Bulletin – Saturday, December 24, 2022 – Christmas Eve
Saturday, December 24, 2022
Christmas Eve
Lighting the Candles
One: Hope, peace, joy, and love. Four candles, four promises continually offered to us by God, and all of them manifest in this one we light tonight: the Christ candle. In Christ we find the hope of transformation, the peace that follows justice, the joy of self-fulfillment in community, and the love that encompasses us in all our diversity, empowering us to make our own unique contribution to this world. In Christ we find light and life, and the courage to be life him, answering his call and following in his footsteps.
All: We rejoice in God’s steadfast presence in our lives, and in God’s unique presence in the life of Jesus of Nazareth—born of Mary, growing through childhood into an adult ministry, in all his life manifesting the peace, love, and justice of God; his voice undimmed by the centuries, his call and his promise as clear to us as it was to his disciples so long ago. Come to us, Lord Jesus, be born in us this night, in our hearts, our minds, our lives. May the light of your life be kindled in us, and lead us to the shining truth, of God with us, God for us, God in us. Amen.
Call to Worship
One: Rejoice, for God is with us – Emmanuel.
All: In the darkness of our world shines God’s holy light.
One: Now there is reason to hope, to love, to laugh, to live.
All: God is truly with us. We are not alone. Thanks be to God!
Hymn – “O Come, All Ye Faithful”
O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem.
Come and behold Him, born the King of angels,
O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.
Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation.
Sing all ye citizens of heaven above!
Glory to God, all glory in the highest!
O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.
See how the shepherds, summoned to His cradle,
Leaving their flocks, draw nigh with lowly fear;
We too would thither bend our joyful footsteps.
O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.
Opening Prayer
Gracious God, with joy and thanksgiving we gather as your people. We have come to hear again the timeless story of Christ’s birth. In the excitement of this night, quiet our hearts that we may know the peace and fullness of this holy time. Shine, O Light, in the darkness of our world. Sing, O angels, in the stillness of our hearts, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those God favours.” This we pray in the name of the Child of Bethlehem. Amen.
Light of the World
Scripture Reading: Luke 1:26-38
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.” 34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 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. 36 And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
One: The world waits for a miracle. The heart longs for a little bit of hope. We don’t believe in miracles anymore, do we? We believe in what we can see, touch, and measure. Is it any wonder that Mary would be perplexed. I think that confused might be a better word for how she might have felt when visited. Maybe we might even think that she might have dismissed this announcement of the birth as pure fallacy. This was not what Mary expected her life to be like, this was not what was planned for her. Who was Mary, she was a poor and very ordinary girl, she was really nothing special yet this miraculous thing happened to her. But if we don’t believe in the miraculous, ourselves where is the mystery of life? If we don’t believe in miracles, how can we believe in those things that seem impossible, yet become reality? So Mary trusts. This is the season of miracles, some big and some small, but if have shut ourselves off from the miraculous we might just miss that which makes life so special, we might just miss the divine among us, we might miss the hope that comes with the Light that is about to enter our world.
Anthem – “God’s Hope and Joy”
Scripture Reading: Luke 2:1-5
1 In those days a decree went out from Emperor 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.
One: The world waits for a miracle. The heart longs for a little bit of hope. So, here is young Joseph, betrothed to even younger Mary and she has become pregnant. What is he to do now? Does he reject her? Does he honour his commitment to her even though he is not sure if she honoured her commitment to him? This was not what Joseph expected. Joseph an ordinary carpenter living an ordinary life, trying to get by under the brutality of Roma, and now the emperor is calling for a census and Joseph must travel back to Bethlehem because he is from the House of David, David who was said to be the greatest king in the history of Israel. Joseph who is from the House of David with his betrothed who is carrying another’s child, how is this going to reflect on his family? How often do we miss the miraculous because we are so tied to our own expectations. So Joseph trusts in something more. Yet travel he does, with Mary, to Bethlehem, trusting that he has made the right decision, opening his heart to Mary and this unborn child, waiting for, maybe the birth of hope, that will come with the Light that is about to enter our world.
Hymn – “O Little Town of Bethlehem”
O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie,
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep, the silent stars go by.
Yet in the dark street shineth the everlasting light.
The hope and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.
O holy child of Bethlehem, descent 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.
Scripture Reading: Luke 2:6-7
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 for them in the inn.
One: The world waits for a miracle. The heart longs for a little bit of hope. And a baby is born. Not in a castle, not even in a home, but in a stable. A baby is born in a smelly, dirty stable. This baby, this one who has been foretold, this one who has been long-awaited, has finally come, but not in an expected way. This unexpected birth might just herald in something new, something different, the miraculous amongst the ordinary. How often do we miss the miraculous in our own lives because it comes in such ordinary ways? How often do we dismiss the unexpected because we were looking for something different or because it doesn’t come in a way that we thought it would come? It is difficult to see the miraculous when we are always looking for something different and too easily dismiss what might be different. In this manger was born hope, hope that came as Light was born into the world.
Hymn – “Away in a Manger / Silent Night”
Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,
The little Lord Jesus lay down His sweet head.
The stars in the sky look down where He lay,
The Little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.
The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes,
But little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes.
I love you, Lord Jesus; look down from the sky,
And stay by my side until morning is nigh.
Silent night! Holy night!
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon virgin mother and child.
Holy infant so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace.
Silent night! Holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight:
Glories stream from heaven afar,
Heavenly host sing Hallelujah,
Christ the Saviour is born,
Christ the Saviour is born.
Silent night! Holy night!
Son of God, love’s pure light
Radiant beams from thy holy face,
With the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord, at thy birth,
Jesus, Lord, at thy birth.
Scripture Reading: Luke 2:8-14
8 In that 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!”
One: The world waits for a miracle. The heart longs for a little bit of hope. Hope for those ones who spent their lives out in those fields watching over the flocks. What is hope for someone who is treated with distrust by the townspeople? What is hope for one who has been marginalized because of who they are and what they do? Yet, here is hope, once again, in the form of the miraculous, the unexpected. Hope that comes to least among society and brings them news that maybe, just maybe, the status quo is about to change. This night there was a miraculous announcement given to those who are the most ordinary, those whom society deems as unworthy. And yet they receive this announcement, they witness the miraculous, but do they believe? Were they willing to hope that things might change with the coming of Light into the world?
Hymn – “Angels We Have Heard on Hight”
Angels we have heard on high
Sweetly singing o’er the plains,
And the mountains in reply,
Echoing their joyous strains.
Gloria, in excelsis Deo!
Gloria, in excelsis Deo!
Shepherds, why this jubilee?
Why your joyous strains prolong?
What the gladsome tidings be
Which inspire your heavenly song?
Gloria, in excelsis Deo!
Gloria, in excelsis Deo!
Scripture Reading: Luke 2:15-20
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 But 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, as it had been told them.
One: The world waits for a miracle. The heart longs for a little bit of hope. We wait for a miracle. This season of joy, this season of gifts, parties, family gatherings, decorations, and presents, what miracle do you need in your life? We have come to hear the story of the birth of a child, but this was not just any child, was it? This child was a child of hope in a world so in need of hope. This child was Light in a world where there was so much darkness. This child, born in such an ordinary way, but symbolizing so much. We need a miracle to help us to combat the anger, the isolation, the disconnection, in our world. Where is our miracle? What if this child born all those years ago, a child born out of pure love for the world, is our miracle today? What if we are called to let this child, this love, this hope, be reborn in our hearts this day, and every day? If we allow love and hope to come into our hearts, if we live in the love and hope found in a baby born in such an ordinary way, than maybe we can become bearers of Light to world, we become that coming Light. That is the Christmas miracle and it is our wish for all of us this night.
Prayer
Hymn – “Hark! the Herald Angels Sing”
Hark! the herald angels sing Glory to the newborn King;
Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled:
Joyful all ye nations rise, Join the triumph of the skies,
With the angelic host proclaim, Christ is born in Bethlehem:
Hark! the herald angels sing Glory to the newborn King.
Hail, the heaven-born Prince of Peace!
Hail, the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all hi brings, risen with healing in his wings.
Mild he lays his glory by, born that we no more may die;
Born to raise us from the earth, born to give us second birth.
Hark! the herald angels sing, Glory to the newborn King!
Benediction
As we leave this place and time together, God of Mary and Joseph, God of Angels and Shepherds, God Incarnate in Jesus of Nazareth: you are God of all the earth. Tonight you reveal to us again that all people are your beloved children and that all creatures are your handiwork. Let us never cease to tell the story of your boundless love in all we say and do. Amen.
Response – “Joy to the World”
Joy to the world! The Lord is come:
Let earth receive her King!
Let every heart prepare him room,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven, and heaven and nature sing.
He rules the earth with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of his righteousness
And wonders of his love,
And wonders of his love,
And wonders, wonders of his love.
