Christmas 1 2021 Jim McGill

I greet you and I welcome you to this service of praise and thanksgiving to God on this first Sunday after Christmas.

I believe all of you are probably familiar with the Anglican order of worship, and that's a good thing.

You are all welcome to participate completely in the service today, including with all of the prayers and taking communion with us at the appropriate moment.

I believe everything you need except for possibly the hymns is found in the service sheet.

You are most welcome here.

Blessed be God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

And blessed be God's family now and forever.

Amen.

Let us pray together, Almighty God, unto whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid.

Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love thee and worthily magnify thy holy name through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

The Lord be with you.

Also with you.

Let us pray.

Almighty God, you have poured upon us the new light of your incarnate word.

Grant that this light enkindled in our hearts may shine forth in our lives through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns, with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Amen.

For he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, and he has covered me with a robe of righteousness.

As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

For as the earth brings forth its shoes, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the Lord will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all nations.

For Zion's sake, I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem's sake, I will not rest, until her vindication shines out like the dawn, and her salvation like a burning torch.

The nations shall see your vindication, and the kings your glory.

And you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will heal.

You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diamond in the hand of your God.

Hear what the Spirit is saying to God's people.

We will read responsibly by the half verse of Psalm number 147.

Worship the Lord, O Jerusalem.

For God has strengthened the bars of your gates.

God has established peace on your borders.

God's command is set out to the earth.

God gives snow like wool.

God scatters hail like breadcrumbs.

God's word is set forth and melts them.

God's word is declared to Jacob.

The Lord has not done so to any other nations.

Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and gardened under the law until faith would be revealed.

Therefore, the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith.

But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian.

But when the fullness of time has come, God sent his son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children.

And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our heart, saying, Abba, Father, so you are no longer a slave but a child.

And as if a child, then also an heir through God.

Hear what the Spirit is saying to God's people.

And the word was with God, and the word was God.

The Word was in the beginning with God.

All things came into being through the Word, and without the Word not one thing came into being.

What has come into being in the Word was life, and the life was the light of all people.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God whose name was John.

He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.

He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light.

The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

He was in the world, and the world came into being through him, yet the world did not know him.

He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him.

He came, but to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of humankind, but of God.

And the word became flesh and lived upon among us.

And we have seen his glory, the glory as of a Father's only Son, full of grace and truth.

John testified to him and cried out, This is he of whom I said, He who comes after me ranks ahead of me, because he was before me.

From his fullness we have all received grace upon grace.

The law indeed was given through Moses.

Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

No one has ever seen God.

It is God, the only Son, who is close to the Father's heart, who has made him known.

The gospel of the Lord.

She couldn't pay the bills through her writing at this point in her life, but she wanted to write.

And she had inside of her this thing that wanted to get out.

And she had a number of friends who knew this and who knew her and who loved her.

And at Christmas time, they gave her an extraordinary gift.

I mean, this is a gift that is beyond gifts.

This is the gift that maybe you gave once, where you spent far more than you planned to spend, or you spent more time on than you had planned to spend.

But it was a gift that even as precious as it was, it fell short of representing the love, the deep love and affection and respect that you had for the recipient.

That was the kind of gift this was.

Because you see, these people all got together and they pooled their resources, and they gave her enough money to live on for a year without having to otherwise to work otherwise, to have a job and have to bring in money in order to meet her expenses.

They gave her enough money to cover her housing, her food, her sustenance, her bills, everything for a whole year.

Can you imagine what you might do with a free year?

A year in which you did not have to earn a living, a year in which you didn't have to worry about anything.

Can you imagine?

Now, this was an extraordinary gift, not only to this woman, it was an extraordinary gift to you and me.

Because it was in that year that the woman, Harper Lee, wrote To Kill a Mockingbird, one of the great American novels.

Imagine what it might be like to receive a gift that frees you up from having to worry about all the stuff that you and I worry about.

How, what shall we eat?

What shall we drink?

Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

I mean, Jesus talked about not worrying about that kind of stuff.

But we all think about how am I going to pay my taxes?

How am I going to make the mortgage?

How am I going to do this and how am I going to do that?

Ultimately, we wonder, how am I going to live my life so that my life will be something pleasing to God.

We all wonder that sometimes.

Early this morning, I received the very sad news, which you may have received as well, that Desmond Tutu, the Archbishop, an archbishop of the Anglican Church, his close friends called him the Arch.

I like that.

That's kind of cool.

Died this morning.

He died at the age of 90 after a remarkable life.

He visited the cathedral once when I was on the staff there, and he preached a sermon in which he said, Sometimes I think God just looks down upon us.

And he looks around at the angels and the archangels and the seraphim and the cherubim.

And he says, Have you seen my children?

Aren't they wonderful?

Have you seen what they do?

Have you seen how they are?

Have you seen how beautiful they are?

Aren't they something?

I believe that that is what God thinks about humankind.

I believe that down in my very heart of hearts.

If you wake me up at three o'clock in the morning and ask me, what do you think God thinks of humankind?

That's what I think God thinks about humankind.

So, if God is so crazy about us, why in the world did God need to come down here?

As if, you know, like, don't make me come down there.

You've all said that to your children or your grandchildren, when they're in the back seat fighting over elbow room or the snacks or what song is on the radio.

We used to fuss about that before there were individual songs and individual headphones.

That was, I existed before those things.

But I think God believes we are just wonderful.

Every one of us.

You may have heard me say in a sermon once or once before that in spite of the fact that we say, well, nobody's perfect.

I mean, you've listened to Eric preach, you know?

Nobody's perfect.

No, I'm kidding.

Eric's a very fine preacher.

Nobody's perfect.

I disagree with that.

I think everyone is perfect.

I think Jim is perfect.

I think we are all perfect.

I think Valerie is perfect.

When Valerie was born, she did not replace anyone who needed replacing.

And when Valerie dies one day in the distant future, I hope, no one will come to take her place.

She is unique.

Jim is unique.

Hal is unique, Joy is unique, Sophie is unique.

We are all the very special, one-of-a-kind creation of a God who knows what God is doing.

We cannot please God more than God is already pleased.

Jack, I'm telling you this.

We cannot please God any more than God is already nuts about us.

Now, I have to tell you that humankind, being what we are, once upon a time we realized that God has a way for us to live.

It's like this.

And you can read about it all in in all kinds of books, but especially the Bible.

You can read about how God wants us to live, and you listen to what Jesus says, and you listen to the prophets, and you and you know, and you listen to your heart and your mind, which God made, by the way, and you know what it is God wants us to do, and it's like this.

And you also know, by the way, that the way we actually live is like this.

And between here and there there is a gap.

We call that sometimes sin.

We call that a difference, something that separates us from God.

I don't believe, by the way, that God calls it that.

I believe God sees our way of living and says, that's just the way Jim does things this gym.

That's the way he is.

That's the way I made him.

That's the way Jim decides to do things.

His way of living is like this.

The way I want him to live is like this, and they are different.

And the truth is, he would probably be happier if he lived this way than he is living this way.

But whatever.

God is crazy about you.

And God is concerned that you may think that God doesn't love you because you stand closer to this line than you do to that line.

God is concerned about that.

God is concerned that you may think you don't measure up.

God is worried, even, that you may have consigned yourself to the flames when God has no intention whatsoever of doing that.

And so God decided to come here and tell us that.

God decided to come down there, don't make me come down there.

God decided to come down there and tell us that it is okay, not just okay, but it is.

Wonderful to be human.

We are the pinnacle of creation, do you know?

The very last thing God created.

Well, the next of the last thing that God created was the people.

The last thing God created, by the way, was rest.

And we don't pay any attention to that either.

Sometimes we have a hard time resting.

God created us after everything else was made.

God came and said to you and me, let there be you.

Let there be Alex.

Let there be Ken and Ellen.

And let them come forth on the earth and do the things that I have created them to do and be the beings I created them to be.

We get this notion that because we're over here, God might fuss at us.

One of the things that it means to love someone is that you want them to be happy.

That's one of the, and you know this.

I mean, I'm not telling you anything you don't know.

You know what it's like to love your spouse.

I have a spouse and I love her more than I can possibly put into words.

You know what it's like to love your children.

And those of you who are fortunate enough to have grandchildren, you know what that's like.

That's a, you know, they say that grandchildren and grandparents are natural allies.

I think that's because they have a common enemy, but that's just me.

You know what it's like to love someone with a love that just makes your heart break open.

You've done this.

You know what it's like to love someone so much that you that you it's beyond being willing to die for them.

I mean, it's even beyond that.

You know what it's like.

And that's how God feels about you and me.

I don't get it, but God feels that way about me.

God feels so much in love with you that God wants nothing more than for you to be happy, and God wants to be with you.

And God wants you to be with God.

See, that's the other thing about loving someone.

You want to be with them.

That's why you want to go to your grandpa's house and your grandma's house.

Because they love you, and that's where you belong at some point in time.

You belong there.

And that person, your grandpa or your grandma or your mom or your dad or God wants you to be with them.

God wants to be with you not just today, not just now, not just yesterday, but tomorrow and the day after that, and the day after that, and when this mortal body lies in death, God still will not be done with wanting to be with us.

Even after we die, God wants us to be with God.

Why?

Because God loves us.

That is the main truth of the Christian faith.

The main truth is that God loves us.

And the love of God is that thing without beyond which nothing is thinkable.

The thing beyond which there is no there.

God's love for us extends not just to this life, but the life to come.

And we know that because God's told us, and we can read about that in the Bible as well.

And the prophets tell us about that.

And the prophets tell us you are living over here, and believe me, you would be happier if you lived over there where God wants you to live.

You would be happier.

Again, I'm not telling you anything you don't know, because there are those times in your life when you have understood your harmony with creation.

You have understood your harmony with nature, with your spouse, or your children, or your neighbors.

You have understood you've gotten in kind of in sync with the world around you, and your life has just been really good.

You know that.

And the prophets came to tell us that God wants you to live that way because God wants you to be happy, not because God wants you to please God.

You cannot please God any more than God is already pleased.

You cannot do anything to get yourself into heaven, nor can you do anything to keep yourself out.

Because it's not your decision.

It is God's decision, and God has already made that decision.

God made that decision before the sixth day when God created the first human beings, and God has been on our side against the evil intentions, even of our hearts, ever since.

I think this is the message of Christmas.

The message of Christmas is that God got together all of the resources necessary for us to live for an extended period of time without having to worry about anything.

God got together all the resources and gave us enough to live on, not just for a year, but for a lifetime.

And we can produce that thing with joyful abandon that is inside of us that is aching to come out.

I suspect God wants that thing to be not necessarily a book, although it could be.

I suspect that God wants that thing to be indicative of what God has put into you.

The love that God has put into you, the joy that God has put into you, the grace, the generosity, the forgiveness, the mercy, the justice that God has instilled inside of you and inside of me.

I think that's what the whole Jesus event was about.

It was about giving you freedom.

Freedom from having to worry about whether you're good enough because you already are.

We believe in one Lord.

Eternal God, Father.

Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.

Let us pray together.

God of all mercy, we confess that we have sinned against you, opposing your will in our lives.

We have denied your goodness in each other, in ourselves, and in the world you have created.

We repent of the evil that enslaves us, the evil we have done, and the evil done on our behalf.

Forgive, restore, and strengthen us through our Savior Jesus Christ, that we may abide in your love and serve only your will.

Amen.

By the way, what we just prayed does not negate what I just said.

We know that there is this gap.

We know that.

And we know that God wants us to be happy, and that's why we say this.

The Almighty and Merciful Lord grant you absolution and remission of all your sins, true repentance, amendment of life, and the grace and consolation of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

As you are able, will you stand, please?

The peace of the Lord be always with you.

Is there a V pod or a somebody?

Okay.

As Mike says, continue to walk in love as Christ loved you and gave himself for you, an offering and sacrifice to God.

It is made ready for those who love him and for those who want to love him more.

So come, you who have much faith and you who have little, you who have been here often and you who have not been for a long time or ever before.

You who have tried to follow what God wants for you and you who have failed.

Come not because the church invites you, it is Jesus Christ Himself, and He invites you to meet Him here.

The Lord be with you.

Lift up your hearts.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is truly right to glorify you, Father, and to give you thanks, for you alone are God, living and true, dwelling in light, inaccessible from before time and forever.

Fountain of life and source of all goodness.

You made all things and filled them with your blessing.

You created them to rejoice in the splendor of your radiance.

Countless throngs of angels stand before you to serve you night and day, and beholding the glory of your presence, they offer you unceasing praise.

Joining with them and giving voice to every creature under heaven, we acclaim you and glorify your name as we say, Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory, Hosanna and the highest.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, Hosanna and the highest.

We acclaim you, holy Lord, glorious in power.

Your mighty works reveal your wisdom and love.

You formed us in your own image, giving the whole world into our care, so that in obedience to you, our Creator, we might shepherd and serve all your creatures.

When our disobedience took us far from you, you did not abandon us to the power of death.

In your mercy you came to our help, so that in seeking you we might find you.

Again and again you called us into covenant with you, and through the prophets you taught us to hope for salvation.

Father, you love the world so much that in the fullness of time you sent your only Son to be our Savior.

Incarnate by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, he lived as one of us, yet without sin.

To the poor he proclaimed the good news of salvation, to prisoners freedom, to the sorrowful joy.

To fulfill your purpose, he gave himself up to death, and rising from the grave destroyed death and made the whole creation new, and that we might live no longer for ourselves, but for him who died and rose for us, he sent the Holy Spirit, his own first gift for those who believe, to complete his work in the world and to bring to fulfillment the sanctification of all.

When the hour had come for him to be glorified by you, his heavenly Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

At supper with them he took bread, and when he had given thanks to you, he broke it and gave it to them and said, Take, eat, this is my body which is given for you.

Do this for the remembrance of me.

After supper, he took the cup of wine, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them and said, Drink this, all of you.

This is my blood of the new covenant which is shed for you and for everyone for the remission of sins.

Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me.

Father, we now celebrate this memorial of our redemption, recalling Christ's death and his descent among the dead, proclaiming his resurrection and ascension to your right hand, awaiting his coming in glory, and offering to you from the gifts you have given us this bread and this cup.

We praise you and we bless you.

We praise you, we bless you, we give thanks to you, and we pray to you, Lord our God.

Lord, we pray that in your goodness and mercy your Holy Spirit may descend upon us and upon these gifts, sanctifying them and showing them to be holy gifts for your holy people, the bread of life and the cup of salvation, the body and blood of your Son Jesus Christ.

Grant that all who share this bread and cup may become one body and one spirit, a living sacrifice in Christ to the praise of your name.

Remember, Lord, your one holy Catholic and apostolic church, redeemed by the blood of your Christ.

Reveal its unity, guard its faith, and preserve it in peace.

Remember all bishops and other ministers.

Andy, Hector, Jeff, and Kay are bishops of the diocese.

In the diocesan cycle of prayer, St.

Paul's Katie, St.

Philip the Evangelist in Houston, St.

Stephen's in Houston, and St.

Thomas in Houston.

Remember Michael, our presiding bishop, Mike, Jim, Craig, Bill, and Lillian, the priests in our community.

Remember all your people and those who seek your truth.

Remember Chris, Sean, Ken, Nancy, and Amber in their need.

Remember all who have died in the peace of Christ, especially David and Desmond, and those whose faith is known to you alone.

Bring them into the place of eternal joy and light.

And grant that we may find our inheritance with Desmond and David and Thomas and all the saints who have found favor with you in ages past.

We praise you in union with them and give you glory through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

Through Christ and with Christ and in Christ, all honor and glory are yours, Almighty God and Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, forever and ever.

Amen.

Now, as our Savior Christ has taught us, we are bold.

To say, 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 forever and ever.

Amen.

Take them in remembrance that Christ was willing to die for you and still is a very good idea.

And nourishing us with the spiritual food in the sacrament of Christ's body and blood.

Now send us forth a people forgiven, healed, renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world and continue in the risen life of Christ our Savior.

Amen.

Sometimes we have to dare to be fools for Christ.

That means that sometimes we have to be willing to give food to people who don't really need or deserve it.

And sometimes we have to be willing to work with some people who might even exploit us.

Maybe this is as close as we can come to an experience of self-emptying.

It is the experience of being useless in the presence of the Lord.

And may the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit be upon you and remain with you always.

Amen.