Christmas Day

Wingrave Methodist Church

Introduction

Hark, hark, the wise eternal word, like a weak infant cries! In form of servant is the Lord, and God in cradle lies.

Invitation to Confession

The sun of righteousness has dawned with healing in his wings. Let us come to the light of Christ, confessing our sins in penitence and faith. Amen

Absolution

May the God of all healing and forgiveness draw you to himself and cleanse you from all your sins, that you may behold the glory of his Son, the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Collect

Almighty God,
you have given us your only-begotten Son
to take our nature upon him
and as at this time to be born of a pure virgin:
grant that we, who have been born again
and made your children by adoption and grace,
may daily be renewed by your Holy Spirit;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen

Ist Reading Isaiah 52

⁷ How beautiful on the mountains
    are the feet of those who bring good news,
who proclaim peace,
    who bring good tidings,
    who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion,
    ‘Your God reigns!’
⁸ Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices;
    together they shout for joy.
When the Lord returns to Zion,
    they will see it with their own eyes.
⁹ Burst into songs of joy together,
    you ruins of Jerusalem,
for the Lord has comforted his people,
    he has redeemed Jerusalem.
¹⁰ The Lord will lay bare his holy arm
    in the sight of all the nations,
and all the ends of the earth will see
    the salvation of our God.

2^nd Reading Hebrews 1

God’s Final Word—His Son
In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, ² but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. ³ The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. ⁴ So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.

⁵ For to which of the angels did God ever say,

‘You are my Son;
    today I have become your Father’?

Or again,

‘I will be his Father,
    and he will be my Son’?

⁶ And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says,

‘Let all God’s angels worship him.’

⁷ In speaking of the angels he says,

‘He makes his angels spirits,
    and his servants flames of fire.’

⁸ But about the Son he says,

‘Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever;
    a sceptre of justice will be the sceptre of your kingdom.
⁹ You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
    therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions
    by anointing you with the oil of joy.’

¹⁰ He also says,

‘In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth,
    and the heavens are the work of your hands.
¹¹ They will perish, but you remain;
    they will all wear out like a garment.
¹² You will roll them up like a robe;
    like a garment they will be changed.
But you remain the same,
    and your years will never end.’

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, alleluia. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory. All Alleluia.

Gospel John 1

The Word became flesh

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.⁴ In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

⁶ There was a man sent from God whose name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. ⁸ He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

⁹ The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.¹⁰ He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognise him. ¹¹ He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. ¹² Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God –¹³ children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

¹⁴ The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Christmas Eve–Midnight Mass at Bow Brickhill

Up high in the trees, dark and remote above the ancient village with candle light, organ and choir. A special place as we pause on the Eve of Christmas

Introduction

Hark, hark, the wise eternal word, like a weak infant cries! In form of servant is the Lord, and God in cradle lies.

Invitation to Confession

Hear the words of the angel to Joseph: ‘You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ Therefore let us seek the forgiveness of God through Jesus the Saviour of the world. Amen

Absolution

May the God of all healing and forgiveness draw you to himself and cleanse you from all your sins, that you may behold the glory of his Son, the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Collect

Eternal God, who made this most holy night
to shine with the brightness of your one true light: bring us, who have known the revelation of that light on earth,
to see the radiance of your heavenly glory;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen

Ist Reading Isaiah 52

⁷ How beautiful on the mountains
    are the feet of those who bring good news,
who proclaim peace,
    who bring good tidings,
    who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion,
    ‘Your God reigns!’
⁸ Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices;
    together they shout for joy.
When the Lord returns to Zion,
    they will see it with their own eyes.
⁹ Burst into songs of joy together,
    you ruins of Jerusalem,
for the Lord has comforted his people,
    he has redeemed Jerusalem.
¹⁰ The Lord will lay bare his holy arm
    in the sight of all the nations,
and all the ends of the earth will see
    the salvation of our God.

2^nd Reading Titus 3

⁴ But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, ⁵ he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, ⁶ whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Saviour, ⁷ so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, alleluia. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory. All Alleluia.

Gospel Luke 2

⁸ And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’

¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

¹⁴ ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests.’

¹⁵ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’

¹⁶ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. ¹⁷ When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸ and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰ The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Sermon

Just as our world revolves around the North and South poles, so the church’s year turns on the two poles of Christmas and Easter.

Christmas is the celebration of the incarnation of Jesus Christ. In the worship book Times and Seasons, the season is introduced in these words:

The wonderful mystery of God’s dwelling among us in the fullness of humanity, as Emmanuel, foretold by the prophets and born of Mary, provides the material of the feast. The introduction goes on to quote from the 16^th century poem “A Psalm for Christmas Day” by Thomas Pestel:

Hark, hark, the wise eternal word,
like a weak infant cries!
In form of servant is the Lord,
and God in cradle lies.

Tonight we read from Luke’s gospel, about the shepherds and the angels, but tomorrow it is significant that the great Christmas Day readings do not come from the infancy narratives of Matthew and Luke but from the opening of John’s gospel and Hebrews. This is because the task of the Christmas liturgy is to recall us, amid all the joyful customs and celebrations of Christmas, to this central truth of the Word made flesh for our salvation.

Even so, there is no time in the church’s year when we feel the weight of tradition quite as strongly as during the Christmas season. Christ’s nativity has provided the occasion for the feast of the incarnation since at least the 13^th century.

The Christmas crib and the nativity play can both be traced back to the tableau of Christ’s birth that Francis of Assisi arranged in 1223. Christmas carols are a medieval tradition, which were developed from the end of the nineteenth century. The Festival of Lessons and Carols is itself an English creation of the late nineteenth century, made popular by the choir of King’s College, Cambridge, in the first half of the twentieth. New Year’s Day is not a church festival, but forms the backdrop to the Covenant Service in the Methodist tradition. In our own time, the commercial pressures of Christmas are spreading backward into Advent, with Black Friday and other excuses for promotional activity.

So, here we are, celebrating Christmas as a Christian festival marooned like castaways on an island within the commercial and secular pressures of a traditional British overindulgent feast. These few moments of Christmas in church are valuable ones, recalling as they inevitably do, the Word made flesh, which came among us in the form of Jesus, and through faith in Him has led to our salvation. Pause, if you will, between the courses of turkey and the trimmings to remind yourself of the real foundation of the two poles of Christmas and Easter in the story of our salvation and the coming of the Kingdom. Amen

On Jordan’s Bank–Advent 3

Wingrave Methodist Church – 11 December 2016

Introduction

Gathering

Loving God, we have come to worship you. Help us to remember that you are here with us. May we pray to you in faith, sing your praises with gratitude, and listen to your word with eagerness. Show us your glory as far as we can grasp it, and shield us from knowing more than we can bear until we may look upon you without fear; through Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen

Hymn 1

· Be still for the presence of the Lord

Confession and Absolution

A voice cries out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord.’ So let us listen, and turn to the Lord in penitence and faith.

God, through Jesus Christ, will judge the secret thoughts of all:
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven:
Christ, have mercy:
Christ, have mercy.

Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches:
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

Almighty God, who forgives all who truly repent, have mercy upon you, pardon and deliver you from all your sins, confirm and strengthen you in all goodness, and keep you in life eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Collect

O Lord Jesus Christ,
who at your first coming sent your messenger
to prepare your way before you:
grant that the ministers and stewards of your mysteries
may likewise so prepare and make ready your way
by turning the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just,
that at your second coming to judge the world
we may be found an acceptable people in your sight;
for you are alive and reign with the Father
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen

Prayers of Thanksgiving

MWB pages 32/33

Old Testament Isaiah 35

Joy of the redeemed

35 The desert and the parched land will be glad;
    the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.
Like the crocus, ² it will burst into bloom;
    it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,
    the splendour of Carmel and Sharon;
they will see the glory of the Lord,
    the splendour of our God.

³ Strengthen the feeble hands,
    steady the knees that give way;
⁴ say to those with fearful hearts,
    ‘Be strong, do not fear;
your God will come,
    he will come with vengeance;
with divine retribution
    he will come to save you.’

⁵ Then will the eyes of the blind be opened
    and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
⁶ Then will the lame leap like a deer,
    and the mute tongue shout for joy.
Water will gush forth in the wilderness
    and streams in the desert.
⁷ The burning sand will become a pool,
    the thirsty ground bubbling springs.
In the haunts where jackals once lay,
    grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.

⁸ And a highway will be there;
    it will be called the Way of Holiness;
    it will be for those who walk on that Way.
The unclean will not journey on it;
    wicked fools will not go about on it.
⁹ No lion will be there,
    nor any ravenous beast;
    they will not be found there.
But only the redeemed will walk there,
¹⁰     and those the Lord has rescued will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;
    everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy will overtake them,
    and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

New Testament James 5

Patience in suffering

⁷ Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. ⁸ You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. ⁹ Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!

¹⁰ Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 

Hymn 2

· On Jordan’s bank the Baptist’s cry

Gospel Matthew 11

Jesus and John the Baptist

11 After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee.

² When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples ³ to ask him, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’

⁴ Jesus replied, ‘Go back and report to John what you hear and see: ⁵ the blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. ⁶ Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.’

⁷ As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: ‘What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? ⁸ If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings’ palaces.⁹ Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. ¹⁰ This is the one about whom it is written:

‘“I will send my messenger ahead of you,
    who will prepare your way before you.”

¹¹ Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

Sermon

Waiting
Does anyone like waiting?—bus is late—ordering goods for delivery—single and multiple queues

Some is good?—children for presents—sleeps to Christmas—Advent is all about waiting and experiencing

Waiting and preparing for 1^st coming of Christ at Christmas—Epiphany manifestation of Christ to Gentiles

Readings about Waiting

· Isaiah—people of Judah in exile—feeble hands—shaking knees that give way—fearful hearts
God says:
    ‘Be strong, do not fear;
your God will come,
    he will come with vengeance;
with divine retribution
    he will come to save you.’
Highway will be built leading into Zion—no threats or dangers

· James—people impatient for 2^nd Coming, end time—suffering—God says:
⁷ Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming.

o Like farmers waiting for harvesting valuable crop

o Like those waiting for Spring and Autumn rains

o Like the Prophets of old—waiting for Messiah

o Like Job patiently suffering—refusing to condemn God or yield to his fate

· Matthew

o John the Baptist—in prison

o Messiah—waiting
² When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples ³ to ask him, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’

o Jesus replies with list of healing actions—could only be accomplished by Messiah
⁴ Jesus replied, ‘Go back and report to John what you hear and see: ⁵ the blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.

o Waiting for healing—examples of years of patience

· You and Me—we are waiting too—story of the people of Israel in wilderness of Sinai or in exile = our story in wilderness of sin or in exile from God

o Isaiah speaks of Highway to Zion in desert

o We are saved by walking a different path—our faith in Jesus Christ—Israel's story has become our story—Christians have been adopted into an epic narrative—driven by promise, obedience, judgment, and redemption.

o The confession we pray on Sunday is true every day of the week: “We confess that we are in bondage to sin and cannot free ourselves.”
We daily need water in the wilderness to strengthen our weary knees and to renew our faltering faith.

· John’s Question is Our Question

o ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’

o The question of John the Baptist to Jesus is one of the most important questions of Advent and of Christian theology. We too are waiting for the end-time—we call it the Kingdom of Heaven—the reign of God.

· What is the Kingdom like?

o Different groupings in NT have varying interpretations of eschatology—end time. Other parts of the Anglican and Methodist churches have separate visions of the future—as do other denominations, sects and even faiths.

o Jesus hints at what the end time will be like—people with physical weaknesses and limitations will be freed from them—those in poverty can look forward to economic regeneration—death will be no more

o Later in this chapter, we read the promise of Jesus—it refers not to his suffering and death but to the end time:
²⁸ ‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.’

· We cannot fully know Jesus for the moment—but will know God fully in his Kingdom

o ²⁷ ‘All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

o The Kingdom is only partially here—so is our revelation given to us by God’s Son—but at the end our hope and promise is to know fully, as we ourselves are known

o Maranatha—two words from Aramaic, language spoken by Christ—in Greek Μαραναθα. Can mean “Come Lord” or “Our Lord has come”—the word is used in Christian meditation

o After the next hymn in our prayers—the response to Maranatha is “Amen, Come Lord Jesus.”

Amen, Come Lord Jesus.

Hymn 3

· Lord for the years

Intercessions

In joyful expectation of his coming to our aid we pray to Jesus. Come to your Church as Lord and judge. We pray for …

Help us to live in the light of your coming and give us a longing for your kingdom. Maranatha:
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

Come to your world as King of the nations. We pray for …

Before you rulers will stand in silence. Maranatha:
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

Come to the suffering as Saviour and comforter. We pray for …

Break into our lives, where we struggle with sickness and distress, and set us free to serve you forever.
Maranatha:
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

Come to us as shepherd and guardian of our souls. We remember …

Give us with all the faithful departed a share in your victory over evil and death. Maranatha:
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

Come from heaven, Lord Jesus, with power and great glory. Lift us up to meet you, that with John the Baptist and all your saints and angels we may live and reign with you in your new creation.
Maranatha:
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

Silence is kept.

Come, Lord Jesus, do not delay; give new courage to your people, who trust in your love. By your coming, raise us to share in the joy of your kingdom on earth as in heaven, where you live and reign with the Father and the Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen.

Lord’s Prayer MWB page 37

Hymn 4

· God of mercy, God of Grace

Blessing

May God the Father, who loved the world so much that he sent his only Son, give you grace to prepare for life eternal.
Amen.

May God the Son, who comes to us as redeemer and judge, reveal to you the path from darkness to light.
Amen.

May God the Holy Spirit, by whose working the Virgin Mary conceived the Christ, help you bear the fruits of holiness.
Amen.

And the blessing …

Hymn 5

· Tell out my soul the greatness of the Lord