Stations of the Nativity St. Francis of Assisi Episcopal Church

St. Francis of Assisi Episcopal Church

Stations of the Nativity

The Making of Stations of the Nativity for St. Francis

The winter of 2010, Lou Parsons asked if I would be interested in doing the art for Stations of the Nativity at St. Francis. I was, of course, familiar with Stations of the Cross, but I had not heard of Stations of the Nativity. I left church that day with a small book by Raymond Chapman, Stations of the Nativity: Meditations on the Incarnation of Christ, from the church library. The possibility of creating 14 paintings was daunting, but I knew I needed to try.

Since retiring from full-time teaching at St. Nicholas School in 2004, I have pursued my interest in art which has evolved into a passion for drawing the human figure in pastel. Over the years, I have been encouraged by Mary Carrithers and Durinda Cheek and especially influenced by Margaret Dyer, a pastelist from Atlanta.

Since I usually work from a model and/or photographs, how was I ever going to start a series of biblical scenes?! My husband, Curtis, just happened to see a wonderful “Joseph” one day at the school where he works. And it so happened he had a beautiful wife who was pregnant. T.W. and Laurel Francescan were willing for us to come to their home on Signal Mountain and stage our scenes with robes from the St. Francis pageant closet. I took lots of pictures! And thus began a spiritual journey for me.

I tried to ask myself two questions each time I started to draw: “Whom is this work for?” and “Whom will it serve?” It was often with great doubt I would step up to my easel, but at the end of the day, I would stand in amazement at the life taking shape on the paper. Looking back, I must have been accompanied by angels – it was as though I painted more than I could know and beyond what I am able.

Through Advent, my prayer is these paintings might draw one to ponder, to reflect, to take a few minutes in the midst of our frenzied lives to experience yet again God’s amazing love for us. As we read the scripture and hear the story, may we take time to wait with expectant, joyful hope.

I am so grateful for Lou’s affirmation and faith in me. “The doing” was truly a blessing for me. And I could not have done it without Curtis’s encouragement and critique along the way. His written words which accompany the paintings will lead the meditation in a meaningful way.

Suzy Baggett

Welcome to the Stations of the Nativity at St. Francis of Assisi Church. We are so glad you have come today to walk and meditate on these depictions of the Story of the Nativity of Jesus Christ.

“And the Word became flesh and lived among us.” John 1:14

The Incarnation: This miracle of God becoming human continues to amaze and confound us. The Gospel of John spends 18 verses explaining this miracle in theological terms using large brush strokes. The Gospels of Matthew and Luke show this miracle in story form with more detailed brush work.

How do we understand this great act of our God becoming one of us and living as one of us? Much has been written and much has been preached, but in the end, this incredible mystery is understood by living daily into the reality that God became one of us, so that we could know and believe in God and in God’s love. As Henry Miller so aptly put it, “Example moves the world more than doctrine.”

Inspired by a book written by Raymond Chapman entitled Stations of the Nativity: Meditations on the Incarnation of Christ, Suzy Baggett created 14 pastel paintings to depict the example that forever changed humankind with scenes described in the first couple of chapters of Matthew and Luke. Curtis Baggett, reflecting on these scripture selections and his wife’s art, wrote the series of meditations that are contained in this booklet.

Neil C. Strait once wrote, “The coming of Christ by way of a Bethlehem manger seems strange and stunning. But when we take him out of the manger and invite him into our hearts, then the meaning unfolds and the strangeness vanishes.”

We invite you to hear these scriptures again, to walk the path through these events, and to wait with wonder and expectation for Christ child’s birth within you.

The Reverend Louisa T. Parsons St Francis of Assisi Episcopal Church Ooltewah, Tennessee Advent 2010

First Station

Zechariah

Reader: Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us

People: For we are glad as your people that You have given us a yearly remembrance of the birth of your only Son Jesus Christ, to be born into our lives again. Grant that we may joyfully receive Him.

Scripture: Luke 1: parts of verses 5-20

In the days of King Herod of Judaea, there was a priest named Zechariah. Once when he was serving as priest before God, there appeared to him an angel of the Lord. The angel said to him, ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear a son, and you will name him John. He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God.’ Zechariah said to the angel, ‘How will I know that this is so? For I am an old man, and my wife is getting on in years.’ The angel replied, ‘Because you did not believe my words, you will become mute, unable to speak until the days these things occur.’

Meditation: Zechariah

Like the priest Zechariah, we have been invited to believe a most incredible, almost impossible promise. It is scary, yet we want to believe its truth. And the truth is that we can only know as much of this truth as we are willing to trust. Before God came at Christmas to all people, God came to Zechariah to give us all a glimpse of the Divine’s power and truth so we might test our ability to trust our Creator.

“How will I know this is so?” Zechariah asked. And God patiently responded with an invitation to believe as he had never believed before.

But not before Zechariah was left speechless, reminding us that there is a time to be quiet and listen, to be speechless and reverent, to trust without tangible confirmation. And this is the time.

Prayer:

Gracious Father, just as you asked Zechariah to trust you, you invite us to be quiet, to be speechless, and to hear your story. You ask us to have confidence in your word and to invest our lives in You. Grant us courage to trust You completely. Give us quiet hearts. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, whose birth we celebrate. Amen.

Hymn: H654 Day by Day

Day by day, dear Lord, of thee three things I pray: to see thee more clearly, love thee more dearly, follow thee more nearly, day by day.

Second Station

The Annunciation

Reader: Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us

People: For we are glad as your people that You have given us a yearly remembrance of the birth of your only Son Jesus Christ, to be born into our lives again. Grant that we may joyfully receive Him.

Scripture: Luke 1: parts of verses 26-38

The angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High.' Mary said to the angel, 'How can this be, since I am a virgin?' The angel said to her, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore, the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God.' Then Mary said, 'Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.'

Meditation: The Annunciation

As we read scripture and discover the characters who played central roles in the pageant of the redemption of mankind, it is easy to assume that Almighty God spoke only to a select few individuals like the virgin Mary. God asked Mary to put away her fear, then announced something that sounded as if Mary is the only person in the world who could hear it: “You have found favor with God.” The message was frightening but compelling, largely because Mary was not ready to hear the message. God’s timing is often out of sync with our timing, requiring our willingness, like Mary, to hear God’s voice and obey the Divine’s direction.

In truth, God speaks these words to every living soul every day as He extends loving arms to us. What a vision! God the creator finding such favor with you and me that He would send us a savior to draw us to Him forever! We have all found favor with God through the gift of His only Son.

Prayer:

Lord, calm our anxious hearts. Help us to be still in body, mind, and spirit this advent season, that we might hear with peaceful hearts what you say to us. In the name of Your Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Hymn: W812 I, the Lord of sea and sky (verse 1)

I, the Lord of sea and sky, I have heard my people cry. All who dwell in deepest sin Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord? My hand will save. I have heard you calling in the night. I who made the stars of night, I will go, Lord, if you lead me, I will make their darkness bright. I will hold your people in my heart. Who will bear my light to them? Whom shall I send?

Third Station

The Visitation

Reader: Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us

People: For we are glad as your people that You have given us a yearly remembrance of the birth of your only Son Jesus Christ, to be born into our lives again. Grant that we may joyfully receive Him.

Scripture: Luke 1:39-47

In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leapt for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.’ And Mary said, ‘My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.’

Meditation: The Visitation

Even with the support of a God who loves us and lives with us through our difficult days, life can really throw us some curve balls. And Mary had such a demanding, uninvited surprise, it would have been so easy for her to see this unpredictable announcement and pregnancy as an overwhelming burden. But God in Divine Wisdom showed Mary not only that she had received special favor, but also that she was not alone, as her cousin Elizabeth was going through a similar condition. What comfort that God never asks us to go through life alone!

And what an inspiration that Mary, who could have so easily been filled with disbelief and even a little anger, saw this whole unbelievable situation not as a burden to set her apart from God, but as a blessing to draw her to God!

With God’s grace, we can see life’s difficulties as blessings that draw us to Him too!

Prayer:

O God, just as you drew your servant Mary to you, and just as you showed her she was not alone in her condition, so remind us that you give us Christmas each year to strengthen your draw on our hearts with the power of your partnership with us in life. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Hymn: H318 Here, O my Lord, I see thee face to face (verse 1)

Here, O my Lord, I see thee face to face; here would I touch and handle things unseen; here grasp with firmer hand eternal grace, and all my weariness upon thee lean.

Fourth Station

The Birth of the Baptist

Reader: Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us

People: For we are glad as your people that You have given us a yearly remembrance of the birth of your only Son Jesus Christ, to be born into our lives again. Grant that we may joyfully receive Him.

Scripture: Luke 1: part of verses 57-66

Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him Zechariah after his father. But his mother said, ‘No; he is to be called John.’ Then they began motioning to his father to find out what name he wanted to give him. He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, ‘His name is John.’ And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began to speak, praising God. Fear came over all their neighbors, and all these things were talked about throughout the entire hill country of Judaea. All who heard them pondered them and said, ‘What will this child become?’ For, indeed, the hand of the Lord was with him.

Meditation: The Birth of the Baptist

New life represents so much hope. How many times have we looked at a newborn, our own or someone else’s, and pondered the promise of the child’s future? We want so desperately to encourage, to guide, and maybe even to control the future of that child. We may be responsible for the child’s welfare, but we know in our hearts that every child is a gift from God and that we are merely stewards, influencing but incapable of controlling him or her. It is God and God alone who ordains the life and future of every child everywhere, throughout all time.

The threshold of life is the critical time to dedicate a new child to God, committing the child back into the hands of the Creator, just as we recommit ourselves to His love and service. In his silence Zechariah’s example of listening to God demonstrates for us that God works His will in us as we listen to Him. As we hear God, we are reborn. Even from the old can come new life!

Prayer:

Gracious Lord, at this blessed season we ask that you deepen our commitment to you. We can only ask this because of your precious commitment to us your people and because we ask in the name of the Son You gave to us at Christmas time. Amen.

Hymn: H75 There’s a voice in the wilderness crying (verse 1)

There’s a voice in the wilderness crying, a call from the ways untrod: Prepare in the desert a highway, a highway for our God! The valleys shall be exalted, the lofty hills brought low; make straight all the crooked places where the Lord our God may go!

Fifth Station

Joseph’s Dream

Reader: Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us

People: For we are glad as your people that You have given us a yearly remembrance of the birth of your only Son Jesus Christ, to be born into our lives again. Grant that we may joyfully receive Him.

Scripture: Matthew 1: part of verses 18-24

When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the Lord commanded him.

Meditation: Joseph’s Dream

There are times in our lives when we need to make a life decision -- a decision that would affect not only us, but also someone else, maybe dramatically. And just when we think we have thought it through as well as we have time and energy for, God sends an angel to give us new insight and new perspective, leading us to a more godly decision. The question is this: are we praying expectantly for God’s guidance and inspiration? In other words, are we looking for an angel? We’re not likely to hear God’s message until we have shifted our thinking from putting ourselves first to putting others first. Joseph made that shift, putting Mary and the baby ahead of his own interests, as he listened to an angel. And the result has changed the course of human history.

Hearing God speak to us requires a heart eager to listen.

Prayer:

God of heaven and earth, sharpen that part of my heart that wants to hear from you. Keep me from listening only to my own heartbeat, and give me courage to say “yes” to you and you alone. In the name of the Son of the carpenter Joseph, even Jesus Christ. Amen.

Hymn: H63 O heavenly Word, eternal Light (verses 1 & 2)

O heavenly Word, eternal Light, begotten of the Father’s might, who in these latter days wast born for blessing to a world forlorn; pour light upon us from above, and fire our hearts with ardent love, that, as we hear thy truth today, all wrong desires may burn away;

Sixth Station

The Birth of Jesus

Reader: Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us

People: For we are glad as your people that You have given us a yearly remembrance of the birth of your only Son Jesus Christ, to be born into our lives again. Grant that we may joyfully receive Him.

Scripture: Luke 2: part of verses 1-7

In those days a decree went out from the Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judaea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. When they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

Meditation: The Birth of Jesus

We’ve all been there at some point in our lives --- when life’s circumstances crowd in on us, bringing anxiety, perhaps some fear, and always a sense of exhaustion. How am I going to make it through this? Will the future get even more threatening, or will I be delivered from this demanding time to a more peaceful condition? And how we wish we could see just a little into the future so we could be better prepared for what it will bring! We’d also like to have a little assurance that, indeed, we will be delivered whole and complete in the end!

But that’s not God’s plan. If it were, why would we need to trust God as Joseph and Mary trusted God. It would be easy to say that, like Joseph and Mary, we “have no choice but to carry on.” Not so. We do have a choice about whom and what we trust. We are invited every day to choose the things in which we place our confidence. Overwhelming circumstances can lead us into deeper dependence upon God’s higher power, but usually we have to go through the anxiety first. Thankfully, God is always on the other side of our overwhelming times.

Prayer:

Father, I am so often tempted to trust in myself, my own strength, my own abilities. Teach me and help me to trust in you and you alone for my future, just as Joseph and Mary showed us in the nativity story that in trusting you we find the assurance we need for every day. In the name of Jesus, who always has room for us, we pray. Amen.

Hymn: H66 Come, thou long expected Jesus (verses 1, 3 & 4)

Come, thou long-expected Jesus, born to set thy people free; from our fears and sins release us, By thine own eternal Spirit let us find our rest in thee. rule in all our hearts alone; by thine all-sufficient merit Born thy people to deliver, raise us to thy glorious throne. born a child, and yet a king, born to reign in us for ever, now thy gracious kingdom bring.

Seventh Station

The Shepherds

Reader: Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us

People: For we are glad as your people that You have given us a yearly remembrance of the birth of your only Son Jesus Christ, to be born into our lives again. Grant that we may joyfully receive Him.

Scripture: Luke 2:8-14

In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for see – I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom He favors.’

Meditation: The Shepherds

They were simple folks, these shepherds. Living an ordinary life of survival in a demanding time of few pleasures. Their daily routines were uncomplicated. Nothing flashy about them, and they went from meadow to meadow, just focused on taking care of their animals. As they took turns watching their flock, they suddenly became startled night watchers, and they were transformed into witnesses to the turning point of human history. Wouldn’t you think that God would choose the learned or the powerful, or at least the outspoken, politically minded to reveal God’s self? Wouldn’t you think God could see the advantage of showing His plan to those who had authority and could spread the message effectively among all people everywhere, that God has entered the world – their world – to bring salvation to the world?

Unpredictably, God chose those who would listen and follow and enjoy the amazement – all without having to understand it fully.

Prayer:

God in heaven and God of all the earth, we praise you that in your plan for mankind our example is a simple shepherd. Thank you that we don’t have to measure up to kings and emperors and wise men. Thank you that we don’t have to be number one, we don’t have to be clever, we don’t have to be successful in the world’s eyes. We only have to be available to hear your voice in the night sky. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

Hymn: H99 While shepherds kept their watching (verses 1, 2,3 & chorus)

While shepherds kept their watching o’er silent flocks by night, behold, throughout the heavens Down in a lowly manger there shone a holy light. the humble Christ was born, and God sent us salvation The shepherds feared and trembled that blessèd Christmas morn. when lo! above the earth rang out the angel chorus Go tell it on the mountain, that hailed our Savior’s birth. over the hills and everywhere;

go tell it on the mountain, that Jesus Christ is born!

Eighth Station

The Shepherds See for Themselves

Reader: Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us

People: For we are glad as your people that You have given us a yearly remembrance of the birth of your only Son Jesus Christ, to be born into our lives again. Grant that we may joyfully receive Him.

Scripture: Luke 2:15-20

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing which has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.’ So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Meditation: The Shepherds See for Themselves

Perhaps they were not well educated, but the shepherds knew the truth when they saw it. And the truth was compelling, moving them to temporarily leave their

flock with a capable comrade and go into town to see this that had been revealed to them by the host of angels. If they had left their fields to see a king passing by, we would perhaps understand their action. But to go see a baby in a stable?

Then again, it is the ordinary, the simple, the straightforward that the shepherds were drawn to, day in and day out. They understood that God was coming to unremarkable people because that’s how God works, turning simple people into extraordinary individuals who want to live in God’s presence.

It’s important to remember that upon seeing the Christ child, the shepherds were forever changed. They re-entered the work force and returned to their flock on the hillside near Bethlehem, but not to do business as usual. They were new creatures, touched by the hand of God. So they returned to the world they knew best, the world where they would have the greatest impact for God, doing what they knew best, right where they lived, day in and day out.

Prayer:

Father, only You can take us just as we are and make something special by giving us a first-hand glimpse of Your incredible love. Thank you that you loved us so much that you revealed yourself to shepherds before kings. That gives us great hope that we can be Your people every day, right where we have been planted. Teach us to be shepherds as we experience the nativity, then to return to our routines, changed forever. In the name of the one the shepherds went to see. Amen.

Hymn: H554 ‘Tis the gift to be simple

’Tis the gift to be simple, ’tis the gift to be free, ’tis the gift to come down where we ought to be, and when we find ourselves in the place just right, ’twill be in the valley of love and delight. When true simplicity is gained to bow and to bend we shan’t be ashamed, to turn, turn, will be our delight till by turning, turning we come round right.

Ninth Station

The Naming of Jesus

Reader: Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us

People: For we are glad as your people that You have given us a yearly remembrance of the birth of your only Son Jesus Christ, to be born into our lives again. Grant that we may joyfully receive Him.

Scripture: Luke 2:21

After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Meditation: The Naming of Jesus

There is that moment in everyone’s life in which an identifying label is given – the point at which we are known by name as different from every other person. It is a threshold of recognition, and it is a sacred moment beyond which each person will always be known and remembered.

In God’s plan for mankind, every individual has a unique DNA as well. The remarkable point is that of all the people who have ever lived, we are designed and known individually by God the Creator, and further, that God knows not only our names but also our hearts as well. Clearly, The Divine One finds pleasure in our individuality.

At conception we become God’s magnificent creation, and at birth we, like Jesus, become identified by name as God’s. There is a larger plan than just the plan of our lives. It is a plan for all people to be called by name by God the Creator. It is an amazing plan by which God the Creator would care enough about us to name God’s Son as one of us.

Prayer:

Father of our Lord Jesus, Creator of all mankind, we give you praise and thanksgiving for naming us and for knowing us by name so you can call us into Your kingdom and Your service. We are Yours, and just as we claim You, we thank you for claiming us. In the name of Your Son Jesus we pray. Amen.

Hymn: H125 The people who in darkness walked (verses 3 & 4)

To us the promised Child is born, to us the Son is given; him shall the tribes of earth obey, and all the hosts of heaven.

His name shall be the Prince of Peace for evermore adored, the Wonderful, the Counselor, the mighty God and Lord.

Tenth Station

The Visit of the Magi

Reader: Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us

People: For we are glad as your people that You have given us a yearly remembrance of the birth of your only Son Jesus Christ, to be born into our lives again. Grant that we may joyfully receive Him.

Scripture: Matthew 2: part of verses 1-12

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, asking, ‘Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we have observed his star at its rising, and have come to do 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 Judaea.’ 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. 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.

Meditation: The Visit of the Magi

Most of us have a sense of social pecking order. We know that we should dress up if the President were coming to our house, or even that we should be careful how we present ourselves for the first time to the parents of a fiancé. Usually, we feel like the ones who are looking up to someone “more important” in the social “food chain” of our society.

Curiously, though, the three wise men from an entirely different culture, though they were exalted among men for their wealth and wisdom, saw the unusual star in the east and followed it, sensing that they were about to meet someone greater than themselves. Even though they could have simply acknowledged the Christ child later or from great distance without making such an arduous, uncertain journey, they felt an urgency to become a living part of history. Even though they could have commanded that the baby and his family should pay tribute to their importance, they wisely recognized that it was indeed the lowly, defenseless baby – not themselves – who should be worshipped.

What a gift to human history this troupe of wise men gave us all, as they set the example of bowing humbly before God in the flesh!

Prayer:

O God, just as the wise men could recognize how important the Christ child was, help us to acknowledge that He is You and that You are indeed worthy of our worship. Thank you for the wise men and their outward display of worshipful humility. In the name of Jesus the Christ child, whom we worship this Christmas. Amen.

Hymn: H128 We three kings of Orient are (verses 1 & 2)

We three kings of Orient are, bearing gifts we traverse afar, field and fountain, moor and mountain, O star of wonder, star of night, following yonder star. star with royal beauty bright; westward leading, O star of wonder, star of night, still proceeding, star with royal beauty bright; guide us to thy perfect light! westward leading,

Eleventh Station

The Presentation to Simeon

Reader: Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us

People: For we are glad as your people that You have given us a yearly remembrance of the birth of your only Son Jesus Christ, to be born into our lives again. Grant that we may joyfully receive Him.

Scripture: Luke 2: part of verses 22-35

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. Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. 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.’ Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, ‘A sword will pierce your own soul too.’

Meditation: The Presentation to Simeon

“Guided by the Spirit” – what does that entail? Does it mean that one is a religious person, one who observes religious holidays and practices? Or is it deeper than being religious?

Simeon was a religious man, following the multitude of religious laws of Jesus’ day. But Simeon was more than religious. He was committed to being a subject of Almighty God, which means that an invisible and powerful force controlled his will. It means that Simeon actively sought the leadership of an unseen God – unseen but very real. He invited God to be central in his life, acknowledging God’s lordship over his every decision.

Simeon, led by the Holy Spirit, who was deeply ingrained in his life, yearned to experience personal peace by being assured of the presence of Christ in his heart. He could die in peace if he knew he had encountered the Messiah.

Isn’t that our craving even today – to be led by the Spirit into an ongoing encounter with God through Jesus the Son?

Prayer:

Father, may your Spirit guide us into a daily engagement with Jesus, even the Christ child. Penetrate our hearts. Control our wills. Inspire us to be your people. It is in His name we pray. Amen.

Hymn: H78 O little town of Bethlehem (verse 5)

O holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray; cast out our sin and enter in, be born in us today. We hear the Christmas angels the great glad tidings tell; O come to us, abide with us, our Lord Emmanuel!

Twelfth Station

The Flight into Egypt

Reader: Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us

People: For we are glad as your people that You have given us a yearly remembrance of the birth of your only Son Jesus Christ, to be born into our lives again. Grant that we may joyfully receive Him.

Scripture: Matthew 2:13-15

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 Her- od 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.

Meditation: The Flight into Egypt

Fear brings out the worst and the best in us. Undoubtedly, when we are threatened, our first impulse is to protect ourselves and our loved ones by fleeing and ridding ourselves of the pending danger. Flight is a natural response, and God knows us well enough to understand that about us. Further, the timing of danger

often plays a significant role in human history. At this point in the Nativity story, God was not ready to play out the drama of His Son’s sacrificial death for the redemption of mankind. So God gives a critical instruction to Joseph to take advantage of His protective hand to flee into Egypt. But that’s not all. To obey God’s direction is one thing, but to remain in it – to abide in it – is different altogether. After all, most of life is lived between crises. Most of life is to be found not in the urgent, but in the continuation of moments. That is where reflection and growth and preparation for next steps take place. To remain in God’s plan is to deepen our trust in Him and to confirm the steps we have taken to obey God’s guidance.

When we trust Him, God protects our souls not only when we feel threatened but as we live out that trust in our daily lives.

Prayer:

Into Your hands, O Father, we commit our days. When we experience situations that frighten or threaten us, we instinctively turn to You. And when we have moments of peace and tranquility, we feel your blessing. Thank you that the Nativity story is not just about a baby, but also about Your intervention into daily, ordinary lives as You seek to show us Your love for us. In the name of the Christ child, whom you rescued from danger before His time. Amen.

Hymn: H690 Guide me, O thou great Jehovah (verse 1)

Guide me, O thou great Jehovah, pilgrim through this barren land; I am weak, but thou art mighty; hold me with thy powerful hand; bread of heaven, feed me now and evermore.

Thirteenth Station

The Massacre of the Innocents

Reader: Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us

People: For we are glad as your people that You have given us a yearly remembrance of the birth of your only Son Jesus Christ, to be born into our lives again. Grant that we may joyfully receive Him.

Scripture: Matthew 2:16-17

When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah.

Meditation: The Massacre of the Innocents

Even with all the wondrous grace and love and peaceful thoughts evident throughout scripture, there are some stories that we can hardly believe are true. How can one man abuse his power and his authority to kill innocent children? How can God let such an unthinkable, horrible action happen?

Maybe that is why God came to earth that night so long ago. Maybe God wanted to scream out loud that He understands our deepest needs and our greatest fears. Maybe God wanted to show us --- before the resurrection drama that was to unfold in just a few years --- that He is Lord of every situation, every anxiety, every selfish deed because now He is one of us!

Even when bad things happen to good and faithful people, God is in the midst of all of it, reaching out to inspire and uphold and be the God who redeems all mankind beyond every thoughtless, selfish act. This is the God we worship because this is the God we now know, thanks to Christmas.

Prayer:

Father, we look around every day and see reminders of your mercy, the way you care for us and the ones we love, even when we are running from the grip of tyranny. We all have our tyrannies, and it is a comfort to be reminded at this season that you are constant and that you love us so much you came to live among us. We look to you for our salvation. In the strong name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

Hymn: H102 Once in royal David’s city (verses 4 & 5)

For he is our lifelong pattern; daily, when on earth he grew, he was tempted, scorned, rejected, tears and smiles like us he knew. Thus he feels for all our sadness, and he shares in all our gladness.

And our eyes at last shall see him, through his own redeeming love; for that child who seemed so helpless is our Lord in heaven above; and he leads his children on to the place where he is gone.

Fourteenth Station

The Return to Nazareth

Reader: Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us

People: For we are glad as your people that You have given us a yearly remembrance of the birth of your only Son Jesus Christ, to be born into our lives again. Grant that we may joyfully receive Him.

Scripture: Matthew 2:19-23

When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to Joseph in Egypt and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother, and go into 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 Judaea 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.

Meditation: The Return to Nazareth

January will come. It always does. The Christmas story will be behind us, and we will return to our work, our plans, our expectations, and our inevitable routines. Just as Joseph and Mary and the young boy Jesus returned to Nazareth, we will

return to our ordinary days. We will no doubt be grateful for the Nativity story, but there is something optimistic about our nature as we look ahead, not behind, for inspiration.

The question is this: will we be different? Have we been changed by the intervention of the Christ child into our lives once again? So as we return to Nazareth, can we invite the Christ to remind us of the lessons of the blessed Nativity that impact our activities and add up to blessed lives?

God will be there on the other side of Christmas, waiting to hear from us and be powerful in our lives because of the birth of God’s Son in our hearts once again.

Prayer:

Father, we are grateful that we can look back and be blessed by the Nativity and that we can look forward and be inspired by the promise of your loving presence. Go ahead of us now, and may your Son be born in us every day. We pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Hymn: H100 Joy to the World! the Lord is come (verses 1 & 4)

Joy to the world! the Lord is come: let earth receive her King; let every heart prepare him room, and heaven and nature sing.

He rules the world with truth and grace, and makes the nations prove the glories of his righteousness, and wonders of his love.

St. Francis of Assisi Episcopal Church 7555 Ooltewah-Georgetown Road Ooltewah, Tennessee 37363 Phone (423) 238-7708 ♦ Fax (423) 238-7672 Email [email protected] ♦ Website www.sfaec.org