First Sunday after Christmas Day
Kneel before Him
Scriptures
Isaiah 60:1–6; Psalm 72:1–7, 10–14; Ephesians 1:3–14; Matthew 2:1–12/3:1–12 IV; Doctrine and Covenants 153:9b
Call to Worship
The glow of Christmas lingers with us and soon we will celebrate Epiphany…the time when people realized that Jesus was the Messiah. God places stars in the sky and miracles in our lives, angels sing alleluias, and prophets tell of God’s wonders. Epiphany happens when we notice! If the magi had not noticed the star or had stayed home they wouldn’t have encountered God in the way they did. We are called to notice the miracles in our midst! Let us open our eyes and find God here among us. Let us kneel before him offering our best gifts.
*Hymn
“Good News! Great Joy to All the Earth” HS 243
Prayer for Peace: (light the candle of peace while a soloist sings “Center of Peace” SP 1)
Prayer of Confession
God, you love us always. We can never be far from your love. Now, at the beginning of a new year, we come to you aware of how often we fail to live in that love. During the past several weeks of celebration we have sometimes been distracted and too busy to recognize the many places where we might have seen you. Open our hearts and our eyes in this new beginning that we will keep our vision clear and see you at work in our world.
Affirmation of Pardon: (based on Ephesians 1:3−4)
Leader: God’s love never leaves us. We are strengthened anew by this surrounding love.
People: Blessed be the God…of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he chose us in Christ…to be blameless before him in love.”
Hymn
“As with Gladness Men of Old” HS 254
Homily
Based on Matthew 2:1–12/3:1–12 IV and Communion
Ministry of Music (instrumental music for a meditative moment)
Drama: “The New Year” by Barbara Howard (see script following worship outline)
OR Show a clip from BluefishTV.com or from Sermonspice.com (short video clips for Christian ministry, permission is granted with purchase).
Solo
“Great Is Thy Faithfulness” (congregation joins on stanzas 2 and 3) HS 187
Service of Communion
The elements of bread and wine are placed on a table uncovered. At this point in the service, the presider invites the congregation to kneel as the combined prayer is given.
The congregation is then invited to come forward and partake as they feel they are ready.
During this time of partaking, those who are waiting, or those who have already taken the emblems will sit or kneel in silence while a soloist or a choir sings “You Satisfy the Hungry Heart” HS 345.
Disciples’ Generous Response: Doctrine and Covenants 153:9b
Each Sunday, as part of the Disciples’ Generous Response, we ask you to integrate the message of “share equally” between Local/Mission Center and World Mission Tithes. Generosity stories are provided to keep the church in touch with how contributions to Mission Tithes focus on the whole mission of Jesus Christ through the five life-changing, church-changing, and world-changing mission initiatives.
Please use the stories, testimonies, and up-to-date contribution information as part of your offertory ministry. Visit www.CofChrist.org/generositystories/ to print a copy, or contact your pastor, congregational financial officer, or worship coordinator for a copy.
Blessing and Receiving of Abolish Poverty, End Suffering Contributions (includes Oblation) and Mission Tithes
(The presider then asks the congregation to form a circle around the sanctuary.)
*Sending Forth
We have knelt today with each other in commitment to Christ Jesus. Our kneeling is a sign of our willingness to be led into those places where human need awaits. Our kneeling also affirms we are never alone. God is always with us, loving us, luring us into new life. On this first day of a new year we stand clasping each other’s hands in a commitment to love each other, to support one another, and to reach beyond this circle to those who yearn for such love and support. Let the congregation say “amen.”
Congregation: Amen.
*Postlude
The New Year
By Barbara Howard, 2010
(Two young people sitting on a bench)
First Youth: I asked Mom to let me skip church today because last night was New Year’s Eve.
Second Youth: Well, she obviously said you had to be here.
First Youth: Right. She and Dad said we would all start the year out right by celebrating Communion together.
Second Youth: “Celebrate” Communion? I never heard it said that way before. We always say, “Take” Communion.
First Youth: Yeah, I asked about that, and Dad said that this meal is the most important of all the sacraments.
Second Youth: Wow! That’s heavy. Why? Did he tell you?
First Youth: He said that Communion was a way of starting anew. That’s why I couldn’t sleep in today. It’s a new year, and I’m starting anew with Communion.
Second Youth: What are you starting new? The year? Better grades? (laughing) A new math teacher?
First Youth: Maybe all that, I hope. But, I want this year to be great. So, I asked Dad why this day was so important. You know, he said, every day is important. Communion helps us see that. When we take the bread and wine, we are making a promise. We’ll probably not be able to do all the things we promise to do in our hearts, but reaching out and taking the emblems, he said, is a way of both promising and asking God to be with us all the time. Dad said that he likes the fact that we kneel for the prayers.
Second Youth: Why’d he say that?
First Youth: He said when he is kneeling he feels that he is letting God know that he is serious about the promise, but more importantly that while he’s kneeling, he senses God’s presence resting on him.
Second Youth: Wow! I’ve never thought of that when I’m kneeling. But I will today. When did your folks tell you all this stuff?
First Youth: When they told me I had to be home 10 minutes after twelve last night (or this morning).
Second Youth: Did you make curfew?
First Youth: Actually, I came home early. Somehow I wanted to be with my family to celebrate the new year. Mom had made her famous pizza, and my brother and his girlfriend were there, and my favorite uncle and aunt. We had a blast. We sang and at the stroke of midnight, we all burst balloons and banged on pots out on the front porch. It was great!
Second Youth: Well, I didn’t go out either. We had a bunch of kids in, and at the stroke of midnight, dad took all of us out on the front porch in our coats, hats, and mittens, and after we all said, “Happy New Year,” he wished them well and sent them home.
First Youth: We’re lucky, you know, having folks who like us. Not all my friends do.
Second Youth: Yeah, and here we are at church on New Year’s morning. Who says there are no miracles?
SERMON HELPS
Scripture: Matthew 2:1–12
Exploring the Scripture
When we read today’s scripture passage, we may be struck by the difference between this passage and the rest of the scriptures that have been traditionally associated with the Christmas story. In other parts of the Bible, the human characters in the story are typically common people who were living rather ordinary lives until they were swept into the drama of the nativity. For example, Joseph and Mary were ordinary, poor people who could only provide an animal’s feeding trough to serve as a crib for their baby. The first ones to hear the news of Jesus’ birth were ordinary shepherds, often considered unclean and on the margins of respectable religious life.
In today’s scripture though, the personalities travel in much different circles. They are advisers to royalty (scribes), a king, and magi (literally wise men or astrologers). To an audience that understood itself as God’s chosen people, the story of the magi would have been profound, if not a bit shocking. In the Christmas story, the magi—who were Gentiles—were among the very first ones to understand the significance of Jesus’ birth, and they came seeking him. This is an indication in Matthew that the gift of Jesus Christ was given for all people, not only for a chosen few or a select group. Many of the images used by Matthew in his story have come from the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament), although the Hellenistic literature also would have contained stories about stars announcing great events. It is important for the author to show the connection with the stories of old to his listeners. The gospel of Matthew is considered to have been written primarily for a Jewish audience, whereas the other gospels were most likely written for a Gentile audience.
Today’s scripture also contains metaphors that one may want to explore. One of them is the initial question asked by the magi: “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” This is a question every follower of Jesus Christ should ask. Where is Christ? Where is he to be found in my community? Is he among the poor? Is he with the children? Is he to be found at my neighbor’s house or with my colleague at work? The question for all disciples of Christ is: “Where is Jesus? …And how might we join him there?
The magi’s question stirred quite a reaction from Herod, who was troubled and sought to destroy the child. The story is framed in a similar way as a story related to Moses’ birth. This again points out to the listener the link of Jesus to one of the great lawgivers in the Hebrew Scriptures. Some scholars have mentioned that Matthew introduces Jesus as the new Moses, thus explaining the many links to the Moses story. The motivation for Herod’s antagonism was the fear that the newborn king might somehow disrupt his own position of power and security. Herod’s story reminds us of the human tendency to resist things that might disturb our security, our comfort, our need to be in control. This is an important reality to name, because Christ desires to be born anew in all of us. At times we might resist because Christ’s presence in our lives is often accompanied by his call for us to change some aspect of our lives in order to give our whole selves to the cause of God’s kingdom. Today’s scripture is a story of one person’s resistance to Christ, and another’s quest to diligently seek him.
As the prayers on the bread and wine are read for the Lord’s Supper, we—as did the magi of old—kneel before the altar in recognition of God who gave us the greatest gift of all time, Jesus Christ. We are called to kneel in humble service whenever we encounter our Lord and wherever he calls us to follow him.
Central Ideas
- The magi remind us that the gift of Jesus Christ is for all people, and not for just a chosen few.
- Followers of Christ today, like the magi, should ask where Christ is, and should seek to join him.
- When Christ seeks to be born in us, it is natural that we experience some resistance to his invitation. The important thing is to continue following him, just as the magi sought him.
Questions for the Speaker
- What does it mean to you that the personalities in the Christmas story include both ordinary people, as well as magi who traveled in more “noble” circles?
- Where do you sense that Christ is working in your community, workplace, neighborhood, school or family?
- What would it mean for you to “join Christ” where he is in your community?
- Think of a time when you may have resisted God’s attempt to shape you into the image of Christ. What was going on in your life? Why did you resist? What finally happened?