December 26, 2021

WELCOME TO ST ANDREW’S ON THE TERRACE

A man’s Christmas

 

PRELUDE
CALL TO WORSHIP
What gifts did you get this Christmas?
Did you get:
Love, joy, compassion,
Friendship, companionship, commitment
Loyalty, justice, honesty.
Mercy, thoughtfulness, respect.

And what did you give?
SILENCE
PROCESSIONAL HYMN
Carol WOV 235 ‘Angels from the realms of glory’
Words : James Montgomery (alt)
Music French Traditional Melody
1. Angels from the realms of glory,
wing your flight o'er all the earth;
ye who sang creation's story,
now proclaim Messiah's birth:
Come and worship Christ, the newborn King,
come and worship, worship Christ, the newborn King!

2. To the weary comes refreshment,
to the grieving, strength and peace;
to the anxious, sweet contentment,
to the captive soul, release:
Come and worship……….

3. Wise folk, leave your contemplations,
brighter visions beam afar;
seek the great Desire of nations,
you have seen his natal star:
Come and worship………
WELCOME
Kia ora tātou.
Kia ora.

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PRAYER. Including Matthew 4:18-19
JESUS’ PRAYER Jim Cotter paraphrase

Eternal Spirit
Life-Giver, Pain-Bearer, Love-Maker,
source of all that is and that shall be,
Father and Mother of us all,
loving God, in whom is heaven:
the hallowing of your name
echo through the universe!
The way of your justice be followed
by the peoples of the world!
Your heavenly will be done
by all created beings!
Your commonwealth of peace and freedom
sustain our hope and come on earth.
With the bread we need for today, feed us.
In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.
In times of temptation and test,
strengthen us.
From trials too great to endure, spare us.
From the grip of all that is evil, free us.
For you reign in the glory
of the power that is love, now and for ever.
Amen.
LIGHTING THE RAINBOW CANDLE
BLESSING THE CHILDREN (All stand)
For all those of our community on summer holidays and especially for our children, we pray for fun, relaxation and adventure.
We bless you. Amen.
PASSING THE PEACE
Traditionally we shake hands to pass the peace and say “peace be with you.” Now that COVID-19 is here we ask that you pass the peace without shaking hands.

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THE WORD IN TEXTS Jenn Keenan
Gospel/New Testament. Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23
Contemporary reading
Ian Dixon’s Christmas story.
Men Alone Men Together, Mark Beehre pp 155 Read by Mark Beehre
RESPONSE
For the Word in scripture,
for the Word among us,
for the Word within us,
we give thanks.

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REFLECTION The Man of the Nativity. Rev. Ross Scott
HYMN: COC 48 ‘Where is the room?’
Words© 1992 Shirley Murray; Music© 1993 David Dell

1. Where is the room,
where is the house of Christmas?
Where shall we welcome Jesus,
where are the signs of home?

2. Let Christ have space,
place at the heart of living,
centre for birth’s new breathing,
cradle for hope and peace.

3. Let there be room,
room for the friend and stranger,
room without hurt or anger,
room for whoever come.

4. Let love be here,
love for the Christmas stable,
love at our open table,
love to be shared all year.

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OFFERTORY MUSIC
OFFERING
HYMN WOV 224 ‘Joy to the World’
Words: Isaac Watts (alt) Music G F Handel
1. Joy to the world! A new age dawns,
it comes shalom to bring.
Let ev’ry heart prepare a room,
and heav’n and nature sing,
and heav’n and nature sing,
and heav’n and heav’n and nature sing.

2. Joy to the world! Let justice come,
to all who need release;
for prisoners held in chains,
the damaged and the strained,
let them find freedom now,
let them find freedom now,
let them, let them find freedom now.
OFFERING PRAYER
Together:
Nearly all that we are, and all that we have, comes from this planet,
from God for we are made from its dust.
So we bring these offerings and ourselves:
to bring restoration to our relationships.
Male to female,
old to young
nations to nations,
ethnic group to ethnic group,
humanity to the natural world,
and as we do so may we find peace with ourselves and with our God

We recognise and bless the gifts brought to the table, and those which wing their way electronically from our banks to the church’s account.
LIFE IN THE COMMUNITY OF ST ANDREW’S
People share notices and visitors are welcomed. If you have a notice, please move to the front row, ready to speak briefly from the lectern.
For the benefit of newcomers, please introduce yourself before you begin.
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE Lois Robertson
CIRCLE OF PRAYER
We think today of the people of Malawi and the Malawi Council of Churches. We hold all refugees in our hearts. We pray in particular for those detained for many years in Papua New Guinea & Nauru. We give thanks for progress that has been made and pray that their calls for justice might yet find a compassionate response. In New Zealand, we remember those in Parliament, and today we name Simon O'Connor (Tāmaki) and Sarah Pallett (Ilam). Here in the Central Presbytery, we pray for the leaders and people of St Paul's Presbyterian Church, Feilding.
PRAYER FOR ST ANDREW’S
Renew your people, God,
And renew our life in this place.
Give us a new spirit of unity
with all who follow the Way of Jesus
and new bonds of love
with people of other faiths.

Bless the city in which we live
that it may be a place
where honest dealing,
good government,
the desire for beauty,
and the care for others flourish.

Bless this church
that what we know of your will
may become what we do,
and what we believe
the strong impulse
of our worship and work.
Amen
 
HYMN WOV 669 ‘I am the Light of the World’
Words & Music © 1969 Jim Strathdee. Music (Admin. by Desert Flower Music)
[Refrain]
I am the Light of the World.
You people come and follow me.
If you follow and love, you'll learn the mystery
of what you were meant to do and be.

1. When the song of the angels is stilled,
when the star in the sky is gone,
when the kings and the shepherds have found their way home,
the work of Christmas is begun!
[Refrain]

2. To find the lost and lonely one,
to heal that broken soul with love,
to feed the hungry children with warmth and good food,
to feel the earth below, the sky above!
[Refrain]

3. To free the prisoner from their chains,
to make the powerful care,
to rebuild the nations with strength and goodwill,
to be at one with people everywhere.
[Refrain]

4. To bring hope to every task you do,
to dance at a baby's new birth,
to make music in an old man's heart,
tnd sing to the colours of the earth!
[Refrain]
BLESSING
SUNG AMEN
POSTLUDE