St Peters RC Church Hamilton

“When all things in silence lay, and the night was in the midst of her course, Your Word leaped down
from Your royal throne, O God so we rejoice and give You praise, that Your Word may live in us, and
that we may glorify You for ever.” based on Wisdom 18 v 14 Orthodox Liturgy
O Lord, how we praise and thank You
For being God’s Word to us,
Your love Lord Jesus, is truly marvellous,
Most glorious above all things.
Lord Jesus, our Father gifts You to us through Mary.
Did she know You were remarkable, her Baby?
Did she know she would carry a Saviour,
A Brother born who is no less than One in all holiness?
And what about Joseph, obedient to an angel’s warning,
Telling him to take his family and flee to safety,
Did he realise the significance of this?
“ ‘If you can believe, all things are possible to him (her) who believes’.” Mark 9 v 23
Therein he was saving Your life Lord Jesus,
A life later to be given for us on a †.
What was the purpose of the visiting shepherds?
Was it simply to give witness to the world of yesterday
Of the miraculous happening that First Christmas night?
Surely they could not fully understand the sight of angels,
No more could they hold store by what they saw
Amidst the stark poverty of a stable You lying in a manger cradle?
They could not possibly have known of God’s decision
To gift You as the revision of our fallenness.
Yes, You came to fragile often broken humanity.
“This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save
sinners...’.” 1 Timothy 1 v 15
You came to all lovingly offer us divinity through love’s forgiveness.
Lord Jesus, You came to make something of us,
Something more glorious for the graciousness of God.
You became what we are except of course, were sinless,
That we could become as You are, never far from heaven,
For You came to bring out the very best in us,
To dress us in Your robe of pure righteousness.
Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of God, Emmanuel, God with us,
Lord Jesus, truly we praise and thank You
For coming as the Word made Flesh, wondrous mystery.
Certainly although mystery, the nativity is the turning point of human history.
“ ‘For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should
not perish, but have everlasting life’.” John 3 v 16

Thus all highest praise and warmest thanks ever be,
For having freed me from all I would be
In bondage to the thrall, call of the enemy.
As You are holy, You have set me free.
As You were holy, You have so very much to teach us.
To teach, reach all of us who ask for this.
Jesus, born in Bethlehem, the house of Bread.
Be for us the Bread of God’s Word heard, digested, invested.
Lord Jesus, having come to us at Christmas, remains ever with us as Saviour.

“O holy Child of Bethlehem
Descend to us, we pray;
Cast out our sin, and enter in;
Be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels
The great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us,
Our Lord Emmanuel.” Philip Brooks 1835-1903

“Let us never fail to find room for You,
But come and abide in us,
That we may also abide in You.
For at this time You were born into the world for us,
And live and reign, King of kings and Lord of lords,
Now and forever.” William Temple 1881-1944
Dearest Father, may the wondrous gift of the Christ Child born to Mary be Your highest blessing
upon us, now and throughout the Christmas season and beyond.
In the Eucharist especially we recall how the Lord James came to save us from the clutches of all
that is evil. O how great is our need of this as we think of mankind’s heinous ways, all the evil
we do.
Yesterday we remembered the Holy Innocents slaughtered by King Herod, and still children are
abused, neglected, their life mutilated, tortured. Forgive us Lord Jesus, forgive us and redeem us.
May Your power and authority rule over us, obliterate all evil plans, desires, designs, actions.
For You come to establish a godly kingdom of justice and peace, that which kindness and fairness
alone will allow to flourish.
Please ever remain with us in the holy Eucharist, that You be very real to us as the Son of God,
the living Word, the government safely set upon Your broad shoulders. Be wisdom that is holy to
all peoples. Be God’s mercy in us as You are His mercy to us.
Forgive our failure to pray to ask You for all the help we daily need. Forgive our failure to
intercede, one for another. Forgive our failure to discover, claim, name Your power of holy love
readily, effectively, actively amongst us.
May we never lose our sense of joy at Your arrival. For after all is said and done, this is the
gateway, You are the gateway opening up a season of blessings through belonging, being made
Your works in progress.
“Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will go through them, and I will praise the
Psalm 118 v 19 LORD.” Open to us the gates of righteousness You provide Lord Jesus, to be triumphant over all
that is evil.
Yes, please do this and let it result in highest, richest, fullest praise by accepting Your precious
body and blood given up for this very purpose of sharing life in all holiness.
v 21 “I will praise You,” and hopefully, very many will praise You, born at Christmas as holy love
come to us to change the face of the earth by Your holy birth.
Cont. Praise ever must be “For You have anointed me and have become my salvation,” as
eventually You exchange Your cradle for a †. Thank You, Lord Jesus, thank You for all You so
amazingly do for us in the wondrous mystery of Your love.
I ask that in partaking of You in the holy Eucharist, our belief is ever deepened, strengthened,
supported and emboldened. I ask this because You told us to ask to receive. Amen

29.12.18