Saturday, 26 December 2020

Week beginning 27th December

 

Shepherds


Rise up Shepherd and follow

Rise Up Shepherd - YouTube


Song:

Christians Awake

Christians Awake, Salute the Happy Morn [with lyrics for congregations] - YouTube


Reading:

Luke’s Gospel, chapter 2, verses 8 to 20.

This can be found in “The Message” translation here

Luke 2 MSG - The Birth of Jesus - About that time - Bible Gateway

If you prefer other translations, you can select these at the top of the page, once you have gone there.


Song:

Let’s Go, Let’s Go (Shepherds’ song)

"Let's Go, Let's Go (Shepherds' Song) " - Children's Christmas Carol (+ actions / motions) - YouTube


Song:

See amid the winter’s snow

See, Amid the Winter's Snow [with lyrcis for congregations] - YouTube


Reading:

Seth by David Kossoff

This reading can be found at

oblations: David Kossoff, "Seth"


Song:

While shepherds watched their flocks by night

While Shepherds Watched (To the tune of On Ilkley Moor!) - YouTube


This Sunday is the day when we traditionally remember the shepherds. They were unlikely heroes of the story; men who lived on the margins of society, unable to follow the dictats of the organised religion. Nonetheless, God chose them to be the first people to hear the news of Jesu’s birth. Improbable as the story must have seemed, they went to see what had been described to them.

The significance of this would not have been lost on the early readers, the leaders of the religion were described as shepherds throughout the scriptures. Here, the real life shepherds were supplanting their intellectual counterparts.

God constantly surprises us by his choice of people to receive his message, and to follow in his service.


Prayer:

With the shepherds of Bethlehem
help us, oh Lord, to stand in vigil,
to run with haste to meet you,
to see your face in the faces of others
and to wake from our sleep as a new world is being born.

With the angels of Bethlehem help us,
oh Lord, to tell the whole world of your presence
God is with us!
Let us create peace amongst people
and work for justice amongst nations.

With Jesus, the infant Christ
help us, oh Lord,
to cherish the hope that is born at Christmas
to hear the calling of your people,
to nurture the seeds of your Kingdom
and through our actions to be messengers of your love
in building communities of service and prayer.

Amen.


Song:

Angels from the realms of glory.

Angels from the realms of glory - YouTube




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