Welcome:   –

Liturgy for Advent Four:   –

Narrator: Today we light the candle of Love.

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

A reading from Matthew 1:

18  This is how the birth of Jesus Christ took place.  His mother, Mary, was engaged to Joseph, but before they were married, she found out that she was going to have a baby by the Holy Spirit.  19  Joseph was a man who always did what was right, but he did not want to disgrace Mary publicly; so he made plans to break the engagement privately.  20  While he was thinking about this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary to be your wife.  For it is by the Holy Spirit that she has conceived.  21  She will have a son, and you will name him Jesus – because he will save his people from their sins.” 

22  Now, all of this happened in order to make true what the Lord had said through the Prophet,

23  “A virgin will become pregnant and have a son, and he will be called Immanuel” (which means ‘God is with us’  (Isaiah 7: 14) 

24  So, when Joseph woke up, he married Mary, as the angel of the Lord had told him to.  25 But he had no sexual relations with her before she gave birth to her son.  And Joseph named him Jesus.

Comment on Matthew 1:

  “She will have a son, and you will name him Jesus – because he will save his people from their sins.”, so was the message that the angel gave to Joseph.  (Matthew 1: 21)  However, the English translation of this verse does not convey the richness of meaning of the original Greek words that Matthew recorded in his Gospel.  In the Greek, the name Jesus, is ieshua, while in the Greek, the words, “he will save” is ioshua.  (Randolph Tasker in Matthew p35)

  It is but a play on words, but the hearers and readers of Matthew’s Gospel would link these two words so as to say “Jesus Saviour”.  It is this notion of God as “Saviour” that is a consistent reference in the Old Testament.  Psalm 96 verse 2 states “Proclaim every day the good news that the LORD has saved us.”

The Prophet Isaiah foretells of a time in the future when the Jerusalem will be called “God’s Holy People”, “The People the LORD Has Saved.”  (Isaiah 62: 12a) 

Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, said, “Let us praise the Lord, he has provided for us a mighty Saviour.”  (Luke 1: 68a & 69a) 

What is God’s motivation to save his People?  Moses records God’s words to the Israelites, “Out of all the peoples on the Earth, I have chosen you to be my treasured possession.  (Exodus 19: 5, Deuteronomy 7: 6) 

The Prophet Isaiah states that Jerusalem will be called “The City That God Loves.”  (Isaiah 62: 12b) 

Zechariah said of his son, John, “he will go to tell his people that they will be saved by having their sins forgiven, (for) our God is merciful and tender.  (Luke 1: 76 – 78) 

Upon reflecting on the life and ministry of Jesus, the Apostle John was led to write:

“For God loved the World so much that He gave His only son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life.”  (John 3: 16) 

From his birth, through his life, and death, and resurrection, and ascension, his name would have reminded all who met Jesus, of the love of God for them.

The Gift of God’s Love

All over the world at this Season

Expectant hands reach to receive

Gifts that are lavishly fashioned,

The finest that we can conceive.

For, purchased and given at Christmas

Are luxuries we long to possess,

Given as favours and tokens

To try in some way to express

That strange, indefinable feeling

Which is part of this grand time of year

When streets are crowded with shoppers

And the air resounds with good cheer.

But back of each tinsel-tied package

Exchanged at this gift-giving season,

Unrecognised often by many,

Lies a deeper, more meaningful reason.

For, born in a manger at Christmas,

As a gift from the Father above,

An infant whose name was called Jesus

Brought to us the gift of God’s love.

And the gifts that we give have no purpose

Unless God is part of the giving,

And unless we make Christmas a pattern

To be followed in everyday living.

  (Helen Steiner Rice in God’s Garden of Grace p8 & 9) 

Let us pray.

  Lord Jesus Christ, by being born one of us, and lying humbly in a manger, you show how much God loves the world.  Let the light of your love always shine in our hearts.  Let it draw us to kneel in wonder at Heaven touching Earth.  Accept our heartfelt praise as we worship you, our Saviour and our eternal God.  Amen.

  (https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/topical-prayers/prayers-christmas) 

Let us continue on the theme of Love as we sing the carol,  “What child is this”  (A Wreath of Carols p52) 

William Dix

Prayer of Praise    

Creator and Redeemer, you did not plant the seed of this Earth into the Universe as if by chance.

It was your hand that placed it here, your plan to grow it here.

You did not populate this earth with a people made in your image purely by chance. 

It was your hand that placed us here, your breath that keeps us here.

You did not come as a tiny child to walk this earth as if by chance. 

It was your Love that brought you here, your Grace that saved us here.

Our Creator and Redeemer, you gave your all to the World. 

In the bleakness of that stable, Love was born that day; pure love, undiluted, poured out for all who call on Your name.

Such Grace, unmerited, deserves a response in the life that we lead.  Forgive our ingratitude after all you have done. 

Draw us to your Word, give us a new song to sing, that will resonate throughout this World and begin with us today.

We are not grains of sand upon the shore, buffeted by sea and storm. 

We are individuals loved by God, more intimately than we could ever know. 

Though from a distance we seem insignificant and frail, the creating breath that formed us now lives in and sustains us.

Thank you, Saving God, made known to us in Jesus Christ, not only by his words but through his sacrificial life.  May our lives reflect not only his love, but your glory, and the whole earth sing your praises.  Amen.

  (https://www.faithandworship.com/prayers_Christmas.htm#gsc.tab=0) 

Copyright © John Birch, 2022 · Prayers written by the author may be copied freely for worship.

(https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/christmas-prayers-to-help-prepare-your-heart.html)

We sing the Hymn: TiS 318 ‘Away in a Manger’ 

Anonymous

Prayer of Confession   

God of love, the Psalmist was right in asking how long will you be angry with your people – because we, in our weakness, get caught up so easily in the ‘silliness’ of this season.

Our sense of wonder over the depth of your love for us becomes dulled.  Our preoccupation with choosing suitable gifts and preparing acceptable food can make us quite unloving as Christmas draws nearer.

Forgive us, O God, when we have failed  in word or deed to proclaim that the birth of Jesus is the wonderful and true reason for the Christmas season.

Rekindle our sense of wonder, O God, at your choosing to share our humanity, by being born, as we all were, a vulnerable and helpless baby. 

Thank you Father, for your patience with a rebellious people,

Loving you one moment, forgetting you the next.

Thank you for your endless love which does not give up,

But wants the best for us despite our faults.

Thank you for your promise, to all who believe,

And put their trust in you, everlasting life.

You challenge us this Advent time, this season of preparation,

To put aside our pride, and understand our need for repentance, forgiveness and mercy.

Less of self,

More of you.

Merciful God, as we watch and wait for your breaking into our world once more, in the person of Jesus, shape and reshape our priorities

So that the gift we give which is most cherished will be our witness to your love in ways that are transforming, visible and lasting. 

Purify our hearts, sanctify our lives,

That we might serve you faithfully this day and all days.  Amen.

  (https://www.faithandworship.com/prayers_Christmas.htm#gsc.tab=0) 

Copyright © John Birch, 2022 · Prayers written by the author may be copied freely for worship.

  (Moira Laidlaw in Liturgies Online Year A Advent 4) 

Assurance of Forgiveness

  (from Romans 1: 4 & 7) 

The Apostle Paul reminds the Church in Rome of the great power of God in raising Jesus Christ from death, and of the great love of God is His desire that people would believe and obey Him and respond to His call to be His people.

In repenting of our sins before God, we have put our faith in the saving work of Jesus Christ, we have shown that we believe and obey.  Let us be assured then, that God has forgiven our sins and that God demonstrates His love for us and calls each one of us to belong to Him.

Thanks be to God.

We sing the Hymn: TiS 319 ‘Child in the manger’ 

Mary Macdonald

translated by Lachlan Macbean

Talk 1

A reading from Luke 1:

26  In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy God sent the angel Gabriel to a town in Galilee named Nazareth.  27  He had a message for a young woman promised in marriage to a man named Joseph, who was a descendant of King David.  Her name was Mary.

28  The angel came to her and said, “Peace be with you!  The Lord is with you and has greatly blessed you!”

29  Mary was deeply troubled by the angel’s message, and she wondered what his words meant.

30  The angel said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary; God has been gracious to you.  31  You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.  32  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High God.  The Lord God will make him a king, as his ancestor David was,  33  and he will be the king of the descendants of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end!”

34  Mary said to the angel, “I am a virgin. How, then, can this be?”

35  The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and God’s power will rest upon you. For this reason the holy child will be called the Son of God.  36  Remember your relative Elizabeth. It is said that she cannot have children, but she herself is now six months pregnant, even though she is very old.  37  for there is nothing that God cannot do.”

38  “I am the Lord’s servant,” said Mary; “may it happen to me as you have said.”  And the angel left her.

39  Soon afterward Mary got ready and hurried off to a town in the hill country of Judea.  40  She went into Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth.

41  When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby moved within her. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit  42  and said in a loud voice,

“You are the most blessed of all women, and blessed is the child you will bear!  43  Why should this great thing happen to me, that my Lord’s mother comes to visit me?  44  For as soon as I heard your greeting, the baby within me jumped with gladness.  45  How happy you are to believe that the Lord’s message to you will come true!”

  There had been no prophetic revelation from God to the people of Judah since the time of the Prophet Malachi.  The state of affairs in Judah referred to in Malachi’s writings have been dated to around 430BC.  The following 430 years were ones of great political and social upheaval for the Jews, with Persian rule replaced by Greek rule in 332BC, followed by rule by the Ptolemaic dynasty from Egypt from 320BC to 198BC, followed by rule from the Seleucid dynasty of Syria until 166BC, followed by a century of self-rule until 63BC when the Romans conquered Palestine.  But throughout this period, God had been silent: no further words of instruction, no further words of judgement, no further words of encouragement or blessing.

  During this period the people of Judah had experienced oppressive rule from various foreign powers, and, at times, oppressive restrictions on their freedom to worship God in the Temple in Jerusalem.  It is little wonder then that they developed an understanding that the intent of the expectant Messiah would be one of ridding Judah of her foreign rulers, saving Judah from her enemies, and restoring self-rule to the Jewish Nation.

  At the end of these 430 years, God spoke, firstly to Mary, a young woman living in the village of Nazareth in Galilee, when the angel Gabriel announced God’s message to her saying, “You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.”  (Luke 1: 31)  .

  Michael Wilcock writes in his commentary on Luke’s Gospel, that “the stupendous claims the angel makes for this unborn baby would have staggered Jewish readers of the Gospel.”  (Michael Wilcock in The Message of Luke p35) 

  The angel Gabriel said of the boy to be named Jesus:

that “he will be great”,

that “he will be King of the descendants of Jacob”,

that he will be a King “as his ancestor David was”,

that “his Kingdom will never end”, and

that “he will be called Son of the Most High God”.  (Luke 1: 32 & 33) 

  But, this message that the angel Gabriel gave to Mary would surely have raised several questions in the mind of Mary.

  Mary came from a small and insignificant village in the backward province of Galilee, far from the centre of political, religious and social power in Jerusalem.  Given his likely upbringing, how could her son possibly acquire “greatness”?

  It is not explained how her son would be a descendant of David.  Was it because Mary herself was a descendant of David, or did she accept that Joseph, who was a descendant of David, would go through with his intent to marry her, despite her pregnancy and despite village gossip about ‘who was the father of her child’?  Was this why she had no concerns about Joseph being informed of her pregnancy?

  No descendant of David had had any authority in the land of Judah over the descendants of Jacob since Zerubbabel, who returned to Judah from Babylon with the first of the exiles in 537BC.  (Ezra 2: 2)  Yet, Zerubbabel was never a King, only a ‘Governor’  (Haggai 1: 1 & 2: 2)  , and the current Roman occupiers quickly and effectively eliminate any Jewish “pretenders to the throne”.  How, then, could her son become a King in the line of King David?

  Her son was of her own “flesh and blood”, with mortality, how then could he rule a Kingdom “without end”?

  How could her son be “a human descendant of David” and yet also be “Son of God”?

  How is all that the angel spoke of her son to be linked with the implications associated with the name ‘Jesus’, which her son is to be named, for Jesus means, “The Lord is salvation.”?  (Michael Wilcock in The Message of Luke p35, Luke 2: 11, John 4:42)

  Yet we read of Mary’s trust in God, of her belief that God will fulfill all that has been told to her, and of her faith in the angel’s statement “For there is nothing that God cannot do.”  (Luke 1: 37)  , for Mary declares to the angel Gabriel:

“may it happen to me as you have said”.  (Luke 1: 38) 

Screen

“Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting”  Luke 1: 41

  We read that, “soon afterward”, Mary went to visit her cousin, Elizabeth, who was six month’s pregnant at the time.  As soon as Elizabeth “heard Mary’s greeting”, she was “filled with the Holy Spirit and said in a loud voice, ‘You are the most blessed of all women, and blessed is the child you will bear!  Why should this great thing happen to me, that my Lord’s mother comes to visit me?’”  (Luke 1: 41-43) 

  Elizabeth was granted prophetic insight by God into the child Mary was bearing.

“You are the most blessed of all women” she declares to Mary.  (Luke 1: 42a)  This parallels what the angel said to Mary, “The Lord is with you and has greatly blessed you.”  (Luke 1: 28) 

“blessed is the child you will bear”,  Elizabeth continues.  (Luke 1: 42b)  This parallels what the angel said to Mary, “you will name him Jesus (meaning ‘The Lord is salvation.)’”  (Luke 31b) 

“How happy you are to believe that the Lord’s message to you will come true.” perceived Elizabeth  (Luke 1: 45)  , even before Mary had time to convey to her what had taken place so recently during Gabriel’s visit.

Most significantly, Elizabeth joyfully announces, “Why should this great thing happen to me, that my Lord’s mother comes to visit me?”  (Luke 1: 43)  This statement contains Elizabeth’s insights for:

 not only would Mary give birth to a boy,

 not only is the boy “the Son of the Most High God”  (Luke 1: 32 & 35)  , an indication that he would be the fulfillment of Old Testament prophesies such as Isaiah 7: 14, “a young woman who is pregnant will have a son and will name him ‘Immanuel’, (meaning ‘God is with us’)”, and Isaiah 9: 6, “A child is born to us!  A son is given to us!  And he will be called .. ‘Mighty God’”,

 but that God would act wondrously in and through the life of the boy to be born, such that people would address him as their Lord.  (Luke 6: 46, John 13: 13, Romans 10: 9 & Philippians2: 11) 

How does Mary respond to all that Elizabeth has said?  We will discuss this in a minute.

  (https://pixabay.com/vectors/christian-christianity-jesus-mary-1299027/) 

  We sing the Hym: TiS 306 ‘Christians awake salute the happy morn’

John Byrom

Talk 2

A reading from Luke 1:

46  Mary said, “My heart praises the Lord;  47  my soul is glad because of God my Saviour,

48  for he has remembered me, his lowly servant!

  From now on all people will call me happy,  49  because of the great things the Mighty God has done for me.  His name is holy;  50  from one generation to another he shows mercy to those who honour him.

51  He has stretched out his mighty arm and scattered the proud with all their plans.  52  He has brought down mighty kings from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly.  53  He has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away with empty hands.

54  He has kept the promise he made to our ancestors, and has come to the help of his servant Israel.  55  He has remembered to show mercy to Abraham and to all his descendants forever!

(https://www.biblestudytools.com/gnt/luke/1.html)

Screen

    “Mary said, “My heart praises the Lord”  (Luke1: 46)

  (https://pixabay.com/vectors/christian-christianity-jesus-mary-1299027/) 

  What follows in Luke’s Gospel is titled “Mary’s Song of Praise”, or “the Magnificat” as it is titled in the Latin translation of the New Testament  (Michael Wilcock in The Message of Luke p37 and William Barclay in The Gospel of Luke p9) 

  Coleman Luck, in his Commentary on Luke’s Gospel, remarks that “her words show a real acquaintance with the Old Testament Scriptures, especially with the Book of Psalms and the Song of Hannah, the mother of the Prophet Samuel  (1 Samuel 2: 1-10).”  (Coleman Luck in Luke  The Gospel of the Son of Man p29)  This has led scholars such as Howard Marshall to make the comment that “it is probable that Mary employed words already familiar in Jewish praise (for she will hardly have composed the hymn without premeditation and preparation) and that what she said has been written up and elaborated later.”  (Howard Marshall in Luke in the New Bible Commentary p891)    

  Luke records that both Elizabeth and Zechariah also sang such hymns of praise to God.  Is Howard Marshall implying that what Luke records that they said was also “written up and elaborated later”?  All three persons, Mary, Elizabeth and Zechariah were praising God as the Holy Spirit led them to.  (Luke 1: 41, 67)  Who is to judge that they did not use words and understandings that were already on their minds and their hearts, and that Luke has faithfully recorded what was said as was passed on to him by a first-hand witness who was present at the time?

  And yet, Mary does carefully phrase the message in her Song of Praise.

  Mary commences her speech with the words “my heart praises the Lord”  (Luke 1: 46)  , explicitly stating that it is God who behind all that has taken place, that it is God who is at work in the World accomplishing His will and purpose.

  Mary declares that “God is Holy”, because of the evident ways people can see God’s involvement in the World that He created.  (Luke 1” 49b)  

  Firstly, God has kept the promises He made to the ancestors of the Jews.  (Luke 1: 54a)  We have already seen that the birth of Jesus fulfilled two statements that the Prophet Isaiah made concerning God’s promised boy who was to be born, Isaiah 7: 14 & 9: 6.

  Secondly, God displays the “strength of His mighty arms”.  (Luke 1: 51)  As the Angel Gabriel told her, “there is nothing that God cannot do”.  (Luke 1: 37)  What Mary is stating is that God accomplishes His will and purpose in the World irrespective of the actions and intent of those who seek to hinder God at work, or to undo what God seeks to complete in His World and with each person.

  Lastly, God shows mercy “to those who honour Him”.  (Luke 1: 50)  As Zechariah states later, “God promised to rescue us from our enemies and allow us to serve Him without fear, so that we might be holy and righteous before Him all the days of our life.”  (Luke 1: 74 & 75)  God does not forget nor neglect the welfare those who worship and serve Him as their God.

  Mary states that God is our Saviour who has come “to the help of His servant Israel”.  (Luke 1: 47b & 54b)  It is unclear to what Mary is referring here.  Is it to the expectation of ridding Judah of her foreign rulers, saving Judah from her enemies, and of restoring self-rule to the Jewish Nation?  Or does she share the vision and hope expressed later by Zechariah?

  Zechariah spoke of God’s mercy and tenderness, which he sees God displaying in two ways.

Firstly, Zechariah says of God that “He will cause the bright dawn of salvation to rise on us and to shine from Heaven on all those who live in the dark shadow of death”, quoting from Isaiah 9: 2.  (Luke 1: 78 & 79a)  This is the claim that Jesus made about himself:

“Jesus spoke to the Pharisees again.  “I am the light of the world.” he said, “Whoever follows me will have the light of life and will never walk in darkness.”  (John 8: 12) 

Secondly, Zechariah says of God that He will “guide our steps into the path of peace”  (Luke 1: 79b)  Jesus spoke of the need to follow “the narrow gate” that leads to life.  ( Matthew 7: 14) 

  Zechariah, foretells that the task of his son John would be “to tell God’s people that they will be saved by having their sins forgiven”  (Luke 1: 77)  .  Zechariah understands that the salvation being offered by God is on a personal level not on a national political level.

  In a similar manner, Mary writes of the revolutionary way God will work in the hearts and minds of people.

  Firstly, Mary states that God “will scatter the proud with all their plans”  (Luke 1: 51)  William Barclay describes this as a “moral revolution, because if a person sets their life beside the life of Christ, it tears the last vestiges of pride from them.”  (William Barclay in The Gospel of Luke p9) 

  Secondly, Mary states that God “has brought down mighty kings from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly”  (Luke 1: 52)  William Barclay describes this as a “social revolution”, because once we grasp that what Jesus did, he did for all people regardless of social class or status or prestige.  It is no longer possible for the Christian to categorise people along social grades or ranks or prestige or by the World’s labels.  (William Barclay in The Gospel of Luke p10) 

  Thirdly, Mary states that God “has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away with empty hands”.  (Luke 1: 53)  William Barclay describes this as a “economic revolution”, because, whereas in a non-Christian society where each person is out to amass as much as they can get, in a Christian society, no person dares to have too much while others have too little, that every person accepts that they must get only to give away.  (William Barclay in The Gospel of Luke p10) 

  Joel Green writes that “Mary’s song is not a revolutionary call to Human action but a celebration of God’s revolutionary action.”  “The supernatural conception of a son who will be called ‘Son of the Most High God” has set in motion the decisive work of God” who is “unmistakably in control of Human affairs”.  (Joel Green in The Gospel of Luke p99 & p100)  

  Because of God’s love for each individual, He is calling each individual to a renewal of their heart and mind and soul, He is offering the means for a renewal of their relationship with Him and with each other, to be achieved through their faith in the life, witness, death and resurrection of the Son of the Most High God who was born of Mary, two millennia ago.

I will leave you with this poem:

“As you bring your gifts to his cradle and worship him now as King,

Do you bow your knees to his power?  Is your life the offering you bring?

What shall I give for Christmas to him who gave himself for me?

To him I give my life, my love, for time and eternity.”

  (in Our Daily Bread 14/12/2006 & 25/12/2006) 

      We sing the Hymn: TiS 308 ‘To us a Child of Royal Birth’   

[This hymn is to be sung to the tune Melcombe.]

{This YouTube video has organ music only.]

Verse 1 of 3

To us a child of royal birth,

Heir of the promises, is given;

The invisible appears on Earth,

The Son of Man, the God of Heaven.

Verse 2 of 3

A saviour born, in love supreme,

He comes our fallen souls to raise;

He comes his People to redeem

With all the fullness of his grace.

Verse 3 of 3

The Lord of Hosts, the God most High,

Who quits his throne on Earth to live,

We welcome now with holy joy,

With faith into our hearts receive.

Charles Wesley

Offering

Offering Prayer    

“For the life that you have given”  TiS774  

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

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

Loving God, knowing your love for all of Humanity, especially your compassion for the needy, we come to you with our cares and our concerns.

Send your Spirit of compassion upon the Earth.  Enter the places of hate and conflict and impose your amazing and lasting love.  Help them to see the way to peace and prosperity

Hear the cries of the forgotten and bring them comfort.  Hear the cries of those who are suffering and oppressed by those with power and control.  

Bless those who work in the caring professions that they are encouraged and strengthened for their work of giving to others.  Bless those who put themselves in harms way, to protect the defenceless.  

We pray for the Church around the world as it celebrates the birth of Christ.  Bless all those who are entrusted with Christian ministry that your Word might be proclaimed with truth and courage across our world.

Bestow your wisdom on all who govern others, that they may work towards reconciling differences and eliminating want and need.

We pray for all who are cold, hungry, or alone this Advent Season.  Embrace with your tender care all who wander alone or have no place to lay their head, that they may experience the hope of change for their lives.

We pray for all who are anxious, depressed, or ill, those are suffering or sick, in body, mind, heart, and soul, that they may feel your comfort.

We pray for parents, families, and newborn infants, for strengthen bonds of love and commitment, that they may delight in the joy of family life.

Thank you for loving us so much that You gave Your only Son to die for my sins, and be the way for a sinner such as myself to come before You.  

Lord, I pray that in our lives, you will multiply our love.  Help us to love friends and family more.  Teach us to love strangers the way You do.  

We pray for ourselves, that our hearts are open to your presence, that we may be transformed by your love.  Loving God, we bring these prayers to you, trusting in your compassion and care.  To your glory we pray.

(from National Council of Churches in Australia Liturgy for Advent Four – 2022)

  (https://www.faithandworship.com/prayers_Christmas.htm#gsc.tab=0) 

Copyright © John Birch, 2022 · Prayers written by the author may be copied freely for worship.

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

We sing the Hymn TiS 317 ‘Love came down at Christmas’ 

Verse 1 of 3

Love came down at Christmas,

Love all lovely, love divine,

Love was born at Christmas

Star and angels gave the sign.

Verse 2 of 3

Worship we the Godhead,

Love incarnate, Love divine;

Worship we our Jesus:

But wherewith for sacred sign?

Verse 3 of 3

Love shall be our token,

Love be yours and love be mine,

Love to God and all men,

Love for plea and gift and sign.

Christina Rossetti

Benediction    

  The true reason for our joy this Christmas season is the birth of God’s love in human form in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour.  As we go into Christmas week, let us be prepared to see beyond the tinsel to the Heavenly Father who guide us.  Let the light of God shine in us so that we can reflect to the World the love that God has for each person who lives.

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

(from National Council of Churches in Australia Liturgy for Advent Three – 2022)

Benediction Song

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

Verse 1 of 4

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.

Verse 2 of 4

A heavenly vision appeared in the sky;

Vast numbers of angels the shepherds did spy,

Proclaiming the birthday of Jesus our King,

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

Verse 3 of 4

Likewise a bright star in the sky did appear,

Which led the Wise Men from the east to draw near;

They found the Messiah, sweet Jesus our King,

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

Verse 4 of 4

And when they were come, they their treasures unfold,

And unto him offered myrrh, incense and gold.

So blessed for ever be Jesus our King,

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

Traditional English Carol