Order of Worship
December 24th, 2024
Christmas Eve
4:00 PM
*Those who are able, please stand
Prelude: “Carol of the Bells” Kristiana Arakelyan, Personent Hodie” Philip Moore, “God Rest You Merry Gentlemen” Elizabeth Mounsey
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS:
MISSION STATEMENT:
(Let us say our Mission Statement together)
To welcome and inspire All through faith, love, and fellowship according to Christ’s example.
*Call to Worship: (Responsive) Litany of Light
Leader: Tonight old dreams die and new dreams come to life. The promise is fulfilled!
People: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace.
Leader: Hope gives way to joy and prayer to proclamation.
People: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace.
Leader: Our candles illuminate our story. Dawn invades
midnight. The Light of the World has come.
People: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace.
Leader: This light is a light for all, igniting a flame within
the soul, warming us from within, radiating love, lighting our lives with the presence of Emmanuel, God with us.
People: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace.
*GATHERING HYMN: “O Come, All Ye Faithful” # 148
PRAYER OF INVOCATION:
Gracious Creator, come to us again through the power and grace of the Christmas story. May it be not a story from long ago, but let us experience it here and now. Let it renew our faith. May hope be born anew in the shadows of a dark winter night. Let the light push back the shadows of darkness, doubt, and fear. “Do Not Be Afraid!” May our time in the dancing light of our hopes be fulfilled. May our souls be born anew. Let us feel the incarnate Jesus, Emmanuel, for God, the Holy Spirit, and God’s Beloved, Jesus Christ, be present with us this night and all the days of our lives. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Let us pray as Christ taught us to pray. Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen
Lighting of the Candles:
Pastor: Almost a month ago, on the first Sunday of Advent, we lit this candle in our first Advent Candle. We did this to note our hope for the coming of the new light.
Person 1 (Heather) : We light this candle, remembering that amid darkness, God created the world and all that is in it. Amid our darkness, God has again brought light. (Person 1 lights the Advent Candle of Hope)
Pastor: Two weeks ago, we lit the second light of Advent. This common object becomes uncommon as it reveals God’s peace coming into our lives.
Person 2 (Karen) : The darkness is great, but God’s powerful light will show us the way, our path is illuminated through God’s gracious peace. This light represents God’s call for peace. (Person 2 lights the Candle of Peace.)
Pastor: One week ago, we lit the Candle of Joy. We were asked to see the world through great and small joys we can see every day.
Person 3 (Heather) : We light this Candle of Joy is the coming of Emmanuel, who will bring and sustain joy in our lives and our hearts. (Person 3 lights the lantern in the worship center)
Pastor: This week, we light the fourth Candle, the Candle of Love. This reminds us of the comfort and warmth of God’s love and presence with us.
Person 4: (Karen) Tonight, we light this Candle of Love as a reminder that God is always with us to comfort, to heal, to strengthen, and to guide us. God’s love draws us home and warms our hearts and spirits. (Person 4 lights the Candle of Love in the worship center)
Pastor: Tonight we light the Christ Candle in the Middle of our worship Center to remind us of the Light of God’s Love in Jesus Christ. This light is not placed away from the others, but is in the midst of them, that Christ’s love may shine in all we do.
Person 5: (Heather) We light this Christ Candle as a sign of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love in our lives. God has called us from darkness and has given us a great light, and the darkness shall never overcome it. (Person 5 lights the Christ Candle)
Pastor: Let us pray: Lord of Brilliant Light, shine in our hearts tonight. Bring us to the manger with such longing for your love, bathed in the light of Hope. Remind us that you are our Hope and that through you will come to Peace which will bring Joy and Love in our hearts forever. AMEN.
*Hymn: “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear” #153 (verses 1 & 3)
Christmas Eve Readings with Hymns and Carols
Christmas Eve Readings for 12 24 2024 NSRV
The Prophecy
Isaiah 62:6-12 (Karen)
6 Upon your walls, O Jerusalem, I have posted sentinels; all day and all night they shall never be silent.
You who remind the Lord, take no rest, 7 and give him no rest until he establishes Jerusalem and makes it renowned throughout the earth.
8 The Lord has sworn by his right hand and by his mighty arm: I will not again give your grain to be food for your enemies, and foreigners shall not drink the wine for which you have labored; 9 but those who garner it shall eat it and praise the Lord, and those who gather it shall drink it in my holy courts. 10 Go through, go through the gates, prepare the way for the people; build up, build up the highway, clear it of stones, lift up an ensign over the peoples. 11 The Lord has proclaimed to the end of the earth: Say to daughter Zion, “See, your salvation comes; his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.” 12 They shall be called, “The Holy People, The Redeemed of the Lord”; and you shall be called, “Sought Out, A City Not Forsaken.”
Luke 1:26-33 (Jeri)
26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
Hymn: “O Little Town of Bethlehem” #144 (verses 1 & 2)
The Christmas Story:
Luke 2: 1-20 (Sarah)
2 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 All went to their own towns to be registered. 4 Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. 5 He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. 7 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 in the guest room.
8 Now in that same region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 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: 11 to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”
15 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 that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the child lying in the manger. 17 When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them, 19 and Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told them.
*Hymn: The First Noel” No. 151 (verses 1 & 4)
Christmas Eve Meditation: Sabbath Poem: “1986, I” Wendel Berry, Pastor
Slowly, slowly, they return
To the small woodland let alone:
Great trees, outspreading and upright,
Apostles of the living light.
Patient as stars, they build in air
Tier after tier a timbered choir,
Stout beams upholding weightless grace
Of song, a blessing on this place.
They stand in waiting all around,
Uprisings of their native ground,
Downcomings of the distant light;
They are the advent they await.
Receiving sun and giving shade,
Their life’s a benefaction made,
And is a benediction said
Over the living and the dead.
In fall their brightened leaves, released,
Fly down the wind, and we are pleased
To walk on radiance, amazed.
O light come down to earth, be praised!
Hymn: “Away in a Manger” #147 (verses 1 & 2)
The Light Reflected
Titus 3: 4-7 (Heather)
4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy, through the water[a] of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. 6 This Spirit he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Hymn: “Angels We Have Heard on High” No. 155 (verses 1 & 4)
COMMUNION HYMN: “Break Thou the Bread of Life” #321 (verse 3)
SERVICE OF HOLY COMMUNION
Pastor: Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. You who have come to me shall not hunger; you who believe in me shall never thirst.”
All: (Unison) In company with all who hunger for spiritual food, we come to this table to know the risen Christ in the sharing of this life-giving bread.
Pastor: You need not be a member of this church or any church to partake of this spiritual food. All you need be is hungry.
Communion Prayer:
All: (Unison) Eternal God, who created the heavens and the earth, giving breath to every living thing, we thank you for the gifts of creation, and for the gift of life itself. We thank You for making us in your image, for forgiving us when we act as though you have no claim on us, and for keeping us in your steadfast care. Praise you for Christ’s birth, life, death, and resurrection, and for calling forth your church for its mission in the world.
Pastor: We remember that on the night of betrayal and desertion, Jesus took bread, gave you thanks, broke the bread, and gave it to his friends, saying “This is my body which is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, Jesus took the cup after supper, saying: “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
All: (Unison) Bless this bread and this cup. Bless all of us in our eating and drinking at this table, that our eyes may be opened and we may recognize the risen Christ in our midst, in each other, and in all for whom Christ lived and died. Amen.
Pastor: “Through the broken bread, we remember the body of Christ.”Through the cup of blessing, we remember the new life Christ gives.”
“The gifts of God for the people of God. Come, for all things are ready.”
Sharing of the Elements: Eat and drink in remembrance of Christ.
Prayer of Thanksgiving (Unison) : Holy one, you gave us this day our daily bread and nourished us with Christ’s presence. Through one loaf and cup, you have made us one, with you and each other. By your grace and love, feed the world with this bread. Let us remember the joy of your presence with the fruit of the vine. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen
CALL TO GIVING: The Love of God is born new in the world as often as we embody that love in the works of compassion, peace, and justice. Let us offer our gifts in a spirit of generosity and hope. (Our offering this Christmas Eve, as aligned with our tradition, will be distributed to our three retired pastors, Rev. Shirley Anderson, Rev. Vicky Hammel, and Rev. Elva Merry-Pawle.)
Offertory Music for Inspiration: “Sing We Now of Christmas” 15thc French Arr. Larry Shackley
*Doxology (Tune: Old Hundredth)
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Christ the Word in flesh born low;
Praise Holy Spirit evermore;
One God, Triune, whom we adore. Amen.
*Prayer of Dedication: (Unison): With these gifts, dear God, accept the praise and thanksgiving of our hearts, which rejoice in your goodness and love. Let our gifts point to your presence in the world, and further your dream for the world through Jesus, Emmanuel, God-with-us. Amen.
The Service of Lights
As we sing “Silent Night, Holy Night”, all the lights but the Christ Candle will be extinguished. Please leave our pews to assemble in a circle and display the electronic candles that you received at as you entered the Sanctuary as we sing together. Ushers will collect the candles as you leave our service. Please keep your candle lit until after the Benediction.)
*HYMN OF DEPARTURE: “Silent Night, Holy Night” # 145
Benediction: Glory to God in the highest! Go forth rejoicing in the love of God, the peace of Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit!