Wednesday 24 December — Christmas Eve

Reveal among us the light of your presence, that we may behold your power and glory.

Readings (Click the links to see the readings)

2 Samuel 7.1-5, 8-11, 16 | Psalm 89.19-29 | Luke 1.67-69 |

Adoration

The Adoration of the Magi, tapestry designed by Edward Burne-Jones, realised by William Morris and John Henry Dearle and completed at Morris's Merton Abbey Mills in 1894 — one of ten versions of the work made between 1890-1907 and now at Manchester Metropolitan University.

The Disarming Child
Charlie Lowell

Helpless and human
Deity in the dirt,
Spirit married with flesh
We couldn't make it to you,
But you come to us.

You always come to us.
In our stubbornness and desire,
Entitlement and shame
Remind us that we need you,
Merge your untamed Spirit with our flesh.

We try to forget those
Years of wandering.
Shackles and masters,
An eternity of doubting
And still, you come to us.

A divine intrusion
Through our scheming and chaos —
Coats of armor, angels and armies.
Do some wrecking here,
And gently come to us.

Disturb us this day
Through sorrow and through dancing,
The bliss of joy and sting of death
Past hands that would threaten and tear,
You come to us extravagantly.

From your manger lowly,
Mighty and mysterious
You come to us, Seed of Heaven
Spirit wed with flesh,
These broken hearts to mend.

Prayer

Jesus,
how clearly we see you at Christmas-time,
cradled by Mary,
protected by Joseph,
worshipped by shepherds,
honoured by kings,
enshrined on the altar,
and loved by the world.

But, oh Lord,
help us look for you, too,
among the taxes of life,
and the wanderings of rootless travellers.
In the world's smelly stables,
and in makeshift mangers.
In sweat-like drops of blood
and rough-hewn crosses, humanly fashioned.
Help us look, Lord —
and help us find!

Not only at Christmas,
but throughout a new year that it might become indeed
'the year of our Lord.
— Mary Sue H Rosenberger, Sacraments in a refrigerator, Brethren Press, 1979.


In 1582, Finnish student Theodoricus Petri published Piae Cantiones as learning material for young students. The themes are mainly sacred and morally edifying songs and hymns, but also includes irony about the excellence of scholastic life, and two songs to Spring. It is one of the earliest printed school song-books in existence. 1. Personent hodie: "Let Songs of Praise Resound Today".
2. Omnis mundus iucundetur: Celebration of Christ's birth
3. Verbum caro factum est: "The Word is become Flesh through the Virgin Mary".
4. Gaudete: Rejoicing in Christ's birth.
5. In stadio laboris: teaching on acceptance of one's position in society. 6. Tempus adest floridum: "Now is the time of flowers" which became in England a Christmas carol.

—Jan-Ewert Andersson, Rolf Berger, Sven Berger, Satoko Berger, John Björklund, Anders Bragsjö, Anika Eliasson-Frick, Eva Ericsson, Kjell Frisk, Christina Högman, Jan Johansson, Lisbeth Kallaes, Jan Kling, Cecilia Peijel, Henry Regnarsson, Thomas Rolfner, Christer Söderbäck, Georg Thönners, Sören Törnkvist, Lars Wiberg, Per Åberg.

Pies

May the Lord, when he comes, find us watching and waiting. Amen.