Koonung Heights Uniting Church – Service of Worship at Home
Christmas 1 – 26 December – 10am or whenever possible
You may like to light a candle during your time of worship.
Feel free to text the Peace to other members of the congregation.
We Sing: “Joy to the World” – (Click on this link and skip the ads)
Acknowledgement of Country:
As we meet to worship today,
I acknowledge the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung People of the Kulin nation,
the first inhabitants and custodians of this place
from time beyond remembering.
I pay my respects to their elders,
past and present, and to future generations.
May God continue to bless each one
who works for healing and restoration
of this land and her communities.
Call to Worship:
Boxing Day!
A day for being with others,
around a table, at a meal or party,
in a church together or participating online.
Being together,
one people,
one Spirit of love and fellowship.
Jesus, and his family,
join in celebratory praise –
with pilgrims just like them,
attending a festival of praise.
Let us come into the presence
of the parent of all creation,
and the child who is Lord of life.
Let us praise God together.
We Sing: “Jesus calls us here to meet him” – (Click on this link & skip the ads)
Prayer of Adoration and Confession:
God of eternity, present with us now,
God of all creation, present with us here,
in this ordinary, but particular place,
this unremarkable, but unique moment,
we experience the mystery of incarnation:
God with us, Immanuel.
You, the Eternal Mystery,
the One with no name and many,
are with us here and now, and we marvel
as did the shepherds and sages,
the teachers in the Temple,
the confused but loving parents
of one remarkable child through whom
you came close to us once,
and, amazingly, still sometimes do.
We have got used to hearing about
all that made him different from us.
We marvel still more at all that makes him the same:
his vulnerability and dependence as a baby;
his growing independence as a child;
his testing of the boundaries as an adolescent.
We give thanks for his questions,
and his sharp insights into truths
that the adults had forgotten or did not want to see.
We are blessed by the special relationship
that he had with you, his heavenly Father,
and by the gracious wisdom of his human parents,
who encouraged that to develop as he grew.
It is only a day after the Christmas celebration
and we are exhausted.
People have come and gone; gatherings are winding down;
we are being reminded of the ‘normalcy’ of life,
and we don’t want to go there just yet.
We want to linger in the warmth of the season.
Forgive us when we don’t seem to feel
your warmth in our lives all the time.
Forgive us when we assign warmth
only to Christmas and Easter
and seem to dwell on the mundane the rest of the time.
Give us courage to live as people of the Light,
those who find your comforting, encouraging
presence in our lives at all times.
Strengthen us as people who bear your name.
Amen.
Words of Assurance:
People of God, feel the presence of God right now,
in this place, warming your hearts,
forgiving your fears and strife.
In the name of Jesus Christ, you are beloved and forgiven.
Amen.
The Peace:
May the peace of Christ, Emmanuel, the One who came to be present among us,
be with you always … and also with you.
A Time for All:
Have you ever looked back and think that time has just flown by? When you know that something actually happened ages ago but it seems like it was only yesterday? Well that’s what’s happened to us all with our bible readings for today … twelve years has slipped by in the space of twenty-four hours. Yesterday the tiny baby Jesus was born in Bethlehem and suddenly today he’s almost a troublesome teenager.
Troublesome you say … is that fair? Well if you suddenly discovered that your twelve year old was missing you would not only be concerned, but when you find them your relief is matched by frustration.
Let me tell you a story. Miss almost-eleven was just starting to walk home from school. Not quite sure of walking the whole way herself, an agreement was made by mother and daughter to meet at the corner of a local park known as the lakes. It was a good half-way point, encouraged some independence and meant that a heavy school bag didn’t have to be carried all the way home.
This plan was working quite well until one day when things went wrong. When Mum arrived at the usual spot, Miss almost eleven was nowhere to be seen. After waiting a while Mum checked at home, with the school, with some friends and went back to the place they were supposed to meet. In the end she contacted the police who told her not to worry and said they would look for her daughter.
Of course Mum was worried, but about half an hour later Miss almost eleven turned up. She had been sitting in another park waiting for Mum. Mum was so relieved to see her safe and well. And what did Elizabeth say when we met up? “Mum, where have you been, you took such a long time I was getting bored”. A little like Jesus, Elizabeth wasn’t worried at all. She felt safe and happy where she was, just a little bored because I was late!
It is all a part of growing up … allowing children to spread their wings, try things on their own and search out answers to their questions. For each young person there comes a time when mum and dad don’t have all the answers anymore, when they need to work things out on their own and to create their own steps for the dance of life.
As an older person it’s such a privilege when a younger person asks your opinion or wants to chat with you. Jesus found people who were happy to listen and share with him. Maybe try and be that person for someone younger who is a part of your circle. Be willing to be a listening ear. Allow them to ask the tough questions. Be honest when you don’t know the answer. Listen, share, don’t judge and be willing to let them have a go, mess up and try again. What a difference we can all make if we do this.
Let us pray
Thank you, God, for the tricky questions that Jesus asked in the Temple, and for the adults who were willing to listen. Encourage us to ask the tough questions too, and to be conversation partners with others who need to find answers.
Amen.
Bible Reading: Psalm 148 –
Praise for God’s Universal Glory
1 Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise him in the heights!
2 Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his host!
3 Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars!
4 Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens!
5 Let them praise the name of the Lord, for he commanded and they were created.
6 He established them forever and ever; he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed.
7 Praise the Lord from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps,
8 fire and hail, snow and frost, stormy wind fulfilling his command!
9 Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars!
10 Wild animals and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds!
11 Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth!
12 Young men and women alike, old and young together!
13 Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted;
his glory is above earth and heaven.
14 He has raised up a horn for his people, praise for all his faithful,
for the people of Israel who are close to him.
Praise the Lord!
We Sing: “Come, O God of all the earth” – (Click on this link & skip the ads)
Bible Reading: Luke 2:41-52 –
The Boy Jesus in the Temple
41 Now every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. 43 When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. 44 Assuming that he was in the group of travellers, they went a day’s journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. 45 When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 When his parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, “Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.” 49 He said to them, “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” 50 But they did not understand what he said to them. 51 Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart.
52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favour.
Watch and listen to the reflection
Reflection: Lost Years?
The Lost Years … it could be the name of some television series filled with drama and suspense, maybe like the old sci-fi classic Lost in Space … you remember the show with a robot who used to repeatedly sound out the warning “Danger, Will Robinson”. More recently the series Lost, which lasted for 121 episodes, focused on the lives of stranded survivors of an airplane crash. Or a favourite horror-comedy movie of mine from the 80s called The Lost Boys. The lost years could also refer to the large part of Jesus’ life that we know virtually nothing about.
The gospels of Matthew and Luke both begin with a focus on Jesus’ birth and infancy, but then, like the other gospels, leap ahead to Jesus’ public ministry which began when he was around 30 years of age. The period in between, from infancy to 30, is pretty much a blank and we have almost no information about what Jesus did. We do know that he was raised in the village of Nazareth in Galilee, and worked with wood in some fashion, probably as a carpenter, but apart from that most of Jesus’ history remains lost to us. I sometimes wonder whether Jesus went through a ‘terrible two’ phase? Did he experience sudden growth spurts or have struggles in adolescence? It would be interesting to have the answer to those questions.
There is, however, one fascinating incident from Jesus’ youth that is not entirely lost to us. It only appears in Luke’s gospel and we have heard it today. It is a little amusing that the one story not lost to us, is one where we hear that Jesus is lost. At age 12, on the cusp of manhood in his culture, Jesus goes missing. He doesn’t actually think he’s lost. He’s in the Jerusalem temple – right where he aims to be, but his parents, Mary and Joseph, don’t know where he is and become utterly frantic, as anyone who has had a child go missing would understand.
It’s a pretty safe bet that no parent, ancient or modern, would be surprised to hear that a lively, intelligent 12 year-old boy, at a key stage in his transition to adulthood and preoccupied with his own thoughts, should forget his parents’ injunctions to stay safe and let them know where he was at all times. As was their annual custom as faithful Jews, the villagers of Nazareth journeyed approx. 110km south to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover week. It would have been the important holiday season for Mary, Joseph and their family, and presumably they would have all had a great time – until the point on the return trip when Jesus’ parents discover he’s not in the caravan group heading back to Nazareth. While we know that Jesus purposefully ‘stayed behind in Jerusalem’ (Luke 2:43), Mary and Joseph did not know for a whole day! This seems incredible, but maybe is not so unusual. In their tight knit community they would have assumed that Jesus was somewhere among relatives and friends in the Nazareth travel party. In a small town network, parents didn’t need to know where their children were every minute of the day.
For the young Jesus, freshly trained in the reading of the Scriptures for his Bar mitzvah, and full of questions and ideas, it would have been easy to get caught up in conversation with the teachers in the Temple and lose track of time. The fact that this could continue on for three days without any attempt to contact his family suggests a deliberate choice on his part, and would have left his parents frantic with worry, something that the young Jesus doesn’t seem to be concerned about at all. In fact, far from even pretending to be sorry, he remains defiant, telling Mary and Joseph that they should have known where he would be, adding insult to injury by reminding Joseph that he is not his real father. While, on the one hand we can be impressed by Jesus’ spiritual awareness, his response sounds somewhat like a typical teenager to me.
And what of his parents … Mary’s response to this incident, possibly after she had grounded Jesus for a month!, was to ‘treasure these things in her heart’ (Luke 2:51). She may have learned this habit early on when the angel arrived to announce her pregnancy and strange things began to happen that she didn’t fully understand. Most of us, whether parents or not, have a collection of treasures: things we cannot quite bring ourselves to throw away and memories that we want to keep. Whether physical or sensory, they are precious, for reasons we may or may not understand. They are the things that help make meaning for us, that are central to the story of who we are.
It is interesting that the writer of Luke frames this amazing story as one incident within the growth and development of Jesus. Before this story begins we read that ‘The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom, and the favour of God was upon him’ (Luke 2:40). The final verse of the passage is similar ‘And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favour’ (Luke 2:52). While the time in the temple was valuable for Jesus, his extended ‘home schooling’ in Nazareth was just as formative. Yes, Jesus received special insight in the temple that his earthly parents do not completely grasp, but his full knowledge of God, self and others requires both divine and human nurture. Jesus continues to grow in his small hometown community of Nazareth before he is ready to begin his ministry.
The one Gospel story of Jesus’ youth ends with him walking back from the temple stage to the small community of Nazareth, where he continues to live with Mary and Joseph in quiet obscurity. Humble origins, humble upbringing and humble faithfulness are how Jesus’ community helped him to come to know God more deeply.
A couple of weeks ago someone from this congregation spoke in thanks about what this community has done for their children. What a blessing it was to be reminded of that. I wonder if we are really aware of the impact we have when we offer space to grow to one another: how this can lead to real treasure, tools for growth, nurture and getting to know God more deeply. Let this be our calling.
Amen.
We Sing: “Jesus’ parents left the temple” – (Click on this link for tune – words below)
Jesus’ parents left the Temple with a traveling caravan.
They were sure their son was with them as they left Jerusalem.
Soon they cried, “We cannot find him!” He was somehow left behind them,
So they went to search for him. So they went to search for him.
They went back and finally found him with the teachers of the Law.
What they witnessed was astounding! What a wondrous sight they saw.
For the questions he was raising showed his knowledge was amazing;
All who heard him were in awe. All who heard him were in awe.
Still his mother had to scold him, for she’d known a parent’s fear.
“We were worried! “Mary told him. “when we could not find you near!”
Jesus answered Mary, saying, “Did you not know I’d be staying
In my Father’s house, right here?” In my Father’s house, right here?
God of love, with earthly parents, Jesus listened, learned, and grew.
In the Temple, in your presence, he knew he was home with you.
We’re reminded of his wisdom; He was learning of his mission
And the work that he would do. And the work that he would do.
© Carolyn Winfrey Gillette
Prayer for Others (written by Peta Lowe):
Today is Boxing Day, and as we continue to celebrate Christmas, I would like to begin with a Christmas Prayer that was sent by Uniting, and follow it with some prayers of my own.
Let us pray A Christmas Prayer:
God of grace and wonder,
We, like the lowly shepherds, are amazed;
On blended knee, like the magi, we offer our gifts;
Like Mary and Joseph, life is full of uncertainty.
But we can know that love conquers fear,
That love inspires lives of service to others and
Ushers in the peace that the world so badly needs.
May this love fill our hearts with joy
And give us hope to share.
Lord, hear us. Hear our prayer.
Dear God, during Advent we dwelt on the themes of Hope, Peace, Love and Joy.
Now we hold before you, dear God, our hopes for the year ahead.
Our hopes for wise, science-based Climate Action, to benefit all people and our environment.
Our hopes for vaccination of the whole world, and effective management of CoVid worldwide.
Our hopes for justice and sharing
And the hopes of our indigenous peoples.
We bring to you our longing for peace
In all the troubled places across the world,
For peace in families and communities
And for peace in people’s hearts and minds.
We pray for a greater appreciation of your love, so vividly shown at Christmas.
We ask that your Church worldwide, and here, will reflect your love to the world.
We thank you for the joy of Christmas, and pray that we will carry that deep joy throughout the year.
Lord, hear us. Hear our prayer.
Dear God, yesterday was Christmas Day.
We thank you and praise you on behalf of everyone who had a wonderful day with family and friends. Thank you for all the great meals that were shared in good company, and for the joy and love that abounded in many homes. Thank you God!
We also remember those whose Christmas Day was stressful, difficult or disappointing.
Where Christmas Day was marred by violence or conflict,
where it was clouded by grief,
Or where Christmas Day seemed to heighten a sense of inadequacy, disadvantage, brokenness, loneliness or isolation.
We pray for those who spent Christmas Day in hospital or a Nursing Home, or ill at home.
We remember those who spent the day alone.
We think of those who are working throughout Christmas,
And of those for whom Christmas Day was another day of work and worry, caring for the needs of loved ones.
We pray for those who now face debt or financial pressure.
Peace, goodwill, love and compassion are talked about a lot at Christmas time, and indeed put into action by many people. We pray that these priceless gifts will not be left under the Christmas tree and forgotten, but instead flourish throughout the year.
Lord, hear us. Hear our prayer.
Dear God, as we continue to celebrate Christmas, and as we look towards the New Year, keep alive in our hearts your gifts of hope, peace, love and joy, so that we may live the life you intend for us, and so that we may share these gifts with others.
Keep us alert to the signs of your activity in the world around us, and to the prompting of your Holy Spirit in our own hearts and minds.
Lord, hear us. Hear our prayer.
We offer these prayers in the name of the one whose birth we celebrate at Christmas, and who remains with us, our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us pray the prayer he taught his disciples:
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name;
Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil.
For the Kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever.
Amen.
We Sing: “Once in royal David’s city” – (Click on this link & skip the ads – TIS words below)
Blessing:
Do not get lost – do not get left behind.
We go to follow God’s plan –
to treasure all things God makes known,
and that God makes available to us.
We go,
not to hoard our experience of God,
but to reveal, make available,
and encourage others
to know such blessing as we know.
We go to serve our God –
the Father and Mother of all people.
May the blessing of God go with you.
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:- Spill the Beans (Issue 41), Ministry Matters, Sermons for Sunday and Billabong Worship Resources.