Prayer and Reflection:
Prayer
We gather on the Sunday of Christmas,
because we have heard a promise of peace
we have heard a call for justice
we have heard a whisper of hope
we have heard a song of love,
so, we gather to continue to sing this song of peace, justice, hope and love.
Amen
Reflection:
“A Manger, a Star and a Rose.”
There are indeed so many beautiful Christmas Hymns. In fact, there are so many Christmas Hymns in our hymnals that we cannot manage to sing them all!
Each year I carefully choose the ones to sing, and the ones we will sing next year. And I prepare myself for the complaints about the missing hymns for some and rejoice in the joy of others who got their favorite hymns.
This Christmas Sunday gives us an opportunity to sing more of these beloved hymns.
We began singing the old Hymn “The First Noel” and it is a traditional English Christmas Carol which literally and lyrically tells us the story about that first Christmas. It is filled with symbols of Christmas, as all our beloved Christmas hymns are: The Angels watching at night, the shepherds watching their flocks, the shining star leading and guiding, the wise men from afar.
The manger, the star and the rose are just 3 of these symbols of Christmas.
The meek manger where Lord Jesus was born.
The shining star that leads the Wisemen to the child.
And the red rose that we will sing about in the next hymn.
Lo, how a rose ever blooming, en rose saa jeg skyde.
The hymn is originally German but has become one of the most beloved Danish Christmas hymns. The rose is the symbol of love and passion, - and in this hymn Jesus is the rose, which breaks forth in the winter and darkness as a prophecy. From the frozen earth a beautiful rose breaks forth, just like the light banishes darkness and the child is born.
Reading: Colossians 3.12-17
12 As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. 13 Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ[g] dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Reflection:
” Humility and Kindness.”
The first part of this reading is always read at weddings here in church, and the words are such good reminders to a couple in love that live, and relationship requires work and consciousness. Compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience. All good virtues that are needed in any relationship to respect each other, care for each other, built lasting relations and live a good balanced life.
Not only at the beginning of a marriage is it good to be reminded of these virtues. Every day is a good day to be reminded. Or as the saying goes: Christmas is not just a day it is a way. A way of living. A way of being. A way of living in relations.
Dress yourself, clothe yourself in love, and let the words and teachings of Christ dwell in you.
and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And that is exactly what we do this morning: with gratitude in our hearts, we sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, we sing, and we let Christ and Christmas dwell in us a little bit longer.
Because Christmas is not just a day, it is a way.
It is a way of living and believing.
The Reading from Colossians are beautiful, meaningful, profound and timely wise.
And just listen to the reading in the translation of Eugene Petersons “The Message.”
12-14 So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense.
Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It is your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.
15-17 Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives.
Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.
Christmas is not just a day or a Season, it is a way. It is a way of humility, humor and humanity as the great bishop Desmond Tuto was a fine reflection of. Honor to his memory.
Reflection: “A boy, a child and a man.”
The Boy Jesus in the Temple
41 Now every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. 43 When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. 44 Assuming that he was in the group of travelers, they went a day’s journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. 45 When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 When his parents[l] saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, “Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.” 49 He said to them, “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” 50 But they did not understand what he said to them. 51 Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart.
52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor.
Reflection:
Time flies. Christmas Eve and Day we heard about the little boy born outside Bethlehem and laid in a manger, and today he is already 12 and going his own ways!
Time flies. And we say the phrase: They grow so fast. And that phrase seems both true and false at the same time, because in the day to day of it nothing seems fast at all. A meal can take an eternity A sleepless night a lifetime. And yet everyone knows it is just a minute.
And so, mothers always want to hold their sons and daughters a little longer, because already they are growing. Some there is a little boy. And one day there will be an older boy and then a teenager and then a young man.
Time flies.
The old hymn “What child is this.” Is also an English Christmas carol set to the popular tune of Greensleeves? The hymn is about the little child in the manger. The shepherds coming to adore the child, were also pondering to themselves who this child was. Even if this beautiful hymn is in at the manger, around the child, - it does vividly and violently speak about the destiny of the child. That the child will journey from manger to cross, from birth to death. “Nails, spear shall pierce him through, the cross be borne for me, for you….” So, this Christmas hymn has an Easter mood.
The hymn “Holy Child in the manger” is by Marty Haugen. This hymn is a lovely Carol at the manger, like a prayer to the Holy Child.
And we sing and pray this Christmas Prayer on our way:
“Holy Child within the manger, lead us ever I your way, so we see in every stranger who you come to us today.
In our lives and in our living, give us strength to live as you,
That our hearts might be forgiving, and our spirits strong and true.
That prayer leads us to the Child in the manger at Christmas time, and leads us to the man on the cross at Easter time / and leads us on our way every day, to find strength to live as The holy child, Holy Boy and Holy Man.