Sunday service for 31 December 2023, Hogmanay lessons and carols
Sunday 31 December 2023
Gourock St. John’s Church of Scotland
Service prepared by Rev. Teri Peterson & Rob Thomson, student
Manse: 632143
Email: TPeterson (at) churchofscotland.org.uk
Email Charlene, Parish Assistant: CMitchell (at) churchofscotland.org.uk
Email Rob, student minister: RThomson (at) churchofscotland.org.uk
Prelude Music
*We Gather As God’s Family (As the Bible is brought in, we stand and sing)
A family gathered in love,
striving for justice and joy,
blessing the broken-hearted,
and sharing the hope of God’s kingdom.
Welcome & Announcements
Call to Worship: Isaiah 9.2-3, 6-7
One: The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness—
on them light has shined.
You have multiplied the nation,
you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you
as with joy at the harvest,
as people exult when dividing plunder.
All: For a child has been born for us,
a son given to us;
authority rests upon his shoulders;
and he is named
Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
One: His authority shall grow continually,
and there shall be endless peace
for the throne of David and his kingdom.
He will establish and uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time onwards and for evermore.
All: The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
Sanctuary Hymn 313 vv. 1, 2, 5: See in Yonder Manger Low
Prayer (Rob)
Gracious and merciful God, we come before you in humble confession, acknowledging our shortcomings and the moments where we’ve strayed from your path. As we reflect on the pages of our past year, we seek your forgiveness for the missteps. We seek forgiveness for the missed opportunities. We seek forgiveness for the times we let anger or frustration win. We admit that we are not like you, though we would like to be more like you.
In adoration, we marvel at your faithfulness, the constancy of your love, and the grace with which you guide our journey.
May our worship today be a testament to your enduring covenant with us.
As we stand on the threshold of a new year, we look forward with hope, trusting in your promises that are yet to unfold. Strengthen us, O Lord, to walk in your ways, to live with purpose, and to radiate your light in a world that needs your love.
Help us oh Lord to move closer to you, to follow your lead.
In the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior, we pray. Amen.
Online Hymn 273: O Come O Come Emmanuel
Scripture Reading: Matthew 1.15-25
Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel’,
which means, ‘God is with us.’ When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.
Sanctuary Hymn 273 vv 1, 2, 4: O Come O Come Emmanuel
Reflection: “Immanuel: Yesterday’s Promises, Today’s Reality, Tomorrow’s Hope” (Rob)
Hi, everyone and a good morning to each of you.
It has been a real honour and privilege to get to know so many of you this year, it is an even bigger privilege to be invited by Teri to reflect on this morning’s first reading of God’s word with you. I am looking forward to having the opportunity to do this some more in the coming year.
Matthew is my favourite book of the Bible. I’m sure as a student minister I’m not supposed to have favourites. But I find this book to be masterfully written. Matthew is also the first book of the Bible that I ever read, and I read it from beginning to end in one sitting, at the start of the book I was an atheist and by the end I felt called to fulfil the great commission. To share and to show the Gospel to as many people as possible. That’s a pretty big change in a few hours and it shows that when God is involved anything is possible. We never really know where He is going to call us and when, or for that matter who He is going to call.
So, as we look forward to this new year, let’s unpack some of the first chapter of Matthew together. It’s like the ultimate backstory to Jesus’ birth, filled with promises from way back in the Old Testament, connections to King David and Abraham, and a sneak peek into what is yet to come.
Just prior the section that made up this morning’s reading the author of Matthews Gospel treats us to a long genealogy, a list of Jesus’s ancestors. These ancestors include King David, David was promised that through his family line there would come about an everlasting kingdom. The list goes even further back, all the way back to Abraham, the father of the Jewish people, he was promised that all the nations of the earth would be blessed through his family. This genealogy also includes some surprising additions (for a 1st century Jewish author) that an earlier Gospel account did not, women and non-Jewish women at that! These promises and these surprising inclusions will be important when we are thinking about what the rest of Jesus story means.
The author of Matthew doesn’t waste words, he details the conception of Jesus between the Holy Spirit and Mary, the good character of Joseph and the fact the Jesus is the Christ, the anointed one, the Messiah spoken about in the Jewish Bible. He does all this to let his audience know that all this was prophesied by the Old Testament prophet Isaiah way back.
The author writes.
“All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).
Immanuel isn’t just a name, it’s a promise that God is with us. Looking forward, we’re not alone. Jesus’ birth kicks off a new era where God is right here with us in the best way possible. Its right there in verse 21.
She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
Scripture tells us elsewhere that the wages of sin are death, and the consequences of sin are a broken world and separation from God. The names given to Jesus here are clues about who He is and what He will do. He is Immanuel “God amongst us”, Jesus “God Saves” and Christ “the Messiah”.
I wonder what 1st century Jews thought the coming of the Messiah would be like “We sing “O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel” and Israel was captive, under the sometimes-brutal rule of Rome. Perhaps if I lived in these conditions and had the Jewish Bible, I would be fantasising about God coming amongst us, physically saving us from the empire. The battles to be won and the glory of victory over our enemy.
Instead, Jesus lived a life of poverty, service, healing and died delivered up to the very worldly enemy who held Israel captive. Rather than defeat the empire and reign as king over a worldly kingdom, he defeated a more insidious and dangerous enemy and declare a new relationship between man and God. A relationship that reflects Jesus’ ancestors, in that it includes men and women, from the peoples of Israel and the rest of the world.
How wrong I might have gotten things, makes me wonder what we have wrong, or we don’t understand about the promises God has made to us. He has promised that His Church will endure forever, that the kingdom of heaven is here, and that peace will come. Some of us might be frustrated at the timeframe, the place of Christ’s birth is currently under siege. But imagine how frustrated Israel must have been after exile and occupation, to find that the Messiah didn’t fit the expectations many would have had for Him.
I don’t think we can predict how God will fulfil His promises in our lives or what He will want from us. But what I do know is that He is working now, changing lives, calling people we wouldn’t expect. What we can do is look forward with faith and stay excited about the future looking out for opportunities to serve God.
As we step into the new year, let’s carry the excitement of God’s faithfulness from way back in the Old Testament prophesies with the expectation of more incredible stuff to come. Because when God is with us nothing is impossible.
Hymn 304: O Little Town of Bethlehem
Sanctuary Offering
*Sanctuary Offering Response 324 verse 5
Scripture Reading: Matthew 2.1-12 (New Revised Standard Version)
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, ‘Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.’ When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:
“And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd my people Israel.” ’
Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, ‘Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.’ When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure-chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
For the word of God in Scripture,
for the word of God among us,
for the word of God within us:
Thanks be to God.
Sanctuary Hymn 326, vv. 1, 2, 5: As With Gladness Men of Old
Reflection: Paying Attention (Teri)
These wise men, as we call them — they were scientists, colleagues and presumably friends by the end of the journey, if not before, astronomers or astrologers or both…ultimately, what we mean by that is that they were men who paid attention. They were looking at the world around them, believing that whatever God was doing in heaven would be visible on earth to any who cared to notice.
I wonder if we believe that what God is doing is visible in the world around us?
And I wonder if we pay attention enough to notice?
People who pay attention are actually a little bit few and far between. We have so much input these days, it’s hard to really pay close attention to anything. We multitask our way through most things…checking social media while watching television, listening to a podcast or an audio book while walking or cooking or cleaning, radio on in the background while we drive or work, phones on the table or in our pocket while we sit at the table with family and friends, every moment just a click away from sharing the photo or a wee “ding” away from a quick message from someone else or a headline popping up on the screen. The media knows it’s happening and everything is getting shorter, videos and news stories and updates that last a minute or less for fear someone will swipe past. I do it, I suspect many, or even most, of us do it. And I don’t know about you, but I can feel my attention getting fragmented. Paying close enough attention to notice a new star in the sky is a far cry from most of our current reality — even if we could see the stars behind the rain clouds!
But without the wise men paying attention, there’d be no story of the foreign nations coming to bow down to the Christ child, recognising God come among us.
But before that…they wouldn’t have been paying attention if they didn’t expect that divine reality was visible to human eyes.
And that’s the crux of the issue, isn’t it: do we expect to be able to see, with our human eyes and hearts, what God is doing?
If we don’t expect to see anything, why would we pay close attention?
But God is in fact revealing God’s work to those who will look. All through the prophets we hear “I am doing a new thing, do you not perceive it?” And all through Jesus’ teaching we’ll hear him saying “let those with ears to hear, listen.” And throughout his life, and the life of the early church, amazing things will happen and some will see miracles and others will see blasphemy and danger, depending on what they want to see.
I’ll not say that paying attention means we’ll always get it right. Clearly the wise men followed the star so far and then took their eyes off the prize, and allowed themselves to be led by their assumptions — that a king would be born in a palace — rather than by what God was showing them. And that detour to Herod had tragic consequences, because when they didn’t come back, Herod allowed his fear to spill over and he had all the children of Bethlehem murdered. Jesus only escaped because Joseph paid attention to his dreams, and they fled.
Can you even imagine God in the flesh being a refugee, fleeing political violence, crossing borders and living without documents in a foreign land, longing to go home yet knowing it wasn’t safe to get anywhere near the place? Can you imagine being the families who didn’t get the chance to run away, whose children were torn from them because the political leader was afraid of what they might grow up to be? Can you believe that it doesn’t take much to imagine because it’s happening literally as we speak, in the same place it happened 2000 years ago?
Do we have the fortitude to pay attention?
What might God be revealing if we look? At the world around us. At the people we’ve been commanded to love. At the reflection of God’s will we are meant to be showing to earth and heaven. The wise men were wise simply because they were paying attention, and they followed what they saw.
May we do the same.
You’re invited to enter 2024 paying attention, and following the star that shines God’s light and beckons you to follow, to look for God’s action in the world and to reflect that grace into the world in turn. Each of these stars has a word on it — as you receive your word for the year, I invite you to sit with that word, to think about the different resonances or meanings, maybe look it up, pray with it, and look for it in your life in the year to come. Let it lead you in prayer and faithfulness, in paying attention, in seeking Immanuel, God with us.
Star Words
As we pass round the words, I suggest allowing the word to choose you — don’t flip through them and pick what you like, just choose one and see how it feels. If next Sunday you really can’t stand the word, bring it back and we can do a swap from the basket. You’re welcome to also draw a word for family members who aren’t here today, and pass the star to them when you get home.
We’ll sing together “We Three Kings” as the Star Words come round.
Sanctuary Hymn: We Three Kings
Sanctuary: Invitation to the Table
Prayer and Lord’s Prayer
Creator of the Stars,
you shine a light to show the way,
you speak your word to teach us the truth,
you give us the gift of faith and the gift of seeking understanding,
that by using all the ways of mind and heart,
we might see you.
We pray today for the wisdom and courage to follow the star that shines before us
to keep our eyes open and to see what you would have us see,
for we trust that you are indeed revealing yourself in this world.
And we pray today for all who are in need of your light in the shadows.
For those who have left their homes, seeking a safe place.
For those who encounter hostility instead of hospitality.
For those whose fears have been realised, and now it is too late to flee.
For those whose lives have been changed forever
by the greed, power mongering, and fear of the few.
For those who live amidst violence we can’t even imagine.
For those who grieve, and cannot find comfort.
For those whose suffering seems to have no end.
For those who thought they were doing the right thing, and never thought more.
For those hurt by our good intentions.
For those in positions of power and influence.
For those working for justice and fairness and peace for others as well as themselves.
For those whose vision is too narrow to admit you reveal yourself in many ways.
For your church, seeking to be your Body in this world.
May your people know your healing, your peace, your hope, your joy, your comfort.
May your world be filled with justice and mercy and tenderness and love.
May we who follow the star find you and offer our lives in your service.
As we begin a new year, Lord guide our steps in the way you would have us go.
We ask in the name of Jesus the Christ, who is Immanuel, God with us —
child, refugee, displaced person, word incarnate, way, truth, and life.
He is the One who reveals you most clearly,
and the one who taught us to join all your family in praying together:
We pray in the name of Jesus
who taught us to pray together…
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen.
Communion
Prayer After Communion
Peace
Sanctuary Hymn: What Star Is This (text: Charles Coffin 1676-1749; tune 451 Pier Nobis Nascitur)
Online Hymn: We Three Kings
Benediction
Go from this time of worship expecting God to be at work, and paying attention to what God is doing in the world around you.
And as you go, may the Spirit of God go above you to watch over you. May the Spirit of God go beside you to be your companion. May the Spirit of God go before you to show you the way, and behind you to push you into places you might not go alone. And may the Spirit of God go within you, to remind you that you are loved more deeply than you can possibly imagine. May the fire of God’s love burn brightly in you, and through you into the world. Go in peace. Amen.
Sung Benediction Response (John L Bell, tune Gourock St John’s)
Now may the Lord of all be blessed,
Now may Christ’s gospel be confessed,
Now may the Spirit when we meet
Bless sanctuary and street.
Postlude Music
Announcements
* The next Bowl & Blether is 15 January, with doors open from 11:30-1:30. It’s a great opportunity to get out and meet some people and have a meal and some social time!
* We worship in the sanctuary on Sundays at 11am, and all Sunday worship is also online. If you are able, please enter by the front door in Bath street, and only those who need step-free access should use the back door. If you feel unwell, please worship online, to protect both yourself and others in our community.
* This Advent we are asking everyone to update your Gift Aid information, so we can ensure we are maximising our Gift Aid opportunities. Please fill in a new Gift Aid form so that we can update our records!
* Did you know that the ministry we do at St John’s costs about £3000 per week? Everything we do is funded by your generous giving — all our support for young people, older people, bereavement care, community outreach, worship, study, spiritual growth, and community work is because of your offering. If you would like to set up a standing order in order to facilitate your spiritual discipline of giving, or if you would like to make an extra gift to support the ministry St. John’s does in our parish, you can give online by clicking here. If you would like to set up a standing order, please contact Teri and she can give you the treasurer’s details. You can also send your envelopes to the church or the manse by post and we will ensure they are received. It is also possible to donate to the work of the new parish assistant, speak to Anne Love about how to go about directing new donations to that new item in the budget.
* Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Youtube, and to sign up for our email devotions! Midweek you can watch Wine and the Word on Youtube, pray with video devotions on Facebook, and consider a new angle on something with a devotional email. Feel free to share with your friends, too!
* Registration is now open for Jump Into January, the Winter mini-Exploratorium: 3rd-4th January, 9am – 1pm, we’ll be Jumping Into January with children in P1-P7 — tell all the kids you know! If you can volunteer for breakfast club (8am), during the morning, or in the kitchen for snacks and lunch, please speak to Teri or Charlene or Graham Bolster.
* Wednesday Evening Bible Study is off this week and will resume on 10 January at 7:30pm.
* Free period products are available in the church toilets for anyone who might need them, thanks to Hey Girls and Inverclyde Council.
Sunday service for 18 December 2022, fourth Sunday of Advent
Sunday 18 December 2022, NL1-16, Advent 4
Gourock St. John’s Church of Scotland
Service prepared by Rev. Teri Peterson
Manse: 632143
Email: tpeterson (at) churchofscotland.org.uk
Prelude Music
Welcome and Announcements
*Sanctuary Hymn: Through the line of Joseph, Mary (words: Joanna Harader 2022, tune: Hyfrydol)
Through the line of Joseph, Mary,
Tamar, Judah, Rahab, Ruth,
Comes a saviour for the nations,
born Messiah of humble birth.
God’s eternal presence with us
Through the ages grace imparts.
Holy power in fragile infant
Resting in his parents’ hearts.
Mary welcomes Holy Spirit
In her life and in her womb.
Fear gives way to awe and wonder,
Holding space and making room.
God’s eternal presence with us
In that ancient time and land.
Holy power in fragile infant
Resting there in Mary’s hands.
Joseph, open to the myst’ry
heeds his dream of angel voice,
keeps his promise, holds in honour
Mary his belov’d, his choice.
God’s eternal presence with us
in that home made safe and warm.
Holy power in fragile infant
resting there in Joseph’s arms.
Lighting the Advent Candle
One: In the midst of this world, here and now:
All: God is with us.
One: In the astonishing
and in the impossibly hard;
in the shadows
and in the absolute clarity:
All: God is with us.
One: Take heart, for even now
All: a new thing springs forth!
One: In the midst of this world,
All: God’s word is fulfilled.
One: Because Emmanuel, God is with us:
All: We love as we have been loved, unconditionally.
Sanctuary — All Sing:
As we light the advent candle,
with the light of love burning bright,
faithfully we wait for his coming,
faithfully it shines through the night!
In our humble hearts, a fire burns as well;
hear the prayer these flames would tell:
O come, O come, Emmanuel,
and ransom captive Israel.
All: You are a God of surprises,
and we pray for the openness to receive!
Just when we have figured out what your word meant in the past,
you give it new meaning for the future, too.
Just as we come to terms with an ordinary name
that carries extraordinary weight,
you offer a second as well.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, Emmanuel, for your surprises,
and for all the ways you are both so big and beyond,
yet also right here, with us.
Amen.
Online Hymn 304: O Little Town of Bethlehem
Sanctuary Hymn 316: Love Came Down at Christmas
Prayer
Holy God, you call us to righteousness, to a way of life that reflects your holiness.
We are resolved… to stick to our ways, for we have called them yours.
We confess, though, that we find it difficult to adjust when you speak a new thing.
We have definite ideas about how things should be.
We have plans and expectations.
Forgive us, and make us flexible enough to change course
when your Spirit leads a different direction.
Forgive us, and give us the humility to know our place in your story,
to recognise your ways that are higher than our ways,
to lay aside our expectations in order to take up the task you call us to do.
Bring your new world to birth, O God,
and make us ready to receive it.
We ask in the name of the One who comes among us
revealing your unconditional love in the flesh, Jesus the Christ. Amen.
Sanctuary Sung Prayer hymn 304 O Little Town of Bethlehem, verse 3
Sanctuary Children’s Time (O Little Town verse 4)
Reading: Matthew 1.1-25 (New Revised Standard Version)
An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Aram, and Aram the father of Aminadab, and Aminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of King David.
And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph, and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.
And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Salathiel, and Salathiel the father of Zerubbabel, and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah.
So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah, fourteen generations.
Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: ‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel’, which means, ‘God is with us.’ When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.
For the word of God in scripture,
for the word of God among us,
for the word of God within us,
thanks be to God.
Sermon: Making Space
When I was thirteen years old, my younger brother and I, and our parents, stood together in a courtroom as a judge asked us if we wanted to be family together. My mom had married my stepdad two years before, and now we had a chance to make things even more official through adoption…for my brother and I to change our last names, for our birth records to be updated, to make my stepdad into my dad forever. Of course we all said yes, even though I imagine that some days during the next 27 years, my dad might have looked at me and my brother and wondered what on earth he had gotten himself into!
I admit that from my kid perspective I have only some limited memories of the courtroom and at the time my brother and I were super excited about the ice cream cake that we had to celebrate. But the lifetime of knowing we were family together, that my dad had made room for us and we for him — it’s priceless.
Matthew’s telling of the Christmas story is so different from the perspective we normally read in Luke — no traveling for a census, no worries about where to stay, no animals trying to eat their dinner around a baby in their food bowl, no shepherds and choirs of angels. First of all, Matthew starts with that long list of names. He wants to be clear that this is a story that happens within a real family, with real people who have real stories of triumph and failure and everything in between. It’s a story of an ordinary family where unexpected things happen, and they have to figure it out.
Mary and Joseph were betrothed — which means they were already legally bound to each other, but they weren’t yet living together. They live in Bethlehem, and Joseph’s family has a long history. His family includes really amazing and famous people — he’s descended from David and Solomon! — and also some people you might really rather leave out of the story, like later kings who were really terrible. I suspect we all have highs and lows like this in our family trees — people we would prefer to pretend we’re not related to, and people we love so much we’re always looking for a family resemblance between us, and everything in between.
The thing is, this is exactly what God needs for his Son: a family. For God to take on flesh and live among us, being born into our world as a vulnerable baby, being fully human even while being fully divine, means that God-with-us needs people who will protect and nurture him. Jesus needs a place to grow up, people to raise him, and a story to be a part of. He needs someone who will provide him a home, potty train him, teach him to use his cutlery and how to tie his shoes, help him navigate the weird world of teenage friendships, listen to his dramas and dry his tears, give a high-five when he succeeds at something and encourage him when nothing seems to go right. A family where he can learn some life skills, have relationships across generations, maybe even argue with his siblings or shout at his parents and find they all still love each other. God needs for Jesus to have a place where he belongs. And yes, a family in the line of David, too — anchoring him to God’s bigger story, providing a place not just in the now but in the bigger sweep of God’s work among us.
When Joseph found out Mary was pregnant, he wanted to do the right thing, and that meant definitely not bringing this strange baby into his own family. Then, as at many times and places through history, knowing a child’s biological father meant knowing where they belonged and what resources they were entitled to…allowing this unknown-parentage baby in could be dangerous for the rest of the family as their social status and therefore financial well-being might be affected when people started to gossip, and it would disrupt his plans for how his life, career, and family were meant to progress, and it could lead to questions about inheritance. So Joseph decided that he would be as kind as possible to Mary while also doing what was best for himself. I suspect many people understand his mental calculus — how could he possibly make room in his life, in his family, for something so different from his expectations and plans?
Having made up his mind, Joseph turned in for a good night’s sleep, only to find God had another idea. The angel who appeared to him told him not to be afraid…of taking Mary as his wife. Don’t be afraid of the social stigma, don’t be afraid of the gossip, don’t be afraid of whatever you think the economic implications for your inheritance might be. Don’t be afraid of taking on a different responsibility than the one you had planned. Don’t be afraid of opening your home and your family to the unexpected one, sent by God…in fact, who is God with us.
When Joseph woke up, he changed his mind. He decided to lay aside concerns about what others would think, worries about whether he could do this hard thing, and doubts about his fiancée and her faithfulness.He heard the angel, and in light of that new information and that new calling from God, he changed his mind. He decided to move to the side and make space in his plans and vision for God to do a new thing. He opened his heart and his home and his family to something outrageous and life-changing, the consequences of which he could not have imagined himself. Because Emmanuel — God is with us — he decided to act with love that does not require anyone else to meet his conditions to receive it. He just…opened the door and brought Mary into his house and they created a family together.
And so, when the baby was born, Joseph publicly gave him his name, and he took his place in a family line stretching back fourteen times three generations. Those generations can feel at first glance like a closed book, like God’s plan simply unfolded perfectly at every turn to get to this point. But a closer look reveals something a little unusual. There are four women named in the genealogy, and they are all women who had rather unorthodox lives and relationships, and all of them are crucial to God’s story, unexpected agents of God’s plan, who moved God’s vision forward even when the people around them were stuck. They defied social norms, ethnic boundaries, economic rules, and cultural systems to open doors that seemed shut.
Coming from that kind of family line, perhaps it’s no surprise that Joseph could hear the angel saying “don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife” — maybe he recognised that God was placing her in this line of women whose unexpected and unconventional lives brought something new to birth among God’s people. And though we have recently come to regard changing one’s mind as a sign of weakness, Joseph teaches us it’s a sign of strength: strength of connection to God, strength of faith and trust in God’s promise, strength of commitment to following God’s call.
Ultimately, just as in Luke’s story there’s no space in the guest rooms for Mary and Joseph, in Matthew’s story it’s Joseph’s heart and mind and family that didn’t have space…until it did. His response to God speaking to him was to open the door, to stand there and say yes: he wanted to be family despite the risks and the unknowns and the lack of ice cream cake for celebration. He may not have known what he was in for exactly, but he was willing to open himself up to this new life.
This is what unconditional love does: it makes room. Room for being family together with unexpected people. Room for doing things we never thought possible. Room for seeing the risks and opening our hearts and doors anyway. Room for God to be born and change our lives forever.
May it be so. Amen.
Online Hymn 304: O Little Town of Bethlehem
Sanctuary Hymn: Love Has Come (words: Ken Bible b.1950; tune: Bring a Torch, Jeannette, Isabella)
Love has come: a light in the darkness!
Love shines forth in the Bethlehem skies.
See, all heaven has come to proclaim it;
hear how their song of joy arises:
Love! Love! Born unto you, a Saviour!
Love! Love! Glory to God on high.
Love is born! Come, share in the wonder.
Love is God now asleep in the hay.
See the glow in the eyes of his mother;
what is the name her heart is saying?
Love! Love! Love is the name she whispers.
Love! Love! Jesus, Emmanuel.
Love has come and never will leave us!
Love is life everlasting and free.
Love is Jesus within and among us.
Love is the peace our hearts are seeking.
Love! Love! Love is the gift of Christmas.
Love! Love! Praise to you, God on high!
Offering (Sanctuary only) (choir to sing)
Creation began with just a few small words: let there be light. God’s greatest gift to the world started out small, a baby born at the fringes of the empire and the margins of society. God’s gift is the pattern for our own giving — however small in the grand scheme of needs, we trust that God is multiplying our gifts into a blessing for our community. The ministry and mission we do here at St John’s costs just over £10,500 per month and it is because of your generous giving that we are able to serve others in all the different ways that happen here every day. May the gifts we give be a reflection of our gratitude for God’s gifts to us, and may they be dedicated to the work of God’s kingdom in this place. Your morning offering will now be received.
Sanctuary Offering Response Hymn 324, verse 5
All creation, joining praising
God the Father, Spirit, Son,
evermore your voices raising
to the eternal Three-In-One:
come and worship Christ,
the newborn king.
Come and worship,
worship Christ, the newborn king.
Prayer and Lord’s Prayer
Loving God, we thank you for the gift of family —
families we have grown into, and families we have chosen, and families who have chosen us.
We thank you for placing us into communities that nurture and care for one another,
and even for the challenges of growing together in grace.
And we pray today for those who do not have a family to call their own,
for children in the care system, and elders whose family have all gone on ahead,
for neighbours who are isolated and lonely,
for people who have been abused and abandoned and fallen through the cracks,
for those who have been told they must earn love and they aren’t deserving.
May they know your companionship, guidance, and care.
As you called Joseph to give Jesus a family home and history,
we pray for all who provide that place for others to grow into who you made them to be.
May they be flexible and courageous, compassionate and hopeful.
You come to dwell among us, to save with your presence.
We thank you for your promise to be with us always,
as you have led your people in the past so even now you reveal yourself,
in a tiny baby, in a change of heart, in ordinary life and in extraordinary love.
We pray today for those who are desperate for your saving grace,
those who are trapped in cycles of violence or poverty or grief or illness,
those who have been trafficked or exploited,
those staring at closed doors and longing for options to open.
May they know your healing liberation.
As you bore a common name with uncommon power,
and held that power in relationship to the world you so love,
we pray today for all who reveal you to others,
for those who give their energy to prayer and service,
who radiate welcome and peace,
who work for justice,
who speak your word just where it’s most needed.
May they be refreshed and renewed by your constant presence,
as they reflect your grace and model right relationship with you.
You offer yourself to us, O God,
and we in turn offer what we have,
trusting you will turn it, and us, to your kingdom work
in ways we cannot yet imagine but will join as your people.
May our lives magnify your love, here and now.
We ask these and all things in the name of the One who saves by being with us,
Jesus the Christ, Emmanuel
who taught us to pray together
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen.
Online Hymn 316: Love Came Down At Christmas
Sanctuary Hymn 313: See in Yonder Manger Low verses 1, 2, 5
Benediction
Friends, God is love, and God is with us. Live in that ever-present love.
And as you go to live love, may the Spirit of God go above you to watch over you. May the Spirit of God go beside you to be your companion. May the Spirit of God go before you to show you the way, and behind you to push you into places you might not go alone. And may the Spirit of God go within you, to remind you that you are loved more deeply than you can possibly imagine. May the fire of God’s love burn brightly in you, and through you into the world. Go in peace. Amen.
Sung Benediction Response (John L Bell, tune Gourock St John’s)
Now may the Lord of all be blessed,
Now may Christ’s gospel be confessed,
Now may the Spirit when we meet
Bless sanctuary and street.
Postlude Music
Announcements
* The service for the Longest Night — like a Quiet Christmas service, on the winter solstice, the longest night of the year, when we are in shadows and yet turn toward the light, will be THIS WEDNESDAY 21 December at 7:30pm in the sanctuary. This contemplative Christmas service is perfect for those who are looking for a reflective opportunity, who need a little space this season, or who just enjoy the less raucous carols.
* Join us for some informal caroling at the Christmas tree in Kempock Place on Thursday the 22nd at 6pm!
* The Choir Brigade Christmas Concert will be in the sanctuary on Friday 23rd December at 730pm. Tickets are £10 and available at https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/the-choir-brigade.
* Christmas Eve worship services will be on Saturday 24 December at 7pm in St John’s and 11:30pm in Old Gourock & Ashton.
* Christmas morning worship will be on Sunday 25 December at 10am in the St. John’s sanctuary. Bring a gift you received to share about it during the children’s time!
* New Year’s Day worship will be on Sunday 1 January and will be a New Year Communion shared with Old Gourock & Ashton and St Ninian’s (Larkfield). The service will be at 10:30am in OGA.
* We worship in the sanctuary on Sundays at 11am, and all Sunday worship is also online (or on the phone at 01475 270037, or in print). If you are able, please enter by the front door in Bath street, and only those who need step-free access should use the back door. If you feel unwell, please worship online, to protect both yourself and others in our community.
* Did you know that it costs us about £10,500 per month to do the ministry we currently do at St. John’s? That includes heating and lighting the building and keeping it in good repair for church and community groups, programming and pastoral care for people of all ages, our contribution to minister’s stipends, and other ministry costs. The Kirk now has online giving! If you have not already set up a standing order in order to facilitate your spiritual discipline of giving, or if you would like to make an extra gift to support the ministry St. John’s does in our parish, you can give online by clicking here. If you would like to set up a standing order, please contact Peter Bennett, our treasurer, or Teri and she can give you his details. You can also send your envelopes to the church or the manse by post and we will ensure they are received. Remember: no one is coming to your door to collect your envelopes, so please be safe!
* Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Youtube, and to sign up for our email devotions! Midweek you can watch Wine and the Word on Youtube, pray with video devotions on Facebook, and consider a new angle on something with a devotional email. Feel free to share with your friends, too!
* Would you be interested in joining the readers rota in 2023? Whether you read in the sanctuary or online, or both — whether recording yourself or being recorded by Teri — we’d love to have your voice bringing God’s word to life in our community! There is a wee training to help you feel confident. Let Teri know if you’d like to join in.
* The next Bowl & Blether in St John’s will be on Monday 2 January. Doors will open at 11:30, soup is served from noon. We also now have toasties and board games! The hall will be open into the afternoon for all who wish to stay and enjoy the company, games, chat, and a cuppa. The next B&B in St Margaret’s is on Saturday 14 January, also from 11:30.
