This Sunday we had a wonderful Christmas Service, full of really long and really powerful Christmas hymns. Who knew there were seven great verses to “Angels from the Realms of Glory”? Just couldn’t leave any of them out!
We heard a word about the real Christmas decorating that God has done in Christ and that we experience through Christ. Below the links, I’m posting the Christmas prayer I offered at the close of the sermon. Spontaneous, not quite reaching Prayer Book standards, I think it does, though, reflect the heart of this priest for the working of God among us this Christmastide.
Blessings through the “Newborn King”,
Paul+
Readings: Isaiah 61:10-62:3; Psalm 147; Galatians 3:23-4:7; John 1:1-18
12.27.09 Sermon “The Real Decorations of Christmas”
First Sunday in Christmastide Service Booklet (09) I did this as a PDF – let me know if it works better!
Father, just as surely as I looked at the calendar and decided to put on white and gold this morning for no other reason than that I am your priest, and this is part of what I do to represent you among your people, even so let all of us look at the calendar – the timetable of your redemption and the restoration of all things through your Son Jesus. Let us accordingly put upon ourselves Christ Jesus. Let us take upon ourselves the white robe of his righteousness and the gold dignity of his divine nature so that, as your priests, as your people in this earth, we may represent as well what is heavenly as Christ represents before his Father those things that are earthly. This we ask through the same Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
