麻豆社

MUSIC 1 Personent Hodie (Traditional)

WELCOME The Principal

Good morning from Belfast. I鈥檓 Jenny Lendrum , Principal of Methodist College.听 You are very welcome to Fisherwick Presbyterian Church where I鈥檓 joined by the College Chapel Choir, one of about ten? Performing groups for. music has always played and continues to play an important part in the life of the College

听

With some 2000 pupils Methodist College听 is very diverse community with students representing a huge variety of backgrounds. As a school we want to develop well-rounded individuals equipped for听further study, the world of work and adulthood but who will also appreciate the importance of kindness, respect and inclusivity, and to understand the valuable contribution they can make to society.

Today鈥檚 service is led by the Rev Emily Hyland, the College chaplain

Rev Emily Hyland.

Today鈥檚 Sunday Worship is the conclusion of our series on Advent authors from the four nations in the United Kingdom and later in this service the Reverend David Compton will preach about the writer CS Lewis who was born here in Belfast in 1898.

When the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children.

We Pray

Glory be to you O Lord for the wonder of your love
听made known to us in the birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ

Glory be to you O Lord for the great salvation
in Jesus Christ the Word made flesh sharing our human lives

Who came to us as a vulnerable, helpless child into a world of pain and greed and violence,

Born far from the corridors of power or influence, Yet the creator of all things and our Redeemer.

For all your many blessings, underserved by us
And for all the wonder of your Incarnation
Glory be to you O Lord for ever and ever.

As we worship you.

Help us to be aware of听 our faults and failings 听听and of your grace and forgiveness

Help us to be conscious or our weaknesses and anxieties and of your power and wisdom.

We admit that we are often indifferent to you and to your mighty act in Jesus Christ to save us.

We are often slow to hear your call and reluctant to respond to it.

Our faith is often weak and wavering-

Lord, we forget your love and often live as if we only loved ourselves.

We are slow to see you in our sisters and brothers and often totally ignore their needs.

Our service to you has often been tainted by a desire to further our own position and prestige and not to seek your glory alone.

Lord God, forgive us our shortcomings, and grant us, we pray your pardon and your peace, in the name of Jesus Christ to whom with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever, AMEN

MUSIC听 2 Away in a Manger (Arr Reginald Jacques)听听听听听听听听

Reader A reading from the second chapter of the letter to the Philippians

Let the same mind be in you that was[]听in Christ Jesus,

6听who, though he existed in the form of God,
听听听听did not regard equality with God
听听听听as something to be grasped,
7听but emptied himself,
听听听听taking the form of a slave,
听听听听assuming human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a human,
8听听听听听he humbled himself
听听听听and became obedient to the point of death鈥�
听听听听even death on a cross.

9听Therefore God exalted him even more highly
听听听听and gave him the name
听听听听that is above every other name,
10听so that at the name given to Jesus
听听听听every knee should bend,
听听听听in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11听and every tongue should confess
听听听听that Jesus Christ is Lord,
听听听听to the glory of God the Father.

MUSIC 3 Mary鈥檚 Lullaby (John Rutter)听 听听

Reader A reading from the first chapter of the Gospel according to St Matthew

Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah[]听took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be pregnant from the Holy Spirit.听19听Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to divorce her quietly.听20听But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, 鈥淛oseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.听21听She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.鈥澨�22听All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

23听鈥淟ook, the virgin shall become pregnant and give birth to a son,
听听听听and they shall name him Emmanuel,鈥�

which means, 鈥淕od is with us.鈥澨�24听When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife听25听but had no marital relations with her until she had given birth to a son,[]听and he named him Jesus.

MUSIC 4 There is no rose of such virtue (Arr Jonathan Lane)听 听听听听听

Rev David Campton

I grew up in East Belfast, from a working-class background with little appreciation of literature. We had few books in our house. Although my Dad did love a good cowboy book from the mobile library that came round every Thursday.

But in my fourth year at school my teacher started to read to us last thing on a Friday afternoon from a book called 鈥淭he Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.鈥� I was quickly hooked, and I couldn鈥檛 wait to find out what happened the next week. So, I went to the mobile library and got it out and gobbled it up in a single weekend... following it quickly with the other six books in the series. And that was my introduction not only to C.S. Lewis and his Narnia stories... but to literature as a whole, transforming the entire trajectory of my life.

It was only much later that I discovered that Lewis was actually born half a mile from me and that I regularly walked past the house that he grew up in... He wasn鈥檛 such a cult figure in the area back then... Now, he ranks only slightly lower than footballer George Best and singer Van Morrison in East Belfast folklore... with an entire sculpture park and square named after him.

But, despite that, ask most people where I came from, or indeed anywhere, to tell you any of Lewis鈥檚 books and they would probably only know about that Narnia series... His series of science fantasy novels are rarely read these days; his popular theology books are no longer particularly popular, his academic works were never best-sellers and, despite having a memorial in Poets Corner in Westminster Abbey, his poetry, which largely came from early in his career, is almost unknown. However, despite that, many writers, and preachers, would admit that Lewis was a massive influence on them... even among those who wouldn鈥檛 embrace the Christian messages that Lewis embedded in his fiction.

But when it comes to C.S. Lewis and Christmas, the scope of most people鈥檚 knowledge zooms in even tighter than the Narnia series, to that first book that hooked me, and specifically to that picture of a snowy countryside caught in a spell where it was 鈥渁lways winter and never Christmas.鈥�

The irony is that Lewis himself had a slightly ambivalent view of Christmas. In an essay entitled 鈥淲hat Christmas Means to Me,鈥� he made clear that whilst he approved of Christmas as an excuse for 鈥渕erry making鈥�, he had no time for what he called, even then, 鈥渢he commercial racket.鈥� But of course, he was deeply committed to the idea of the theological significance of the Christmas story.

It was again only when I was much older, however, that I realised the illogicality of his description of Narnia as always winter and never Christmas, given that Narnia had no Christ, beyond the allegorical lion Aslan... Although elsewhere Lewis did explore the question as to whether any other inhabited world would need their own version of incarnation...

Indeed, Lewis was fascinated by the whole concept of the incarnation of God... That idea captured in the quote from the prophet Isaiah in today鈥檚 reading from Metthew鈥檚 Gospel and the title of Emmanuel, 鈥楪od is with us,鈥� bestowed on Mary鈥檚 miraculous son. And which Paul in that ancient hymn from Philippians 2 describes as Christ, who was equal with God, emptying himself into human form...

1700 years ago this year the Council of Nicaea affirmed with its agreed creed, which we still profess today, that Jesus is, 鈥渓ight from light, true God from true God, begotten not made, of one being with the father鈥︹��

In the light of all of that, in his book 鈥淢ere Christianity鈥� Lewis writes鈥淭he Second Person in God, the Son, became human Himself: was born into the world as an actual man鈥� a real man of a particular height, with hair of a particular colour, speaking a particular language, weighing so many stone. The Eternal Being, who knows everything and who created the whole universe, became not only a man but (before that) a baby, and before that a foetus inside a Woman鈥檚 body.

But why would the creator become a creature, the epitome of 鈥渄ownwardly mobile divinity鈥�? In his book about miracles Lewis offers this reflection: In the Christian story God descends to reascend. He comes down; down from the heights of absolute being into time and space, down into humanity; down further still, if embryologists are right, to recapitulate in the womb ancient and pre-human phases of life; down to the very roots and seabed of the Nature He has created. But He goes down to come up again and bring the whole ruined world up with Him.

Looking at the world around us we can easily get drawn into a pessimistic perspective of this 鈥渞uined world鈥�, but, if Lewis鈥檚 analysis is to be believed, whilst we are coming to the end of Advent and to the much-anticipated celebration of the birth of Jesus... we need to remember that this is only the beginning of the story... The divine descent has only just begun... That arc of the story takes us to Good Friday and the cross, and indeed beyond that to Holy Saturday and the dark silence of that day... And only after that comes the upward arc of the story... not just for Jesus with his resurrection and ascension, but for the whole of creation.

The story of the incarnation does not begin and end with the nativity, just as the Narnia stories didn鈥檛 end with the snow thawing and the illogical coming of Christmas... and my interest in Lewis and literature in general didn鈥檛 stop with that one book that a teacher read to a tired class on a Friday afternoon.

The well-worn story of Christ鈥檚 coming still has much to say to us and the world if we will allow it to become flesh and blood in the stories of our own lives... Radically transforming the trajectory of what may seem like downward narrative arcs into something way beyond our imaginations.

MUSIC 5 How Far is it to Bethlehem (Traditional arr Wilberg)听听听听

Rev Emily Hyland.

Let us pray.

God of power and mercy,
You call us once again
To celebrate the coming of your Son.
Remove those things which hinder love of you,
That when he comes听 in His Kingdom.
He may find us waiting In awe and wonder of him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God now and for ever..

Reader

Come to your world as King of the nations

We pray for rulers and governments, for ministers and members of parliament

That they may have and respond to your wisdom and guidance

For peace in the world, especially for those places riven by violence

And for all who suffer because of it.

Come, Lord Jesus

Come, Lord Jesus

Reader

Come to your church as Lord and Judge

that its members may have hearts open to your grace and truth

and to show these by words and example.

Help Christians to live in the light of your coming,

Always being obedient to your will,

Come, Lord Jesus

Come, Lord Jesus

Reader

Come to children and young people as one born a helpless infant

We pray for all children, especially those who are abused, hungry or unloved

for schools and those who teach and learn within them

May they know your love and wisdom

Come, Lord Jesus

Come, Lord Jesus

Reader

Come to your people as Savour and bearer of pain

We pray for the sick, the bereaved, the depressed and those with disabilities

For those who find this time of year painful and difficult

Enfold us in your love and mercy,

taking away feelings of failure, fear and distress.

Come, Lord Jesus

Come, Lord Jesus

REV EMILY HYLAND

Come to us

with power and glory

and lift us up to you

where with your people in every age

We will give you glory

听

We bless and adore you O Christ Son of God yet born of Mary

Son of God, yet our brother;

Eternal Word yet a child without speech;

Clothed in glory yet wrapped in swaddling bands;

Lord of heaven and earth, yet laid in a manger

strong in your weakness, glorious in your humility, mighty to save

And these and all our prayers we offer for your name鈥檚 sake

Our Father who art in heaven, hallow'd 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.听 Amen

MUSIC 6听 In Dulci Jubilo听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 (Cecilia McDowall)

Rev Emily Hyland. Go in peace.

The Wisdom of the Wonderful Counsellor guide you,

The Strength of the Mighty God uphold you,

The Love of the Everlasting Father enfold you

The peace of the Prince of Peace be upon you.

And the blessing of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit be upon you all this day and for evermore. AMEN

MUSIC 7 Ding dong merrily on high Traditiional (arr Wood)

Organ: Chorale Prelude on Vom Himmel Hoch 听(JS Bach0

Closing Announcement

JS Bach鈥檚 Prelude on Vom Himmel Hoch ends today鈥檚 Sunday Worship from Methodist College Belfast which was led by the Rev Emily Hyland.听 The preacher was the Reverend David Campton. The Chapel Choir was directed by Lynda Rolston and the organist was Graeme McCullough. The harpist was Tanya Houghton and the producer, Bert Tosh.

Worship over Christmas on 麻豆社 Radio 4 will include the First Mass of Christmas from Liverpool鈥檚 Anglican Cathedral live on Christmas Eve听 at eleven thirty pm and on Christmas Morning at seven o鈥檆lock, there will be a service from Leeds Catholic Cathedral.

(And before those, on Christmas Eve at three o鈥檆lock in the afternoon you can join the Choir and congregation live in the candlelit chapel of King鈥檚 College. Cambridge for the annual Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols.)