Sundays at All Hallows (December 28, 2025)
Both this Sunday, December 28, and the following Sunday, January 4, fall during the Twelve Day of Christmas. Anglicans and Lutherans count the Twelve Days of Christmas from Christmas Day, December 25, to Twelfth Night, or Epiphany Eve, January 5. The Feast of Epiphany, January 6, falls on a Tuesday, the first Tuesday of the New Year. Counting this Sunday, we have nine more days left of the Christmas Season.
This Sunday’s message is a reflection upon Matthew 2:13-23.
GATHERED IN GOD’S NAME
Open this link in a new tab to hear Gary Schocker’s arrangement of the traditional Catalonian carol “Carol of the Birds (El Cant Dels Ocells)” for flute and harp.
The Lord be with you.
The Lord bless you.
Through Christ, let us offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Hebrews 13:15
Open this link in a new tab to hear Jane M. Joseph’ translation of the sixteenth century Latin carol “On This Day Earth Shall Ring (Personet Hodie).”
1 On this day earth shall ring
With the song children sing
To the Lord Christ our King,
Born on earth to save us,
Him the Father gave us.
I-de-o-o-o, i-de-o-o-o,
I-de-o, glo-ri-a,
In ex-cel-sis De-o!
I-de-o-o-o, i-de-o-o-o,
I-de-o, glo-ri-a,
In ex-cel-sis De-o!
2 His the doom, ours the mirth
When He came down to earth,
Bethlehem saw His birth;
Ox and ass beside him
From the cold would hide him.
I-de-o-o-o, i-de-o-o-o,
I-de-o, glo-ri-a,
In ex-cel-sis De-o!
I-de-o-o-o, i-de-o-o-o,
I-de-o, glo-ri-a,
In ex-cel-sis De-o!
3 God’s bright star o’er his head,
Wise men three to him led,
Kneel they low by his bed,
Lay their gifts before Him,
Praise Him and adore Him.
I-de-o-o-o, i-de-o-o-o,
I-de-o, glo-ri-a,
In ex-cel-sis De-o!
I-de-o-o-o, i-de-o-o-o,
I-de-o, glo-ri-a,
In ex-cel-sis De-o!
[Instrumental interlude]
4 On this day angels sing,
With their song earth shall ring,
Praising Christ, heaven’s King,
Born on earth to save us,
Peace and love He gave us.
I-de-o-o-o, i-de-o-o-o,
I-de-o, glo-ri-a,
In ex-cel-sis De-o!
I-de-o-o-o, i-de-o-o-o,
I-de-o, glo-ri-a,
In ex-cel-sis De-o!
Let us confess our sins to God our Father.
Silence
Heavenly Father,
we have sinned against you and against our neighbour
in thought and word and deed,
through negligence, through weakness,
through our own deliberate fault;
by what we have done
and by what we have failed to do.
We are truly sorry and repent of all our sins.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ who died for us,
forgive us all that is past;
and grant that we may serve you in newness of life
to the glory of your name. Amen.
Merciful Lord,
grant to your faithful people pardon and peace,
that we may be cleansed from all our sins,
and serve you with a quiet mind;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear “Glory to God” from Marty Haugen’s Mass of Creation.
Glory to God in the highest,
and peace to his people on earth.
Lord God, heavenly King,
almighty God and Father,
we worship you, we give you thanks,
we praise you for your glory.
Glory to God in the highest,
and peace to his people on earth.
Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father,
Lord God, Lamb of God,
you take away the sin of the world:
have mercy on us;
you are seated at the right hand of the Father:
receive our prayer.
Glory to God in the highest,
and peace to his people on earth.
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,
Amen. Amen.
Glory to God in the highest,
and peace to his people on earth.
Let us pray.
Silence
Almighty God,
who wonderfully created us in your own image
and yet more wonderfully restored us
through your Son Jesus Christ:
Grant that, as he came to share in our humanity,
so we may share the life of his divinity;
who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD
A reading from the Book of Isaiah.
Isaiah 63:7-9
I will tell of the Lord's unfailing love;
I praise him for all he has done for us.
He has richly blessed the people of Israel
because of his mercy and constant love.
The Lord said, “They are my people; they will not deceive me.” And so he saved them from all their suffering. It was not an angel, but the Lord himself who saved them. In his love and compassion he rescued them. He had always taken care of them in the past,
Silence
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.
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.
A reading from the Letter to the Hebrews.
Hebrews 2:10-18
It was only right that God, who creates and preserves all things, should make Jesus perfect through suffering, in order to bring many children to share his glory. For Jesus is the one who leads them to salvation.
He purifies people from their sins, and both he and those who are made pure all have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his family. He says to God,
“I will tell my people what you have done;
I will praise you in their meeting.”
He also says, “I will put my trust in God.” And he also says, “Here I am with the children that God has given me.”
Since the children, as he calls them, are people of flesh and blood, Jesus himself became like them and shared their human nature. He did this so that through his death he might destroy the Devil, who has the power over death, and in this way set free those who were slaves all their lives because of their fear of death. For it is clear that it is not the angels that he helps. Instead, he helps the descendants of Abraham. This means that he had to become like his people in every way, in order to be their faithful and merciful High Priest in his service to God, so that the people's sins would be forgiven. And now he can help those who are tempted, because he himself was tempted and suffered.
Silence
Open this link in a new tab to hear John Jacob Niles’ adaptation of the traditional Appalachian carol, “I Wonder as I Wander.”
1 I wonder as I wander, out under the sky,
how Jesus the Savior did come for to die
for poor ordinary people like you and like I;
I wonder as I wander, out under the sky.
2 When Mary birthed Jesus, 'twas in a cow's stall
with wise men and farmers and shepherd and all.
but high from God's heaven a star's light did fall,
and the promise of ages it did then recall.
3 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 for to sing,
he surely could have it, 'cause he was the King.
4 I wonder as I wander, out under the sky,
how Jesus the Savior did come for to die
for poor ordinary people like you and like I;
I wonder as I wander, out under the sky.
A reading from the gospel according to Matthew.
Matthew 2:13-23
After they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph and said, “Herod will be looking for the child in order to kill him. So get up, take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you to leave.”
Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and left during the night for Egypt, where he stayed until Herod died. This was done to make come true what the Lord had said through the prophet, “I called my Son out of Egypt.”
When Herod realized that the visitors from the East had tricked him, he was furious. He gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its neighborhood who were two years old and younger—this was done in accordance with what he had learned from the visitors about the time when the star had appeared.
In this way what the prophet Jeremiah had said came true:
“A sound is heard in Ramah,
the sound of bitter weeping.
Rachel is crying for her children;
she refuses to be comforted,
for they are dead.”
After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and go back to the land of Israel, because those who tried to kill the child are dead.” So Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went back to Israel.
But when Joseph heard that Archelaus had succeeded his father Herod as king of Judea, he was afraid to go there. He was given more instructions in a dream, so he went to the province of Galilee and made his home in a town named Nazareth. And so what the prophets had said came true: “He will be called a Nazarene.”
Silence
God Will Prevail
Human history is filled with despots, rulers, who had unlimited power over other people, and often used that power unfairly and cruelly. We have our share of despots and aspiring despots today. They were even more common in the ancient Mid-East. Herod the Great, the ruler of Judea at the time of Jesus’ birth, was such a ruler. He used secret police to ferret out any opposition to him and those who opposed him were apt to disappear. Herod would execute several members of his own family. Among them was his wife Mariamne.
You can read about Herod’s rise to power and what he did in the Wikipedia article titled, “Herod the Great.”
Based upon what we know about Herod, it is not surprising that he would not welcome the news of the birth of a king in Judea. Even an infant could be used by opponents to rally the population against him and unseat him from power. Ridding himself of potential rivals would have been foremost on his mind, particularly as he grew older, more unpopular, and more vulnerable, and his hold onto power grew weaker.
What we learn from this Sunday’s Gospel reading is that while we humans, particular those occupying positions of power and intent upon evil, can do great harm and cause great suffering, we cannot thwart God’s plans. God accomplishes what he purposes. The wicked cannot prevail against God even though at times they may appear to triumph. In the end, God will prevail, not the doers of evil.
Silence
Open this link in a new tab to hear Robert Croo’s “Lully, Lullay (Coventry Carol).”
Lully, lullay,
thou little tiny child,
by by, lully lullay.
1 O sisters too,
how may we do
for to preserve this day
this poor youngling,
for whom we do sing
by by, lully lullay?
2 Herod the king,
in his raging,
charged he hath this day
his men of might,
in his own sight,
all young children to slay.
3 That woe is me,
poor child for thee!
and ever morn and day,
for thy parting
neither say nor sing
by by, lully lullay!
Lully, lullay,
thou little tiny child,
by by, lully lullay.
Let us confess our faith, as we say:
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
THE MINISTRY OF PRAYER
Let us pray for all people and for the Church throughout the world.
Almighty God, your Son Jesus Christ has promised that you
will hear us when we ask in faith: receive the prayers we offer.
We pray for the peace of the world and the welfare of your holy Church.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
We pray for our Bishop N, and for all the clergy and people.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
We pray for [Charles our King][…… our President], for the leaders of the nations, and for all in authority.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
[We pray for seasonable weather, and for an abundance
of the fruits of the earth.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.]
[We pray that we may share with justice the resources of
the earth, and live in trust and goodwill with one
another.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.]
We pray for the aged and the infirm, for widows and
orphans, and for the sick and suffering.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
We pray for the poor and oppressed, for prisoners and captives, and for all who care for them.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
We pray for ourselves and for each other.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
We praise you, Lord God, for the communion of saints, and
for the glorious hope of the resurrection to eternal life.
Almighty God,
you have shed upon us
the light of your incarnate Word:
may this light, kindled in our hearts,
shine forth in our lives;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
Accept our prayers through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who taught us to pray,
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,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Percy Dearmer’s “Jesus, Good Above All Other.”
1 Jesus, good above all other,
gentle child of gentle mother,
in a stable born our brother,
give us grace to persevere.
2 Jesus, cradled in a manger,
for us facing every danger,
living as a homeless stranger,
make we thee our King most dear.
3 Jesus, for thy people dying,
risen Master, death defying,
Lord in heaven, thy grace supplying,
keep us to thy presence near.
4 Jesus, who our sorrows bearest,
all our thoughts and hopes thou sharest,
thou to us the truth declarest;
help us all thy truth to hear.
5 Lord, in all our doings guide us;
pride and hate shall ne'er divide us;
we'll go on with thee beside us,
and with joy we'll persevere.
THE SENDING FORTH OF GOD’S PEOPLE
Eternal God and Father, by whose power we are created and
by whose love we are redeemed: guide and strengthen us by
your Spirit, that we may give ourselves to your service, and
live every day in love to one another and to you; through Jesus
Christ your Son our Lord. Amen.
[Let us go now in peace to love and serve the Lord.
In the name of Christ. Amen.]
Comments
Post a Comment