Mexborough Baptist Church Sunday 27th December 2020
We hope you all had a lovely Christmas Day however you celebrated. Christmastide continues and we begin our service today by singing a lovely carol together 'It came upon the midnight clear' click on the link
Prayer
Father God, we praise you for the song of the angels "Peace on earth, goodwill to men, from heaven's all-gracious King!" For so many people, even for those who know and love you, that song is drowned out by "the woes of sin and strife" and the cares of this world - hunger, poverty, homelessness, disease, the desire to get richer or to wield power. At this Christmas time may the song of the angels break through and tell them of your love and grace. Give us, Lord, a "solemn stillness" in which we may hear, not just the song of the angels, but your voice speaking to us of your love, teaching us your ways and directing us into the paths of righteousness and peace. Amen.
The Feast of Stephen is celebrated by the Western church on 26th December and by the Eastern Church on 27th December, which only fall on Sunday every few years, which means we don't get to sing our next carol very often. Today is a good opportunity and we sing together 'Good King Wenceslas' click on the link
A reflection for the Feast of Stephen
Wenceslas, like the Wise Men, wasn't actually a king, at least not during his lifetime. Wenceslas was born in about 908, the son of the duke of Bohemia. His paternal grandparents had converted to Christianity. Wenceslas was only 13 when his father died and his grandmother Ludmila became regent. His mother Drahomira didn't like this and arranged to have Ludmila killed. She was murdered on September 15th 921 and Drahomira took over as regent. Ludmila was made a saint not long afterwards.
About 5 years later some Christian noblemen, unhappy with the way Drahomira was treating Christians, rebelled against her and sent her into exile. Then Wenceslas became Wenceslas I - or Vaclav the Good - duke of Bohemia. He and his younger brother divided the land between them to avoid future disputes. However, in September 935 Wenceslas was murdered by his brother and some noblemen allied with him.
Only a few years after his death the Holy Roman Emperor Otto I "conferred on [Wenceslas] the regal dignity and title", which is why the carol and other legends call him Good King Wenceslas. At around the same time, he was seen as a martyr and saint and came to be regarded as the patron saint of the country that is now the Czech Republic. His saint's day is September 28th. About 150 years after his death, one of his biographers wrote, "rising every night from his noble bed, with bare feet and only one chamberlain, he went around to God’s churches and gave alms generously to widows, orphans, those in prison and afflicted by every difficulty, so much so that he was considered, not a prince, but the father of all the wretched." Wenceslas also founded a building which he consecrated to St. Vitus at Prague Castle in Prague; it's still there as St. Vitus Cathedral.
There are some similarities between Stephen and Wenceslas. Stephen was concerned about the poor.
Read Acts 6:1-7
When there was a dispute in the Early Church about how native Israeli widows were being treated better than non-native Jewish widows, the apostles decided that sorting out the problem was an administrative task which shouldn't take them away from prayer and preaching. They told the church to choose seven men "known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom" who would take on that responsibility. The first name is Stephen, "a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit." Luke doesn't tell us how these seven men sorted out the problem of feeding the widows equitably. The important result for him is that the word is preached and the number of disciples increases rapidly, including a large number of priests. That possibly also meant an increasing workload for Stephen and the other six men.
Read Acts 6:8-15
And yet Stephen, "a man full of God’s grace and power," also finds time to perform signs and wonders, and debate with Jews who had come to Jerusalem from various countries around the eastern Mediterranean, from North Africa to Turkey. Like Wenceslas, there is a conspiracy against him which results in his death. He is brought before the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling body and High Court of priests and scholars, presided over by the High Priest, who asks Stephen whether the charges against him are true.
Read Acts 7 (for a shorter read, vv1-2, 51-60)
Stephen doesn't answer the question. Instead he lectures the Jewish leaders on their own history and tells them off for not keeping their own law. It's a wonderful speech but not likely to persuade the Sanhedrin to change their minds. It just enrages them; there is no reasoned verdict, they just drag Stephen out and stone him to death. Stephen becomes the first in a long line of Christian martyrs, which includes Ludmila and Wenceslas and countless others right up to our own day.
None of us wants to be a martyr and we hope and pray that it will never come to that, but we may be asked about our Christian faith. Peter tells us that we should "always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." 1 Peter 3:15. Jesus tells not to "worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you." Matthew 10:19-20
For Wenceslas and Stephen caring for the poor was part of their working out of their faith in Jesus.
Take some time and give thanks to God for all the ways in which Christians - and others - help the poor, for instance:
FoodAware and the food bank providing food and toiletries for people around Mexborough.
Churches Together in Mexborough giving Christmas boxes to 50 11-15 year olds in struggling families.
Individuals and organisations you know who help the poor and needy.
Acts 6:15 tells us that the Sanhedrin saw that Stephen's face was like the face of an angel. We hear more about angels at Christmas than at any other time of the year and we're going to sing about them again - 'Angels from the realms of glory' click on the link
In the Christmas activity bags for our children there was a nativity scene to build. Elsie sent us a photo of her completed one; note how she's pointing to Baby Jesus, the centre of all our Christmas celebrations
We would all love to see the other 11 nativities; please send us your photos so that we can include them in our first communion service of the new year next week. Grown-ups, please have your bread and wine or juice ready.
Now we join in with a lovely children's carol 'Infant holy, infant lowly' click on the link
On Christmas Morning, Paul and I listened to Classic FM and the presenter was taking phone calls and requests; many of the callers were children. She asked them whether Santa had been and what was their favourite present; most of them said Lego. Here's a Lego Calypso Carol click on the link
Updates and prayers
Please pray for those who have had their first round of covid vaccinations that they may not have any side effects.
Please take time to pray for these friends and others known to you.
The nation's favourite carol this year on Classic FM is 'O Holy Night' click on the link
Quiz Corner
Trevor and Enid's Conundrum
Last week we asked you to fill in the missing words: “I have come that they may have life and have it to the full." John 10:10
Many thanks to Enid and Trevor for setting our Bible conundra for the last 40 weeks!
Brian's Music Quiz
Here are the answers to last week's quiz:
A. 'The Little Drummer Boy' was originally known as what? Carol Of The Drum.
B. Name the two famous actors in White Christmas 1954. Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye.
C. Who sang 'Last Christmas' in 1984? Wham.
D. 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' was a hit for whom in 1984. Band Aid.
E. Who sang 'Never Do A Tango With An Eskimo' and in what year? Alma Cogan 1955.
F. 'Merry Christmas Everybody' was a hit for whom in 1985? Slade.
This week's quiz:
A. Honey Lantree was a drummer for what group in 1964?
B. What was their biggest hit?
C. Who is Ronald Wycherley better known as?
D. What was the group, The Tornadoes, biggest hit and what year?
E. What hymn was the band playing when the Titanic was sinking?
F. Who sang 'I'm Only A Poor Little Sparrow' in 1979?
Trevor’s (H) Cricket Conundrum
Last week Trevor asked us Since the end of World War 2 do you know how many Yorkshire County cricketers have captained England in Test matches? Can you name these captains?
Answer: 7 - Norman Yardley, Len Hutton, Brian Close, Ray Illingworth, Geoffrey Boycott, Michael Vaughan, Joe Root
This week's cricket conundrum, can you name the 9 cricket grounds used for Test cricket in England and Wales?
Christmas Quiz
1. According to the Bible, did baby Jesus cry? It doesn't say.
2. What city was Jesus born in? Bethlehem.
3. What is the total number of gifts in the song The Twelve Days of Christmas? 364
4. Traditionally, what time is the Queen's Speech? 3.00 p.m.
5 . What colour was Santa's coat before Coca-Cola rebranded him in red? Green
6. What were the three gifts that the Wise Men brought to Jesus? Gold, frankincense and myrrh
7. According to the Bible, how many Wise Men came to visit Jesus? It doesn't say.
8. According to the Bible, what animals were present at Jesus' birth? It doesn't say.
9. How many letters are there in the angelic alphabet? 25, the angel said 'No L (Noel)'!
10. What's the second line of 'I'm dreaming of a white Christmas'? 'Just like the ones we used to know'
11. What is Scrooge’s first name? Ebeneezer
12. Complete the lyrics: On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me… Five gold rings
13. In which city does Miracle on 34th Street take place? New York City
14. What date is epiphany? 6th January
15. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, Rudolph
16. Who stole Christmas? The Grinch
17. How many points does a snowflake have? Six
18. What colour are the berries on mistletoe? White
19. What fruit do you need to make a Christingle? Orange
20. What is traditionally hidden in a Christmas pudding? A coin
21. What does the word ‘advent’ mean? Coming
22. Westward leading, still proceeding, guide us to thy perfect light – name the carol this is from. We Three Kings
23. Santa Claus is also known as Saint …? Nicholas
24. In Elf, how does Buddy answer the phone? Buddy the Elf, what’s your favourite colour?
25. When are the 12 days of Christmas traditionally celebrated?
a) December 14-25 b) December 13-24
c) December 25 – January 5 d) December 20-31
26. Which country banned Christmas in 1644? England.
27. In what year was the Christmas card invented?
a) 1834 b) 1852 c) 1901
28. Name the Christmas-themed ballet that premiered in Russia in 1892? The Nutcracker
29. Stollen is a cake with fruit and marzipan, traditionally eaten at Christmas and originating from which country? Germany
30. What is a female turkey called? Hen
31. What year did Boney M record 'Mary's Boy Child'? 1978
We finish our service this morning by giving praise to our God in heaven as we sing 'Ding Dong! Merrily On High' click on the link
Amen!
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