Christmas Eve, Watchnight
Welcome
Tonight
this is the meeting place
of earth and heaven
this is the stable
in which God keeps his pledge
to meet his people
God has sent his Son among us
Watch the service on YouTube: https://youtu.be/maPVaM2MSSI
Hymn 294 On Christmas Night all Christians sing
Prayer
Gracious God
On any other night most of us would be asleep at this hour
or if we were out, we wouldn’t be in church
But this night is different
we have come out in the cold, damp and darkness
we have come to your house
to take time to pause and reflect
on the wonder, the mystery, the amazing Good News
behind our Christmas celebrations
There is so much about that day that we do not know
because the Gospels only give us the basic details
But we do know that when Jesus was born
our God, the maker of all that is, or was, or will yet be
experienced what it is like to be a human being
experienced our feelings, our fears, our challenges
Maybe as we come here tonight
we share many of those feelings, fears and challenges
but we also carry in our hearts the hope and joy
that comes from knowing that you came to us in Jesus
and that he meets us here tonight
Risen and Glorified
bringing hope, peace and joy
to us, and to the whole world
open our ears to hear the Good News of Jesus
open our eyes to see the wonder of his birth
open our hearts to receive him into our lives Amen
Reading John 1: 1-18
Hymn 304 O little town of Bethlehem
Reflection God’s Christmas Letter
Composing my ‘periodic letters’ to my friends is always a good way of winding up poor old Gabriel. It’s a shame really, he means well, but he is so worried about being neat, tidy and orderly, that he doesn’t let his imagination fly, or indulge his sense of humour (do I hear you ask, ‘Does Gabriel have a sense of humour?) He hates it when I start to drag him into philosophical discussions.
Take my address for the top of this letter: where do I live? Heaven? But I am everywhere present on earth, and in every corner of every universe, and I am outside the boundaries of space too. So we pass on the address. Should I call this my ‘Annual letter’ and refer to ‘over the past year’? Gabriel doesn’t mind, so long as the copies are filed in correct date order, and the file is returned to the filing cabinet. But as I like to remind him, before time was, I am, and after time has ceased, I am. A thousand ages in my sight are like the twinkling of an eye – so I am simultaneously composing millions of ‘periodic letters’. However, I have decided that I am going to call this one my ‘Christmas’ letter. I tried the title on Gabriel, but he wasn’t impressed. ‘It’ll never catch on’ he said.
However we define the period since my last letter, it has been a busy one for me. New stars and galaxies being formed, old ones collapsing into black holes, a million million cosmic bodies and a million million life forms to watch over, talk to and listen to. There’s no rest for the righteous! (Now there’s a subject I could take up with some of the life forms).
I must admit, dear creation, that there are times when your quantum behaviour is particularly erratic, when your life forms are being particularly obtuse and awkward, That I could quite cheerfully be rid of you. A holiday would be nice. Silence from your incessant clamour would be wonderful. Not having to put up with and sort out your petty squabbles would be like seeing Eden reborn. But when I watch the sun rise over the sea, or set behind the mountains, it gives me a lump in the throat, just as it did when light burst forth in the Big Bang. When I watch puppies laughing and tumbling at play, when I hear the chuckle of a baby, I feel a tear come to my eye. When I hear the cry of the poor, the hungry, the sick, the grieving, my heart aches. I cannot turn my back on you, I cannot let you go. You and I are bound up together for all eternity.
And so I am sending you my ‘Christmas letter’. I am not writing it on paper, flashing it up in the sky with the aid of computer generated graphics, or relaying it through the wonders of technology still inconceivable to many of you. I am sending you a three-dimensional, animate letter – small, warm, noisy. I am sending you my Son, coming out of eternity into time, coming out of infinity into space, coming out of glory into humiliation, the creator being part of the creation. In him is written my guidance on how you should live. In him is written my warnings of what you should not do. In him is written my encouragement, my comfort, my challenge. In him is written my Christmas message for you and for the millions of millions yet to come – you are mine, and I will never leave you nor let you go.
My blessing be with you, on this and every Christmas, and every moment of every day in between.
With all my love
Hymn 305 In the bleak midwinter
Prayers for others and Lord’s Prayer
Generous, caring Father
Among all the presents given and received this Christmas
one surpasses all others –
your gift to us of your Son Jesus
He came because you care about your world
and two thousand years later you still care
You want all people to share peace and justice
through your Spirit you always work for change
you want us to be active in bringing about change too
As we celebrate tonight
we think of those who are not celebrating:
those who are ill or in pain, at home or in hospital
those separated from family and friends
those who don’t have family or friends
those grieving a friend or loved one
those who don’t have somewhere to call home
those who don’t have enough to eat, access to healthcare,
access to clean water
those who long to live in peace and safety
On the night we celebrate Jesus’ birth
we pray for all children and their parents
and especially those like Mary and Jesus,
where circumstances are stacked against them
As we celebrate again this night your great love for us
make us and all your church
ready to share the Good News about Jesus
We sum up our prayers in the words Jesus taught us
Hymn 309 Still the night
Lighting the Christmas candle
282 Christmas is coming Chorus – v5 – Chorus
Hymn O come all ye faithful
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 all people
And the blessing…