Worshipping at Home 18th December 2022
Home Worshipping
Advent 4 - 18th December 2022
The First Hymn
Welcome!
In churches everywhere Nativity scenes are being set up for Christmas. We don’t know what Mary & Joseph looked like, or how old they were. They are universal. They represent all of us who are caught up in the wonder of Christmas and the adoration of the Christ-child.
Psalm 89:1-4, 19-26
I will sing of your steadfast love, O Lord, forever; with my mouth I will proclaim your faithfulness to all generations.
I declare that your steadfast love is established forever; your faithfulness is as firm as the heavens.
You said, "I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to my servant David:
'I will establish your descendants forever, and build your throne for all generations.'"
Then you spoke in a vision to your faithful one, and said: "I have set the crown on one who is mighty, I have exalted one chosen from the people.
I have found my servant David; with my holy oil I have anointed him;
my hand shall always remain with him; my arm also shall strengthen him.
The enemy shall not outwit him, the wicked shall not humble him.
I will crush his foes before him and strike down those who hate him.
My faithfulness and steadfast love shall be with him; and in my name his horn shall be exalted.
I will set his hand on the sea and his right hand on the rivers.
He shall cry to me, 'You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation!'
Acclamation
O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!
Bow down before him, his glory proclaim;
with gold of obedience, and incense of lowliness,
kneel and adore him: the Lord is his Name!
The Collect Prayer
God our redeemer,
who prepared the Blessed Virgin Mary
to be the mother of your Son:
grant that, as she looked
for his coming as our saviour,
so we may be ready to greet him
when he comes again as our judge;
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Sharing the Peace
We are the Family of God;
In the one Spirit we were all baptised
into one body.
Let us then pursue all that makes for peace
and builds up our common life.
(At this point please think of others
and in your heart send them
the message: Peace be with you.)
Bible Reading
Matthew 1: 18-25 (The birth of Jesus Christ.)
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. 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.
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. 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.’
All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ (which means ‘God with us’).
When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
Thought for the Day
There are some words that immediately make us realise that Christmas is coming. In third position I suggest the word ‘sparkle’, in second position ‘glitter’, and in first position ‘tinsel’. But what about the words ‘magic’ and ‘magical’? Magic is often thought of as trickery. The magician distracts us, and with a slight of hand makes us think something has happened that couldn’t have possibly happened. In this sense, ‘magic’ is not a good word to describe Christmas, but let us re-define it. We might want to describe an event as magical because we never knew that it could be remotely possible. A hedgerow full of glow-bugs can be magical. I photo of distant galaxies can be magical. Falling in love can be described as magical. In this sense, we all hope for magical moments in our lives when good things that seemed impossible...happen.
In our Gospel reading Joseph encountered what sounded like a cruel trick. He had to get his head round an event that seemed impossible. His faithful fiancé pregnant by another. Encounters with angels. Strange messages in dreams. Joseph had to work through the experiences and decide whether they were trickery or pure divine magic. He chose to believe. We face the same challenge each year as the Christmas Story arrives on the scene. Are the Bethlehem events to be explained away and dismissed? Was it all trickery? Or did the impossible happen? Way beyond words such as tinsel, the Church talks of Glory and Wonder. We ‘hail the incarnate deity’. We talk of heaven kissing the earth. We stop and remember the night when the world was invited to redefine reality. Magical indeed!
Let us Pray
God of promise, you have given us a sign of your love through the gift of Jesus Christ, our Saviour, who was promised from ages past. We believe as Joseph did the message of your presence whispered by an angel, and we offer our prayers for your world, confident of your care and mercy for all creation. Amen.
O God of Elizabeth 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.
Heavenly Father, as Christmas draws near, and all the characters in the story come into focus, we thank you for the annual remembrance of this most profound of moments. Thank you for coming ‘down to earth’, and sharing your down to earth message that your glory pervades all creation. May the light of Christ shine in and through us, now and for evermore. Amen.
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and for ever. Amen.
(Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil: for thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.)
The Blessing
Christ the Sun of Righteousness shine upon you and scatter the darkness from before your path; and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you, and remain with you always.
Amen
The Second Hymn
If you have any thoughts, questions or concerns, please contact us
Henley in Arden The incumbent/priest in charge John Ganjavi
telephone 01564 792570 or email Incumbent / Priest in charge
For a full list of church contact details please click here
We’re here to help!
I believe if you keep your faith, you keep your trust, you keep the right attitude, if you're grateful, you'll see God open up new doors.
Follow us
STAY IN TOUCH
Contact us
Copyright Henley in Arden Parish Church 2023