Worship on the First Sunday after Christmas
10:00 am 28 December 2025
Online & Onsite (Mixed Presence) Gathering as a Worshipping Community
Led by Lynn Vaughan Music director: Binu Kapadia
Vocalist: Vivian Houg Elder: Sam Malayang
We gather to worship God
Music prelude
Greeting
L: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
P: and also with you.
Lighting of the Christ candle
Welcome and announcements
Silent preparation for worship
Call to Worship
L: Praise the Lord from the heavens and in the heights;
P: Praise God, sun and moon!
L: God’s name alone is exalted;
P: God is above the earth and heaven.
Opening praise: Holy is the Lord
Prayers of approach and confession
God of glory, angels called to shepherds with songs of your good news.
Mary pondered the mystery of your goodness in the tumult of new birth.
Your splendour shines from a manger where the Light of the world was born.
In the fragility of flesh, you are revealed to us face to face.
And so, we gather in worship and praise of you who are
Creator, Redeemer, and Guide; perfect and eternal, now and forever.
Recalling who you are and what you have done,
we recall who we are and what we have done.
And so, to begin again with you and one another,
we confess our sins
God of compassion, you promise new life, but we confess that we are in love with our old ways; with hurts that we nourish, hatreds that hold us hostage, and fantasies that restrict our faithful living.
You offer to us unconditional love, but we reject our neighbours and live apart from you and one another in many ways. Recreate us in the image of your son, and for your glory’s sake, forgive us.
Response: Glory, glory, hallelujah
Assurance of God’s pardon
Here is the good news of the Gospel: Jesus Christ is chosen for our salvation. In him, we are made acceptable to God. Let us give thanks to God and be at peace with ourselves and with one another.
We listen for the voice of God
Children’s time
Response: My Lighthouse
Story: New life in Christ
Good morning, children. Hope you had a great Christmas with your families. Now, we get to look forward toward a new year starting. Let’s see here…what’s on my list for 2026?
Well, I probably need to exercise more. And drink more water, of course. I should remember to eat more vegetables. I need to read some books, since my home library is so big. I need to find a real job (according to my mom!?). I should pray more, and read my Bible, and… phew. I’m already tired just thinking about this stuff! There’s no way I’ll keep all this up.
Have you ever made goals or resolutions for yourself? We’ll soon begin a new year, and that’s a time when a lot of people try to say that they are going to improve themselves in various ways. People might try to say they’re going to get in better shape, or eat healthier, or sleep more, or work harder. They think that a new calendar year means they should make changes for themselves. And it’s good to have goals. It’s good to try and improve our habits.
But it can be difficult, too. Statistics show that only 8-9 % of people who make New Year’s Resolutions actually follow through with them for the entire year. That’s a pretty small percentage. That’s like if all the people in the sanctuary here today made resolutions, only the few of us sitting up here would actually keep up with them.
The truth is, it’s tough to do things and make major changes on our own. If we are trying to muscle through and accomplish stuff based on just our own personal will power, we are likely to fail. To truly improve, change must come from the inside, AND it’s always a good idea to ask God to help us. With Him on our side, we can do anything!
God can transform our lives better than any New Year’s resolution! God can help us to achieve what we hope to do. But, remember, the most important thing we can do is to seek Him and follow the paths He has for us. When we pray, read our Bibles, and engage in worship (and Sunday School), we can grow stronger spiritually.
This new year, let’s try to focus on being changed by the power of the Holy Spirit. Exercising more or eating better are fine, but true joy comes through our relationship with Jesus and allowing God to work in and through us as we embrace His love.
Let’s pray and thank God for the strength that comes through Christ.
(This is a repeat-after-me prayer)
Prayer
Dear God,
Thank you for sending Jesus.
He is the true way to new life.
Thank you for giving us what we need,
And for always being with us
As we step into a new year.
Now together, we’ll say the prayer that you taught us…
The Lord’s Prayer (535)
Transition music
Song: Standing at the portal (811)
Today’s Message
Scripture reading: Isaiah 63:7-9 & Ephesians 1:3-14
Response: Emmanuel, Emmanuel (114)
Message: New Year’s Blessings
(Based on ‘Pastoral Ponderings’ by Rev. James Laurence, First Lutheran Church, Albemarle, NC}
I have been wondering what New Year’s Resolutions might look like this year … in the midst of all the wars that are never-ending and the constant political turmoil in all corners of the world. Some of these are a little too close to home and some are right here in our own backyard. Then, there’s all the unprecedented weather disasters that seem to happen daily around the globe.
I am one of those people who usually enjoys making New Year’s Resolutions, but I have not been inspired much lately. Ever since the craziness of the Covid pandemic, followed by the loss of my mom and my dear sister a couple years ago, I’m really just happy to reach the end of the year in one piece, let alone be thinking about all the resolutions that I need to make.
Maybe, this would be a good year to think a little less about New Year’s Resolutions – that I’ll end up never keeping, in all honesty!?! – and think a little more about something else. What I want to offer today, in this message, is something a little different: maybe we could pledge to think about New Year’s Blessings rather than making New Year’s Resolutions. The inspiration for this message is the passage from Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians that was just read.
After an opening greeting, Paul turns in Verse 3 to a wonderful reflection on the blessings that we have received from Jesus. He says,
Praise God, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing because we belong to Christ.
In this simple statement, we are reminded of something very important: that we begin this upcoming new year as people who have been blessed with every spiritual blessing. That’s a good way to start the year, don’t you think? By reminding ourselves that we are already blessed, because of our relationship with Jesus Christ!
Everything important, you might say, has already been given to us. Everything eternal, everything undying, everything that we can truly count on, come what may, we have already been given because of our faith. We have already been blessed in Jesus with every spiritual blessing.
We might face all sorts of worldly challenges right now, whether they are concerns for the state of things across the oceans or whether the challenge is right here in our own country, our own community, in our family or even within ourselves. Thinking about all these things can be overwhelming, and it may have been a difficult year to get through. But, we are still blessed because we know that God loves us and blesses us through Jesus with every spiritual blessing. We begin a new year by remembering this simple, wonderful fact: that in Jesus, we are truly blessed.
Often, when you think about it, New Year’s Resolutions usually focus on something negative in our life. We are unorganized, so we pledge to de-clutter the house. We need to lose weight, so we promise to start a new diet and begin exercising more. We’re going to quit smoking or we’re not going to drink so much. We promise to be better parents. The list goes on.
Taking Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians as a guide, we are encouraged to begin the year by focusing on the positive. That seems like a much better idea, especially after a rough year. So, Paul invites us to begin the year by remembering the blessings that we have already received in Christ with every spiritual blessing.
Now, you might be asking yourself: what does it mean to be blessed in Christ with every spiritual blessing … especially since I keep repeating it!? These blessings are not just physical or materialistic things. In the words that follow his opening statement, Paul identifies five ways that we are blessed in this way.
First, Paul tells us in Verse 4 that we are blessed in Christ because we have been chosen “long ago, even before he made the world”. Think about that. You and I have been chosen! Even before we chose God, God already chose us, in Christ. We who are baptized into Christ have been chosen as holy in the eyes of God. Before we make any resolutions, before improving ourselves, God has already chosen us and, not only that, he has accepted us for who we are. We don’t have to earn this. We don’t have to change. God’s acceptance is given to us freely, in Christ. That’s a wonderful blessing, isn’t it?
Secondly, Paul tells us in Verse 5 that we are not only chosen, but we have been adopted as one of God’s children through the sacrifices made by Jesus. That is our destiny. That is God’s plan and his wonderful gift to us. And again, it is not something we earn or work toward. It is given to us simply because God chooses to give it to us. And knowing our destiny can then free us to live without fear, even now, in the midst of all the uncertainty and upheaval in our world.
The third blessing that Paul reminds us of is found in Verse 7, when he tells us that we have redemption through Christ’s blood, the forgiveness of our sins. This is also an encouraging message as we begin a new year together, isn’t it? That even if we don’t get it all right, we can count on being forgiven. We may not keep our resolutions. We may not better our lives the way we hoped. We certainly won’t live perfectly this year. We will make mistakes. We will sin. But, in Christ, we have redemption and forgiveness. What a blessing that is!
The fourth way that we begin this year blessed in Christ is found in Verse 9: It states, “God has told us his secret reason for sending Christ”. We often take this one for granted, I suppose. But think about it: we don’t have to guess at what God wants from us. God has told us. We have God’s Word, the Bible, to guide us. God is very clear about how we are expected to live. Maybe not in all the little details, but big-picture-wise, God could not be more clear. And that’s a good thing. We don’t have to guess how to please a stern, distant God. We have a close and loving God who has made known to us the plan he has laid out. And that, too, is a blessing.
And finally, the fifth way that we are blessed in Christ is found in Verse 11, when we are told that, because of Christ, we have also obtained an inheritance, that is: “to be with him forever”. So, we’re not just chosen, destined for adoption, forgiven, and told the mystery of God’s plan – we are also promised an inheritance of eternal life with our Lord and our God. There is no greater inheritance possible, and it has already been promised to us. In fact, we have already obtained it in Christ. So, before we even make any resolutions to better ourselves, we are reminded that we begin a new year chosen by God, with our destiny secure in Christ, and with an awesome inheritance promised to us.
I don’t know about you, but in a very worrisome and sometimes downright scary world, I find these to be comforting words. These promises don’t depend on the uncertainties of our world, or of our lives. They depend on God, and so they are certainties. They are done simply for the good pleasure of God’s will. A gift given to us which we did not earn. They are freely given to us, in love.
So, how can we thank God for this incredible gift? Again, Paul provides an answer for us, in Verse 12. Paul tells us that “we should praise God and give glory to him for doing these mighty things for us”. Okay. The best way to respond to these freely-given gifts is by living for the praise of God’s glory. We can resolve, then, to spend this new year glorifying God.
Now, I know that this sounds a little vague. It is not as specific and measurable as losing 10 pounds or quitting smoking, for instance, but Paul does eventually get very specific later in this Letter to the Ephesians. For now, though, he is simply challenging us to devote our lives to glorifying God. Even in the midst of the chaos that often surrounds us, we are being invited to bring glory to God. We are meant to live for the praise of God’s grace and magnificence.
Now, if you want to find some examples of more concrete ways to do this, I encourage you to read further on in Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians. Don’t call it a resolution, but maybe a great way to start the year 2026 could be to read this Letter. Even reading it slowly and prayerfully, with a journal in hand, shouldn’t take you more than an hour. And you will find many tangible ways mentioned to live for the praise of God’s glory.
As one example, chapter 4 of this Letter will offer practical advice like: don’t let the sun go down on your anger – or, another one – let your talk be for building up, that it may give grace to hear. Chapter 5 includes practical suggestions for how to live as a better spouse, and how to live as a better child or parent. Children are urged to obey their parents and parents are advised not to provoke anger in their children. Chapter 6 suggests ways for us to engage in the spiritual warfare that is all around us, by taking up the whole armour of God and praying at all times in the Spirit.
The rest of Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians is filled with all kinds of excellent advice on how we can live for the praise of God’s glory. But he begins the letter by simply reminding us of our blessings. He assures us that we have all received the gift of being blessed with every spiritual blessing because we belong to Christ.
And there are no more hopeful words that I can offer, as we begin another year together, than these words from Paul. He tells us that we begin this new year – as we begin every year – in Christ: chosen, destined, forgiven, and with an inheritance promised to each and every one of us. And all of this is done, so that we might live for the praise of God’s glory.
May each of us be blessed as we strive to live this new year for that purpose. Thanks be to God. Amen
Song: Praise, I will praise (420)
We respond to serve God: Our time of giving
Reflection on giving: Dayspring is empowered to carry out our mission of worship, service, and care by generously given volunteer time, talent, and treasure. Many thanks to all who give so generously!
Prayer: Gracious God, in your constant love, you nurture our life with your richness. As your love for us is always abundant, we learn to share joyfully what we have received from you. Bless the offerings, and all that we have and all that we are, so that your bountiful, supportive love may reach those in need through what we do and say in Jesus Christ the Lord.
Prayer of gratitude and for others and ourselves
Merciful God, we come before You with praise and thanksgiving!
Through Jesus Christ, you have lavished on us every spiritual blessing we could possibly imagine!
Before the world was created, you already knew us and loved us. You adopted us as your own children and redeemed us through the blood of Christ.
Even more, you have made us your heirs and gave us your own Spirit as a sign and guarantee.
God of love, we give thanks for the many blessings you have given to us during our lives and, specifically, over this past year. We are grateful for opportunities to celebrate life and the birth of our Saviour Jesus with family and friends.
We are aware of those whose hearts this Christmas season are filled with pain and suffering, or fear. For some, we know that Christmas will be linked with loss or anguish for years to come.
We remember before you, O God, those who do not have enough to eat or who eat alone; those who do not have adequate shelter or who lack human contact and comfort; those who have had their hearts and lives broken by some trauma or loss.
Help them and all your children to find solace in you, God. Bring peace to all heavy hearts. We pray specifically for family members and friends who are struggling with hardship and pain.
We pray for all your children, known and unknown to us; stir in their minds, protect their bodies, strengthen their characters, and protect their joy.
As the year draws to a close, help us to look back with gratitude for all that has been, and to look forward with eager anticipation for new opportunities to grow closer to you and to each other in love. In the name of your Son, we pray. Amen
Song: Good Christians, all rejoice (141)
Sending out with God’s blessing
As we step into a new year, may we take the time to recognize all the blessings that God has so generously given to us through Christ, and may we have the energy and the wisdom to use 2026 as an opportunity to bring glory and honour to our heavenly Father through the blessing of our lives in Him.
Response: Gloria in excelsis Deo
Music postlude
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Numbers in brackets after a song/hymn indicate that it is from the 1997 Book of Praise of the Presbyterian Church in Canada. Those and other songs are being used in accordance with the specifications of Dayspring’s licensing with One License (3095377) and CLC (A735555).
Lynn Vaughan retains the copyright (© 2025) on all original material in this service. As far as she is aware, all of the material that has not been attributed to others is her own creation or is in the public domain. Unacknowledged use of copyrighted material is unintentional and will be corrected immediately upon notification being received.