Psalm
145: 1 – 13
1
I will exalt you, my God the King; I will
praise your name for ever and ever.
2 Every day I will
praise you and extol your name for ever
and ever.
3 Great is
the Lord and most worthy of praise; his
greatness no one can fathom.
4 One generation commends
your works to another; they tell of your mighty
acts.
5 They speak of the glorious splendour of your
majesty &
I will meditate on your wonderful works.
6 They tell of
the power of your awesome works— and I will
proclaim your great deeds.
7 They celebrate your
abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your
righteousness.
8 The Lord is
gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich
in love.
9 The Lord is
good to all; he has compassion on all he has
made.
10 All your works praise you, Lord; your
faithful people extol you.
11 They tell of the glory
of your kingdom and speak of your might,
12 so
that all people may know of your mighty acts and the glorious
splendour of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an
everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all
generations.
The Lord is
trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he
does.
CAROL
The Holly
and the Ivy.
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.
And
Four for mother Mary,
I cannot see the way,
But you
promised me a baby.
I believe you. I obey.’
Emily
Chisholm 1910-1991
Taken
from Hymns and Psalms
lighting
four advent candles
Luke
1: 26 – 35
26 In
the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel
Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a
virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant
of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went
to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord
is with you.” 29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and
wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the
angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found
favour with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a
son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and
will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give
him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign
over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am
a virgin?”
35 The
angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the
power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to
be born will be called the Son of God.
CAROL
The Angel Gabriel from heaven came.
The
Angel Gabriel from heaven came. Lyric video (StF 187) (youtube.com)
Our
daily bread December 10th
2011 By: Joe Stowell
On
some of the Christmas cards you will receive this year, no doubt
there will be a man standing in the background looking over the
shoulder of Mary, who is prominently displayed caring for the baby
Jesus. His name is Joseph. And after the nativity narratives, he
isn’t heard from much again. If we didn’t know better, we would
think Joseph was an insignificant bystander or, at best, a mere
necessity to undergird Jesus’ claim to the throne of David. But, in
fact, the role that Joseph played was strategically important. If he
had disobeyed the angel’s command to take Mary as his wife (Matt.
1:20), he would have, from a human perspective, put the entire
mission of Jesus at risk. Taking Mary as his wife was a risky
assignment. Public perception that he was the baby’s father put him
in serious violation of Jewish law and made him a public disgrace.
Yet today all of us are thankful that he was willing to risk his
reputation to participate in and facilitate God’s unfolding drama.
Most
of us are insignificant compared to the major players in this world.
But all of us are called to obey. Who knows what God has in store
when we are willing to surrender to God’s will—even when it puts
us at risk!
Matthew
1: 16 – 25
16 and
Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was
the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah. 17 Thus there
were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from
David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the
Messiah. 18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came
about : His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but
before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the
Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to
the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace,
he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 20 But after he had
considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a
dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take
Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the
Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are
to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people
from their sins.”
22 All
this took place to fulfil what the Lord had said through the
prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a
son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God
with us”). 24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of
the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But
he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son.
And he gave him the name Jesus.
Joseph
was a godly man who was obedient to the Lord. Indeed, he was asked to
do a number of difficult things. We find that each and every time the
Lord commanded Joseph to do something, he complied with the command.
We know Joseph was a carpenter, He taught Jesus the same trade. We
do not know how long Joseph lived for but he provides a great
example to all of us all to be faithful, Just as his wife Mary was
also obedient. But You can just imagine hearing the tongues
wagging. A pregnant girl not married but engaged. Joseph did not
want her disgraced she could have been stoned for this sin. But as we
know this was no sin but Gods pure Love a gift to all of us.
CAROL
Christmas greetings, Christmas
joy
Christmas
Greetings Christmas Joy (youtube.com)
PRAYER
We
come to You with sincere gratitude for everything You have given us.
We don’t tell You enough how thankful we are. We are stubborn,
Lord. We like having control and being in charge of are lives doing
only what we like doing or when we have some free time. But we know
deep down inside how many times we have failed. Why do we keep coming
back to our own strengths, Lord, when we know You are the strength
and knowledge we need? Father, soften our hearts and grow us closer
to You as we place our lives in your hands. Lord, we want to be
obedient as Joseph was . Show us Your ways. Lead us from temptation
Give us the will to stand tall and accept Your will. Father God We
love You, Thanks for being patient with us in our times of
stubbornness. Thank you for your son Jesus who taught us to pray. ,
Through the power of the Holy Spirit bind us with our brothers and
sisters in faith through out the world as we say together the
Lords Prayer.
CAROL
O Little town of Bethlehem
O
Little Town of Bethlehem (Tune: Forest Green - 4vv) [with lyrics for
congregations] (youtube.com)
Our
daily bread Dec 30th 2011.
For
the past several years, my daughter Rosie has been the director of
drama at a local middle school. Students come to audition and a few
are selected to play the lead roles. But there are still many other
important supporting roles that must be cast—roles that are vital
to the production.
There
are other young people who want to be a part of the show but don’t
relish being in the spotlight. They are the ones who will change
scenery, open and close the curtains, run the lights, and assist with
makeup and costume changes. Then there are the parents from the
community who provide pizza and cookies for rehearsals, donate goods,
build sets, sew costumes, make signs, and hand out programs. The
success of the performances are the culmination of an intense 4- to
5-month process that is dependent on the hard work of a wide range of
dedicated volunteers.
Similarly,
for the body of Christ to function fully, each of us must play a
part. Every believer is uniquely gifted for service. When these gifts
are combined in a cooperative relationship, “every part does its
share” (Eph. 4:16), and the separate parts make up the whole (Rom.
12:5). so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and
each member belongs to all the others.
PRAYER
O
God of ancient blessing, your servant Mary pondered in her heart
the
treasured words spoken about her Son, our Saviour Jesus
Christ.
Prepare our hearts to receive his Spirit, that our
tongues may confess him Lord.
We
pray for our brothers and sisters who by confessing your name put
them selves and their loved ones in danger keep them safe, keep the
dark forces around them at bay that the light of of the Christ
child may shine through with love and hope.
We
pray for the war countries May away for peace and reconciliation be
found.
be
with all refuges, the homeless, and those who feel lost and alone
Lord we ask you will be close to them.
Loving
God be with all aide workers and their families especially be with
all who are having to work through this time of celebration. Keep
them safe. we ask all theses prayers in Jesus’ name Amen
Poem
The
Candy Cane
by
Marian Jones.
.
A
significant symbol of Christmas
Is the simple candy cane.
It's
shape is the crook of the shepherd
One of the first who
came.
/
The lively peppermint flavour is
The regal
gift of spice.
The white is Jesus' purity.
The red is
sacrifice.
/
The narrow stripes are friendship.
And
the nearness of his love.
Eternal, sweet compassion
A gift
from God above.
/
The candy cane reminds us all
of how
much God cared.
And like His Christmas gift to use
It's
meant to be broken and shared
CAROL
Jesus is the heart of Christmas.
Jesus
is the heart of Christmas by Marguerite Kendrick sung to Regents
Square (youtube.com)
Jesus
is the heart of Christmas,
give
the Lord his rightful place!
Garlands,
gleam with his charisma,
Tinsel,
glisten with his grace!
Jesus
is the heart of Christmas
welcome
him with love and praise!
Jesus
is the heart of Christmas,
light
your candles from his flame!
Hang
your holly in his Honour,
Jesus
is the heart of Christmas
Celebrate
the day he came!
Jesus
is the heart of Christmas,
share
him in each card you send.
Give
each gift in love and friendship,
Share
his gifts which have no end.
Jesus
is the heart of Christmas,
Lord
and Saviour, guide and Friend.
Jesus
is the heart of Christmas,
find
his peace on busy days.
May
the message of advent
guide
us through the Christmas maze.
Jesus
is the heart of Christmas,
sing
each carol in his praise!
Marguerite
Kendrick (1927- 2021 )
Taken
from Singing the Faith
“What
Gift can I
bring to the manger”? Story
by S Youdan
One
Friday a week before they broke up for the Christmas holiday, a
teacher asked her class to make or bring something to put in the
empty manger that sat her desk.
Later
that evening while having his tea a little boy asked to his mum “What
can I put in a manger.” Mum gave him a puzzled look he explained
what the teacher had told his class.
“I
will have to think about that” answered his mum. Well
that Sunday the preacher at church told them the meaning of a packet
of colourful Chocolate beans he
listened as he had never listen before. The preacher went
on to say lets have a look” and took
the packet
and picked out the colours one by one and said
“Pink
Is often
linked with
affection and love .
Pink can
represent the deep compassion and love
that God has for all
people . Pink reminds
us of
God’s unconditional love and the importance of expressing love
towards others by being kind and caring
. Pink is a
warm colour that makes
you Glad and
happy.
The joy you feel
that comes from being in God’s presence. Pink
serves
as a reminder to rejoice and be glad in the Lord.
Orange
reminds us of the colour flames
give us heat the fire of the Holy Spirit warms our hearts.
A
refiner works with precious metals when silver and
other metals are mined they
not clean it has lots other things in
it. (A refiner's fire is where a material, such as
silver, is placed in a fire to cleanse and burn away any impurities
so that it becomes pure silver without blemish.)
Jesus
came
to refine us, to melt
away our sin, to
make us clean
& pure
so we can be like him.
BLUE
Reminds
us of the purity of Mary and the wonders of the sky
that God created
GREEN
Some
trees stay green in winter to
remind us that
Baby Jesus came to give us
the hope of eternal
life
PURPLE
Was a
very expensive cloth only
royalty and the very rich could afford
to buy it.
The
Roman solders dressed Jesus in a purple Robes and mocked him and
pretended to worship him before they killed him. Little knowing He
really was and still is the King of all kings.
YELLOW
Following
the crucifixion of Jesus. In paintings of Jesus’ disciples, Judas
Iscariot who betrayed
Jesus was
usually depicted wearing yellow, thus the colour has become
associated with betrayal
envy, jealousy and greed.
A reminder to us that , mistrust,
envy, jealousy and greed, are
the opposite to how God wants us to be.
RED
Reminds
us of the colour of Christ's blood shed
for us . That only
through Jesus we are saved.
BROWN
Brown is often associated with the
earth and the material world. Brown
can be seen as a reminder of our earthly existence and the importance
of believing in Jesus and like a seed
planted in the ground our faith will grow .
Brown
can remind us of the need to live a humble and simple life,.
We
have no idea of the colour of the clothes warn by Joseph but in
paintings he is often portrayed as being
dressed in browns, As Joseph was a
humble man trusting in God. The
preacher empted the packet and said
There
is One colour that is not there can
you guess? He paused then went on
“well really
it is shade and not a colour any idea ? Every one sat quiet
the
preacher smiled at the children “lets
look inside” he held it
up the
empty packet so everyone could see and
said now
“What do
you see? Nothing said a grown up
from the back of the church.
“Are
you sure my friend” ? “lets
take a closer look The
inside is
WHITE
Most Doves
are white
they are used as
a sign of peace.
Jesus is
often portrayed in white. As an
indication of being pure and holy with
out sin”. The preacher went on to
say. “Now Children
there is something we can not see any
idea what it is ”?
The little
boy put up his hand, the preacher nodded at him to
speak, the little boy cleared his throat
and said “There
is air in side.” “That’s
right well done we
can not see it but with
out it we could not live.”
The preacher looked
down at
his notes then with
a serious look
on his face
he went on to say
“God is invisible just like air but
by faith we
know He is
there, for
he loves us so much he gave us a very
special gift , a
present to us all one
wrapped in a blanket known as swaddling bands and laid in manger.
The little boy knew the answer and
could not contain his excitement and
shouted out “It’s Jesus.” The preacher clapped
his hands together “Yes that is right.
Now I have a special gift for each of
you.”
Then
the preacher opened a big red and white
bag with
tinsel on it and
gave every
one a Christmas
cracker. When
the little boy arrived home with his
mother
they pull
open their
crackers.
The little boy laughed and said “now I
know
exactly what I am
going to put in the manger.”
His mother smiled loving
at her little boy, and gave him the gift
that was in her cracker.
CAROL
Away in a manger
Away
in a Manger w/lyrics (youtube.com)
So
what gift will you give the Christ child?
Matthew
records many parables that Jesus
said. In
chapter 25 : 31 – 40 Jesus
says the following
31 “When
the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him,
he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will
be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from
another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He
will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 “Then
the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed
by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for
you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry
and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me
something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I
needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked
after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
“Then
the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry
and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When
did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and
clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go
to visit you?’
40 “The
King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the
least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
CAROL
Unto us a boy is born
Unto
Us a Boy is Born (Tune: Puer Nobis - 5vv) [with lyrics for
congregationa] (youtube.com)
Prayer
O
God of Joseph and
Mary, you visited your servants with news of the world's
redemption
in the coming of the Saviour. Make our hearts leap
with joy, and fill our mouths with songs of praise, that we may
announce glad tidings of peace, and welcome the Christ in our midst.
Amen.
Jonathan
and Susannah wish you all a blessed and peaceful Christmas.
