Welcome to our service - 19 December
This service sheet can be used individually or with households.
We would encourage you to say (or even sing) hymns and songs out loud.
Prayers, other liturgy or readings can be said out loud or silently, corporately or individually.
If you are able, we would also like invite you to join us for our main Sunday service, 10am in church and live on Zoom. Even if you have never been to St Gabriel’s before we would love you to join you. Please get in touch with the vicar Alistair (vicar@saintgs.co.uk) and he will send you the Zoom details.
SERVICE
Opening
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
who has come to his people and set them free.
Hosanna to the Son of David. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed be the name of the Lord,
Hosanna in the highest.
SING: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzC9dxwRddc
The angel Gabriel from heaven came,
his wings as drifted snow, his eyes as flame;
'From God, all hail', the angel said to Mary,
most highly favoured lady!'
Gloria!
'Fear not, for you shall bear a holy child,
by him shall man to God be reconciled,
his name shall be Emmanuel, the long foretold:
most highly favoured lady!'
Gloria!
Then gentle Mary meekly bowed her head,
`To me be as it pleases God', she said,
`My soul shall praise and magnify his holy name'.
Most highly favoured lady!
Gloria!
'And so,' she said, 'how happy I shall be!
All generations will remember me,
for God has kept the promises to Israel.'
Most highly favoured lady!
Gloria!
Of her, Emmanuel, the Christ, was born
in Bethlehem, upon that Christmas morn,
and Christian folk throughout the world will ever say,
`Most highly favoured lady!'
Gloria!
Music Basque Carol arranged C.E. Pettman
© 1961 H Freeman.
Words: S. Baring-Gould © Jubilate Hym
CONFESSION
We are gathered together to proclaim and receive in our hearts the good news of the coming of God’s kingdom, and so prepare ourselves to celebrate with confidence and joy the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. We pray that we may respond in penitence and faith to the glory of his kingdom, its works of justice and its promise of peace, its blessing and its hope.
When the Lord comes, he will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness, and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Therefore, in the light of Christ let us confess our sins.
Christ came in humility to share our lives:
forgive our pride.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ came with good news for all people:
forgive our silence.
Christ, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Christ came in love to a world of suffering:
forgive our self-centredness.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
ABSOLUTION
May the God of all healing and forgiveness
draw us to himself
and cleanse us from all our sins,
that we may behold the glory of his Son,
the Word made flesh,
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Alleluia, alleluia.
Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,
and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
Alleluia.
COLLECT
Eternal God,
as Mary waited for the birth of your Son,
so we wait for his coming in glory;
bring us through the birth pangs of this present age
to see, with her, our great salvation
in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
SING: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vz-FkqobgXY
Tell out, my soul,
the greatness of the Lord;
Unnumbered blessings
give my spirit voice;
Tender to me
the promise of His Word;
In God my Saviour
shall my heart rejoice.
2. Tell out, my soul,
the greatness of His Name!
Make known His might, the deeds His arm has done;
His mercy sure, from age to age the same;
His Holy Name - the Lord, the Mighty One.
3. Tell out, my soul,
the greatness of His might!
Powers and dominions
lay their glory by.
Proud hearts and stubborn wills
are put to flight,
The hungry fed, the humble lifted high.
4. Tell out, my soul,
the glories of His word!
Firm is His promise, and His mercy sure,
Tell out my soul, the greatness of the Lord
To children's children and for evermore.
Timothy Dudley-Smith, 1926-
READINGS
Ruth 4:1-12 New International Version – UK
Meanwhile Boaz went up to the town gate and sat down there just as the guardian-redeemer he had mentioned came along. Boaz said, ‘Come over here, my friend, and sit down.’ So he went over and sat down.
Boaz took ten of the elders of the town and said, ‘Sit here,’ and they did so. Then he said to the guardian-redeemer, ‘Naomi, who has come back from Moab, is selling the piece of land that belonged to our relative Elimelek. I thought I should bring the matter to your attention and suggest that you buy it in the presence of these seated here and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, do so. But if you will not, tell me, so I will know. For no one has the right to do it except you, and I am next in line.’
‘I will redeem it,’ he said.
Then Boaz said, ‘On the day you buy the land from Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the dead man’s widow, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property.’
At this, the guardian-redeemer said, ‘Then I cannot redeem it because I might endanger my own estate. You redeem it yourself. I cannot do it.’
(Now in earlier times in Israel, for the redemption and transfer of property to become final, one party took off his sandal and gave it to the other. This was the method of legalising transactions in Israel.)
So the guardian-redeemer said to Boaz, ‘Buy it yourself.’ And he removed his sandal.
Then Boaz announced to the elders and all the people, ‘Today you are witnesses that I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelek, Kilion and Mahlon. I have also acquired Ruth the Moabite, Mahlon’s widow, as my wife, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property, so that his name will not disappear from among his family or from his home town. Today you are witnesses!’
Then the elders and all the people at the gate said, ‘We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the family of Israel. May you have standing in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. Through the offspring the Lord gives you by this young woman, may your family be like that of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah.’
Luke 1:68-79 New International Version – UK
‘Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has come to his people and redeemed them.
He has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David
(as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),
salvation from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us –
to show mercy to our ancestors
and to remember his holy covenant,
the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
and to enable us to serve him without fear
in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,
to give his people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace.’
TALK by Catherine Stevenson
Since having kids myself, I love holding babies, and whenever I do, I seem to instinctively start doing ‘the baby bounce’ - a motion I’ve spent hours perfecting at all hours of the night to get my babies back to sleep! My dad likes babies too, but his typical mantra is, “Better be careful - they’re dangerous at both ends!”, and I can vouch for the truth in that. However, you feel about babies, there’s no doubt that they bring joy. For all the crying, tiredness and mess, humankind the world over rejoice over the gift of new life, and every culture has its own traditions for welcoming a baby into the world. In this country we give cards and gifts, in northern India, they put a black spot on the baby’s forehead, and in Ethiopia, where my mum grew up, they spat on the baby as a sign of good luck. I imagine we’re all feeling good about our own traditions right now! But the point is, in every culture, new life is celebrated - a baby is seen as a sign of hope. So - spoiler alert - that’s where we’re heading this morning as we come to the final chapter of Ruth.
Over the past three weeks, Alistair and Stuart have unpacked the first three chapters, allowing us to go ‘behind the scenes’ of the Christmas story. We’ve been introduced to the mourning widow, Naomi, who, like Mary and Joseph, journeys to her home town of Bethlehem, full of uncertainty and looking for signs of hope. For Naomi, it’s not just a physical journey, but also a spiritual one as she returns to the Promised Land, and discovers who God really is. We’ve seen how God expressed his faithfulness and love to Naomi through Ruth’s steadfast devotion to her. We’ve seen how God provided for all her and Ruth’s needs through the compassion and kindness of Boaz. And today will we see how God reignited hope in Naomi’s life through redemption and the birth of a child, just as he reignites hope for us and the whole world through the birth of his Son, Jesus.
Ruth chapter four is rich in drama, tension and twists. But let’s start by picking up the story where Alistair left off. At the end of chapter 3, following Ruth’s act of proposal, we hear of Boaz’s intentions towards her:
Verses 12-13: ”Although it is true that I am a guardian-redeemer of our family, there is another who is more closely related than I. Stay here for the night, and in the morning if he wants to do his duty as your guardian-redeemer, good; let him redeem you. But if he is not willing, as surely as the Lord lives I will do it.”
Here, in the middle of the night, on his own property, Boaz could easily have taken advantage of Ruth in her vulnerability, but he doesn’t. He praises her for her noble character, mirroring the words of Proverbs 31. He reassures her of his honourable intentions. He generously provides food again for her and Naomi, and sends Ruth home early in the morning to preserve her reputation and avoid idle talk. Then he immediately sets about the task of ensuring that she and Naomi are redeemed and cared for, and this is where chapter four begins.
Boaz goes to the town gate and there he finds the man he’s looking for - almost as if God orchestrated it - he finds this closer relative to Naomi, the guardian-redeemer who has the legal right (above Boaz) to redeem her and her land. Whatever happens next, Boaz wants it to be legally binding because his first priority is ensuring the welfare of Ruth and Naomi. So, he gathers ten elders to be his witnesses, and sets out his proposal. Speaking to the closer relative, he says:
“Naomi, who has come back from Moab, is selling the piece of land that belonged to our relative Elimelek. I thought I should bring the matter to your attention and suggest that you buy it in the presence of these seated here and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, do so. But if you will not, tell me, so I will know. For no one has the right to do it except you, and I am next in line.”
Now let’s imagine this was a Holywood movie. At this point in the story, we have seen that Boaz is the clear hero. He is a man of standing in the community, who blesses his employees, looks after foreigners and those in need. He is compassionate, generous and utterly honourable. Of course, we want him to marry our heroine, Ruth. But in verse 4 our hearts drop. The closer relative responds, “I will redeem it”. And it seems all our hopes of Boaz marrying Ruth are crushed. But Boaz has not finished, and he wants to be absolutely clear about what redeeming the land will involve. In verse 5 he responds, “On the day you buy the land from Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the dead man’s widow, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property.” Clearly the other relative had not factored this in. He knew acquiring the land would involve looking after Naomi, the old widow (just until she died), but this seemed like a small cost compared to the income that could be generated from the land, and the increased inheritance he could pass on to his children. However, Boaz makes it clear that the cost is in fact much greater. In redeeming the land, he must also marry a foreigner, Ruth. He must look after her and any children she may bear, as well as passing the land that he buys from Naomi, on to Ruth’s children, not his current family, to maintain the family name of Elimilek. Well, it’s clear that this was a deal-breaker, so the relative backs off saying, “I cannot do it.” And, as verse 7 tells us, to make the redemption and transfer of property final, the relative took off his sandal and gave it to Boaz. In this way, Boaz puts on and literally walks in the shoes of the guardian-redeemer, taking on both the rights and responsibilities involved.
Hooray, we all think! Now Boaz can marry Ruth! And yes, he does. But what this dialogue reveals, is that Boaz made a significant personal sacrifice in order to redeem Ruth and Naomi. By buying the land he may increase his income for a time, but when he dies it would pass down to Ruth’s children under the name of her first husband, Mahlon and his father, Elimilek, so it will not increase the property or inheritance of Boaz’ existing family. And with the prospect of Ruth having children, the land might never actually cover the cost of providing for Boaz’s increased family size, so it doesn’t exactly make financial sense either. On top of this, Ruth was a Moabite, a foreigner, born outside of God’s covenant. There would have been a social stigma attached to marrying outside of his people. But none of this puts Boaz off. He is committed to redeeming Ruth and Naomi, and he makes sure it is done properly, legally, and in the presence of the elders and all the people.
Perhaps to leave us in no doubt of what went on that night on the threshing-floor, the writer is very clear in chapter 4 verse 13 that when Ruth and Boaz are actually married, they do come together physically, and God enabled Ruth to conceive. We can easily forget at this point that before her first husband, Mahlon died, Ruth had been married for 10 years, and yet was childless. Many would have considered her to be barren - unable to have children at all - and in the Ancient Near East, there was a lot of stigma attached to women who were childless. Many considered them to be under a curse. Over the years, some of my closest friends have struggled with infertility, and it it’s been really painful. I can think of six women who I’ve journeyed with, and prayed for, that God would enable them to conceive. There have also been friends and family who’ve longed for a family, but who’ve never got married. A cousin of mine was recently asked what her top prayer request was, and answered ‘ a husband’! As with all my prayers, it seems I’ve received a variety of responses: ‘yes’, ‘no’ and ‘not yet’. We don’t always know why the answer isn’t just ‘yes’, but as William Barclay writes,
“When we pray, we must always remember three things:
- The love of God, which ever desires only what is best for us
- The wisdom of God, which alone knows what is best for us
- And the power of God, which alone can bring to pass that which is best for us.”
I don’t know about you, but when I think of the story of Ruth, I more often remember the pain of Naomi, who had lost her husband and two sons, and along with them all hope for the future. But Ruth’s grief and sorrow was no less real. As a mum of three, living in a completely different culture, I can’t imagine the pain Ruth would have experienced over the years, struggling to conceive, losing her husband, and then finding herself in a foreign land with no money, possessions or social status. The situation of these women at the start of the book is pretty bleak, but it makes God’s redemption and transformation of their lives even more extraordinary and exciting. Against the backdrop of grief and the pain of infertility, God provides a husband for Ruth, a new family for her and Naomi, and then a baby! After years of pain, Ruth becomes a happy mother, and Naomi’s hope for the future is finally restored. In verse 14 the women say to her: “Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a kinsman-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age.” To Naomi and Ruth, the birth of baby Obed (who later became the grandfather of King David) probably felt like a miracle - a dream too great to even imagine as they travelled to Bethlehem. But just like in the Christmas story, God uses ordinary people in his extraordinary plans.
The story of Ruth reveals to us what God is like. God takes broken hearts and fills them with his love. God takes empty hands and provides for those in need. God takes grieving people and shapes them into something new. God takes ordinary people, like you and me, and involves them in his great purposes. God takes despair and transforms it into hope.
The story of Ruth also reveals to us what God calls us, his people, to be like. In this final chapter, Boaz displays sacrificial love towards Ruth and Naomi. He wants to marry Ruth, but first and foremost he wants her to be redeemed, provided for and welcomed into the safety of a family. He does not have the primary right to marry her, so he follows the requirements of the law, but when his opportunity comes, he doesn’t hesitate to declare his intentions. In redeeming Ruth and Naomi, Boaz foreshadows the much greater redemption of Jesus. But he also sets an example to us. Seeking the welfare of others, providing for those in need and doing the right thing are often costly. They involve a significant sacrifice on our part. But that is the kind of love God wants from us. How can we be a community of believers who pursue a life of sacrificial love? Maybe it’s by giving up our time and serving our community through a Bless Greystones project. Maybe it’s inviting a lonely neighbour to ‘Cuppa and Cake’ on Friday afternoons, maybe it’s taking the time to bring a friend who’s searching for meaning to the Alpha course. Maybe it’s simply talking to someone at the bus stop and showing a concern for their welfare. Let’s all ask ourselves this Christmas, not what can I get, but what can I give? And who can I share God’s love with?
As we look once more to the birth of Jesus, we see God as the ultimate Redeemer who comes to rescue us from our sin and pain, who welcomes us into his family, who provides for us and includes our ordinary lives in his great purposes. Obed was a sign of hope to his family. Jesus is a sign of hope to the whole world. May you too find hope this Christmas under Bethlehem skies. Amen
O LORD, HEAR MY PRAYER,
O Lord, hear my prayer:
When I call answer me.
O Lord, hear my prayer,
O Lord, hear my prayer:
Come and listen to me.
Jacques Berthier/Taizé.
Copyright © 1982 Ateliers et Presses de Taize (France).
PRAYERS - written by Linda Chambers
Many of the Christmas cards I’ve sent or received include the words love, peace, hope, joy. These words form the basis for our prayers today.
God of Love, thank you for your great love shown to us in Jesus Christ. We pray for those who feel unloved or neglected, those living on our streets, those who are victims of domestic abuse or human trafficking, those who are lonely at Christmas, those missing family or friends, those with little reason to celebrate.
Thank you for charities and organisations who offer love and friendship over the Christmas period. Bless the work of Crisis at Christmas, The Salvation Army, our own Cathedral Archer Project … Grant us grace to love those we find difficult to love within our families, friendship groups or colleagues. May your love in us be a gift that changes someone’s life this week.
Lord in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
God of Peace, thank you for the peace available to us through Jesus. We pray for peace in places where there is tension or conflict in the world, peace within governments and within nations like Ethiopia and Bosnia where there is growing tension again, peace along borders between nations especially Russia and Ukraine, peace between Israel and Palestine, peace between different ethnic or faith communities, peace for those fearful about the current rise of Covid and for those working so hard in our hospitals and surgeries. Grant us a vision of a world at peace and help us to be peacemakers in our homes, on our streets, in our city.
Lord in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
God of Hope, thank you that our hope is centred in Christ, our Living Hope. We pray for real hope for refugees and migrants instead of false promises, hope for those facing drought and famine in Afghanistan, Yemen, Madagascar … hope for the many nations still to be fully vaccinated against Covid, hope for those recovering from tragedy or natural disaster, hope for those coping with loss, those awaiting medical treatment, those struggling to make ends meet this Christmas time …
May we be agents of hope in a world that so often feels hope-less.
Lord in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
God, the source of our Joy, thank you for the angels’ message of joy to the shepherds.
Despite feelings of gloom in our nation, we pray for joy in our Christmas preparations at home and at church, joy for those preparing and leading our Christmas services and carols at The Greystones, joy for children and adults involved in the Natingle, joy as we worship together in church or on zoom. May visitors who join us feel welcome and experience the joy of the Christ-child. Bless the congregations at All Saints and other neighbouring churches in their celebrations too. Show us this week how we might share the joy of this special season, by the way we smile, greet people and live our lives.
Lord in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
And as we draw towards Christmas may we and those we love know the love, peace, hope and joy of the Christ Child, born in Bethlehem. AMEN
LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your Kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those
who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever.
Amen
SING: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4ntaO2CeyI
HOLY CHILD, how still You lie!
Safe the manger, soft the hay;
Faint upon the eastern sky
Breaks the dawn of Christmas Day.
Holy Child, whose birthday brings
Shepherds from their field and fold,
Angel choirs and eastern kings,
Myrrh and frankincense and gold:
Holy Child, what gift of grace
From the Father freely willed!
In Your infant form we trace
All God’s promises fulfilled.
Holy Child, whose human years
Span like ours delight and pain;
One in human joys and tears,
One in all but sin and stain:
Holy Child, so far from home,
All the lost to seek and save:
To what dreadful death You come,
To what dark and silent grave!
Holy Child, before whose name
Powers of darkness faint and fall;
Conquered death and sin and shame –
Jesus Christ is Lord of all!
Holy Child, how still You lie!
Safe the manger, soft the hay;
Clear upon the eastern sky
Breaks the dawn of Christmas Day.
Timothy Dudley-Smith
Copyright © 1966 Timothy Dudley-Smith/ Oxford University Press
OFFERTORY - Take a moment to consider how you are going to continue to give to the life of the church and support other aid agencies and mission organisations.
Yours, Lord, is the greatness, the power,
the glory, the splendour, and the majesty;
for everything in heaven and on earth is yours.
All things come from you, and of your own do we give you.
SING: https://youtu.be/FLURukXoht8
Joy to the world, the Lord has come!
let earth receive her King;
let every heart prepare Him room
and heaven and nature sing,
and heaven and nature sing,
and heaven, and heaven and nature sing!
2 Joy to the earth, the Saviour reigns!
your sweetest songs employ
while fields and streams and hills and plains
repeat the sounding joy,
repeat the sounding joy,
repeat, repeat the sounding joy.
3 He rules the world with truth and grace,
and makes the nations prove
the glories of His righteousness,
the wonders of His love,
the wonders of His love,
the wonders, wonders of His love.
Isacc Watts (1674-1748)
FINAL BLESSING:
God sent his angels from glory to bring to shepherds
the good news of Jesus’ birth.
Yes! We thank you Lord.
You have heard his story, the story of God’s own Son.
Yes! We thank you Lord.
May he fill you with joy to bring this good news to others today.
Yes! We thank you Lord
And the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen.