Sunday, December 25, 2011
Psalm 96; Luke 2:1-20
JOIN TO PRAISE GOD!
Eleanor Epp-Stobbe, preaching
Everything that happened yesterday is before Christ and everything that
happens tomorrow is after Christ. Today we are living in the now of God’s coming
among us. For today, this is our Bethlehem, we are all home – where
we bring the hopes and fears of all our years to lay them in here at the manger.
We celebrate the greatest change ever. Peace - joy - hope - love --- in
our time, in our lives, come to be with us. God with us. God comes to us in the midst of our lives.
However far from home we are, however less than ideal our circumstances, God
comes to us in the best of time and especially in the worst of times. God is
with us.
Psalm 96
O sing to the Lord a
new song; sing to the Lord, all
the earth. Sing to the Lord, bless
his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory
among the nations, his marvellous works among all the peoples. For great is the
Lord, and greatly to be praised;
he is to be revered above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are
idols, but the Lord made the
heavens. Honour and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his
sanctuary. Ascribe to the Lord,
O families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord
glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord
the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts. Worship
the Lord in holy splendour; tremble
before him, all the earth. Say among the nations, ‘The Lord is king! The world is firmly established; it shall
never be moved. He will judge the peoples with equity.’ Let the heavens be glad,
and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let
the field exult, and everything in it. Then shall all the trees of the forest
sing for joy before the Lord; for
he is coming, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with
righteousness, and the peoples with his truth
Luke 2:1-20
In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus
that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and
was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to
be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea,
to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house
and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged
and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to
deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in
bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them
in the inn. In
that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their
flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of
the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to
them, ‘Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for
all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is
the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child
wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with
the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to
God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favours!’
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one
another, ‘Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place,
which the Lord has made known to us.’ So they went with haste and found Mary
and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made
known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were
amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and
pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God
for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
New Revised Standard Version
