First Sunday of Christmas

Readings: Isaiah 61v10-62v3; Psalm 148; Galatians 4v4-7; Luke 2v15-21.

Let us pray: May the words of my mouth, and the thoughts and meditations of all our hearts, be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer.

A Word: Today in Luke we hear that after the shepherds had been visited by angels on the night of the birth of the promised Messiah, that they discussed what God had made known to them and decided to go and see for themselves. Once in the town, they found everything just as had been described to them and told all those who were there what the angels had said to them, and they were amazed. Those who were present included Jesus the Messiah, Mary his mother, Joseph, her husband and a number of other people who are not listed but indicated in the words “all who heard”. After this, the shepherds returned to their fields glorifying and praising God.

I love to hear this story about the shepherds being sent to see the Messiah because the David of the “David and Goliath story” was a shepherd when he was chosen by God to become the King of Israel and the ancestor of the Messiah. I love to hear this story about the shepherds because the Messiah was prophesied to be the Shepherd of God’s people and the Lamb of God. I love to hear this story because God chose shepherds to hear the message that the Messiah had been born into the world and that they shared the angelic message with the Holy Family and everyone else who was present.

Today, its our turn to learn from the scriptures, to listen to God’s message to us and to share what God needs the world to know, through what we share with all the people that we meet. This may be a message shared in a conversation about the things that God has done for us, or through a message shared by the way we love and serve others because of what God has done for us, or by sharing what we read and learn from the scriptures. But whatever we share and however we do it - I pray that we shall be a people who, like the shepherds, glorify and praise God as we go about our daily lives.

Let us pray: Almighty God, you created us, made us in your own image and through Jesus, restored us so we can share in the life of his divinity. Thank you for sending Jesus into the world to share in our humanity and live an earthly life. Now, bless and guide your Church, the people you are calling home, help us to live as a loving and united family, a people obedient to your word, heading to an eternal home in heaven. Amen

Thank you for joining us.