Christmas Eve: 24 December – Luke 2:1-7; Galatians 4:4-7; Philippians 2:5-11 ~ perfect timing

The Season of Advent

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Opening sentence

When the right time came, God sent his Son….
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“Almost there” – Michael W Smith / Amy Grant

Evening Reading: Luke 2:1-7 NLT

Pregnant-BVM

At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant. And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.

“Silent Night” – Celtic Woman

Evening Reading: Galatians 4:4-7 NLT

But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.

Evening Reading: Philippians 2:5-11 NLT

You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

“O Holy Night” – Josh Groban

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Prayer:

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God: You emptied Yourself to assume the condition of a slave. You were tempted in every way that we are, but did not sin. You, alone, were born to save us.

+ Coming into our world, Lord Jesus, You open the new age which the prophets foretold. In every age, may the Church come again to new birth.
+ You took on our human weakness. Be the eyes of the blind, the strength of the weak, the friend of the lonely.
+ Lord, You were born among the poor: show them Your love.
+ Your birth brings eternal life within man’s reach; comfort the dying with hope of new life in heaven.
+ Gather the departed to Yourself; and make them radiant in Your glory.

Fill us with confidence, Lord God, when Your Only-Begotten Son comes as our judge. We welcome Him with joy as our redeemer: year by year renew that joy, as we await the fulfillment of our redemption by Jesus Christ our Lord, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever.
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Canticle

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God, my salvation. For he has shown me such favor – me, his lowly handmaiden. Now all generations will call me blessed, because the mighty one has done great things for me.

His name is holy, his mercy lasts for generation after generation for those who revere him. He has put forth his strength: he has scattered the proud and conceited, torn princes from their thrones; but lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things; the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel, he has remembered his mercy as he promised to our fathers, to Abraham and his children for ever. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.

“Ave Maria”

Blessing

To all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. (John 1:12-13 NLT)

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Advent Daily Prayer: 23 December – Exodus 24:3-8; Luke 22:19-20 ~ taste and see the beauty

The Season of Advent

Advent Daily Readings and Prayer

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Opening sentence

“Do this in remembrance of Me.” (Luke 22:19 NLT)
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Morning Reading: Exodus 24:3-8 NLT

Then Moses went down to the people and repeated all the instructions and regulations the Lord had given him. All the people answered with one voice, “We will do everything the Lord has commanded.”

Then Moses carefully wrote down all the Lord ’s instructions. Early the next morning Moses got up and built an altar at the foot of the mountain. He also set up twelve pillars, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel.

Then Moses took the blood from the basins and splattered it over the people, declaring, “Look, this blood confirms the covenant the Lord has made with you in giving you these instructions.”

Morning Reading: Luke 22:19-20 NLT

He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me.” After supper he took another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people — an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you.
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Prayer:

Faithful God: Thank You for the New Covenant, signed and sealed with the Body and Blood of Your Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ. And, thank You for this season when all are, once again, welcomed to Your Table.

+ As we celebrate Christmas – may we rejoice in the wonder of the Son of God born to save us.
+ As we contemplate the Cross – may we reflect on the cost to the Son of Man who died to save us.

Loving and Gracious God: As people around the world gather at Your Table – may we drink the Cup of Joy and eat the Bread of Life… and enter into the beauty of Christmas. Through Jesus Christ, Your Son, who reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, and will come again in glory, one God forever. Amen.
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“Christmas Communion Song”

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Canticle

Christ, as a light illumine and guide me. Christ, as a shield overshadow me. Christ under me; Christ over me; Christ beside me on my left and my right. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Be in the heart of each to whom I speak; in the mouth of each who speaks unto me. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me on my left and my right.

Blessing

He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon!” Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s holy people. (Revelation 22:20-21 NLT)

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Advent Daily Prayer: 22 December – Luke 2:1-21 ~ good news of great joy

The Season of Advent

Advent Daily Readings and Prayer

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Opening sentence

“Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” (Luke 2:14 NLT)
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Morning Reading: Luke 2:1-21 NLT

And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.

The Adoration of the Shepherds Guido Reni, ca 1600 Certosa di San Martino, Naples — The Adoration of the Shepherds
Guido Reni, ca 1600
Certosa di San Martino, Naples

That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior — yes, the Messiah, the Lord — has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.

Eight days later, when the baby was circumcised, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel even before he was conceived.
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Prayer:

Lord Jesus: we welcome You into our hearts and minds – be born again in our lives today.

+ Drive away our fears and anxieties – that we may delight in the wonders of Your glory .
+ Purify our hearts – that our motivations and actions may be pleasing to You.
+ Grant us Your peace – that we may reflect Your calm presence in the raging storms.
+ Fill us with joyful expectation – that we may eagerly await the celebration of Christmas.
+ Keep us ever alert and watchful – that we may be prepared for Your immanent Return.

Lord Jesus – Savior, Messiah – You are the light of the world and the hope of nations. Reveal Your glory, once again, to all Your people at Christmas – that we may find hope and help in our time of need. Amen.
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“Angels from the Realms of Glory” – Fountainview Academy

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Canticle

Blessing

He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon!” Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s holy people. (Revelation 22:20-21 NLT)

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Advent Daily Prayer: 21 December – Matthew 1:18-25 ~ name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins

The Season of Advent

Advent Daily Readings and Prayer

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Opening sentence

“Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, and he will prepare your way. He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming! Clear the road for him!’” (Mark 1:2-3 NLT)
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Morning Reading: Matthew 1:18-25 NLT

The Dream of Saint Joseph Anton Raphael Mengs - circa 1773-1774 Kunsthistorisches Museum (Austria - Vienna) — The Dream of Saint Joseph
Anton Raphael Mengs – circa 1773-1774
Kunsthistorisches Museum (Austria – Vienna)

This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.

As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:

“Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”

When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.
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Prayer:

Immanuel, Jesus Savior: we wait expectantly for Your return – deliver us from evil and restore all creation to its intended perfection.

+ Thank You for loving each one of us personally in spite of ourselves.
+ Forgive us our abuse of freedom and release us from our bondage to sin.
+ Renew in us a joyful spirit that we may sing Your praises, especially as we celebrate Your birth.
+ Give us a humble heart and willing spirit that we may obey You, no matter how improbable the circumstances.

We offer You our lives today, Lord. You alone are worthy of our worship, be glorified in us Christ Jesus, only Son of the Father, who reigns with the Holy Spirit, one God forever. Amen.
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“God with us” – Mercyme

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Canticle

Blessing

He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon!” Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s holy people. (Revelation 22:20-21 NLT)

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

4th Sunday of Advent, 20 December: Micah 5:1-4a; Psalm 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19; Hebrews 10:5-10; Luke 1:39-45 ~ you are blessed

Fourth Sunday of Advent

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening 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 Savior, so we may be ready to greet Him when He comes again as our Judge; who is alive and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
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Hymn: “O Come All Ye Faithful” – Casting Crowns

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A Reading from the Old Testament: Micah 5:1-4a (NLT)

Mobilize! Marshal your troops! The enemy is laying siege to Jerusalem. They will strike Israel’s leader in the face with a rod.

Bethlehem Market Place in 1900 Munir Alawi — Bethlehem Market Place in 1900
Munir Alawi

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel, whose origins are in the distant past, will come from you on my behalf. The people of Israel will be abandoned to their enemies until the woman in labor gives birth. Then at last his fellow countrymen will return from exile to their own land.

And he will stand to lead his flock with the Lord’s strength, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
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A Reading from Psalms: Psalm 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19 (NLT)

Show us your mighty power. Come to rescue us! Turn us again to yourself, O God. Make your face shine down upon us. Only then will we be saved.
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… that you yourself have planted, this son you have raised for yourself. For we are chopped up and burned by our enemies. May they perish at the sight of your frown.
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Then we will never abandon you again. Revive us so we can call on your name once more. Turn us again to yourself, O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies. Make your face shine down upon us. Only then will we be saved.
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“Restoration (Psalm 80)” – James Block

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A Reading from the Letters: Hebrews 10:5-10 (NLT)

That is why, when Christ came into the world, he said to God,

“You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings. But you have given me a body to offer. You were not pleased with burnt offerings or other offerings for sin. Then I said, ‘Look, I have come to do your will, O God — as is written about me in the Scriptures.’”

First, Christ said, “You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings or burnt offerings or other offerings for sin, nor were you pleased with them” (though they are required by the law of Moses). Then he said, “Look, I have come to do your will.” He cancels the first covenant in order to put the second into effect. For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.
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A Reading from the Gospels: Luke 1:39-45 (NLT)

"Visitation" Mariotto Albertinelli, 1503 Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence. — “Visitation”
Mariotto Albertinelli, 1503
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence.

A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.”
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Hymn: “Beautiful Star of Bethlehem”

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Intercessions:

God our Savior: we pray for the Church and for the world.

+ For all who fear God and believe in You, Lord Christ – that our divisions may cease, and that all may be one as You and the Father are one…. Lord, hear our prayer.
+ For those who do not yet believe, and for those who have lost their faith – that they may receive the light of the Gospel…. Lord, hear our prayer.
+ For the peace of the world – that a spirit of respect and forbearance may grow among nations and peoples…. Lord, hear our prayer.
+ For those in positions of public trust – that they may serve justice, and promote the dignity and freedom of every person…. Lord, hear our prayer.
+ For the poor, the persecuted, the sick, and all who suffer; for refugees, prisoners, and all who are in danger – that they may be relieved and protected…. Lord, hear our prayer.
+ For our faith communities – that we may be delivered from hardness of heart, and show forth thy glory in all that we do…. Lord, hear our prayer.
+ For all who have commended themselves to our prayers; for our families, friends, and neighbors – that being freed from anxiety, they may live in joy, peace, and health…. Lord, hear our prayer.
+ For all who have died in Christ, and those whose faith is known to thee alone – that, with all the saints, they may have rest in that place where there is no pain or grief, but life eternal…. Lord, hear our prayer.

Rejoicing in the fellowship of all the saints, we commend ourselves, and one another, and all our life to Christ our God…. For Yours is the majesty, O Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, now and for ever. Amen.
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Hymn: “O Little Town of Bethlehem” – King’s College Choir

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Benediction:

(May you) grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. (2 Peter 3:18)

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen

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