Welcome: –

Liturgy for Advent Three: –

Narrator: Today we light the candle of Joy.

[Light the candle of Hope and the candle of Peace, then light the candle of Joy.]

  A reading from Numbers 24: 17:

“Balaam said to Balak, “I look into the future, and I see the Nation of Israel.  A King, like a bright star, will arise in that Nation. 

  A reading from Matthew 2: 1 & 2:

“Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea, during the time when Herod was King.  Soon afterward, some astronomers came from the East to Jerusalem and asked, ‘Where is the baby born to be the King of the Jews?  We saw his star when it came up in the east, and we have come to worship him?’”

  The King of Moab, Balak, fearful of the military might of the Israelites, paid a Seer, by the name of Balaam, to put a curse upon them, so that the Moabite army could defeat them in battle.  Instead, Balaam was led by God to give a blessing upon the Israelites, a blessing that was associated with the rise of a King who would lead them and whose reign would be so significant that it is equated with the brightness of the sudden appearance of a star, bright enough to be seen in daylight. 

  Balaam is a Gentile, that is non-Jew, yet he acknowledges that not only is God’s blessing upon the Jews, the People of Israel, but that at some point in the future God will choose a great King to lead them.  In his actions, Balaam indirectly condemns Balak for his opposition to the People of God, and therefore his opposition to God and to His reign on Earth.

  The Wise Men, too, were Gentiles, and, in the same way, they too saw God at work in the World, they too foresaw the rise of God’s chosen King, born of a Human mother, who had come to lead God’s People.  They celebrated with much joy when they followed the star to the house where they found Jesus and his mother.  In their determination to find the infant Jesus so as to offer him their worship, they, too, indirectly condemn, firstly King Herod, who, in his efforts to kill Jesus, demonstrated his opposition to God and to His reign on Earth, and, secondly, the Chief Priests and Teachers of the Law, who, as the religious leaders of Israel, should have shared in the joy of the Wise Men, but, instead, showed indifference to the news from the Wise Men that their Messiah had come.

If we look beyond the manger

To the cross of Calvary,

We will know the reason Christmas

Brings such joy to you and me.

Let us continue on the theme of Joy as we sing: 

“What child is this?”  from A Wreath of Carols p52

[sung to the tune Greensleeves – there is a short introduction]

William Dix

Prayer of Praise and Confession

 (from Uniting in Worship Red Book p281, An Aust Prayer Book p261, Intercessions p96, A Year of Prayer p201, Prayers for God’s People Year B p200 and 201 Opening Prayers p114, Leading Intercessions pp81 &82, A Year of Prayer pp200 & 201, Amish Prayers p95, Prayers for the Seasons Year B p200, The Book of Worship p88 )  

Almighty God, like Job we look around us and see what you have created, and marvel at your foresight and your intellect.  We are yet to comprehend all that we can see that takes place around us.  We are yet to comprehend all that we cannot see with our eyes that takes place within us.  We are awed by your power in shaping the vast mountain ranges that you have put in place.  We are awed by the majestic storm clouds and the mighty power of the ocean’s waves.  We are awed by the magnitude of the vast oceans that you have formed around our shores.  We are awed by the way that you keep our small planet in its place within the vastness of the Universe.

    Almighty God, we give to you our praise for you are just and compassionate.  You are the God who cares for those who groan under oppression and sorrow.  You are the God who listens to those who cry out for help and does not pass them by.  It is your tender love that gives comfort to the outcast and to the powerless.  You step beyond social norms and cultural boundaries and religious bigotries, to embrace those whom society neglects, and to call to you those whom society rejects.

    Almighty god, we give to you our praise, for you are the one who gives light to a World that lives in the darkness of sin and despair, you reveal yourself to a World that is blind to your free gift of grace and reconciliation.  You are the one who has done great things for us, not that we deserve your attention, but solely because you are a God of love and grace.  We come together as your people with assurance and hope in your promise to save, for all time, all those who come to you through Jesus Christ.  We are awed by your power in raising Jesus Christ from death to dwell with you.  We come together to thank you for Christ’s intercession on our behalf.  We are honoured to be called your children and to be called to be in your presence.

Yet, have pity on us, God our Saviour, for we also come before you contrite and repentant for our failings and for our disobedience.  We come before you knowing that our best is still far from the way of the Gospel to which you have called us to follow.

  Merciful God, we stumble in the darkness of suspicion and prejudice about others.  Our minds are often closed to the way of truth that we profess, but fail to follow.  We are slow to discern the needs of those in our community who are handicapped by ill-health, by despair, by the burdens of trying to make ends meet.  We avert our eyes from those who are not socially acceptable or are not clean looking.  We demean people who are equally made in your image.  We are too quick to judge them because of their failings, and, instead, fail ourselves to look upon them as people worthy of love and concern as you are so quick to show to them.

  Merciful God, we fail to control our tongue from speaking evil and our lips from speaking deceit.  We pray empty words of praise while at the same time speak words that are thoughtless and unkind.  We profess to be disciplined and Christ-like, yet, are wilful in our thoughts and our words and our actions.  We profess to be moved by the sight of the hungry and needy, yet, are wasteful of our own resources.  We condemn the neglect shown by others, yet, fail to work towards reconciliation and harmony in even our own small corner of the World.  We too often remember the smallest of hurts that we experience and fail to follow your example of being willing to forgive and forget.

  Merciful God, we come humbly before you, seeking your forgiveness.  Holy God, remove all the sin in our lives that binds and oppresses us.  Give us the courage to cast off our sinful habits and to turn to you for healing.  Strengthen us to follow gladly the sure path of salvation and to walk humbly in your footsteps.  May we then walk in the way of grace and truth all the days of our life.  For this we pray, to your glory and honour.  Amen.

Assurance of Forgiveness

(from Philippians 3: 9)  

Paul reminds the Church in Philippi that we are put right with God not through any act or achievement of our own, but only through our faith in Christ Jesus.  We have confessed our sins before God and have professed our trust in the saving grace of God.  Let us be assured that God has heard our prayers, has forgiven our sin, and has made us righteous.

Thanks be to God.

Prayer of illumination

Holy God, through your Holy Spirit, instruct us that we might rightly understand the Word of Truth, and find ourselves as People who reflect the Living Word, Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Bible Readings

Isaiah 12:

1  A day is coming when people will sing,

“I praise you, LORD!  You were angry with me, but now you comfort me and are angry no longer.  2  God is my saviour; I will trust Him and not be afraid.  The LORD gives me power and strength; He is my saviour.  3  As fresh water brings joy to the thirsty, so God’s people rejoice when He saves them.”

4  A day is coming when people will sing,

“Give thanks to the LORD!  Call for Him to help you!  Tell all the Nations what He has done!  Tell them how great He is!

Zephaniah 3:

14  Sing and shout for joy, people of Israel!  Rejoice with all your heart Jerusalem!  15  The LORD has stopped your punishment; He has removed all your enemies.  The LORD, the King of Israel, is with you; there is no reason now to be afraid.   16  The time is coming when they will say to Jerusalem,

“Do not be afraid, City of Zion!  Do not let your hands hang limp!  17  The LORD your God is with you; His power gives you victory.  The LORD will take delight in you, and in His love He will give you new life.  He will sing and be joyful over you, as joyful as people at a festival.”

Philippians 4:

4  May you always be joyful in your union with the LORD.  I say again: rejoice!

5  Show a gentle attitude toward everyone.  The LORD is coming soon.  6  Don’t worry about anything, but in all your prayers ask God for what you need, always asking Him with a thankful heart.  7  And God’s peace, which is far beyond Human understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with Christ Jesus.

[Today’s English Version]

This is the Word of God.

Praise to you Almighty God.

Luke 3:

7  Crowds of people came out to John to be baptised by him.  “You brood of vipers!” he said to them.  “Who told you that you could escape from the punishment God is about to send?  8  Do those things that will show that you have turned from your sins.  And don’t start saying among yourselves that Abraham is your ancestor.  I tell you that God can take these

rocks and make descendants of Abraham!  9  The axe is ready to cut down the trees at the roots; every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

10  The people asked him, “What are we to do then?’

11  He answered, “Whoever has two shirts must give one to the person who has none, and whoever has food must share it.”

12  Some tax collectors came to be baptised, and they asked him, “Teacher, what are we to do?”

13  “Don’t collect more than is legal.” He told them.

14  Some soldiers also asked him, “What about us?  What are we to do?”

  He said to them, “Don’t take money from anyone by force or accuse anyone falsely.  Be content with your pay.”

15  People’s hopes began to rise, and they began to wonder whether John perhaps might be the Messiah.  16  So John said to all of them,

“I baptise you with water, but someone is coming who is much greater than I am.  I am not good enough even to untie his sandals.  He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire.  17  He has his winnowing shovel with him, to thresh out all the grain and gather the wheat into his barn; but he will burn the chaff in a fire that never goes out.”

18  In many different ways John preached the Good News to the people and urged them to change their ways.

[Today’s English Version]

This is the Gospel of our Lord.

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

Passing the Peace

We are one in fellowship and in worship of our God, whether we gather together in the Church building on Sunday morning or whether we worship in the ‘digital sphere’.  It is important that we recognise that, together, we remain one in Christ Jesus.  With that thought, let us uplift our hands and greet those both here and in their homes: May the peace of God be with you all.

And also with you.

Hymn

“O come all ye faithful”  MHB118  AHB228  TiS304

John Wade

Sermon

Screen 1

“We seem to think that it’s OK for people to believe anything they like

regardless of whether or not their beliefs match reality.

Somehow in our modern World we’ve confused ‘freedom of speech’

with the idea that any belief goes.  So instead of confronting

false beliefs and examining their foundations, we end up

pussyfooting around people who believe provably false ideas

because we don’t want to upset them.”

Dr Kerry Spackman in The Ant and the Ferrari 

  I read this quote in the June 2012 Australian edition of Readers Digest magazine.  It appealed to me because the author has identified a conundrum of our ‘modern world’.  Every individual has the ‘freedom of speech’ to express their beliefs, unless what they say is deemed to be derogatory and offensive, according to enacted criteria or accepted practice.  An individual can express their beliefs though such beliefs may be ‘provably false’.  ‘Freedom of speech’ overrides a need for ‘coherent beliefs’ that reflect accepted reality.

  Dr Spackman identifies a need to address “false beliefs and their foundations” because of the dangers that they represent for constructive and beneficial social interactions.  And, perhaps, we see such dangers present in the ‘misinformation’ on Covid-19 and on Covid-19 vaccines that is present on the Internet, and which is hindering some people from accepting the need to be vaccinated.

  Dr Spackman has identified that there is no individual or group who has the right and responsibility to show that an expressed belief is “provably false”, because to do so would impinge on an individual’s enacted and accepted ‘freedom of speech’.

  Don’t be mislead, for Dr Spackman is not writing from a Biblical background.  If you read reviews of his book, he is writing from the complete opposite point of view.  In his book, he is claiming that beliefs based on a biblical foundation are ‘provably false’.

The Ant and the Ferrari by Kerry Spackman (goodreads.com)

  Jo, writing on 18/07/2012, states that,

“the majority of the book (is) a treatise on why religion (any religion) is false, and believing in a God or Gods is a sign of faulty reasoning (at best) or base stupidity (at worst)”

  Renee Fleming-White, writing on 20/02/2015, states that it is a,

“Great book for agnostics and atheists wanting a deeper understanding behind their beliefs

as well as looking for reasoning behind how purpose and morals can and do exist beyond religion.”

  Eleni , writing on 28/07/2013, states,

“By the way, I don’t think Spackman suggests you shouldn’t believe in God (as some reviews have said) but rather, not the one written about in the Bible.”

  So, it appears that Dr Spackman’s book is, at the very least, not a complementary commentary on the Bible nor on Biblical beliefs.  Yet, regardless of his intentions on writing his book nor, for our considerations today, his intentions on writing this paragraph, my view is that Dr Spackman has correctly identified the ‘mindset’ and the purpose of God’s Prophets, for they did not ’pussyfoot’ around not wanting to upset people by questioning their beliefs.  God’s Prophets confronted ‘false beliefs and (examined) their foundations’.

Screen 2

“You are doomed, you sinful Nation, you corrupt and evil people!  Your sins drag you down!  You have rejected the LORD, the holy God of Israel, and have turned your backs on Him.”

  Isaiah 1: 4 

  Isaiah’s book commences with his condemnation of God’s people living in Judah.

“You are doomed, you sinful Nation, you corrupt and evil people!  Your sins drag you down!  You have rejected the LORD, the holy God of Israel, and have turned your backs on Him.”

  Isaiah 1: 4 

“Jerusalem, you were once like silver, but now you are worthless; you were like good wine, but now you are only water.  Your leaders are rebels and friends of thieves; they are always accepting gifts and bribes.  They never defend orphans in court nor listen when widows present their case.”

  Isaiah 1: 22 & 23 

Screen 3

“The LORD said, … “I will punish the people of Jerusalem and of all Judah.   I will destroy those who have turned back and no longer follow me, those who do not come to me or ask me to guide them.”

  Zedekiah 1: 4a & 6 

  Zephaniah’s book commences with his condemnation of God’s people living in Judah.

“The LORD said, … “I will punish the people of Jerusalem and of all Judah.   I will destroy those who have turned back and no longer follow me, those who do not come to me or ask me to guide them.”

  Zedekiah 1: 4a & 6 

“Jerusalem is doomed, that corrupt, rebellious city that oppresses its own people.  It has not listened to the LORD or accepted His discipline.  It has not put its trust in the LORD or asked for His help.”

  Zedekiah 3: 1 & 3 

Screen 4

“Crowds of people came out to John to be baptised by him.  ‘You brood of vipers!’ he said, ‘Who told you that you could escape from the punishment God is about to send?’”

  Luke 3: 7  

  Luke records for us that,

“John went throughout the whole territory of the River Jordan, preaching ‘Turn away from your sins and be baptised, and God will forgive your sins.’”

  Luke 3: 3 

  When crowds of people came out into the desert where John was preaching, to be baptised by John, Luke has John saying to them,

“You brood of vipers!  Who told you that you could escape the punishment God is about to send?.”

  Luke 3: 7  

  Michael Wilcock, in his Commentary on Luke’s Gospel, writes,

“(The people of Judah) had grown up with the assumption that since they were descendants of Abraham, and therefore members of ‘the Chosen Race’, that they were already in a right relationship with God.  This false confidence John had to destroy.  It was not enough that he should charm them away from their homes, to come and listen to stirring oratory down by the (River) Jordan.  He must touch their hearts, and convince them that not even the greatest spiritual privilege then known – that of being an Israelite – could, of itself, make an individual right with God and acceptable to Him.”

  (Michael Wilcock in The Message of Luke p55) 

  Joel Green, in his Commentary on Luke’s Gospel, writes,

“By labelling the crowds as a “brood of vipers”, John underscores their hopeless position apart from the way of repentance he presents to them.  Indeed, his choice of words seems deliberately to contrast with their supposed self-identification.  They are offspring of poisonous snakes, not children of Abraham.  …  For John, the crowds may claim to be children of Abraham but their behaviour deviates radically from that of Abraham; their actions suggest the influence of the viper, (characterised by what is) evil and poisonous and hostile to life.”

  (Joel Green in The Gospel of Luke p175) 

  All three Prophets proclaim God’s denunciation and judgement upon the people of Judah, for their rebelliousness towards God, and their failure to listen to the voice of God calling them back to a right relationship with Him and to right relationships with those with whom they lived their lives.  There was no joy in their message, yet we find them writing about joy.

Screen 5

“As fresh water brings joy to the thirsty, so God’s people rejoice when He saves them.”

  Isaiah 12: 3 

  Chapter 12 of Isaiah is titled, “Hymn of thanksgiving to God”.  (RSV & TEV chapter notes)  Isaiah writes,

“A day is coming when people will sing, ‘I praise you Lord.’”  (verse 1) 

“A day is coming when people will sing, ‘Give thanks to the LORD.’”  (verse 4) 

“Let everyone who lives in Zion shout and sing!”  (verse 6) 

  About what are they rejoicing?  We read in verse 3,

“As fresh water brings joy to the thirsty, so God’s people rejoice when He saves them.”

  The people are rejoicing because God is their Saviour, as we also read in verses 2 and 5.  But from what is God saving them?  Is it from an attack or subjugation from foreign powers?

  The answer lies in the preceding chapter where Isaiah writes that “a new king will arise from among David’s descendants, a King who “will know the LORD’s will and honour God”, who “will rule with justice and integrity”.  (Isaiah 11: 1, 2 & 5) 

  It is through the reign of this King that God will achieve great things for His people.  God will remove their sin and rebelliousness, their trust in God will be renewed, and God will restore their relationship with Him because He will “live among (them)”.  (Isaiah 12: 6)  This work of God will be of such significance and majesty that the news of what God has done will be proclaimed to “all the Nations”  (Isaiah 12: 4 & 5)  , to the extent that this King will be “a symbol to the Nations, (who) will gather in his royal city and give him honour”.  (Isaiah 11: 10)  God’s saving grace will extend beyond the people of Judah to all of Humanity.

Screen 6

“The LORD says, ‘Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are one of the smallest towns in Judah, but out of you I will bring a ruler for Israel”

  Micah 5: 2  

  The Prophet Micah, a contemporary of Isaiah, adds that God’s chosen ruler will come from Bethlehem, a ruler “whose family line goes back to ancient times”, a ruler who “will rule his people with the strength that comes from the LORD and with the majesty of the LORD Himself, who “will bring peace” and whom “people all over the Earth will acknowledge his greatness”  (Micah 5: 2, 4 & 5) 

Screen 7

“Sing and shout for joy, people of Israel!  Rejoice with all your heart, Jerusalem.”

  Zephaniah 3: 14 

  Zephaniah ends his writings on a note of joy,

“Sing and shout for joy, people of Israel!  Rejoice with all your heart, Jerusalem.”

  Zephaniah 3: 14 

  There are three motivations for such a celebration of joy.

  In verse 17 we read,

“The LORD your God is with you, … the LORD will take delight in you.”

  Gone is the condemnation and judgement of God, their relationship with God has been restored and newed to the fullest.

  Further in verse 17 we read,

“(The LORD’s) power gives you victory, .. in His love He will give you new life.”

  The punishment God had promised would come to them, as mentioned in the preceding verses, was not so as to destroy them as a people and as a culture, but to rebuild them as a worshipping people and culture.  Roy Jensen writes,

“God punishes in order that he may heal; He chastens that He may restore,” 

  (Roy Jensen in The Book of the Twelve p50) 

  Zephaniah too foretells of God’s great work of grace, of forgiving sin and of renewing His relationship with those whom He has called to Himself.

  In verse 15 we read,

“The LORD, the King of Israel, is with you.”

  Here, Zephaniah is not referring to the current Kings of Judah, for by their actions they had proven their inability to lead the people of God.  Gerhard von Rad writes,

“the contemporary monarchs of the Davidic lines are dismissed by the prophets, … they have lost the saving function so emphatically attributed to them in the ‘royal psalms’.”

  (Gerhard von Rad in The Message of the Prophets p141) 

  Here, Zephaniah is writing of the Messiah, enthroned in glory and honour and majesty.  It is no mortal King who is on the throne, but “the LORD”.  (Zephaniah 3: 15) 

  It is to this King that, in the future, the people of Israel will offer their songs of joy.

Screen 8

So John said to all of them,

“I baptise you with water, but someone is coming who is much greater than I am.  I am not good enough even to untie his sandals.  He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

  Luke 3: 16 

  Centuries after Isaiah and Zephaniah spoke to the people of Judah the words that God had passed on to them, John the Baptist was telling the people of Judah the message that God had given to him to proclaim.  John was telling the people living in 1^st century Palestine that the time of the coming of the ‘ruler’ as foretold by Isaiah and Zephaniah was now!  ‘Get ready’, he told, ‘prepare yourselves to see God’s great work of salvation’.  (Luke 3: 6)  And his message was intended to also bring joy to his listeners.

  The crowds came to John anxious and confused saying,

‘You are telling us to “repent” our sinful behaviour and to ”do those things that will show that (we) have turned from (our) sins, but, “what (exactly) are we to do?”’  (Luke 3: 3, 8 & 10) 

  And John explains those behaviours and attitudes that are pleasing to God,

‘share your extra clothing with those who have little’  (Luke 3: 11) 

‘conduct business on an ethical and legal basis’  (Luke 3: 12) 

‘don’t be oppressive or behave unethically towards people’  (Luke 3: 14)

  With these words of advice, John was, in effect, just reminding them of their obligations

under the Law of Moses, but which never-the-less, was advice that met their need and eased their anxiety.

  However, John tells them that there is more to the message from God that he has been called to pass on to them,

“I baptise you with water, but someone is coming who is much greater than I am.  I am not good enough even to untie his sandals.  He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

  Luke 3: 16

  Someone is coming who is so great, who is of such a majestic nature, that he, John, as faithful a servant of God as he is, will be unworthy to undertake even the lowliest of tasks assigned to the lowliest of servants of a household, the untying of his sandals.  (Luke 3: 16) 

  Someone is coming who is empowered by God to cleanse and to purge the sins from the lives and souls of people, who is empowered to refine the lives and souls of people, and who is empowered to guide the lives and souls of people.  (Joel Green in The Gospel of Luke p181) 

  John is explaining that this someone who is coming is the fulfillment of all that has been written about him in “the Law of Moses, the writings of the Prophets and the Psalms”.  (Luke 24: 44)  John is explaining that this someone will fulfill the restoration and salvation of the repentant person as foretold by Isaiah and Zephaniah.  (John Carroll in Luke p94)  It is Jesus Christ, born of the woman in Bethlehem, the city of David, as foretold by Micah, to whom John refers.  This person, John explains, brings joy to the World.

  Dale, mentions in his review of Dr Kerry Spackman’s book, The Ant and the Ferrari, of Dr Spackman, “writing of the pain that he felt in childhood coming from the behaviour of his father who was “a passionate fundamentalist Christian”.  He says he only had one happy time in his life, the holiday at his grandfather’s house.”  The Ant and the Ferrari – Liturgy 

  There is joy associated with the good news of the restoration and salvation offered by Jesus to the repentant person, as foretold by the Prophets and proclaimed by John the Baptist.  To present a Gospel message devoid of such joy is a travesty.  To focus solely on God’s condemnation of sinful behaviour and neglect to then focus on the joy of sins forgiven and on the joy of a restored and renewed relationship with God is a crime.

Screen 9

“An angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds saying, ‘I am here with good news for you, which will bring joy to all the people.”  Luke 2: 10 

  In our living out the Gospel message, may we not neglect the joy associated with the coming of God’s chosen King.  In our remembrance of the Christmas story, may we not neglect the joy associated with the birth of Jesus, born to Mary in the stable adjacent to the Inn in Bethlehem, who the angels told the shepherds, was “your Saviour, Christ the Lord”, for the birth is the long awaited “good news, which will bring joy to all the people.”  (Luke 2: 10 & 11)  Amen.

Hymn

“Joy to the world!  The Lord is come”  AHB224  TiS268

Isaac Watts

Offering

Offering Prayer    

“For the life that you have given”  TiS774 

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

[The 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

Prayers for Others

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

Almighty God, we pray for the Church, that we may experience joy through recognizing that you are with us each day and that we may be instruments in helping others become aware of your work in their lives.

We pray for a deepening of hope, that we may surrender our anxieties to you and trust in your providence for all our needs and challenges.

We pray for a renewal of our hearts, that you will stir up the Spirit who lives within us so that our faith increases, our spirits grow in courage, and our hearts overflow with love.

We pray for a conversion of our hearts, that the fire of the Spirit will cleanse us of greed, selfishness, narrowness of mind, and hardness of heart so that we may be people of the light.

We pray for the grace to accompany one another, that you will free us from judging others and help us to see each person as a sister or brother with fears and wounds like ourselves.

We pray for a flowering of justice, that we may strive to fulfill our duties to others and use our gifts to ease the suffering and promote the wellbeing of all our brothers and sisters.

We pray for all who feel overwhelmed by life: that your message of “have no fear” may renew their hearts and fill their spirits with hope.

We pray for the healing from violence, that you will comfort all who have experienced violence, free their hearts from fear, and help us to comfort and support them.

We pray for protection and healing, that you will protect the Human family from the pandemic virus, heal all who are ill, and give strength to all who care for the sick.

We pray for all who are suffering, that you will heal the wounds of discrimination, guide all young people who are confused or misdirected, and help all who are struggling with addictions to have a new beginning.

We pray for students as they finish their school year, that you will give them strength to move into the new year and help them to express all that they have learned over these months clearly.

We pray for all pregnant women, that you will keep them healthy, help their babies to grow strong, and give them safe deliveries.

We pray for all who are experiencing drought, that you will send gentle rains to refresh the earth and to refill reservoirs.

We pray for the protection of the Earth’s resources, that you will give wisdom and understanding to all who are developing policies that affect the Earth’s air, water, and natural resources.

We pray for the advent of peace and justice, that you will give insight, vision, and courage to all who are striving to turn swords into ploughshares and spears into pruning hooks.

Copyright © 2021. Joe Milner. All rights reserved.<br> Permission is hereby granted to reproduce for personal or parish use.  https://liturgy.slu.edu/ 

We pray for the staff at the Stanley Browne Laboratory in India as they work to test new ways to manage leprosy.  We pray for the Leprosy Mission Nepal staff as they undertake ongoing clinical trials of drugs to treat leprosy reactions.  We pray for the mid-term evaluation of the Improved Leprosy Services Project so as to reduce transmission rates.

We pray for the church in Myanmar and Thailand, thanking you for their faithful witness in lands of political unrest and religious persecution.  We pray for minority ethnic and religious groups who continue to experience discrimination, persecution or even genocide.  We pray for greater interfaith understanding and tolerance for ethnic and religious diversity.  We pray for those victimized by economic and social exploitation, that they will be given a way out of their situations and a means to move towards improved lives and livelihoods.  We pray for political stability and progress toward democratic rule.  We pray for economic justice for all people, and environmental protection, as these countries undergo development.

We pray for Sri Lankan refugees in India as they seek to return to their homes having been displaced because of violence and civil war.  We pray for their safety and security as they return to an uncertain future.  We pray that when they return, they will find homes and the means to provide for themselves and their families.

We pray for Scripture Union Beach Mission teams as they plan, prepare and promote their outreach programs at seaside locations throughout Australia.  We pray for the team members that they will be enthused and equipped to share their faith with families and youth.  We pray for their wellbeing and safety as they participate in their planned activities.

We pray for guidance as we as a congregation work with Presbytery to identify someone who can lead us in ministry and mission in the coming year.

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.

Hymn

“The Three Drovers” from Five Australian Christmas Carols

Verse 1 of 3

Across the plains one Christmas night, three drovers riding blythe and gay,

Looked up and saw a starry night, more radiant than the Milky Way;

And on their hearts such wonder fell, they sang with joy “Noel!  Noel!”

“Noel!  Noel!  Noel!”

Verse 2 of 3

The air was dry with Summer heat, and smoke was on the yellow Moon,

But from the Heavens, faint and sweet, came floating down a wondrous tune,

And, as they heard, they sang full well, those drovers three, “Noel!  Noel!”

“Noel!  Noel!  Noel!”

Verse 3 of 3

The black swans flew across the sky, the wild dog called across the plain,

The starry lustre blazed on high, still echoed on the Heavenly strain,

And still they sang “Noel!  Noel!” those drovers three “Noel!  Noel!”

“Noel!  Noel!  Noel!”

John Wheeler

Benediction    

“Christmas Day”

(from The Gift of Glory p157)

Hark, the glad sound!  The Saviour comes,

The Saviour promised long;

Let every heart prepare a throne

And every voice a song!

He comes, the broken heart to bind,

The bleeding soul to cure,

And with the treasures of His grace

To enrich the humble poor.

Our glad Hosannas, Prince of Peace,

The welcome shall proclaim,

And Heaven’s eternal arches ring

With They beloved name.

Philip Doddridgea

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 – a verse is played as an 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