Looking into the Lectionary - New Year's Eve worship resources

December 31, 2023 First Sunday After Christmas Luke 2:22-40 and Galatians 4:4-7 “Happy Easter!” Harry chimed. “Thanks, Harry,” I replied to the church elder. “Easter is my favorite day of the year.” We had recently completed our sunrise service and church members were now sharing a breakfast. Harry immediately responded, “Christmas is my favorite day of the year. If we didn’t have Christmas, we wouldn’t have Easter!” “True, but if we didn’t have Easter, Christmas wouldn’t matter.” “I suppose you’re right, but Christmas is still my favorite!” This anecdote is a good illustration of the interplay between the second reading from Galatians 4 and the Gospel reading from Luke 2 on this First Sunday of Christmas. Although Paul’s words predate Luke’s chronicles by 30-35 years, it’s as if he were writing a theological commentary on Luke’s story about Jesus being presented by his parents in the Temple according to God’s law and being recognized by faithful Simeon and Anna as the long-awaited redemption of Israel. We are still celebrating Christmas, even if many people have quickly moved on and may be more focused on New Year’s Eve celebrations. Nevertheless, this Sunday’s Gospel lesson, especially the testimonies of Simeon and Anna, echoes Mary’s Magnificat in Luke 1:46-55 and the angel’s message to the shepherds in Luke 2:10-12. The week-old baby is recognized for who he is and what he will do: “Your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples ... destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel” (Luke 2:30-31, 34). The incarnation at Christmas, recognized and celebrated a week later in the Temple by two faithful servants of God, portends the salvation to be revealed and brought about in Jesus’s life, death and resurrection. Or, as Paul writes in Galatians in one of his rare references to events in Jesus’s life other than his death and resurrection, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law” (Galatians 4:4-5a).. ... Read the rest of the commentary on the website. Thanks to this week's writer Philip Gladden. Order of worship for December 31, 2023. These liturgies are free to use. A confession to close 2023: The rocks cry out by Jesy Littlejohn   Imagination, vocation and the Three Wise Men by Chris Burton Sing of his birth — Weekly Christian ed lesson by Joelle Brummit-Yale Want the worship resources for December 24, 2023? You can find them here. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT... Lawsuit: Priest says first gas execution in US poses threat to religious liberty The Rev. Jeff Hood, spiritual adviser to Kenneth Smith, argued the restrictions imposed during the execution would violate Hood’s right to the free exercise of religion. — Kathryn Post Moving in with Jesus: A grilled cheese parable Eliza C. Jaremko shares some wisdom on the incarnation through the eyes of her 4-year-old. Preaching to polarized congregations: A responsibility and a challenge, clergy say 'It's not about going from red to blue to purple,' Andrew Hanauer of One America Movement advises clergy. ‘It's about going above the partisan divisions.’ $1.25 million grant to help establish UDTS initiative to revitalize small churches The University of Dubuque Theological Seminary has received a $1.25 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help establish Plentiful Gifts: Nourishing Members for the Flourishing of Small Member Congregations. Come alive, O Christ: A Christmas Eve prayer Come alive, O Christ in every broken place so that love fills every gap, writes Jeremy Wilhelmi. A Family Christmas Eve Service by Jenny Lee Free for a limited time!