WEBVTT
1
00:00:09.700 --> 00:00:12.153
The eyes of the Lord are always upon us.
2
00:00:13.552 --> 00:00:17.719
From the beginning of the year, even unto the end.
3
00:00:19.110 --> 00:00:22.933
The Lord is gracious unto them that wait for him,
4
00:00:24.040 --> 00:00:25.903
to the souls that seek him.
5
00:00:27.840 --> 00:00:29.460
From the rising of the sun,
6
00:00:29.460 --> 00:00:31.853
until the going down of the same.
7
00:00:32.700 --> 00:00:35.993
The Lord's name is to be praised.
8
00:00:37.440 --> 00:00:42.193
From the beginning of the year unto the end of the same.
9
00:00:43.590 --> 00:00:47.253
The Lord's name is to be praised.
10
00:00:48.510 --> 00:00:52.540
Therefore, let us sing to the praise and the glory of God,
11
00:00:52.540 --> 00:00:54.773
the Hymn 336. 336.
12
00:01:00.595 --> 00:01:04.345
(organ introduction to hymn)
13
00:01:28.688 --> 00:01:33.438
(congregation singing indistinct lyrics)
14
00:03:43.477 --> 00:03:48.223
Let us offer unto God our unison prayer of confession.
15
00:03:49.160 --> 00:03:50.283
Let us pray.
16
00:03:51.630 --> 00:03:52.800
Almighty God.
17
00:03:52.800 --> 00:03:54.950
Our Heavenly Father,
18
00:03:54.950 --> 00:03:58.290
who didst cause light to shine out of darkness
19
00:03:58.290 --> 00:04:01.480
in the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ,
20
00:04:01.480 --> 00:04:04.530
to take away the sins of the world,
21
00:04:04.530 --> 00:04:07.570
we humbly confess our transgressions,
22
00:04:07.570 --> 00:04:10.490
and implore thy forgiveness.
23
00:04:10.490 --> 00:04:12.820
We are ashamed of that within us,
24
00:04:12.820 --> 00:04:15.710
which make us neither for peace on earth,
25
00:04:15.710 --> 00:04:18.600
nor goodwill toward men.
26
00:04:18.600 --> 00:04:21.380
We confess to thee our broken vows,
27
00:04:21.380 --> 00:04:26.380
our duties left undone, and our proud imaginations.
28
00:04:27.210 --> 00:04:31.600
We pray thee to loose us from the yoke of our sins,
29
00:04:31.600 --> 00:04:35.930
to pardon our guilt and to cleanse our thoughts,
30
00:04:35.930 --> 00:04:40.550
that the spirit of Christ may be born anew within us.
31
00:04:40.550 --> 00:04:41.383
Amen.
32
00:04:45.090 --> 00:04:48.580
And let us read together the comfortable words
33
00:04:48.580 --> 00:04:51.552
of the assurance of sin forgiven,
34
00:04:51.552 --> 00:04:56.203
as they are found in the hymnal 654,
35
00:04:57.917 --> 00:05:01.160
"By grace you have been saved."
36
00:05:01.160 --> 00:05:03.363
Let the congregation remain seated.
37
00:05:06.767 --> 00:05:08.773
"By grace you have been saved.
38
00:05:09.720 --> 00:05:12.420
And you He made alive,
39
00:05:12.420 --> 00:05:14.790
when you were dead through the trespasses
40
00:05:14.790 --> 00:05:17.840
and sins in which you once walked,
41
00:05:17.840 --> 00:05:20.900
following the course of this world.
42
00:05:20.900 --> 00:05:24.040
But God, who is rich in mercy,
43
00:05:24.040 --> 00:05:27.390
out of the great love with which He loved us,
44
00:05:27.390 --> 00:05:30.990
even when we were dead through our trespasses,
45
00:05:30.990 --> 00:05:34.350
made us alive together with Christ,
46
00:05:34.350 --> 00:05:36.760
and raised us up with Him.
47
00:05:36.760 --> 00:05:38.480
And made us sit with Him
48
00:05:38.480 --> 00:05:42.180
in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
49
00:05:42.180 --> 00:05:43.538
that in the coming ages
50
00:05:43.538 --> 00:05:48.538
He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace.
51
00:05:48.790 --> 00:05:52.960
For by grace you have been saved through faith,
52
00:05:52.960 --> 00:05:55.570
and this is not your own doing.
53
00:05:55.570 --> 00:05:57.960
It is the gift of God.
54
00:05:57.960 --> 00:06:00.000
Not because of works,
55
00:06:00.000 --> 00:06:02.740
lest any man should boast,
56
00:06:02.740 --> 00:06:05.360
for we are His workmanship
57
00:06:05.360 --> 00:06:09.110
created in Christ Jesus for good works,
58
00:06:09.110 --> 00:06:11.970
which God prepared beforehand
59
00:06:11.970 --> 00:06:14.507
that we should walk in them."
60
00:06:16.330 --> 00:06:17.750
Amen.
61
00:06:17.750 --> 00:06:19.573
Be of good courage.
62
00:06:21.683 --> 00:06:26.266
(soprano solo from Handel's "Messiah")
63
00:07:10.655 --> 00:07:15.655
♪ How beautiful are the feet ♪
64
00:07:17.453 --> 00:07:22.012
♪ Of them that preach ♪
65
00:07:22.012 --> 00:07:27.012
♪ The gospel of peace ♪
66
00:07:28.692 --> 00:07:33.692
♪ How beautiful are the feet ♪
67
00:07:36.480 --> 00:07:41.480
♪ How beautiful are the feet ♪
68
00:07:43.099 --> 00:07:46.989
♪ Of them that preach ♪
69
00:07:46.989 --> 00:07:50.156
♪ The gospel of peace ♪
70
00:08:02.971 --> 00:08:07.971
♪ How beautiful are the feet ♪
71
00:08:09.531 --> 00:08:14.163
♪ Of them that preach ♪
72
00:08:14.163 --> 00:08:19.163
♪ The gospel of peace ♪
73
00:08:21.219 --> 00:08:26.219
♪ And bring glad tidings ♪
74
00:08:29.727 --> 00:08:34.727
♪ And bring glad tidings ♪
75
00:08:38.251 --> 00:08:43.251
♪ Glad tidings of good things ♪
76
00:08:46.824 --> 00:08:51.824
♪ And bring glad tidings ♪
77
00:08:55.566 --> 00:09:00.566
♪ Glad tidings of good things ♪
78
00:09:02.316 --> 00:09:05.733
♪ And bring glad tidings ♪
79
00:09:12.464 --> 00:09:16.297
♪ Glad tidings of good things ♪
80
00:09:22.618 --> 00:09:26.451
♪ Glad tidings of good things ♪
81
00:09:38.048 --> 00:09:40.798
(organ postlude)
82
00:10:27.286 --> 00:10:29.636
Let us hear the word of God as it's recorded.
83
00:10:32.577 --> 00:10:34.050
First, in the book of the Prophet Isaiah.
84
00:10:34.050 --> 00:10:37.333
Three verses from chapter nine.
85
00:10:40.347 --> 00:10:43.933
"The people who walked in darkness, have seen a great light.
86
00:10:45.290 --> 00:10:49.130
Those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
87
00:10:49.130 --> 00:10:51.433
on them has light shined.
88
00:10:53.450 --> 00:10:57.023
For unto us a child is born.
89
00:10:58.580 --> 00:11:02.233
Unto us a Son is given.
90
00:11:03.854 --> 00:11:06.323
And the government will be upon his shoulder.
91
00:11:07.694 --> 00:11:11.597
And his name will be called Wonderful Counselor,
92
00:11:12.550 --> 00:11:17.550
Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
93
00:11:19.890 --> 00:11:23.020
Of the increase of his government and of peace
94
00:11:23.020 --> 00:11:24.293
there will be no end,
95
00:11:25.600 --> 00:11:29.174
upon the throne of David and over his kingdom,
96
00:11:29.174 --> 00:11:33.650
to establish it and to uphold it with justice
97
00:11:33.650 --> 00:11:35.930
and with righteousness
98
00:11:35.930 --> 00:11:39.283
from this time forth and forevermore.
99
00:11:40.535 --> 00:11:45.535
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this."
100
00:11:48.397 --> 00:11:50.573
And it in the Gospel according to St. Luke,
101
00:11:51.430 --> 00:11:56.053
the second chapter, verses eight to 14.
102
00:11:59.177 --> 00:12:03.340
"And in that region there were shepherds out in the field,
103
00:12:03.340 --> 00:12:05.623
keeping watch over their flock by night.
104
00:12:07.150 --> 00:12:09.450
And an angel of the Lord appeared to them,
105
00:12:09.450 --> 00:12:13.480
and the glory of the Lord shone around them,
106
00:12:13.480 --> 00:12:15.693
and they were filled with fear.
107
00:12:17.060 --> 00:12:22.060
And the angel said to them, "Be not afraid, for behold,
108
00:12:23.550 --> 00:12:27.860
I bring you good news of a great joy,
109
00:12:27.860 --> 00:12:29.713
which will come to all the people.
110
00:12:31.020 --> 00:12:35.748
For unto you is born this day in the city of David,
111
00:12:35.748 --> 00:12:40.033
a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
112
00:12:41.892 --> 00:12:43.693
And this will be a sign for you:
113
00:12:44.870 --> 00:12:49.660
you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths
114
00:12:49.660 --> 00:12:51.667
and lying in a manger."
115
00:12:52.940 --> 00:12:54.970
And suddenly there was with the angel
116
00:12:54.970 --> 00:12:57.550
a multitude of the heavenly host
117
00:12:57.550 --> 00:12:59.697
praising God and saying,
118
00:12:59.697 --> 00:13:02.333
"Glory to God in the highest,
119
00:13:03.550 --> 00:13:08.550
and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased."
120
00:13:13.490 --> 00:13:14.942
Amen.
121
00:13:14.942 --> 00:13:19.850
And may God bless unto us the reading of his Holy Word.
122
00:13:21.375 --> 00:13:26.125
(congregation singing indistinct lyrics)
123
00:14:07.211 --> 00:14:10.044
The Lord be with you. Let us pray.
124
00:14:21.570 --> 00:14:24.320
Our God eternal and unchangeable,
125
00:14:25.680 --> 00:14:30.680
Alpha and Omega, Creator, Sustainer and Preserver of life,
126
00:14:33.820 --> 00:14:35.250
who will alone abide us,
127
00:14:35.250 --> 00:14:38.683
while all by creatures change and pass away,
128
00:14:40.840 --> 00:14:44.623
yet in whose appointment our life standeth,
129
00:14:46.040 --> 00:14:50.023
to Thee we bow our heads and lift our hearts.
130
00:14:51.362 --> 00:14:55.060
As we keep holy time together
131
00:14:55.060 --> 00:14:58.440
under the shadows of the closing year,
132
00:14:58.440 --> 00:15:00.800
we ask of Thee a Father's blessing
133
00:15:01.760 --> 00:15:03.123
and a Father's bounty.
134
00:15:04.370 --> 00:15:07.500
That we may face the new year with confidence
135
00:15:08.510 --> 00:15:13.510
in the knowledge that it is Thine and we are Thine.
136
00:15:15.920 --> 00:15:18.783
And to Thee we shall ascribe the glory.
137
00:15:22.290 --> 00:15:26.463
We praise Thee, O God, for great is Thy mercy toward us.
138
00:15:28.500 --> 00:15:31.560
Thou hast made us in Thine own image,
139
00:15:31.560 --> 00:15:33.973
And has given us minds to know Thee,
140
00:15:34.870 --> 00:15:38.790
hearts to love Thee, and wills to serve Thee
141
00:15:40.580 --> 00:15:43.253
In goodness art Thou exalted, O Lord.
142
00:15:44.450 --> 00:15:48.363
And Thy tender mercies are over all Thy works.
143
00:15:50.225 --> 00:15:53.633
We praise Thee for the kindness of others,
144
00:15:54.780 --> 00:15:58.743
whereby the path of life has been made more easy for us.
145
00:16:00.330 --> 00:16:03.070
For the blessedness of home,
146
00:16:03.070 --> 00:16:04.703
For the joy of friendship,
147
00:16:05.950 --> 00:16:07.270
and for the tenderness,
148
00:16:07.270 --> 00:16:11.963
which links us to our dear ones on earth and in heaven.
149
00:16:13.220 --> 00:16:17.173
Most of all do we magnify Thee for Thy greatest gift.
150
00:16:18.240 --> 00:16:21.670
And bless Thee that, in the fullness of time,
151
00:16:21.670 --> 00:16:26.100
Thou didst give the light of the knowledge of Thy glory,
152
00:16:26.100 --> 00:16:28.363
in the face of Jesus Christ.
153
00:16:29.750 --> 00:16:32.553
As our hearts turn to Bethlehem,
154
00:16:32.553 --> 00:16:34.610
and to the child in the manger,
155
00:16:34.610 --> 00:16:38.593
we adore Thee as the Giver of Thine unspeakable gift.
156
00:16:39.760 --> 00:16:41.867
And we bless Thee,
157
00:16:41.867 --> 00:16:46.867
for Thou has indeed visited and redeemed Thy children.
158
00:16:50.320 --> 00:16:53.280
Our Heavenly Father, who's Holy Child, Jesus,
159
00:16:53.280 --> 00:16:55.457
is born unto us,
160
00:16:55.457 --> 00:16:59.640
we entreat Thee that, in memory of His infancy
161
00:17:00.700 --> 00:17:04.322
and of the love He brought unto Thy little ones,
162
00:17:04.322 --> 00:17:08.883
all children may be precious in our eyes.
163
00:17:10.490 --> 00:17:14.483
Make us heedful and helpful in our dealings with them.
164
00:17:16.220 --> 00:17:19.093
Let Thy love be felt in every home.
165
00:17:20.860 --> 00:17:22.930
And let our gifts, one to another,
166
00:17:22.930 --> 00:17:26.600
be a reminder of Thee, who gavest all.
167
00:17:29.385 --> 00:17:32.410
Be with those who at this season are sick
168
00:17:32.410 --> 00:17:35.003
or sad or suffering,
169
00:17:37.380 --> 00:17:42.380
the poor, the lonely, the homeless, the distressed,
170
00:17:45.980 --> 00:17:49.483
and those who are mourning their dear ones.
171
00:17:51.620 --> 00:17:56.073
Especially, we commend to Thee our own hospital.
172
00:17:57.770 --> 00:18:02.770
Its doctors, its nurses, its aids, its patients,
173
00:18:07.580 --> 00:18:10.533
at this time of grave illness.
174
00:18:12.220 --> 00:18:14.263
Speak peace to troubled souls,
175
00:18:15.710 --> 00:18:17.643
and raise up all who are bowed down.
176
00:18:21.160 --> 00:18:22.410
Lord of All Worlds,
177
00:18:22.410 --> 00:18:25.704
before Whom stand the living and the departed,
178
00:18:25.704 --> 00:18:28.730
we remember before Thee, with thanksgiving,
179
00:18:28.730 --> 00:18:31.293
those who have passed within the vale.
180
00:18:32.640 --> 00:18:34.893
Especially those dear to us,
181
00:18:35.900 --> 00:18:37.510
whom, in the year now ending,
182
00:18:37.510 --> 00:18:41.323
though has called home to their rest.
183
00:18:43.040 --> 00:18:44.380
Grant that even here
184
00:18:44.380 --> 00:18:47.883
we may have true communion of spirit with them.
185
00:18:49.220 --> 00:18:52.610
And help us so to live by faith,
186
00:18:52.610 --> 00:18:55.760
that we at the last may be gathered with them,
187
00:18:55.760 --> 00:18:59.443
beyond the changes and chances of this fleeting world,
188
00:19:00.730 --> 00:19:03.443
into the Kingdom of Thy glory.
189
00:19:05.270 --> 00:19:08.170
Through Jesus Christ, our Lord,
190
00:19:08.170 --> 00:19:12.387
Who has taught us, when we pray, thus to say,
191
00:19:13.727 --> 00:19:17.310
"Our Father who art in heaven,
192
00:19:17.310 --> 00:19:19.650
hallowed be Thy name.
193
00:19:19.650 --> 00:19:21.840
Thy Kingdom come;
194
00:19:21.840 --> 00:19:26.490
Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.
195
00:19:26.490 --> 00:19:29.430
Give us this day our daily bread;
196
00:19:29.430 --> 00:19:31.840
and forgive us our trespasses,
197
00:19:31.840 --> 00:19:35.680
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
198
00:19:35.680 --> 00:19:38.310
And lead us not into temptation,
199
00:19:38.310 --> 00:19:40.660
but deliver us from evil.
200
00:19:40.660 --> 00:19:42.420
For Thine is the Kingdom
201
00:19:42.420 --> 00:19:46.277
and the Power and the Glory forever."
202
00:19:47.660 --> 00:19:48.493
Amen.
203
00:20:01.347 --> 00:20:02.843
[Different Speaker] Let us pray.
204
00:20:04.640 --> 00:20:08.710
O God, may the words of my mouth,
205
00:20:08.710 --> 00:20:11.870
and the meditations of our hearts,
206
00:20:11.870 --> 00:20:14.530
be acceptable in Thy sight,
207
00:20:14.530 --> 00:20:18.490
O Lord, our Strength and our Redeemer.
208
00:20:18.490 --> 00:20:19.323
Amen.
209
00:20:23.177 --> 00:20:28.177
"Unto you." You've heard the words a hundred times,
210
00:20:29.105 --> 00:20:32.230
a thousand times, as I have.
211
00:20:32.230 --> 00:20:36.010
Heard them as part of the Christmas narrative,
212
00:20:36.010 --> 00:20:41.010
of sermons, of the soprano recitative in the "Messiah".
213
00:20:42.617 --> 00:20:47.030
"And the angel said unto them, 'Fear not.
214
00:20:47.030 --> 00:20:51.380
For behold I bring you good tidings of great joy,
215
00:20:51.380 --> 00:20:53.703
which will be to all people.
216
00:20:54.755 --> 00:20:58.300
For unto you is born this day, in the city of David,
217
00:20:58.300 --> 00:21:01.837
a Savior, which is Christ, the Lord."
218
00:21:03.900 --> 00:21:06.410
Quite suddenly one day, however,
219
00:21:06.410 --> 00:21:11.410
I realized that these familiar words were out of place.
220
00:21:11.560 --> 00:21:13.613
They were spoken to the wrong people.
221
00:21:14.740 --> 00:21:17.510
They were not addressed to Joseph and Mary,
222
00:21:17.510 --> 00:21:21.111
the parents of the Child, about Whom the angel spoke,
223
00:21:21.111 --> 00:21:23.970
but to a group of shepherds,
224
00:21:23.970 --> 00:21:27.023
who had nothing to do with the Baby born in their midst.
225
00:21:28.160 --> 00:21:31.723
Why say, "Unto you", to the shepherds?
226
00:21:33.670 --> 00:21:36.113
Was it because they were relatives of Joseph,
227
00:21:37.470 --> 00:21:39.710
and thus able to feel that the baby belonged
228
00:21:39.710 --> 00:21:41.900
to their own family?
229
00:21:41.900 --> 00:21:44.785
Yes, this would be quite possible
230
00:21:44.785 --> 00:21:47.540
in a tightly-knit community,
231
00:21:47.540 --> 00:21:51.730
with which Joseph did have family ties;
232
00:21:51.730 --> 00:21:53.040
even though for many years
233
00:21:53.040 --> 00:21:55.023
he had been living in a distant city.
234
00:21:56.120 --> 00:21:57.810
But there's nothing else to show
235
00:21:57.810 --> 00:21:59.500
that any of the shepherds
236
00:21:59.500 --> 00:22:03.440
had close blood relationship to Joseph,
237
00:22:03.440 --> 00:22:05.477
or to the promised Child.
238
00:22:06.807 --> 00:22:09.143
Was it because they were Bethlehemites?
239
00:22:10.630 --> 00:22:12.600
This is much more likely,
240
00:22:12.600 --> 00:22:17.223
for that community had a strong sense of history,
241
00:22:18.150 --> 00:22:21.950
and reflected with some pride on their associations
242
00:22:21.950 --> 00:22:24.593
with King David of long ago.
243
00:22:25.570 --> 00:22:28.023
If what the vision proclaimed were true,
244
00:22:29.036 --> 00:22:32.200
then the birth of a new leader in Bethlehem
245
00:22:32.200 --> 00:22:35.753
would certainly be something to add to civic pride.
246
00:22:38.070 --> 00:22:42.360
Or did the angels say, "Unto you is born this day
247
00:22:43.299 --> 00:22:45.290
in the city of David, a Savior,"
248
00:22:45.290 --> 00:22:47.990
to this handful of shepherds,
249
00:22:47.990 --> 00:22:50.690
simply because they were Jews,
250
00:22:50.690 --> 00:22:53.140
representatives of the many thousands
251
00:22:53.140 --> 00:22:58.060
who were looking and longing for a Messiah, a Savior;
252
00:22:58.060 --> 00:23:03.060
not only from the Romans, but from sin and frustration?
253
00:23:04.050 --> 00:23:07.750
Maybe this, at last, was the Good News,
254
00:23:07.750 --> 00:23:10.150
for which they had been waiting.
255
00:23:10.150 --> 00:23:13.253
And it came to them as members of the Jewish people.
256
00:23:14.170 --> 00:23:18.443
In that case, this was indeed a red letter day for them.
257
00:23:20.510 --> 00:23:22.920
Yet, the context makes it clear
258
00:23:22.920 --> 00:23:25.950
that this intimate manner of speaking
259
00:23:25.950 --> 00:23:28.490
arose from none of these reasons,
260
00:23:28.490 --> 00:23:32.083
but was used simply because they were ordinary people.
261
00:23:33.340 --> 00:23:38.340
The message, "Unto you," came to them as human beings.
262
00:23:39.640 --> 00:23:41.950
They were the chosen representatives
263
00:23:41.950 --> 00:23:44.183
of the whole human race.
264
00:23:45.707 --> 00:23:50.707
"I bring you good tidings, which shall be to all people."
265
00:23:54.670 --> 00:23:57.000
There is a sense in which the basic events
266
00:23:57.000 --> 00:24:00.683
of birth, marriage, death,
267
00:24:01.660 --> 00:24:03.150
in some mysterious way,
268
00:24:03.150 --> 00:24:06.773
bring all people together as one family.
269
00:24:07.740 --> 00:24:09.983
In these events, all are one.
270
00:24:11.430 --> 00:24:14.283
Barriers and shynesses are forgotten;
271
00:24:15.300 --> 00:24:20.003
differences of race and color and culture and creed.
272
00:24:20.910 --> 00:24:25.250
Particularly is this the case, when a baby is born.
273
00:24:25.250 --> 00:24:27.563
All the world loves a baby.
274
00:24:28.860 --> 00:24:33.220
Yet for the shepherds, this was not mere sentimentality.
275
00:24:33.220 --> 00:24:36.110
These men were rough fellows;
276
00:24:36.110 --> 00:24:39.040
ready to haggle in the marketplace,
277
00:24:39.040 --> 00:24:42.753
to tangle in a brawl, when they had had too much to drink,
278
00:24:43.960 --> 00:24:46.420
ready to fight grimly for their right,
279
00:24:46.420 --> 00:24:48.793
if anyone encroached on their territory.
280
00:24:50.070 --> 00:24:51.780
But they were also men
281
00:24:51.780 --> 00:24:54.673
with a warm tenderness for their own children,
282
00:24:55.550 --> 00:24:58.343
and protective toward all children;
283
00:24:59.420 --> 00:25:01.970
ready to lay down their lives even for their sheep.
284
00:25:03.380 --> 00:25:07.390
They were indeed in their changing moods,
285
00:25:07.390 --> 00:25:10.450
their strange blend of good and evil,
286
00:25:10.450 --> 00:25:12.710
their love of the earth,
287
00:25:12.710 --> 00:25:17.353
and their occasional glimpses of heaven, ordinary people.
288
00:25:19.132 --> 00:25:22.150
This is what makes their singling out so important.
289
00:25:22.150 --> 00:25:26.050
Indeed, you might say that they were not singled out,
290
00:25:26.050 --> 00:25:29.143
they were picked blindfold with a pin.
291
00:25:30.540 --> 00:25:35.400
The symbol of sacrifice and courage in war,
292
00:25:35.400 --> 00:25:37.913
is an unknown soldier.
293
00:25:39.800 --> 00:25:44.800
An unknown shepherd is the symbol of God's offer
294
00:25:45.230 --> 00:25:46.623
for human need.
295
00:25:49.040 --> 00:25:50.450
If indeed that promise,
296
00:25:50.450 --> 00:25:53.120
given by the Herald of God to the shepherds,
297
00:25:53.120 --> 00:25:57.273
came to them as representatives of the human race,
298
00:25:58.160 --> 00:26:01.588
then exactly the same promise would be held out
299
00:26:01.588 --> 00:26:02.743
to all people.
300
00:26:04.030 --> 00:26:07.963
This Baby born in Bethlehem belonged to them.
301
00:26:09.377 --> 00:26:12.960
"Unto you", you nameless shepherds,
302
00:26:12.960 --> 00:26:15.393
is born a Child, Who is a Savior.
303
00:26:16.427 --> 00:26:20.740
"Unto you", their wives and children and sweethearts
304
00:26:21.730 --> 00:26:23.567
in Bethlehem.
305
00:26:23.567 --> 00:26:25.610
"Unto you", you innkeeper,
306
00:26:25.610 --> 00:26:29.040
who showed the weary mother into the stable;
307
00:26:29.040 --> 00:26:33.431
whether in pity, or because of your callous indifference,
308
00:26:33.431 --> 00:26:36.003
which was only moved by money.
309
00:26:38.662 --> 00:26:42.010
"Unto you", you Eastern astrologers, is a child born;
310
00:26:42.010 --> 00:26:44.277
unto you and your people.
311
00:26:44.277 --> 00:26:47.520
"Unto you", Herod, fearful of a rival,
312
00:26:47.520 --> 00:26:49.647
and unto your Royal Court.
313
00:26:49.647 --> 00:26:52.430
"Unto you", baby John,
314
00:26:52.430 --> 00:26:56.633
son of aged Zacharias and mystified Elizabeth.
315
00:26:57.737 --> 00:27:01.040
"Unto you", Simon Bar-Jonah,
316
00:27:01.040 --> 00:27:03.693
playing by the Lakeside of Capernaum.
317
00:27:04.577 --> 00:27:08.720
"Unto you", young Pontius Pilate, learning to be dignified
318
00:27:08.720 --> 00:27:11.283
in the presence of the household slaves.
319
00:27:12.237 --> 00:27:15.660
"Unto you", Caesar Augustus,
320
00:27:15.660 --> 00:27:19.423
hoping for an improved financial report from your census.
321
00:27:21.158 --> 00:27:25.057
"Unto you", Tiberius, austere student at Rhodes.
322
00:27:25.057 --> 00:27:28.580
"Unto you", Drusus, subduing barbarian tribes
323
00:27:28.580 --> 00:27:30.007
in Northern Europe.
324
00:27:30.007 --> 00:27:33.360
"Unto you", you lake-dwellers at Glastonbury,
325
00:27:33.360 --> 00:27:35.720
you skin-clad inhabitants of caves
326
00:27:35.720 --> 00:27:39.447
and hillside camps in ancient Britannia.
327
00:27:39.447 --> 00:27:42.670
"Unto you", you Belgi, invading their island
328
00:27:42.670 --> 00:27:45.647
with your iron swords, and bringing your Mediterranean plow
329
00:27:45.647 --> 00:27:48.413
to revolutionize English agriculture.
330
00:27:49.287 --> 00:27:54.287
"Unto you", you Hohokam Indians, playing with rubber balls,
331
00:27:54.540 --> 00:27:58.710
etching your pictures on seashells, and building canals,
332
00:27:58.710 --> 00:28:02.897
dams, to irrigate your land in Arizona.
333
00:28:02.897 --> 00:28:06.100
"Unto you", you Indians of Ohio and Kentucky
334
00:28:06.100 --> 00:28:07.760
and Western Virginia;
335
00:28:07.760 --> 00:28:09.730
simpler in your culture,
336
00:28:09.730 --> 00:28:12.310
yet erecting mounds filled with grave offerings
337
00:28:12.310 --> 00:28:13.773
for your revered dead.
338
00:28:14.807 --> 00:28:19.807
"Unto you", you nameless people of 2000 years ago
339
00:28:20.550 --> 00:28:22.163
in every continent.
340
00:28:23.090 --> 00:28:25.930
Most of you linked, with the thinnest of family ties,
341
00:28:25.930 --> 00:28:28.777
to every American now living.
342
00:28:28.777 --> 00:28:31.773
"Unto you" was a Child born.
343
00:28:32.630 --> 00:28:37.630
A Child who was the Son of God, the Savior of all mankind,
344
00:28:40.640 --> 00:28:45.640
Nor was the promise limited in time, any more than in space.
345
00:28:47.630 --> 00:28:51.232
Not only to the shepherds around Bethlehem 2000 years ago,
346
00:28:51.232 --> 00:28:54.010
but to the shepherd boy, David,
347
00:28:54.010 --> 00:28:58.340
who roamed those same hills a thousand years earlier,
348
00:28:58.340 --> 00:29:00.390
and to his descendants,
349
00:29:00.390 --> 00:29:02.810
who have watched their flock around Bethlehem
350
00:29:02.810 --> 00:29:05.270
through each succeeding century,
351
00:29:05.270 --> 00:29:06.523
was the Child given.
352
00:29:08.010 --> 00:29:13.010
Given, likewise, to those who today build a new Israel
353
00:29:14.340 --> 00:29:18.590
with spade and sometimes rifle,
354
00:29:18.590 --> 00:29:21.223
replacing the shepherd's rod and staff.
355
00:29:22.440 --> 00:29:25.860
Not only to the Magi from Iran,
356
00:29:25.860 --> 00:29:28.780
but to Abraham, another wise man
357
00:29:28.780 --> 00:29:31.983
who made pilgrimage from the East to Palestine.
358
00:29:32.870 --> 00:29:36.950
And to the moon worshipers whom he left behind,
359
00:29:36.950 --> 00:29:41.490
and to all men, wise men of today,
360
00:29:41.490 --> 00:29:45.340
in east and west and north and south,
361
00:29:45.340 --> 00:29:46.633
was the Child promised.
362
00:29:47.870 --> 00:29:52.790
To the leaders of every nation Jesus is born.
363
00:29:52.790 --> 00:29:56.253
As he was born to Herod and to Augustus Caesar long ago.
364
00:29:57.660 --> 00:30:00.083
To you, Queen Elizabeth II.
365
00:30:01.290 --> 00:30:03.483
To you, Mao Tse-Tung.
366
00:30:04.660 --> 00:30:08.260
To you Lyndon Baines Johnson,
367
00:30:08.260 --> 00:30:12.817
and to Richard Nixon, breathing hotly down your neck.
368
00:30:12.817 --> 00:30:17.040
"Unto you", Mr. Carl Sagan, whether you wish it
369
00:30:17.040 --> 00:30:18.373
or acknowledge it or not.
370
00:30:19.250 --> 00:30:22.343
Unto you is the Christ Child born.
371
00:30:23.527 --> 00:30:26.250
"Unto you", Captain Frank Borman and your colleagues,
372
00:30:26.250 --> 00:30:28.540
James Lovell and William Anders,
373
00:30:28.540 --> 00:30:30.710
just returned from the moon,
374
00:30:30.710 --> 00:30:32.640
wiser in the law of the heavens
375
00:30:32.640 --> 00:30:34.563
than all the astrologers of old,
376
00:30:35.430 --> 00:30:38.063
unto you is a Savior come.
377
00:30:39.387 --> 00:30:41.890
"Unto you", Commander Bucher,
378
00:30:41.890 --> 00:30:45.480
and to all the members of the crew of your lost Pueblo,
379
00:30:45.480 --> 00:30:48.970
and to all their parents and wives and children,
380
00:30:48.970 --> 00:30:50.803
unto you a Child is born.
381
00:30:51.967 --> 00:30:55.243
"Unto you", you leaders of the Black Solidarity committee.
382
00:30:56.197 --> 00:30:59.713
"Unto you", you members of the DARM Merchants Association.
383
00:31:00.707 --> 00:31:03.493
"Unto you", you leaders of the KU Klux Klan.
384
00:31:05.097 --> 00:31:09.513
"Unto you", tiny baby, just born in Duke Hospital.
385
00:31:10.597 --> 00:31:15.000
"Unto you", Marie Hill, awaiting execution
386
00:31:15.000 --> 00:31:17.267
for a brutal murder.
387
00:31:17.267 --> 00:31:18.287
"Unto you."
388
00:31:19.497 --> 00:31:23.970
"I bring you good tidings of great joy,
389
00:31:23.970 --> 00:31:27.427
which shall be to all people."
390
00:31:27.427 --> 00:31:28.707
"Unto you."
391
00:31:31.730 --> 00:31:35.053
Well, we've heard the Good News. All of us.
392
00:31:36.010 --> 00:31:39.173
So what? What do we do now?
393
00:31:41.550 --> 00:31:46.550
Having heard the news, do we switch to another channel?
394
00:31:46.760 --> 00:31:51.233
One which interests us rather more? Surely not.
395
00:31:52.120 --> 00:31:57.120
If we are responsible and responsive beings,
396
00:31:57.500 --> 00:31:59.303
we do three things.
397
00:32:00.770 --> 00:32:04.263
First, we try to find out if the news is true.
398
00:32:05.630 --> 00:32:07.840
The shepherds went to Bethlehem
399
00:32:07.840 --> 00:32:10.130
to see this thing, which had come to pass,
400
00:32:10.130 --> 00:32:12.323
which the Lord had made known unto them.
401
00:32:13.540 --> 00:32:14.950
In our turn,
402
00:32:14.950 --> 00:32:18.800
we study the beginnings of the Christian religion;
403
00:32:18.800 --> 00:32:21.540
the worldwide impact of the Christian faith
404
00:32:21.540 --> 00:32:23.446
during the centuries,
405
00:32:23.446 --> 00:32:26.903
its effect on those whom we know and respect.
406
00:32:28.050 --> 00:32:30.220
We make our own experiments
407
00:32:30.220 --> 00:32:32.883
in prayerful communication with God,
408
00:32:33.790 --> 00:32:37.731
our own ventures into the unknown,
409
00:32:37.731 --> 00:32:39.976
guided only by the flimsy chart
410
00:32:39.976 --> 00:32:44.150
of an experimental belief in Christ.
411
00:32:44.150 --> 00:32:49.110
And hopefully we find, as millions have found before us,
412
00:32:49.110 --> 00:32:53.393
that it works. Christianity is true.
413
00:32:55.600 --> 00:33:00.433
Second, we thank God for the fulfillment of his prophecy.
414
00:33:01.710 --> 00:33:03.650
The shepherds returned,
415
00:33:03.650 --> 00:33:06.020
glorifying and praising God for all
416
00:33:06.020 --> 00:33:08.210
the things that they had seen and heard,
417
00:33:08.210 --> 00:33:09.853
as it was told unto them.
418
00:33:11.230 --> 00:33:15.360
We in our turn read the old story,
419
00:33:15.360 --> 00:33:19.156
look back wishfully on memories of childhood,
420
00:33:19.156 --> 00:33:21.420
try to escape for a time
421
00:33:21.420 --> 00:33:24.973
from the tinsel and glitter of material prosperity,
422
00:33:25.920 --> 00:33:27.592
stretch out a helping hand
423
00:33:27.592 --> 00:33:31.423
to the multitudes far less fortunate than we.
424
00:33:32.360 --> 00:33:35.430
In our better moments, we are joyful,
425
00:33:35.430 --> 00:33:39.123
with the confidence of those who believe in a saving God.
426
00:33:40.140 --> 00:33:43.433
We realize where true joy comes from.
427
00:33:44.470 --> 00:33:49.470
We try to ensure both the extension of our own joy to others
428
00:33:49.980 --> 00:33:53.480
and its continuance into the future.
429
00:33:53.480 --> 00:33:58.093
We wish each other a Merry Christmas and a happy new year.
430
00:34:00.290 --> 00:34:05.290
But if these highest hopes and hearty greetings
431
00:34:05.320 --> 00:34:09.060
are not to fade in the thin and frosty air,
432
00:34:09.060 --> 00:34:10.563
we must do a third thing:
433
00:34:11.510 --> 00:34:16.510
We must adjust our lives to new circumstances.
434
00:34:18.500 --> 00:34:20.100
Something has happened,
435
00:34:20.100 --> 00:34:23.340
which should change our thoughts and feelings,
436
00:34:23.340 --> 00:34:24.860
change our homes,
437
00:34:24.860 --> 00:34:28.433
change our relationships with other people, with God.
438
00:34:29.660 --> 00:34:33.740
The shepherds couldn't keep what had happened to themselves,
439
00:34:33.740 --> 00:34:36.430
but made known abroad the saying
440
00:34:36.430 --> 00:34:39.273
which was told them, concerning this Child.
441
00:34:41.271 --> 00:34:44.950
A child in the home makes a big difference.
442
00:34:44.950 --> 00:34:48.803
Especially the first child, but each later one, too.
443
00:34:50.370 --> 00:34:54.160
Even when a child who belongs to everybody
444
00:34:54.160 --> 00:34:58.073
comes into our home, it should make a big difference.
445
00:34:59.310 --> 00:35:03.383
And those of us who yet have no children of our own,
446
00:35:04.350 --> 00:35:06.663
or whose children have long grown up,
447
00:35:07.870 --> 00:35:11.060
or who can never hope to have children,
448
00:35:11.060 --> 00:35:16.060
even we have a Child born unto us this Christmas.
449
00:35:18.430 --> 00:35:22.350
Surely we cannot any longer neglect
450
00:35:22.350 --> 00:35:25.890
the one who has been entrusted to us.
451
00:35:25.890 --> 00:35:29.560
No longer put off making the sacrifices that are necessary,
452
00:35:29.560 --> 00:35:33.380
that he may grow in wisdom and in stature
453
00:35:35.080 --> 00:35:37.000
and in favor with God and man.
454
00:35:37.000 --> 00:35:41.000
He relies upon us.
455
00:35:41.000 --> 00:35:42.890
And more than we can imagine,
456
00:35:42.890 --> 00:35:47.063
depends upon our being faithful to our trust.
457
00:35:49.797 --> 00:35:53.573
"Unto you is born," said the angel.
458
00:35:54.840 --> 00:35:57.630
Christians through the long centuries, however,
459
00:35:57.630 --> 00:36:00.383
have linked with these the words of the Prophet Isaiah,
460
00:36:01.350 --> 00:36:06.350
with a change of the second person to the first person:
461
00:36:06.417 --> 00:36:11.417
"Unto us a Child is born. Unto us a Son is given."
462
00:36:13.690 --> 00:36:15.750
And many generations of Christians
463
00:36:15.750 --> 00:36:18.190
have enthusiastically affirmed that,
464
00:36:18.190 --> 00:36:22.310
in personal life, in national life, in international life,
465
00:36:22.310 --> 00:36:25.850
all that God-inspired Isaiah said about the coming One,
466
00:36:25.850 --> 00:36:28.997
was true. Gloriously true.
467
00:36:28.997 --> 00:36:32.500
"The government shall be upon His shoulder
468
00:36:32.500 --> 00:36:36.743
and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor,
469
00:36:38.227 --> 00:36:40.130
The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father,
470
00:36:40.130 --> 00:36:41.907
The Prince of Peace."
471
00:36:43.190 --> 00:36:47.600
Let us hear the testimony of one of these later Christians,
472
00:36:47.600 --> 00:36:52.507
who insisted that "Unto you" meant "Unto us".
473
00:36:53.690 --> 00:36:58.050
Charles Wesley wrote a poem based on the nativity story.
474
00:36:58.050 --> 00:36:59.980
And especially upon the angel's message
475
00:36:59.980 --> 00:37:02.687
in Luke chapter two verse 11.
476
00:37:02.687 --> 00:37:05.717
"Unto you is born this day".
477
00:37:06.944 --> 00:37:09.070
It was found in manuscript after his death
478
00:37:09.070 --> 00:37:10.700
and first published in a supplement
479
00:37:10.700 --> 00:37:13.990
to the Methodist hymn book in 1830.
480
00:37:13.990 --> 00:37:18.797
He speaks as a shepherd who has heard the universal message.
481
00:37:18.797 --> 00:37:21.630
And also as a Christian,
482
00:37:21.630 --> 00:37:25.040
who gladly welcomes the Child and Savior
483
00:37:25.040 --> 00:37:27.223
to his own heart and home.
484
00:37:28.757 --> 00:37:32.803
"To us a child of royal birth,
485
00:37:32.803 --> 00:37:36.000
Heir of the promises, is given;
486
00:37:36.000 --> 00:37:39.303
the Invisible appears on earth,
487
00:37:40.380 --> 00:37:43.793
The Son of Man, the God of heaven.
488
00:37:45.340 --> 00:37:48.900
A Savior born, in love supreme
489
00:37:48.900 --> 00:37:52.950
He comes our fallen souls to raise;
490
00:37:52.950 --> 00:37:56.410
He comes his people to redeem
491
00:37:56.410 --> 00:37:59.453
with all his plenitude of grace.
492
00:38:00.620 --> 00:38:04.900
The Christ by raptured seers foretold,
493
00:38:04.900 --> 00:38:08.100
Filled with the eternal Spirit's power,
494
00:38:08.100 --> 00:38:12.840
Prophet, and Priest, and King behold,
495
00:38:12.840 --> 00:38:16.123
And Lord of all the worlds adore.
496
00:38:17.330 --> 00:38:18.860
The Lord of hosts,
497
00:38:18.860 --> 00:38:20.890
the God most high,
498
00:38:20.890 --> 00:38:25.270
Who quits his throne on earth to live,
499
00:38:25.270 --> 00:38:29.060
With joy we welcome from the sky,
500
00:38:29.060 --> 00:38:33.247
With faith into our hearts receive."
501
00:38:35.570 --> 00:38:40.570
Let us, also, this day return to our homes,
502
00:38:42.160 --> 00:38:44.310
glorifying and praising God
503
00:38:44.310 --> 00:38:47.053
for all that we have seen and heard.
504
00:38:48.210 --> 00:38:49.160
Let us resolve
505
00:38:49.160 --> 00:38:54.043
that the promised Savior is indeed to be our Lord,
506
00:38:55.010 --> 00:39:00.010
the Lord of our jobs, of our recreation, of our hearts.
507
00:39:02.690 --> 00:39:07.690
Of every molecule, every moment, every memory, every motive.
508
00:39:09.910 --> 00:39:14.690
Let us give Him the first place in our household,
509
00:39:14.690 --> 00:39:17.030
and make all the adjustments necessary
510
00:39:17.030 --> 00:39:21.613
for living with a Holy Child in the center of our lives.
511
00:39:23.090 --> 00:39:28.020
Then indeed it will be a happy new year for each of us
512
00:39:29.090 --> 00:39:31.923
and for many, many more.
513
00:39:33.680 --> 00:39:34.513
Amen.
514
00:39:36.252 --> 00:39:37.085
Let us pray.
515
00:39:40.300 --> 00:39:45.300
O Almighty God, who by the birth of Thy Holy Child, Jesus,
516
00:39:45.730 --> 00:39:50.700
hast given us a great light to dawn upon our darkness,
517
00:39:50.700 --> 00:39:55.700
grant, we pray Thee, that in His light, we may see light
518
00:39:55.740 --> 00:39:57.513
to the end of our days.
519
00:39:58.610 --> 00:40:01.100
Bestow upon us, we beseech Thee,
520
00:40:01.100 --> 00:40:05.893
that most excellent Christmas Gift of charity to all men,
521
00:40:06.750 --> 00:40:10.273
that so the likeness of the Son may be formed in us,
522
00:40:11.165 --> 00:40:15.690
and grant that Thy disciples, in this and every land,
523
00:40:15.690 --> 00:40:18.660
may so lift Him up before men,
524
00:40:18.660 --> 00:40:21.480
that they may see His glory,
525
00:40:21.480 --> 00:40:26.480
and be drawn unto Him, whom to know, is life eternal.
526
00:40:28.953 --> 00:40:29.786
Amen.
527
00:40:32.317 --> 00:40:35.400
(organ introduction)
528
00:40:57.755 --> 00:41:02.505
(congregation singing indistinct lyrics)
529
00:42:28.551 --> 00:42:31.634
(solemn organ music)
530
00:44:21.230 --> 00:44:26.230
(soprano sings "Panis Angelicus" by César Franck in English)
531
00:48:36.674 --> 00:48:40.257
(organ plays introduction)
532
00:48:42.180 --> 00:48:47.180
("Praise God, from whom all blessings flow" by congregation)
533
00:49:05.211 --> 00:49:10.211
♪ Praise God, from whom all blessings flow ♪
534
00:49:12.200 --> 00:49:17.200
♪ Praise Him, all creatures here below ♪
535
00:49:18.731 --> 00:49:23.731
♪ Praise Him above, ye heav'nly host ♪
536
00:49:25.993 --> 00:49:30.993
♪ Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ♪
537
00:49:34.479 --> 00:49:36.396
♪ Amen ♪
538
00:49:42.230 --> 00:49:45.083
All things come of the, oh God.
539
00:49:46.120 --> 00:49:51.120
Our silver and our gold, and of Thine own do we give Thee,
540
00:49:51.138 --> 00:49:54.563
as the symbol of ourselves.
541
00:49:55.440 --> 00:50:00.440
In the name and for the sake of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
542
00:50:04.610 --> 00:50:08.870
Now unto God's gracious mercy and protection
543
00:50:10.070 --> 00:50:11.613
do I convict you.
544
00:50:12.610 --> 00:50:16.493
May the blessing of God come upon you abundantly.
545
00:50:17.600 --> 00:50:21.440
May it keep you strong and tranquil
546
00:50:21.440 --> 00:50:26.440
in the truth of His promises through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
547
00:50:29.589 --> 00:50:32.506
(soft organ music)
548
00:50:54.428 --> 00:50:58.428
(church bell tolls three times)
549
00:51:08.384 --> 00:51:11.634
(majestic organ music)