Sunday, December 27, 2020 - 1st Sunday After Christmas

December 27, 2020 Brian Stevens - Hope United Church

HopeUnited.ca

The Congregation of Hope United Church
2550 Danforth Ave.,
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

December 27, 2020 – 11:00am
1st Sunday After Christmas
Worship Leader, Marion Burt

WELCOME
Welcome everyone to our Sunday on-line Service of Worship. My name is Marion Burt – I’m taking Rev. Brian Steven’s place today to give him a well-deserved day of rest. We are very pleased to have you with us today. Our musicians today are Sandy, Sasha, and Rev. Brian. You can type greetings and comments at any time in the chat. The order of service will appear on your screen and is also available on our Facebook page and at HopeUnited.ca. Our prayers this morning are drawn from the Presbyterian Church of Canada on-line Worship Resources.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THE LAND
With respect, we acknowledge the world views, spirituality, history and stewardship of the Mississauga of Scugog, the Hiawatha and the Alderville First Nations, on whose traditional lands our church resides.

We thank and honour the other indigenous peoples who share this land. As followers of the Jesus Way, we affirm our commitment as a people empowered to work in restoring broken relationships.

GREETING
I greet you in the name of our risen Lord. We begin our celebration with the singing of “Joy to the World”. It is found in Voices United # 59.

Joy to the world! the Lord is come;
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare him room,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the world! the Saviour reigns;
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

CALL TO WORSHIP
Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens!
Praise God in the heights!
Praise God, all you angels!
Praise God, all you heavenly host!
Let us all praise the Lord!

OPENING PRAYER
Praise the Living God! Praise God from the heavens:
Sun and moon and shining stars, praise the
Living God!
Praise God’s Holy Name,
whose word speaks all things into being,
who is present in the expanse of the universe,
and in the voices of children.
Praise the Living God, our rescuer and deliverer,
whose wonder is found in the heavens and in all creation,
who comes in innocence, and with mercy.
O God, our light, our beauty, our rest:
With the appearance of your Son you have brought us
into your new creation.
Form us into your people, and root our lives in you;
through Christ, the Living Light.

LIGHTING OF THE CHRIST CANDLE
We light this candle as a symbol of love and light…
Christ’s light in the world.
May it burn brightly within us all. Amen.

Let us join our voices in the singing of “Touch us with Your Light”.

Light from this candle burning bright
Light our way through dark of night.
Help us find our way to you
Guide us, touch us with your Light, O Lord.

PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Source of all hope, you invite us to live in the light and discover the splendour of your glory. We confess we often choose to remain in the darkness instead.

We allow our fears and hurts to hold us hostage. Our expectations of life prevent us from seeing new and real possibilities. You offer us unconditional love, but we expect others to earn our love. Forgive us. May the new life born in the manger awaken new life in us and allow hope to dawn in the year ahead.

ASSURANCE OF GRACE
Hear the good news of the Gospel:
Jesus Christ is our light and our salvation.
In him we are made new.
Let us give thanks to God,
and be at peace with ourselves
and with one another. Amen.

In response, we sing the Gloria.
It is found in Voices United # 37.

“Gloria”
Gloria, Gloria, in excelsis deo
Gloria, Gloria, alleluia, alleluia!

Gloria, Gloria, in excelsis deo
Gloria, Gloria, alleluia, alleluia!

THE PEACE OF CHRIST

May the Peace of Christ be with you always.
And also with you.

(Unmute and greet one another!)

FIRST READING Isaiah 61:1062:3

I delight greatly in the Lord;
    my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
    and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
    and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
For as the soil makes the sprout come up
    and a garden causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness
    and praise spring up before all nations.

For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,
    for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet,
till her vindication shines out like the dawn,
    her salvation like a blazing torch.
The nations will see your vindication,
    and all kings your glory;
you will be called by a new name
    that the mouth of the Lord will bestow.
You will be a crown of splendor in the Lord’s hand,
    a royal diadem in the hand of your God.

This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

PSALM 148 Voices United # 871

Refrain: Let the whole creation cry ‘Glory be to God on high’

Praise God from the heavens, give praise in the heights!
Give praise, all you angels, praise God, all you hosts!
Praise God, sun and moon, give praise, stars and lights!
Praise God, farthest heavens, and all waters beyond heaven! R

Let all things praise the Holy One at whose command they were created,
who established them for all time, setting bounds, which cannot be passed.
Praise God from the earth, great sea creatures and ocean depths,
lightning and hail, snow and frost, gales that obey God’s decree.

All mountains and hills, all fruit trees and cedars,
Wild animals and cattle, creatures winged and earth-bound.
          Sovereigns who rule earth and its people,
          all who govern and judge this world,
          Young men and women alike, old people and children together! R

Let all things praise the name of God,
The name above every other, whose splendor covers heaven and earth.
          You give strength to your people,
          Songs of praise to your faithful,
          To Israel, the people dear to your heart. R

GOSPEL READING Luke 2: 22-40

When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”

Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
    you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
For my eyes have seen your salvation,
     which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
    and the glory of your people Israel.”

The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.

Hear the Good News of Christ!
Praise to you, O Christ.

REFLECTION

I thought that it’s really important this year to spend a little time thinking about the singing of carols, because this year it has been impossible for us to do the group singing that we usually do around Christmas. Having just watched a demonstration on TV of how singing spreads droplets into the air, and knowing how difficult it is to sing with a mask over my mouth and nose, I quite understand the ban on group singing. But the wonderful collection of carols that we have are a really important part of Christmas. Some of them tell the familiar story, they remind us of the meaning of Christ’s birth, some began as poems or songs that weren’t actually religious, but use heart-warming and uplifting images of warmth and joy that we associate with this holy time. They wrap all of this in beautiful music that we feel in our hearts.

So today I’m going to tell you some stories about some of the carols we sing. After you’ve listened to me, we’ll sing each carol – Sandy will lead us – and perhaps we’ll have a richer understanding of the intent and, meaning of the words and the melody.

Good King Wenceslas -- Wenceslas wasn’t actually a king – he was a duke in Bohemia – now part of modern Czechoslovakia. He was born in the early 900s and was given a good education by his father and devout grandmother. When his father died, his mother took over control of the area. As he grew older, Wenceslas became aware that she was – well, she sounds a bit like the Donald Trump of the 10th century. Relations with other dukedoms deteriorated, the common people were treated cruelly, and things were rather miserable. When he was 18, he took over control. He established good relations with other states, particularly with Germany. He took steps to organize the system of justice and reduced the number of death sentences. He also encouraged the establishment of churches and tried to help his poorer subjects – there are records that he actually did chop firewood and carry it on his shoulders to the homes of the poor!

Unfortunately, his younger brother, Boreslav the Cruel, appears to have taken after their mother, because he arranged to have Wenceslas murdered on Sept 28 929. He then took over the dukedom.

Wenceslas became a legend and the patron saint of Bohemia. A pope later in the century did give him the honour of a kingly title, but he was otherwise forgotten until an English theologian, John Neale, wrote a poem about him and set it to music in 1853. Neale wasn’t happy about the state of the church at the time and felt that it should go back to its medieval roots, so the tune that we sing is actually a French song about Spring from the 14th century.

Let’s all join in the story of Christian inspiration by listening to “Good King Wenceslas”.

Good King Wenceslas (Sandy and Sasha)

Good King Wenceslas looked out
On the feast of Stephen
When the snow lay round about
Deep and crisp and even
Brightly shone the moon that night
Though the frost was cruel
When a poor man came in sight
Gath'ring winter fuel.

Wenceslas:
"Hither, page, and stand by me
If thou know'st it, telling
Yonder peasant, who is he?
Where and what his dwelling?"

Page:
"Sire, he lives a good league hence
Underneath the mountain
Right against the forest fence
By Saint Agnes' fountain."

Wenceslas:
"Bring me flesh and bring me wine
Bring me pine logs hither
Thou and I will see him dine
When we bear him thither."

Page and monarch forth they went
Forth they went together
Through the rude wind's wild lament
And the bitter weather

Page:
"Sire, the night is darker now
And the wind blows stronger
Fails my heart, I know not how,
I can go no longer."

Wenceslas:
"Mark my footsteps, my good page
Tread thou in them boldly
Thou shalt find the winter's rage
Freeze thy blood less coldly."

In his master's steps he trod
Where the snow lay dinted
Heat was in the very sod
Which the Saint had printed.

Therefore, Christian men, be sure
Wealth or rank possessing
Ye who now will bless the poor
Shall yourselves find blessing

It Came Upon the Midnight Clear (VU # 44)
This carol now seems as part of Christmas as “Away in a Manger”, but it didn’t start out that way. Edward Sears, born in 1810 in Massachusetts, was always poetic, and as a boy spoke of imagining the hills near his home as the point where Heaven and Earth touched, and where angels could descend into our world on errands of love.

He wrote the words in a poem in 1849, when tensions in the USA were mounting. When the 1850 Fugitive Slave Law became enforced nationwide, Reverend Sears announced from his pulpit that when human and divine law conflicted, people must obey the Divine law. He declared slavery a crime and predicted that it would lead to national tragedy. That came to pass in the American Civil War.

Because there is no mention of Jesus or of his birth, there has always been some controversy about whether the carol belongs in the Christmas section of hymnaries. However, the images that it conjures up and the hopes for peace and goodwill in this world seem very fitting for our current Christmas.

It came upon the midnight clear,
That glorious song of old,
From angels bending near the earth,
To touch their harps of gold:
"Peace on the earth, goodwill to men,
From heaven's all-gracious King."
The world in solemn stillness lay,
To hear the angels sing.

Still through the cloven skies they come,
With peaceful wings unfurled,
And still their heavenly music floats
O'er all the weary world;
Above its sad and lowly plains,
They bend on hovering wing,
And ever o'er its babel sounds
The blessed angels sing.

Yet with the woes of sin and strife
The world has suffered long;
Beneath the angel-strain have rolled
Two thousand years of wrong;
And man, at war with man, hears not
The love-song which they bring;
O hush the noise, ye men of strife,
And hear the angels sing.

And ye, beneath life's crushing load,
Whose forms are bending low,
Who toil along the climbing way
With painful steps and slow,
Look now! for glad and golden hours
come swiftly on the wing.
O rest beside the weary road,
And hear the angels sing!

For lo!, the days are hastening on,
By prophet bards foretold,
When with the ever-circling years
Comes round the age of gold
When peace shall over all the earth
Its ancient splendors fling,
And the whole world give back the song
Which now the angels sing.

O Little Town of Bethlehem (VU # 64)
In 1865, the famous preacher and abolitionist Phillip Brooks rode on horseback from Jerusalem to Bethlehem and participated in the Church of the Nativity's Christmas Eve celebration. Three years later, when he wanted to write a carol for the children’s choir of his church, he remembered his magical experience and used it to create the verses of this song. Unlike many Christmas carols, the lyrics of this reflective and hopeful song are set in the present tense rather than the past. The author’s experience of wonder and awe is vivid and covers the seemingly great distance between the birth of Christ then and our experience of it now.

O little town of Bethlehem
How still we see thee lie
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The everlasting Light
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight

For Christ is born of Mary
And gathered all above
While mortals sleep, the angels keep
Their watch of wondering love
O morning stars together
Proclaim the holy birth
And praises sing to God the King
And Peace to men on earth

How silently, how silently
The wondrous gift is given
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of His heaven
No ear may hear His coming
But in this world of sin
Where meek souls will receive him still
The dear Christ enters in

O holy Child of Bethlehem
Descend to us, we pray
Cast out our sin and enter in
Be born to us today
We hear the Christmas angels
The great glad tidings tell
O come to us, abide with us
Our Lord Emmanuel
O come to us, abide with us
Our Lord Emmanuel.

In the Bleak Midwinter (VU # 55)
Poet Christina Rossetti wrote the words of this hymn. She lived from 1830 to 1895 and originally published this as a poem called “A Christmas Carol.”

Rossetti never married and lived quite independently. She used her poems and words to bring attention to issues of the day, such as slavery, animal experimentations and sexual exploitation of young women. She was often sick and without much money, but devoted her life to her family, her faith, and ministry with former prostitutes. Quite a calling I would say.

About 12 years after her death, the words appeared for the first time in The English Hymnal attached to a tune by composer Gustav Holst. We have sung this hymn basically in the same form since it first appeared in 1906. Now, I’ll confess that I had a few problems with this carol when I first heard it, but when I realized that she was a poet speaking in metaphor, it made a lot more sense.

First of all, I was pretty sure that there isn’t much snow in Bethlehem. But then I thought poetically about what she was trying to say: Jesus came into a cold, hard, and desolate world with the beauty of calm, peace, and quiet. We all need this during the rush and craziness of the holiday. Those experiencing loss and having a difficult time finding the joy in Christmas, can find hope and comfort in this setting.

In the second stanza I am reminded that neither heaven or earth can contain the majesty of our God. He is always More than anything we mortals can imagine. Yet he still comes and stays in our ordinary lives such as a stable.

What love and tenderness rises from the third and fourth verse! The third verse describes the power of Christ in our world, and the fourth the serenity and acceptance of one living Christ’s teaching.

That last verse is the one with the real comfort and message. No matter what is going on in our lives, how stressed we are, how drained our resources are, how empty we feel – we can still give our hearts. And that is the best gift.

In the Bleak Midwinter VU # 55 (Sandy)

In the bleak mid-winter
Frosty wind made moan;
Earth stood hard as iron,
Water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow,
Snow on snow,
In the bleak mid-winter
Long ago.

Our God, heaven cannot hold Him
Nor earth sustain,
Heaven and earth shall flee away
When He comes to reign:
In the bleak mid-winter
A stable-place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty —
Jesus Christ.

Enough for Him, whom Cherubim
Worship night and day,
A breastful of milk
And a mangerful of hay;
Enough for Him, whom Angels
Fall down before,
The ox and ass and camel
Which adore.

What can I give Him,
Poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd,
I would give a lamb.
If I were a rich man,
I would do my part,
Yet What I can I give Him,
Give my heart.

MORNING OFFERING
Let us offer thanks for the many blessings and gifts of creation as we present our morning offering…

PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
Good and gracious God, your love overflows in the goodness we have met even in this challenging year. As one year closes and another begins, help us trust your goodness. Bless the gifts we bring to you so that they may provide others with the hope we know in Christ Jesus and the love you share with the world through him.

Let us join our voices in song…Our Doxology is “Your Work O God Needs Many Hands” and is found in Voices United # 537 and words will also appear on your screen.

“Your Work O God Needs Many Hands”

Your work, o God needs many hands
to help you everywhere,
And some there are who cannot serve
unless our gifts we share

Because we love you and your work,
our offering now we make
Be pleased to use it as your own,
we ask for Jesus’ sake.

PRAYERS FOR THE PEOPLE OF THE WORLD
God of love, as we celebrate the birth and life of Jesus, our Saviour, we are filled with thanks. Our gratitude overflows in prayers for our world, the world you love.

We pray for all children. Guard their minds, protect their bodies, strengthen their characters, and give them joy. Help them look to the future with hope and trust.

We pray for the most aged among us, those whom Simeon and Anna bring to mind. Protect them in the midst of the ongoing pandemic and reassure them of their value to you and to us, even when we cannot meet together.