e-Service - 20 December 2020

Mexborough Baptist Church Sunday 20th December

Advent 4

The Prime Minister's statement yesterday evening may have cast another dampener on Christmas for you. However you're feeling right now, today we're thinking about joy - the joy of God coming to earth, the joy of Immanuel, God with us, the joy of the real heart of Christmas which doesn't change but is as constant as God himself.

We begin our service for the 4th Sunday in Advent by lighting the Advent Candle click on this link 

We sing together 'Joyful, joyful, we adore thee (Ode to Joy)' click on the link 

Advent Family Corner

When the Wise Men from the East came to visit the baby Jesus, they were guided on their way by a star. In the activity bags this week are the materials for the children to make their own Christmas star and here's Lisa to show us how to do it click on the link  

There's a Christmas song that begins with a star - 'Do You Hear What I Hear'; let's sing it together click on this link 

Yesterday, the church was open for our children to come and see the Christmas Tree and Nativity and collect their Advent activity bags and a surprise or two; more about that in the update. For now, here is a video, kindly put together by Lisa click on the link 

Lisa leads us in a prayer...

Lord Jesus, as we are preparing to gather and celebrate with our families in the coming days, we ask that you help us remember that You are the reason. We pray that You will keep each of us safe and well and that we will be able to come together as a church family again, soon in the New Year.
We read in the news of a rare star in the sky and the speculation that this may be the same star that the wise men followed, all those years ago, in pursuit of You, our eternal King. In that same way, Father, we pray that others may look to the skies and seek You, and that they too may find You. We ask that You would make Yourself known to them, and that their lives will be transformed. Be glorified in this season, and every season, precious Lord Jesus. Amen.

Trevor and Judith share with us their reflections on another covid phrase - "Rule of six"....

Week four of Advent, we are now getting close to the birth of Christ. We have heard in our Advent journey about “essential travel,” “locked down, but not out,” and “breaching social distancing.” This year the way we celebrate Christmas will be different, for many of us, instead of large family gatherings, we have the rule of three separate families only; for us here in South Yorkshire the 'rule of six' is waived during the Christmas period.

Read Matthew 2:1-12

Wise men or magi travelled from the east, coming to look for Jesus, probably from an area which is now known as either Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen or an area that is now Southern Turkey, northern Syria.
Although they are often called the three Kings, the Bible does not say how many there were, or that they were kings. The Bible describes them as ‘wise men’ or ‘magi’. Three is only a guess, possibly because they brought with them the three gifts of gold frankincense and myrrh.
Another theory is that they travelled from Yemen because at that time the people of Yemen were Jews.

According to the book of Matthew a bright star led the magi from the east until it stopped “over the place where the child was,” and “upon entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother.”
Their identification to kings is linked to Isaiah 60:1-6 which refers to kings coming to the brightness of our dawn bearing gold and frankincense. Also Psalm 68:29, "kings will bring you gifts" and Psalm 72:11 reads “Yea all kings shall fall down before him: all nations serve him."

They were certainly men of great learning. The word Magi comes from the Greek word 'magos' which comes from an old Persian word Magupati. Today we would call them astrologers. Back then astronomy and astrology were part of the same studies. The Magi would have been held in high esteem and would have followed the patterns of the stars religiously.

Legends are told about them, and they have been given names. This is how they are often described:
Caspar (or Gaspar), who has brown hair and a brown beard (or no beard) wears a green cloak and a gold jewelled crown. He is the King of Sheba. Caspar presents Frankincense brought to Jesus.
Melchior, who has long white hair and a white beard, wears a gold cloak. He is the King of Arabia. Melchior presents the Gold brought to Jesus.
Balthazar, who has black skin and a black beard (or no beard), and wears a purple coat. He is the King of Tarse and Egypt. Balthazar presents the gift of Myrrh brought to Jesus.

Gold, frankincense and myrrh were suitable gifts for a King. Matthew 2:11 tells us these gifts were great treasures, given as worship, but they may have greater significance. Gold was indeed associated with royalty, but it may also be a signal of Jesus' purpose: in 1 Kings 6:20-22, the walls of the Most Holy Place and altar are overlaid with gold. Frankincense was part of the ceremonial worship of the deity; this gift strengthens the belief that the newborn king carried a claim of deity. Myrrh, a perfume, was used as an anointing oil, and an ingredient in spices when preparing bodies for burial. This gift indicated Jesus’ humanity, that he would save his people and die for them.

By the time wise men found Jesus, the family would have been living in a normal house, probably in Bethlehem or Jerusalem, by this time Jesus would have been aged between one and two.
Imagine the scene - Jesus, Mary and Joseph and three wise men - a group of six? The wise men from the East would certainly have had attending servants, so the group worshipping the Saviour would possibly have been larger.

Herod the King was troubled when he heard about the news of the birth of Jesus and asked the wise men to find Jesus and tell him where he was, not so he could worship him, but to kill him. He thought Jesus sounded like a King who would take his power away. The wise men were told in a dream not to tell Herod where Jesus was, so Herod could not carry out his horrible crime, so they returned to their country by another route.

Trevor and Judith have reminded us that the Bible says wise men visited the Baby Jesus and doesn't specify how many. But there is a long tradition that there were three kings. Our next song follows that tradition - 'We Three Kings' click on the link 

Trevor and Judith lead us in our prayers...
Lord Jesus, we thank you that long ago you came to our world as a baby to live and grow up and die for us. We thank you that you promised then to come back again one day as King to rule forever. We thank you that you may be counted on to keep your promise. Please teach us to live expecting you. In your name we pray. Amen  

O God our Father, we thank you for the faithful of every age. We pray, too, that we may have faith in spite of the darkness of our times, and may look for the coming of Christ into the world of our day. Father God, we thank you for our place among all who would worship Christ the King. Help us now as Christmas approaches to do as he commands, to care for our neighbours as we do for ourselves. In your name we pray. Amen  

Loving Father, as we approach a Christmas season that looks very different from normal, we thank you that, while we may not be able to be with our families and loved ones in person, we know that You are always with them. Where there is weariness, would you bring Your rest; where there is hopelessness, would you bring fresh encouragement; where there is despair, would you bring hope. In your name we pray. Amen  

Heavenly Father, you sent to earth the gift of your son Jesus Christ that, in your power and love, we might also have the gift of eternal life; bless those whom we love that have departed this life with the gifts of your all-encompassing love and life eternal. In your name we pray. Amen  

Heavenly Father, this Advent season is an invitation for us all to choose to set aside the fear and uncertainty that has defined 2020; teach us to turn to you in times of joy and pleasure as well as we do when faced with fear and sorrow. Help us to put our differences behind us and to unite behind the great commission of Jesus to make disciples of all nations and all people.
Father in heaven, receive our prayers for this broken and suffering world and bring us into your eternal kingdom where every tear will be wiped away and there will be an end to mourning, crying and pain and your glory will be revealed through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen  

Our closing song also tells us about the Wise Men. We sing together 'The First Noel' click on the link 

Benediction  
Be people of joy. Let joy live in your heart and share the joy of Christ with all you meet. Share joy by seeing the good in each other. Share joy by remembering good times and hoping for good times to come. Share joy by praying for our world. In this Advent season, we need to see, feel, and share joy. As you go out into the wonder of God’s creations, share joy, peace, and hope with those you meet. Amen.

(from Liturgylink)