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Have you ever considered what was the real physical appearance of Jesus?

  Here is someone’s conception of Jesus based upon his being from the Semitic race, which was the dominant race the populated Palestine and the surrounding areas of the Middle East at the time of the life and ministry of Jesus.

  But, as the Gospel of Christ has spread over the World, various peoples have sought to portray Jesus as someone more familiar and recognisable. 

a Semitic Jesus

Here is someone’s portrayal of Jesus as a member of the Chinese race.

a Chinese Jesus

Here is someone’s portrayal of Jesus as a member of the Ghanian race.

a Ghanian Jesus

Here is someone’s portrayal of Jesus as a member of the Greek race.

a Greek Jesus

Here is someone’s portrayal of Jesus as a European.

a European Jesus

I could find only the one reference in the Bible to the physical appearance of Jesus.  There is a passage in the writings of the Prophet Isaiah which describes the physical appearance of “God’s suffering Servant”, which we find in Isaiah 53: 2b:

“He had no dignity or beauty to make us take notice of him.  There was nothing attractive about him, nothing that would draw us to him.” 

  Hardly a flattering description.

One of today’s readings concerns the visit of the shepherds to the stable in Bethlehem to see the infant Jesus about whom the angel had told them.  What was the sign which would enable these shepherds to identify that it was indeed Jesus that they were seeing?  It wasn’t the beatific infant, as portrayed in paintings.  It wasn’t the brilliantly shining halo above his head, also as portrayed in paintings.  It wasn’t the light of a star shining as a bright spotlight into the stable, also as portrayed in paintings.  (No such star is mentioned in Luke’s account of the birth of Jesus.  Only Matthew records such a star, being a guide for the Magi so as to guide them “until it stopped over the place where the child was”.  Matthew 2: 10  )

  The angels said to the shepherds:

“This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”  (Luke 2: 12) 

  The physical appearance of Jesus wasn’t of major importance to the shepherds, only where they would find him and what he would be wearing.

Paul wrote a Letter to Titus, who Paul had left in Crete “to put things in order”  (Titus 1” 5a)    Paul encouraged Titus saying,

“we wait for the blessed Day we hope for, when the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ will appear”  (Titus 2: 13) 

  What Paul is saying is that. At the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to the World, he will be instantly recognised by every member of Humanity, regardless of any prior proclamation of faith or belief, not by his actual physical appearance, but by his “glory”, as God and Saviour.

  We gather today to offer our praise and worship of Jesus Christ, not because of his physical appearance, not because we can picture him as being a member of any racial type, but because we have seen his glory for ourselves as our God and Saviour.  This is emphasised at this time of Christmas because it is the time in the Church Calendar when we stop to consider the circumstances surrounding his coming to Earth as the fulfillment of God’s plan to redeem humanity back to Himself.

You are invited to listen to, or join in singing the Hymn ‘The North Wind’ 

(TiS322  Five Australia Christmas Carols p6 & 7)

Verse 1 of 2

The north wind is tossing the leaves,

the red dust is over the town,

the sparrows are under the eaves,

and the grass in the paddock is brown,

as we lift up our voices and sing

to the Christ-child, the Heavenly King.

Verse 2 of 2

The tree-ferns in green gullies sway,

the cool stream flows silently by,

the joy-bells are greeting the day,

and the chimes are adrift in the sky,

as we lift up our voices and sing

to the Christ-child, the Heavenly king.

John Wheeler

Prayer of Praise

 (incorporating Psalm 148: 14) 

  Almighty God, we thank you for all the fun and excitement of Christmas.  We thank you for the amazing nativity story, that tells us about the birth of Jesus.  We 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. 

We rejoice that you have raised up a King, who is the assurance of your salvation for us.

We praise you as our God, who is so near and so dear to us.  Hallelujah!  Amen!

You are invited to listen to, or join in singing 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

Prayer of Confession   

God of grace and truth, we acknowledge our faults and wrongs. 

God of mercy, hear us as we confess our sins.

We confess a sin that has made us slow to learn from Christ, reluctant to follow him and afraid to bear the cross. 

Lord, have mercy.

We confess a 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 witnessing for Christ. 

Lord, have mercy.

We confess a sin that has led us to misuse your gifts, evade our responsibilities, and fail to be good stewards of your Creation. 

Lord, have mercy.

We confess a 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 Saviour and Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Prayer of illumination 

Almighty, gracious Father, for as much as our whole salvation depends upon our true understanding of your holy Word, grant to all of us that our hearts, being freed from worldly affairs, may hear and comprehend your holy Word with all diligence and faith, that we may rightly understand your gracious will, cherish it, and live by it with all earnestness, to your praise and honour, through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.

(Prayer of Martin Bucer: 1538)

(https://www.reformedworship.org/article/september-1991/pioneer-reformed-worship-celebrating-500th-anniversary-martin-bucer)

Reformed Worship 21 © September 1991 Worship Ministries of the Christian Reformed Church.  Used by permission.

Bible Readings

Isaiah 12:

4  A day is coming when people will sing,

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

5  Sing to the LORD because of the great things He has done.  Let the whole World hear the news.  6  Let everyone who lives in Zion shout and sing.  Israel’s holy God is great, and He lives among His people.

Colossians 3:

15  The peace that Christ gives is to guide you in the decisions you make; for it is to this peace that God has called you together in the one body.  And be thankful.  16  Christ’s message in all its richness must live in your hearts.  Teach and instruct one another with all wisdom.  Sing psalms, hymns, and sacred songs; sing to God with thanksgiving in your hearts.  17  Everything you do or say, then, should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus, as you give thanks through him to God the Father.

This is the Word of God.

Praise to you Almighty God.

Luke 2:

8  There were some shepherds in that part of the country who were spending the night in the fields, taking care of their flocks.  9  An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone over them.  They were terribly afraid,  10  but the angel said to them,

“Don’t be afraid!  I am here with good news for you, which will bring great joy to all the people.  11  This very day in David’s town, your Saviour was born – Christ the Lord!  12  and this is what will prove it to you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13  Suddenly, a great army of Heaven’s angels appeared with the angel, singing praises to God:

14  “Glory to God in the highest Heaven, and peace on Earth to those with whom He is pleased!”

15  When the angels went away from them back into Heaven, the shepherds said to one another,

“Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us.”

16  So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and saw the baby lying in the manger.  17  When the shepherds saw him, they told them what the angel had said about the child.  18  All who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said.

19  Mary remembered all these things and thought deeply about them.

20  The shepherd went back, singing praises to God for all they had heard and seen; it had been just as the angel had told them.

This is the Gospel of our Lord.

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

You are invited to listen to, or join in singing the Hymn ‘The First Noel’ 

(TiS301  AHB221  MHB131)

(anonymous – English C17th)

Sermon

  Let us listen to this YouTube clip.

“The birth announcement” 

Chris Reif

 I want us to consider some misconceptions that have developed about the Nativity of Jesus.

  We have Luke recording that Mary wrapped her first-born son in swaddling clothes and placing him in a manger.  (Luke 2: 7)  The significance of this is that the mention of a manger implies that, at this point in time, their abode was in a stable, with straw as their bedding, and amidst the animals that were normally housed there. 

  This is important for several reasons.  But, at the risk of digressing too far, I want to focus on the short phrase that Luke inserts, for Luke describes Jesus as “(Mary’s) first-born son”.  It is important to recognise that, although Mary was the virgin mother of Jesus, she and Joseph had other children,  (Matthew 1: 25)  ,contradicting the stance taken by some Denominations that Mary remained a virgin for the remainder of her life.  Luke and John make reference to brothers of Jesus.  (Luke 8: 19, John 1: 12)  Mark names four brothers of Jesus, and Mark also makes reference to sisters of Jesus as well.  (Mark 6: 3) 

  But, getting back to this stable, Henry Morton, in his book, “In the Steps of the Master”, describes just such a stable that were prevalent in Bethlehem at the time of his visit in the early 1930s.  These stables were caves carved into the sides of hills, above which was built the house in which the family lived.  (Henry Morton in “In the Steps of the Master p124 to 126, Henry Hallei in Halley’s Bible Handbook p392)  Mangers from which the animals were fed were carved into the walls of these caves, and any animals housed in these stables were tied by rope to rings inserted into the walls of the stables to stop them from wandering away.

  The word that Luke uses, which is translated as “Inn” in many versions of Lukes Gospel, “kataluma”  (Strong’s NT 2646)  , can also be understood to mean a “guest chamber” or “guest room”, which would have formed part of the house above the stable, and which the owner of the house would in normal circumstances have invited guests to occupy during their stay.  But, because there were so many others of the Household of David who were also required to travel to Bethlehem so as to register for the Roman census, and who also chose to stay in the family house, there was no room for Joseph and Mary when they arrived.  It would have been into this house, or a house such as this, that Mary and Joseph and Jesus would have moved when space became available, and in which the Magi found them on their visit, in about two years time.  (Matthew 2: 11) 

  We should not get the impression that there was panic and a sense of emergency when Joseph and Mary arrived in Bethlehem, desperate to find a place to stay, as is portrayed in some YouTubes and story books.  It was an organised arrangement, albeit unorthodox and unfortunate.  And we must not assume that it was rushed and unplanned, for the owners of the house would have had the time to ensure that clean bed linen was available and that regular meals were provided.

  This leads to another misconception, for we can be certain that Joseph had no part to play in the delivery of Jesus at his birth, as is portrayed in some YouTubes and story books.  There is nothing to suggest that fathers took any part in delivering their children at the time of their birth.  The people of Israel had a long tradition of midwives whose time and skills were called upon at the birth of children.  (Exodus 1: 15 – 21)  There would, thus, have been midwives available in Bethlehem who would have been called upon to assist Mary at the birth of Jesus.  There would have been women in the house above the stable who would also have been there, assisting and providing what was required and cleaning up after the birth.  The mention by Luke that there were others present during the visit by the shepherds and “who heard” the tales which they were passing on  (Luke 2: 18)  ,  implies not just the presence of curious neighbours, but also of these midwives and these other women who helped Mary.

  There is some debate about whether the 25^th December is the actual birth date of Jesus.

  “Good Jews didn’t keep birthdays [which was a Hellenistic practice], so the mortal Jesus very likely didn’t know himself when he was born.  That information was not preserved in the early Christian church.”  (Kevin Barney December 3, 2006 – quoting Andrew McGowan, “How December 25 Became Christmas,” Bible Review 18/6 (December 2002), 46. – https://bycommonconsent.com/2006/12/03/april-sixth-and-the-conception-of-jesus/)

  “Early Christians did not celebrate his birth, and no one knows on which date Jesus was actually born (some scholars believe that the actual date was in the early spring, placing it closer to Easter, the holiday commemorating his Resurrection)”  (Encyclopedia Britannica – https://www.britannica.com/story/why-is-christmas-in-december)

  “There is no evidence that Jesus was born in December.”  (Howard Marshall in Luke in The New Bible Commentary p893) 

  Some scholars tend to claim that the early Church in the 3^rd and 4^th centuries, in an attempt to settle upon a date and to assert its dominance over current pagan practices of the time, assimilated a then existing festival or holiday and rebranded it as ‘Christian’.  (Craig Keener in Luke in The IVP Bible Background Commentary to the New Testament p194) 

  In the 3rd century, the Roman Empire, which at the time had not adopted Christianity, celebrated the rebirth of the Unconquered Sun (Sol Invictus) on December 25th.  This holiday not only marked the return of longer days after the winter solstice but also followed the popular Roman festival called the Saturnalia (during which people feasted and exchanged gifts).  It was also the birthday of the Indo-European deity Mithra, a god of light and loyalty whose cult was at the time growing popular among Roman soldiers.  (Encyclopedia Britannica – https://www.britannica.com/story/why-is-christmas-in-december) 

  The history of Christmas was also marked decisively by the context of Judaism in the 4th century AD.  Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem, just 10km south of Jerusalem, and was born and raised Jewish.  The early Church may have chosen 25 December for Christmas because it was also the date of the Jewish feast of Chanukkah, a rite symbolic of Jesus’ birth and the concept of God ‘dwelling in a human body’.  (https://www.findmypast.com.au/blog/history/why-do-we-celebrate-christmas-on-25-december) 

  So, some argue that this important date in the Church calendar was based upon nothing more than an attempt by the early Church leaders to appease pagans who did not want to give up their gluttony and revelry, and accommodated them by saying that they could continue these practices “in the name of the Lord” and call it Christmas, Christ’s Mass.

  But there is a more simpler and acceptable explanation.  Some parts of the wider Church celebrate what is termed, “The Feast of the Annunciation”.  It is also known by other terms:

the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary,

the Annunciation of Our Lady,

the Annunciation of the Lord, or

the Annunciation of Our Most Holy Lady.

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annunciation, https://www.goarch.org/annunciation) 

  “This Feast commemorates the announcement by the Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary that Jesus, would become incarnate and enter into this World through her womb.  It is celebrated each year on 25^th March as the date of this announcement by the Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary.”  (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annunciation, https://www.goarch.org/annunciation) 

  Accepting the validity of the basis for this festival, and that this it is held on 25^th March, it is reasonable, then, to accept that the birth date of Jesus would be in nine months from that date, that is, the 25^th December.

  Luke records for us,

“There were some shepherds in that part of the country who were spending the night in the fields, taking care of their flocks.”  (Luke 2: 8) 

  Some scholars argue that December is too late in the year for sheep to be grazing out on the hillsides in the evenings, because it is too cold for the sheep.

  Howard Marshall writes,

“flocks were kept out in the field by night from April to November”.  (Howard Marshall in Luke in The New Bible Commentary p893) 

Craig Keener writes,

”Pasturing of flocks at night, indicates that this was a warmer season, not winter.”  (Craig Keener in Luke in The IVP Bible Background Commentary to the New Testament p194) 

  Emma Danzey writes,

“Firstly, Shepherds were in their fields, so this can indicate a late summer or early fall birthday  (that is, in August or September).  Second, Mary and Joseph had to register.  The censuses were normally taken in warmer months for easier travel.”  (Why Do We Celebrate Christmas on December 25? – Emma Danzey, December 20, 2022 – https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/why-do-we-celebrate-christmas-on-december-25.html ) 

  But, other scholars argue that it is perfectly reasonable to accept what Luke is writing.

  William Barclay writes,

“In the Temple, morning and evening, an unblemished Lamb was offered as a sacrifice to God.  To see that the supply of perfect and unblemished offerings was always available, the Temple authorities had their own private sheep flocks; and we know that these flocks were pastured near Bethlehem.”  (William Barclay in The Gospel of Luke  The Daily bible Study Bible p17) 

  Lewis Foster writes,

“The flocks reserved for Temple sacrifices were kept in the fields near Bethlehem throughout the year.”  (Lewis Foster in Study Note in The NIV Study Bible p1566) 

  So, accepting that shepherds were grazing their flocks of sheep in December on the hillsides in the vicinity of Bethlehem at night, and that the early history of the wider Church places the birth date of Jesus as 25^th December, we read Luke’s account of “The shepherds and the Angels”  (Luke 2: 8 to 20)  with confidence.

  But big questions arise.  Why did God initially seek to share the good news of the incarnate birth of His Son to a group of shepherds?  Why did He not give this news to the attendant of the Bethlehem synagogue  (Luke 4: 20)  ?  Why did He not give this news to any Priests or Pharisees who may have lived in the region of Bethlehem?  Why did He not announce this good news to the Chief Priests, the Teachers of the Law and the Council of Elders in Jerusalem, in the same manner in which He appeared to Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, while Zechariah was performing his priestly duties in the Temple in Jeerusalem?  For, surely, if God had announced His good news to any of these other people or groups, then the news of the birth of Jesus would have spread quickly.

  Perhaps God’s intent was not for the good news of the birth of Jesus to be spread far and wide just yet, for the time was not right for the ministry of Jesus to commence.  (Matthew 4: 12, Mark 1: 14 & 15, Luke 4: 14) 

  And, just as likely, for God to speak to you, you must be receptive to hearing God’s voice or to the appearance of God’s messengers, and, in all likelihood, these other groups of leaders of the People of Israel were too preoccupied with careers and prestige, or with the rites and rituals of Jewish worship practices, to be open to God speaking to them.

  Whatever the reason, God announced to a group of shepherds that His Son had been born.  Was there some symbolism involved?

  We know that David was a shepherd.  (1 Samuel 1: 11) 

  David’s well-known song of praise about God, described God as a shepherd.  (Psalm 23: 1) 

  God condemned those who He judged were responsible for “destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture”, promising to “gather the remnant of my flock, .. and bring them back to their pasture.”  (Jeremiah 23: 1 – 4) 

  God describes His relationship with the People of Israel as a shepherd who tenderly cares for his flock.  (Isaiah 40: 11) 

  And Jesus proclaimed that “I am the good shepherd, who knows his sheep, and who is willing to lay down his life for his sheep.”  (John 10: 11 & 14) 

  But there appears to be some other intent, for there is no prestige or status or luxury to be found in the life of a shepherd.  God is saying that, similarly, there is no room for prestige or status or luxury in determining to whom He will seek to interact and to display His love.

  William Barclay writes,

“We must think of the rough simplicity of the birth of the Son of God.  We might have expected that, if the Son of God had to be born into this World at all, it would be in a palace or a mansion.  It is the great thought of the Christian faith that we have a God who knows this life because he lived it, and claimed no special advantage over the common person.”  (William Barclay in The Gospel of Luke  The Daily bible Study Bible p18) 

  Leslie Husselbee writes,

“God had great news to share – the greatest there has ever been.  His Son had been born in Bethlehem!  And who did God choose to be the first ones to share this marvellous news?  He did not choose those who had made it their life’s work to study His will; nor did He choose rich and influential people; nor even good orators who could proclaim the news in well-chosen words.  He chose shepherds – ordinary, rough men of fields and hills.  God is no respecter of persons.  His love comes to outcasts, to the rejected.  The glory of God’s love shines in the faces of sinners, and upon people who have no standing in the World.”

(Leslie Husselbee in Love comes down at Christmas in Notes on Bible Readings by the International Bible Reading Association 26 December 1989)

  Lastly, we need to consider the response of the shepherds to the revelation from God.  They had been told of the birth of a child who is their “Saviour”, their “Christ”, and their “Lord”.  (Luke 2: 11)  After the revelation of this Earth-changing news, and the revelation of the glory of God  (Luke 2: 14)  , it is understandable that they “hurried off” to Bethlehem, to find the stable, and to see for themselves “this thing that has happened”.  (Luke 2: 15 & 16) 

  And in doing so, they became the first evangelists, for, upon finding Mary and Joseph, “they told them about what the angel had said about (their) child.  (Luke 2: 17)  The

shepherds sought to share the joy of their new understanding of God at work in the World.

  In doing so, the shepherds were fulfilling the words of the Prophet Isaiah, who wrote,

“Give thanks to the LORD!  Tell all the Nations what He has done!  Tell them how great He is!  Sing to the LORD because of the great things He has done.  Let the whole World hear the news.  Israel’s holy God is great, and He lives among His people.”  (Isaiah 12: 4 – 6) 

  This, too, should be our response, for we, too, have received the same revelation of God’s great news to the World, of God’s revelation of His love for Humanity, of the culmination of His work to redeem Humanity back to Himself through His Son, born into the world as one of us.  Like the shepherds, let us joyfully share this good news with those whom we meet in our daily lives, such that all who hear our words will be “amazed” at what we have to share.

  And in the words of the angel in the poem, “The Birth Announcement” by Chris Reif, let us rejoice of “people hearing about Jesus and running to meet him”.  Amen.

Let us listen to this YouTube clip.

“A Christmas Hallelujah”

[This song is being sung to the tune of Leonard Cohen’s song “Hallelujah”.]

[The Christmas Hallelujah was written by Cloverton]

You are invited to listen to, or join in singing the Hymn

“While shepherds watched their flocks by night” 

(MHB129  AHB223  TiS299)

Nahum Tate

Offering

Offering Prayer    

Gracious God, we who are blessed in so many ways rejoice in your presence with us here and now, and are assured of the coming joys of your Kingdom.

As disciples of Christ, may we earnestly seek to be living temples for you, may our hearts truly become a home for our Lord.

In gratitude for your blessings lavished upon us, we present these gifts to you for your blessing and guidance, to be used so that all people, walking in darkness, may seek the light of Christ and respond to you love and grace saying, “Come Lord Jesus!”.  Amen.

– Henri J.M. Nouwen

(https://columbans.co.uk/pray/13427/intercessions-for-the-4th-sunday-of-advent/)

Prayers for Others

Merciful God, we pray for the Church,

that it may be enabled in our generation to surrender anew to your holy Wisdom, and bear the Good News of your love to a needy World.

We pray for the world, which is already Christ’s,

that all its peoples may be inspired by the message of Christmas to work together for the establishment of justice, freedom and peace everywhere.

We pray 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.

We pray 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.

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, the food and the family we long to celebrate Christmas with you and rejoice in the knowledge of your gift to the World.

Lord God, we bring these prayers to you, trusting in your lovingkindness.  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.

You are invited to listen to, or join in singing the Hymn

‘What child is this’

from A Wreath of Carols p52

William Dix

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.

You are invited to listen to, or join in singing the Benediction Song (first verse)

“Rejoice and be Merry”

 Carols for Choirs 1 number 32

Verse 1 of 1

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