Page 1 First Sunday after Christmas 28 December 2014 The Mission and Discipleship Council would like to thank Rev Dr Derek Browning, Minister of Edinburgh: Morningside, for his thoughts on the first Sunday after Christmas. Contents Isaiah 61: 10-62: 3... 2 Psalm 148... 3 Galatians 4: 4-7... 4 Luke 2: 22-40... 5 Sermon Ideas... 6 Prayers... 7 Time with children... 12 Musical suggestions... 12 Additional Resources... 13
Page 2 Helping people prepare for reading the Bible in worship can make a real difference. Overcoming nerves, reading in ways suitable to the text, speaking clearly etc. You may wish to email these three links to the people reading Scripture on Sunday to support them in their involvement in worship: Managing your nerves; Creative readings; Worship at the Lectern Isaiah 61: 10-62: 3 The reading from Isaiah shows God as the person who has fashioned the, garments of salvation, and also as the gardener who has planted for righteousness and praise. The speaker/writer is ready for action. Dressed for the occasion (Paul borrows some of this metaphor in Ephesians 6: 10 ff) this is a passage about transformation with the writer eagerly anticipating what is to come, salvation, hope, and the fulfilment of God s promise. It is important to note that before the writing of 3rd Isaiah (Isaiah 55-66) many of the best and brightest of Israel, young men and women, and children, had been carried off into exile in Babylon. They had to make a home in a land not of their choosing, and struggled to maintain the customs and the memories of their ancient homeland for which they longed. They continued to hope. In his reflection on Jurgen Moltmann s Theology of Hope, Miroslav Volf speaks of the difference between optimism and hope: Optimism is based on the possibilities of things as they have come to be; hope is based on the possibilities of God irrespective of how things are hope is grounded in the faithfulness of God and therefore on the effectiveness of God s promise. This passage has to do with the theology of hope: the hopefulness of relationship and marriage; the hopefulness of planting a garden. For the Christian reader the passage looks backward and forward backward to Israel s history with God, and forward to salvation in Christ. It speaks clearly at the turning of the year. One commentator notes, Like the carols that linger on this first Sunday of Christmas, this passage from Isaiah celebrates God s desire to be with God s people in a new way. The promise of reconciliation gives Israel hope. The promise of God s steadfast love gives Israel reason to sing again. Emily Dickinson s poem catches the image of hope delicately:
Page 3 Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul - And sings the tune without the words - And never stops - at all - And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard - And sore must be the storm - That could abash the little Bird That kept so many warm - I ve heard it in the chillest land - And on the strangest Sea - Yet - never - in Extremity, It asked a crumb - of me. Psalm 148 In this Psalm praise for God and God s promises of saving grace come from every part of creation. Not human life alone but every element join together to join the great hymn of praise. The psalm begins and ends with hallelujah or Praise the Lord. It is an expression of unfettered praise that clearly echoes, on this first Sunday of Christmas, the angels chorus sung to the shepherds on Christmas Eve; for many it will bring to mind the glorious passage from Handel s Messiah. How tawdry Christmas decorations begin to look after Christmas Day, with many feeling the anticipation gone; yet Christmas, and the praiseworthy element of Christmas, God with us, remains. One commentator notes that Psalm 148 whirls with exclamation marks. In the days following Christmas, we let go of its joy at our peril. Another writes, The celebration of Christmas, the sounds of which still ring in our ears and the joy of which resounds in our hearts, is an important new beginning in the life of humankind. The Babe of Bethlehem is also to become the crucified Saviour and Lord, God s affirmation that that world which was brought into being so long ago will never be allowed to become irredeemably corrupted. In the spirit of that reality, this psalm celebrates the indissoluble link between creation and salvation. Psalm 148 is the assigned reading in all three years of the lectionary for this Sunday. The Gospel
Page 4 readings change but the Psalm does not. One year the Gospel confronts us with the massacre of the infants and the holy family s refugee status in Egypt. Another year we meet Simeon and Anna showing the years and strain of waiting for God s promised salvation. On yet another year it is the story of Jesus slipping away from His parents and being found in the Temple, only after causing great anxiety to His parents. The Psalm, however, remains constant. Whatever our experiences of Christmas might be, it remains fundamentally a time of praise directed towards God. Praise remains the common vocation of all believers. Galatians 4: 4-7 In these sentences that have been rightly called the theological centre of Paul s letter to the Galatians, Paul offers his readers the good news that God has sent His Son to save them from spiritual slavery, and intends to adopt them as His children. One commentator notes, In sum, verse four is first-order testimony to which Nicaea serves as creedal explication. Just as the Sunday following Easter is sometimes called Low Sunday (for a variety of reasons ranging from the spiritual anti-climax some feel after the great celebration, or the fact that the high attendances of that day do not carry on to the following Sunday) so for some people this Sunday after Christmas is another low Sunday. Paul has none of this. He wants us to be lifted high. One commentator writes: when the euphoria of Christ s birth has turned to postpartum exhaustion, Paul, ever the counter-culturalist, calls the Church and its culture to vivid, Pentecostal transformation. In Christmas we find the seeds of Easter and Pentecost. Like the new-born Christ-Child, if we have taken Him to our hearts, our baby first words might also be Abba. Galatians was written before the gospels, so we do not know exactly what nativity story Paul had in mind. Paul s single sentence telling us of a time that had fully come, of a Son sent from God, born of a woman, and come to bring us within the family of faith, is refreshingly simple and direct. We hear so many words at Christmas, perhaps in these short verses it is time to pare down the usual gospel message to this little sentence where we hear so little, but in which we are given so much. The Christology of the sentence is lucid and startling in its brevity. It is also blisteringly direct to each individual reader and listener. As each one of us reads, we are reminded that whoever we are, we are no longer alone, but adopted through Christ into the family of faith. These ideas lead us directly to hope. God has hopes for the world, God has hopes
Page 5 for His family, God us hopes for us. God in hope sees beyond our chains, disadvantages, limitations, failings, whether imposed on us by society or self. God sees through the slavery to the freedom. In our low times, this message of hope needs to be heard. Poor attendance on a low Sunday is not an excuse for weak hope. On this last Sunday of the year, as we look back and look forward, the reality of God s love embraces our past and our future, and will not let us go in the present. Luke 2: 22-40 On the face of it this looks like a simple story about the thankful piety of Mary and Joseph bringing their firstborn to the Temple for dedication, and who are met by the patient piety of Simeon and Anna. The passage says a great deal more. We are struck by the symbolism of the Infant being brought to the Temple in dedication. There is an elision in the idea of the sacrifice of the doves and the future sacrifice of Jesus. At this time of year, or at the birth of a child, parents and new-born usually receive gifts instead of making them. One commentator wonders what if we sacrificed something of immense value to mark a birth and to consecrate a child to God? Mary and Joseph presenting Jesus speak about the Jewish ritual of parental purification, but it also sets the scene for Simeon, and later Anna. It is, in fact, Jesus Who has come to purify the world, and has come for a purpose far greater than anyone would fully understand, though the words and actions of Simeon clearly point towards this greater, wider picture. The old man takes the little infant in his arms, at last holding the promise that he had yearned for his whole life. Jesus was a baby, God s shrewdest device to take us unawares and make us more receptive to His promise. As Luther put it, God became small for us in Christ; He showed us His heart, so our hearts might be one. A writer notes that infants wield surprising power which overwhelms most people with feelings of tenderness and delight. God in incarnation came not to thrash evildoers or crush the Romans, but as an infant to elicit love, to nurture tenderness. Simeon is an old man carrying a vast hope. Towards the end of his life, it is assumed, this new life comes to vindicate his life-long hopefulness and faithfulness. The same is also true of Anna. Hope is not the sole preserve of the young; it is an all-age invitation and gift to the family of faith. The words Simeon speaks are not easy, and remind us that Incarnation, for all its hopefulness and promise, continues the raw material for crucifixion and pain, and then beyond that resurrection and
Page 6 hopefulness once more. In Simeon s Nunc Dimittis, his departing and welcoming, there are also words about the falling and rising in the sign that is Jesus Christ. Finally, the holy family returns home. We have been given an anticipation and faint glimpse of the future. Ordinary people return to their ordinary lives, but perhaps this time with one sense of expectancy replaced by another. God s salvation is no longer coming, it is now here. Sermon Ideas From Isaiah 61: 10-62: 3 What is the nature of hope? What does it mean to be clothed by salvation and what is the difference between being clothed by salvation and putting on the whole armour of God? If righteousness and praise were to spring forth from our nation, or any nation, what would it look and feel like? At the end of the old year, and the beginning of a new year, what are the things about which we should not keep silent? From Psalm 148 How comprehensive and part of our daily essence is our praise? What songs do the Cosmos and Creation sing? What praise elements from the Advent and Christmas narratives can be illuminated and expanded by this psalm? (Mary s song, the Magnificat; Zechariah s song, the Benedictus; the angel s song; the shepherd s song; Simeon s song, the Nunc Dimittis). From Galatians 4: 4-7 How many ways can we interpret and understand Paul s phrase, when the time had fully come, in relation to the Incarnation and the events of Christmas? After the highs of Christmas Day, what are the lows that some will experience on this Sunday? What does it mean for Christians to call God, Abba, and how does this unite us with the prayer of Jesus, the Lord s Prayer, particularly over Christmas? What does it mean for Christians to be adopted in to the family of God?
Page 7 From Luke 2: 22-40 What would have been the spiritual, emotional and physical toll on Mary and Joseph leading up to the birth of Jesus, and what might their feelings have been as He was presented in the Temple? It is said that Christmas is a time of giving, and receiving. What should we make of the concept of sacrifice in the offering of Jesus in the Temple, perhaps in the context of the presumed poverty of Mary and Joseph? Christmas is a time for the children. Simeon and Anna are elderly believers. What are the roles and perspectives of the different generations in the celebration of Christmas? If Jesus was born today, to teenage parents (though traditionally it is assumed Joseph is an older man), in urban or rural poverty, would He be any better off and how would society treat Him? Prayers Scriptural Sentence Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. (I Timothy 1:15) Collect (Common Order) Almighty God, You have shed upon us the new light Of Your incarnate Word. Grant that this light, enkindled in our hearts, May shine forth in our lives; Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Who lives and reigns with You, In the unity of the Holy Spirit, One God, now and for ever.
Page 8 Prayer of Approach, Confession and Supplication Holy God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Let our first prayer be to You words of praise. Praise for the joy of Christmas; Praise for the embodiment of living hope In the gift of Your Son; Praise for the wonder of angels and shepherds, Praise for the experience of the young and the old, Praise for the faith-full and the faith-empty, Praise for the exuberant and the weary. However this new day finds us, Let praise be found: Loud and clear, quiet and gentle. May our praise shine through our singing; May our praise glow through our adoration. Forgive those times when our praise has been Lacklustre, empty or without thought. Forgives us when we leave our praise behind in Church, And forget to bring it into our daily lives. Forgives us, whatever these days of Christmas have been, When we have overlooked the faith that gives meaning To this time of year. We return now, to You, seeking mercy, And seeking the presence of the Christ-Child, That our hearts might be refreshed, And our faith reinvigorated. God of the shepherds field, and the stable, and the Temple, God of the family and God of the single, God of the bright lights and God of the darker places,
Page 9 Come to us now with hope and with blessing, Accepting our praise through words and song and silence, Shaping our actions into the reality of Your love working in our world. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Prayer of Thanksgiving and Intercession Living God, For Your Word Incarnate, Alive within our hearts, Seeking out each separate soul, We thank You that in this season of Christmas, This great gift of hope is ours, And meant for sharing with all who will receive it. Today we give thanks for Your generosity towards us, And the generosity it inspires within us. We thank You for all who give of their time, talents and money To help Your Kingdom grow. We thank You for sacrifices made, Which too often we take for granted In the Church, in the workplace and in the home. We thank You for those blessed with hopeful hearts, Waiting with patience, eager to respond to each New fulfilment of Your love, Who point Your presence out to those who are too busy or too unseeing. We thank You for the Simeons and Annas of our generation, Who watch and wait, and respond in praise to Your good news As it unfolds today, drawing others through them to You. Hear our prayers today for those whose needs are great: The families and the individuals who have lived with strain At this Christmas time through
Page 10 The lack of means; the lack of company; the lack of peace; the lack of love. We pray for those who cannot hear the joy because of bitter words; Who cannot feel the joy because of cold and emptiness; Who cannot see the joy because of fear and grief. We pray for those amongst our loved ones and neighbours, Who need not simply prayers but words and actions To help them hear and feel and see that Christ is with them, As He is with us. For all who feel cut off and distanced from Christ s love, Orphaned in a world full of families we pray today. And we pray For all who are far from home and from their loved ones; For all who are in hospital; For all who serve in the Forces of Crown; For all whose work keeps them away from the celebration of Christmas; For all whose situation in life isolates them from others, Through imprisonment, or addictions, or depression. God bless our Queen, and those whose calling is to serve our country Through the institutions and organisations that shape The fabric of our society in politics, education, commerce, health and welfare. God bless all the nations of the world. May the angels song inspire peace in place of war, And praise in place of brutality. In this season of Christmas, We pray for Your Church. May her message be one of welcome, inclusion and love, And may her actions be marked by generosity, understanding and grace. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Page 11 Offertory Prayer Heavenly Father, In this time of giving, We are grateful for what we have received from You. In this time of sharing, We are challenged to share what we have with others. Receive our gifts with our thanks, As we dedicate them to the outworking of Your Kingdom, And the incarnation of Your love in action Here and across the world. In the name of the Christ-Child. Amen Benediction (Common Order) May the joy of the angels, The humility of the shepherds, And the peace of the Christ-Child Be God s gift to you and to all people This Christmas and always. And the blessing of God Almighty, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Be with you now and for evermore. Amen
Page 12 Time with children Create cut-outs of the sparrow image and invite the children and the congregation to add their own words of hope, encouragement, aspiration and faith. Add them to make a collage. Read the Emily Dickinson poem, Hope is the thing with feathers, and paraphrase the hope written about by Isaiah and Simeon. Musical suggestions CH4 104 CH4 105 CH4 301 CH4 303 CH4 304 CH4 305 CH4 308 CH4 314 CH4 316 CH4 317 CH4 318 CH4 319 CH4 320 CH4 332 CH4 333 The Lord of heaven confess Glory to God above! Hark! the herald angels sing It came upon the midnight clear O little town of Bethlehem In the bleak mid-winter Behold, the great Creator makes Child in the manger Love came down at Christmas Before the world began Lord, You were rich beyond all splendour Of the Father s love begotten Joy to the world When Mary brought her treasure Now, Lord! according to Thy word
Page 13 Additional Resources Resourcing Mission Resourcing Mission is host to Starters for Sunday and other key mission resources for download and purchase. Online booking is available for Mission & Discipleship events. Please check back regularly, as new items are being added all the time. If there is something you d like to see on this new site, please contact us via the website. Prayer Resources These materials are designed to be a starting point for what you might look for in prayers. Revealing Love is available now from St Andrew Press. Music Resources The hymns mentioned in this material are ideas of specific hymns you might choose for this week s themes. However, for some excellent articles on church music and ideas for new music resources, please check out our online music pages Different Voices. Preaching Resources These materials are designed to be a starting point for what you might preach this Sunday. Preachers Perspectives is a resource where we have asked twelve preachers to share the insights they have gathered through their experiences of writing and delivering sermons regularly. Scots Worship Resources The Kirk's Ear - Scots i the Kirk series for Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, Pentecost and other times of the year Wurship Ouk bi Ouk - Metrical psalms, hymns, prayers and words for worship Scots Sacraments may give you helpful material if you are celebrating Communion or have a Baptism. The Mission and Discipleship Council would like to express its thanks to the Rev Dr Derek Browning for providing us with this Sunday s material. Please note that the views expressed in these materials are those of the individual writer and not necessarily the official view of the Church of Scotland, which can be laid down only by the General Assembly.