Koonung Heights Uniting Church
Service of Worship at Home
Let fear fuel a fire for justice
Christmas 1 – 28 December, 2025 – 9am or whenever possible
Worship around tables in small groups
You may like to light a candle during your time of worship.
Feel free to text the Peace to other members of the congregation.
Lighting the Christ Candle:
We light the Christ candle with joy,
because it reminds us of Jesus,
and his coming to share this human life with us.
Today we open ourselves to joy,
trusting that God has already planted it in us.
Acknowledgement of Country:
This is God’s land and God’s Spirit dwells here.
As we gather I acknowledge the
Wurundjeri WoiWurrung people of the Kulin nations,
traditional custodians of this place,
part of God’s good creation.
I pay my respects to their elders, past and present,
and to all future generations.
Let us journey humbly together.
Call to Worship:
In worship, we hear God’s story and we ask,
‘What did God do long ago?’
In worship, we hear God’s story, so we ask,
‘What is God doing, here and now?’
In worship, we hear God’s story, then we ask,
‘What can I do to respond to it all?’
Listen, God is speaking.
Listen, it may be time to act.
Let us worship our moving, inspiring, with-us God.
Amen.
Call to Prayer:
Family of faith, the invitation of our faith is simple.
We are invited to do justice, to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with God.
These things are often easier said than done.
Let’s come to God in prayer,
not because we have to,
but because God will always meet us there.
Let us pray.
Prayer of Thanksgiving and Confession:
Spirit of Wisdom,
you have chosen us to be messengers of your love.
You have equipped us to be your heralds of hope.
You are the One who can turn mourning into dancing,
demoralisation into joy.
In you we find the path to peace.
Protecting God,
you give shelter to peoples persecuted,
and courage to the faint-hearted.
Your heart is for the freedom to flourish,
and your endeavours are for the liberation of your children from all that imprisons.
Bless our bumbling efforts!
Forgive us our hesitation to live boldly for your kin-dom.
Stir our hearts to love large.
Make it impossible for us to overlook the stories of those in need,
or sweep injustice under the carpet.
Open our eyes and our hearts to injustice,
and move our bodies to action.
With hope for a better tomorrow we pray,
Amen.
Words of Assurance:
Family of faith,
even when we fail to do justice,
even when we fail to love kindness,
even when we allow fear to override action,
freezing us in place,
God still loves us.
So hear and believe
the good news of the gospel:
on our best days and on our worst days
we belong to God.
We are invited into community
and held in God’s grace.
Thanks be to God for a love like that.
The Peace:
May the peace of God dwell with you:
and also with you.
Bible Reading: Matthew 2:1-23
– The Visit of the Magi
1 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, magi from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star in the east and have come to pay him homage.”
3 When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him, 4 and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet:
6 ‘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.’ ”
7 Then Herod secretly called for the magi and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8 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.” 9 When they had heard the king, they set out, and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen in the east, until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 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. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
The Escape to Egypt
13 Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” 14 Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt 15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, “Out of Egypt I have called my son.”
The Massacre of the Infants
16 When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the magi. 17 Then what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:
18 “A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they are no more.”
The Return from Egypt
19 When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, 20 “Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child’s life are dead.” 21 Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee. 23 There he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, “He will be called a Nazarene.”
Discussion Starters:
When you hear the story of the Holy Family fleeing political persecution, how does it make you feel? Does it make you think of any current or historical events?
We often skip the story of Herod’s persecution and the Holy Family fleeing to Egypt. Why do you think that is? What do we lose if we don’t read and know about this text?
There is so much suffering in the world. What is one organisation, non-profit, or grassroots movement that inspires you?
Where and how do you see our congregation making a difference in the world? Where can we grow in this next year and the years to come?
The scripture of the Holy Family fleeing to Egypt is a story that stirs up compassion for refugees. When it comes to the work of justice, compassion, and peace, what other causes or movements are you invested in?
The theme for this morning is, “Let fear fire a fuel for justice.” How can we move from fear to action? How do we not let fear stop us in our tracks?
Blessing:
Today we have heard the story as it begins,
but it is yet to end.
It continues to be re-born in us,
as we play our part in God’s mission in the world.
We leave from here, to live that story,
to tell the story of love born at Christmas,
of love which is stronger than fear,
and to be bearers of peace, love, hope and joy.
May Emmanuel, God-with-us,
be with you and remain with you always.
Amen.
Thanks to all those who have assisted in preparation for this liturgy with encouragement, prayers and conversation. I have also utilised the following resources: Fig Tree Worship and A Sanctified Art (What do you fear? Insisting on Hope this Advent).