Text of the Week: And she gave birth to her
firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of
cloth, and laid him in a manger, because
there was no place for them in the inn.
Luke 2:7
Welcome to our services for Christmas Eve and a special
welcome to any who are worshipping with us for the first time.
On Wednesday we welcomed the Peace Light from Bethlehem.
A candle burns continuously in the Church of the Nativity in
Bethlehem. Scouts and Guides from Bethlehem join with a
contingent from Austria to light a lantern from that candle.
From that lantern others are lit and others again. The flame in
our lantern is a living flame lit from the candle in Bethlehem.
Using that lantern we shall light our Advent Candles.
The first
of our candles tells of hope in a world that too often seems
hopeless. The second candle tells of peace, that inner peace
we seek in our hearts and that outer peace we are called to
work for in the world. The third candle tells of love, the love
God has for us, the love we are to share with each other. The
fourth candle tells of joy, the joy of knowing that nothing can
separate us from the love of God in Jesus, our Lord.
Welcome and
Call to Worship
For a child has been born for us,
a son given to us;
authority rests upon his shoulders;
and he is named
Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
321 Come and
join the celebration
Prayer
Reading: Luke
1:39-45 Elizabeth’s words of joy
In
those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill
country,
where
she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
When
Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb.
And
Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry,
‘Blessed
are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And
why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me?
For
as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leapt for
joy.
And
blessed is she who believed
that there would be a fulfilment of
what was spoken to her by the Lord.’
Lighting the
four Advent candles for Hope, Peace, Love and Joy
Rejoice
in hope,
be patient when things go badly, persevere in prayer. Romans 12:12
Blessed
are the peacemakers
for they will be called children of God. Matt 5:9.
This
is what love
is: it is not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to
be the means by which our sins are forgiven.
Dear friends, if this is how God loved us, then we should love one
another. God is love. 1 John 4:7,8,16.
Do
not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for
all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is
the Messiah, the Lord. Luke 2:10-11
Advent Hymn:
Your Promises are coming true verses 1-4
Your
promises are coming true –
our
waiting hopes fulfilled.
Your
light has burst upon our world –
the
new dawn that you willed.
Your
coming gives us hope to live,
and
strength, with you, to build.
Come, Jesus, and be with us now,
be with us now,
Come, Jesus, and be with us now!
Our
lives are troubled while we wait –
our
failure leads to fear.
Great
God, we need your healing peace,
both
now and ev’ry year.
Come,
live and die, that we may live
because
you’re always near.
Failed
people living far apart
with
selfishness undone,
oh,
heal us with your love, we pray,
with
loving make us one:
your
coming and your sacrifice –
in
us new life begun.
Yet
some still carry sadnesses
and
pains left by their past.
Surprise
us all with heav’nly joy,
come
down to earth at last.
With
happiness bought by your tears,
embrace
us, hold us fast.
Reading Luke
2:1-7
In
those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world 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 him in bands of cloth,
and laid him in a manger,
because there was no place
for them in the inn.
The story of
St Francis and the Crib – lots of animals.
In
the year 1223 Francis of Assisi wanted to celebrate Christmas in a different
way. He wanted to re-create the scene in the stable of long ago. He sent word
to a religious nobleman in the nearby town of Greccio whose name was John. He
provided Francis with a stable. That Christmas Eve nearly 800 years ago friends
and neighbours came to the stable and there in the hay lay the baby Jesus with
his parents and an ox an ass.
That
was a start of a tradition that goes on to this day – a crib scene that tells
the story of what happened in the stable long ago. Thanks to Darryl for
erecting our stable, to Karen for the crib scene, to Hy-Tec for decorating the
tree.
Francis
had a love of all creatures great and small, a special care for worms and for
bees, for all things wise and wonderful. One of his earliest followers said he
used to call all creatures
by
the name of "brother" and "sister" and in a wonderful way,
unknown to others, he could discern the secrets of the heart of creatures like
someone who has already passed into the freedom of the glory of the children of
God.
And
so we are going to take you this year to a stable long ago, and to another
stable and to another stable too … and in each stable we’ll be on the look out
for not just an ox and an ass, but a donkey and lots and lots of other animals
too!
And
so we have our wonderful crib – a stable – and in the stable Mary and Joseph, a
manger full of straw this year. But there’s something missing … where are the
animals. We want to have animals in our stable this year, lots of them and we
haven’t got any. Wait a moment, there’s
one tiny little bird – I think it must be a robin!! What do we need?
We
need an ox, we need some lambs, we need a horse, we need some hens, we need
some sheep, we need a goat, we need some geese, we need a cow, we need a cat,
and if we’ve got a cat, we need some mice.
It
was a difficult time for Joseph, it was a hard time for Mary but they had no
choice. The decree went out. And what the Emperor ordered had to be done. They
had no choice. They had to make the long and dangerous journey on foot … but
they were not alone. They had a donkey to help them.
Carol: Little
Donkey
Little
donkey, little donkey
On
the dusty road
Got
to keep on plodding onwards
With
your precious load.
Been
a long time, little donkey
Through
the winter's night
Don't
give up now, little donkey
Bethlehem's
in sight.
Chorus
Ring out those bells tonight
Bethlehem, Bethlehem
Follow that star tonight
Bethlehem, Bethlehem.
Little
donkey, little donkey
Had
a heavy day
Little
donkey
Carry
Mary safely on her way.
Little
donkey, little donkey
On
the dusty road
There
are wise men waiting for a
Sign
to bring them here.
Do
not falter, little donkey
There's
a star ahead
It
will guide you, little donkey
To
a cattle shed.
Chorus
Ring out those bells tonight
Bethlehem, Bethlehem
Follow that star tonight
Bethlehem, Bethlehem.
Eric
Boswell
Worn out. Exhausted. All they wanted
was somewhere to sleep. And there was nowhere for them to stay.
Let’s imagine that scene long ago as
Mary and Joseph arrived at the inn to find there was no room in the inn.
1)
A Welcome at the Stable in
Bethlehem
Joseph: Don’t
worry, Mary, there’s bound to be a room for us at this inn.
Mary: I’m
so tired now, Joseph, and I’m sure the donkey minds as much as we do
Joseph:
Let’s tie him up here,
and we’ll knock on the door
Innkeeper: Before
you ask, we’re full. The world and his wife have come to Jerusalem
Innkeeper’s
Wife: …
and there’s no room left
Joseph: But
there must be something
Mary: If
you don’t mind, please help us
Joseph: We’ve
travelled so far, us and the donkey
Innkeeper: Donkey?
Innkeeper’s
Wife: Husband,
they have a donkey
Innkeeper: Well,
why didn’t you say?
Innkeeper’s
Wife: There’s
a stable, you see, for donkeys and such
Innkeeper: And
if you don’t mind
Mary
and Joseph: We don’t mind
Innkeeper Welcome, weary travellers, you’ve
come a very long way.
Come into the barn and you can sleep on
the hay if you don’t mind,
The lambs won’t mind, if you
don’t mind
The horse won’t mind, if you
don’t mind
The hens won’t mind, if you
don’t mind
The sheep won’t mind, if you
don’t mind
Mary
and Joseph We don’t mind, let’s go inside and sleep upon the hay
Innkeeper’s
wife: It’s all very well the sheep
not minding, but what if I mind?
Innkeeper: If
you don’t mind, the goat won’t mind
The geese won’t mind
The cat won’t mind
The mice won’t mind
Innkeeper’s
Wife: And
the donkey won’t mind
Innkeeper:
You can come into the stable
and sleep on the hay
Welcome weary travellers, you’ve come a
long, long way
The barn is free if you don’t mind
Sleeping on the hay, oh sleeping on the
hay.
Chorus
If
you don’t mind, the ox won’t mind
The
lambs won’t mind, if you don’t mind
The
horse won’t mind, the hens won’t mind
The
sheep won’t mind, if you don’t mind
Oh,
sleeping on the hay, oh sleeping on the hay.
If you don’t mind, the goat won’t mind
The geese won’t mind, if you don’t mind
The cow won’t mind, the cat won’t mind
The mice won’t mind, if you don’t mind
Oh, sleeping on the hay, oh sleeping on the
hay
Verse 4 sung by Hy-Spirit
Hush
the moon is rising and the winter stars are bright
All
the travellers fast asleep
Peaceful
Christmas night, oh peaceful Christmas night
Hush
the moon is rising
and
the winter stars are bright
All
the travellers fast asleep
Richard Mind you, before they slept that night
so much had happened. No sooner had the baby been born, shepherds came. They had been so frightened. When they
arrived they were so excited. All the angel had said had come true:
Reader 1 ‘Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing
you good news of great joy for all the 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 for
you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.’
Seeing the baby Jesus in the manger
they were so filled with joy they felt like singing with the angels
‘Glory to God in the highest
heaven,
and
on earth peace
Richard But it was a scary world. The days
passed. The baby was tiny. And then there was trouble. Big trouble. It all
started when Magi arrived from the east
Reader 2 On entering the house, they saw the
child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and worshipped him. Then,
opening their treasure-chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense,
and myrrh.
Richard But they had made a mistake. A big
mistake. They had not known where to find the one born to be king. And so they
called at the palace of King Herod and asked a fateful question.
Reader
2 ‘Where is the child who has been
born king of the Jews?
For we observed his star at
its rising, and have come to worship him.’
Herod was angry. One born to be king?
But he was king of the Jews. He hatched a plot.
“Go to Bethlehem and when you find the
one born to be king report back to me and tell me where he is.”
His plan was to destroy the new born
king.
Those Magi presented their gifts. And
having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own
country by another road.
Richard When he found out King Herod was
filled with rage. He summoned his soldiers and dispatched them to Bethlehem.
Then it was that Joseph had
a dream.
Reader 3 Now after the Magi had left, an angel of
the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said,
‘Get up, take the child and his mother,
and flee to Egypt,
and remain there until I tell you; for
Herod is about to search for the child,
to destroy him.’
Richard So it was that Joseph got up, took the
child and his mother by night, and fled – it was an even more terrifying
journey that took them south, across the Sinai desert towards the distant land
of Egypt.
What must they have felt
like at the end of such a long journey?
Worn out. Exhausted. All they wanted
was somewhere to sleep. And there was nowhere for them to stay.
Maybe there was another stranger ready
to take them in … maybe there was another stable, rough and ready but welcoming
nonetheless.
Let’s imagine the scene at
another stable, this time in faraway Egypt …
2) A Welcome
at the Stable in Egypt
Joseph: Don’t
worry, Mary, there must be somewhere in Egypt we can stay
Mary
: I’m not really
worried, Joseph, but Jesus is so young
Innkeeper: Who’s there? You should knock. No good chatting amongst yourselves if you
want something …
Innkeeper’s
Wife: …
and with a little one too. I’d mind if
it were my child
Joseph: Do
you have a room, please?
Innkeeper: For
just the night? With a view of a
pyramid?
Innkeeper’s
Wife: Don’t
tease them, husband. Sorry, but there’s
no room
Innkeeper: We’ve
been so busy since the Magi stayed. Good
for business
Innkeeper’s
Wife: …
and their camels – they stayed in our little stable
Joseph: We
have a donkey. Will that do?
Inkeeper:
Well, why didn’t you say?
Innkeeper’s
Wife: The
stable’s fine for camels and such
Innkeeper: And
if you don’t mind
Mary
and Joseph: We don’t mind
Innkeeper: Welcome, weary travellers, you’ve
come a very long way. Come into the barn
and you can sleep on the hay if you don’t mind,
The lambs won’t mind, if you
don’t mind
The horse won’t mind, if you
don’t mind
The hens won’t mind, if you
don’t mind
The sheep won’t mind, if you
don’t mind
Mary
and Joseph We don’t mind, let’s go
inside and sleep upon the hay
Farmer’s
wife: It’s all very well the sheep not minding, but
what if I mind?
Farmer: If
you don’t mind, the goat won’t mind
The geese won’t mind
The cat won’t mind
The mice won’t mind
Innkeeper’s
Wife: and
the camel, I mean donkey, won’t mind
Innkeeper: you
can come into the stable and sleep on the hay
Richard Let’s join in singing that
Egyptian innkeeper’s song … for he said
Welcome weary travellers, you’ve come a
long, long way
The barn is free if you don’t mind
Sleeping on the hay, oh sleeping on the
hay.
Sing Refugee
Carol verse 3 to the end
(He said), Welcome weary travellers,
you’ve come a long, long way
The barn is free if you don’t mind
Sleeping on the hay, oh sleeping on the
hay.
Chorus
If
you don’t mind, the ox won’t mind
The
lambs won’t mind, if you don’t mind
The
horse won’t mind, the hens won’t mind
The
sheep won’t mind, if you don’t mind
Oh,
sleeping on the hay, oh sleeping on the hay.
If
you don’t mind, the goat won’t mind
The geese won’t mind, if you don’t mind
The cow won’t mind, the cat won’t mind
The mice won’t mind, if you don’t mind
Oh, sleeping on the hay, oh sleeping on the
hay.
Verse
4 – sung by Hy-Spirit
Hush
the moon is rising and the winter stars are bright
All
the travellers fast asleep
Peaceful
Christmas night, oh peaceful Christmas Hush the moon is rising
and
the winter stars are bright
all
the travellers fast asleep, Peaceful Christmas night . . . . peaceful Christmas
night.
Richard Joseph and Mary and the baby Jesus stayed
there – and the baby began to crawl – and the baby began to take his first
steps. And still Joseph and Mary and the baby Jesus stayed there … and then
they heard the news. Herod had died. Not before there had been a lot bloodshed
in Bethlehem.
Reader 4 When Herod died, an angel of the Lord
suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said,
‘Get up, take the child and his mother,
and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child’s life are
dead.’
Then Joseph got up, took the
child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel.
But when he heard that Archelaus was
ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And
after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee.
There he made his home in a town called
Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled,
‘He will be called a Nazorean.’
Richard And the baby grew to be a man who
taught, Love God, love your neighbour, love your enemy too, Bless those who
persecute you, bless and do not curse.
He brought healing to
hurting people.
And he was arrested, tried, crucified.
He died and he was buried. And on the third day he rose again from the dead.
And ever since people have followed in
his footsteps and found in him the light of life.
And
people have remembered Joseph and Mary, they have remembered the innkeeper who
found them refuge, and they have remembered those nameless ones in Egypt who
welcomed them in.
And
as people have remembered, so they have given a welcome to people who flee from
warfare and suffering. There’s a story to the new carol we’ve been singing.
It’s called The Refugee Carol and it’s by Nick Vall. It’s a new carol for this
year and it describes Christmas Eve, a long journey, a barn full of farm
animals…
This
new carol describes something more: it descibes
the plight of many refugees and focuses on a very personal story. Nick
Vall tells his story.
In
1956, when I was eight years old, there was a revolution in Hungary, the country
which had always been home for generations of my family. There were battles in
the streets. Many people died.
It
became very dangerous for us, and my parents decided to escape into Austria.
We
left Budapest late on Christmas Eve, my parents, my older sister and me. We
made the first part of our journey hidden in the mail van of a train heading
for the border.
Then,
in the dark, we had to walk for hours across snow covered fields. There was a
light in the distance to guide us, and it led us to a large barn where kind
people welcomed us. There were hot drinks and simple food, and some chocolates
for the children.
Then
the farmer showed us where we could sleep – on the hay which he had spread to
make a bed for us to lie on.
And
he said, with a whimsical smile: Don't be nervous about the animals, they don't
mind sharing.
This
was the start of our new life as Refugees.
When
they heard that story, our X-Stream group worked at putting it into a little
play – and this is the script they came up with. They had in mind all the news
we have seen of so many refugees this last year too.
3) A Welcome
at the Stable in Austria
Refugee:
We crossed the wild and
stormy seas
Child: Terrifying!
Refugee: …
and when we reached dry land we walked
Child: … for days and days we walked. It was
so tiring!
Refugee: The
fields were frozen and icy
Child:
but we could see a
light
Refugee: Yes,
and a farmer standing by his gate
Child: and it was Christmas Eve.
Farmer: Welcome,
weary travellers, you’ve come a very long way.
Come into the barn and you can sleep on the hay if you don’t mind,
The lambs won’t mind, if you
don’t mind
The horse won’t mind, if you
don’t mind
The hens won’t mind, if you
don’t mind
The sheep won’t mind, if you
don’t mind
Refugee
& child: We don’t mind, let’s go inside and sleep upon the hay
Farmer’s
wife: It’s all very well the sheep not minding, but
what if I mind?
Farmer: If
you don’t mind, the goat won’t mind
The geese won’t mind
The cat won’t mind
The mice won’t mind
Refugee
& children: We don’t mind, let’s go inside and sleep upon the hay
And
this year there are many who have had to flee as refugees – and some have found
a welcome, not least here in Cheltenham …
Let’s
sing the whole of Nick Vall’s carol and think of the welcome we can give in our
hearts to those who are refugees and flee war and persecution.
The Refugee
Carol
Verse
1
First
they faced the dangers of the wild and stormy seas
Then
they walked, for days they walked
The
tired refugees, oh tired refugees
Verse
2
As
they crossed the frozen fields far off they saw a light
The
farmer standing by his gate
So
late on Christmas night, oh late on Christmas night
Verse
3
“Welcome weary travellers, you’ve come a long,
long way
The
barn is free if you don’t mind
Sleeping
on the hay, oh sleeping on the hay.”
Chorus
If you don’t mind the ox won’t mind
The lambs won’t mind, if you don’t mind
The horse won’t mind, the hens won’t
mind
The sheep won’t mind, if you don’t mind
Oh, sleeping on the hay
Oh, sleeping on the hay
If you don’t mind the goat won’t mind
The geese won’t mind, if you don’t mind
The cow won’t mind, the cat won’t mind
The mice won’t mind, if you don’t mind
Oh, sleeping on the hay
Oh, sleeping on the hay
Verse
4 – sung by HySpirit
Hush
the moon is rising and the winter stars are bright
All
the travellers fast asleep
Peaceful
Christmas night, oh peaceful Christmas (night)*
Hush
the moon is rising and the winter stars are bright (stars are bright)*
All
the travellers fast asleep
Peaceful
Christmas night, oh… peaceful Christmas night
Comment
When
we see devastating images of war
and
hear the inconsolable cries of those
who
have lost homes, livelihoods
and
loved ones,
our
hearts break.
We’ve
been praying for and with the Persecuted Church around the Middle East at some
of our Explore evenings. On video and in a guided reflection we came face to
face with Shaida Qubti, a Palestinian, Arab Christian and Ambreen Ben-Shmuel,
an Israeli, Messianic Jew, two women who have come together in a
ground-breaking movement for Reconciliation called Musalaha, which is the word
for Reconciliation in Arabic.
We
put together and shared a service around the theme of Reconciliation. We were
moved by the words of Samir, whose grand daughter had been killed in a bombing
of an Egyptian, Coptic Christian Church and who yet spoke of going to church
more regularly, more faithfully and spoke remarkably of his faith:
“Our religion teaches us to forgive. It
teaches us to love our enemies, to bless those who curse us. And to pray for
those who hurt us. Yes we will forgive them despite all the blood that was
spilled. Our faith tells us to forgive.”
In
the face of so much
suffering
and despair,
how
we need the living Lord, Jesus Christ to help us
to
see with his eyes,
to hear
with his ears,
to think
with his mind,
to speak
with his lips,
to walk
with his feet,
to love
with his heart,
so
that we can reach out
with
the hands of Jesus and
be
futuremakers
to our
brothers and sisters
in
Palestine, Israel, Lebanon,
Egypt
and Syria and around the Middle East.
How
we long for leaders to be raised up in the Middle East
who
will turn from violence and seek
God’s
ways of peace and so
act
justly, love mercy
and
walk humbly with God.
So
we remember the Persecuted Church in our prayers in a moment – but also
remember the squalor of a borrowed stable where Joseph and Mary found refuge,
the squalor of a borrowed stable where Joseph and Mary and the baby Jesus found
refuge in their flight to Egypt, the squalor of a borrowed stable where Nick
Vall and his family found refuge in 1956. And let’s remember the welcome
refugees have found … and we are called to offer, not least here in Cheltenham.
Carol with
Hy-Spirit – From the squalor of a borrowed stable – new words recapping the
story
From
the squalor of a borrowed stable,
by
the Spirit and a virgin's faith;'
to
the anguish
and
the shame of scandal
came
the saviour
of
the human race!
But
the skies were filled
with
the praise of heaven,
shepherds
listen as the angels tell
of
the gift of God
come
down to man
at
the dawning of Immanuel.
From
their watching
on
that starlit hillside
Shepherds
come with love
to
hail the King,
Sent
by God
to
represent the humble
Simple
childlike gifts
to
him they bring.
And
they leave the stable with
hearts
of joy,
Go
to neighbours
with
a tale to tell
Of
the starry night
when
the angels sang,
Glorious
heralds of Immanuel.
From
the East the wise men bring
their
presents
Frankincense
to stand
for
fervent prayer,
Gold
to symbolise
his
kingly status,
Death
and sacrifice
shown
by the myrrh
Their
prophetic gifts,
which
they offer him,
Tell
the story
that
we know so well
Of
the little King
born
in Bethlehem
Jesus,
Saviour, our Immanuel.
As
with hate and rage
our
world is stricken
Warring
factions
fight
to stake their claim,
And
injustice flows in every nation,
So
we crucify the Saviour's name.
God
will hear our cry
if
we call on him,
Love
and mercy have defeated hell.
Let
us hear again
what
the angels sing
Peace
is brought by our Immanuel.
Music
& verse I Stuart Townend © 1999
Kingsway's
Thankyou Music
Verses
2,3,4, Paul Collacott
Prayers of
Concern and the Lord’s Prayer
Carol – 310
See him a lying on a bed of straw.
A Christmas
Blessing
