Mayfield Wesleyan Reform Church: week beginning 24th December

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 10^th 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)