Sunday 26 December 2021 Boxing Day
Welcome
This is how God showed his love among us:
he sent his only Son into the world
that we might have life through him.
Hymn 322 Good Christians all rejoice
Boxing Day
Did you get any presents for Christmas? Has anyone got them with them today? Today is Boxing Day. It is said that at one time some people (particularly servants in big houses) received their presents the day after Christmas Day. I don’t know how many people follow the ‘presents on Boxing Day’ custom now. When we had very small children (who got a lot of presents and ‘wee mindings’ from a very wide circle of friends and neighbours of the family – and were more interested in the wrapping paper than what was inside) we opened some on Christmas Day, some on Boxing Day, and some every other day till they were all open. Some people may have more presents to open today. Some didn’t have many to open yesterday, let alone spread the task over two days. Some maybe didn’t have any presents to open at all.
For some people Boxing Day is part of the festivities – maybe they are having friends or family round, or they are going out for lunch or dinner. For some it is the quiet Day After the Day Before: playing with toys, reading books, having a sleep and eating up left-overs. For some it is just an ordinary day, as yesterday was – nothing special, no gatherings.
Whatever we are doing today, today is a special day, because it is a day to spend with God. Every day is a day with God, and every day with God is a special day. God also wants us each day to think about those who are on their own, who are feeling lonely or sad, who have nothing ‘special’ to celebrate or look forward to, and do what we can to help them.
Prayer
Heavenly Father
Usually at this time of the year
we look back on the year that has been
remembering things that we have done
people we have seen, places we have been
but this year is different
so many things that we had looked forward to
so many things that we had planned to do
did not happen
we all carry some sort of scars
some had the virus
some lost family or friends to it
some feel effects on their mental health
some lost jobs or income
some lost educational opportunities
it’s easy to feel angry and frustrated by it
but there are also things we should celebrate
the commitment of health and care staff
and other key workers
the concern of people for their neighbours
the new perspective on life and its priorities
that many people have found
the new appreciation of the world on the doorstep
new interests and skills acquired and honed
we give you thanks that through it all
you have been with us
you have shared the pain
you have been with the lonely and grieving
you have surrounded us with your love
We confess that we have failed to give you thanks
for all your goodness to us
all your loving kindness
As we come towards the end of this year
help us to place our hope and trust in you
and be your beacons of light and hope in the world
sharing your love, sharing your Good News
Through Christ our Lord we pray. Amen
Hymn 316 Love came down at Christmas
Reading Isaiah 9: 2-7
Reflection
During December newspapers and many TV and radio programmes do reviews of the year, or quizzes about things that happened during the year. It probably helps fill their pages or programmes, but it can also be a reminder of things that happened, about which we had forgotten:
- let’s start with Covid: we went into another Lockdown that lasted till late Spring/early Summer, then we were now left to be ‘careful’ without definitive guidance, and now…
- at the start of the year few had been vaccinated, now many have had a third one
- January saw the messy handover of power from Donald Trump to Joe Biden
- over the year we had the messy withdrawal of Western forces from Afghanistan and the return of the Taliban; there were new leaders and governments in Israel and Germany; Russian forces massed on the Ukrainian border; China engaged in sabre-rattling with Taiwan; there was tension on the border between Poland and Belarus over migrants; tension between the EU and Poland and Hungary over some of their domestic agenda; tension between the EU and the UK over the Northern Irish Protocol; tension between the UK and France over migrants crossing the Channel; catastrophic fires during summer heatwaves; a volcano erupted on La Palma in the Canaries and another on Java
- we had an election to the Scottish Parliament; the G7 met in Cornwall; the world came to Glasgow for Cop26, and the SEC left Scotland for a fortnight; Storm Arwen created havoc; Scotland was warned in the summer not to use too much water, in case we had a drought
- there are ongoing stories of people worried about jobs, money, health, schooling and college education, social care
Personally we have our own high points and low points:
- maybe we managed to meet up with family or friends we hadn’t seen for a long while (or maybe we haven’t been able to do that)
- maybe we managed a holiday or short break
- maybe there was good news about a job or exam results, a new member of the family
- maybe there were times of illness, sadness or loss.
Today’s reading is from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah. It is a very long book, but we don’t know when, how or by whom it was put together. Commentators think it started life as a collection of sayings (some in prose, some in verse; some from the days of the little kingdom of Judah, some from the years after it fell to the Babylonian Empire, and many Jews were deported to what is now Iraq; and some from the years after the Babylonian Empire fell, and some Jews returned to the Holy Land, under Persian control). These sayings were transmitted orally and eventually written down. Some seem to be linked to definite historical events, others are harder to allocate to a specific time. Whenever it was written down, the compiler did not just stick bits together in a random fashion, but used the material to illustrate the theme of the Prophet’s message.
The Book begins with the Prophet denouncing greed, arrogance, corruption, injustice, oppression, exploitation and murder – directing his criticism particularly at the government and ruling elite. The opening is set against a serious political crisis facing the little kingdom of Judah: it was caught between a hostile alliance of neighbouring states, and a superpower that wanted to extend its influence in and through Judah. It was a kind-of ‘can’t win’ situation. Isaiah urged the government and elite to stop playing politics, turn back to God and put their trust in him. His message is rejected, and in despair he promised them a bleak future. Then we come to this morning’s reading: God will act to change the world, to end oppression and violence, to usher in peace and a just and caring government, hope will replace despair.
To the audience in Isaiah’s time this would have suggested literally a new heir and future ruler from the royal house of David. In the centuries since, Jewish people have hoped that God will bring in a better world, even if the link with the house of David has faded somewhat. Christians share that hope, but for us it is not just dependent upon the words of a prophet, but is firmly fixed in the life and teaching of Jesus, the baby born in the city of David.
Although the opening of the Book of Isaiah is set more than two and a half thousand years ago, looking round our world today we see many of the same sorts of problems that he spoke against then. God does not want greed, arrogance, corruption, injustice, oppression, exploitation and murder in his world, and he has acted, through the life, death and rising of Jesus, and through the gift of the Spirit, to bring about change. He offers us hope, but he also offers us challenge: to proclaim the Good News of Jesus, to live it out in practice, and to work full out to bring change to his world.
Hymn 303 It came upon the midnight clear
Prayer for others and Lord’s Prayer
Lord
Jesus knew the love and security of his earthly family
we pray for our families and friends
for those who don’t have families or friends
those who find relationships with family difficult
We pray for all who are ill,
those who look after them
and those who worry about them
those waiting for or receiving treatment
and those for whom there is no treatment
those who are lonely, feeling down, or grieving a friend or loved one
those who are worried about home, work or money
a friend or a relative
those who are living with the after-effects of natural disasters
those who do not have enough to eat, or somewhere to call home
those who long to live in peace and safety
those who have fled from their homes seeking safety
We pray for the Queen, the Government
all in positions of leadership in this and every land
We pray for you church
the worldwide church
the wider church in Dumbarton
our own congregation
help us always to be faithful to Jesus our Lord
We bring to you our prayers for people and situations of special concern to us
And we sum up our prayers in the words of the prayer Jesus gave us
Hymn 324 Angels from the realms of glory
Blessing
May the joy of the angels,
the humility of the shepherds,
and the peace of the Christ-child
be God’s gift to you and to all people
this Christmas, and always.
And the blessing…