Readings 1 Samuel 2:18-20,26: Samuel grows under the care of Eli the priest, and his parents visit him annually when they come to the Tabernacle for the sacrifice.
Psalm 148: A psalm calling all of creation to praise the God who has strengthened God’s people.
Colossians 3:12-17: Instruction on how those who have been chosen and forgiven by God should live – in compassion, harmony and peace.
Luke 2:41-52: Mary and Joseph accidentally leave Jesus behind in Jerusalem, and return to find him in the Temple in discussion with the religious teachers. Jesus is obedient and grows in wisdom and stature. (Bible summary by John van de Laar, Sacredise)
The summer solstice occurs once a year in December when the Sun’s track across the Australian sky reaches its highest point. It is the day that has the most daylight hours of any in the year. The summer solstice in Australia is usually Dec 22, but can occur between 21 and 23 December.
Wild, Incarnate Christ, Light of Life – the sun has reached its zenith and we can feel the heat in our bodies. As we stand on the cusp of this sweltering season we give thanks and praise for the gifts of summer – vibrancy and radiance, fruitfulness and playfulness, embodiment and freedom. Open us to the ways you are manifest in creation, Your presence alive and tangible so that we may know you to be here among us not only through head and heart, but also through our bodies. Like plants stretching toward the sun, may we reach for you, as the Source of all being. Enliven us and inspire us as children of the light to grow in maturity, passion, and fullness. Amen. (Source: Wendy Janzen)
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Here is Buechner’s sermon entitled “The Wedding at Cana”, from The Hungering Dark. This post is from the Frederick Buechner blog.
Like so much of the Gospel of John, the story of the wedding at Cana has a curious luminousness about it, the quality almost of a dream where every gesture, every detail, suggests the presence of meaning beneath meaning, where people move with a kind of ritual stateliness, faces melting into other faces, voices speaking words of elusive but inexhaustible significance.
As we remember the birth of the homeless Saviour in the manger… Let us commit ourselves to make room for Jesus this year, in our lives and in our homes… especially as he comes to us in his many disguises. (Source: Shane Claiborne)
Note: COCU relates to a way of coding for the lectionary year.
Palestinian artist: Ibrahim Hazimeh
Readings Year B Isaiah 52:7-10 The joy of seeing the messenger of good news, who announces peace and the reign of God, and of knowing God’s protection and care. Psalm 98 A song of celebration of the God who comes to save God’s people, and who comes to judge the earth in righteousness and justice. Hebrews 1:1-4 (5-12) God has spoken to us through God’s Son, who is the likeness of God’s being, who has been appointed as ruler over all things because of his love of goodness, and whose rule is just and eternal. John 1:1-14 The eternal Word who created the world has come into the world as light shining in darkness and has given life – as children of God – to all who believed in him and received him. (RCL reading summaries by John van de Laar, Sacredise)
Readings Year C Isaiah 52:7-10 The messenger who brings good news Psalm 98 O sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvellous things Hebrews 1:1-4 in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son John 1:1-14 The Word became flesh and dwelt among us
Children’s Talk: Mary’s Treasure Box, based on a storybook by that name, by Carolyn Walz Kramlich
Rev Paul Chalson: Something of an interactive 2021 Christmas Eve with stations focused around hope, love joy and peace. Members of the congregation each wrote a hope on stars which were then attached to a banner and hung. They wrote prayers for peace on strip’s of paper which were stappled into a chain, attached to another banner and hung. After chatting about what gave them joy each person was invited to paint a brightly coloured joy onto a dark canvas. Some modifications was needed to be CoVid safe including “love” becoming a more passive reflection but it worked well. The banners and painting remained in place for subsequent services over the weekend. (Scroll to end for photos)
Opening Reflection It takes faith beyond imagining to have come to hear this story if you are living things too difficult to be made sense of by an ancient memory of angels and wise men. It takes faith beyond imagining to have come to hear this story when you feel that it will be a greater miracle than any virgin birth for love to be born right now in our world. The alleluias we sing tonight will not be to drown out the world’s truths that would deny them; but to pray they will hold us in their faith. So we gather the bewildered, the broken hearted, the fragile and the hopeful the faithful and the faithless because all we have left when we stand in the world’s darkness is this longing for love to be born once again. (Source: Cheryl Lawrie)
The candles of the advent wreath are lit one by one:
We light this candle because we have heard a promise of peace and we have faith its day will come We light this candle because we have heard a rumour of justice and we have faith its day will come We light this candle because we have heard a whisper of hope and we have faith its day will come We light this candle because we have heard a hint of love and we have faith its day will come We light this candle because we have heard of the birth of the Christchild and we have faith his day is here. (Source: Cheryl Lawrie, adapted)
On this night of the year, a voice is speaking – can we hear it? I know the cares and the anxious thoughts of your hearts. I know the hard time you often give yourselves. I know the hopes and ambitions that you have for yourselves and for others. I know your doubts, too, even while you seek to express your belief. On this night, I want to find a way of saying to you: You are deeply, deeply loved, just as you are; forgiven, loved and challenged to be the very best you can be. So I’m speaking to you in the only way I know how – from a stable, in a child born into poverty, soon to grow to maturity, born to show you, in a human life, the love of God. (Source: John Harvey)
CALL TO WORSHIP We gather as people of faith and no faith, people of hope and no hope, people of peace and no peace. We gather with the longing to be made whole again If just for this time, here and now. We gather with a prayer, however vague and tenuous, That in spite of the absence of virgins and angels, wise men and shepherds, We might still be a witness to the birth of all love. We gather as ready as we’ll ever be for this story of faith to unfold. (Source: Cheryl Lawrie)
A Christmas prayer Lord Jesus, Master of both the light and the darkness, send your Holy Spirit upon our preparations for Christmas. We who have so much to do seek quiet spaces to hear your voice each day. We who are anxious over many things look forward to your coming among us. We who are blessed in so many ways long for the complete joy of your kingdom. We whose hearts are heavy seek the joy of your presence. We are your people, walking in darkness, yet seeking the light. To you we say, “Come Lord Jesus!” (Source: Henri J.M. Nouwen)
Call to Worship When we wait in the night in the hush that only stars can hold as they bend towards the coming of the light; when we wait in the night labouring with anticipation of what midnight shall bring; when we wait in the night listening to the cadence of minutes beat in rhythm with the birth of hope; may we hold our collective breaths with the angelic host as they clutch their restless alleluias, for God is on the way: the mother is labouring the father pacing the stable readying the word is waiting the light is sliding and the promise is breaking through When we wait in the longing for midnight in expectation of Good News may we choose to wait together and find we have moved to the edge of justice for in such anticipation is the only place for the Word to be born among us. (Rev Roddy Hamilton. Church of Scotland’s Starters for Sunday website)
Gathering The story tells us that it’s those who wait in the world’s shadows who are the first to know of the Christ-child, born into darkness bringing great light. So we gather as those who carry the rumour of peace and the truth of love into a world longing for light. We gather as those who pray for the justice another is waiting for, who speak of the hope another needs to breathe. (Cheryl Lawrie, Hold This Space)
O night of wondrous mystery, you enfold us in your treasured darkness. O star of hope and longing, you shine in our most simple sky. O winter wind wailing, you mingle with our sighs, our songs. O heavenly choir, behind night’s deep curtain, you draw your single breath. O silence, rife with God, we lean toward the musical pause. O song, O throat of heaven, you find your sweetest voice in us. O nerve, you will with perfect will, and we move, we know not how. O holy child, in your becoming we become. O night of the unending unseen, blossom in us slowly. O star, so small and excellent, shine in us as long as you need to. (Source: Steve Garnaas-Holmes, Unfolding Light)
Tis is the night when the Dream in the heart of God took flesh and was born like us, with pain, and water, and blood, and crying, and struggle. It seems so long ago and so far away. In Bethlehem in Judea. On a cold night in winter, with shepherds startled by stars and angels. A sky so different from ours tonight. The Southern Cross flags our identity as it scatters its light across our sky. On this hot evening in summer we are not gathered out in a field, shivering with cold and with fear over the appearance of angels. We are gathered for worship in a seasonally-hot church, the air fired with candles and heavy with anticipation. We choose to be here. Mary did not choose to give birth in that cold stable the only warmth for her the steamy breath of animals. Yet in that place, Mary – who had carried this baby close to her heart for nine months – gave birth to a Saviour… (Source unknown)
The Season for Miracles (Reflection and Prayer Litany) If we were to list the miracles of Christmas we’d probably talk about virgin births angels, perhaps and stars that light the sky but perhaps there’s another miracle: one of Mary saying ‘yes’ when God asked her to believe and Joseph saying ‘yes’ when God asked him to trust. They had to change everything about their lives and the birth of the Christ-child wasn’t possible until they did. What does it mean for you to say ‘yes’ to this story? to believe that it might be possible for the darkness to be transformed to light and for peace to come in the world? Those who know the darkest of the world know the fragility of light; we hold our breath as the candles flicker we know they don’t always last. the birth of Jesus doesn’t make everything right but it shows us that the only way the darkness can be beaten is to say ‘yes’ to the birth of light. In the silence, we pray for those we love and miss today and we pray for a broken world…
[Time of silence, then invite people to take one of the candles from the side, put it onto the worship space, and light it as we say the following prayer]
God, this is the season for miracles and we pray for one today. Where there is sorrow, we pray for your grace to light the darkness. Where is despair, we pray for your hope to light the darkness. Where there is hatred, we pray for your forgiveness to light the darkness. Where there is war, we pray for your love to light the darkness. Where there is confusion, we pray for your peace to light the darkness. Where there is injustice, we pray for your courage to light the darkness. Where there is fear we pray for your joy to light the darkness. It is the season for miracles and we pray for one today: Come, Lord Jesus, may your light come into our world. Amen. (Source: Cheryl Lawrie, http://holdthisspace.org.au/)
Confession Light eternal, you bring to light things hidden in darkness and know the shadows of our hearts: cleanse and renew us by your Spirit, that we may walk in the light and glorify your name; through Jesus Christ, the Light of the world. Amen. Christ, the Light of the world, has come to dispel the darkness of our hearts. In his light, we become aware of our own shortcomings and also God’s potential hidden deep within us. Pause for reflection. You were born through Mary’s labour; but we look for answers that cost us nothing. Lord, have mercy. You were greeted by shepherds and angels; but we close our doors on those outside. Christ, have mercy. You share our humanity and delight in your creation; but we make your love too small and take Lord, have mercy.
Words of assurance May the God of forgiveness heal you of all that harms you and lead you into life eternal. Amen
Greeting of Peace The still of night is broken by a baby’s wordless cry; the gods of power are shaken by the nakedness of love; for in his flesh, he makes peace and ends the war of all against all. Prayers for an Inclusive Church. The peace of the Lord be always with you. And also with you. Gestures of peace and goodwill are shared with others (Source: Prayers for an inclusive church)
Mary’s Pondering Heart When will justice come to us, my unborn babe… the Earth cries out, the very olive trees are weeping from the violence, the injustice, the apathy. The fig trees are too brokenhearted to bear fruit, from the oppression, the division, the hatred. The vines droop and wither from the greed, the want and hunger, the grief and despair. My child, my child, my firstborn beloved… I hate to say this, but part of me cannot but hope you will be a boy. Oh, if you are a daughter, I will love you just as much, of course, and teach you everything I know, but my little one, I tried so hard to help our people – to tell them the good news, the Word of Emmanuel, how Divine Love is within us, is born in us, is calling us to birth a new reign of justice and peace, in which the mighty are cast down from their thrones, and the lowly are lifted up… the hungry are filled, and the rich are sent empty away. But no one would listen to me, a young woman. “You are too loud,” they said, “too bossy. Why do you persist in disturbing us? You need a man to keep you in your place.” If you are a son, my beloved one, perhaps they will listen to you. I will teach you about animals, my little love. Even when no people welcome you, when they close their doors and their hearts, the creatures of our Earth will make room for you to join them in balance and harmony. They will give you food from their own mangers and a warm bed in their midst. I will teach you to show our people how to appreciate and bless all the creatures of Earth as holy and precious members of our kindred family, and to protect them. I will teach you about outcasts, my child – such as shepherds, the poor, scorned, workers who do the jobs no one else wants – I will show you how to welcome and honor outcasts and help them see that they are important – they are messengers of the Holy One, and they will bring us Divine Truth about the presence of the Holy here among us. I will teach you about the old prophets, and how from ancient stumps, new shoots can spring. Our ancient traditions may seem outdated and confusing, but they are rich with the wisdom of generations who learned from their mistakes and kept trying. I will teach you to love our scriptures as precious windows into what it means to be a beautiful, messy, flawed, glorious human in community. My beloved child, I will teach you how Divine Wisdom can come from other cultures, far away lands with foreign religions and different customs, with wise women and men who find bright stars of wisdom to guide us through murky nights, whose friendship is a gift – more precious than gold, more sacred than incense, more healing than myrrh. I will teach you to listen to women, to respect women as equals and include them at your table, to lift them up – Jewish women, Samaritan women, even Roman girls… my darling child, you will love them all and invite them all into the reign of Love. Oh, my child, my precious one… the time is near when I will first hold you and see your face looking up at mine. I will give you my whole heart, and do my best to protect you from this dangerous world… and maybe, with the guidance and strength of the Holy One and all our ancestors, we can save our people. That is what I will name you, if you are a boy… Savior. Jesus. You will bring Joy to the world. You will bring Peace on Earth, good will to all. You will come to us tonight, my precious one, I can feel you beginning to arrive. And I can hear heaven and nature sing, I can feel the fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains repeat the sounding joy! My precious baby Jesus, all the faithful will come to the light of your star, the brilliant, radiant beams of your Holy Grace, as you preach tidings of comfort and joy, of good news to the poor, release for the captives! Gloria, my beloved! O night divine! Gloria!! (Source: Trelawney Grenfell-Muir)
For all we know, before Mary sang her song of joy she wept tears of frustration despair and heartbreak. I like to think she did. For all we know, before Mary welcomed God’s action with delight, she fought what was happening to her and she resented the presumption of the divine. For all we know, for at least a moment and probably longer, Mary was bewildered, distraught and lost. The miracle we celebrate today may somehow seem more impossible than the idea that Mary got pregnant or that God became human. It’s that in the face of devastation and from deep within the truth of heartbreak and desolation there might still come unbidden a moment of joy. (Source: Cheryl Lawrie)
Walter Brueggemann on the coming of Christ: “There was something unreal about him: no pretense, no ambition, no limousine no army, no coercion, no royal marking. Wise and intelligent people are turned toward the regal. Kings and prophets want to penetrate the mystery. But the Jesus who showed up amid royal hopes and royal songs was of another ilk, powerful in weakness, rich in poverty, wise in foolishness, confounding the wisdom of the Greeks and bewildering the Jews. He is beyond all usual categories of power, because he embodies the gentle, gracious, resilient, demanding power of God. He does not trifle in temples and cities and dynasties but in the power and truth of the creator God”. This tender shoot, this vulnerable child whose very birth reveals the upside down nature of God’s kingdom is an ensign for the nations, a flag towards which all people will be drawn and that includes the Muslims and people of other faiths. The word we translate as “nations” had a very different meaning for the Jews. “Gentiles” were everyone who was not Jewish. It encompassed all peoples outside Israel, opening God’s promise of salvation to all cultures and countries. The new kingdom Christ ushered in is open to the entire world. Christ the Messiah, the tiny Branch which is slowly becoming a mighty tree will break down walls and barriers between all people. (Source: Christine Sine, Godspace)
God with us, as we wait for the dawning of Christmas Day, as our souls long for your presence among us, let us remember Bethlehem in the midst of our celebrations; still occupied, still a place of division and fear.
God with us, in whom there is neither Jew nor Gentile; in the land of Christ’s birth come to the hungry places, bringing hope, come to the dark places, bringing justice, come to the lonely places, bringing love. Come again in Bethlehem, come in us, and through us, and even despite us. That all may join the angels’ song. Glory to God in the highest heaven. All hail, let there be joy. (Source: Church of Scotland)
May we sing incarnation into birth may the very longing of this season be enough for your promise to take on flesh for bread to be shared for planet to be loved for lost to be found for loneliness to be befriended for seeker to be sought for deserts to bloom for flavelas to become palaces for chaos to be given rhythm for wars to end May we sing incarnation into birth (Source: Roddy Hamilton, 2009)
Prayers for others The following bidding and response is used after each petition. Light of the world. Bring healing, bring peace. Prayers are offered…repeating the bidding and response each time. At the end… Christ, Light of the world. May your healing peace bring hope to our troubled world; be born in us, we pray. Amen. (Source: Ann Lewin)
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE Wonderful Counselor, grant wisdom to political leaders to govern with kindness and care and to peacemakers to find lasting solutions to conflict. May the light of your wisdom dawn in the darkness of division. Mighty God, grant courage to those having to escape their homes to find refuge, to those dreading the next violent outburst, and to those unsure of the future for their families. May the light of your healing dawn in the darkness of fear. Eternal God, grant renewed awe at your creation, so our every-day decisions encourage all the earth to flourish. May the light of your creative work dawn in the darkness of our consumerism. Prince of Peace, grant peace that silences gunfire and bombs, that stills us to recognize complicit choices, that reconciles war-weary enemies. May the light of peace dawn in the darkness of conflict. We pray in the authority of the child that has been born for us, the son given to us this day. Amen.
Blessing The story tells us that it’s those who wait in the world’s shadows who are the first to know of the Christ-child, born into darkness bringing great light. So leave here today to be carriers of the rumour of peace and the truth of love into a world longing for light. Pray for the justice another is waiting for, and speak of the hope another needs to breathe And may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all. Amen. (Cheryl Lawrie, Hold This Space)
Blessing May the joy of the angels, the eagerness of the shepherds, the perseverance of the sages, the understanding of Joseph and Mary, and the peace of the Christ-child be yours this Christmas; and the blessing of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit be upon you and those whom you love, both living and departed, now and always. Amen.
Commission We wish you the trust of Mary: with faith to say, ‘Yes!’ We wish you Joseph’s loyalty: and wisdom to take a risk. We wish you an adventure: with shepherds or kings. We wish you stars to guide you: in the company of angels. But this Christmas Night especially we wish you the peace of knowing God’s love, here among us. Go in peace to love and serve the Lord. In the name of Christ. Amen.
COMMUNION Tokens of our response to God, bread and wine, and the collection, are offered. We bring to this table the substance of our lives. Bread to sustain us, wine to gladden the hearts, money, the fruit of our labours. As shepherds and sages worshipped the Prince of Peace. These are our offerings of thanksgiving and praise.
The Great Prayer of Thanksgiving Let us pray May God be with you and also with you. Lift up your hearts. We lift them up to God. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give thanks and praise. O Eternal Wisdom, we praise you and give you thanks, because you emptied yourself of power and became foolishness for our sake: for on this night you were delivered as one of us, a baby needed and naked, wrapped in a woman’s blood; born into poverty and exile, to proclaim the good news to the poor, and to let the broken victims goes free. (Janet Morley) In this mystery of the Word made flesh you have caused his light to shine in our hearts, to give knowledge of your glory in the face of Jesus Christ. In him we see our God made visible and so are caught up in the love of the God we cannot see. On the night he was betrayed, at supper with his friends he took bread, and gave you thanks; he broke it and gave it to them, saying: Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me. Father, we do this in remembrance of him: his body is the bread of life. At the end of supper, taking the cup of wine, he gave you thanks, and said: Drink this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins; do this in remembrance of me. Father, we do this in remembrance of him: his blood is shed for all. As we proclaim his death and celebrate his rising in glory, send your Holy Spirit that this bread and this wine may be to us the body and blood of your dear Son. As we eat and drink these holy gifts make us one in Christ, our risen Lord. With your whole Church throughout the world we offer you this sacrifice of praise and lift our voice to join the eternal song of heaven: Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of truth and love, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he, O blessed is he, who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
Lord’s Prayer & Communion Rejoicing in God’s presence among us, we pray as Jesus taught us. Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours, now and for ever. Amen.
The bread is broken. We break this bread to share in the body of Christ. Though we are many, we are one body, because we all share in one bread.
Words of invitation follow. Draw near to Bethlehem, House of Bread, where hungry hearts are satisfied, seeking souls find wisdom, and failing faith is kindled back to life. Today, God has turned the world upside-down and restored the dignity of all people. Alleluia!
Prayer after communion GOD of the stable, God of the manger, we thank you for revealing your glory in the humility of our humanity and in ordinary things made holy: we offer you our lives in the service of those who walk in darkness as well as those who have seen a great light; that Christ may be found among us and his beauty transfigure the world. Amen.
Christmas Baptismal Hymn (Words: Leith Fisher; tune: Infant lowly, infant holy) Lord we meet you. Christ, we greet you, born a child and yet a King. Round your cradle, in the stable, we would each our praises bring.
From above us, you come near us, show you love us, ever hear us. Now to you we glory sing. Now to you we glory sing.
Saviour Jesus, now be near us as we bring our lives to you. In our children, may your love sing. May they know your promise true.
Water flowing, Spirit sending faith a–growing, Love unending. Take their lives and make them new Take their lives and make them new
In their growing, keep them knowing of the wonder of your love. Root their living, in the giving of the Saviour from above.
Living Jesus, stand among us; ever with us, go before us. In our lives your Spirit move. Let us all your loving prove.
O Come All You Faithful – new words O come, all you faithful, questioners and doubters O come now, O come now to Bethlehem: Come and behold now: peace that we’ve awaited! Chorus: O come for there is hope here. O come and know God’s peace here O come and find the joy in Christ, child of Love O come, all you weary, broken-hearted, brave ones O come now, O come now to Bethlehem: Come and behold now: justice we’ve awaited! Chorus: O come for there is hope here. O Come and know God’s peace here O come and find the joy in Christ, child of Love (Lyrics by Lenora Rand and Gary Rand, posted onFacebook by Lenora Rand, on RevGalBlogPals)
O Little Town of Bethlehem – particularly appropriate given the ongoing conflict, destruction and loss of life in the West Bank and Gaza, 2023-2024 =>)
(begin with v.1 of traditional carol)
O sad and troubled Bethlehem, We hear your longing cry For peace and justice to be born And cruel oppression die. How deep your need for that great gift of love in human form. Let Christ in you be seen again and hearts by hope made warm.
While morning stars and evening stars shine out in your dark sky, despair now stalks your troubled streets where innocents still die. And Jesus, born of Mary, Whose love will never cease, feels even now your pain and fear, Longs with you for your peace.
Amazingly and lovingly Jesus the child has come and, brought to birth through human pain, makes broken hearts his home. He comes to comfort all who weep, to challenge every wrong and, living with the weak and poor, Becomes their hope, their song. (Words by Wendy Ross-Barker, found on this website)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWWR8NS60dI
Pilgrim Church Adelaide (2014) developed the (late) Christmas Eve service around refugees, a pertinent topic in Australia with the cruel punitive policies of the Government. We interviewed four people and edited the interviews into 2 minute segments. It was a meaningful and thought provoking service.
Purchase rights to movie from https://www.rethinkworship.com/the-news-christmas-mini-movie/
Johnny Baker: I used this at the start of a carol service and played Sufjan Stevens beautiful version of O Come O Come Emmanuel (could also use Enya’s version). Words by Cheryl Lawrie.
Jeff Shrowder: During a week in the Taizē Comminity in France some years ago I explored the Church of reconciliation outside the scheduled prayer times. Large, cavernous and quiet. A series of small, modern stained-glass windows contributed to the subdued lighting. I photographed the one depicting the meeting of Mary and Elizabeth.
What might it have meant for our early listeners to have Mary revered and celebrated so strongly – indeed depicted as the ideal follower whom we should emulate? As listeners and followers today, how might we in our lives be a womb, or be a manger? How might we become a holding place for love to be born anew?
There are many traditional symbols for Mary in worship and art. The apple is a reference to Mary as the second Eve. A book, when closed is a reference to Mary’s chastity; when open, wisdom. A fountain or a garden is a reference to Song of Solomon (4:12). The lily (or fleur-de-lis) is a flower representing the Annunciation. A mirror refers to Mary’s nature as a reflection of God. The rose is a symbol of Mary as Mystical Rose, the “rose without thorns.” A well, closed up, refers to Mary’s virginity (Sol. 4:12). (Source: Jenny Gallo, Carrot Top Studios)
when the little become the leaders of the mighty; when the least get the most of our attention; when the lost find their way into our hearts; when the last become the ones we follow, then all our lives will be secure. (c) 2015 Thom M. Shuman
Modern Magnificat My soul sings in gratitude. I’m dancing in the mystery of God. The light of the Holy One is within me and I am blessed, so truly blessed.
This goes deeper than human thinking. I am filled with awe at Love whose only condition is to be received.
The gift is not for the proud, for they have no room for it. The strong and self-sufficient ones don’t have this awareness.
But those who know their emptiness can rejoice in Love’s fullness. It’s the Love that we are made for, the reason for our being. It fills our inmost heart space and brings to birth in us, the Holy One. (Source: John Shelby Spong’s website “A New Christianity for A New World” 19 Dec 2007)
Singing as an act of resistance – a poem Sing Notes from a flute or a Medieval recorder. Madrigals sing bringing calm to disorder. Notes, songs, harmonies – the silence in-between – create spaces in the human heart open to new scenes. Deep yearnings cry in new songs while tyrants silence the arts. Yet, deep, deep, deep in the underground A new sound is being born. So sing, Oh, blessed Mary, radical zealot, gentle mother; sing of the Time of Jubilee coming in our newborn brother. Sing blessed Mother. Magnify the Lord. Sing of longed-for justice. Embody God’s new Word. “The haughty rich now brought low; the humble poor lifted high; no more vast inequities!” Your cry up to the skies. Sing, blessed Mary, become a new song; birth earth’s longed-for Messiah who rights our every wrong. Teach us, Oh Mary, the song of new birth, so all of us can embody God’s peace here on earth. @A Poem a Sunday – December 14, 2015 – Kenn Storck
1. My soul cries out with a joyful shout that the God of my heart is great, And my spirit sings of the wondrous things that you bring to the ones who wait. You fixed your sight on your servant’s plight, and my weakness you did not spurn, So from east to west shall my name be blest. Could the world be about to turn?
Refrain My heart shall sing of the day you bring. Let the fires of your justice burn. Wipe away all tears, for the dawn draws near, and the world is about to turn!
2. Though I am small, my God, my all, you work great things in me, And your mercy will last from the depths of the past to the end of the age to be. Your very name puts the proud to shame, and to those who would for you yearn, You will show your might, put the strong to flight, for the world is about to turn.
3. From the halls of power to the fortress tower, not a stone will be left on stone. Let the king beware for your justice tears ev’ry tyrant from his throne. The hungry poor shall weep no more, for the food they can never earn; There are tables spread, ev’ry mouth be fed, for the world is about to turn.
4. Though the nations rage from age to age, we remember who holds us fast: God’s mercy must deliver us from the conqueror’s crushing grasp. This saving word that our forebears heard is the promise which holds us bound, ‘Til the spear and rod can be crushed by God, who is turning the world around.
Call to Worship (Isaiah 7: 14)
We look for an extraordinary sign of hope for our world but God’s sign is most ordinary of all: A young woman is with child. We look to power for strength in our world but God points to the most vulnerable: She gives birth. We look far and wide for a key to God’s mystery, but God points us home: She calls this child Immanuel: God-with-us! Let us rejoice, and worship our God in our ordinary, vulnerable lives: God-with-us! (c) Susan A. Blain
Invocation Surprising God, you make your presence known in unexpected ways, and challenge our comfortable assumptions about how you work. Meet us here today and open our hearts to recognize you in our midst calling us to live into your new thing: a world where your love takes shape in justice and peace. In the name of the One who is coming, we pray: Amen! (c) Susan A. Blain
Thankful for Joy God, Source of joy, We are thankful for joy, Joy – that which opens up our living, Enriching the quality of life. We are thankful of your taking joy in us, Our achievements for good, Our living of love, Our growth and development as we discover our potential for good, And live it into being. May we ever seek to find joy in others as you find it in us. May we ever continue to be a source of joy for you and others. We are thankful that joy take joy in creation, The wonder of the universe, Brought into being for the joy of creating, Myriads of evolving connectivity, Infinite expansion of relationality. May we ever seek to find joy in such wonder, and in our part within it. May we ever continue to be a source of joy in our connections and relationships. We are thankful for the joy of living, What amazing potential lies within us and before us. Even in struggles and suffering, joy can be found in aspects of life – Joy which nurtures us and upholds us and resources us in bad times. What joy that you would join our existence as the Christ, Being born as love, humbly as a child, Living our days and knowing our life with its limits, Loving us through your being in our being. May we ever seek to find moments of joy as we journey in life May we ever continue to be a source of joy in our living and loving In this Advent, May we savour joy and give thanks, For its source is you And such a gift it is. In joyful thanks we pray. Amen. (Source: Jon Humphries, Facebook post, 2018)
Prayer of Confession In this last week before Christmas, The busyness and the anxieties of this holiday season May overwhelm us, and keep us from feeling the wonder of these days. Let us take a moment to re-order our lives in this reality: In Jesus Christ, the Love, Compassion and Justice of God is breaking into our world. A silence is kept. Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel! You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth: Stir up your might, and come to save us! Restore us, O God; let your face shine, and change our lives with your justice. O God of hosts, how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers? You have fed us with the bread of tears, and given us tears to drink in full measure. Restore us, O God; let your face shine, and heal our lives with your compassion. Reveal to us your Promised One, the one whom you made strong for yourself. Then we will never turn back from you; give us life, and we will call on your name. Restore us, O God; let your face shine, and delight our lives with your love.
Assurance of Pardon In Christ, the light of God’s love shines in our hearts, and we are forgiven and given strength to forgive. Let us give thanks that in Jesus, Emmanuel, God is truly with us. Let us celebrate this great grace by offering to one another a sign of Christ’s peace. Passing the Peace (c) Susan A. Blain
Call to Offering The Love of God is born new in the world as often as we embody that love in the works of compassion, peace and justice. Let us offer our gifts in a spirit of generosity and hope. (c) Susan A. Blain
Prayer of Dedication With these gifts, dear God, accept the praise and thanksgiving of our hearts, which rejoice in your goodness and love. Let our gifts point to your presence in the world, and further your dream for the world through Jesus, Emmanuel, God-with-us. Amen. (c) Susan A. Blain
Benediction Let us go forth with eyes to see and ears to hear and voices to proclaim: In the ordinary and the vulnerable: God-with-us! In the challenge of the unexpected: God-with-us! In love giving life in justice and mercy: God-with-us! In the work of peace: God-with-us!(c) Susan A. Blain
(*Rev. Susan A. Blain, Minister for Faith Formation; Curator for Worship and Liturgical Arts, Local Church Ministries. Copyright 2015 Local Church Ministries, Faith Formation Ministry Team, United Church of Christ, 700 Prospect Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44115-1100. Permission granted to reproduce or adapt this material for use in services of worship or church education. All publishing rights reserved)
The difficulty in finding hope and God in the midst of devastation has deep roots in many privileged people’s theology. The privileged life is all about transcendence, living a life that lies beyond the limits of ordinary experience. It’s about avoiding, escaping, or anesthetizing systemic/societal pain. It is quite effective as a system of transcendence in that most privileged people are deeply disconnected from the ordinary experience of many.
In 2017, a woman of color regularly faces food insecurity, violence, and/or housing instability. This is the norm. Since privileged people have agency and mobility, we can typically choose which neighborhoods we want to live in, which schools to send our children to, and which churches to attend. Most privileged people make choices that shield them from the realities of those who are excluded from such stable, safe, and prosperous communities. Intentionally or not, when privileged people choose to participate in economically- and racially-stratified neighborhoods, schools, and spiritual communities, they isolate themselves from the majority of people in their region who experience systemic oppression.
Given that transcendence is central to the privileged experience, it’s not surprising that many spiritual practices that are common among privileged people support a theology of transcendence, a belief that God lies beyond, not within, the limits of ordinary experience.
I recently attended a silent meditation retreat in which we spent all day alternating between walking and sitting meditation. Over course of the week-long retreat, we concluded our daily meditation practice by watching hundreds of chimney swallows gracefully circle the sky and eventually acrobatically swoop into the retreat center’s brick chimney for rest. The meditation teachers invited us to allow the “liturgy of the chimney swallows to wash over us,” and the act of watching this stunning natural theater was coined the “swallow meditation,” thus designating it a distinctly spiritual activity on par with the walking and sitting meditation that we had done all day.
I absolutely loved the swallow meditation and found it to be deeply edifying. And yet, as the only person of color at the retreat, I wondered whether a focused, curious meditation on the devastating effects of environmental racism in predominantly black and brown neighborhoods would have also been designated a spiritual activity. I’ve never been to a meditation retreat that included a “contaminated water meditation.”
Turning our attention toward systemic pain is not something we typically associate with spiritual nourishment and liberation, but what if it is? What if we can’t truly experience the hope of the Divine until we are able to experience the Divine in the most hopeless situations?
Throughout human history, the oppressed peoples of the world have, out of necessity, intentionally turned their focus on God in the midst of the most painful experiences.
Within the Christian tradition it is taught that Mary conceived of the Magnificat while living in dire circumstances as a Jew under Roman occupation, further endangered by her status as an unmarried pregnant woman of color. In her song, she articulates a theology of immanence, the belief that the God of hope is precisely to be found in the midst of uncertainty and distress.
Mary’s theology of immanence has three parts. First, she affirms that God has graced her particular situation, that God is by her side as she experiences oppression in her “lowly” social location: “My soul proclaims your greatness, O God, and my spirit rejoices in you, my savior. For you have looked with favor upon your lowly servant, and from this day forward all generations will call me blessed. For you, the Almighty, have done great things for me, and holy is your Name.”
Second, she affirms that God is a God of justice who works on behalf of the systemically oppressed: “Your mercy reaches from age to age for those who fear you. You have shown strength with your arm; you have scattered the proud in their conceit; you have deposed the mighty from their thrones and raised the lowly to high places. You have filled the hungry with good things, while you have sent the rich away empty.”
Finally, she looks to the future with hope, affirming that God is coming to her aid and will fulfill the promises that were made to her ancestors: “You have come to the aid of Israel your servant, mindful of your mercy – the promise you made to our ancestors to Sarah and Abraham and their descendants forever.”
Unlike the privileged life, Mary’s life as a “lowly servant” fell within the limits of ordinary experience. She was unable to transcend the realities of the oppressed women of color of her day. As theologian Grace Ji-sun Kim teaches us, theology is biography. Mary’s theology grew out of her lived experiences of oppression. Her lived experiences required a robust theology that could withstand the pain and disillusionment that she regularly faced. Her understanding of God had to be intimately linked to her pain, so much so that hope and God were found in pain.
What would it look like for privileged Westerners to intentionally turn toward the very pain that we so often avoid, intentionally seeking out evidence that God is present, active, and bringing hope? Because in the end we must ask ourselves: How can we seek hope and God in the midst of devastating systemic pain if our whole lives are about escaping the reality of such pain?
I heard a version of Come thou long expected Jesus set to the tune of Hyfrydol (“Love Divine, All Love’s Excelling”), just for variation. I do like the traditional version however – there’s something about the longing of the Advent season that is captured in the music.
8 NEW HYMNS for the FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT (Hymn use permission: Carolyn’s hymns are copyrighted and are not covered by any organization (such as CCLI or OneLicense) that gives churches permission to use church music. If you would like to use this hymn, please contact Carolyn and Bruce Gillette (bcgillette@comcast.net) for permission and to get a copy of the hymn in MS Word format for bulletin use and a PDF of the hymn with music. Donations for hymn use can be sent to Carolyn by PayPal at the email address or mailed to her at P.O. Box 577, Owego, NY 13827. THANK YOU! Carolyn gives permission for free use for her hymns related to gun violence and other disasters (California fires, Hurricanes), but appreciates donations for using her other hymns).
I SING TO MY SAVIOUR Tune: ASH GROVE 6.6.11.6.6.11 D (“Let All Things Now Living”) I sing to my Saviour, for God has shown favor on one who is lowly, of humble degree. Now each generation, with great celebration, will speak of God’s mercy to people like me. They’ll pass on the story that God who is holy Shows mercy to those who respect God’s good ways. Though times are distressing, I know of God’s blessing. My Spirit rejoices! I give thanks and praise.
I sing of God’s power o’er those who devour; God scatters the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. God casts down the mighty and lifts up the lowly; God offers us justice and hope and new starts. God fills up the hungry, surrounds them with plenty, and sends out the rich people, empty, away. As God has long promised to save and to bless us, So God walks beside us in love every day.
The following hymn celebrates Mary’s whole life of faithfulness as the first disciple.
MARY HEARD THE ANGEL’S MESSAGE BEECHER 8.7.8.7 D (“Love Divine, All Loves Excelling”)
Mary heard the angel’s message: “Greetings, Mary, favored one! Do not fear, for God is with you; You will one day bear God’s Son.” Filled with questions, filled with wonder, She proclaimed her faith in God: “May it be as you have spoken; I’m the servant of the Lord!”
When she heard her cousin’s greeting, Mary’s heart was filled with joy, So she sang of God’s great blessing Promised in her baby boy: “God has looked on me with favor, So I sing this song of praise. God has worked, the proud to scatter… Humble, hungry ones to raise.”
Mary heard the shepherds’ story, Words she treasured with delight. Then an angel gave the warning: “Flee with Jesus in the night!” Mary wondered in her anguish, What would be the pain he’d know? Fleeing then, she held him closely… One day she would let him go.
Mary heard, “Who is my mother? Who is in my family? All who do my Father’s bidding — All these ones belong to me.” Later, on the hill she heard him, “Woman, see your new son there! You, my friend, behold your mother!” So Christ formed new bonds of care.
When they learned the Lord had risen, Christ’s disciples met to pray. Mary was among the faithful, Bound in love, on Jesus’ Way. God, we see her, Christ’s disciple, Loving, learning, serving, too. Like her, may we hear and answer, “We, your servants, live for you.”
MORE HYMNS FOR THIS FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT Complete texts at http://www.carolynshymns.com
My Soul Proclaims That God is Good Luke 1:39-45 The Magnificat GREENSLEEVES 8.7.8.7 with Refrain (“What Child Is This?”)
The Lowly Will Be Lifted Up Luke 1:39-45 The Magnificat ST. ANNE 8.6.8.6 (“Our God, Our Help in Ages Past”)
He Shall Be the One of Peace Micah 5:2-5a HUMILITY 7.7.7.7 D (“See Amid the Winter’s Snow”)
Mary Gladly Told Her Cousin Luke 1:47-55 IRBY 8.7.8.7.7.7 (“Once in Royal David’s City”) (MIDI) Mary rejoices in the promise of Jesus before his birth with song, the Magnificat (Luke 1:39-56)
Mary Heard the Angel’s Message BEECHER 8.7.8.7 D (“Love Divine, All Loves Excelling”) HYFRYDOL 8.7.8.7 D (“Alleluia, Sing to Jesus”) Books: Gifts of Love, Voices Found This hymn celebrates many biblical stories about Mary, from before Jesus’ birth, fleeing from Herod, his teaching about his family, her presence at his death and with the disciples after his resurrection.
All the Music Sung and Played Here Luke 1:46-55 NETTLETON 8.7.8.7 D (“Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing”) Book: Songs of Grace A hymn celebrating the gift of music, good any Sunday as well as for choir dedication Sunday, hymn sings with this line: “Mary sang your saving story in her long, expectant days.”
The Candle of Hope John 3:16-17; Luke 1:26-38; Matthew 1:18-25 LYONS 10.10.11.11 (“O Worship the King, All Glorious Above!”) HANOVER 10.10.11.11 (“Ye Servants of God, Your Master Proclaim”) A verse for each Sunday of the Advent Wreath Candles.
Malachi 3:1-4: God is sending God’s messenger to prepare for God’s coming, and God’s people and God’s priests will be refined and made pure.
Luke 1:68-79: Zechariah’s song of thanksgiving for God’s rescue of Israel, and his proclamation of his son, John, as the messenger who will prepare the way for God’s coming.
Philippians 1:3-11: Paul’s prayer of thanksgiving for the Philippians, his desire for them to grow in love and purity, and his assurance that Christ will complete the work begun in them.
Luke 3:1-6: John travels in the region of the Jordan River calling people to repentance and baptising them as a sign of their willingness to change, and of God’s forgiveness. In doing this he fulfills Isaiah’s prophecy of the voice in the wilderness preparing the way for the Lord.
Readings Jeremiah 33:14-16: God promises to raise up a descendant of David to reign over God’s people and to bring goodness, rightness, justice, and security to Israel and Judah. Psalm 25:1-10: A prayer for God’s compassion and forgiveness, for God to make God’s ways known to the Psalmist, and to lead him in God’s truth. For God is good and righteousness, guiding the weak to justice and leading those who keep God’s covenant in paths of love and faithfulness. 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13: The apostle gives thanks for the Thessalonian church, praying to see them and help them grow in faith. He also prays that they may grow in love, and have strong and holy hearts when Jesus comes. Luke 21:25-36; Jesus teaches the disciples to be watchful for the signs of the coming destruction, using the apocalyptic language of signs in the heavens, dismay among the nations, and unusual behaviour in the natural world. After these signs, people will see the Son of Man coming on a cloud in splendour. So, his disciples must be watchful, ready to read the signs and keep their hearts faithful.
(Summaries by John van de Laar, Sacredise)
Readings in landscape A4 double sided folded ready to print version
Readings 2 Samuel 23:1-7
David’s last words, celebrating the beauty of the one who rules righteously, and remembering God’s covenant with David and his family. This is all in contrast with godless people whose lives are wasted. Psalm 132:1-12;
A Psalm in remembrance of David’s quest to build a Temple for God, God’s promise to David of an eternal dynasty, and God’s choice of Jerusalem as God’s “home”. Revelation 1:4b-8
Jesus Christ is the faithful witness, the first to rise from death, and the ruler of all kings. He has freed us by shedding his blood and has made us a kingdom of priests. He is the beginning and the end, and will be seen by all people when he comes with the clouds of heaven. John 18:33-37
Pilate asks Jesus if he is the king of the Jews. Jesus replies that his kingdom is not of this world. When Pilate seeks to confirm that he is a king, Jesus cryptically replies that it is Pilate who says so, but that he came into the world to testify to the truth.
(Bible reading summaries by John van de Laar, Sacredise)
