Light of Joy: Nativity of the Lord, Christmas Eve—Proper 1

Christmas  •  Sermon  •  Submitted
0 ratings
· 6 views
Notes
Transcript
Setting up the expectation, slow, against hurriedness, impulsiveness, being pushed

The Gathering

Pastor: Light and peace, in Jesus Christ our Lord.
The People: Thanks be to God.
Pastor:
Matthew 5:14–16 ESV
14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Confession of Sin
Pastor: (contemporarize below)
The Book of Common Prayer, 1979 Daily Evening Prayer: Rite Two

Dear friends in Christ, here in the presence of Almighty God, let us kneel in silence, and with penitent and obedient hearts confess our sins, so that we may obtain forgiveness by his infinite goodness and mercy

(Silence)
Pastor and The People:
The Book of Common Prayer, 1979 Daily Evening Prayer: Rite Two

Most merciful God,

we confess that we have sinned against you

in thought, word, and deed,

by what we have done,

and by what we have left undone.

We have not loved you with our whole heart;

we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.

We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.

For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,

have mercy on us and forgive us;

that we may delight in your will,

and walk in your ways,

to the glory of your Name. Amen.

Pastor:
The Book of Common Prayer, 1979 Daily Evening Prayer: Rite Two

Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen you in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life. Amen.

(reword including cross and hope and finished work of Christ)
The Prayer of Light
Let us pray
Pastor: O Lord God Almighty, as you have taught us to call the evening, the morning, and the noonday one day; and have made the sun to know its going down: Dispel the darkness of our hearts, that by your brightness we may know you to be the true God and eternal light, living and reigning for ever and ever. Amen.
Collect on Christmas Day
The Book of Common Prayer, 1979 Collects: Contemporary

O God, you have caused this holy night to shine with the brightness of the true Light: Grant that we, who have known the mystery of that Light on earth, may also enjoy him perfectly in heaven; where with you and the Holy Spirit he lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

During the candle-lighting, an appropriate anthem or psalm may be sung, or silence kept.
The following hymn, or a metrical version of it, or some other hymn, is then sung
Play O Gladsome Light Video
1 O gladsome light, of the holy glory of the immortal Father,* heavenly, holy, blessèd Jesus Christ.
2Now that we have come to the setting of the sun    and behold the light of evening,* we praise you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
3For it is right at all times to worship you    with voices of praise,* O Son of God and giver of life:    therefore all the world glorifies you.

The Word

Reader 1: A Reading from Psalm 96.
Psalm 96 ESV
1 Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth! 2 Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. 3 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! 4 For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods. 5 For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens. 6 Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. 7 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength! 8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts! 9 Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth! 10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns! Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.” 11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; 12 let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy 13 before the Lord, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in his faithfulness.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
Background Music
Meditation:
Reader 2: A Reading from the Prophet Isaiah, chapter 9, verses 2 to 7.
Isaiah 9:2–7 ESV
2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. 3 You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil. 4 For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. 5 For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. 6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
The Word of the Lord
The People: Thanks be to God.
Background Music
Meditation:
Reader 3: A Reading from the Epistle of Titus, chapter 2, verses 11 to 14.
Titus 2:11–14 ESV
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.
The Word of the Lord
The People: Thanks be to God.
Background Music
Meditation:
Reader 4: A Reading from the Gospel of Luke, chapter 2, verses 1 to 14.
Luke 2:1–14 ESV
1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. 8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
The Word of the Lord
The People: Thanks be to God.
Background Music
Meditation:
Pastor:
Luke 2:15–20 ESV
15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
The Message:
Pastor: Talk about the darkness of 2020, not showing bias towards an issue, but Christ has come and brought light to this world.
Matthew 2:10 ESV
10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.
ME
Brothers and sisters, what were you doing on Monday night?
Some might be taking care of your kids, some might be playing League or Call of Duty, some might be just watching the latest Netflix show. But Shannon and I, Shannon and I was on a mission. Some of you might have heard about it, but on December 21, 2020 at midnight, an astrological phenomenon which happened every 800 years was happening just oustide your window! Yes, friends, I am talking about,
Jupiter and Saturn conjunction 2020! It sounds more impressive than it’s named. Afterall, the last time this happened clearly in the night sky was 1226, and some believe when the earth which rotates around the sun 1 year, Saturn every 30 years, and Jupiter every 12 years all happen to align so that they conjunct or overlap one another, causing great light, is known as the Christmas star! Some scholars believe that was the star that led the Magi to find the house of Jesus. So of course we did what any couple would do who don’t have a telescope! We watched it on Youtube! Yes, and there were many sites that evening which has a live shot of this wonderful phenomenon. We were so excited we even turned off the light so that we can see it before our eyes.
This is what we expected.
Never mind how in Canada there would be three man riding on a camel.
This is what we saw.
And it’s almost a teases as every 11 minutes the site we were watching said they are about to join together, but only to never quite conjunct, to merge. And the countdownr reset. And we wait with joy anticipation. Only again they never quite conjunct. And by the fourth and fifth time Shannon said, I am getting tired, and went to bed, and I was like are you kidding me? So I lay on the couch and wathc again and again the never jupiter and saturn conjunction 2020 and doze off until like 3 or 4 in the morning, not sure whether it ever happened.
But I should be happy, because if we were actually to go out of our condo or onto the balcony, this is all we would see.
Though it’s still kind of cool to see the ring around Saturn.
WE
Expectation and reality. Hasn’t 2020 been like this? I am sure none of us in our wildest dreams would think this is where we would end up tonight. We would at least be at the MCBC chapel perhaps, and the worship team would lead us with some carol signing FACE TO FACE, and then there may be some scripture readings, and then I would give a short message, a response and then wishing one another Merry Christmas while high fiving, hugging, and kissing one another on the cheeks (if you are of the European flavour).
Except the reality is we are all in our home watching this on zoom. No singing next to one another belting out our favourite carols. Not hugging, high fiving, and kissing (actually we never did that, in case you are new to our church, don’t want to scare you off), or just talking in circles and then going off the eat at FMP or something.
No one expected some of us would be laid off, not because of our bad performance, or bad politics, but because they company can’t afford us at the moment as it downsizes temporarily.
No one expected home office is going to be the new normal. No elevator can have more than two person. We are meters apart whether we line up for groceries.
No one expected our first year of high school, or university is going to like THAT, or we would have lectures online. Or our kids have to come home because one of their friends has the symptoms.
No one expected we or someone close to us would have that diagnostic, or that it started with a sniffle and a mild fever, but next thing you know they are in the ICU. Or having to say goodbye to someone you love.
No one expected we can’t even go visit our aging parents, or have our annual Christmas feast with the big turkeys and stuffings and your favourite recipe, or go to that guy’s house who is going to throw the New Year’s Countdown. That’s cancelled.
And most certainly no one expected it was going to last this long.
Merry Christmas 2020.
GOD
And it may be discouraging and sad, and my heart breaks for our community. We certainly have heard of some or all of those stories. They aren’t a number. They are really people with lives expecting one thing and receiving a different reality. And my encouragement to you is God knows. God may not let us know the why but God does something better. He came in our midst.
Isaiah 9:2 ESV
2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.
See while Shannon and I, and many others marvel in wonder about the Christmas Star, the light that brings joy and excitement. Like the Magi, we are reminded that light points to true light and true joy. ​
Isaiah 9:6 ESV
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
He is a son, God’s son. His name is Jesus. And he is our expectation and reality. And if we are to believe what Isaiah says, from him we will find comfort for he is a Wonderful Counselor.We will find protection for he is a mighty God.We will find that we are not aimless orphans in the ebb and flow of life and relationships because he is an everlasting father.And we will find reconciliation with God and with others because he is the prince of peace. See joy isn’t the absence of calamity, or tragedy, or setbacks, or discouragements. Joy is the embodiment of Jesus who is the message and the messenger. Joy is having that assuredness and hope, that faith in spite of life’s challenges and personal losses.
Hebrews 12:2 ESV
2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Because the light of joy endured the cross, we can endure our cross, appointed for our discipleship and sanctification. And 2020 is a year of sanctification. It’s a year of cleansing and pruning. For you, for the church, stripping all the excesses and exposing what truly matters. Our Jesus.Our faith.Our family.Our brothers and sisters. Our church family.YOUSo the answer to all the expectations we have that didn’t come to fruition or took a wrong turn isn’t knowing why it happens, but who ultimately is present, promising to never let us go, never let us down, walking with us through our storms in life, not over or under it, not someone who doesn’t understand but someone who understands fully. Look to him, the founder and perfecter of our faith. Jesus, our light of Joy.WEMay the angel’s praise be ours as well:
Luke 2:14 ESV
14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
Let us ponder this truth as Mary did over the birth of his son, and the reality he brings.Jesus is where heaven and earth meets, God in our midst. And because he, the light of joy came, we are never again forsaken or without hope.He cares.He understands.His arms is wide open for you to meet him in prayer and word, in his presence. Amen.
The Magnificat
Pastor: Hear the words of Mary, the humble servant of the Lord, as she rejoices in God’s blessing and anticipates his deliverance,
Luke 1:46–55 ESV
46 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 50 And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. 51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; 52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; 53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. 54 He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, 55 as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”
The Lord’s Prayer
Pastor: And now let us recite the prayer that was handed down from our Lord when he was asked to teach us how to pray,
The People:
Matthew 6:9–13 ESV
9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For yours is the kingdom and honour and glory, forever and ever. Amen.

The Sending/Dismissal

Pastor: May
Numbers 6:24–26 ESV
24 The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
Pastor:
Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers, creator of the changes of day and night, giving rest to the weary, renewing the strength of those who are spent, bestowing upon us occasions of song in the evening. As you have protected us in the day that is past, so be with us in the coming night; keep us from every sin, every evil, and every fear; for you are our light and salvation, and the strength of our life. To you be glory for endless ages. Amen.
The People: Thanks be to God.
Pastor: You may go in peace.
Related Media
See more
Related Sermons
See more