in the Lord Jesus, we are one. Grant that we, who have been born again and made your children by adoption and grace, that we may daily be renewed by your Holy Spirit. We pray for all members of Ravenswood United Church congregation, as well as those in the wider church.
God, we ask that you surround each one with your love and provide them with a safe and healthy winter, through our Saviour Jesus the Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy spirit, now and always. Amen.
The Sacrament of Holy Communion
Invitation
God sent Jesus into the world to restore broken relationships and offer healing for the world. God’s love extends to all creation and so all are welcome at this table.
Prayer
Thank you, God, for the gift of Jesus, the greatest gift of all. Let this candle remind us that the light of Christ is shining in our hearts and can spread from us to others when we live in Jesus.
Hymn VU 480 Let Us Break Bread Together
Let us break bread together on our knees,
let us break bread together on our knees.
[Refrain:]
When I fall down on my knees,
with my face to the rising sun,
Oh, Lord, have mercy on me.
Let us drink wine together on our knees;
let us drink wine together on our knees. [Refrain]
Let us praise God together on our knees;
let us praise God together on our knees. [Refrain]
Retelling the Story
God, we remember the mystery and wonder of Christmas. We celebrate the coming of light in the darkness. You sent a child to remind us of your presence among us, and we celebrate that birth. He was called Emmanuel, God-with-us.
We remember Mary and Joseph who followed your voice. They heard you whisper, “Be not afraid.” They followed with uncertainty but trusting in your presence.
We remember the angels sent as messengers of this birth, who proclaimed, “Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth to all people.”
We remember the shepherds who were the first to hear the birth announced as they watched in the dark night.
We remember the wise ones, the first pilgrims who followed a star to a foreign land to bring gifts to a new baby. We remember the gifts the wise ones brought, and ask what can we give? We can give ourselves for your love and justice in the world.
We remember that as this child grew, he became wise. He shared your love with all people and continued the song of the angels, “Glory to God in the highest and peace to all people.” Christ showed us the way of love and justice that you will for all people. Because of his commitment to you and your way of love, he was killed.
As we celebrate this Christmas, we remember Christ’s birth and death. We remember the symbols of bread and wine that Jesus shared with his disciples on his last night on earth. The bread symbolizes our need for nourishment of body, mind and spirit. The wind quenches our thirst and renews our strength for the journey. At this table, we remember that this meal was shared in community so we might never be alone.
We remember that death cannot kill the love of God. Christ was born, was killed, and lives again. We know that you, O God, continue to be birthed in us each day.
As we share our celebration of Christ’s birth, may we remember not just the birth of a baby, but the death of a man—your love made manifest to us in both. May this bread and wine nourish our bodies and souls and give us courage to be followers of Christ.
Prayer for God’s Spirit to Come Upon Us
With bread and wine, we celebrate the birth and life of Jesus, and we offer ourselves to you in him. Send your Holy Spirit on us and on these elements. Make them holy, so that we your people, being fed by holy things, may share hope, peace, joy, and love with the world; through Christ, with Christ, and in Christ, now and always. As our Saviour taught us, let us pray together saying, “Our Father…Amen"
Fraction and Pouring
Jesus said, “I am the bread of life,
Whoever comes to me will never be hungry.
Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”
Breaking Bread May the bread of life give life to each of us.
Pouring Wine May the cup of blessing be the wine of friendship for each of us.
The table of Christ is prepared for us.
Sharing of the Elements
Prayer After Communion
We give thanks for the blessing of bread and wine. May they nourish us as your people. Grant us your grace and peace this Christmas season as we celebrate the birth of Christ.
Let the people say, “Amen.”
*Closing Hymn 67 Silent Night, Holy Night
Silent night! Holy night!
All is calm, all is bright
round yon virgin mother and child.
Holy Infant, so tender and mild,
sleep in heavenly peace,
sleep in heavenly peace.
Silent night! Holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight:
glories stream from heaven afar,
heavenly hosts sing Hallelujah,
Christ the Saviour is born,
Christ the Saviour is born,
Silent night! Holy night!
Son of God, love's pure light
radiant beams from thy holy face,
with the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord, at thy birth.
Jesus, Lord, at thy birth.
*Commissioning
This is not the end of the story, but the beginning.
We go to find a new beginning to our stories, finding joy in the midst of life’s struggles, growing like Jesus, into wisdom.
We look at the baby Jesus, noticing the vulnerability, the dependency, seeing ourselves in his eyes.
We go to discover strength in our weakness, new life in our humble circumstances, opportunities to build relationships of love.
We anticipate the gifts the Magi have yet to bring, finding in our hearts the same desire to give.
We go to give of ourselves, rich in the experiences of life, wealthy in the wisdom harvested over time, blessed through love shared.
We go to live the story birthed this Christmas.
We go forth in anticipation—not sure what to expect—but confident in Jesus’ companionship every step of the way.
Thanks be to God!
Postlude
Stay safe. Stay well. Keep a song in your heart.
God Bless
Rev. Janet
DECEMBER 19, 2021
DECEMBER 12, 2021
Greeting
We have come to worship today seeking hope, peace, joy and love. We wait impatiently for God’s kingdom, and for the promise of God’s Son, Emmanuel, God-with-us.
The peace of Christ be with you.
And also with you.
Lighting the Advent Candles
Light for the shadows:
may they show us the way,
Flames of hope, peace, joy, and love:
may our hearts be warmed.
Beacons of possibility:
may there be light in our living.
May there be hope, peace, joy and love,
as we prepare to welcome Jesus.
Call to Worship
Listen!
Listen!
Listen!
Listen!
(silence)
God comes to us in the voice of others;
God speaks in the ordinary and in the mundane:
in an insignificant town,
in minor acts and words of love,
in silly, spontaneous songs,
in a chat between kin.
God, open our ears and spirits to each other,
where we can listen and hear your voice.
Opening Prayer
God of Advent Joy and Love, your blessing reaches to the tiniest infant and the aged alike. As snow blankets the ground, so does your love cover all parts of the earth. Bathe us in transforming mercy, that goodness and joy may be shared with everyone we meet. We offer this prayer, in the name of the One born in a Bethlehem manger. Amen.
*Hymn VU 1 O Come, O Come Emmanuel
O come, O come, Emmanuel,
and ransom captive Israel
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear.
Refrain:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to you, O Israel.
O come, O Wisdom from on high,
who ordered all things mightily;
to us the path of knowledge show
and teach us in its ways to go. Refrain
O come, O come, great Lord of might,
who to your tribes on Sinai's height
in ancient times did give the law
in cloud and majesty and awe. Refrain
O come, O Branch of Jesse's stem,
unto your own and rescue them!
From depths of hell your people save,
and give them victory o'er the grave. Refrain
O come, O Key of David, come
and open wide our heavenly home.
Make safe for us the heavenward road
and bar the way to death's abode. Refrain
O come, O Bright and Morning Star,
and bring us comfort from afar!
Dispel the shadows of the night
and turn our darkness into light. Refrain
O come, O King of nations, bind
in one the hearts of all mankind.
Bid all our sad divisions cease
and be yourself our King of Peace. Refrain
Prayer of Confession
God of rare and wonderful gifts, we do not always connect with the source of True Joy. We are overwhelmed by the expectations that we buy presents, decorate our homes, and look happy. These expectations distract us responding to the deeper needs for compassion toward ourselves and others. Forgive us.
(silence)
Help us enter into the true spirit of joy and love by deepening our relationships with you and with people near and far that we may give and receive what we really need. Amen.
Assurance of Grace
Hear the Good News! God’s song of joy rings in our hearts. God’s spirit moves within and among us, drawing us into the deep and compassionate and loving relationships intended for us and for the world.
Scripture Readings
The Hebrew Scriptures Zephaniah 3:14-20; Micah 5:2-5a
Hear what the scriptures are saying to the church.
Thanks be to God!
*Hymn VU 7 Hope Is a Star
Hope is a star that shines in the night,
leading us on till the morning is bright.
​
[Refrain:]
When God is a child
there's joy in our song.
The last shall be first
and the weak shall be strong,
and none shall be afraid.
​
Peace is a ribbon that circles the earth,
giving a promise of safety and worth. (Refrain)
​
Joy is a song that welcomes the dawn,
telling the world that the Savior is born. (Refrain)
​
Love is a flame that burns in our heart.
Jesus has come and will never depart. (Refrain)
​
The Gospel Reading Luke 1:39-56; 2:1-4
This is the Good News of Jesus the Christ.
Praise be to God!
Prayer of Illumination
As we praise and bless and worship you today, O God, we pray that You will plant seeds of hope and love within us, seeds that will grow and bear blessed fruit in our lives and in the lives of our neighbours, now and always, with Christ’s help. Amen.
Message “Joseph’s Anxiety”
It’s amazing, frightening really, how quickly life can turn around. Joseph’s life had been turned upside down in an instant, with just three words. Until 2 weeks ago he had been the happiest man in Nazareth. He was engaged to Mary—a beautiful, vibrant, kind woman. Both of their families seemed pleased with the match. On top of that, his carpentry business was flourishing. Until 2 weeks ago, he had been humming songs of praise as he worked on various pieces of furniture. As he hummed, he day-dreamed and prayed for a day in the future, maybe in a dozen years or so, God willing, when he would begin to teach his son the skills of the trade.
And then 2 weeks ago, Mary spoke words that changed his prayer into lament and his daydream into a nightmare. “I am pregnant,” Mary told him. Joseph knew that Mary’s child wasn’t his. But he didn’t know who the father was. When he asked Mary, she wouldn’t tell him. All she said is that he would not believe him if she told him. She asked him to trust her. She asked him to trust that God would make everything work out.
How do you trust when trust has been broken? That was just one of the questions that kept Joseph awake at night. Every night for the past 2 weeks sleep had eluded him. As he closed his eyes, the questions and the conflicting emotions swirled in his mind. He tossed and turned throughout the night as he considered his options.
Because Mary was carrying someone else’s child, Joseph was obligated by the law to dismiss her as his betrothed. At first, he felt so betrayed and angry that he wanted to do more than dismiss her. He wanted to get even. If he knew who the father was, Joseph would see that the no-good scoundrel got what was coming to him. He considered telling his next-door neighbour, the town gossip, that Mary had cheated on him. He would imagine his neighbour at sunrise, standing at the well in the town centre whispering in the ears of all the women as they came for water. By mid-morning Mary’s reputation would be in tatters. By mid-morning Mary and maybe even the guilty lover would be dragged to the gates of the town for sentencing. What if someone decided that Mary should be punished according to the law of Moses? What if someone threw a stone and hit her as the law demanded? What if others followed? By noon Mary would be lying in a broken and bloody heap—dust to dust. No, as upset as Joseph was, he couldn’t let that happen to Mary. His churning stomach helped him realize that he loved her deeply.
But what could he do? Even though his heart was breaking, he couldn’t bear to see Mary hurt. Maybe he would just break the engagement quietly. He didn’t have to tell anyone the reason. Yeah, that’s what he would do. He wouldn’t humiliate her or expose her to a public stoning. He would do what he could to protect her. He tried not to think what would happen when there were physical signs of the pregnancy. But in the dead of the night he kept seeing her standing alone, using her bare hands trying to deflect the rocks that were hurling at her. Joseph kept tossing and turning all night long. The next morning, he was so tired and his eyes stung as if he had been in a sandstorm. In the middle of the day, he could no longer keep his eyes open. He sat down on his bench under a tree and fell asleep. Immediately he began to dream.
In his dream an angel of the Lord appeared to him and spoke. He could not see the angel well, but could hear every word the angel spoke in a voice of calm and gentle authority: “Joseph, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife. The child being knit together in Mary’s womb is God’s child. The child is God’s gift to you and Mary and the whole world. Joseph, God needs you to love this child as your own son. This child needs your love and devotion. He needs the example of your obedience and faithfulness. He needs you to name him Jesus—God saves. He needs you to claim him as part of your family, for you come from a long line of faithful descendants who have known God’s steadfast love in difficult circumstances. Your family, like every family, has known tragedy and brokenness and sin. Your family, like every family, needs to know the forgiving, healing love of God. Joseph, Mary’s child will help you to know God’s love in a way you have never known before. Joseph, you need this child in your life. Joseph, Mary needs you. Her baby needs you. God needs you. Don’t be afraid. God will give you the strength and wisdom to do the right thing.”
Joseph woke with a start and he knew what he would do. He went back to work, but not on the shelves he had been making for a customer. Instead, he chose some fine olive wood and began cutting narrow strips that he would fashion into a cradle—a cradle for his son, Jesus. As he worked; he began to hum! (Janice Young, Sechelt, B.C., 2010; edited by Rev. Janet 2012)
Let us take time to reflect.
Thanks be to God!
Creed for Our Advent Pilgrimage
I believe in the promise of Christmas and the importance of celebrating in the church.
I believe in God, at the centre of Christmas, whose hope for the world was imagined by the prophets.
I believe in Mary, who sang the turning the world upside down and who allowed her life to be disrupted by God.
I believe in Joseph, whose broken heart broke the rules to do the right thing.
I believed in the smell of the stable—
I believe there is no place, where God our will not go.
I believe in the shepherds; those simple ones open to hear the angel’s song.
I believe in the Magi, the ones outside the faith, outside the community, who searched out the Holy.
I believe in Jesus, born in poverty, soon a refugee, raised in faith, lived in seeking justice, died speaking forgiveness, rose with a love that could not be stopped.
I commit to use this season to seek out the Holy both in God among us, and in God beyond us.
I open myself to an Advent journey of great joy and love that will make my life better.
(Barb Janes, Winnipeg, Manitoba, date unknown; edited by Rev. Janet)
Offering Invitation
Friends, our offering is a sign of trust. In giving we put flesh on our belief that God is indeed Emmanuel. God is with us; we are not alone. Let our offering reflect our faith as we now give for God’s work through this church and around the world through the Mission and Service Fund of the United Church of Canada.
Hymn VU 543 We Give Thee But Thine Own
We give thee but thine own,
whate’er the gift may be:
all that we have is thine alone,
a trust, O God, from thee.
​
Prayer of Dedication
Today, we are reminded that You are Emmanuel. You are with us, as near to us as our own breath. May our gifts be signs of your nearness. May they show your caring. May they be part of your justice. May they touch lives and change hearts. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
*Hymn VU 178 O Little Town of Bethlehem
O little town of Bethlehem,
how still we see thee lie!
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
the silent stars go by;
yet in thy dark streets shineth
the everlasting light;
the hopes and fears of all the years
are met in thee tonight.
​
For Christ is born of Mary;
and gathered all above,
while mortals sleep, the angels keep
their watch of wondering love.
O morning stars, together
proclaim the holy birth,
and praises sing to God the King,
and peace to all on earth.
​
How silently, how silently,
the wondrous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts
the blessed gift of heaven.
No ear may hear his coming;
but in this world of sin,
where meek souls will receive him, still
the dear Christ enters in.
O holy Child of Bethlehem,
descend to us, we pray;
cast out our sin, and enter in;
be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels
the great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us,
our Lord Emmanuel.
Prayers of the People
Thank you, loving God, for Christmas.
Thank you for the gifts and decorations. Thank you for friends and visitors. Thank you for the opportunity to give to White Gifts and the local Food Bank.
Thank you for your Son, Jesus the Christ.
His teaching is so practical; his acceptance of the poor and vulnerable so willing; his opposition to evil so total; his relationship with you so firm.
We have come in from the cold, into a warm church, and so, God we pray,
for those this Christmas who do not have warm coats and warm homes, or warm families.
We have come from the darkness into the light and so we pray,
for people who feel the darkness of despair, of sickness, or of the loss of a loved one.
We pray for church members, family members and friends. (silence)
We have come from our own places to be with others this morning and so we pray,
for those who are alone at Christmas because of the work they do, because they are far from family and friends, or because of conflict. We pray for people we know and for those who will be at a shelter house.
We have come from our homes, our work, our play, to thank you for Jesus, your Supreme Gift, and so we pray,
that we may welcome the birth of Jesus joyfully, recognize Jesus among the needy ones, and accept the compassionate Spirit of Jesus into our hearts this Christmas season and every day of the year. Let us share in the prayer that Jesus taught us to say, “Our Father…Amen.”
*Hymn VU 375 Spirit, Spirit of Gentleness
(refrain)
Spirit, Spirit of gentleness, blow thro’ the wilderness,
calling and free.
Spirit, Spirit of restlessness, stir me from placidness,
Wind, Wind on the sea.
You moved on the waters, you called to the deep,
then you coaxed up the mountains from the valleys of sleep,
and over the eons you called to each thing:
wake from your slumbers and rise on your wings.
(refrain):
You swept thro’ the desert, you stung with the sand,
and you goaded your people with a law and a land,
and when they were blinded with their idols and lies,
then you spoke thro’ your prophets to open their eyes.
(refrain):
You sang in a stable, you cried from a hill,
then you whispered in silence when the whole world was still,
and down in the city you called once again,
when you blew thro’ your people on the rush of the wind.
(refrain):
You call from tomorrow, you break ancient schemes,
from the bondage of sorrow the captives dream dreams,
our women see visions, our men clear their eyes,
with bold new decisions your people arise.
(refrain)
Commissioning
Let us go to the world in hope.
Let us go to the world as partners in God’s glory building. Let us go in peace and joy and love. Let us go with God.
Stay safe. Stay well. Keep a song in your heart.
God Bless
Rev. Janet
DECEMBER 5, 2021
Greeting
Welcome to the second Sunday of Advent. The term Advent comes via Old English from the Latin adventus (arrival). It is a combination of ad (to) + venire (come). In Advent, we are anticipating the arrival of the baby Jesus as well as the Second Coming of Jesus the Christ.
Lighting the Advent Candle
Light for the shadows:
may it show us the way.
A flame of peace:
may our hearts be warmed.
A beacon of possibility:
may there be light and peace in our living as we prepare to welcome Jesus.
Call to Worship
It is Advent, Jesus is coming, be alert. In times of joy and abundance,
we are ready.
In the midst of difficulty and danger,
we are ready.
In times of uncertainty and fear,
we are ready.
In times of apathy and despair,
we are ready.
With anticipation and with hope, we look for God’s long-promised one.
We will not be disappointed. We will not be disheartened. Jesus is coming and we are ready.
Opening Prayer
Without you God, our joy is a bit like a messed-up recipe for Christmas cookies. It is something we try to make for ourselves and by ourselves but we do not know all the ingredients and we do not get the mix right. Visit us now in this place; fill our hearts; occupy our minds; guide our feeling and our thinking until we learn how to rejoice, filled with true joy always in your goodness and love, we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
​
*Opening Hymn VU # 333: “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling”
Love divine, all loves excelling,
joy of heaven, to earth come down,
fix in us thy humble dwelling,
all thy faithful mercies crown.
Jesus, thou art all compassion,
pure, unbounded love thou art;
visit us with thy salvation,
enter every trembling heart.
​
Come, almighty to deliver,
let us all thy life receive;
suddenly return, and never,
nevermore thy temples leave.
Thee we would be always blessing,
serve thee as thy hosts above,
pray, and praise thee, without ceasing,
glory in thy perfect love.
​
Finish then thy new creation;
pure and spotless let us be;
let us see thy great salvation
perfectly restored in thee,
changed from glory into glory,
till in heaven we take our place,
till we cast our crowns before thee,
lost in wonder, love, and praise.
​
Prayer of Confession
Here is flame and breath and Spirit.
Here is friend and hope and peace.
Yet sin is here, prickly as holly.
Injustice, cruelty, neglect all around, as cold as ice.
Thaw frozen hearts with Advent flame, O God.
Breathe new life into lives of pain.
(a time for silence)
Assurance of Grace (from Philippians 1:9-11)
In the Spirit love abounds, that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ.
Fill us with zeal for doing what is right, to the glory of God.
Scripture Readings
Malachi 3:1-4;
​
Luke 1:68-79 (VU p. 900)
Refrain: God shall fulfill the promise and brig the people peace
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
Who has come to the people and set them free.
who has raised up for us a mighty savior,
born of the house of the servant David.
Through the holy prophets of old
God promised to save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all who hate us.
to show the mercy promised to our ancestors,
to remember the holy covenant.
the oath God swore to our ancestors Abraham and Sarah,:
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
free to serve God without fear,
holy and righteous in God’s presence,
all the days of our life. [Refrain]
And you child,
will be called the prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord to prepare the way,
to give the people knowledge of salvation
by the forgiveness of their sins.
In the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
to shine on those who sit in darkness,
in the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace. [Refrain]
Philippians 1:3-11
Hear what the scriptures are saying to the church.
Thanks be to God!
*Hymn VU # 660: “How Firm a Foundation”
How firm a foundation, you servants of God,
is laid for your faith in his excellent word!
What more can be said than to you has been said,
to you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?
​
"Fear not, I am with you; O be not dismayed!
For I am your God and will still give you aid;
I'll strengthen and help you, and cause you to stand,
upheld by my righteous omnipotent hand.
​
"When through the deep waters I call you to go,
the rivers of sorrow shall not overflow;
for I will be with you, your troubles to bless,
and sanctify to you your deepest distress.
​
"When through fiery trials your pathway shall lie,
my grace, all-sufficient, shall be your supply:
the flame shall not hurt you, I only design
your dross to consume, and your gold to refine.
​
"The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose
I will not -- I will not desert to his foes;
that soul, though all hell should endeavour to shake,
I'll never -- no, never -- no, never forsake!"
​
Today’s Gospel Reading Luke 3:1-6
This is the Good News of Jesus the Christ.
Praise be to God!
Prayer of Illumination
As we hear the scriptures this 2nd Sunday of Advent, open our thoughts to your presence. Give us patience in this time of waiting so that we will know your presence each step of the way. Amen.
Message “True Peace”
This is the second Sunday of Advent, and the traditional theme for today is Peace. Not just peace as the absence of violence, but peace that passes all understanding, peace that heals and makes whole, peace that allows the wolf to live with the lamb, peace that allows a little child to lead the people and bring them back in full communion with God, peace that ensures there will be no more hurting or destruction on God’s holy mountain because the whole earth will be full of the knowledge of God (Isaiah 11:6-9).
In Luke’s Gospel we read how Zechariah is surprised by a visit from the angel Gabriel. He questions the announcement of a miraculous pregnancy, that he and his wife in their old age will have a child. As ancient Sarah laughed at such news, Zechariah challenges the angel’s proclamation. And he is punished, for his incredulous response to the angel’s announcement.
Perhaps a man of his years and stature, a Most High Priest of God, ought to be better prepared for such visitations. Perhaps the elderly priest is, and ought to be, held to higher standards of accountability than others. Perhaps there is a standard here by which the more seasoned and mature are expected to set examples, to lead the way for the young. Is it the ag-ed who cherish memories and imaginations, and keep alive the rumor of hope?
Zechariah comes across in this passage as someone who has pondered the agony and the hope for many years, and who now finds the two bubbling out of him, as he looks in awe and delight in his baby son.
Surely Zechariah’s season of being mute and deaf, leaves him with time to wait, to watch, and to wonder. His physical state causes him to consider his entire course of his life: his faithful service as a priest; his faithful love for his wife, Elizabeth; his faithful belief that God would redeem God’s people. He has time to look at the long arc of his life, and how it has been disrupted by the sudden appearance of the holy, and in a manner, he was not expecting.
Finally, Zechariah is faced with the hubbub surrounding the naming of the baby. The people of the village see that something out of the ordinary has happened to him, but they do not understand what he is going through. In the midst of the naming crisis, he finds his voice. In response to people wondering, “What then will this child become?” the old priest breaks out in his ecstatic song of prophecy and blessing. “Who will this baby be? He will be called John, God’s gift or God is gracious.” He will be integral to the fulfillment of the ancient prophecy of how God will redeem God’s people. He will prepare the way for the coming Messiah.
In Luke’s account of Zechariah’s song, quotations from Israel’s prophets are interwoven with Zechariah’s own words of commissioning and blessing for his infant son. John will be the bridge between the law and its fulfillment, he will be the prophet who will proclaim the Messiah’s presence, he will be the voice who will call the whole creation to repentance in response to the promise of salvation.
Repentance and redemption are both personal and corporate. Each of us is required to look into our own hearts to examine what changes are needed. Some of us might consider how we have hurt others with words that have been tactless or even mean. Some need to consider actions that are thoughtless or harmful or even destructive to another, to a community, or even to a country. We cannot say one thing and yet do another. To become aware of our behaviour, and then to name it, can help us to turn our lives around as a loving people.
Repentance and redemption are needed in the social and political realities of the world in which we live as well. Do we think before we speak? Do we think how what we say and do in this country might affect others in the world? Do our politicians mean what they say and say what they mean? What do you think Zechariah’s son John would preach to us in this Advent of 2021?
Zechariah’s hymn makes clear that true peace—in our hearts and in our world—will come only when we are right with God, when we have laid aside our own ambitions and passions, or at least turned them over to God. The condition of souls and the condition of creation is troubled by self-centeredness, self-absorption, and failure to understand what is available in true communion with God, (what God has offered us in the ancient covenant and offers us still in the coming of Jesus the Christ). Though we may live in-between-times, when we do not yet fully walk in the way of peace, Zechariah promises that his little boy, John, will prepare us to bridge those times as we live toward God’s reign in hope.
Let us take a moment to reflect.
Thanks be to God!
A New Creed
We are not alone,
we live in God’s world.
We believe in God:
who has created and is creating,
who has come in Jesus,
the Word made flesh
to reconcile and make new,
who works in us and others
by the Spirit.
We trust in God.
We are called to be the Church:
to celebrate God’s presence,
to live with respect in Creation,
to love and serve others,
to seek justice and resist evil,
to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen,
our judge and our hope.
In life, in death, in life beyond death,
God is with us.
We are not alone.
Thanks be to God.
*Hymn VU # 595: “We Are Pilgrims”
We are pilgrims on the journey
fellow travellers on the road
we are here to help each other
walk the mile and bear the load
Sister, let me be your servant,
let me be as Christ to you;
pray that I might have the grace
to let you be my servant too.
I will hold the Christ light for you
in the night time of your fear;
I will hold my hand out to you
speak the peace you long to hear.
I will weep when you are weeping,
when you laugh, I'll laugh with you;
I will share your joy and sorrow
till we've seen this journey through.
When we sing to God in heaven
We shall find such harmony,
Born of all we’ve known together
Of Christ’s love and agony.
Brother, let me be your servant,
let me be as Christ to you;
pray that I might have the grace
to let you be my servant too.
Offering Invitation
We long for a time when strife and fear will end. Let us offer what we have and what we are in anticipation of –a realm of peace and justice.
*Hymn VU # 543: “We Give Thee But Thine Own”
We give thee but thine own,
whate’er the gift may be:
all that we have is thine alone,
a trust, O God, from thee.
Prayer of Dedication
God, we offer these gifts that are only a fraction of the love you have lavished on us. We pray that they may be used in ways that will help bring peace to a fearful world. This we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Pastoral Prayer
For the many ways you have blessed us in the past, O God, we are truly thankful. For the opportunity to be with others joyously celebrating this season, we are truly thankful.
May the songs sung, the music heard, the words uttered bring new hope and peace to all our hearts this day. May this season come alive for us all.
We come, uncertain about the future where war, ways heavy in many countries of this world; where struggles of turmoil and uncertainty rule the lives of people—your people.
Yet it was in the midst of such pain and uncertainty that the Blessed One was born, anointed by your Spirit, and touched by your grace.
Help us to be followers of that child of hope and peace in our time, that the darkness of the daily news be overwhelmed by the light of truth and grace.
I these times of traditional activities and ordinary demands, you open to us—new ways to see your good and follow it; new opportunities to hear your Word and obey it; new moments to be aware of your message and live it. May we be a blessing to all we see and meet, this Advent season, and always. We pray in the name your Son, baby Jesus born so very long ago and as he grew to be the Messiah taught us to pray saying, “Our Father… Amen.”
*Closing Hymn VU # 18: “There’s a Voice in the Wilderness”
There’s a voice in the wilderness crying,
a call from the ways untrod:
prepare in the desert a highway,
a highway for our God!
The valleys shall be exalted,
the lofty hills brought low;
make straight all the crooked places,
where the God, our God, may go!
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O Zion, that bringest good tidings,
get thee up to the heights and sing!
Proclaim to a desolate people
the coming of their King.
Like the flowers of the field they perish,
like grass our works decay,
the power and pomp of nations
shall pass like a dream away.
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But the word of our God endureth,
the arm of the Lord is strong;
God stands in the midst of nations,
and soon will right the wrong.
God shall feed the flock like a shepherd,
the lambs so gently hold;
to pastures of peace will lead them,
and bring them safe to fold.
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There’s a voice in the wilderness crying,
a call from the ways untrod:
prepare in the desert a highway,
a highway for our God!
The valleys shall be exalted,
the lofty hills brought low;
make straight all the crooked places,
where the God, our, God may go!
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Commissioning
Go forth, seeking God’s guidance along the path of peace and justice. Speak and act in ways that help create this peace for all. And may the blessing of God, who brings us the message, who was born among us as peace, and who breathes comfort and courage into our hearts, be with you and remain with you always. Go proclaiming the good News in the words you speak, in the attitudes you adopt, in the community you shape, in the work you accomplish. And may Jesus the Christ, God’s Good News, go with you on the way.
Stay safe. Stay well. Keep a song in your heart.
God Bless
Rev. Janet
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