Reading: Psalm 126
The
Holly and the Ivy,
Are dancing in a ring,
Round the
berry-bright red candles,
and the white and shining King.
And
One is for God's people,
In every age and day.
We are
watching for His coming.
We believe and we obey.
And
Two is for the Prophets,
And for the light they bring,
They
are candles in the darkness.
All alight for Christ the king.
And Three for John the Baptist,
He
calls on us to sing;
‘O prepare the way for Jesus Christ,
He
is coming, Christ the King.
Song: Be Still, for the presence of the Lord
Be still for the presence of the Lord - YouTube
Prayers:
Heavenly Father, This third week of Advent, let us remember that the good news of Jesus’ birth has the power to bring us great joy this Christmas season. Our joy isn’t dependent on what is going on in our life, in our world, or the people that we are with. It doesn’t depend on the gifts we give or the gifts we find under the tree. No earthly thing can ever give us complete joy. Our joy comes from you. That joy that flooded the hearts of the shepherds, the angels, the wise men, the hosts of heaven, and Mary and Joseph is the joy that still has the power to overwhelm our hearts with rejoicing.
Those who gathered around the new baby were blessed because they believed that you had fulfilled your promises. Mary and Joseph believed and were able to feel the joy of holding baby Jesus in their arms. The shepherds and wise men believed the angels and the signs and experienced the great gladness of worshipping their Messiah.
Those who knew him and recognized him were overjoyed at the coming of Jesus. They saw the prophecies fulfilled and their fear was replaced with happiness as they gazed on the face of the one who would be their Saviour. They trusted in your promises and their hearts were filled with gladness as they watched your loving-kindness manifested in the face of a tiny baby in a lowly manger.
Father, you offer that same joy to us now if we know you and recognize Jesus as our Saviour and Lord. You gave us a reason to celebrate when you gave us the unspeakable gift of Jesus Christ. You came to dwell among us. You went to Calvary’s cross for us. You overcame death and rose from the dead for us. You forgive our sin and give us eternal life when we believe in you.
Our joy doesn’t come from our jobs, our family, our relationships, our finances, or our success. Our joy doesn’t come from what we have on earth or who we are with. Our joy is a gift. It is the gift that you gave us that first Christmas in Jesus Christ. Our joy is encompassed in our Saviour, King Jesus. Flood our hearts with joy this Advent season as we reflect on the good news of Jesus’ birth. In Jesus’ precious name we pray. Amen
www.ibelieve.com
Reading: Matthew’s gospel, chapter 3: verses 1 to 12
Song: On Jordan’s Bank
103 - On Jordan’s Bank, the Baptist’s Cry - YouTube
Reading: Book of Isaiah, chapter 40, verses 1 to 14
Song: Make way, Make way
Make Way, Make Way (Graham Kendrick) (Singing the Faith 264 / StF 264) - YouTube
Prayer:
God with us,
Your Son Jesus,
calls us to follow him.
Give us courage to leave behind the things that don’t really matter,
and to follow you in our lives,
in your special love for people with no power or influence,
In your struggle against the powers of evil and destruction.
Show us the way to travel, we pray,
and give us strength and courage.
We pray for the powerful of the world,
for heads of state and for leaders of big business,
especially for those who have the means
to save our fragile world from environmental disaster
Deliver them from the lure of power for its own sake
and the love of wealth above all else.
Give them compassion
for those who have very little power or wealth.
As members of the human race,
teach us to serve the common good,
and to cherish those who own the least.
Jesus, our friend, You healed the sick
and brought God’s love to ordinary people.
We pray those all those we know who are sick
especially …..
asking that they will know your presence,
encompassing them in love on every side
bringing healing and peace.
We pray for those who have died,
that they will rest in your eternal love and peace:
we remember especially…
We pray, too, for many who mourn;
for those who have lost family members in the pandemic,
and for all who are lost in sadness and grief.
Jesus we give thanks for your love without end,
for us, your children,
and for your call to follow you.
We give thanks for the purpose and direction that call brings,
for faith which deepens and grows as we journey with you,
and for the hope you give us,
We give thanks for the voices in the news,
voices of faith speaking of your beautiful creation,
and of your Kingdom of justice and peace.
Help us to treasure that which we have,
to cherish the world you made,
to rejoice in its beauty
to glimpse your reflection in the sky, the sea, the sun, moon and stars,
and in the faces of those we meet. Amen
revannemorris.co.uk
Song: O come, O come Emmanuel
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (Tune: Veni Immanuel - 5vv) [with lyrics for congregations] - YouTube
How much do you like the past?
What period of the past would you like to live in?
How often do you here people talking about how wonderful everything was in the past?
There was no litter on the streets; everywhere was clean and bright; everybody was polite and well mannered; everyone was honest;
Further in the past; we had the age of chivalry when everyone dressed in spectacular Hollywood clothes, and had impeccable manners while they jousted (gently) and ate fantastic feasts.
Even right back to the stone age, we have a romantic image of life. People want to “get back to nature” or live “Off Grid”
In 1981, Tony Capstick released a record entitled “Capstick comes home”
This was inspired by the “Hovis adverts of the time, and mocked the idea that everything was better in the past.
My mother talked about people cutting the toes out of shoes when their children had grown out of them. Perhaps some of you have similar reminiscences.
What has this to do with John the Baptist?
John appeared bout 500 years after the last of the prophets. Despite their messages, that the people needed to turn to God, and follow His commandments, they had become part of the culture. It was written down and was a part of the literature of the nation. The individual prophets had become glamourised, may even have been imagined in the same sort of way that we imagine the saints, although there is little, if any, surviving Jewish art. Due largely to the ban on graven images.
The religious leaders of the day believed that they were following the law, and the teachings of the prophets. They had surrounded themselves with people who agreed with them, (Sound familiar?) and claimed a monopoly on interpretation. After all, they had the might of the prophets behind them.
Then a rather odd figure arrives on the scene;
If you can imagine a report by the committee on his job application; it might have said something like “says he is a Baptist, but he doesn’t act like one”
An ascetic, one who lived a rather unconventional life. Not well dressed, indeed, his dress and diet were worthy of of note, and therefore presumably not the norm. Unlike Jesus, and others, he waited for people to come to him, and did not seek them. He certainly was not a crowd pleaser, he did not say what people wanted to hear; he was direct, blunt to the point of rudeness in his preaching. Later evidence shows that he certainly did not adjust his message to his audience!
He is described as the final prophet, but unlike the rest of the prophets, he was not talking about the future. He was not telling people about some vague time when God, or His representative would come.
As many of us remember “The Kingdom of God is at hand” the NIV says “is near”. Not sometime in the future, “At hand”. Here. Now.
In the children’s film Shrek, there is a character of a talking Donkey, voiced by Eddie Murphy. When they are on the road to “Far Far Away” , he utters the words every parent is familiar with. “Are we there yet?” How did you used to answer? Shrek lost patience, and urged Donkey to stop being himself!! Eventually of course, he could answer “Yes!”
John the Baptist is saying “Yes” to the question asked for many hundreds of years. “Are we there yet?”
We know the full story. We know that the message of Christmas is “The kingdom of God is here” God is with us”
We need to be telling others, just like Shrek told Donkey, “Yes, we are there”. “The Kingdom of God is at hand.”
Reading: Come, Thou long expected Jesus
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