Text
for Christmas Day: In Christ God was reconciling the world to
himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message
of reconciliation to us. 2 Corinthians 5:19
Happy
Christmas!
Welcome
to our Christmas Day celebration and a special welcome to any worshipping with
us for the first time. On Christmas Day we’ve only had one before. But today we
have all five! Each Sunday through Advent we have been lighting a candle.
On
the first Sunday we celebrated the hope that comes into a world that all too
often seem hope-less. On the second Sunday we celebrated the peace that Christ
promises deep in our hearts and the peace he challenged us to share with
others. On the third Sunday we celebrated the love of God that nothing in the
whole of creation can ever separate us from. And on the fourth Sunday in Advent
we celebrated the joy that comes at Christmas in the presence of Christ with
us.
And today there’s something new in the air. Something that’s special for
this moment, for this day. New hope, new peace, new love, new joy promised by
Christ, present in Christ prompting us to work with Christ in bringing that
something new into the world. In him we see the truth of the God of love,
through him we can have life in all its fullness and with him we have a way of
life to follow that makes all the difference.
It’s as if, in Paul’s words, God
was in Christ reconciling the world to himself and entrusting the message of
reconciliation to us.
A
Happy Christmas!
306
O come all ye faithful
Prayer
and the Lord’s Prayer
Lighting
the Christmas Candles
HOPE - Rejoice in
hope, be patient when things go badly, persevere in prayer.
Romans 12:12
PEACE - Blessed
are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God. Matt
5:9.
LOVE - 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.
JOY - 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
And
with our Christmas candle a Christmas text:
In Christ God was
reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them,
and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. 2 Corinthians
5:19
Hymn:
Your promises are coming true
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.
New hope, new peace,
new love are ours –
new joy on
Christmas Day!
We celebrate your
Christmas gift –
yourself: Truth,
Life and Way.
Reshape us as we
worship you,
Christ-child upon
the hay.
John Campbell
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.
312
Away in a manger
Christmas
Greetings
Hope,
Peace, Love and Joy
On
Christmas Day we’ve only had one before. But today we have lit all five!
Lighting
that first candle we celebrate the HOPE that comes into a world that all too
often seem hope-less.
Lighting
that second candle we celebrate the PEACE that Christ promises deep in our
hearts and the peace he challenges us to share with others.
Lighting
the third candle we celebrate the LOVE of God that nothing in the whole of
creation can ever separate us from.
Lighting
the fifth candle we celebrate the JOY that comes at Christmas in the presence
of Christ with us.
And
today there’s something new in the air. Something that’s special for this
moment, for this day. New HOPE, new PEACE, new LOVE, new JOY promised by
Christ, present in Christ prompting us to work with Christ in bringing that
something new into the world.
In
him we see the TRUTH of the God of love, through him we can have LIFE in all
its fullness and with him we have a WAY of life to follow that makes all the
difference.
It’s
as if, in Paul’s words, God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself and
entrusting the message of reconciliation to us.
And
yet, … can it really be so?
This
year has been a troubling year in so many ways. London Bridge, the Manchester Arena,
a Baptist Church in Texas, a Methodist Church in Pakistan, a Mosque in Egypt … and
Grenfall.
Remembrance
Sunday marked the thirtieth anniversary of the Enniskillen bombing.
When
David Waters joined us to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of my
ordination he spoke movingly of having just finished the edition of Songs of
Praise that was going to go out on Remembrance Sunday. It had been filmed in
Enniskillen and marked the 30th anniversary of a bombing atrocity in
Enniskillen. A young nurse, Marie Wilson, had been killed. 24 hours later her
father, Gordon Wilson, stated his determination not to bear a grudge against
the perpetrators and his prayer that he would receive the grace to continue to
do so. 30 years on David spoke of the way even the cameramen had been moved to
tears as they interviewed Gordon Wilson’s widow, Joan, and she spoke of the
power of that determination to forgive. A long-time friend, Fr Brian D’Arcy
went on to make the observation,
“Forgiveness
isn’t a flippant word; forgiveness isn’t an instant; forgiveness is a
lifetime’s process”
And
he went on to suggest that “in time the influence of Enniskillen and the
influence of Gordon Wilson changed the whole picture in Northern Ireland – he
showed how it could be done.”
The
Christmas message has its power because it speaks into a troubled world. God
was in Christ reconciling the world to himself and entrusting the message of
reconciliation to us.
But
the cynic in me says, that was then. What about now?
A
year ago upwards of 25 people were killed in a church in Egypt at Christmas. A
month ago many more were killed in an attack on a mosque in Egypt. We face
something even worse now. Can such a respond hold now?
The
week after the broadcast of that Songs of Praise programme Frank Gardner, the
BBC’s security correspondent, himself a victim of a bombing outrage, was on the
radio interviewing first Bishop Angelos of the ancient Egyptian Coptic Church
about their experience of persecution. What was remarkable was the way Bishop
Angelos responded. It was exactly in the same spirit.
“The
Copts are a resilient people who have faced persecution for 2000 years and the
wonderful thing for me, the very inspiring thing for me is that I always fall
back on the example of people here who face this with such forgiveness and such
strength and such grace.”
“What
would you say then, to the extremists of ISIS and others who say Christians
have no place in the Middle East?” asked Frank Gardner.
“My
message to those who choose to persecute us,” replied Bishop Angelos, “is that
you are loved, we forgive you.”
Frank
Gardner then went on to interview Samir, whose granddaughter had ben killed in
that bombing attack at Christmas last year.
He asked the same question about forgiveness:
“Could
you ever forgive the terrorists who did this?”
Samir
then spoke so powerfully of his Christian 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.”
It’s
that very spirit, commented Frank Gardner that makes the Coptic Peoples of
Egypt and the Christians facing persecution around the Middle East so
resilient.
At
the heart of our Christian faith is a forgiveness that reaches out to us all
from God and a forgiveness we are invited to extend to all for “In Christ God
was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against
them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us.”
It’s
there in the Lord’s prayer: forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who
trespass against us.
There
is a TRUTH in this love of God that is
transformational for each of us: we are forgiven: we may begin again.
That
grace of God gives us a new hold on LIFE
that makes life in all its fullness worth living.
And
it opens up for us a WAY to follow –
for we have been given a ministry of reconciliation.
So,
facing whatever 2018 will bring us – and it’s going to be a year of change for
all of us in one way or another – this is the message that makes a world of
difference, this is the message that has the power to transform that troubled
world and make all the difference in the living of our lives in that troubled
world..
God
was in Christ reconciling the world to himself … and entrusting the message of
reconciliation to us.
A Christmas Song with Hy-Spirit
Prayers of Concern
322 Good Christians all rejoice
Words
of Blessing
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