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Service of Word
and Prayer for the 1st Sunday of Christmas |
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The grace of
our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit
be with you all. And also with you. |
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Psalm 148
(today’s Responsorial Psalm) 1 Hallelujah! 3 Praise
him, sun and moon; 5 Let
them praise the name of the Lord, 7 Praise
the Lord from the earth, 9 Mountains
and all hills, 11 Kings
of the earth and all peoples, 13 Let them praise the name of the Lord, |
Oration for the First Sunday after Christmas
Almighty God, you wonderfully created the dignity of
human nature and yet more wonderfully restored it. In your mercy, let us share
the divine life of the one who came to share in our humanity, Jesus Christ,
your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God
now and forever. Amen.
Gospel: Reading: Luke 2:22-40
22 When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, {Joseph
and Mary} brought {Jesus} up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as
it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male shall be designated
as holy to the Lord”), 24 and they offered a sacrifice
according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves or
two young pigeons.”
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was
righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the
Holy Spirit rested on him. 26 It had been revealed to him
by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s
Messiah. 27 Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into
the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what
was customary under the law, 28 Simeon took him in
his arms and praised God, saying,
29 “Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace,
according to your word;
30 for my eyes have seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared in the
presence of all peoples,
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel.”
33 And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said
about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to
his mother Mary, “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many
in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed 35 so
that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your
own soul too.”
36 There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe
of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years
after her marriage, 37 then as a widow to the age of
eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and
prayer night and day. 38 At that moment she came, and
began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking
for the redemption of Jerusalem.
39 When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they
returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. 40 The
child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon
him.
Sermon
(added at the end of the document)
Thanks and Offertory
The Prayers of the Church:
(from the Celebrate)
·
For continued progress on vaccines and
therapeutics for the virus. Hear us, O God.
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For our bishops, Susan and Michael and all in
authority in the church.
Hear us, O God. |
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·
For the congregation
of St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zurich and their pastor, Pr.
Nadine Schroeder-Kranz. Hear us, O God. |
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·
For all the needs and prayers we hold in our hearts…
(a
time of silent prayer)… Hear us, O God.
The
Lord’s Prayer
Let us pray as Jesus taught us:
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 trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against
us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For
thine is the kingdom, and the power,
and the
glory, forever and ever. Amen.
Galatians
4:4-7 (today’s
second reading)
4 But when
the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under
the law, 5 in
order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption
as children. 6 And
because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into
our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a
child then also an heir, through God.
Benediction
and Sending
The Lord bless us and keep us.
The Lord make his face shine on us and
be gracious to us.
The Lord look upon us with favor and
give us peace.
Amen.
Go in peace. Share the Good News. Thanks be to God
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Master, now you are dismissing your
servant in peace, according to your word; for my
eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all
peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for
glory to your people Israel.” ·
If these words sound familiar, they should! They
are quoted at the closing of almost every service of Holy Communion in our
church. They are also used at the close of the church’s daily Night Prayer
(called Compline.) Today we hear it
as part of the Scriptures for the time of Christmas. ·
Luke tells us that Simeon was a man righteous and devout, looking forward
to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him.
It was revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Messiah. Upon
meeting the family in the Temple, Simeon thanked God for fulfilling his word
and then spoke to Mary and Joseph about the child and the upset that would
surround him as well as the pain that would be Mary’s. (…and a sword will pierce your own soul
too.) ·
Simeon’s words are words of praise and of gratitude.
He is thankful for what God has done for him in permitting him to see the
Messiah in the flesh. He is also thankful for what God is doing for his
people; here Simeon stands as a representative of the people of God and, in
this case, their voice. ·
He speaks as one who has received and still clings
to the promise of God’s steadfast
and faithful love. This promise is what had kept him going his whole life
long. ·
When we hear the words of Simeon, we can rejoice
in that same promise, because it is given to us as well. We can pray his
words and in praying them, make them our own. It may seem odd but when we
pray the Psalms and the canticles found in the Scriptures, we can make them
our own. Maybe not the first time, but soon those words will be ours as well
as the person encountered in the Scriptural narrative. ·
In simple terms, when we sing his song, praying
through his words, we become Simeon. After all, the same promise given
to him is given to us. The same revelation given to him is given to us, although
not in the same way. We are given the same peace given to Simeon. In word and
in sacrament and in the community of the faithful, we too have seen the Lord
in no less a real way as Simeon did in holding the Christ child in his arms,
just not as much of a sensory way. ·
The presence of Christ among us in no less real
then when the old prophet held the long-awaited child in his arms. Our
praise is no less real as well. God’s promise and salvation are no less real
either. We can pray the word of Simeon and make them our own. Master, now you are dismissing your
servant in peace, according to your word; for my
eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all
peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for
glory to your people Israel. |
(The
first reading is included for the sake of being complete.)
First
Reading: Isaiah 61:10-11
10 I
will greatly rejoice in the Lord,
my whole being shall exult in my God;
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation,
he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the
earth brings forth its shoots,
and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up,
so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise
to spring up before all the nations.
62 For
Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,
and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest,
until her vindication shines out like the dawn,
and her salvation like a burning torch.
2 The nations
shall see your vindication,
and all the kings your glory;
and you shall be called by a new name
that the mouth of the Lord will give.
3 You shall be a
crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord,
and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
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