Keasden and Austwick 13 Dec; Clapham and Eldroth 20 Dec
Come and join the celebration (Collison Valerie) Christmas Children's Choir: Christmas Classics For Children
Welcome and Introduction
With familiar readings, a variety of music and prayers to connect this story to our time, place and (everyday) people… For with all its wonder and light this is at heart a tale of ordinary people living through extraordinary circumstances… rather like us all, in 2020…
O come, O come, Emmanuel (Veni, veni, Emmanuel, translated John Mason Neale) The Cathedral Singers & John Bell: God Comes Tomorrow
Reading 1: The Birth of Jesus Foretold
Luke 1.26-38
26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you.’ 29 But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
30 The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. 31 And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’
34 Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ 35 The angel said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. 36 And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.’ 38 Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’ Then the angel departed from her.
Prayer
Let us praise our young men and women. The Marys and Josephs of our day and time and place. Let us celebrate their embrace of life’s challenges and opportunities. May they find encouragement in their dreams of good days ahead and may we walk with them on their journey. Let us pray for young mothers-to-be in their time of waiting and wondering about the child they carry within them; and their partners seeking to support them and share their love. And let us pray for the Elizabeths we know: the older women bearing children, or bearing responsibility for older children, grandchildren: their time of life displaced by circumstances, their gifts of character drawn on to the full. The Marys and Josephs and Elizabeths of our time and place: may angels visit them all, to guide and warm and bless their days. Amen
The holly and the ivy (English traditional carol) Kate Rusby: Sweet Bells
Reading 2: The Birth of Jesus
Luke 2.1-7
In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 All went to their own towns to be registered. 4 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. 5 He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. 7 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.
Prayer
Let us praise our innkeepers and hoteliers, our guest house owners and those who run cafes and restaurants. In these days of restriction and restraint, where opportunities to flourish are replaced by strategies to survive, let us celebrate their dedication to the task of providing hospitality. As the innkeeper in the story found a way to offer food and shelter to the needy couple at his door, let us give thanks for all who spend their days doing just that for the strangers who come knocking and the locals seeking fellowship and solace. And let us celebrate the hard and unappreciated work of the Augustus-ses and Quirinius-ses of our time: our leaders - those who struggle with the difficult issues facing our people and our world, those who encounter cynicism and criticism daily but who keep on with their task, holding on to some sense of public service. In this world in flux may they lead with creativity, wisdom and grace. Amen
O little town of Bethlehem (Phillips Brooks) The Choirboys: The Carols Album
The House of Christmas - G.K. Chesterton
There fared a mother driven forth
Out of an inn to roam;
In the place where she was homeless
All men are at home.
The crazy stable close at hand,
With shaking timber and shifting sand,
Grew a stronger thing to abide and stand
Than the square stones of Rome.
For men are homesick in their homes,
And strangers under the sun,
And they lay on their heads in a foreign land
Whenever the day is done.
Here we have battle and blazing eyes,
And chance and honour and high surprise,
But our homes are under miraculous skies
Where the yule tale was begun.
A Child in a foul stable,
Where the beasts feed and foam;
Only where He was homeless
Are you and I at home;
We have hands that fashion and heads that know,
But our hearts we lost - how long ago!
In a place no chart nor ship can show
Under the sky's dome.
This world is wild as an old wives' tale,
And strange the plain things are,
The earth is enough and the air is enough
For our wonder and our war;
But our rest is as far as the fire-drake swings
And our peace is put in impossible things
Where clashed and thundered unthinkable wings
Round an incredible star.
To an open house in the evening
Home shall men come,
To an older place than Eden
And a taller town than Rome.
To the end of the way of the wandering star,
To the things that cannot be and that are,
To the place where God was homeless
And all men are at home.
Reading 3: The Shepherds and the Angels
Luke 2.8-20
8 In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: 11 to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.’ 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,
14
‘Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom he favours!’
15 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.’ 16 So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. 17 When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
Prayer
Let us praise the shepherds who farm these hills and dales, let us celebrate their devotion to their animals in their particular place, let us give thanks for their dedication to providing food for the population to eat and for their deep-rooted practices of community life and fellowship. Let us praise all working men and women in their endless everyday tasks of contributing to the common good. The underappreciated, the underpaid, the newly redundant and longer-term unemployed: each of them deeply, keenly valued ones. May they know the peace and favour of which the angels sang. Amen
Angels from the realms of glory (James Montgomery) The Sixteen & Harry Christophers: A Traditional Christmas Carol Collection from The Sixteen
Reading 4: The Visit of the Wise Men
Matthew 2.1-12
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 asking, ‘Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.’ 3 When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:
6 “And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd my people Israel.”’
7 Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8 Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, ‘Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.’ 9 When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure-chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
Prayer
Let us praise the scientists and explorers in pursuit of new insights into the realities of this planet on its solar round. The hobbyists who love to investigate the details of the skies and seas and land, the pharmacists composing drugs effective to save and sustain our lives, the naturalists offering insights in how we may prolong our time on this good but broken earth in good relation with the creatures, the soils and seas and all that they contain. May they find blessing in their journeys of exploration and may their offerings be welcomed by those they seek to serve. Amen
As with gladness men of old (William Chatterton Dix) The Sixteen & Harry Christophers: A Traditional Christmas Carol Collection from The Sixteen
Reading 5: Jesus Is Presented in the Temple
Luke 2.21-38
21 After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
22 When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the law of the Lord, ‘Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord’), 24 and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, ‘a pair of turtle-doves or two young pigeons.’
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying,
29 ‘Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; 30 for my eyes have seen your salvation, 31 which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.’
33 And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, ‘This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed 35 so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.’
36 There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband for seven years after her marriage, 37 then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshipped there with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.
Prayer
Let us praise the elders of our world. Those who have lived long lives, in devotion to their families, their community and their faith. We give thanks for the old ones like Simeon and Anna who have seen it all - and who resist weariness to instead watch and wait in hope for a new world to take shape for the sake of the young, for the good of the future. May they find blessing in their later years, a spirit unconstrained by failing bodies, a heart alive to the regenerative rhythm of God’s good earth. Amen
On Christmas night all Christians sing (Sussex Carol, traditional, attributed to Luke Wadding) Katie McMahon: Christmas Angels
In Memoriam (Ring out, wild bells) Alfred Lord Tennyson
[A poem chosen as being especially apposite for us as we say ‘good riddance’ to the plague year of 2020 and look to a hoped-for better time ahead]
Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light:
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.
Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.
Ring out the grief that saps the mind
For those that here we see no more;
Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress to all mankind.
Ring out a slowly dying cause,
And ancient forms of party strife;
Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manners, purer laws.
Ring out the want, the care, the sin,
The faithless coldness of the times;
Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes
But ring the fuller minstrel in.
Ring out false pride in place and blood,
The civic slander and the spite;
Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common love of good.
Ring out old shapes of foul disease;
Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.
Ring in the valiant man and free,
The larger heart, the kindlier hand;
Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in the Christ that is to be.
O come all ye faithful (traditional, original Latin: Adeste Fideles) Choir of King's College, Cambridge, Simon Preston & Sir David Willcocks: Essential Carols - The Very Best of King's College, Cambridge
Blessing
Let us give thanks for the faithful men and women whose faithful contributions to the Christmas story fill us with joy and insight as to how we too may live. And let us give thanks for the faithful men, women and children of our day and time seeking to live in the light of the God revealed as a baby in Bethlehem. May that story inspire us, as we look towards the days ahead searching for wisdom and hope for ourselves and those who follow us. And so may the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, be with us all - everyone in this divinely-loved world - this Christmas and always. Amen
God rest ye merry gentlemen (English traditional carol) Ivan Parker: Christmas Dreaming
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