31 December 2023
10:00 | 
Posted by
Dr Platts |
Genesis 15:1-6, 21:1-3
A reading from the book of Genesis.
The word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision,
‘Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield;
your reward shall be very great.’
But Abram said,
‘O Lord God, what will you give me,
for I continue childless,
and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?’
And Abram said,
‘You have given me no offspring,
and so a slave born in my house is to be my heir.’
But the word of the Lord came to him,
‘This man shall not be your heir;
no one but your very own issue shall be your heir.’
He brought Abraham outside and said,
‘Look towards heaven and count the stars,
if you are able to count them.’
Then he said to him,
‘So shall your descendants be.’
And he believed the Lord;
and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness.
The Lord dealt with Sarah as he had said,
and the Lord did for Sarah as he had promised.
Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age,
at the time of which God had spoken to him.
Abraham gave the name Isaac to his son whom Sarah bore him.
Colossians 3:12-17
A reading from the letter of Paul to the Colosssians.
As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved,
clothe yourselves with compassion,
kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.
Bear with one another and,
if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other;
just as the Lord has forgiven you,
so you also must forgive.
Above all, clothe yourselves with love,
which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts,
to which indeed you were called in the one body.
And be thankful.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly;
teach and admonish one another in all wisdom;
and with gratitude in your hearts
sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.
And whatever you do, in word or deed,
do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Luke 2:22-40
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.
When the time came for their purification
according to the law of Moses,
they brought him up to Jerusalem
to present him to the Lord
(as it is written in the law of the Lord,
‘Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord’),
and they offered a sacrifice
according to what is stated in the law of the Lord,
‘a pair of turtle-doves or two young pigeons.’
Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon;
this man was righteous and devout,
looking forward to the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit rested on him.
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit
that he would not see death
before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.
Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple;
and when the parents brought in the child Jesus,
to do for him what was customary under the law,
Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying,
‘Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace,
according to your word;
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel.’
And the child’s father and mother
were amazed at what was being said about him.
Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary,
‘This child is destined
for the falling and the rising of many in Israel,
and to be a sign that will be opposed
so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—
and a sword will pierce your own soul too.’
There was also a prophet, Anna
the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.
She was of a great age,
having lived with her husband for seven years after her marriage,
then as a widow to the age of eighty-four.
She never left the temple
but worshipped there with fasting and prayer night and day.
At that moment she came, and began to praise God
and to speak about the child
to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.
When they had finished everything
required by the law of the Lord,
they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.
The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom;
and the favour of God was upon him.
