Lectionary for Christmas 2

Lectionary for Christmas 2

To all who received him, who believed in his name, Christ gave power to become children of God.  John 1:12

Collect. Almighty God, you have filled us with the new light of the Word who became flesh and lived among us. Let the light of faith shine in all that we do; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Reading. Ephesians 1:3-14 As we read the passages for this week we noticed that they all have a future aspect to them. These readings reflect the nature of the God, who was, who is and who is to come. Before the beginning of time God chose a people in Christ to be his own. The reason there are Christians today is because this is what God had already planned. It is this very plan that draws each member of the Christian family on into the future, a future that will be glorious; glorious because all things will be gathered together under Christ and then we will celebrate our inheritance. More importantly this inheritance comes about because of God’s grace and faithfulness, not because of what we have done. With these thoughts in mind it is no wonder that Paul can begin this letter to the Ephesians filled with praise for God. Indeed in these few verses he captures the essence of the Christian faith. God had a plan to establish a family and this family was and is to be made possible through the sacrificial ministry of his Son, Jesus Christ. Through the sacrifice of Jesus his family will be forgiven and accepted; they will be holy and blameless.

This then is a great passage with which to begin a new year and is a great favourite for bible readers who reflect on the greatness of God. It reminds us again that we owe everything to Jesus Christ, furthermore in him we have everything we need to reach our promised destination. “In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will, so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory”. Ephesians 1:11–12 NRSV

Prayer. Gracious Lord, we do thank and praise you for the wonder of your plan and purpose. We thank you that Jesus is the Saviour for all the world and that all things are sustained through his might and power. We thank you that every living creature is subject to his care. By your grace you have revealed to us the mystery that Jesus was destined to come and live a human life and so impute to us the honour and dignity of righteousness before you. We lift our hands in humble thanks and praise and bless you continually. Receive our praise through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Reading. John 1: 10-18. The Gospel of John is recognised as the last of the gospels to be written and is dated towards the end of the first century: By this time, despite strong opposition, many Christian congregations were in existence. This is the second Sunday of the Christmas season; It is timely to remember that with the commercialising of Christmas many myths and legends have attached themselves to the Christmas story. Here then we have John presenting the essentials of the Christmas message, “the Word became flesh and lived among us”. The scholars tell us that this phrase, “lived among us”, in Greek translates as, “pitched his tent with us” in other words Jesus Christ chose to live our life as we do! Though Jesus was a man he was also the Creator of the creation to which he came; as such he knew and understood what life meant and more importantly how life was to be lived. He lived among us, yet the world did not know him or who he was, even though he was revealing to humanity the very nature of God. Despite the fact that no one recognised who Jesus was, belief in him was and is still possible and with that belief came the opportunity to join God’s family and so live the life that God desired. At the end of the gospel John reveals the reason for writing, namely that people might believe that Jesus was the Son of God, and that by believing they might find a fullness of life. This was a life that without him they could not know. John is lifting up Jesus for all to see and he is also explaining who this Jesus is that he is revealing. From John’s perspective Jesus is the hope of the world; because he is revealing God’s nature he is presenting us with an opportunity to live both in harmony with God but also in harmony with one another. If acceptance by God is universal for all who believe, then all who believe should be able to live together in harmony! As John recounts, “From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace”. (v16) The grace we receive comes from Christ but it also comes with Christ. The grace of God is not separate from God himself. It is this grace which allows us to live in Christ’s way not in a self centred way. The Christ who came and lived with us needs to be the Christ who is at the very centre of our lives, so that by his guidance and strength we can live in and through him. The message through the angelic choir was “Glory to God, peace on earth and good will to all people with whom God is pleased!” (Luke 2:14) Christ’s coming has changed everything it is our response to live out the changes that he won!

Prayer. Lord we thank you for those women and men who have clear insights into what you are about in the world: Those who reveal to us the nature and purpose of our Lord Jesus Christ. Help us to be willing listeners to those who can point us on our way. Above all help us to hear your voice as you call us to the mission you want us to fulfil. May we all be faithful in our tasks and fruitful in your eyes. In these troubled days may your church world-wide declare a Gospel of peace, one that accurately reflects the nature and purpose of our Lord Jesus Christ. May we all give thanks and praise to you, the one through whom all things exist. This we pray in the name of Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen

Collect. Eternal Word, we thank you that you became not words  but human flesh, living among us. Make us children of God, and fill us with your grace and truth now and for ever. Amen.