You may wish to light a candle before you begin.
May the grace, mercy and love of God be with us all. Amen.
Collect
Eternal God, as Mary waited for the birth of your Son, so we wait for his coming in glory; bring us through the birth pangs of this present age to see, with her, our great salvation in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Confession
When the Lord comes, he will bring to light things now hidden in darkness, and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Therefore in the light of Christ let us confess our sins.
Lord God, we confess to you the sin which always confronts us. We are sorry and repent: have mercy on us according to your love. Wash away our wrongdoing and cleanse us from our sin. Renew a right spirit within us, and restore us to the joy of your salvation, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
May the Father of all mercies cleanse us from our sins and restore us in his image, to the praise and glory of his name, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
God’s Word - 2 Samuel, chapter 7, verses 1 to 11 and 16 :-
Once the king was established in his palace and the LORD had given him security from his enemies on all sides, he said to Nathan the prophet, ‘Here I am living in a house of cedar, while the Ark of God is housed in a tent.’ Nathan answered, ‘Do whatever you have in mind, for the LORD is with you.’ But that same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan: ‘Go and say to David my servant, This is the word of the LORD: Are you to build me a house to dwell in? Down to this day I have never dwelt in a house since I brought Israel up from Egypt; I lived in a tent and a tabernacle. Wherever I journeyed with Israel, did I ever ask any of the judges whom I appointed shepherds of my people Israel why they had not built me a cedar house?
‘Then say this to my servant David: This is the word of the LORD of Hosts: I took you from the pastures and from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have destroyed all the enemies in your path. I shall bring you fame like the fame of the great ones of the earth. I shall assign a place for my people Israel; there I shall plant them to dwell in their own land. They will be disturbed no more; never again will the wicked oppress them as they did in the past, from the day when I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I shall give you peace from all your enemies.
‘The LORD has told you that he would build up your royal house. Your family and your kingdom will be established for ever in his sight; your throne will endure for all time.’
Luke, chapter 1, verses 26 to 38 :-
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, with a message for a girl betrothed to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David; the girl’s name was Mary. The angel went in and said to her, ‘Greetings, most favoured one! The Lord is with you.’ But she was deeply troubled by what he said and wondered what this greeting could mean. Then the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for God has been gracious to you; you will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David, and he will be king over Israel for ever; his reign shall never end.’
‘How can this be?’ said Mary. ‘I am still a virgin.’ The angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; for that reason the holy child to be born will be called Son of God. Moreover your kinswoman Elizabeth has herself conceived a son in her old age; and she who is reputed barren is now in her sixth month, for God’s promises can never fail.’ ‘I am the Lord’s servant,’ said Mary; ‘may it be as you have said.’ Then the angel left her.
Thanks be to God, for this his holy word. Amen.
Reflection on the Readings
Last week’s question, to John the Baptist, was “Who are you?” This week’s, from Mary to the angel, is “How can this be?” Mary has just been told what will happen - though in fact it won’t, if she says no. And what the angel has told her will happen can’t. It’s impossible. How can this be? - she asks.
The angel explains that this is God’s work, the child-to-be implanted in her womb will be placed there by God’s holy Spirit. But I can imagine that Mary - who may well have only been about fourteen years old herself - will have been only too well aware that seeing this as God’s work isn’t going to wash with family, friends and neighbours - or indeed with Joseph, her husband-to-be. There is going to be more than a whiff of scandal about this birth. Her status, her friendships, and even her marriage are all placed at risk.
She must have felt she was standing at a cliff edge. Everything in her life was about to change. And yet she says “Yes.” Indeed, she says more than just “Yes” - she declares herself to be the handmaid of the Lord. “May it be as you have said.”
Whenever I read this passage, I always have the sense of the whole universe, and legions of angels, all collectively holding their breath. Everything depends on what this young girl says next. I always place the events of the day in a very ordinary household setting, and imagine Mary doing the dishes, or something. God intervening in just the day to day ordinary stuff, with this utterly amazing and even appalling message.
There is an old tradition that Luke was not only a Gospel-writer and a doctor, but also an artist, and that he painted Mary’s portrait. It almost certainly has no basis in fact, but it may well be that Luke knew Mary, and she certainly figures more prominently in his Gospel than the others. We find her constantly wondering, constantly “treasuring things up in her heart” - as Luke tends to put it. And only Luke tells us this particular story.
More churches are dedicated to Mary than to any other saint. In Wales, Llanfair means “Mary’s church”, and just look how many Llanfairs there are. And certainly the simple faith and wholehearted obedience of Mary should be a mark of the Church in every place. In just the same way that everything in heaven and earth waited that day on what Mary would say, so the outworking of God’s love today, in smaller ways but just as decisively, depends on us. We have the same freedom, to say yes or no. To let God in, or to leave him out. Love doesn’t force, but only asks.
There’s an apocryphal story that has Jesus, newly ascended, standing with Gabriel looking down at the little bunch of disciples stood there on the hilltop. “And you’re leaving it all up to them?” asks Gabriel. “Twelve guys who’ve got it wrong so often, and keep falling out. They’re to take the message of your saving love out into all the world?” “That’s right,” says Jesus. Gabriel stands there for a moment, on his corner of the cloud, looking down. “OK,” he says. “But what’s the plan B?” “There isn’t a plan B,” says Jesus.
Statement of faith -
We believe in God the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. We believe in God the Son, who lives in our hearts through faith, and fills us with his love. We believe in God the Holy Spirit, who strengthens us with power from on high. We believe in one God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Prayers -
We ask God to guide us in our preparation for Christmas worship, and in particular that we may be able to worship safely. We pray for the mission of the Church worldwide, and especially for the mission agencies of the Anglican Communion. In our own diocese we pray for Bishop Richard, and today that our diocese may be inclusive and open in the welcome it offers to all who come to worship with us.
We continue to pray for the peace of the world, and for all world leaders, that they may be ready and willing to work for peace, understanding and the welfare of all. As there are signs of a new threat from a mutated form of the Covid virus in the UK and elsewhere, we pray for a calm and measured response, and for the continued roll-out of vaccines and vacciniation.
We pray for all who are ill or in any kind of pain, anxiety or need, and for the work of our local hospitals and health centres, and the safety of those who work there. We pray for all who are suffering from stress, depressive illness and other mental health issues, and for those who offer help and treatment.
We pray for our families and friends, and for the life of our churches and communities. We pray for all who will be unable to be with family and friends this Christmas, especially as tighter restrictions are being announced. And we pray we may continue to look out for each other in these testing times, and keep safe ourselves.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Blessing -
May Christ the Sun of Righteousness shine upon us, and scatter the darkness from before our path; and may the blessing of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen.
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