Nancy Ferree-Clark - "At the Name of Jesus" (January 1, 1989)
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Transcript
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(brass quintet music) | 0:00 | |
- | We welcome you to this service | 2:38 |
on the first Sunday of a new year | 2:40 | |
and first Sunday in Christmastide, | 2:42 | |
glad that you're with us. | 2:45 | |
We've been led in worship by the UNC Brass Quintet | 2:47 | |
and we will also be joined by singers | 2:51 | |
from the Solstice Assembly | 2:54 | |
and we welcome these guest musicians to our service. | 2:56 | |
Reminder that this service is rebroadcast now each Sunday | 3:00 | |
on Durham Cable Vision channel eight at 2:00 p.m. | 3:05 | |
and as usual, | 3:09 | |
is broadcast live in the patient rooms of the Duke Hospitals | 3:10 | |
and we welcome those who worship with us. | 3:14 | |
Our preacher today is the Reverend Miss Nancy Ferree-Clark, | 3:16 | |
associate minister to the university. | 3:20 | |
And now let us continue our worship. | 3:23 | |
("The First Noel") | 3:28 | |
Let us join in the litany. | 8:25 | |
O God, who inhabits eternity, whose name is holy, | 8:28 | |
with hushed spirits in the quiet of thy sanctuary, | 8:33 | |
we welcome the dawning of another year. | 8:37 | |
We lift up our hearts to thee, O Lord. | 8:40 | |
From the failures of the past, from broken hopes, | 8:44 | |
and disappointed ambitions, | 8:47 | |
from our sins against ourselves and against others, | 8:50 | |
and from the transiency and vicissitude of our lives. | 8:54 | |
Congregation | We lift up our hearts to thee, O Lord. | 8:58 |
- | We confess the unworthy living | 9:01 |
that has stained the record of the year that has passed. | 9:03 | |
For pardon, for grace to make restitution, | 9:07 | |
for a clean heart and a right spirit | 9:11 | |
with which to enter the new year. | 9:13 | |
Congregation | We lift up our hearts to thee, O Lord. | 9:16 |
- | Grant us honesty to face ourselves | 9:19 |
as we confront another year. | 9:22 | |
Save us from self-deceit, mean excuses, unworthy evasions, | 9:24 | |
and prepare us with inner integrity and spiritual resource | 9:30 | |
that we may be adequate for all that lies before us. | 9:35 | |
Congregation | O Lord, have mercy upon us | 9:39 |
and grant us this blessing. | 9:41 | |
- | From loss of faith and hope and courage, | 9:43 |
from anxiety that harasses us and fear that affrights us, | 9:47 | |
cowardice that defeats us, | 9:51 | |
and from the loss of thy companionship, | 9:54 | |
without which no life is good, no soul is strong. | 9:57 | |
Congregation | Good Lord, deliver us from this. | 10:02 |
- | From cherishing ill will | 10:04 |
in a world that perishes for want of goodwill, | 10:05 | |
from selfishness in a world | 10:09 | |
whose need of generosity is deep and desperate, | 10:11 | |
from so living that Christ shall be crucified again, | 10:15 | |
and the Kingdom of God delay its coming. | 10:19 | |
Congregation | Good Lord, deliver us from this. | 10:22 |
- | Confirm now in each of us some worthy decision. | 10:25 |
Bring us to the new year's beginning | 10:29 | |
with such vision of our duty, such resolution to perform it, | 10:31 | |
and such resources for its consummation, | 10:36 | |
that whether in the year ahead we live or fall asleep, | 10:38 | |
we shall be neither dishonored nor ashamed before thee. | 10:43 | |
Lord, have mercy upon us and grant us this blessing, amen. | 10:48 | |
Gracious God, at the beginning of this year, | 10:54 | |
bless us with your presence, | 10:57 | |
that in all things in the year ahead, | 10:59 | |
we may see thee, amen. | 11:02 | |
Be seated. | 11:05 | |
- | Let us pray. | 11:21 |
Open our hearts and minds, O God, | 11:25 | |
by the power of your Holy Spirit, | 11:27 | |
so that as the Word is read and proclaimed, | 11:30 | |
we might hear with joy | 11:33 | |
what you say to us this Christmastide, amen. | 11:35 | |
The Old Testament lesson comes from the book of Numbers, | 11:52 | |
chapter six, verses 22 through 27, | 11:57 | |
in which God grants to his people | 12:06 | |
the words of a great benediction. | 12:08 | |
"The Lord said to Moses, 'Say to Aaron and his sons, | 12:13 | |
"'thus you shall bless the people of Israel. | 12:18 | |
"'You shall say to them, the Lord bless you and keep you. | 12:23 | |
"'The Lord make his face to shine upon you | 12:29 | |
"'and be gracious unto you. | 12:31 | |
"'The Lord lift up his countenance upon you | 12:34 | |
"'and give you peace. | 12:37 | |
"'So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel | 12:41 | |
"'and I will bless them.'" | 12:44 | |
Here ends the reading of the Old Testament. | 12:47 | |
- | Let us stand for the psalm. | 12:54 |
May God be gracious to us and bless us. | 13:02 | |
Congregation | And make his face to shine upon us. | 13:07 |
William | That thy way may be known upon earth. | 13:09 |
Congregation | Thy saving power among all nations. | 13:12 |
William | Let the peoples praise thee, O God. | 13:14 |
Congregation | Let all the peoples praise thee. | 13:18 |
William | Let the nations be glad and sing for joy. | 13:20 |
Congregation | For thou hast judged the peoples | 13:24 |
with equity and guide the nations upon earth. | 13:25 | |
- | Let the peoples praise thee, O God. | 13:29 |
Congregation | Let all the peoples praise thee. | 13:32 |
- | The earth has yielded its increase. | 13:34 |
Congregation | God, our God, has blessed us. | 13:38 |
- | God has blessed us. | 13:40 |
Congregation | Let all the ends of the earth fear him. | 13:43 |
(organ music) | 13:47 | |
- | The epistle lesson is taken | 14:56 |
from Paul's letter to the Christians at Philippi, | 14:59 | |
chapter two, verses nine through 13. | 15:03 | |
Paul describes the great reward which comes to Christ | 15:13 | |
for being such a obedient servant | 15:15 | |
of both God in heaven and man on earth. | 15:17 | |
"Therefore, God has highly exalted him | 15:22 | |
"and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, | 15:26 | |
"that at the name of Jesus, | 15:31 | |
"every knee should bow, | 15:32 | |
"in heaven and on earth and under the earth, | 15:35 | |
"and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, | 15:39 | |
"to the glory of God the Father. | 15:43 | |
"Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, | 15:48 | |
"so now, not only as in my presence, | 15:52 | |
"but much more in my absence, | 15:55 | |
"work out your own salvation in fear and trembling. | 15:58 | |
"For God is at work in you, | 16:05 | |
"both to will and to work for his good pleasure." | 16:09 | |
Here ends the reading of the epistle. | 16:15 | |
♪ Hark the herald angels sing ♪ | 16:21 | |
♪ Glory to the newborn King ♪ | 16:25 | |
♪ Peace on earth and mercy mild ♪ | 16:29 | |
♪ God and sinners reconciled ♪ | 16:34 | |
♪ Peace on earth and mercy mild ♪ | 16:39 | |
♪ God and sinners reconciled ♪ | 16:44 | |
♪ See he lays his glory by ♪ | 16:50 | |
♪ Born that man no more may die ♪ | 16:55 | |
♪ Born to raise the sons from earth ♪ | 17:00 | |
♪ Born to give them second birth ♪ | 17:04 | |
♪ Born to raise the sons from earth ♪ | 17:09 | |
♪ Born to give them second birth ♪ | 17:14 | |
♪ Hail the holy Prince of Peace ♪ | 17:20 | |
♪ Hail the Son of Righteousness ♪ | 17:25 | |
♪ Light and life to all he brings ♪ | 17:30 | |
♪ Risen with healing in his wings ♪ | 17:34 | |
♪ Light and life to all he brings ♪ | 17:39 | |
♪ Risen with healing in his wings ♪ | 17:44 | |
♪ Let us then with angels sing ♪ | 17:50 | |
♪ Glory to the newborn King ♪ | 17:55 | |
♪ Peace on earth and mercy mild ♪ | 18:00 | |
♪ God and sinners reconciled ♪ | 18:04 | |
♪ Peace on earth and mercy mild ♪ | 18:10 | |
♪ God and sinners reconciled ♪ | 18:15 | |
♪ Sound, sound your instruments of joy ♪ | 18:24 | |
♪ Sound, sound your instruments of joy ♪ | 18:28 | |
♪ Your instruments of joy ♪ | 18:32 | |
♪ Sound, sound your instruments of joy ♪ | 18:34 | |
♪ To triumph shake each string ♪ | 18:40 | |
♪ To triumph shake each string ♪ | 18:44 | |
♪ Let shouts of universal joy ♪ | 18:47 | |
♪ Universal joy, universal joy ♪ | 18:51 | |
♪ Welcome, welcome ♪ | 18:56 | |
♪ Welcome the newborn King ♪ | 19:08 | |
♪ See, see the gladdening dawn appears ♪ | 19:13 | |
♪ See, see the gladdening dawn appears ♪ | 19:17 | |
♪ The gladdening dawn appears ♪ | 19:20 | |
♪ See, see the gladdening dawn appears ♪ | 19:22 | |
♪ Bright angels deck the morn ♪ | 19:29 | |
♪ Bright angels deck the morn ♪ | 19:33 | |
♪ Behold the great I Am is here ♪ | 19:36 | |
♪ I Am is here, great I Am is here ♪ | 19:39 | |
♪ The King, the King ♪ | 19:44 | |
♪ The King of glory is born ♪ | 19:55 | |
♪ Let heaven and earth and sea proclaim ♪ | 20:01 | |
♪ Let heaven and earth and sea proclaim ♪ | 20:05 | |
♪ Let heaven and sea proclaim ♪ | 20:08 | |
♪ Let heaven and earth and sea proclaim ♪ | 20:10 | |
♪ The wondrous love of God ♪ | 20:16 | |
♪ The wondrous love of God ♪ | 20:21 | |
♪ And all the universal frame ♪ | 20:24 | |
♪ Universal frame, universal frame ♪ | 20:28 | |
♪ Sing praise, sing praise ♪ | 20:32 | |
♪ Sing praises to our God ♪ | 20:44 | |
Would the congregation please rise | 21:03 | |
for the reading of the Gospel. | 21:05 | |
The good news comes to us | 21:19 | |
from the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ | 21:20 | |
according to St. Luke, chapter two, verses 15 through 21, | 21:23 | |
in which the Gospel writer tells us of events | 21:31 | |
on the night of Christ's birth, | 21:34 | |
after the angel appeared to the shepherds in the field. | 21:36 | |
"When the angels went away from them into heaven, | 21:42 | |
"the shepherds said, one to another, | 21:45 | |
"'Let us go over to Bethlehem | 21:48 | |
"'and see this thing that has happened, | 21:50 | |
"'which the Lord has made known to us.' | 21:53 | |
"And they went with haste | 21:57 | |
"and found Mary and Joseph and a babe lying in a manger. | 21:58 | |
"And when they saw it, | 22:04 | |
"they made known the saying | 22:05 | |
"which had been told them concerning this child. | 22:08 | |
"And all who heard it | 22:12 | |
"wondered at what the shepherds told them, | 22:13 | |
"but Mary kept all these things, | 22:17 | |
"pondering them in her heart. | 22:20 | |
"And the shepherds returned, | 22:23 | |
"glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen | 22:25 | |
"as it had been made known to them. | 22:29 | |
"And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, | 22:33 | |
"he was called Jesus, | 22:37 | |
"the name given by the angel | 22:39 | |
"before he was conceived in the womb." | 22:42 | |
Here ends the reading of the Gospel lesson. | 22:46 | |
("Good King Wenceslas") | 22:54 | |
- | One of the questions often asked of a minister is, | 25:27 |
"How does one discern the true meaning of scripture | 25:32 | |
"when one is reading the Bible?" | 25:35 | |
This is a complex subject, indeed, | 25:38 | |
and one that I couldn't fully answer in a single sermon, | 25:41 | |
even if I felt I had the answer. | 25:44 | |
But I do commend | 25:46 | |
to those of you who have ever asked such a question | 25:47 | |
an idea that was proposed by St. Ignatius of Loyola, | 25:51 | |
the founder of the Jesuit order. | 25:54 | |
He suggested that in an attempt | 25:56 | |
to discern the meaning of a passage of scripture, | 25:59 | |
the reader should imagine him or herself | 26:03 | |
as one of the characters in the story. | 26:05 | |
Picture the sights, the sounds, the feelings | 26:08 | |
that are a part of the scene. | 26:11 | |
Imagine the joys and the sorrows, the conflicts, | 26:14 | |
and the celebrations that character might experience. | 26:18 | |
Such a method has been very helpful for many people | 26:21 | |
and it often reveals a new and extremely personal connection | 26:24 | |
for them to scripture. | 26:28 | |
I, too, have found this method helpful from time to time, | 26:30 | |
but in today's Gospel lesson, | 26:34 | |
I'll admit to having difficulty imagining myself | 26:36 | |
as a character in that story. | 26:39 | |
Though I did grow up on a farm, | 26:42 | |
I feel little affinity with shepherds. | 26:44 | |
Their work was too boring | 26:47 | |
and the conditions too harsh for my taste. | 26:49 | |
Well, that just leaves Mary and Joseph | 26:52 | |
as parents of the new babe. | 26:54 | |
Indeed, I can relate, | 26:56 | |
at least to their challenge of being a new parent, | 26:58 | |
having become a mother this past July. | 27:01 | |
But I find the idea of a manger in a stable unfathomable | 27:04 | |
alongside birthing beds and epidurals at Duke Hospital. | 27:09 | |
And the image of a new baby | 27:14 | |
surrounded by a group of dirty shepherds, adoring or not, | 27:15 | |
is simply repulsive | 27:18 | |
to a parent worried about infectious diseases. | 27:20 | |
Then, there's all that happened to the Holy Family | 27:24 | |
after the shepherds came and went. | 27:26 | |
We read in today's lesson that, | 27:29 | |
"At the end of eight days, | 27:30 | |
"the child was circumcised and was called Jesus, | 27:32 | |
"the name given by the angel | 27:35 | |
"before he was conceived in the womb." | 27:37 | |
Now, as most of you know, | 27:41 | |
if you've been a new parent yourself | 27:42 | |
or even if you've ever been around one, | 27:44 | |
eight days can seem like an eternity | 27:46 | |
in the life of those just blessed with the gift of new life. | 27:48 | |
There's that sudden onset of never-ending exhaustion, | 27:52 | |
on-the-job training, | 27:56 | |
and bathing, changing, and feeding the baby, | 27:58 | |
and new negotiating for mom and dad | 28:01 | |
to decide who will do what. | 28:03 | |
When, quite mysteriously, | 28:06 | |
all of a sudden it begins to feel like | 28:08 | |
that little bundle of joy has been around forever. | 28:10 | |
"Was there life before he or she came to be," | 28:13 | |
a parent may very well be asking by the eighth day. | 28:17 | |
All of which makes it difficult for me to understand | 28:22 | |
how Mary and Joseph could actually go through with it, | 28:24 | |
naming the baby Jesus, I mean. | 28:28 | |
After all, it was only an angel who told Mary | 28:32 | |
that would be his name | 28:34 | |
and that was at least nine months before. | 28:35 | |
Now that the baby was actually theirs, | 28:39 | |
why not give him a family name? | 28:41 | |
Or at least something they came up with on their own? | 28:44 | |
Maybe the angel didn't really mean it, | 28:48 | |
all this talk about Son of the Most High, | 28:50 | |
ruler over the house of Jacob. | 28:53 | |
Like all good Gospel writers, | 28:57 | |
St. Luke has his reasons for telling us what he does, | 29:00 | |
the way he does it. | 29:02 | |
We hear about the circumcision and naming of Jesus | 29:05 | |
on the eighth day | 29:07 | |
not so much as a reminder of Jesus' humanity | 29:09 | |
or even the humanity of his parents. | 29:12 | |
We hear of the naming of Jesus | 29:16 | |
because of Mary and Joseph's faithful obedience | 29:18 | |
to God's word. | 29:21 | |
As the angel Gabriel had announced at the annunciation | 29:23 | |
that his name would be Jesus, the Savior of the world, | 29:25 | |
so it was, no questions asked, no bargains proposed. | 29:29 | |
This is but a tiny piece of a larger picture | 29:35 | |
found in Luke's Gospel, | 29:38 | |
where he depicts Mary as the first disciple of Jesus. | 29:39 | |
"Let it be to me according to your word," | 29:43 | |
was her reply to the angel's salutation. | 29:46 | |
You remember how quick Elizabeth was | 29:49 | |
to recognize this depth of faith | 29:51 | |
when she proclaimed Mary blessed, | 29:54 | |
as one who believed there would be fulfillment | 29:56 | |
of the angel's foretelling. | 29:59 | |
Luke underlines this image of Mary | 30:01 | |
when he writes of her pondering these things in her heart, | 30:04 | |
at both the Nativity | 30:07 | |
and as her 12 year old son visits the Temple. | 30:09 | |
This parallels his later description | 30:12 | |
of seed sown in the good soil in the parable of the sower, | 30:14 | |
as those who hear the word | 30:18 | |
hold it fast in an honest and good heart | 30:20 | |
and bring forth fruit with patience. | 30:24 | |
On this first day of 1989, | 30:28 | |
also known as feast of the Holy Name, | 30:31 | |
Mary is a fitting model of discipleship | 30:34 | |
for us to ponder in our own hearts today. | 30:36 | |
Her standards of humility, acceptance, | 30:40 | |
and obedience to God's word | 30:42 | |
stand out in bold relief | 30:44 | |
against our own pride, faithlessness, and need to control. | 30:45 | |
Especially as we enter the new year, | 30:50 | |
she shows us the way in which the spirit of Christmas | 30:52 | |
is more than just a few days of goodwill, | 30:55 | |
but rather a standard for living. | 30:58 | |
Mary is first of all striking in her humility, | 31:01 | |
which allowed her to accept the wisdom of God's will | 31:04 | |
in her life. | 31:07 | |
Even when that caused major upheavals | 31:09 | |
in her own plan, she assented. | 31:11 | |
Now, those of you who have gone | 31:14 | |
through carefully planned pregnancies | 31:15 | |
can only imagine the inconveniences | 31:17 | |
of an unexpected annunciation. | 31:19 | |
But perhaps even more difficult for Mary | 31:22 | |
was the manner in which she was asked | 31:24 | |
to raise the child Jesus. | 31:26 | |
She learned very early, | 31:28 | |
perhaps even at the time of the child's naming, | 31:30 | |
a lesson that comes hard for parents. | 31:33 | |
And that is that our children are not ours to possess, | 31:36 | |
but only to love. | 31:40 | |
What a revelation it can be | 31:43 | |
after years of constant attention | 31:44 | |
and abiding affection | 31:46 | |
when parents realize that their child is turning out | 31:47 | |
nothing like they expected. | 31:50 | |
They had hoped for a concert pianist | 31:52 | |
and they get a basketball player. | 31:55 | |
They had dreamed of a poet and they get a car salesman. | 31:57 | |
They had imagined a beauty queen | 32:01 | |
and they get a physically impaired child. | 32:03 | |
As if the business of rearing a family | 32:07 | |
were not traumatic enough already, | 32:09 | |
it's made even more so by the stark reality | 32:11 | |
that a child is something of a stranger, | 32:14 | |
a sign to a particular address by God and God alone. | 32:17 | |
And for whatever resemblances he or she has to the parents | 32:23 | |
in appearance or temperament, | 32:26 | |
those similarities include both a positive and a negative. | 32:28 | |
A child is a gift, like all of life is a gift. | 32:33 | |
But, with a no return policy. | 32:36 | |
Mary understood that, even from the beginning, | 32:39 | |
and she accepted it gratefully. | 32:41 | |
Mary is also impressive in her ability to face the future | 32:45 | |
with no expectation of what it might hold for her, | 32:48 | |
a rather striking contrast | 32:52 | |
to our attempt to know the future as thoroughly as possible, | 32:53 | |
especially at this time of year. | 32:57 | |
Don't we all look forward | 33:00 | |
to reading Jeane Dixon's annual forecast for the new year? | 33:01 | |
Understandably, when we have just ended a year | 33:05 | |
with images of Soviet Armenia | 33:08 | |
and Lockerbie Scotland fresh on our minds. | 33:10 | |
Time Magazine has named the Earth as Planet of the Year, | 33:14 | |
with harrowing accounts of endangered species, | 33:18 | |
problems of waste disposal, and global warming trends. | 33:21 | |
We ask, "What does the future hold?" | 33:25 | |
Not only for the rest of the world, but for ourselves? | 33:28 | |
Related to this anxiety about the future | 33:33 | |
is an increasing sense that there isn't enough time | 33:36 | |
and so we seek to find ways to manage it better | 33:40 | |
and more efficiently, in hopes of increasing it. | 33:43 | |
Perhaps this is one of your New Year's resolutions, too. | 33:46 | |
On the one hand, | 33:50 | |
we could all benefit from an increased awareness | 33:51 | |
of the passage of time. | 33:54 | |
But on the other, | 33:56 | |
wouldn't you say this can be a little pretentious | 33:57 | |
on the part of we contemporary men and women? | 34:00 | |
We have no more or less time | 34:03 | |
than any other civilization that has preceded us. | 34:06 | |
Unless, of course, you take into account the fact | 34:09 | |
that we do live in an expanding universe, | 34:12 | |
which will theoretically collapse upon itself one day. | 34:14 | |
According to those who seem to know about such things, | 34:19 | |
then time will indeed run out, at least as we have known it, | 34:21 | |
and the future will begin to precede the past. | 34:25 | |
Read physicist's Stephen Hawkings A Brief History of Time | 34:28 | |
for a mind-boggling description of how that will work. | 34:32 | |
Time is a mysterious thing, a gift from God | 34:36 | |
which we ultimately have little control over. | 34:40 | |
We measure it with our sophisticated chronometers. | 34:44 | |
We anticipate it with our five and 10 year plans. | 34:48 | |
We manage it with our desk organizers and car telephones. | 34:51 | |
But as a gift from God, | 34:56 | |
it is one to be lived and not just utilized. | 34:57 | |
One of the great maladies of our day is busyness, | 35:02 | |
breathlessness, rushing hither and yon. | 35:04 | |
Sociologists observe that one of the automatic consequences | 35:08 | |
of a rising standard of living is that time becomes scarcer. | 35:11 | |
For every hour of leisure is an opportunity for production, | 35:16 | |
which is lost. | 35:20 | |
We then try and substitute more goods for leisure | 35:22 | |
with this higher standard of living, | 35:25 | |
such as televisions, computers, videos. | 35:27 | |
But the unfortunate result | 35:31 | |
is that the time taken to maintain all of our possessions | 35:32 | |
is an even greater drain on our so-called free time. | 35:36 | |
"If I keep a cow," Emerson once wrote, "that cow milks me." | 35:41 | |
Thus, busyness has become a mark of success in our culture | 35:47 | |
and lack of availability is an accepted sign | 35:51 | |
of someone's importance. | 35:53 | |
No wonder we feel the urge, at the start of a new year, | 35:55 | |
to get a handle on things, to get rid of the clutter, | 35:58 | |
to learn to say no. | 36:02 | |
The question is, | 36:04 | |
if Gabriel tried to get an appointment with one of us, | 36:06 | |
would we have time to see him? | 36:09 | |
Perhaps most admirable about Mary | 36:13 | |
is her unfailing commitment to God | 36:16 | |
and acceptance of God's sovereignty. | 36:18 | |
It was Simeon who foretold her | 36:22 | |
at the time of Jesus' presentation in the Temple, | 36:24 | |
when the baby was 40 days old, | 36:27 | |
that "a sword will pierce your own soul." | 36:29 | |
Yet, she did not attempt to change the direction of history | 36:33 | |
simply to spare herself or her son pain. | 36:36 | |
Rather, she stood by Jesus throughout his ministry, | 36:39 | |
even at the foot of the cross | 36:43 | |
and as a member of the community of faith, | 36:45 | |
called him Lord. | 36:48 | |
And so, Paul writes in his letter to the Philippians, | 36:51 | |
"That at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, | 36:53 | |
"and every tongue confess him Lord." | 36:57 | |
But during the season when we celebrate his birth, | 37:00 | |
have you noticed how we often bow to commercial ventures | 37:03 | |
before we bow to Jesus? | 37:06 | |
It would seem strange to see a creche set up by mid-October, | 37:09 | |
but we are hardly phased when the Christmas trees go up | 37:13 | |
in department store windows by then. | 37:16 | |
Interestingly, Christmas is the only occasion | 37:19 | |
in our secular culture | 37:22 | |
when ritual still unifies all of us at some level. | 37:23 | |
Gifts are exchanged, parties are thrown, | 37:28 | |
people are cheerier, and for that, we can be grateful. | 37:31 | |
But perhaps, we in the church need to ask at this season, | 37:35 | |
in what sense do we, like Mary, | 37:39 | |
renew our commitment to Jesus as Lord of all in this season? | 37:41 | |
Perhaps it is best simply to recognize | 37:48 | |
that even for the church, Christmas itself is by grace. | 37:50 | |
That for all of our efforts to organize it, | 37:55 | |
to wrap it up in plastic, | 37:58 | |
to make it something comprehensible, it cannot be tamed. | 38:00 | |
The Word became flesh. | 38:05 | |
Ultimate mystery born with a skull with a soft spot on top. | 38:08 | |
It is not sweet, it is not beautiful. | 38:13 | |
It is unthinkable darkness riven with unbearable light | 38:17 | |
to which a name has been given. | 38:21 | |
You can only cover your eyes and shudder before it. | 38:24 | |
"God of God, light of light, | 38:28 | |
"very God of very God, | 38:32 | |
"who for us and our salvation came down from heaven," | 38:34 | |
says the Nicene Creed. | 38:38 | |
Came down from heaven. | 38:41 | |
Only then, as his mother sweetly calls his name, Jesus, | 38:43 | |
do we dare uncover our eyes and see what we can see. | 38:49 | |
It is the resurrection and the life she holds in her arms. | 38:54 | |
It is the bitterness of death he takes at her breast. | 38:59 | |
("In the Bleak Midwinter") | 39:13 | |
- | The Lord be with you. | 43:15 |
Congregation | And also with you. | 43:17 |
- | Let us pray. | 43:18 |
Everliving God, God of all endings and beginnings, | 43:32 | |
Alpha and Omega, | 43:37 | |
by whose mercy we have come to the gateway of another year, | 43:40 | |
grant that we may enter it with humble and grateful hearts. | 43:46 | |
Confirm our resolution, we beseech thee, | 43:51 | |
to walk more closely in thy way | 43:53 | |
and labor more faithfully in thy service, | 43:57 | |
according to the teaching and example of thy Son, | 44:01 | |
our Lord Jesus. | 44:04 | |
Let not the errors and offenses of the past cling to us, | 44:07 | |
but pardon and set us free, | 44:12 | |
that with purer purpose and a better hope, | 44:16 | |
we may renew our vows in thy presence | 44:19 | |
and set forth another under the guidance of thy Spirit, | 44:23 | |
to travel in the path which shineth more and more | 44:28 | |
into the perfect day of thy heavenly kingdom. | 44:32 | |
O God, as this year comes to an end, | 44:38 | |
we'd remember all those who face the new year | 44:42 | |
in situations of material need, | 44:48 | |
with bills that cannot be paid, | 44:52 | |
a cold winter ahead without enough fuel, | 44:55 | |
young mouths to feed without enough food. | 44:59 | |
We'd remember all those for whom this has been a sad year, | 45:05 | |
who come to the end of this year | 45:10 | |
lonelier than they were at its beginning | 45:12 | |
and we pray that you might give them the comfort | 45:17 | |
and the courage to go on. | 45:20 | |
We pray for all those | 45:24 | |
for whom this has been an utterly ordinary year | 45:25 | |
with nothing special seem to happen, | 45:29 | |
making them forget that it is in life's routine | 45:32 | |
that they win or lose their destiny. | 45:38 | |
Help us to know that in our ordinary everydays, | 45:43 | |
we are blessed by you and called to witness. | 45:49 | |
We pray for all those determined to begin this year | 45:55 | |
more committed to you than before, | 45:58 | |
bearing the name of Jesus | 46:03 | |
in all of their triumphs and tragedies, | 46:06 | |
and all the ordinary days that lie ahead, | 46:09 | |
bearing the name of Jesus into a new year | 46:14 | |
by word, thought, and deed. | 46:19 | |
Give them the strength, we pray, to be faithful disciples | 46:26 | |
in all their days and all their deeds. | 46:32 | |
This we ask in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus, | 46:37 | |
who stands with us at the beginning of life | 46:46 | |
and also at the end of life. | 46:49 | |
Our Lord and blessed Savior, amen. | 46:52 | |
As a forgiven and reconciled people, | 47:00 | |
let us now offer ourselves and our gifts to God. | 47:02 | |
♪ The old year now away is fled ♪ | 47:11 | |
♪ The new year, it is entered ♪ | 47:15 | |
♪ Then let us now our sins down tread ♪ | 47:19 | |
♪ And joyfully all appear ♪ | 47:23 | |
♪ Let's merry be this day ♪ | 47:28 | |
♪ And let us now both sport and play ♪ | 47:32 | |
♪ Hang free, cast care away ♪ | 47:36 | |
♪ God send you a happy new year ♪ | 47:40 | |
♪ The name day now of Christ we keep ♪ | 47:45 | |
♪ Who for our sins did often weep ♪ | 47:49 | |
♪ His hands and feet were wounded deep ♪ | 47:53 | |
♪ And his blessed side with a spear ♪ | 47:58 | |
♪ His head they crowned with thorn ♪ | 48:02 | |
♪ And at him they did laugh and scorn ♪ | 48:06 | |
♪ Who for our good was born ♪ | 48:11 | |
♪ God send us a happy new year ♪ | 48:15 | |
♪ And now with New Year's gifts each friend ♪ | 48:20 | |
♪ Unto each other they do send ♪ | 48:24 | |
♪ God grant we may our lives amend ♪ | 48:28 | |
♪ And that the truth may appear ♪ | 48:33 | |
♪ Now like the snake, your skin ♪ | 48:37 | |
♪ Cast off from evil thoughts and sin ♪ | 48:41 | |
♪ And so the year begin ♪ | 48:46 | |
♪ God send us a happy new year ♪ | 48:50 | |
♪ God bless the master of this house ♪ | 49:00 | |
♪ With happiness beside ♪ | 49:05 | |
♪ Where'er his body rides or walks ♪ | 49:10 | |
♪ His God must be his guide ♪ | 49:15 | |
♪ His God must be his guide ♪ | 49:20 | |
♪ God bless the mistress of this house ♪ | 49:28 | |
♪ With gold chain 'round her breast ♪ | 49:32 | |
♪ Where'er her body sleeps or wakes ♪ | 49:37 | |
♪ God send her soul to rest ♪ | 49:42 | |
♪ God send her soul to rest ♪ | 49:47 | |
♪ God bless your house ♪ | 49:55 | |
♪ Your children too ♪ | 49:57 | |
♪ Your cattle and your store ♪ | 50:00 | |
♪ May God increase you day by day ♪ | 50:05 | |
♪ And send you more and more ♪ | 50:10 | |
♪ And send you more and more ♪ | 50:15 | |
♪ The Lord at first did Adam make ♪ | 50:29 | |
♪ Out of the dust and clay ♪ | 50:33 | |
♪ And in his nostrils breathed life ♪ | 50:37 | |
♪ Ev'n as the scriptures say ♪ | 50:41 | |
♪ And then in Eden's paradise ♪ | 50:45 | |
♪ He placed him in to dwell ♪ | 50:50 | |
♪ That he within it should remain ♪ | 50:54 | |
♪ To tend and keep it well ♪ | 50:58 | |
♪ Now let good people all begin ♪ | 51:02 | |
♪ A righteous life to live ♪ | 51:06 | |
♪ And to rejoice and merry be ♪ | 51:10 | |
♪ In all that pretty New Year ♪ | 51:15 | |
♪ Now for the blessings we enjoy ♪ | 51:19 | |
♪ Which are from heaven above ♪ | 51:23 | |
♪ Let us renounce all wickedness ♪ | 51:28 | |
♪ And live in perfect love ♪ | 51:32 | |
♪ What we receive in gladness ♪ | 51:36 | |
♪ We should just as gladly share ♪ | 51:40 | |
♪ That the heavy burdens of this life ♪ | 51:44 | |
♪ We may together bear ♪ | 51:49 | |
♪ Now let the people all begin ♪ | 51:53 | |
♪ A righteous life to live ♪ | 51:57 | |
♪ And to rejoice and merry be ♪ | 52:01 | |
♪ In all that green New Year ♪ | 52:05 | |
♪ And now the time is near at hand ♪ | 52:10 | |
♪ When winter is cruel and chill ♪ | 52:14 | |
♪ Let us enjoy all that we have ♪ | 52:18 | |
♪ But think of others still ♪ | 52:23 | |
♪ Let's feed the poor and hungry souls ♪ | 52:27 | |
♪ And such as do it crave ♪ | 52:31 | |
♪ As God gave riches to us all ♪ | 52:35 | |
♪ And so we must behave ♪ | 52:40 | |
♪ Now let the people all begin ♪ | 52:44 | |
♪ A righteous life to live ♪ | 52:48 | |
♪ And to rejoice and merry be ♪ | 52:52 | |
♪ In all that green New Year ♪ | 52:57 | |
("All Creatures of Our God and King") | 53:04 | |
Almighty and gracious God, | 54:26 | |
by your love we have been brought | 54:29 | |
to the beginning of another year. | 54:30 | |
We thank you for all the blessings of this life, | 54:33 | |
the daily ways in which you touch our lives, | 54:35 | |
in great and small matters, | 54:40 | |
for all the things that make life so rich and worth living. | 54:43 | |
Take these, our gifts, as signs of our gratitude for you | 54:49 | |
and as we lay these gifts upon the altar, | 54:55 | |
we also lay ourselves upon the altar | 54:57 | |
and renew our commitment | 55:00 | |
to live the narrow way of discipleship, | 55:02 | |
as you would have us to go. | 55:04 | |
Our Father, who art in heaven, | 55:07 | |
hallowed be thy name. | 55:10 | |
Thy Kingdom come, | 55:12 | |
Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. | 55:14 | |
Give us this day our daily bread | 55:18 | |
and forgive us our trespasses, | 55:20 | |
as we forgive those who trespass against us. | 55:23 | |
Lead us not into temptation, | 55:26 | |
but deliver us from evil. | 55:29 | |
For thine is the Kingdom | 55:31 | |
and the power and the glory forever, amen. | 55:32 | |
(organ music) | 55:37 | |
- | And now, may the Lord bless you and keep you. | 58:54 |
May the Lord make his face to shine upon you | 58:56 | |
and be gracious unto you. | 58:59 | |
May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you | 59:01 | |
and give you peace, amen. | 59:04 | |
(brass quintet music) | 59:09 |