PRAISE SONGS “Unto Us A Child Is Born” Unto us a child is born, King of all creation: Cradled in a stall was He, the Lord of every nation, The Lord of every nation.

Cradled in a stall was he with sleepy cows and asses; But the very beasts could see that He all men surpasses. That He all men surpasses.

Herod then with fear was filled:'a prince', he said, 'In Jewry! ' All little boys be killed at Bethl'em in his fury. At Bethl'em in his fury.

Now may Mary's Son, who came so long ago to love us, Lead us all with hearts aflame unto the joys above us. Unto the joys above us.

Omega and Alpha He! Let the organ thunder, While the choir with peals of glee doth rend the air asunder Doth rend the air asunder Translation, English: Dearmer, Percy (1867-1936) © Oxford University Press, London “Away in a manger”

“While Shepherds Watched Their Flock By Night” While shepherds watched their flocks by night all seated on the ground The angel of the Lord came down and glory shone around

To you in David's town this day is born of David's line The Saviour who is Christ the Lord and this shall be the sign

The heavenly babe you there shall find to human view displayed All meanly wrapped in swaddling bands and in a manger laid

All glory be to God on high and to the earth be peace, Goodwill hence forth from heaven to men Begin and never cease

CCLI Song No. 32008 © Public Domain, George Frideric Handel, Nahum Tate, All rights Reserved. www.ccli.com, CCLI License No. 2246914

“Away In A Manger” Away in a manger, no crib for a bed The little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head The stars in the bright sky looked down where He lay The little Lord Jesus, asleep on the hay

The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes But little Lord Jesus no crying He makes I love Thee Lord Jesus, look down from the sky And stay by my side until morning is nigh

Be near me Lord Jesus, I ask Thee to stay Close by me forever snd love me I pray Bless all the dear children in Thy tender care And fit us for heaven to live with Thee there CCLI Song No. 322031 © Public Domain, John Thomas McFarland, Martin Luther, William James Kirkpatrick, All rights Reserved. www.ccli.com, CCLI License No. 2246914

ANNOUNCEMENTS PRAISE SONG “Go Tell It On The Mountain”

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THE CANDLE OF JOY Joy is hard Is there really a smile behind the mask? How do you celebrate when others are hurting Or when they are struggling to make ends meet? Where is there room for laughter when grief preoccupies us? Joy is hard… …but sorrow is even harder… So we light a wee flame that is not hidden by bushel or mask… …whose tentative heat thaws our hearts and opens us to the possibility of joy …that will help us not to take our ourselves so seriously that we can’t laugh CANDLE SONG “Hope Is A Star (Verse 3)” Joy is a song that welcomes the dawn Telling the world that the Saviour is born

When God is a child There's joy in our song The last shall be first And the weak shall be strong And none shall be afraid

CCLI Song No. 611852, 1989 Hope Publishing Company, Brian Wren, Joan Collier Fogg, www.ccli.com, CCLI License No. 2246914

WE PRAY THE LORD’S PRAYER Our Father, who art in heaven Hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil For Thine is the kingdom The power and the glory Forever and ever Amen

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WE SING “The First Nowell” The first Nowell the angel did say Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay In fields where they lay keeping their sheep On a cold winter's night that was so deep

Nowell, Nowell, Nowell, Nowell Born is the King of Israel

They looked up and saw a star Shining in the east beyond them far And to the earth it gave great light And so it continued both day and night

Nowell, Nowell, Nowell, Nowell Born is the King of Israel

And by the light of that same star Three wise men came from country far To seek for a king was their intent And to follow the star wherever it went

Nowell, Nowell, Nowell, Nowell Born is the King of Israel

This star drew nigh to the north-west O'er Bethlehem it took its rest And there it did both stop and stay Right over the place where Jesus lay

Nowell, Nowell, Nowell, Nowell Born is the King of Israel

Then entered in those wise men three Full reverently upon their knee And offered there in His presence Their gold and myrrh and frankincense

Nowell, Nowell, Nowell, Nowell Born is the King of Israel

Then let us all with one accord Sing praises to our heavenly Lord That hath made heaven and earth of naught And with His blood mankind hath brought

Nowell, Nowell, Nowell, Nowell Born is the King of Israel

CCLI Song No. 2804206 © Public Domain, www.ccli.com, CCLI License No. 2246914 SPECIAL MUSIC CHILDREN’S TIME

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GOD’S WORD Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, Because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim freedom for the captives And release from darkness for the prisoners, To proclaim the year of the LORD’s favour and the day of vengeance of our God To comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion— To bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, The oil of joy instead of mourning, And a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, A planting of the LORD for the display of his splendour. They will rebuild the ancient ruins And restore the places long devastated; They will renew the ruined cities That have been devastated for generations. “For I, the LORD, love justice; I hate robbery and wrongdoing. In my faithfulness I will reward my people And make an everlasting covenant with them. Their descendants will be known among the nations And their offspring among the peoples. All who see them will acknowledge That they are a people the LORD has blessed.” 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.

GOD’S WORD Luke 1:46b-55 Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord And my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, For he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, For the Mighty One has done great things for me Holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him From generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; He has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones But has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things But has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel Remembering to be merciful To Abraham and his descendants forever Just as he promised our ancestors.” WE SING “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus” Come, Thou long-expected Jesus Born to set Thy people free From our fears and sins release us Let us find our rest in Thee Israel's strength and consolation Hope of all the earth Thou art Dear desire of every nation Joy of every longing heart

Born Thy people to deliver Born a child and yet a King Born to reign in us forever Now Thy gracious kingdom bring By Thine own eternal Spirit Rule in all our hearts alone By Thine all-sufficient merit Raise us to Thy glorious throne

CCLI Song No. 31999 © Public Domain, Charles Wesley, Rowland Hugh Prichard, All rights Reserved. www.ccli.com, CCLI License No. 2246914

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MESSAGE “Joy Is Hard” Hanukkah

…Festival Of Lights …Miracle of eight days of oil

…courage of Judah/Maccabees rebelling against the Greeks in 200BC …light in the darkness (of winter)

…not Biblical… …but very important to Jewish people

…food, family, fun (Sufganiyot, Latkes) Slides

Joyful time Not the Jewish equivalent Christmas…

…other than the celebration, family and fun part Sharing it because it falls around Christmas time…

…because it’s probably as big as Christmas in the Jewish Calendar …and because there are background elements similar to what we value

For instance, we need only look at the Menorah… …and the light it produces

Light overcomes darkness… …miracle of the 8 days worth of oil…

We also celebrate light overcoming darkness… …not just with the Advent candles we light every Sunday…

…but also in Jesus Christ Hanukkah also represents resistance to evil…

…in this case, the Greeks that were attacking the nation of Israel… …even destroying their Temple

The Maccabees resisted the Greeks and stood up for the Jewish people We do the same thing…

…resisting the forces fighting against God’s goodness and truth… …and striving for God’s justice not just about “our own”…

…but for all humanity More generally, we share the prophetic wisdom that defines God’s justice…

…and helps us understand God is not being Jewish or Christian… …but the one who loves and seeks the best fo all humanity

Or course, there’s the whole “celebration, food and family” thing… …and that’s what I’d like to focus on…

…not simply in terms of joy… …but in terms of justice

The Maccabees fighting the Greeks were familiar with Isaiah’s prophecy It would have been part of their growing up…

…just as many of us are familiar with the Gospels and grew up with them The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, Because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim freedom for the captives And release from darkness for the prisoners

I realize that I might sound a bit repetitive with this whole justice thing… …but it’s a recurring them throughout the Bible…

…so there’s no real getting away with it In fact, today’s Gospel reading is an important prophetic moment…

…although it comes from a source you might not expect Oh, sure, you’re all familiar with the four prophets Luke mentions…

…Zechariah, Elizabeth, Anna and Simeon… …or at least they should sound somewhat familiar in Jesus’ birth story

…because they all informed both Mary and Jesus’ role in God’s plan …but they weren’t the only prophetic voice who spoke about Jesus

Mary herself spoke directly to why Jesus came… …sharing the same concept of Justice that prophets like Isaiah did

That’s right The same Mary we usually think of being as almost childlike…

…that same virgin Mary we associate with innocence… …and maybe even humble submission…

…was more than just the mother of God’s own Son

It’s easy to romanticize her… …to see her through rose coloured glasses because of her blessing…

…to worry about her given in youth and inexperience …but that would be a mistake

Mary wasn’t a simple, innocent, submissive teenager She was a prophet who realized fully who Jesus was…

…and understood exactly what He was all about Armed with this knowledge, she celebrated with a powerful song

My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour …and in those words reveals her deep insight

She calls God her Saviour Mary the prophet speaks in poetry that is inspired by God…

…not just directed to God He has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones But has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things But has sent the rich away empty

Mary the prophet was not a simple teenager… …but a force to be reckoned with

She knows that her baby is part of a greater plan… …not just because of what the angel told her…

…but because she has been given wisdom and insight into God’s desire Mary knows that what is happening to her doesn’t matter immediately It’s not simply a matter of her giving birth to God’s Son…

…it’s a matter of being part of the fulfilment of God’s vision for humanity Her vision lines up with previous prophetic visions They look towards God’s desire for judgment being fulfilled For prophets like Isaiah, it was an open-ended vision They knew only in part For Mary the prophet, the vision was of justice being fulfilled through Jesus…

…and she saw the complete plan that she was helping to bring about No wonder she offered up this joyful song Like her fellow Jews, she was waiting for a Saviour…

…believed the promises that God would indeed bring salvation about… …and then she was told not only that the promised Saviour was coming…

…but that she was part of that fulfillment of God’s promises That’s reason for a little bit of worry…

…and a whole lot of rejoicing! We’re on the other side of Mary’s prophetic vision We’re celebrating Jesus’ birth 2,000 years ago…

…hence the candle of Joy we lit this morning

In many ways, however, we’re also on the expectation side of the story… …because we’re waiting for Jesus to return…

…for the fulfilment of God’s promised salvation of humanity That means joy might be hard…

…because things aren’t all rosy and perfect Despite Jesus’ fulfilling God’s plan…

…we humans don’t always do our part Tomorrow, thanks to the dramatic rise in COVID-19 infections…

…we’re returning to Red Zone status… …severely limiting what we can and can’t do

Those restrictions are being imposed because folks were careless… …not wearing masks to protect others…

…gathering in groups without concern for the consequences… …some even defying and challenging the restrictions…

…arguing that businesses were hurting… …and that their rights were being infringed

Being declared a Red Zone is not a reason for celebration… …and even without that new imposition on our happiness…

…Joy is hard Is there really a smile behind the mask? How do you celebrate when others are hurting? Or when they are struggling to make ends meet? Where is there room for laughter when grief preoccupies us? Joy is hard…

…but sorrow is even harder Mary could have panicked when she realized what God asked of her She could have stressed out over being the mother of God’s Son…

…or over the lack of justice that needed Jesus to come Those folks threatened by the Greeks could have given up…

…but they chose to resist… …and in the midst of their darkness…

…they had enough oil to light their Menorah for eight days Optimistic me: Joy is a choice…

…and for people who believe in God’s promises… …it is the only one

Jesus reveals to us the full meaning of God’s love… …and that love gives us reason to celebrate…

…to rejoice that God is our Saviour… …that Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promised justice…

…and that we are very much part of God’s justice work in the world… …helping to be a source of joy…

…even when joy is hard Amen

WE SING “A Little Child The Saviour Came” A little child the Saviour came; The mighty God was still his name, And angels worshipped as he lay The helpless infant of a day Christ Jesus, as a child, did show The way of life for all to know; Now Christ proclaims the message free, 'Let little children come to me.'

We bring them, Lord, and, with the sign Of sprinkled water, name them thine: Their souls with saving grace endow; Baptize them with thy Spirit now. Oh give thine angels charge, good Lord, Them safely in thy way to guard; Thy blessing on their lives command, And write their names upon thy hand.

O thou, who by an infant's tongue Dost hear thy perfect glory sung; May these, with all the heavenly host, Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. CCLI Song No. 2959120 Words© Public Domain, William Robertson,vAll rights Reserved. www.ccli.com CCLI License No. 1201084

WE PRAY WE SING “Lo, How A Rose E’er Blooming” WE RECEIVE GOD’S BLESSING May your hope in Christ guide your way through fear May Christ of peace calm your troubled hearts May the joy of Christ fill your hearts to overflowing May the love of Christ be felt by everyone you meet And May Christ Himself be made known through all you do, say and are