Christmas Day

ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF COUNTRY & CANDLE LIGHTING

Reader One: On Wiradjuri high country land, they were watching late at night for signs of the Creator

at work. A bright light overwhelmed them and spoke to them so they came down to the plain to share this news with the Dharug, Gadigal, Eora and Dharawal mobs. On their lands we gather today. We honour their elders past and present and in our shared work for reconciliation and justice-making.

Reader Two: We were just minding the sheep as we’ve always done. We were cold and left alone on these hillsides as we are every night. Bethlehem lay before us but it wasn’t its light we saw last night.

It was bright and there was a voice it seemed. Something special about a child. Go find the child. Just the two of us could go to Bethlehem. When we saw the little one, Yeshua I think his mum called him, it made us feel that we are never alone.

Reader One: We walked back to the others so many thoughts racing around within us. Yes, something special to be sure. Just looking at him made us feel that even us shepherds who hadn’t been to the Temple for years, weren’t forgotten. Hard to describe really. There is something special about a child being born. Yer I know I’ve told everyone I met that, several times. Gives us hope, it does. You don’t get much of that these days. And his little face well his eyes seemed to look right inside you.

Reader Two: We light these candles, hoping to become the light of that same hope in our lives.

We light these candles to create room for the Christ Child to live in our place, in our inner places.

We light these candles to declare that unto us a Saviour is born, who is Christ the Lord.

Welcomed by angels singing and shepherds kneeling. Welcomed by those like us who have worshiped the LORD for thousands of years, and again right here and right now, in this place. Hallelujah!

Reader One & Two: It’s time. Hope is born. We light all 4 Advent candles and then the Christ candle.

HYMN TIS 311 Silent night, holy night

Silent night holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round the virgin mother and Child
Holy Infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace.

Silent night, holy night
Shepherds quake at the sight
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing, ‘Alleluia!
Christ the Saviour is born
Christ the Saviour is born.

Silent night, holy night
Wondrous star, lend your light;
With the angels let us sing
Alleluia to our King;
Christ our Saviour is born
Christ our Saviour is born.

Silent Night, Holy Night, Southern Cross shines so bright

Seven sisters lighten the way, As we celebrate Jesus’ birth day

Jesus, light of the world! Jesus, light of the world!

CCLI Song # 27862 Franz Xaver Gruber | John Freeman Young | Joseph Mohr © Words: Public Domain

Verse 4 © Rev Amelia Koh Butler 2021. Used with permission.

CALL TO WORSHIP Isaiah 9: 2, 6 – 7 (selected verses)

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light;

on those living in the land of deep darkness, a light has dawned.

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.

He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

HYMN TIS 304 vs 1, 3, 5 & 7

O come all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant
come ye O come ye to Bethlehem;
Come and behold Him, born the King of angels

O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord

See how the shepherds summoned to his cradle

Leaving their flocks, draw nigh with holy fear;

We too will thither bend our joyful footsteps:

Child, for us sinners poor and in the manger

Fain we embrace thee with love and awe;

Who would not love thee, loving us so dearly?

Yea, Lord we greet Thee, born this happy morning
Jesus to Thee be all glory given;
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing:

CCLI Song # 31054 C. Frederick Oakeley | John Francis Wade © Words: Public Domain Music: Public Domain

WELCOME & ANNOUNCEMENTSRetiring Offering for Christmas Bowl & UnitingWorld

A TIME OF THANKSGIVING…

BIBLE READINGS (Janene)

Titus 2: 11 – 14 & 3: 4 – 7

For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

But when the loving kindness of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Saviour so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

Luke 2: 1 – 15a

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them inside.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests.”

Then the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened.

In this we hear God’s Good News. Thanks be to God!

A PRAYER OF CONFESSION

Into the daily cycle of our lives, when all seems well, with us and with the world, when our yoke is easy, and the burden light, You break in Lord God Immanuel. And scatter our complacency.

Into the daily cycle of our lives, when we are comfortable, and at our ease, when the BBQ is lit but eyes are closed, You break in Lord God Immanuel. And challenge our self-dependency.

You break into our daily lives, our souls laid bare Lord God Immanuel.
You break in with an Angel’s shout and a new babe’s cry in the strangest of places.

You break in Lord God Immanuel…and we change, we now see the need of it and know the hunger for it in a manger taking the lowest place, Mary’s son, your Son, God with us. Hope is born. Amen

HYMN Together in Song 317

Love came down at Christmas
Love all lovely, Love divine
Love was born at Christmas
Star and angels gave the sign.

Worship we the Godhead
Love incarnate, Love divine
Worship we our Jesus
But wherewith for sacred sign?

Love shall be our token
Love be yours and love be mine
Love to God and neighbours
Love for plea and gift and sign.

CCLI Song # 1757784 Christina Georgina Rossetti | Gilbert M. Martin © Words: Public Domain

Music: 1970, 1974, 1975, 1979, 1993, 2004 The Sacred Music Press (Admin. by Music Services, Inc.)

MESSAGE ‘Our en-thusiastic God!’

During the reign of the Egyptian Pharoah Rameses II 1,250 years before Christ, a group of slaves whose ancestors had come from Canaan, escaped and fled across the Sinai desert to a land they would later call Israel. Their experience of being fed and nurtured along the way; and their new found sense of identity in all they experienced through the hand of their Deliverer, who spoke to them through their leader Moses, transformed them. Their God was simply called ‘I AM’ the God of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob. YHWH. The God of their past but also now of their present AND future! The word they used to describe YHWH was El Shaddai, which means ‘the Lord Almighty’ – their God of the Exodus!

So it is that we hear today the words from Isaiah chapter 9 that the ‘zeal of the Lord Almighty’ will accomplish this event which we see supremely in the birth, death and resurrection of Christ Jesus.

And this event of justice and righteousness making which we celebrate at Christmas:

“on those living in the land of deep darkness, a light has dawned. 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” will come to pass because of the zeal of the Lord.

And it’s important to remember that this hope comes in the toughest of times – in times of deep darkness! But what does Isaiah mean with his phrase the zeal of the Lord?

In the Hebrew zeal can mean a number of things depending on its context but at its simplest it means that God’s focused, single-minded and determined en-theos or en–thusiasm will carry the day.

This is not the enthusiasm that we often associate with those who go around like energizer bunnies until they wear out or lose their enthusiasm, who for a day, a week, a month or even a year or three give every part of their being to a cause, only to give up disillusioned, burnt out or die in the process.

God’s en-theos is steadfast & unswerving. God doesn’t need to re-charge the batteries. God finds all the en-theos God needs in and through the love of humanity who live on this earth, lives so valued, so precious, that God would send an only Son.

We may find all of this too hard to understand or believe, especially as we experience suffering and as our lives continue to be impacted by COVID and we always live with the mystery of why we only seem to clearly see God at work in specific times & places sometimes many years apart.

For example, why did it take Moses to be curious about a burning bush on that particular day and not the week, month or year before; why did it take 60 years for the Babylonians to be defeated so the people could go home; why did it take until 1517 AD for a Catholic monk Martin Luther to re-discover sola fide (salvation by faith alone); or why did it take John Wesley until he was 32 to find his heart strangely warmed. And why might it take us a lifetime for our ‘ah ha’ moments! We live with these questions.

But what we can affirm today is that the zeal of the Lord Almighty did hear and respond to the cries of God’s people as seen in the birth of Christ during the reign of Emperor Augustus ~ 4 – 6 BCE.

You and I live between that time and the end of time. But in the meantime as the NT apostles spoke ofagain and again we are called to live as Christ’s disciples as salt & leaven in the world sustained and empowered by the Holy Spirit for the benefit of all humanity with the Fruit of the HS as our guide.

And if shepherds, the first century version of the casual 24/7 shift workers of our day whose ethnicity, work place & hours of work place them on the margins of acceptable society and access to religious life,

if such people as these are the first to be included in this good news then there are many ‘shepherds’ in our day waiting to hear and to be included in this good news.

And while the focus of today’s story is on the birth of a child, Christmas is not a children’s story, we devalue it such that it loses nearly all its power if all we do is focus on children and the gifts they receive.

Yes, the wonder of gift giving and the wonder of Jesus’ birth can entrance children and draw them to the manger; but the story of Christmas has an M classification for it contains a very adult message.

King Herod hovers in the wings wishing only death to this child, ethnic cleansing at its most deadly.

The Magi bring gifts of Gold, Frankincense & Myrrh gifts which will define Jesus’ ministry as Lord, High Priest and Saviour. Rome rules through her Legions but even in Augustus’ census decree God’s will and purpose amidst such totalitarian rule is not overcome and is found in a child bringing hope, wonder and joy. Indeed it can be said of today ‘Jesus put a song into our hearts, a song of joy no one can take away’. May it be so in your life and in mine this day. Have a wonderful & life transforming Christmas Day. Amen

HYMN, Together In Song 670

Jesus put this song into our hearts
Jesus put this song into our hearts
It’s a song of joy no one can take away:
Jesus put this song into our hearts.

Jesus taught us how to live in harmony
Jesus taught us how to live in harmony;
Different faces different races He made us one:
Jesus taught us how to live in harmony.

Jesus taught us how to be a family
Jesus taught us how to be a family
Loving one another with the love that He gives:
Jesus taught us how to be a family.

Jesus turned our sorrow into dancing
Jesus turned our sorrow into dancing
Changed our tears of sadness into rivers of joy:
Jesus turned our sorrow into a dance.

PRAYERS FOR EACH OTHER (Rev Paul)

Christmas celebrates God’s loving kindness in the gift of Jesus to the world. What we do in response to that gift giving honours God and Christ Jesus and also the world God brought into being and sustains.

Today we pray for all whose lives before us have been touched by the gift of Christ born among us;

Today we pray for all whom this day will feel their lives valued and affirmed by Christ’s birth especially those who will gather in their thousands at Exodus in Burwood and at the Wayside Chapel for Christmas lunch – gifts of food, love and welcome for all who attend.

Today we pray for those who cannot attend such lunches because of ill-health, COVID restrictions or as seen in that empty chair that many families will have this year through death or estrangement; and we continue to uphold the people of Devonport, Tasmania following the tragic death of five school children 9days ago: Addison Stewart, Zane Mellor, Jye Sheehan, Jalailah Jayne-Maree Jones & Peter Dodt.

We uphold and will seek to find, those who will eat what they have, alone, because they have no family.

As we share and give and receive gifts help us Lord to remember why we do this and may our gift giving of time, our talents, our money and our relationships continue beyond Christmas day into the New Year.

We pray especially this Christmas for the work of UnitingWorld, Frontier Services, the Christmas Bowl, Common Grace, Amnesty International, Project Youth and all who have used our halls this past year.

We uphold and give thanks for Sue & our Church Council, for our paid staff Michael and Joanna and for every person who has attended our services this year.

We especially uphold all who mourn the death of loved ones, particularly the families of Sandra Binnie, Bob Steele, Tony Wilson, Karen Hodges and Irene’s family in the Philippines.

And help us Lord to see in our own and in each other’s faces and hands, your face and your hands, our lives and their lives loved to bits by a child who became a friend and brother and our Saviour and Lord.

These our prayers and these our lives we bring entwined in your love, on this Christmas Day. Amen

HYMN, Together In Song 322

The north wind is tossing the leaves.
The red dust is over the town;
The sparrows are under the eaves,
And the grass in the paddock is brown;
As we lift up our voices and sing,
To the Christ-child the heavenly King.

The tree ferns in green gullies sway;
The cool stream flows silently by;
The joy bells are greeting the day,
And the chimes are adrift in the sky,
As we lift up our voices and sing,
To the Christ-child the heavenly King.

BLESSING & BENEDICTION

May the wisdom of the Magi, the curiosity of the shepherds, the faithfulness of Joseph, the love of Mary, the generosity of the Inn keeper, the hospitality of all in the stable and the guiding light of the Christ Child, Immanuel, be a blessing and a hope to you this day and all days, as we sing…

HYMN Together In Song 755

You shall go out with joy, and be led forth in peace
and the mountains and the hills shall break forth in singing.
There’ll be shouts of joy and the trees of the field shall clap, shall clap their hands.

And the trees of the field shall clap their hands
and the trees of the field shall clap their hands
and the trees of the field shall clap their hands
and you’ll go out with joy.

CCLI Song # 20546 Steffi Geiser Rubin | Stuart Dauermann © 1975 Lillenas Publishing Company (Admin. by Music Services, Inc.) For use solely with the SongSelect® All rights reserved. www.ccli.comCCLI Licence # 31951

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