Second
Sunday after Christmas
January 5, 2020
O God, who wonderfully created, and
yet more wonderfully restored, the dignity of human
nature: Grant that we may share the divine life of
him who humbled himself to share our humanity, your
Son Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in
the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and
ever. Amen.
Thus says the Lord:
Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob,
and raise shouts for the chief of the nations;
proclaim, give praise, and say,
"Save, O Lord, your people,
the remnant of Israel."
See, I am going to bring them from the land of
the north,
and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth,
among them the blind and the lame, those with child
and
those in labor, together;
a great company, they shall return here.
With weeping they shall come,
and with consolations I will lead them back,
I will let them walk by brooks of water,
in a straight path in which they shall not stumble;
for I have become a father to Israel,
and Ephraim is my firstborn.
Hear the word of the Lord, O nations,
and declare it in the coastlands far away;
say, "He who scattered Israel will gather
him,
and will keep him as a shepherd a flock."
For the Lord has ransomed Jacob,
and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him.
They shall come and sing aloud on the height of
Zion,
and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the
Lord,
over the grain, the wine, and the oil,
and over the young of the flock and the herd;
their life shall become like a watered garden,
and they shall never languish again.
Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance,
and the young men and the old shall be merry.
I will turn their mourning into joy,
I will comfort them, and give them gladness for
sorrow.
I will give the priests their fill of fatness,
and my people shall be satisfied with my bounty,
says the Lord.
Jeremiah
31:7-14
Blessed be the God and Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ
with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,
just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation
of the world to be holy and blameless before him in
love. He destined us for adoption as his children
through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure
of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that
he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.
I have heard of your faith in the
Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and
for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for
you as I remember you in my prayers. I pray that the
God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,
may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as
you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your
heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to
which he has called you, what are the riches of his
glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is
the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who
believe.
Ephesians
1:3-6,15-19a
After the wise men had left, an angel
of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said,
"Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee
to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod
is about to search for the child, to destroy him."
Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother
by night, and went to Egypt, and remained there until
the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been
spoken by the Lord through the prophet, "Out
of Egypt I have called my son."
When Herod died, an angel of the
Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt
and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother,
and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking
the child's life are dead." Then Joseph got up,
took the child and his mother, and went to the land
of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling
over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid
to go there. And after being warned in a dream, he
went away to the district of Galilee. There he made
his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had
been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled,
"He will be called a Nazorean."
Matthew
2:13-15,19-23
or
The parents of Jesus went to Jerusalem
every year for the festival of the Passover. And when
he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for
the festival. When the festival was ended and they
started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in
Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Assuming
that he was in the group of travelers, they went a
day's journey. Then they started to look for him among
their relatives and friends. When they did not find
him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him.
After three days they found him in the temple, sitting
among the teachers, listening to them and asking them
questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his
understanding and his answers. When his parents saw
him they were astonished; and his mother said to him,
"Child, why have you treated us like this? Look,
your father and I have been searching for you in great
anxiety." He said to them, "Why were you
searching for me? Did you not know that I must be
in my Father's house?" But they did not understand
what he said to them. Then he went down with them
and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His
mother treasured all these things in her heart. And
Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine
and human favor.
Luke
2:41-52
or
In the time of King Herod, after
Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from
the East came to Jerusalem, asking, "Where is
the child who has been born king of the Jews? For
we observed his star at its rising, and have come
to pay him homage." When King Herod heard this,
he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and
calling together all the chief priests and scribes
of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah
was to be born. They told him, "In Bethlehem
of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:
`And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd my people Israel.'"
Then Herod secretly called for the
wise men and learned from them the exact time when
the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem,
saying, "Go and search diligently for the child;
and when you have found him, bring me word so that
I may also go and pay him homage." When they
had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead
of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising,
until it stopped over the place where the child was.
When they saw that the star had stopped, they were
overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they
saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt
down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure
chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense,
and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to
return to Herod, they left for their own country by
another road.
Matthew
2:1-12
St.
Mary's by the Sea is a Christian community
that
strives to create a sanctuary for ALL
seekers
and believers alike
to
come and experience the Love of God through Jesus Christ,
to
share that love with those around us
and
in the wider world,
and
to grow in faith
as
part of a caring Christian family.
Our
next host week begins Sunday,
January 5th, 2020. We welcome
new volunteers and are currently seeking
help in the following areas: Mattress
set up (by 4:30 PM Sunday); Tuesday
and Thursday hospitality (6-8 PM); Overnight
hosts (8 PM-7 AM). The signup sheet
is in Farnsworth Hall, or you can always
reach Mike Mercuro
at 
Mary’s
Table 
