Today is Monday,
December 28th,
2020,
The fourth day of Christmas.
Oh Lord,
Let my soul rise up to meet you as the day rises to meet the sun.
Glory to God,
The three in one,
Creator,
Redeemer,
And sustainer,
As it was in the beginning,
Is now and will be forever.
Amen.
Oh come,
Let us sing together.
Let us worship and adore Christ the Lord.
Remind yourself that you are in God's presence.
Notice how God may be speaking to you today.
Let yourself dwell on a word or a phrase that catches your attention,
And let your heart simply respond to God in prayer.
Please repeat these words.
My eyes have seen your salvation,
Which you have prepared for all people to see.
Luke 2 verses 22 through 35.
When the eighth day arrived for the child circumcision,
His name,
His name was named Jesus,
The name the angel had given Him before He was conceived.
When the day came for them to be purified as laid down by the law of Moses,
The couple took Jesus up to Jerusalem and presented Him to God.
For it is written in the law of our God,
Every firstborn heir is to be consecrated to God.
They likewise came to offer and sacrifice a pair of turtle doves or two young pigeons in accordance with the dictate of the law of our God.
Now there lived in Jerusalem,
A man named Simeon.
He was devout and just,
Anticipating the consolation of Israel,
And he was filled with the Holy Spirit.
She had revealed revealed to Simeon that he wouldn't see death until he had seen the Messiah of God.
Prompted by the Spirit,
Simeon came to the temple.
And when the parents brought the child to perform the customary rituals of the law,
He took the child in his arms and praised God,
Saying,
Now,
Oh God,
You can dismiss your servant in peace,
Just as you promised.
Because my eyes have seen the salvation which you have prepared for all the peoples to see.
A light of revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of your people,
Israel.
As the child's mother and father stood there marveling at the things that were being said,
Simeon blessed them and said to Mary,
The mother,
This child is destined to be the downfall and the rise of many in Israel and to be a sign that is rejected so that the secret thoughts of many may be laid bare.
And a sword will pierce your heart as well.
Please repeat these words.
My eyes have seen your salvation.
Which you have prepared for all people to see.
I invite you now to hold someone before God.
As we reflect,
Led by the words,
Christmas comes by Ann Weems.
Christmas comes every time we see God in other people,
The human and the holy meet in Bethlehem or in Times Square for Christmas comes like a golden storm on its way to Jerusalem.
Determinedly,
Inevitably.
Even now it comes in the face of hatred and warring,
No atrocity too terrible to stop it,
No Herod strong enough,
No hurt deep enough,
No curse shocking enough,
No disaster shattering enough.
For someone on earth will see the star.
Someone will hear the angel voices.
Someone will run to Bethlehem.
Someone will know peace and goodwill.
The Christ will be born.
We pray in the name of Jesus who taught us to pray.
Our Father which art in heaven.
Eternal God Earth maker pain bearer life giver.
Source of all that is and all that shall be.
Not only father but mother of us all.
May the Halloween of your name,
Echo through the universe.
May the way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world.
May your heavenly will be done by all created beings.
May your Commonwealth of peace and freedom sustain our hope and come on earth.
With the bread we need for today feed us in the hurts we absorb from one another,
Forgive us.
In times of temptation and test,
Strengthen us from trials too great to endure spare us from the grip of all that is evil free us.
For you reign in the glory of the power that is love now and forever.
Amen.
Let us go from this place proclaiming that we have seen the glory of God,
Believing that there is a light that shines in the darkest shadows,
A brightness that will never be overcome.
And may the love of the Creator,
The joy of the Spirit,
And the peace of the Christ child be with you this Christmas and forevermore.
Amen.
Go in peace.
