Christmas at Dawn - Joy to the World

ISAIAH 62:6-12⁶   Upon your walls, O Jerusalem, I have posted sentinels; all day and all night they shall never be silent. You who remind the Lord, take no rest, ⁷   and give him no rest until he establishes Jerusalem and makes it renowned throughout the earth. ⁸   The Lord has sworn by his right hand and by his mighty arm: I will not again give your grain to be food for your enemies, and foreigners shall not drink the wine for which you have labored; ⁹   but those who garner it shall eat it and praise the Lord, and those who gather it shall drink it in my holy courts.¹⁰  Go through, go through the gates, prepare the way for the people; build up, build up the highway, clear it of stones, lift up an ensign over the peoples. ¹¹  The Lord has proclaimed to the end of the earth: Say to daughter Zion, “See, your salvation comes; his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.” ¹²  They shall be called, “The Holy People, The Redeemed of the Lord”; and you shall be called, “Sought Out, A City Not Forsaken.”PSALM 97:1-12¹   The Lord is king! Let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad! ²   Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. ³   Fire goes before him, and consumes his adversaries on every side. ⁴   His lightnings light up the world; the earth sees and trembles. ⁵   The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth.⁶   The heavens proclaim his righteousness; and all the peoples behold his glory. ⁷   All worshipers of images are put to shame, those who make their boast in worthless idols; all gods bow down before him. ⁸   Zion hears and is glad, and the towns of Judah rejoice, because of your judgements, O God. ⁹   For you, O Lord, are most high over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods.¹⁰  The Lord loves those who hate evil; he guards the lives of his faithful; he rescues them from the hand of the wicked. ¹¹  Light dawns for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart. ¹²  Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name!SECOND READING TITUS 3:4-7

⁴But when the goodness and loving-kindness of God our Savior appeared, ⁵he saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy, through the water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. ⁶This Spirit he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, ⁷so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

GOSPEL LUKE 2:(1-7) 8-20

¹In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. ²This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. ³All went to their own towns to be registered. ⁴Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. ⁵He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. ⁶While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. ⁷And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.⁸ In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see — I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people:¹¹to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹²This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” ¹³And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, ¹⁴  “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”¹⁵When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” ¹⁶So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. ¹⁷When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; ¹⁸and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them.¹⁹But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

• Light a candle to remember Christ's presence with you.
• Sit five to fifteen minutes in silent meditation paying attention to the deep breath.
• Imagine you are a shepherd keeping watch over the flock at night.
• The angels appear and share the good news: ¹¹to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹²This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” ¹³And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,¹⁴  “Glory to God in the highest heaven,and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”
• What do you feel in your body when you hear this message?
• What part of you is leading toward the manger?
• What mercy does the Christ child extend to you as you move toward the manger?
• Savor the mercy of the Christ child.
• Know that you are loved.
• What message does God have for you?
• Give thanks to God for this time to move toward the manger, to share the good news, and for any new insights you have received.
• Share as you feel led in the reply box below.
   If you use these prayers in other groups, please give credit to author.Permission to use in not-for-profit settings (c) 2017 The Rev. Lil Smith, M.Div., DASD