Christmas Day

Opening Verse of Scripture John 1:14

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Collect Prayer for the Day—Before we read we pray

Almighty God, you have given us your only–begotten Son to take our nature upon him and as at this time to be born of a pure virgin: grant that we, who have been born again and made your children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by your Holy Spirit; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen

Lord Jesus Christ. Your birth at Bethlehem draws us to kneel in wonder at heaven touching earth: accept our heartfelt praise, as we worship you our Saviour and our eternal God. Amen. Common Worship Shorter Collect 

First Bible Reading Isaiah 52.7–10

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation,
who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’ Listen! Your sentinels lift up their voices, together they sing for joy; for in plain sight they see the return of the Lord to Zion. Break forth together into singing, you ruins of Jerusalem; for the Lord has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem. The Lord has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. NRSV

Second Reading Hebrews 1.1–12

Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. For to which of the angels did God ever say, ‘You are my Son; today I have begotten you’? Or again, ‘I will be his Father, and he will be my Son’? And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, ‘Let all God’s angels worship him.’ Of the angels he says, ‘He makes his angels winds, and his servants flames of fire.’ But of the Son he says, ‘Your throne, O God, is for ever and ever,  and the righteous sceptre is the sceptre of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.’ And,
‘In the beginning, Lord, you founded the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands; they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like clothing; like a cloak you will roll them up, and like clothing they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will never end.’ NRSV

Gospel Reading Luke 2:1-20

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, 

and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. NRSV

Post Communion Prayer

God our Father, whose Word has come among us in the Holy Child of Bethlehem: may the light of faith illumine our heart sand shine in our words and deeds; through him who is Christ the Lord.

Commentary

She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

We read this story of the birth of Jesus time after time and year after year and still we discover new truths about our God and our faith. Take this simple statement, ‘because there was no room for them in the inn.’ In one sense it is just a descriptive note, but in another sense it is penetrative comment upon the fact that when Jesus was born nobody made room. There was loads of room in the inn at Bethlehem on the famous night. There were many other people who could have spent the night in the cave or the stable, or wherever it was that Jesus was born. We would expect that a mother about to give birth would take a high priority over most other people. But the point is that nobody would make room. Mary was just not important enough to make people loose their room and go to the inconvenience. You can imagine the comments directed towards the young pregnant teenager, ‘it’s her own fault’, ‘she’s brought it on herself,’ and ‘we all have to take responsibility for our own actions.’ She was just another example of the undeserving poor. Would we have behaved any differently? The Christmas challenge to us all is that we have to make room for those in need. Jesus takes his place alongside the rejected and the despised, the weak and the vulnerable. That is the message of the Christmas story, are we prepared to do the same? 

This year in the Advent course we looked at the nativity stories and we asked ‘are they true?’ We saw that on one level people have raised all sorts of questions as to whether pieces of the nativity events really happened. The truth is that we will never know the exact historical details and we do have to be careful about filling in the gaps with our own ideas - something which perhaps the church has done with the added information about Mary and the Magi. But whatever misgivings we might have about the nativity stories, the truth of the message which they convey should never be in doubt. As Christians these stories are true for us and they remain as a challenge to us for all time. 

Children need to be told that we have a Saviour who was God made flesh, who chose to be born in the muck of the stable not the comfort of a royal palace. The Christmas story is a message that Jesus is involved in our ordinary lives and it is also a challenge to each one of us that we have to make room. 

In our reading we also read the story of the shepherds. We tend to think of shepherds as decent country sorts, looking after sheep. But these were not valued members of the community. They were unclean in terms of their way of life and also spiritually. They were not able to keep the Jewish laws and they were despised and looked down upon. Yet the nativity stories, tell us that these were the people who were told about Jesus first! You might not believe in flying angels with wings, but what you cannot get away from is the fact that, right from the start, the stories of Jesus show that God goes out of his way to invite the very ones which society disapproves of. God has a special place for the waifs and strays, God cares most for those we do not make room for. We are told that the angels told the shepherds, the angels are messengers of God, the point is that God spoke directly to the hearts of ordinary folk, with no religious or community prestige. Luke knew that God did that when Jesus was born and he wanted the reader of his Gospel to know that this was how God operated. Luke knew that you didn’t have to be rich and famous, his Gospel was full of this teaching that everybody mattered. So today we have to be God’s angels. To us the task is given to proclaim the message of the birth of Jesus in word and deed. The uncomfortable truth is that Jesus has told us that we have an opportunity to do that every day of our lives. When we care for the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, those without the necessities of life, the sick. We care for Jesus. When we show kindness to those in need, or those whom society overlooks or despises. We show kindness to Jesus. The message of Bethlehem and the first Christmas is just as important today as it ever was, the big question is ‘what will be our response?’ Charles Royden 

Meditation

Out of all the: 

beautiful houses

Well-to-do families

Professionals in Bethlehem

Families of the Pharisees

Beautiful girls in Judea

Richest cities in the world

Jesus was born

In a cattle shed

To a poor, insignificant but obedient family

To a carpenter named Joseph 

And a young woman, Mary

In Bethlehem 

May your Holy Spirit enable us to realise that your birth indicates that our mission involves working with the:

Marginalised

Destitute

Forgotten

Aids victims

Widows and orphans

And untouchables

Whatever we do to the least of his brethren .....

Goodwin Zainga

Hymns

• God rest you merry gentlemen
• Christmas Bells and Come and Join the Celebration
• See him lying 
• O little town 
• Good Christians all rejoice
• O come all ye faithful

Prayers for Sunday and the week ahead

O God, it is easy to love the whole world, but hard to love the person one works next to;

O God it is easy to campaign for world peace, but hard to contribute to the peace within my own home; O God it is easy to be fascinated with some new truth, and miss you in the thing I have known so long; O God, it is easy to share my home and possessions with people I like. Teach me how to be generous towards others. Enable me today to say something that will make a difference to the discouraged, to the inexperienced, to the despairing. Let no selfish concern with my own affairs put me off from any today. For your love’s sake. Rita Snowden.

Send, O God, into the darkness of this troubled world, the light of your Son: let the star of your hope touch the minds of all people with the bright beams of mercy and truth; and so direct our steps that we may always walk in the way revealed to us, as the shepherds of Bethlehem walked with joy to the manger where he dwelt who now and ever reigns in our hearts, Jesus Christ our Lord. John Wallace Suter 

Loving father, help us to remember the birth of Jesus, that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds and the wisdom of the wise men. Close the door of hate and open the door of love all over the world. Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting. Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings and teach us to be merry with clean hearts. May the Christmas morning make us happy to be your children and the Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts, forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus sake. Amen. 

Gentle God, you know that for us, this is a season of hopes and fears. We are caught up in our excitement and plans. We worry whether everything will get done, and whether our relationships will blossom, bend, or break in the stress of the season. Slow us down, God, and help us to place our hope in you. Be our clam centre, that we may be channels of peace to the people around us; through the grace of Jesus Christ. Amen. 

God ever near to us, you numbered your Son, together with Mary and Joseph, among the homeless of the earth, and counted them among the countless refugees who have fled into hiding out of fear for their lives. Shield our families from the dangers to which this world exposes them. Clothe us with compassion and kindness with gentleness, patience and mutual forgiveness, so that we in turn may provide others with the shelter of a home where everyone is welcomed. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen. From Prayers for Sunday and Seasons, Year A, Peter J. Scagnelli, LTP, 1992.

Place on my lips the word of salvation, in my heart a love that welcomes all, and in the depths of my being, the light of faith and hope, which the darkness can never overcome. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen.

God of mystery whom no eye can see, you yourself have given us a sign we can behold: the virgin is with child and bears a son whose name is Emmanuel, for god is with us. Plant within our hearts your living Word of promise, that, into a world grown weary of empty dreams and broken promises, we may bring forth the living presence of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen.

Additional Material 

Family Service Address for Christmas Day

I was intrigued this last week to be told that the real name of Anton du Beke from Strictly Come Dancing is is actually Tony Beak. He has changed his name to something which sounds much more appropriate for a national dancing star. Names are quite important aren’t they? Sometimes our given names are not great and people change them. You can of course be called anything you like, you just go and get a Deed Poll completed, pay £30 and you could be called anything. 

Do you remember the episode on X factor when there was somebody auditioning called Storm ? After Storm Lee's audition, Simon Cowell refused to call Storm by his legal name, which Storm changed by Deed Poll when he was younger. Simon didn't think Storm was his real name since it wasn't his birth name. Simon then asked Cheryl if he changed his name to Lightning, would Cheryl call him by this name? She rightly said she would and to make the point she later gave Simon a Deed Poll to change his name to Lightning, which he signed but refused to give back ! 

There are lots of people who have changed their name, let's see how many you can guess  

Stuart Goddard = adam ant 

Boris Karloff – William Henry Pratt

Boy George – George Alan O’Dowd

Cary Grant – Archibald Alexander Leach

Cary Grant – Archibald Alexander Leach

Cilla Black – Priscilla White

Dean Martin – Dino Crocetti

Doris Day – Doris Mary Ann Von Kappelhoff

Elton John – Reginald Kenneth Dwight

Frankie Valli – Francis Castelluccio

Freddie Mercury – Faroukh Bulsara

inger Rogers – Virginia Katherine McMath

Greta Garbo – Greta Lovisa Gustafsson

John Wayne – Marion Michael Morrison

Judy Garland – Frances Gumm

Mother Teresa – Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu

Which brings us to Jesus ! His name was very important, so important that God gave him the name.

We read in Matthew 

"But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, 'Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins'" (Matthew 1:20-21).

Why did Jesus come into the world? Why was he born? Well his name tells us what Jesus is about. Jesus came to save people from sin.

The name Jesus means ‘The Lord saves.’ This is a very important thing for us to remember and it is seen in the very name which we are told God chose for Jesus in the first place and gave to Joseph. We need to remember that when he was born, Jesus was a very common name. But that was no reason not to chose it because it held out the purpose of what God was doing.

Several names are all basically the same

Today we say Jesus, in the Old Testament the same name in Hebrew Yeshua, or as we now say Joshua

Now did Jesus have a second name ?

No he did not, people in those days did not have second names. He would have been Jesus son of Joseph. Or sometimes, Jesus of Nazareth, because that is where he came from. So, elsewhere in the New Testament, "Judas Iscariot" is "Judas of Kerioth"; "Mary Magdalene" is "Mary of Magdala"; and "Simon bar-Jona" is "Simon son of John." 

Some might think that Jesus is the first name and Christ is the second name, but tThe word Christ, Christos, the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew Messias, means "anointed." The term Christ or Messias was a title rather than a proper name: Only after the Resurrection did the title gradually pass into a proper name.

So we need to remember at Christmas that God gave Jesus his name because through Jesus, God was saving the world. Jesus was 'the Christ' the chosen one to bring salvation to the world.