St Clement Church

The Fourth Sunday of Advent Community Service

 

 

Good morning

It is the fourth Sunday of Advent – Christmas is only a few days away. Are you ready? I don’t just mean ready for the busyness of THE day. Has this Advent been a preparation time you will really remember?

My love to you all

Liz

 

This Advent time we remember Mary and Joseph, giving thanks for their faithfulness, courage, and obedience, stepping out into the unknown in the strength of your Spirit, playing their part in the fulfilment of your plan to bring your prodigal people home again.                We pray that their example might be the pattern of our lives, that when your gentle whisper breaks through the clamour of this world and into our small corner, we might be ready to listen, and having listened, to act.

Amen

 

We say together:

 

Lord Jesus, Master of both light and the darkness, send your Holy Spirit upon our preparation for Christmas.                                            We who have so much to do, seek quiet places to hear your voice each day.                                                                                                        We who are anxious over many things look forward to your coming among us.

We who are blessed in so many ways, long for the complete joy of your presence.                                                                                            We are your people, walking in darkness, yet seeking your light.

To you we say, “Come Lord Jesus, come.” Amen

 

Hymn: 5 Hark! A herald voice is calling

 

Prayer of Confession

 

Father God, you are the one who leads us from darkness into light, from captivity into freedom, from anxiety into peace, from despair into joy. Yet we long to break free, choosing independence, convinced of our own wisdom, forgetting your love and grace.          Forgive us, draw close to us, embrace us once again in your loving arms, and enable us to follow you in worship and grateful service each day of our lives. Amen

 

The Collect

 

God our redeemer, who prepared the Blessed Virgin Mary to be the mother of your Son: grant that, as she looked for his coming as our Saviour, so we may be ready to greet him when he comes again as our judge; who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen

 

Readings:

 

Isaiah 7. 10 - 16

Romans 1. 1 - 7

                                                                                                                    

Hymn: 14 The advent of our God

 

Gospel: Matthew 1. 18 - 25

 (Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.  Response: ‘Glory to you O Lord.’)

 

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.

 

(This is the Gospel of our Lord. Praise to you, O Christ)

 

Reflection

 

Today’s gospel reading is a beautiful story, isn’t it? But I don’t know if it’s just me, somehow, it doesn’t sound or feel right. Can it really have happened that way? It seems so unlikely.

 

The story is:

•  Mary is a virgin engaged to Joseph. They have neither lived nor slept together.
• She is pregnant with a child from the Holy Spirit, a child that was conceived out of wedlock and not by Joseph.
• Joseph recognises the implications for Mary and himself. He plans for them to go their separate ways (a better deal for Joseph than for Mary)
• An angel comes to Joseph in a dream and tells him not to be afraid, that God has a plan.
• Joseph wakes up and, following the angel’s guidance, takes Mary as his wife, and Jesus is born.

 

Really? Is the story as simple as that?

 

Think about it … Mary is a young girl and Joseph is a much older man. There is no hint of confusion, conflict, hurt feelings, fear, doubt, anger, or struggle. Neither Mary nor Joseph say a word, but I bet they had words or at least questions. None of that is in the story, at least, not as told by Mathew. It has been ‘cleaned’ of all its messiness.

 

Who lives in that kind of world? Do you? I certainly don’t! Is your life that easy, clean, and simple? Mine’s not. There’s messiness in my life and I suppose that there is in yours too. I can’t imagine that there wasn’t messiness for Mary and Joseph. So, let’s fill in some of the messiness that surely is missing.

 

When Joseph returns from building houses in Judea, he finds Mary six months pregnant, and she wasn’t pregnant when he went away. Her swollen tummy breaks his heart. He’s so distressed he’s physically trembling and beats himself up. He asks God, “Who has deceived me and committed this evil? Who has seduced her from me and defiled her?’

Then Joseph turns to Mary and asks, “Mary, what have you done? I don’t understand. You’ve brought me shame, sorrow, and reproof.”

With a flood of tears Mary responds, “I’m innocent and have not been with another man.”                                                                                   “Then how are you pregnant?” Joseph asks.

“As the Lord my God lives,” Mary says, “I don’t know how this happened.” She’s embarrassed, and knows there’s suspicion and misunderstanding about her pregnancy.

 

Some of Mary’s friends defend her, telling Joseph, “We’ve been with her. No man has touched her. The angels of God speak to her every day. We can’t explain this. It must be the Holy Spirit.”

“So, you want me to believe an angel of the Lord did this? Maybe someone pretended to be an angel and tricked her.” And Joseph starts weeping.

He tells her, “Leave my house and go with your lover. I will no longer support you. You’ve brought me sorrow, disgrace, and dishonour.”

Mary pleads with Joseph, “Please don’t do this, I’m lost and confused. I don’t know where I could go. I haven’t done what you think I have.”

“Tell me who it is,” Joseph demands, “and I will take his head from his shoulders.”

 

Mary calms herself and tells Joseph about the angel and the annunciation. She doesn’t understand but she trusts that Isaiah’s prophecy of the virgin who conceives and bears a son is being fulfilled in her. She tells that to Joseph and his heart begins to soften but he’s still afraid, doubtful, and confused. He doesn’t know what to do. It’s a mess and he plans “to dismiss her quietly.”

 

What about that? Doesn’t that sound a much more likely story? It sounds much more real, doesn’t it? Well, I think so. It makes sense, makes it far more real to me because I’ve experienced those feelings … not in that particular situation … but I’ve known that kind of messiness in my life and relationships. And haven’t you experienced that kind of messiness in your faith and life with God? I have. I think it’s the messiness in the story of Mary and Joseph that gives the story power and meaning in the messiness of our lives.

 

Now, I am not criticizing Matthew. We all edit, deny or ignore the messiness in our lives. There are parts of my own life that are too messy to tell. Haven’t there been times when you wanted or tried to dismiss the messiness of your life? Maybe we’re all like Joseph in that way. When he learned that Mary was pregnant, he “planned to dismiss her quietly.”

What’s the messiness in each of our lives today that we’re sanitizing, denying, or ignoring? What parts of our lives would we like to quietly dismiss?

 

You know, it wasn’t until Joseph wakes up to the messiness of his life that Jesus is born.

I wonder if in sanitizing our lives and dismissing our messiness we deny God a place with us.

 

We say that Advent is a season of preparation. We are preparing for the coming of Jesus. So, what if our final preparation in Advent is to acknowledge and name the messiness in our lives? What’s the messiness for us today?

If we’re wondering where the messiness is in our lives today, how about: What guilt or shame are we still carrying? What’s causing us embarrassment? What is breaking our heart? What aspects of our lives are keeping us confused and not understanding? What’s making us feel unacceptable, unworthy, or unlovable? What parts of our lives are we hiding from others but mostly from ourselves? Our answers probably point to some kind of messiness.

 

If Jesus isn’t born into the messiness of our lives and world today, then what difference does his birth make? And if Jesus makes no difference, then what are we doing here today?

 

     I suspect you are here today for the same reason I am. My life isn’t always clean or easy. As much as I might try to sanitize my life,  it isn’t always clean and easy. As much as I try to sanitize my life sometimes it’s still a mess. I bet you know what I mean.

 

What if Emmanuel – “God with us” – begins in messiness? It did for Mary and Joseph, why not for us as well?

Amen

 

Let us declare our faith in God

 

Do you believe and trust in God the Father, source of all being and life, the one for whom we all exist?

We believe and trust in him.

 

Do you believe and trust in God the Son, who took our human nature, died for us and rose again?

We believe and trust in him.

 

Do you believe and trust in God the Holy Spirit, who gives life to the people of God and makes Christ known in the world?

We believe and trust in him.

 

This is the faith of the Church.

This is our faith.

We believe and trust in one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Amen

 

Hymn: 15 The Lord will come and not be slow

 

Our Intercessions

 

In the stillness and quiet, as we bow our heads, on this the fourth Sunday of Advent, we bring all our thoughts and heart searching to lay before our God.

 

We pray for the Church: We pray for all around the world preparing for the coming of the Christ Child, that, in the hustle and bustle of family preparations they may find time to sit, listen, and prepare themselves for the great coming.

We pray that, like Mary, we may be open to God’s word, embrace our calling with courage, and faithfully proclaim the coming of Jesus, our Emmanuel

 

Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer

 

We pray for World Peace and Justice: We live in a troubled world where nationally and locally there is much injustice and hatred. We pray for an end to conflict and cruelty; that leaders and people may choose justice, reconciliation, and wise stewardship over violence and greed, welcoming the Prince of Peace.

 

Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer

 

We pray for all families, especially those facing challenges or isolation, and for all expectant mothers; that they receive support, love, and the comfort that Mary brought to Elizabeth.

 

Lord in your mercy: hear our prayer

 

We pray for our community: for the Parish of St Clement and the communities in which we live. At Christmas time the differences between the haves and the have nots is so much more marked. May we always remember those less well off, in every way, and do our bit to help. May we truly be a light in the world, sharing God’s love and preparing our hearts to receive the Christ Child in our lives.

 

Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer

 

We pray for the sick, the lonely, the poor, and those in despair; that Christ’s light and healing presence reach them, bringing hope and aid, especially during this Christmas season.

We especially bring before You: Reverend Diane, Ken, Brian, May, Susan, Tony, Jan, Lynda, Dot, Maureen, Pam and David, Sandra, Roger and Helen, Michael and Patricia, Rob and Alison, Mary, Jeremy, Anita and Stephen, Callum and Elaine, Sue and Martin, Margaret and John, Coral and Paul, Barbara, Simone, Felicity, Dinah, Daphne and David, Liz, David and Jeanette, Stanley, Carol, John, Rachael, all those known to each of us and those who have no one to pray for them.

 

Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer

 

We bring before you all those who have died this week, those known to us and those who have passed unnoticed. We ask that You welcome them into the eternal peace of Your kingdom and comfort their families and friends who are left behind.

 

We remember those whose year’s mind occurs at this time:

 

Rejoicing in the fellowship of St Andrew, St Allen and St Clement and all Christian people to your unfailing love.

Merciful Father, accept these prayers for the sake of your son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

 

We say together:

 

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, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever.  Amen

 

His Mother’s Joy by John White Chadwick

 

Little, I ween, did Mary guess,

As on her arm her baby lay                                                                                                                                                                                                               What tides of joy would swell and beat,

Through ages long, on Christmas Day.

 

And what if she had known it all, -

The awful splendour of his fame!

The inmost heart of all her joy

Would still, methinks, have been the same.

 

The joy that every mother knows

Who feels her babe against her breast:

The voyage long is overpast,

And now is calm and peace and rest.

 

“Art thou the Christ?” The wonder came

As easy as her infant’s breath:

But answer none. Enough for her,

That love had triumphed over death.

 

The Peace

 

God is love and those who live in love live in God and God lives in them.

 

The peace of the Lord be always with you.

 

Hymn: 18 Ye servants of the Lord

 

The Blessing

 

May the grace of God uphold us,

the peace of God surround us,

the love of God flow from us,

and the strength of God protect

and bring us safely through this, and every day.

Amen