You are One of Our People

St Andrews on The Terrace

7.30pm, Sunday December 21, 2003

Reading (Matthew 1:18-25)

This is the story of the birth of the Messiah. Mary his mother was engaged to Joseph but before their marriage she found that she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Being a decent man, and not wanting her to be exposed to unkindness, Joseph tried to have the marriage called off quietly. However, an angel appeared to him and told him not to be worried: “Joseph, don’t be afraid to marry Mary. The child she carries was conceived through the Holy Spirit. It will be a boy, and you shall call him Jesus, for he will save his people from their strife.” So Joseph married Mary and not long after, in Bethlehem, she gave birth to a boy, who they named Jesus.

Welcome: Haere mai (Joy Cowley)

Kia ora, my friend. Welcome.

You bring honour to my house

and a blessing to my whanau.

Come in, spend time with us

and we will talk, You and I,

of good things.

You know, when I was young

I had a picture of You in my head,

a young Jewish man in a long robe,

and that is true, my friend, that is true,

but You grew with me over the years

and now I know that your whakapapa

belongs as much here, as over there

or anywhere else.

You are one of our people,

one with these mountains,

one with this land.

Haere mai e Hehu Karaiti,

Welcome Christ Jesus,

this is your home.

Once in Judah’s least known city (John Bell)

1	Once in Judah’s least known city Stood a boarding house with back-door shed, Where an almost single-parent mother Tried to find her new-born son a bed. Mary’s mum and dad went wild When they heard their daughter had a child.	3	Can he know our youth and childhood’s pattern When we know not how he daily grew? Was he always little, weak and helpless, Did he share our joys and problems too? In our laughter, fun and madness, Does the Lord of love suspect our gladness?
2	He brought into earth a sense of heaven, Lord of none and yet the Lord of all; And his shelter always was unstable For his mission was beyond recall. With the poor, with those least holy, Christ the King was pleased to live so lowly.	4	Not in that uncharted stable With the village gossips standing by, But in heaven we shall see him - Here as much as up above the sky - If, in love for friend and stranger, We embrace the message of the manger.

Prayer of Confession: Hymn to Imperfection (Joy Cowley)

ALL:

Hey! Let’s celebrate weakness!

Yes! You know!

Weakness as in failure!

Let’s celebrate the slips and slops,

the drops and falls and oh-ohs

that teach us wisdom

and compassion

and patience

and humour

and understanding

of what it means to be

not a human being

but a human becoming.

Let us celebrate

all those opportunities for growth

that were ours yesterday and today.

Let’s celebrate for ourselves.

Let’s celebrate for each other.

And while we are at it,

let us give thanks

for the mistakes

we will make tomorrow.

If we find them painful

or a bit embarrassing

we can remember that perfection

means having no room

for improvement,

no need for anyone else,

and who wants that?

Let us be grateful,

oh so deeply grateful

that God is still shaping us.

All: Prayer to the Eternal Spirit (Jim Cotter)

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

Reading: God’s troubling the waters (Claire Fussell)

God is troubling the waters, said the moon

what - again? shrieked the stars

Isn't heaven full enough already, and all the lighting done? That god of yours, that god likes to cause trouble.

Then the Spirit moved on the waters,

and trouble danced along the wavetops of the deep

and god saw, saw that it was very good...

and had a Good Idea.

“God is troubling the waters” said Mr Noah

“Oh not again!” said Mrs Noah

“That god of yours - that god is Trouble.

The neighbours are lost, I'm sick of the rain

and animals weren't meant to be in here...”

once more the spirit moved - dancing in across the waters

with a sprig of hope,

Dove achieving what raven had not -

and god Saw that the Idea was Very Good.

“God's coming to trouble the waters - look ” said the child dangling her legs in the coolness. “what - so soon?” said the paralysed one “God moving already and I'm nowhere near. “Won't you help me be there for when the troubling starts?”.

“Can't” said the child. “my mum says I got to stay in here

so I'm healed when the trouble begins”.

Alongside the pool a shadow danced by

that of a man who looked down with concern,

at the one held by fear and rage -

both hearing the call of courage.

A Healing will bring us both Trouble” said Jesus.

But if that’s what you want........”

So paralysis danced - and doubt went marching

and god looked , and Knew the Idea was Very Good.

“I think God is troubling my waters” said Mary

There's Trouble for sure, thought Joseph - it's too soon.

Its all wrong - we're not ready - these aren't our people”

The donkey laughed - in a hee haw sort of way

“It feels like the baby is dancing” said Mary

I knew this baby would be Trouble” thought Joseph

but wisely kept his thinking to himself.

then angels sang and starlight saw

and shepherds and wise ones danced together.

for Tiny Ones can mean Big Trouble

and That is Very Good.....

Again God is troubling the waters -

in our days the Spirit is moving :

Troubling those who can't help but see ;

making song when the world says ‘Keep Quiet” ;

Dancing wild when the world says “Be Still” -

Let us be the Trouble of God.

All: Workers’ Carol (Words: Morris Martin Music: Paul Petrokino)

1	Gently the night winds winging, softly the shepherds singing, hark, O you folk of battle, Mary’s child is born. No room but in a manger, come, thou lovely stranger, born among the cattle, Christ of the Christmas morn.			2	Fiercely the blast fires burning, ceaseless the wheels are turning, have you no room, who labour on the assembly line? Mary’s son beside you brings love and grace to guide you: yes: come O heavenly neighbour, enter this heart of mine.
		3	Fount of the nations’ healing, secret of peace revealing, through the world’s darkness lead us till your new day we see. Crown and cross and cradle, sceptre and scourge and stable, tears and triumph speed us on to your victory.

Reflection (Alien Messiah – Duncan L Tuck)

(The Cry of a Tiny Babe – Jackie Newell)

Hymn: AA 141 The wind blew keen

Prayers of the people

All: Indigo II (Jenny McLeod) AA89 Light of Lights

Light of lights beholden		Darkness all around us,
we from days of olden		light has always found us,
sang this song		light will come
for to understand		where the dark is deepest,
that peace upon this planet		greater light will keep us
was pledged to come.		safe from harm.
Each to other, sister, brother,		Troubled times will always find
born for life and song,		a voice of troubled doom,

	look towards the light and carry on:
	let the simple heart and hope among us
	keep our family strong,
	let the simple heart and hope among us
	keep our family strong.

Eucharistic Prayer

In us the Christmas story is lived out over and over again. Sometimes we are Mary, labouring in both strength and fear. Sometimes we are Joseph, a bit confused, but sticking by those who are important to us. Sometimes we are able to give gifts to others; sometimes we don't know what we can give. At other times we are the donkey, carrying double weight faithfully and hoping for a bag of mash at the end. Sometimes we are the stable, sheltering those who have nowhere else to go. Sometimes we are the angels, making lots of noise and making sure everyone knows what's going on. Occasionally we are able to be Simeon or Anna and see into the heart of people. But mostly, we are the defenceless baby in a hostile world, with only hope and love to carry us through.

Eternal Creator, in the birth of a child you show us a paradoxical gift. We give thanks that in our lives there are rebirths that make us recognise the awe-inspiring responsibility of bringing ourselves fully to life. We give thanks for those who mother and father us, for the people who feed us, and those who give us gifts great and small. We remember the wise people in our lives who have recognised us and those who helped us grasp the pain that stabs. We rejoice that sometimes life has to be smelly and confusing for us to get anywhere, and we share the fear that sometimes running away is the only option.

Because all of us recognise these things in our lives and work to become whole we sing together:

ALL:   Beloved and blessed, God of strength and tenderness,
            we in this circle are filled with your glory.
            Hosanna all around.
            Blessed are we who come to celebrate liberation.
            Hosanna all around.

Blessed is our brother Jesus, who, in the last stage of his life journey, took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and said: “This is my body, which is for you. Do this to remember me.” In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying: “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, whenever you drink it, to remember me.”

Come now, friends and fellow travellers, and join together to eat. Our lives are like those made new every year in the story of Christ's birth and we celebrate ourselves and each other. We look for the humanness of every person, seeing the God who joins us as a baby with nothing, and everything, to offer.

Communion

All: Out of such sun and air (Colin Gibson)

1	Out of such sun and air what Christ may come, shining with new and lovely light on our dim and shrouded lives; stirring our sleepiness with dreams, visions of life beyond compare. Out of such sun and air come, Christ, however you will come.			2	Out of such cloud and mist what Christ may come, blurring the clear and simple lines of our settled scheme of things; calling on faith and hope and trust, daring to danger, trial and risk. Out of this cloud and mist come, Christ, however you will come.
		3	Out of such sudden storm what Christ may come, sweeping across the startled sky of our calm and peaceful ways; driving with tempest winds of change, testing with tumult and reform. Out of this sudden storm come, Christ, however you will come.

Reading: Litany of Delight (Bronwyn White)

You who delight me

welcome!

You who thrill me

to aspects of myself untried

welcome

You who enliven me

waking in me the forgotten things

the unborn things

the shadow things which unfurl and strive into light

You who satisfy me

welcome

You who overwhelm me

transcending words

taking my breath away

welcome

You who entertain me

asking the foolish questions

wearing the foolish robes and silly hat

the mask and wig and jester’s shoes to match my own;

You who applaud when I prance and joke

play up to me and let me be unreal

matching me jape for jest

trading me tricks for tears;

You who entertain me

as I play my threadbare games

welcome

You who transport me

from who I seem in the world of day-to-day

to who I am - unique in the universe and full of wonder

welcome

You whose star shines over this stable door

twinkling, wobbling, unstabling me

finding amongst this straw

some miracle

oiling these creaky hinges

chancing this splintering wood, these brittle barriers -

come in and welcome!

You who delight me

you who are my delight

you in whose passion the christ-life is reborn

Welcome!

Blessing (Fra Giovanni (1513))

There is nothing which I can give you which you have not;

but there is much that, while I cannot give, you may take.

No heaven can come to us unless our minds find rest in it today.

Take heaven.

No peace lies in the future which is not hidden in the present instant.

Take peace.

The gloom of the world is but a shadow; behind it, yet within reach is joy.

Take joy.

And so, at this Christmas, I greet you with the trust that for you, now and forever, the day is

reborn and the shadows fall away.

Take Christmas.