| May
the
warm,
guiding star
drive from your
life every shadow;
may the glad
song of
angels find an echo in
your heart; may the spirit
of worship
in the hearts of
the wise man, and the simple
faith of the shepherds be
yours
as, once more, you celebrate the
birth-
day
of
the King
SOME
BIBLE READINGS
FOR THE CHRISTMAS SEASON December
24: The message of cheer. Isaiah 40:1-11
December 25: The message of peace.
Hosea 14:1-9
December 26: The message of redemption. Revelation 5:1-14
December
27: The Word and the world. St John 1:1-14
December 28: The first Christmas
service. St Luke 2:8-17
December 29: Good tidings. Psalm 86:1-10
December
30: The sustaining gift. St John 6:22-35
December 31: The immeasurable
gift. St John 3:23-36
CHRISTMAS
WITH ST LUKE It
is to St Luke's wonderful account of the Gospel that many Christians turn as the
year draws to a close and Christmas approaches, for it is to St Luke that we owe
the fullest account of the Nativity.
St Luke alone tells us the story
of Mary and the angel's visit to her, and has thus given the Church the wonderful
Magnificat of Mary.
St Luke alone tells us the story of Simeon's hymn
of praise, thus giving us the wonderful Nunc Dimmittis. Imagine an Anglican Evensong
without Nunc Dimmittis!
St Luke alone tells us the story of how the angels
appeared to the shepherds and how the shepherds then visited the infant Jesus.
So imagine Christmas cards and nativity scenes every year without the shepherds
arriving to visit baby Jesus. Imagine school nativity plays without our children
dressed as shepherds or sheep. So thank you, St Luke. What
makes it so amazing is that St Luke was not a Jew. The man who wrote the fullest
nativity story, and indeed more of the New Testament than any other single person,
was a Gentile.
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