St. Albans and Welwyn circuit service for Christmas Day Sunday 25th December 2022
prepared by Mr. Graham Phillips.
Bright loving God, Emmanuel, God with us, help us to recognise you today and welcome you into our lives in wonder, in truth and Holy joy
Welcome, may I take this opportunity to wish you all a very Happy and Joyful Christmas wherever you are.
We begin with the final part of our Advent liturgy as we light the final candle of our Advent ring, if you have one.
Jesus light of the world. ( Read Isaiah 9:2-7)
Reader One:
The birth of Jesus heralds a dawn of a new time. God dwells with his people. In Jesus God’s light enters the world and the darkness is powerless to overcome it. Now we, who once walked in darkness, have been exposed to a great and glorious light. Jesus is God’s extraordinary gift to us, the radiant light which shines into our world offering hope, peace, joy and love for eternity.
Prayer
Jesus light of the world; you ignite our hope with your promises.
Jesus light of the world; you shed peace into our hearts.
Jesus light of the world; you awaken a joy that is eternal.
Jesus light of the world; you set us ablaze with your love.
Thank you Jesus, for being the light of our world. Amen
Reader Two:
For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; he is named Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace
All: Our hope has been met. Our preparations are done. Our joy has been fulfilled. the love of God has come to live among us. And so today we light the candle of Christ.
Reader One: The grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all. the long awaited Christ has come!
Reader Two: Celebrating the birth of our Saviour, we light this candle to symbolise Jesus, the light of the world.
All: Together, we will shine with the radiant light of Christ
Call to Worship:-
We come to give thanks for this season-to rejoice at your great love in sending your son, to see for ourselves the truth discovered by the shepherds, to worship Christ and offer our gifts, as wise men came before us. with joyful hearts, we come to you.
Hymn :- STF 212 O come all ye faithful
Prayer of Adoration
Gracious God, in all the hustle and bustle of Christmas, the ceremony, the tradition with which we surround it, we can lose sight, sometimes, of the joy at its heart. We can put so much energy into having a good time that we forget what it is we are meant to be celebrating, being left afterwards with a sense of emptiness, a feeling that it hasn’t been like Christmas at all. Help us to enjoy all the fun and festivity, the love and the laughter, the giving and receiving, but help us also to keep in mind the reality at the heart of this season, the message that it is finally about. A child is born for us-a son is given. WITH JOY WE GREET HIM and offer our praise and adoration. AMEN
Prayer of Confession
How much time, Lord, will we make for you this Christmas? How much time, before, during, and after the celebrations, to reflect on your love? Will we put you at the centre of our celebrations, the heart of our lives, or relegate you to the margins, include you almost as an afterthought? Forgive us, for all too often, not only at Christmas but at other times too when we have time for just about everything… except you. AMEN
To begin just a short but very simple quiz to remind us what today is all about.
Can you make sense of the following by filling in the missing word.
WHITE – – – – – – MAS. FATHER – – – – – – MAS. MERRY – – – – – – MAS.
Yes of course the answer in each case was Christ, without Christ there would be no Christmas, no heart to our celebrations.
Our next hymn focuses on just that, Jesus being at the heart of all we say and do especially today.
Hymn :- STF 207 Jesus is the heart of Christmas
Marguerite Kendrick (b 1927)
Luke 2 v 1-20 ( NRSV )
In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
In that region were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them. ‘Do not be afraid; for see- I am bringing you good news of great joy for all people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord. this will be a sign to for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,
‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those he favours!’
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.’ So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasures all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told.
I am pretty sure we all know the Christmas story inside out, upside down and back to front, so I hope you will forgive me as I have gone a bit ‘off-piste’ this year.
I was going through a book published by ‘Wild Goose’ and came across a short passage entitled ‘Yes and No’ It is about the Innkeeper, which I think in its own way has something to say to us, maybe something slightly different to what we are used to hearing, but I believe relevant none the less.
THE INNKEEPER
The innkeeper was used to saying ‘No’. He’d been saying ‘No’ all night. ‘No, you can’t get a room here tonight’
‘No you can’t have more towels.’ No you can’t get another pudding.’ ‘No, you can’t invite your mother-in-law and her whole family to share your room.’ ‘No, no, no, no, NO!’
It made him very grumpy, in fact he was always grumpy. And then the doorbell went once more……… ‘Oh no,’ he said. ‘Do they not know we are overbooked already, there is no more room.
He swung open the door and was about to launch into his usual spiel about there being no room, when he hesitated and stuttered.
He was aware he was trying to say ‘No’ because he was so used to saying ‘No’ but this man looked so concerned and this woman was clearly about to have a baby, and his lips were moving in another direction and instead of ‘No’ he found himself saying ‘Yes’ and it surprised him how good that felt.
Mary and Joseph, who were the ones standing at the door looked at each other, and then at the innkeeper and said, ‘But we
haven’t asked you anything.’
The innkeeper just said, ’Yes.’ ‘So you have room?’ asked Joseph. ‘Yes,’ said the innkeeper, who was feeling particularly good now.
‘For two of us and perhaps a baby?’ ‘Yes’ said the innkeeper and a smile grew round his face. ‘In here?’ questioned Joseph ‘Or round the back?’. ‘Yes’ said the innkeeper, who was, by now positively beaming. ‘Which?’ asked Joseph.
‘Sorry,’ said the innkeeper coming out of his daze, ‘round the back’. So he took them to a stable where it was warm, though the innkeepers smile was even warmer. And, having let Mary and Joseph in, he stood by the door of the stable while Jesus was being born, guarding it.
Later as a bundle of shepherds arrived, asking to see the new baby, the innkeeper found himself saying only one thing ‘Yes. Come in. there is room. There is always room.’
And such has been the way of all caught up in the Christmas story: Mary. shepherds, Joseph, travellers, and now the innkeeper.
A short reflection of the above
But what about us, you and me, are we caught up in the Christmas story.
I wonder how we would react if, as we tuck into our Christmas dinner, there was a knock on our door.
Would we even bother to open it, and if we did and saw a couple, maybe with a child standing there, shivering, hollow cheeks and frail bodies caused by hunger, in obvious need, what would be our reaction. No or Yes.
No we are too tied up in our own celebrations. No we don’t have any food to offer you. No there is no room for you in our Inn, push off, go and try next door.
But then maybe, just maybe the answer would be yes. Yes, you are welcome to share in what we have. If we cannot fit you in round our table we can bring the kitchen table and chairs in and set places for you there, joining in our good fortune of food aplenty and warmth, maybe slightly less warm this year, but none the less comfortable surroundings.
Our house/Inn is full to overflowing, but we can move the car out of the garage, inflate our camping mattresses give you some blankets, a hot drink and give you shelter for the night, and in the days to come try and get you the help you need.
Admittedly the chances of this happening to you or me are pretty slim, probably almost non-existent, but then did the innkeeper expect to give shelter to Mary and Joseph and to aid in the birth of our Saviour? To be a participant in the greatest of all events. I would suggest he didn’t, but he did respond in the only way he could at the time, by giving them shelter, somewhere to bring our Lord into this fractured world.
It was the fulfilment of Isaiah’s prophecy where in chapter 7v14 he said ’a virgin would conceive and bear a son, to be called ‘Emmanuel’ which means ‘god with us’. Jesus is the manifestation of God in human form and he in turn manifests God’s total love for us again and again and again, without question, and this is what we celebrate today, in the birth of our Lord.
Somehow the innkeeper’s mind-set was turned upside down when he saw Mary and Joseph standing in his doorway. If I really push the boundaries, for me it’s almost as if Jesus began his ministry prior to his birth. Turning the innkeeper’s life upside down, changing his perspective as he has done for countless generations since.
So if we get a quiet moment today, let us all take that moment and ponder just as we heard Mary did in our reading, on how we would react should God ask us to open not only our doors, but our hearts too, to a stranger or strangers in need, what would we say. No or Yes when challenged to share God’s undying love for each and every one of us, would we let God’s love manifest itself through us to someone in need even if it is inconvenient, would we let our mind-set be turned upside down should the need arise and say YES COME IN THERE IS ROOM, THERE IS ALWAYS ROOM,
HYMN STF :- 193 Born in the night Mary’s child
Geoffrey Ainger ( b 1925 )
Prayers of Intercession
At the end of each section please take some time to add your own prayers
In the beginning you were, in this moment you are, you are strength and weakness, you are light and glory, you are God and you welcome us: you listen for our prayers.
We pray for peace, peace in Bethlehem, peace in the dark places of our world. we pray for leaders and negotiators, for peacemakers and peacekeepers, for fighters and prisoners, for all who are caught up in conflict, violence and fear.
we pray for peace with integrity and with justice…………………….. Lord in your mercy. Hear our prayer.
We pray for children everywhere, for the newly born, for those growing up among us, for those growing up where there is poverty and danger. We pray that those who risk their lives for a better life and future for themselves, that families may be welcomed and loved, and that they may know smiles and hope…………………….. Lord in your mercy. Hear our prayer
We pray for those who sit and eat with us today. We thank you for our families, for our friends, for those who love us, for those who share our laughter and pain. We pray for those who, by choice or circumstance, eat alone. And we pray for justice for all who are hungry, We pray for The Salvation Army, Crisis at Christmas, our own Whitechapel mission, and so many more places where volunteers give of their time to bring some warmth, light and love into dark lives, may they all, both givers and receivers be richly blessed as we ourselves are blessed ………………..Lord in your mercy hear our prayer.
We pray for those who are sick in mind or body, for those who have had their plans ruined by a sudden bout of illness, for those who have no one in their lives We pray for those who care and pray for them. We pray for those who have died, for those we miss at our table. Tell them how much we love them, we miss them, we carry their stories in our hearts and lives……………..Lord in you mercy. Hear our prayer. AMEN
We bring all our prayers together in the words of the Lords Prayer. Our Father………….
Hymn STF :- 202 Hark the herald angels sing
Closing prayer and blessing
Gracious God, we have heard the good news of the season, the glad tidings of the birth of your son, our saviour, Jesus Christ,
and we have rejoiced in everything which that means.
Yet we know that this message is not just for us but for everyone, your love being for the whole world, your concern for all people, your purpose without limits.
Help us then to go now with joy in our hearts and wonder in our eyes, to share that love that you have shown, and to make known the great things that you have done in Christ.
May Jesus be born again in our hearts. AMEN
The Blessing
Emmanuel, God with us, bless us and caress us and those we love this Christmas day and all the days of our lives. AMEN
Copyright Notices
Hymns
Hymn words where displayed are in the Public Domain.
Hymn organ recordings where used are from Small Church Music. Copyright notice: Rev. Clyde McLennan, performer in this collection, has assigned his performer rights in this collection to Hymnary.org. Non-commercial use of these recordings is permitted.
Other hymns are from YouTube and covered by YouTube copyright processes.
Bible Readings
Bible readings are from the New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Images
Images where used are from pixabay.com and free for commercial use no attribution required.
