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Isaiah 7: 14:

“Isaiah said to King Ahaz, ‘The Lord Himself will give you a sign: a young woman who is pregnant will have a son and will name him Immanuel, (meaning God is with us).’”

Isaiah 9: 6:

“Isaiah pronounced, ‘A child is born to us!  A son is given to us!  He will be called “Wonderful Counsellor”, “Mighty God”, “Everlasting Father”’, “Prince of Peace”.’”

  Both Luke and Matthew, in compiling their Gospels, have no difficulty associating the child born to the “young woman” with Jesus.  The passage in Isaiah 7: 14 described the miraculous birth of the child.  The passage in Isaiah 9: 6 describes the character of the child to be born.   Both passages match what the angel, Gabriel, announced to Mary  (Luke 1: 31 & 32),  and what the angel told Joseph in a dream.  (Matthew 1: 21)  It is significant that the three titles given to the child in Isaiah 9: 6 imply ‘divinity’, and as such, could not have been fulfilled in a “mere earthly King”.  (Derek Kidner in Isaiah in New Bible Commentary p597 & Gregory Beale and Donald Carson in Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament p4) 

  The birth of Jesus unfurled as the Prophet Isaiah was led to pronounce, and this indicates the power and authority of God to act in the World as and when He determines, so as to fulfill His Will and Purpose for Humanity.  The foreseen character of Jesus holds the promise of God initiating His Plan to bring Salvation to people, as the very name of ‘Jesus’ expressly states.  (Gregory Beale and Donald Carson in Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament p4) 

  “The very purpose of Christ’s coming into the World was that he might offer his life as a sacrifice for the sins of people.  At the very simplest, Christ came to die for us.  This is the heart of Christmas.”  This is the gift that Jesus gives to each of us, which we cannot reciprocate, which we cannot repay, which we did not earn nor deserve.  This is God’s gift of love to each of us.  (from Jesus: The Reason for the Season by Honor Books p96) 

We sing the Hymn “The First Noel”  TiS301  AHB221  MHB131

Prayer    

  Almighty God, thank you for all the fun and excitement of Christmas.  Thank you for the amazing nativity story, that tells us about the birth of Jesus.  Thank you for sending us your Son, a gift from you into this world.  As we look at the lights on the tree, remind us of the light Jesus brought to this Earth.  When we sing songs and carols, remind us of the hope Jesus showed everyone.  And as we open the gifts and presents, remind us that Jesus was the best gift ever.  Help us to share special times with family and friends this Christmas, And to share the light, hope and gift of Jesus to the world.

  We joyfully celebrate the birth of Jesus, your beloved son, as we proclaim with confidence that he is our redeemer.  We rejoice in the gift of Jesus to us as the light of the world, a light no darkness can quench, a light that scatters the darkness of the sinful world around us, a light that fills the world with your glory. 

  Lord God, we adore you because you have come to us in the past.  You have spoken to us in the Law of Israel.  You have challenged us in the words of the prophets.  You have shown us in Jesus what you are really like.

  Lord God, we adore you because you still come to us now.  You come to us through other people and their love and concern for us.  You come to us through men and women who need our help. You come to us as we worship you with your people.

  Lord God, we adore you because you will come to us at the end.  You will be with us at the hour of death.  You will still reign supreme when all human institutions fail.  You will still be God when our history has run its course.

  Yet, merciful God we acknowledge our faults and wrongs.  God of mercy, hear us as we confess our sins:

  For the sin that has made us slow to learn from Christ, reluctant to follow him and afraid to bear the cross.  Lord, have mercy.

  For the sin that has caused the poverty of our worship, the formality and selfishness of our prayers, our neglect of fellowship and the means of grace, and our hesitating witness for Christ.  Lord, have mercy.

  For the sin that has led us to misuse your gifts, evade our responsibilities and fail to be good stewards of your creation.  Lord, have mercy.

  For the sin that has made us unwilling to overcome evil with good, tolerant of injustice,

quick to condemn, and selfish in sharing your love with others.  Lord, have mercy.

  Let the light of your love always shine in our hearts, until we reach our home in Heaven.  May we come to worship with a song of thanks in our hearts, a song of hope and renewal.  May we have joy in our voices, hope in our outlook, and peace in our hearts.

To your glory and honour we pray.  Amen.

Assurance of Forgiveness

If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  May the God of all healing and forgiveness draw us to himself, and cleanse us from all our sins that we may behold the glory of his Son,

the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Bible Reading

Matthew 2:

1  Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod..  Soon afterward, some men who studied the stars came from the East to Jerusalem,  2  asking, “Where is the child who is born to be king of the Jews?  We observed the rising of his star, and we have come to worship him.”

3  King Herod was greatly upset when he heard this, and so were everyone else in Jerusalem.  4  He called a meeting of the Chief Priests and the Teachers of the Law, and put before them this question, “Where is it that the Messiah is to be born?”

5  “In the town of Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied; and they referred him to the prophesy which reads:  6  “Bethlehem in the Land of Judah , you are far from least in the eyes of the rulers of Judah, for out of you shall come a leader who will be the shepherd of my People Israel.”  (Micah 5: 2) 

7  So Herod called the visitors from the East to meet him in private, and ascertained from them the exact time when the star had appeared.  8  He then send them on to Bethlehem and said, “God and make a careful inquiry for the child.  When you have found him, let me know, so that I too may go and worship him.”

9  And so they left King Herod, and on their way they saw the same star they had seen in the East.  When they saw it, how happy hey were, what joy was theirs.  10  The star went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.  11  Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary, his mother, and they bowed to the ground in worship and homage.  Then they opened their treasure boxes and offered to him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

[Today’s English Version, New English Bible]

This is the Gospel of our Lord.

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

Talk

  So, who were the Magi, or, as this term has been translated, the Wise men, the visitors from the East?  And what did they know of the birth of Jesus of which the Chief Priests and the Teachers of the Law appeared to be ignorant?  The term is Persian in origin, and refers to advisers to the Kings of Babylon and Media and Persia, who were said to rely on their skills in astrology, divination and the ability to interpret dreams to undertake their tasks.

  Yet the gifts that they brought were reminiscent of the gifts that the Queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon on the occasion of her visit to the Court of Israel in Jerusalem.  (1 Kings 10: 2 & 2 Chronicles 9: 1)  Persia is to the northeast of Judah, while Sheba is to the south-east.

Screen 1

“they knelt down and worshipped him .. and brought out their gifts”  Matthew 2: 11 

  Why was the birth of a baby that took place in an insignificant town in an insignificant frontier Roman province so important that they were so determined to face the hardships and risks of travelling such a long way so as to offer their worship to him.?

  And they knew that it was a boy, for in their understanding, the baby of whom they were searching was the heir to the throne of Judah, the anticipated King of the Jews.  And they knew that the birth of this baby was not just eagerly anticipated by the Jewish race, but that the boy would usher in a new Kingdom.  The Jewish Chief Priests and Teachers of the Law who were consulted by king Herod at the time of the visit of the Magi, all recognised that the child to whom the Magi referred was none other than their longed-for Messiah.

  But, how could the Magi tell this from the rising of a star?  We read that Daniel was the chief of the Magi during the reigns of the Babylonian Kings, Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar.  (Daniel 5: 11)  As he was learned in Old Testament writings, he could have passed on the Old Testament prophesies of the Jewish Messiah and of the significant implications of the coming of the Messiah, the promised King of the jews, for not just the Jewish people but also for the peoples of all nations.  And perhaps there was a body of knowledge of signs that God had set in the stars of the night sky that was understood at the time of Daniel and right up to the time of the Magi of the first century AD, that was not retained by the first century Church, and therefore has not been passed on to us today.  However , these unanswerable questions actually detract us from two important considerations.

  Firstly, in the Magi, God is using Gentile messengers to announce the coming of His chosen King, the Messiah, to the Jewish People.  God wasn’t limited to the conventional means of Jewish prophets and teachers of the Jewish Law to convey His messages.  God wasn’t limited by race or creed or culture to announce to the World the coming of his Son.  God was telling the Jewish religious leaders that He was circumventing the inhibitions that they were placing on the understandings that they were passing on to the Jewish people as to how God was acting in the World and was interacting with the World.  God is demonstrating His power and authority to announce to the Jews and to the World in general that He was accomplishing His will and purpose in the World, that the coming of a baby would usher in something so special and significant that it had implications for changes in the lives of all individuals and for changes to the whole of His Creation as well.

  Secondly, in the gifts that they presented to the infant Jesus, we see them emphasising three qualities of the life and ministry of Jesus.  Firstly, the gold represented the Reign of Jesus as King.  The prophet Isaiah spoke of God’s future King, where he writes:

“His royal power will continue to grow; his Kingdom will always be at peace.  He will rule as King David’s successor.”  (Isaiah 9: 7) 

  Secondly, the frankincense emphasised the priestly role of the Messiah, as mediator between God and His people.  David, in writing Psalm 110, writes of God’s chosen King:

“The LORD made a solemn promise and will not take it back: ‘you will be a priest forever in the priestly order of Melchizedek.’”  (Psalm 110: 4) 

  Thirdly, the myrrh signified that Jesus was not just a priest of God, he was to be the sacrifice given for us, so that our relationship with God will be restored and renewed, as the prophet Isaiah foretold:

“But because of our sins he was wounded,  We are healed by the punishment he suffered.   He willingly gave his life, he took the place of many sinners”  (Isaiah 53: 5 & 12) 

  Peter declared of Jesus:

“You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”  (Matthew 16: 16) 

  In these few words, Peter is making the confession, “I know that you have come to fulfill for your people the work of prophet, priest and king, and that, in yourself, you are no mere man but God’s son.”  (Alan Catchpoole in The Wisdom that founded the Earth p125) 

  The Apostle John records two occasions when John the Baptist, upon seeing Jesus, declared to his disciples:

“There is the Lamb of god, who takes away the sin of the World!”  (John 1: 29 & 36)

  In these few words, John the Baptist is differentiating between his ministry and that of Jesus, he is declaring of Jesus something of which he, John, couldn’t be, the Saviour of people.  (Ronald Tasker in John p51)   

  We should not have the understanding that we “spend Christmas” or “observe Christmas”, but that we “Keep Christmas”, in the sense that we retain the knowledge that the child who was born brought us back again to the God who gave His only begotten Son, that “anyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life”.  (John 3: 16) 

  “May we keep Christmas in our hearts, that we may be kept in its hope.”

  (Peter Marshall in Jesus  The Reason for the Season Honor Books p104) 

We sing the Hymn “God rest you merry people all”  AHB233

God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen – Traditional Choir – YouTube

(Anonymous – English C18th)

We sing trhe Hymn “As with gladness men of old”  TiS314  AHB239  MHB132

William Dix

Bible Reading

Matthew 2: 12 to 18

12  God warned the visitors from the East not to go back to King Herod, so they returned to their Country by another road.

13  After they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, and said to him, “Rise up, take the child and his mother and escape with them to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you to leave, for King Herod is going to search for the child in order to kill him.”

14  So Joseph rose from his sleep, and, taking the child and his mother by night, went away with them to Egypt, and there they stayed until King Herod died.  15  This was to fulfill what the Lord had said through the Prophet:

“I called my son out of Egypt.”  (Hosea 11: 1) 

16  When King Herod realised that the visitors from the East had tricked him, he was furious.  He gave orders for the killing of all the boys in Bethlehem and its neighbourhood who were two years old or younger, corresponding with the time he had ascertained from visitors from when the star had appeared.

17  So the words spoken by the Prophet Jeremiah were fulfilled:

18  “A voice was heard in Ramah, the sound of wailing and  of bitter weeping.  It was Rachel crying for her children, and refusing all consolation, for they are dead.”  (Jeremiah 31: 15) 

[Today’s English Version, New English Bible]

This is the Gospel of our Lord.

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

Talk

Screen 2

“Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and left during the night for Egypt”  Matthew 2: 14

  Now, what are we to make of King Herod?  Here he is, hearing about the birth of a baby boy who, he is informed, is King of the Jews.  But that’s his current position and privilege.  He is King by birthright.  Why should he be expected to give up all that he has inherited and all that he is enjoying in life?  Why should he trust what someone has told him about a King who is to replace him, when it is obvious that they are only a usurper, someone who is seeking to steal his kingdom from him by malicious means?

  But is that a correct understanding of the situation, for do we not read of King Herod asking the chief priests and the teachers of the law:

“Where will the Messiah be born?”  (Matthew 2: 4)  ?

  King Herod, therefore, had a clear understanding of who is this child.  The baby is God’s chosen King, God’s chosen leader of God’s chosen People.  This is God implementing His will upon the World.  Doesn’t King Herod, therefore, have a responsibility to submit to the will of God?

  Matthew records for us that King Herod had no desire to submit to any other king.  He makes plans to rid himself of this perceived threat to his throne, to kill this so-called new King of the Jews.  In this way, he is demonstrating not just his unwillingness to submit to the will of God, but his taking active measures to counter the will of God.  King Herod has perceived that he has the ability to say “No!” to God, that he has the capability to work towards ensuring that his will is enforced and not the will of God, that it is his ‘world view’ that will be sustained, and not God’s.

  Where else have we seen this take place?  Do we not see it in the Garden of Eden, where Satan, in the guise of the serpent, tempts Adam and Eve away from a life of obedience to God to a life of disobedience, where Satan entices in Adam and Eve an understanding that they have the ability to say “No!” to God, that they have the capability to force their will upon God.

  Paul writes to the Church in Ephesus talking of:

“the ruler of the spiritual powers in space, the spirit who now controls the people who disobey God.”  (Ephesians 2: 2) 

Later in his letter he states:

“For we are not fighting against human beings but against the wicked spiritual forces in the Heavenly World, the rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers of this dark age.”  (Ephesians 6: 12) 

  Paul is making is clear that God’s people encountered “tremendous hostility from demonic powers because these powers are competing against God”.  (Ralph Martin in Ephesians in New Bible Commentary p1123) 

  God condemned Satan for his guile and deceit of Adam and Eve.  God foretells of a time when: “(Eve’s) offspring will crush your head”  (Genesis 3: 15a)

  Satan knew quite well that God was telling of a time in the future when God will counter the degradation of the world that Satan had caused, when God would undertake His work of redemption and restoration of the World through someone born of a human mother, when God would finally banish Satan to eternal punishment.

  Is it any wonder that Satan would seek to prevent God’s will from being done?  And when it was obvious to Satan that Jesus, the Son of God, was born into the World of a human mother and, therefore, was the foretold means through which God would redeem and restore the World, is it any wonder that Satan would do whatever he could to rid the world of the infant Jesus.  Satan sought to use King Herod as the means through which Jesus was to be killed.

  Roland Tasker writes that the children killed by King Herod’s soldiers by his orders, were “casualties in the warfare that had inevitably to be waged between the kingdoms of the world and the Kingdom of God and His Christ.”  (Ronald Tasker in Matthew p44) 

  It is in Matthew’s account that we see the overriding power and authority of God in Heaven and on Earth.  We see that God could and did act to protect the life of Jesus until such time that God’s Plan could be accomplished.

  Paul, in his letter to the Church in Colossae, writes:

“And on the cross Christ freed himself from the powers of the spiritual rulers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them by leading them as captives in his victory procession.”  (Colossians 2: 15) 

  The writer of the letter to the Hebrews writes:

“Jesus himself became like (people of flesh and blood) and shared their human nature.  He did this so that through his death he might destroy the Devil, who has the power over Death, and in this way set free those who were slaves all their lives because of their fear of death.”  (Hebrews 2: 14 & 15) 

  We understand, then, that the birth of Jesus was not some isolated historical event, but an essential link in God’s great plan for restoring His relationship with Humanity.

  Pope Paul VI once said:  “We consider Christmas as the encounter, the great encounter, the historical encounter, the decisive encounter between God and Mankind.”  (from Jesus  The Reason for the Season by Honor Books p137) 

  Alfred, Lord Tennyson, once wrote:  “Rise, happy morn, rise, holy morn, draw forth the cheerful day from night; O Father, touch the East, and light the light that shone when Hope was born.” (from Jesus  The Reason for the Season by Honor Books p144)  Amen.

We sing the Hymn “Child in the manger”  TiS319  AHB241

Mary Macdonald

translated by Lachlan Macbean

We sing the hymn Hymn “Unto us a child is born”  TiS293  AHB218

Verse 1 of 5

Unto us a boy is born!

King of all Creation,

Came he to a world forlorn,

The Lord of every Nation.

Verse 2 of 5

Cradled in a stall was he

With sleeping cows and asses,

But the very beasts could see

That he all men surpasses.

Verse 3 of 5

Herod then with fear was filled:

“A prince,” he said, “in Jewry!”

All the little boys he killed

At Bethlem in his fury.

Verse 4 of 5

Now may Mary’s son, who came

So long ago to love us,

Lead us all with hearts aflame

Unto the joys above us.

Verse 5 of 5

Omega and Alpha he!

Let the organ thunder,

While the choir with peals of glee

Does rend the air asunder.

anonymous Latin C15th

translated by Percy Dearmer

Offering

Offering Prayer    

“For the life that you have given”  TiS774 

[ sung to the tune Austria – there is no introduction]

[This YouTube is for another hymn so disregard the words – only the one verse is needed]

[alternatively, if you have the facility on your computer to play such music, double-click on the Mp3 file below and then select ‘open’ – there is a very small introduction]

For the life that you have given,

For the love in Christ made known,

With these fruits of time and labour,

With these gifts that are your own:

Here we offer, Lord, our praises;

Heart and mind and strength we bring;

Give us grace to love and serve you,

Living what we pray and sing.

Ralph Vaughan Williams

Prayer of Intercession

Let us come before God with our cares and our concerns.

We pray for the world he came to save:

for the Church, that it may be enabled in our generation to surrender anew to God’s holy Wisdom, and bear the good news of God’s love to a needy world;

for the world, which is already Christ’s, that all its peoples may recognize their responsibility for its future, and may be inspired by the message of Christmas to work together for the establishment of justice, freedom and peace everywhere;

for all in special need, the sick, the anxious, the lonely, the fearful and the bereaved, that the peace and light of the Christ-child may bring hope and healing to all who sit in darkness;

for those whose hearts are battered by sorrow or broken relationships, for those whose lives know only conflict and confusion, for those whose bodies are tired and tested beyond their ability to endure this year, that you will draw them close to You and give them comfort.

  We pray for those who are coping with loving a prodigal and our friends and family members whose hearts are far from You. We pray for those dealing with unemployment, addictions and chronic sickness, and unending pain and frustrations of all kinds.

  Keep us from distractions and help us to invite You into all our family activities.  Help us to be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as You forgave us. Show us creative ways to love and care for those outside our home.  Teach us to do acts of kindness to those who are in need at this time of year.

  At this Christmas time, may we not only unwrap presents, but may we discover more of your love.  May we not only eat on festive food, but may we feast on your faith.  May we not only cherish happy times with family and friends, but may we invite you into our lives. May we not only sing carols that celebrate your birth, but may we dwell upon the resurrected Christ alive this moment.  Living Lord, we long to discover your love, feast on your truth, invite you into our lives and thank you for your sacrifice.  Amidst the presents, food and family we long to celebrate Christmas with you.

Loving God, we bring these prayers to you, trusting in your compassion and care.  To your glory we pray.

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil,

For the Kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,

Now and forever.  Amen.

We sing the Hymn “It came upon the midnight clear”    from MHB130 and Carols for Choirs 1 number 18

Verse 1 of 4

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, goodwill to men,

From Heaven’s all-gracious King!

The World in solemn stillness lay

To hear the angels sing.

Verse 2 of 4

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.

Verse 3 of 4

But with the woes of sin and strife

The World has suffered long,

Beneath the angel strain have rolled

Two thousand years of wrong;

And man, at war with man, hears not

The love song which they bring,

O hush the noise, you men of strife,

And hear the angels sing.

Verse 4 of 4

For lo, the days are hastening on,

By Prophet bards foretold,

When with the ever-circling years

Comes round the Age of Gold.

When peace shall over all the Earth

Its ancient splendours fling,

And the whole World give back the song

Which now the angels sing.

Edmund Sears

Benediction    

“The Joy of Christmas” by John Whittier and “Let there be Christmas” (author unknown) 

Somehow, not only at Christmas,

But all the year through,

The joy that you give to others

Is the joy that comes back to you;

And the more you spend in blessing

The poor and lonely and sad

The more of your hearts possessing

Return to make you glad.

So remember while December

Brings the only Christmas Day

In the year let there be Christmas

In the things you do and say.

Wouldn’t life be worth the living,

Wouldn’t dreams be coming true

If we kept the Christmas Spirit

All the whole year through?

And may the blessing of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, rest upon you and remain with you always.  Amen.

Benediction Song

“Rejoice and be Merry”  Carols for Choirs 1 number 32

(only the one verse is needed – there is a short introduction)

Rejoice and be merry in songs and in mirth!

O praise our Redeemer, all mortals on Earth!

For this is the birthday of Jesus our King,

Who brought us salvation, his praises we’ll sing.

Traditional English Carol