Southdevonmethodistchurches.files.wordpress.com



Christmas at Home 25th/27th December 2020(Rachel Mitchell)For to us a child is born, to us a son is given,and the government will be on his shoulders.And he will be called “Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”(Isaiah 9 v 6)O Come all Ye faithful come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant, O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem; Come and behold Him, Born the King of angels:O come let us adore him (x3) … Christ the Lord!True God of true God, Light of light eternal, Lo, He abhors not the virgin’s womb; Son of the Father, Begotten, not created: O come…Sing, choirs of angels, Sing in exultation, Sing, all ye citizens of heaven above:‘Glory to God In the highest’: O come…Yea, Lord, we greet thee, born this happy morning,Jesus to thee be glory given. Word of the father,Now in flesh appearing: O come…18th century - Attributed to John Francis Wade.We light the Christ candle As we welcome him anew, we affirm that we believe that Jesus is the Son of God. He was born of the Virgin Mary in Bethlehem of Judea. He was the long-awaited Messiah. He comes as prophesied, then and now. This long-awaited Messiah is the same Jesus who lives today in our hearts and He deserves our highest loyalty and total commitment. <<light all 5 candles on your advent ring>> In Jesus Christ our hope is fulfilled; our love is consummated; our joy is complete; and our peace is sealed. We rejoice, for our Saviour is born. He comes to save us and all the world! Glory be to God – Amen.Lord God, Child in the manger, Light of the world, We welcome youWhether or not the road to our hearts is made readyWe welcome youCome King of creation, come be our guest and knowWe welcome youCome again to our hearts and our world, where your ways and your grace is so needed, We welcome you Move in and be with us, we prayO come; O come Emmanuel. AmenWe consider:At Christmas we celebrate Jesus’ birth. We celebrate how God came to earth and we think about all the good things he gives us.Jesus is not the only person we may be welcoming today… I wonder if you have welcomed anyone else,Seen, or unseen…As well as welcoming guests we give and receive presents to remind each other of the greatest gift of all, given to us at Christmas… I wonder what you havegiven and what you have received this year?The gifts we think of are usually gifts which are wrapped up under the Christmas tree, or in a stocking hung up on Christmas Eve. They may be things we have asked for, or they may be surprises.These however are not the only gifts given and received at Christmas. We give and receive so many other things too. Gifts of love and kindness, patience and tolerance, forgiveness and compassion; gifts of preparation and also being present in the moment.When we do receive a gift, which we know someone has made/ bought/ prepared/ given to us, we see how this speaks of their care for us. We recognise that this is not given to us as a right, but out of a desire to show love, make our life richer and bring us joy. In the giving and receiving of a gift, our relationships are strengthened and joy shared.But what of the gift God has given us? What of Jesus, whose birthday we are celebrating today? In a moment we will read how John described this most special gift, but first we sing/ listen to:See amid the winter snow amid the winter snow, born for uson earth below. See the gentle lamb appears, promised from eternal years…Hail thou ever blessed morn, Hail redemption’s happy dawn, sing through all Jerusalem, Christ is born in Bethlehem.Lo within a manger lies, he who built the starry skies,He who throned in light sublime, sits amid the cherubim. Hail thou…Sacred infant all divine, what a tender love was thine,Thus to come from highest bliss, down to such a world as this. Hail thou…Teach O teach us holy Child, by thy face so meek and mild; teach us to resemble thee, in thy sweet humility. Hail thou…Edward CaswellRead: John 1 vs 1-14This can seem a very complicated reading and sometimes, even though we enjoy the poetry, the words John uses can seem hard to grasp. So, what does John want us to understand about the gift we are given at Christmas? Let’s unwrap the gift….In Jesus God gives us the gift of himself. It is a gift of being present with us – just as the prophets said. In the beginning was Jesus, and Jesus was with God and Jesus was God.He is God with us today too. He is present in our homes and he shares our celebrations. We lit a candle to remind us not just that it’s his birthday but that he really is with us and we need never be alone.More than just being with us, he became one of us.Recently archaeologists have identified a house where they believe Jesus grew up. Where he sat with his mum and dad at the table and they all ate dinner together. A place where he made friends, shared joys and heartaches. Because he was born, because he had skin and bones like us, he knows what it’s like to be us. We never again have to say that no-one understands, because he does.He comes to restore our place in his family. Some people will find there are people missing at their celebrations this year and that hurts. It’s not that they weren’t invited, but that they can’t be with us. Jesus knew this pain of separation and came so we would no longer have to be separated from him. He came to SAVE us, knowing that there are just some things we cannot sort out for ourselves. He chose to come, to save us; He is restoring his whole kingdom.His is a gift of hope. He knows how we live in a broken world and how sometimes we feel helpless to change it. He comes to us bringing his love and power which is changing us and gives us hope. John says he is like a light, shining, which no-one can put out. Once people did try – they told lies about who Jesus was, nailed him to a cross and killed him, but that was not the end of his light. After three days his light was seen again, and now it was changed, brighter somehow, and from that time on it has continued to grow brighter, even today. Jesus is the light of the world and the greatest gift ever. While some people will happily receive him, others will not. Where some will recognise within him the promise of all they want, others will discard him. John reminds us of this, but also that to those who receive him, and allow his light to shine in them, God also gives the gift of his parenthood as he makes us his children.I wonder, will we receive Jesus anew, or for the first time, today? Will we allow him to be our peace, our hope, our light and our Saviour?Prayers for others:Jesus came to tell us of God’s desire to bring peace between God and men. As we remember this we may also look forward to a time when all creation will be renewed (a promise of God) and there will be peace between man and man as well as God and men.Take a moment to think what You would ask, not for yourself, but for our world today…then pray;Lord Jesus, We thank you that you came to earth as one of us, to show us your love and to share with us your vision for all your world. We thank you that you came full of grace and truth. Not to condemn us or give us what we deserved, but to show us your love and to save us.We thank you for the hope we have, because you came. That our hope is not in an empty dream but a promise that will come true; thank you for the assurance we have, because you came. Help us, in the middle of our celebrations today, to rejoice in your promises, fulfilled and still to come, and renew our faith and wonder…Comfort those who miss loved ones today. Befriend the lonely and show them your love.Teach us your ways of justice and compassion Bring your healing to the broken; And fill us anew with your love and peace, So that your grace and glory may be seen in us and through us in the days to come. We thank you Lord Jesus, that because you were born, we can know you and see you at work, even now, in us and all your world. AmenSing: Hark the herald angels sing! the herald angels sing “Glory to the new-born King, Peace on earth, and mercy mild,God and sinners reconciled.” Joyful, all ye nations, rise, join the triumph of the skies,With the angelic host proclaim, ‘Christ is born in Bethlehem.’ Hark! the herald-angels sing “Glory to the new-born King.”Christ, by highest heaven adored,Christ, the everlasting Lord. Late in time behold Him come, offspring of a virgin’s womb.Veiled in flesh the Godhead see! Hail, the incarnate Deity! Pleased as man with men to dwell,Jesus, our Immanuel. Hark! the herald angels sing“Glory to the new-born King.”Hail the heaven-born Prince of peace! Hail, the Sun of righteousness! Light and life to all He brings,Risen with healing in His wings:Mild He lays His glory by, born that man no more may die, born to raise the sons of earth,Born to give them second birth. Hark! the herald angels sing “Glory to the new-born King.”Charles WesleyBlessingMay the joy of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds, the wonder of the wisemen and the peace of the Christ child be yours this Christmas, and for ever more; and may the blessing of God the Almighty, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, rest on you and those you love, today and always. LI number: 23859 – Calamus licence: 19446 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download