{"id":22302,"date":"2024-08-11T09:30:00","date_gmt":"2024-08-11T08:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailchi.mp\/urc\/sunday-worship-11-august-2024"},"modified":"2024-08-11T09:30:00","modified_gmt":"2024-08-11T08:30:00","slug":"sunday-worship-11-august-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/sunday-worship-11-august-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Sunday Worship 11 August 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"

 
Today\u2019s service is led by Peter Ranscombe <\/em><\/p>\n

 
Call to Worship<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the beginning was the one who is called the Word. he Word was with God, and was truly God.  From the very beginning the Word was with God. And with this Word, God created all things. Nothing was made without the Word. Everything that was created received its life from him, and his life gave light to everyone. The light keeps shining in the dark, and darkness has never put it out.<\/p>\n

Welcome<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hello, and welcome to worship. My name is Peter Ranscombe, and I\u2019m a member at Saughtonhall United Reformed Church in Edinburgh and am about to start studying for ministry at the Scottish College.  Our worship will take a different form today \u2013 we\u2019re going to be celebrating Christmas in August. And so, as well as welcoming you to our time together, may I also shamelessly wish you all a very merry Christmas.<\/p>\n

My day job is as a freelance journalist and copywriter, and so I often find myself writing about Christmas in August \u2013 often, that\u2019s when articles for the Christmas issues of magazines or the text for Christmas catalogues get written, giving publishers enough time to print and distribute their material before December starts.  Sitting there at my desk in a pair of shorts at the height of summer while listening to Christmas music to put me in the right mood got me thinking about all those carols that we only hear once a year, during Advent and Christmas and Epiphany.  That link between summer and Christmas also got me thinking about all those passages from the Bible that we only read during Advent and Christmas and Epiphany. And, most importantly of all, that link between summer and Christmas got me thinking about how the Christmas story doesn\u2019t just contain lessons for us to learn at Christmas \u2013 but lessons that we can learn throughout the year. God is timeless \u2013 and God\u2019s love for us is timeless too.<\/p>\n

And we were reminded of that timelessness in our call to worship, the prologue from the Gospel according to John, the first five verses from the first chapter, in which we\u2019re told: \u201cThe light keeps shining in the dark, and darkness has never put it out\u201d. That passage from John reminds us that Jesus was there with God and with the Holy Spirit from the very beginning of time. And he\u2019s with us now, for all time. Today, as we celebrate this \u201cChristmas in August\u201d, we\u2019re going to explore why the Christmas story isn\u2019t just for Christmas \u2013 we\u2019re going to explore why God isn\u2019t just for Christmas. And we\u2019re going to do that through our hymns and carols, through our Bible readings, and in five short reflections like this one, instead of one big, long address. Our prayers will also be in a different order today, so that they fit in with our readings and reflections. And so, having heard the beginning of our Christmas story in the Gospel according to John, let\u2019s now move to the Gospel according to Luke, and hear how the message about our salvation was delivered to Mary.<\/p>\n

Reading <\/strong>    St Luke 1: 26-33<\/em> <\/p>\n

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy God sent the angel Gabriel to a town in Galilee named Nazareth. He had a message for a young woman promised in marriage to a man named Joseph, who was a descendant of King David. Her name was Mary. The angel came to her and said, \u201cPeace be with you! The Lord is with you and has greatly blessed you!\u201d  Mary was deeply troubled by the angel’s message, and she wondered what his words meant. The angel said to her, \u201cDon’t be afraid, Mary; God has been gracious to you. You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High God. The Lord God will make him a king, as his ancestor David was, and he will be the king of the descendants of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end!\u201d<\/p>\n

Hymn<\/strong>     The Angel Gabriel From Heaven Came<\/em>
Translator S. Baring-Gould Public Domain Sung by Ruth and Joy Everingham and used with their kind permission
 
The angel Gabriel from heaven came,
his wings as drifted snow, his eyes as flame;
“All hail,” said he to meek and lowly Mary,
“most highly favoured lady.” Gloria!<\/p>\n

“I come from heav’n to tell the Lord’s decree:
A blessed virgin mother you shall be.
Your Son shall be Immanuel, by seers foretold,
Most highly favoured lady.” Gloria!<\/p>\n

Then gentle Mary meekly bowed her head;
“To me be as it pleases God,” she said.
“My soul shall laud and magnify his holy name.”
Most highly favoured lady, Gloria!<\/p>\n

Of her, Immanuel, the Christ, was born
In Bethlehem, all on a Christmas morn,
And Christian folk throughout the world will ever say,
“Most highly favoured lady.” Gloria!
 
Reading<\/strong>     St Luke 2: 1-7<\/strong> <\/p>\n

At that time Emperor Augustus ordered a census to be taken throughout the Roman Empire. When this first census took place, Quirinius was the governor of Syria. Everyone, then, went to register himself, each to his own hometown.  Joseph went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to the town of Bethlehem in Judea, the birthplace of King David. Joseph went there because he was a descendant of David. He went to register with Mary, who was promised in marriage to him. She was pregnant, and while they were in Bethlehem, the time came for her to have her baby. She gave birth to her first son, wrapped him in cloths and laid him in a manger\u2014there was no room for them to stay in the inn.<\/p>\n

Reflection<\/strong>     No room in the inn<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cShe gave birth to her first son, wrapped him in strips of cloth, and laid him in a manger \u2013 there was no room for them to stay in the inn.\u201d
There was no room for them to stay in the inn.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s pause for a moment there. It\u2019s all too easy for us to sanitise the nativity story \u2013 especially at Christmas. It\u2019s cold and wet outside in winter, and so we want warmth and we want comfort. And I\u2019m sure there was warmth and comfort in that stable. fter all, there was Mary\u2019s love for her newborn son. But I\u2019m sure there was also coldness and stress. Jesus wasn\u2019t born in a hospital or in an ambulance or even in a bed. Jesus was born in a stable \u2013 a place where they would have kept the smelly animals, like the donkeys and the cows. Jesus wasn\u2019t born in a house or a home or a palace. Jesus was born in a stable \u2013 a place where people weren\u2019t meant to stay. Jesus wasn\u2019t born into riches. Jesus was born into poverty.
Jesus, who had been there at the beginning of time \u2013 Jesus who was there with God and who was God. Our high king of heaven, our  redeemer, and our saviour \u2013 not born with a crown but born into poverty.
The message in this part of the Christmas story for us as individuals and for us as congregations perhaps seems clear. Jesus was born into poverty \u2013 and we must therefore help those in poverty.  Jesus even spelt it out for us, in the Gospel according to Matthew, in chapter 25, in verses 31 to 40.<\/p>\n

As congregations, we often follow Jesus\u2019s teaching \u2013 we help our neighbours in poverty locally through supporting charities such as food banks. And we help our neighbours in poverty globally by supporting charities such as Christian Aid. But could we do more? Could we also campaign to end poverty? Could we write letters to Westminster and Holyrood, to Senedd and Tynwald, to States Assembly and States of Deliberation, to our local councils, to hold them all to account for why poverty still exists throughout our three nations and three crown dependencies at the start of the 21st century? That poverty, that homelessness, into which Jesus was born is not only with us at Christmas \u2013 but throughout the year. It creates a challenge for us \u2013 and it also creates an opportunity for us to serve God not just at Christmas but throughout the year.<\/p>\n

Offertory Prayer<\/strong><\/p>\n

Homeless God,
thank you that we have rooves over our heads.
Please bless all those people in our city, and in our country, 
and in our world who don\u2019t have a home.
Please use these gifts of money, 
and please use our time and our talents in your service, 
so that we might feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, 
clothe the naked, heal the sick, and bring comfort to the prisoner, 
both in place and in mind. Amen.<\/p>\n

Hymn<\/strong>     When Out of Poverty is Born<\/em>  
\u00a9 Kathy Galloway, Wild Goose Publications OneLicence # A-734713  Unknown Singers at Christian Aid Service on YouTube<\/p>\n

When out of poverty is born 
a dream that will not die 
a landless, weary folk find strength 
to stand with heads held high, 
it’s then we learn from those who wait 
to greet the promised day: 
‘The Lord is coming; don’t lose heart 
Be blest: prepare the way!’ <\/p>\n

When people wander far from God, 
forget to share their bread, 
they find their wealth an empty thing, 
their spirits are not fed. 
For only just and tender love 
the hungry soul will stay. 
And so God’s prophets echo still: 
‘Be blest: prepare the way!’ 
 
When God took flesh and came to earth,
the world turned upside down,
and in the strength of women’s faith
the Word of Life was born.
She knew that God would raise the low,
it pleased her to obey.
Rejoice with Mary in the call:
‘Be blest: prepare the way!’<\/p>\n

Reading<\/strong>     St Luke 2: 8-18<\/em> <\/p>\n

Now in that same region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, \u201cDo not be afraid, for see, I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.\u201d And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, \u201cGlory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favours!\u201d When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, \u201cLet us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.\u201d So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the child lying in the manger. <\/p>\n

Reflection<\/strong>     The last shall be first<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIn that region, there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other translations of the Bible render these verses as \u201cspending the night in the fields\u201d. Here, the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible spells it out for us. There were shepherds living in the fields. Not just camping out, not just spending a random night there \u2013 living there.
In the fields.<\/p>\n

Not only was Jesus born into poverty, but the first people to hear about his birth were also living in poverty \u2013 not in nice houses, not in nice homes, but out in the fields.<\/p>\n

Ordinary people \u2013 people like you, people like me, people like us. The first people to hear about Jesus\u2019s birth weren\u2019t kings or queens, princes or princesses, lords or ladies.  They were the workers. They were the supermarket shelf stackers and the long-distance lorry drivers, the cleaners and the posties, the Just Eat delivery cyclist and the single parent on three zero-hours contracts trying to feed their kids.
God used ordinary people like us to be the first to hear his message. And it\u2019s a theme that\u2019s repeated throughout the Gospel. God used ordinary fishers to become his disciples. God used ordinary lepers to demonstrate healing through faith. God used Zacchaeus, an ordinary, hated tax collector in Jericho, to illustrate that salvation was no longer just for the Jewish nation but for all nations. God used ordinary people throughout the Gospel \u2013 and God tells us that ordinary people like us are blessed.<\/p>\n

In Matthew, chapter 20, at verse 16, at the end of the parable about the workers in the vineyard, we hear or read: \u201cAnd Jesus concluded, \u2018So those who are last will be first, and those who are first will be last\u2019.\u201d And then, a few verses later, as he approaches Jerusalem with his disciples, at verses 26 to 28: \u201cIf one of you wants to be great, you must be the servant of the rest; and if one of you wants to be first, you must be the slave of the others \u2013 like the Son of Man, who did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life to redeem many people.\u201d The last shall be first \u2013 the poor shepherds living in the fields and the poor workers living in Scotland, England, and Wales, in Jersey, Guernsey, and the Isle of Man. And we too can be first if we are servants. Not just servants for each other, but servants for the poorest people in our communities. Servants for the homeless, servants for the naked, servants for those people for whom there\u2019s no room to stay in the inn, just as in our previous reflection. Servants not just at Christmas \u2013 but servants all year round.<\/p>\n

Prayer of Confession, Assurance of Forgiveness<\/strong><\/p>\n

God our shepherd,
on that first Christmas day, 
you sent your messengers to tell ordinary shepherds, ordinary workers, that their saviour and our saviour, their servant king 
and our servant king, was born in a stable.
You came down to Earth as Jesus \u2013 you lived among us.
You know what it feels like to live in poverty.
You know what it feels like to have nothing.
You know what it feels like to feel utterly powerless.
And even though Jesus was without sin, you know what it\u2019s like to see your relatives and your friends and your neighbours struggling with the wrong things that they\u2019ve said and done.<\/p>\n

God of mercy,
Please forgive us for our sins, 
for the wrong things that we\u2019ve said and done.
Please forgive us for speaking when we should have stayed silent 
\u2013 and please forgive us for staying silent 
when we should have shouted at the top of our lungs.
Please forgive us for acting when we should have stayed still \u2013 and please forgive us for staying still when we should have acted to help other people, to love our neighbour.
Please forgive us when we\u2019ve failed to keep the true meaning of Christmas alive in our hearts \u2013 a story about love, about your love for us and our love for our neighbour.
And in this moment of silence, we confess the sins that are weighing heavily on our hearts today\u2026<\/p>\n

silence<\/em><\/p>\n

God of forgiveness,
Thank you for washing away our sins through Jesus\u2019 death on the cross.
Thank you for welcoming us into your kingdom 
through Jesus\u2019 glorious resurrection.
Thank you for demonstrating your love for us, 
through a baby born in Bethlehem, 
through a child who grew up in Nazareth,
and through a saviour who continues to teach us this and every day through our Bibles and through our prayers.
And now, as your forgiven people, please hear these and all our prayers, as we say or sing the words of the Lord\u2019s Prayer\u2026<\/p>\n

The Lord\u2019s Prayer<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hymn<\/strong>     See Amid the Winter\u2019s Snow<\/em>
Edward Caswall (1858) Public Domain. Sung by the Northern Baptist Association and used with their kind permission.
 
See amid the winter’s snow,
born for us on earth below,
see, the gentle Lamb appears,
promised from eternal years.
Hail that ever bless\u00e8d morn,
hail redemption’s happy dawn,
sing through all Jerusalem:
Christ is born in Bethlehem.<\/em><\/p>\n

Lo, within a manger lies
he who built the starry skies;
he who, thron\u00e8d in height sublime,
sits amid the cherubim. 
Hail that ever bless\u00e8d morn,
hail redemption’s happy dawn,
sing through all Jerusalem:
Christ is born in Bethlehem.<\/em><\/p>\n

Say, ye holy shepherds, say,
what your joyful news today.
wherefore have ye left your sheep
on the lonely mountain steep? 
Hail that ever bless\u00e8d morn,
hail redemption’s happy dawn,
sing through all Jerusalem:
Christ is born in Bethlehem.<\/em><\/p>\n

“As we watched at dead of night,
lo, we saw a wondrous light;
angels singing ‘Peace on earth’
told us of the Saviour’s birth.” <\/p>\n

Hail that ever bless\u00e8d morn,
hail redemption’s happy dawn,
sing through all Jerusalem:
Christ is born in Bethlehem.<\/p>\n

Sacred Infant, all divine,
what a tender love was thine,
thus to come from highest bliss
down to such a world as this. 
Hail that ever bless\u00e8d morn,
hail redemption’s happy dawn,
sing through all Jerusalem:
Christ is born in Bethlehem.<\/em><\/p>\n

Teach, O teach us, holy Child,
by thy face so meek and mild,
teach us to resemble thee,
in thy sweet humility. oh!
Hail that ever bless\u00e8d morn,
hail redemption’s happy dawn,
sing through all Jerusalem:
Christ is born in Bethlehem.<\/p>\n

Reading<\/strong>     St Matthew 2: 1-15<\/em> <\/p>\n

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, magi from the east came to Jerusalem, asking, \u201cWhere is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star in the east and have come to pay him homage.\u201d When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him, and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, \u201cIn Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet: \u2018And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah, for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.\u2019\u201d Then Herod secretly called for the magi and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, \u201cGo and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.\u201d When they had heard the king, they set out, and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen in the east, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road. Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, \u201cGet up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.\u201d Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, \u201cOut of Egypt I have called my son.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reflection<\/strong>     \u2018I\u2019m a Barbie girl, in a Barbie world\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

It was hard to avoid the colour pink last year. Love it or hate it, the new Barbie film dominated at the box office. Director Greta Gerwig tried to do something very clever with her movie \u2013 she tried to tell a story about empowerment, rather than simply creating a vehicle to sell more toys. And toys \u2013 for better or worse \u2013 have become a big part of our modern Christmas. Wider society perhaps points to the verses that we just heard or read from Matthew\u2019s gospel as justification for placing gifts under the Christmas tree. The wise men gave gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the baby Jesus. And, so, we now give gifts of Barbie, Transformers, and Lego to our children.<\/p>\n

Yet if it goes too far, that giving of gifts, that commercialisation of Christmas, can mask the important details of our story, whether it\u2019s told in December or August. In the final verses of today\u2019s reading from Matthew, we reach the point in our Christmas story that we often miss out or gloss over \u2013 the flight to Egypt. King Herod is scared of losing his throne, and so he sets out to kill the baby. In the verses that follow, Herod orders the killing of all the children in Bethlehem who are two years old or younger. But Joseph has been warned in a dream to leave Bethlehem and take the baby to Egypt for safety.  It means that Jesus begins his life on Earth as a refugee, fleeing persecution. It\u2019s a strong reminder for us as individuals and us as congregations of the need to care for refugees and other vulnerable people. And that comes in sharp contrast to how wider society is behaving. Last year, the UK Government\u2019s Illegal Migration Act received royal ascent and became law. Our United Reformed Church expressed concern as part of the Joint Public Issues Team, which also includes the Church of Scotland, the Methodists, and the Baptists in England and Wales. But could we do more as individuals and as congregations to campaign on such issues? That could come through letter writing with support from our wider United Reformed Church or through charities such as Christian Aid. That could come through how we use our votes at the ballot box throughout our three nations and three crown dependencies. And that could come through prayer \u2013 praying for refugees, praying for asylum seekers, and praying for people being kidnapped and trafficked across borders. Just as the new Barbie film defied expectations and went against the male-dominated culture of our day, so too can the church be counter cultural and serve God\u2019s purpose of love and not our apparent human purpose of hate.<\/p>\n

Prayers of Intercession<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cPeace on Earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

God of peace, thank you that we can come before you today to study your Word. Thank you for giving us this space to examine the Christmas story without the pressure of cooking turkeys and writing cards and wrapping presents. Thank you for giving us these moments of peace and quiet to spend with you.
In this quiet time, we remember all those people who won\u2019t find peace today. Please bring peace back to the Earth. Please end the wars that rage in the places that we choose to remember and on all the world\u2019s forgotten battlefields.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen out of poverty is born a dream that will not die\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

God of poverty, when you came down to Earth as Jesus, you knew what it felt like to live without a roof over your head.  You knew what it felt like to have no crib for a bed. You knew what it felt like to flee persecution as a refugee.  Please end poverty on this Earth. Please help us to play our parts in supporting food banks  and night shelters and other charities.  And please place the gospel message on the hearts of our prime minister and first ministers and chief ministers and all our leaders so that they play their parts too.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, rest beside the weary road, and hear the angels sing\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

God of weariness, you walked this Earth as Jesus and felt the weariness we feel.   You felt the full range of our emotions, fully God yet fully human.  You felt the ups and the downs that your friends and relatives experienced too. Please heal those who are weary through sickness. Please comfort those who are weary through grief. And please help us to love ourselves amid our own weariness,  so that we can love you and love our neighbour too.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe rules the world with truth and grace, and makes the nations prove the glories of his righteousness.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

God of righteousness, during Advent, we wait for the coming of a baby. Yet we also wait for your second coming. Your second coming at the end of time,  but also your continuous coming each and every day, as your kingdom breaks through the cracks in this world,  and we experience moments of your truth and grace.
Please help us to experience more of those moments this summer.
Please guide us to those \u201cthin places\u201d, those moments in which we can experience your love more fully. Please lead us to that great moment 
when we will no longer see through a mirror darkly,  but instead we will experience the full radiance of your love  that came down at Christmas.
We ask this, and all these things, and praise you, and thank you,  in the name of your son and our coming saviour, Jesus Christ Emmanuel. Amen.<\/p>\n

Hymn<\/strong>     I Cannot Tell Why He, Whom Angels Worship<\/em>
W. Y. Fullerton (c. 1920) Public Domain sung by Joy and Ruth Everingham and used with their kind permission.
 
I cannot tell why He, whom angels worship
Should set His love upon us, nor or then,
Or why, as Shepherd, He should seek the wanderers
To bring them back, they know not how or when.
But this I know, that He was born of Mary,
When Bethlehem\u2019s manger was His only home,
And that He lived at Nazareth and laboured,
And so the Saviour, Saviour of the world, is come.<\/p>\n

I cannot tell how silently He suffered,
As with His peace He graced this place of tears,
Or how His heart upon the cross was broken,
The crown of pain to three and thirty years.
But this I know, He heals the broken hearted,
And stays our sin and calms our lurking fear,
And lifts the burden from the heavy laden,
For yet the Saviour, Saviour of the world, is here.<\/p>\n

I cannot tell how He will win the nations,
How He will claim His earthly heritage,
How satisfy the needs and aspirations
Of east and west, of sinner and of sage.
But this I know, all flesh shall see His glory,
And He shall reap the harvest He has sown;
And some glad day His sun shall shine in splendour
When He the Saviour, Saviour of the world, is known.<\/p>\n

I cannot tell how all the lands shall worship
When at His bidding every storm is stilled,
Or who can say how great the jubilation
When every human heart with love is filled.
But this I know, the skies will thrill with rapture,
And myriad, myriad human voices sing;
And earth to heaven, and heaven to earth will answer:
“At last the Saviour, Saviour of the world, is King!” 
 
Reading<\/strong>     St Luke 1: 39-55<\/em> <\/p>\n

About this time, Mary set out and went straight to a town in the uplands of Judah. She went into Zechariah\u2019s house and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard Mary\u2019s greeting, the baby stirred in her womb. Then Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and cried aloud, \u2018God\u2019s blessing is on you above all women, and his blessing is on the fruit of your womb. Who am I, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? I tell you, when your greeting sounded in my ears, the baby in my womb leapt for joy. How happy is she who has had faith that the Lord\u2019s promise should be fulfilled!\u2019 And Mary said: \u2018Tell out my soul, the greatness of the Lord, rejoice, rejoice, my spirit, in God my saviour; so tenderly has he looked upon his servant, humble as she is. \u2018For, from this day forth, all generations will count me blessed, so wonderfully has he dealt with me, the Lord, the Mighty One. \u2018His name is Holy; his mercy sure from generation to generation towards those who fear him; the deeds his own right arm has done disclose his might; the arrogant of heart and mind he has put to rout, he has brought down monarchs from their thrones, but the humble have been lifted high. \u2018The humble he has satisfied with good things, the rich sent empty away. \u2018He has ranged himself at the side of Israel his servant; firm in his promise to our forefathers, he has not forgotten to show mercy to Abraham and his children\u2019s children for ever.\u2019<\/p>\n

Reflection<\/strong>     Tell out all our souls<\/em><\/p>\n

Our journey ends where it begins \u2013 with Mary hearing the news. When Mary hears that she\u2019s going to give birth to the Son of God, the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible tells us that she was \u201cmuch perplexed\u201d \u2013 now there\u2019s an understatement if I ever heard one. In both the Revised English Bible and the older New English Bible, it\u2019s an equally understated \u201cdeeply troubled\u201d. Either way, the angel tells her: \u201cDo not be afraid\u201d. And the first thing we\u2019re told that Mary does after she received the news? She goes and shares it. She goes to visit her cousin, Elizabeth, who is pregnant with John the Baptist. John leaps with joy in Elizabeth\u2019s tummy when Mary arrives. Elizabeth praises God for all he has done. And that leads Mary to utter the words recorded for us in the passage we\u2019ve just heard or read from Luke. his hymn of praise is often known as the \u201cMagnificat\u201d and over the years it\u2019s inspired poetry and art and music. And I pray that it will provide inspiration too for us today, both as individuals and as congregations. Mary describes herself as God\u2019s lowly servant. In our reading earlier, we explored how the shepherds living in the fields could be seen as lowly servants too. And so may this passage provide inspiration to us that God can use ordinary people, can use lowly people, can use you and me and us, to deliver his message of love to the world, through our words and through our actions. And may this passage also give us a clue as to how we can do that. Not necessarily through standing on a street corner with a megaphone and a sandwich board that reads \u201cThe end of the world is nigh\u201d. Not necessarily through knocking on random doors if we don\u2019t already have a relationship with the people inside. Instead, Mary knows her scripture and uses it to inspire her to praise the Lord, demonstrating her clear interest in social justice. ary speaks of all the good things that God has done in her life and in the life of her wider community.  Here, Mary gives us inspiration for how we can speak to our relatives and our friends and our neighbours, to tell them \u2013 in the right moments, when the Holy Spirit guides us \u2013 about the difference that following God and meeting with other Christians makes to our daily lives. And that\u2019s a Christmas message that\u2019s worth sharing \u2013 whether it\u2019s in December or it\u2019s in August.<\/p>\n

Hymn<\/strong>     Tell Out My Soul, the Greatness of the Lord!  <\/em>
Timothy Dudley Smith 1962, 1990 Hope Publishing Company  OneLicence # A-734713   Played and sung by Gareth Moore of the Isle of Man Methodist Church and used with his kind permission.<\/p>\n

Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord!
Unnumbered blessings give my spirit voice;
tender to me the promise of his word \u2013
in God my Saviour shall my heart rejoice.<\/p>\n

Tell out, my soul, the greatness of his name!
Make known his might, the deeds his arm has done;
his mercy sure, from age to age the same \u2013
his holy name: the Lord, the Mighty One.<\/p>\n

Tell out, my soul, the greatness of his might!
Powers and dominions lay their glory by;
proud hearts and stubborn wills are put to flight,
the hungry fed, the humble lifted high.<\/p>\n

Tell out, my soul, the glories of his word!
Firm is his promise, and his mercy sure:
tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord
to children\u2019s children and for evermore!
 
Blessing<\/strong><\/p>\n

Our worship has ended \u2013 now our service begins.<\/p>\n

And so may we go from this place:
bathed in the everlasting light of the Word;
humbled by our saviour, born into poverty;
encouraged by the ordinary workers like us who heard the message;
enraged by the injustices facing refugees;
ready to share the Good News through our words and deeds;
and filled with the timeless love and joy of Christmas \u2013
which is for August, as much as it\u2019s for December\u2026
and may the grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ Emmanuel,
the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,
be with us,  and all those we love,
and all those we ought to love,
this day and forevermore, Amen.
 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

 Today\u2019s service is led by Peter Ranscombe   Call to Worship In the beginning was the one who is called the Word. he Word was with God, and was truly God.  From the very beginning the Word was with God. And with this Word, God created all things. Nothing was made without the Word. Everything that … <\/p>\n

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