An All Hallows Service of the Word for the First Sunday after Christmas (December 27, 2020)
Welcome to All Hallow Murray’s Service of the Word for the First Sunday after Christmas. This Sunday we will be beginning and ending the service with silence. Take advantage of the silence to quieten your mind, to settle your thoughts, and to enter God’s presence.
Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: And blessed be God’s kingdom, now and for ever. Amen.
The Lord be with you.
The Lord bless you.
O Christ, Son of God, existing before time,
you came into the world to save us.
Lord, have mercy.
Sun of Righteousness, shining with the Father’s love,
you illumine the whole universe.
Christ, have mercy.
Son of Mary: born a child,
you shared our humanity.
Lord, have mercy.
May the Lord forgive what we have been, help us to amend what we are and direct what we shall be, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Blessed is the Lord:
Who has heard the voice of our prayer.
Therefore shall our hearts dance for joy:
And in our song will we praise our God.
Open this link in a new tab to play Dan Schutte's responsorial setting of “Glory to God” from the Mass of Christ the Savior.
Glory to God
Glory to God
Glory to God
in the highest!
And on earth
Peace on earth,
Peace to people
of good will.
We praise you,
we bless you,
we adore you,
we glorify you,
we give you thanks for your great glory,
Lord God, heavenly King,
O God, almighty Father.
Glory to God
Glory to God
Glory to God
in the highest!
And on earth
Peace on earth,
Peace to people
of good will.
Lord Jesus Christ,
Only Begotten Son,
Lord God, Lamb of God,
Son of the Father,
You take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us;
You take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer;
You are seated at the right hand,
The right hand of the Father,
Have mercy on us.
Glory to God
Glory to God
Glory to God
in the highest!
And on earth
Peace on earth,
Peace to people
of good will.
For you alone
are the Holy One,
You alone are
the Lord,
you alone are the
Most High,
Jesus Christ,
With the Holy Spirit,
In the glory of God the Father.
Glory to God
Glory to God
Glory to God
in the highest!
And on earth
Peace on earth,
Peace to people
of good will.
Amen. Amen.
Let us pray
A short period of silent prayer is recommended before the Collect of the Day is said.
God of community,
Whose call is more is more insistent than ties of family or blood:
May we so respect and love those whose lives are linked with ours
That we fail not in loyalty to you,
But make choices according to your will;
Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
A reading from the First Book of Samuel
Samuel was ministering before the Lord, a boy wearing a linen ephod. His mother used to make for him a little robe and take it to him each year, when she went up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. Then Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, and say, “May the Lord repay you with children by this woman for the gift that she made to the Lord”; and then they would return to their home. Now the boy Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and with the people.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Silence is kept.
Open this link in a new tab to play Jane Terwilliger’s responsorial setting of Psalm 148.
Let all praise the name of the Lord.
praise the name of the Lord.
are the Holy One,
You alone are
the Lord,
you alone are the
Most High,
Jesus Christ,
With the Holy Spirit,
In the glory of God the Father.
Glory to God
Glory to God
Glory to God
in the highest!
And on earth
Peace on earth,
Peace to people
of good will.
Amen. Amen.
Let us pray
A short period of silent prayer is recommended before the Collect of the Day is said.
God of community,
Whose call is more is more insistent than ties of family or blood:
May we so respect and love those whose lives are linked with ours
That we fail not in loyalty to you,
But make choices according to your will;
Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
A reading from the First Book of Samuel
Samuel was ministering before the Lord, a boy wearing a linen ephod. His mother used to make for him a little robe and take it to him each year, when she went up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. Then Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, and say, “May the Lord repay you with children by this woman for the gift that she made to the Lord”; and then they would return to their home. Now the boy Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and with the people.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Silence is kept.
Open this link in a new tab to play Jane Terwilliger’s responsorial setting of Psalm 148.
Let all praise the name of the Lord.
praise the name of the Lord.
Let all praise the name of the Lord.
praise the name of the Lord.
Alleluia! Praise the Lord from the heavens,
praise him in the heights;
Praise him, all you his angels,
praise him, all you his hosts.
Let all praise the name of the Lord.
praise the name of the Lord.
Praise him, sun and moon;
praise him, all you shining stars.
Praise him, you highest heavens,
and you waters above the heavens.
Let all praise the name of the Lord.
praise the name of the Lord.
You mountains and all you hills,
you fruit trees and all you cedars;
You wild beasts and all tame animals,
you creeping things and you winged fowl.
Let all praise the name of the Lord.
praise the name of the Lord.
Let the kings of the earth and all peoples,
the princes and all the judges of the earth,
Young men too, and all maidens,
old men and boys.
Praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted.
Let all praise the name of the Lord.
praise the name of the Lord.
His majesty is above earth and heaven,
and he has lifted his horn above the people.
Let all praise the name of the Lord.
praise the name of the Lord.
Silence is kept.
A reading from Paul’s Letter to the Colossians
As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
The Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God.
Silence is kept.
Open this link in a new tab to play John Rutter’s choral arrangement of the traditional Appalachian carol, “I Wonder as I Wander.”
I wonder as I wander out under the sky
How Jesus the Saviour did come for to die
For poor on'ry people like you and like I;
I wonder as I wander out under the sky
When Mary birthed Jesus 'twas in a cow's stall
With wise men and farmers and shepherds and all
But high from God's heaven, a star's light did fall
And the promise of ages it then did recall.
If Jesus had wanted for any wee thing
A star in the sky or a bird on the wing
Or all of God's Angels in heaven to sing
He surely could have had it, 'cause he was the King
I wonder as I wander out under the sky
How Jesus the Saviour did come for to die
For poor on'ry people like you and like I;
I wonder as I wander out under the sky
Silence is kept.
The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Now every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Assuming that he was in the group of travelers, they went a day’s journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents[ saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, “Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.” He said to them, “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he said to them. Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart.
And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor.
This is the Gospel of the Lord,
Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ
We know very little about Jesus’ early life. Matthew’s Gospel tells us that the holy family fled into Egypt to escape Herod and later returned after Herod died. Luke’s Gospel relates the episode from his early life, which we heard or read in today’s Gospel reading. Luke’s Gospel also tell us that Jesus, like the prophet Samuel, grew in wisdom and in years and in favor with God and with people.
In recent years a fuss has been made over the Gnostic Gospels in some quarters of the Church. In one of these gospels the young Jesus makes birds from clay, breathes life into them, and they fly away. However, the Gnostic Gospels were written several centuries after New Testament times. They are works of fiction that reflect Gnostic beliefs and teachings. Their recent popularity may be explained by a desire for a different Jesus from the one of the canonical Gospels in these quarters of the Church. The canonical Gospels , however, were written shortly after the events recorded in them occurred.
On one hand, we may be tempted to attribute to his divine nature the knowledge and understanding that Jesus exhibits in today’s Gospel reading and which amazed the teachers in the Temple. On the other hand, we may be tempted to attribute it to a very human precocity. I believe that we can safely assume that it was a balance of the two. We know very little about Jesus’ stepfather Joseph beyond that he appears to have been a devote man. It is reasonable to believe that he would have taken an interest in Jesus’ instruction in the Hebrew Bible, our Old Testament, and the customs and traditions of the Jewish religion. Mary’s cousin Elizabeth was the wife of Zechariah, a priest of the Temple. Elizabeth herself was also of the priestly family of Aaron. I also believe that we can safely assume that Jesus visited his mother’s cousin’s home. Her husband Zechariah may have also taken an interest in his religious instruction. Since Mary and Elizabeth were relatives, Mary herself must have been of the priestly family of Aaron. This suggests that Jesus grew up in a fairly religious environment. By the time Jesus was twelve years of age, it is reasonable to believe that Jesus had heard from his mother or others the circumstances surrounding his conception. This would have had an effect on his young mind.
What I have just related are, I must admit, educated guesses. Except for the two episodes that I have mentioned, Jesus’ early years are a mystery. This has led to much speculation. However, if God had thought that we would benefit from knowing the details of Jesus’ early years, I believe that God would have included them in the New Testament. While we might like to have more details, what God included in the New Testament is all that we need to know for our salvation. Someday we may hear from our Lord himself the details of his early years, presuming that they still pique our curiosity.
What we do learn from today’s Gospel reading is that by the time Jesus was twelve years of age, Jesus accepted God as his Father and exhibited enough knowledge and understanding to amaze the scholars of the day. What else is remarkable about this episode in Jesus’ life is that it presages Jesus’ disputations with the Pharisees and the scribes. By then the amazement had turned to disbelief, resentment, and loathing. In their hearts I suspect that the Pharisees and scribes knew that Jesus was right, and consequently their loathing turned to deadly hatred.
Their attitude toward Jesus contrasts sharply with the attitude that the apostle Paul urges the members of the church at Colossae to adopt toward each other. In today’s reading from Paul’s Second Letter to the Colossians the apostle echoes Jesus’s own teachings. He entreats them to cloth themselves with love. It is easy for Christians to become like the Pharisees and scribes, being unloving, unforgiving, and uncaring while at the same time maintaining the outward appearance of being devotedly religious. It is a trap against which we must always be on guard if we are truly to represent our Lord to those around us.
Silence is kept.
Let us affirm our faith in the words of the Apostles Creed.
Open this link in a new tab to play Daniel Justice Snoke’s metrical version of the Apostles Creed, “I Believe in God the Father.”
I believe in God the Father,
maker of all heav’n and earth.
And in Jesus Christ our Saviour,
God’s own Son of matchless worth;
By the Spirit was conceived,
of the virgin, Mary born,
He in whom I have believed,
God almighty, three in one.
Suffered under Pontius Pilate.
crucified for me he died.
Laid within the grave so silent,
gates of hell he opened wide;
For the stone-sealed tomb was empty;
on the third day he arose;
Into heaven made his entry,
mighty conquer’r of his foes.
At God’s right hand he is seated,
till his coming as he said;
Final judgment will be meted
to the living and the dead;
I confess the Holy Spirit,
who was sent through Christ the Son
To apply salvation’s merit:
God the Spirit Three in One.
I believe the church of Jesus,
universal e’er remains;
We are one through all the ages
In communion of the saints.
I believe sins are forgiven,
that our bodies will be raised
To eternal life in glory,
ever let his name be praised.
Let us pray for all people and the Church throughout the world.
After each petition silence may be kept. Further specific petitions may be added at appropriate points in the prayers or before the response.
We pray for the peace of the world, for the leaders of the nation, and for all in authority.
God of grace, hear our prayer.
We pray for the welfare of your holy church, our bishop William, and for all clergy and people.
God of grace, hear our prayer.
We pray that we nay share with justice the resources of the earth, and live in trust and goodwill with one another,
God of grace, hear our prayer.
We pray for the aged and infirm, for the bereaved and the lonely, and for the sick and the suffering.
God of grace, hear our prayer.
We pray for the poor and the oppressed, for prisoners and captives, and for all who care for them.
God of grace, hear our prayer.
We pray for ourselves and each other.
God of grace, hear our prayer.
We praise you, lord god, for your servant Stephen, for the communion of the saints, and for the glorious hope of the resurrection to eternal life.
God of grace, hear our prayer.
Faithful God,
you have promised to hear the prayers
of all who ask in Jesus’ name.
In your mercy, accept our prayers.
give us what we asked in faith,
according to your will;
Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Let us pray the prayer that Jesus gave us.
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done; on earth
as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who
trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
Lord Jesus Christ,
Send us out with confidence in your word
To tell the world of your saving acts,
And bring glory to your name. Amen.
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The Lord be with you.
The Lord bless you.
May the God of all grace bless us. Amen.
praise the name of the Lord.
Alleluia! Praise the Lord from the heavens,
praise him in the heights;
Praise him, all you his angels,
praise him, all you his hosts.
Let all praise the name of the Lord.
praise the name of the Lord.
Praise him, sun and moon;
praise him, all you shining stars.
Praise him, you highest heavens,
and you waters above the heavens.
Let all praise the name of the Lord.
praise the name of the Lord.
You mountains and all you hills,
you fruit trees and all you cedars;
You wild beasts and all tame animals,
you creeping things and you winged fowl.
Let all praise the name of the Lord.
praise the name of the Lord.
Let the kings of the earth and all peoples,
the princes and all the judges of the earth,
Young men too, and all maidens,
old men and boys.
Praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted.
Let all praise the name of the Lord.
praise the name of the Lord.
His majesty is above earth and heaven,
and he has lifted his horn above the people.
Let all praise the name of the Lord.
praise the name of the Lord.
Silence is kept.
A reading from Paul’s Letter to the Colossians
As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
The Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God.
Silence is kept.
Open this link in a new tab to play John Rutter’s choral arrangement of the traditional Appalachian carol, “I Wonder as I Wander.”
I wonder as I wander out under the sky
How Jesus the Saviour did come for to die
For poor on'ry people like you and like I;
I wonder as I wander out under the sky
When Mary birthed Jesus 'twas in a cow's stall
With wise men and farmers and shepherds and all
But high from God's heaven, a star's light did fall
And the promise of ages it then did recall.
If Jesus had wanted for any wee thing
A star in the sky or a bird on the wing
Or all of God's Angels in heaven to sing
He surely could have had it, 'cause he was the King
I wonder as I wander out under the sky
How Jesus the Saviour did come for to die
For poor on'ry people like you and like I;
I wonder as I wander out under the sky
Silence is kept.
The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Now every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Assuming that he was in the group of travelers, they went a day’s journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents[ saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, “Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.” He said to them, “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he said to them. Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart.
And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor.
This is the Gospel of the Lord,
Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ
Cloth Yourself with Love
We know very little about Jesus’ early life. Matthew’s Gospel tells us that the holy family fled into Egypt to escape Herod and later returned after Herod died. Luke’s Gospel relates the episode from his early life, which we heard or read in today’s Gospel reading. Luke’s Gospel also tell us that Jesus, like the prophet Samuel, grew in wisdom and in years and in favor with God and with people.
In recent years a fuss has been made over the Gnostic Gospels in some quarters of the Church. In one of these gospels the young Jesus makes birds from clay, breathes life into them, and they fly away. However, the Gnostic Gospels were written several centuries after New Testament times. They are works of fiction that reflect Gnostic beliefs and teachings. Their recent popularity may be explained by a desire for a different Jesus from the one of the canonical Gospels in these quarters of the Church. The canonical Gospels , however, were written shortly after the events recorded in them occurred.
On one hand, we may be tempted to attribute to his divine nature the knowledge and understanding that Jesus exhibits in today’s Gospel reading and which amazed the teachers in the Temple. On the other hand, we may be tempted to attribute it to a very human precocity. I believe that we can safely assume that it was a balance of the two. We know very little about Jesus’ stepfather Joseph beyond that he appears to have been a devote man. It is reasonable to believe that he would have taken an interest in Jesus’ instruction in the Hebrew Bible, our Old Testament, and the customs and traditions of the Jewish religion. Mary’s cousin Elizabeth was the wife of Zechariah, a priest of the Temple. Elizabeth herself was also of the priestly family of Aaron. I also believe that we can safely assume that Jesus visited his mother’s cousin’s home. Her husband Zechariah may have also taken an interest in his religious instruction. Since Mary and Elizabeth were relatives, Mary herself must have been of the priestly family of Aaron. This suggests that Jesus grew up in a fairly religious environment. By the time Jesus was twelve years of age, it is reasonable to believe that Jesus had heard from his mother or others the circumstances surrounding his conception. This would have had an effect on his young mind.
What I have just related are, I must admit, educated guesses. Except for the two episodes that I have mentioned, Jesus’ early years are a mystery. This has led to much speculation. However, if God had thought that we would benefit from knowing the details of Jesus’ early years, I believe that God would have included them in the New Testament. While we might like to have more details, what God included in the New Testament is all that we need to know for our salvation. Someday we may hear from our Lord himself the details of his early years, presuming that they still pique our curiosity.
What we do learn from today’s Gospel reading is that by the time Jesus was twelve years of age, Jesus accepted God as his Father and exhibited enough knowledge and understanding to amaze the scholars of the day. What else is remarkable about this episode in Jesus’ life is that it presages Jesus’ disputations with the Pharisees and the scribes. By then the amazement had turned to disbelief, resentment, and loathing. In their hearts I suspect that the Pharisees and scribes knew that Jesus was right, and consequently their loathing turned to deadly hatred.
Their attitude toward Jesus contrasts sharply with the attitude that the apostle Paul urges the members of the church at Colossae to adopt toward each other. In today’s reading from Paul’s Second Letter to the Colossians the apostle echoes Jesus’s own teachings. He entreats them to cloth themselves with love. It is easy for Christians to become like the Pharisees and scribes, being unloving, unforgiving, and uncaring while at the same time maintaining the outward appearance of being devotedly religious. It is a trap against which we must always be on guard if we are truly to represent our Lord to those around us.
Silence is kept.
Let us affirm our faith in the words of the Apostles Creed.
Open this link in a new tab to play Daniel Justice Snoke’s metrical version of the Apostles Creed, “I Believe in God the Father.”
I believe in God the Father,
maker of all heav’n and earth.
And in Jesus Christ our Saviour,
God’s own Son of matchless worth;
By the Spirit was conceived,
of the virgin, Mary born,
He in whom I have believed,
God almighty, three in one.
Suffered under Pontius Pilate.
crucified for me he died.
Laid within the grave so silent,
gates of hell he opened wide;
For the stone-sealed tomb was empty;
on the third day he arose;
Into heaven made his entry,
mighty conquer’r of his foes.
At God’s right hand he is seated,
till his coming as he said;
Final judgment will be meted
to the living and the dead;
I confess the Holy Spirit,
who was sent through Christ the Son
To apply salvation’s merit:
God the Spirit Three in One.
I believe the church of Jesus,
universal e’er remains;
We are one through all the ages
In communion of the saints.
I believe sins are forgiven,
that our bodies will be raised
To eternal life in glory,
ever let his name be praised.
Let us pray for all people and the Church throughout the world.
After each petition silence may be kept. Further specific petitions may be added at appropriate points in the prayers or before the response.
We pray for the peace of the world, for the leaders of the nation, and for all in authority.
God of grace, hear our prayer.
We pray for the welfare of your holy church, our bishop William, and for all clergy and people.
God of grace, hear our prayer.
We pray that we nay share with justice the resources of the earth, and live in trust and goodwill with one another,
God of grace, hear our prayer.
We pray for the aged and infirm, for the bereaved and the lonely, and for the sick and the suffering.
God of grace, hear our prayer.
We pray for the poor and the oppressed, for prisoners and captives, and for all who care for them.
God of grace, hear our prayer.
We pray for ourselves and each other.
God of grace, hear our prayer.
We praise you, lord god, for your servant Stephen, for the communion of the saints, and for the glorious hope of the resurrection to eternal life.
God of grace, hear our prayer.
Faithful God,
you have promised to hear the prayers
of all who ask in Jesus’ name.
In your mercy, accept our prayers.
give us what we asked in faith,
according to your will;
Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Let us pray the prayer that Jesus gave us.
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done; on earth
as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who
trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
Lord Jesus Christ,
Send us out with confidence in your word
To tell the world of your saving acts,
And bring glory to your name. Amen.
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The Lord be with you.
The Lord bless you.
May the God of all grace bless us. Amen.
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