December 24th, 2021 Christmas Eve
Watch this Service at: www.graceunitedthornbury.ca/live
Leading us today in worship:
Minister: Rev. Christine Smaller
Music Director: Dr. Christopher Burton
Scripture Reader: Jim Oliver
Advent Singers: Grace Choir
Candle Lighters: Sandy Eagles and Family
Narrator 1: Mary Lou Gignac
Narrator 2: Sandy Eagles
Narrator 3: Mike Weller
Mary: Tabatha Weller
Gabriel: Jim Dolmer
Elizabeth: Rev. Christine Smaller
Angel: Olivia Eagles
Heavenly Host: Olivia Eagles
Leader: regular font ~ All: bold font ~ Sung Words: bold italic font
Prelude:
An Improvisation on Christmas Carols ~ C. Burton
Advent Candle-Lighting (Tune: White Christmas)
One: I’m dreaming of a bright Christmas,
with every Advent flame that lights.
When our lives turn softly, toward the godly,
and we hear angels in the night.
Two: I’m dreaming of a bright Christmas
that will remind us of the Child.
Newborn in a manger, no more a stranger,
the One in whom God’s love has smiled!
(the Christmas Candle is lit)
All: We’re dreaming of a bright Christmas,
and now the Christ Child’s flame’s alight.
May these days be merry and bright.
May we live Christ’s love with all our might!
Carol: VU 59 Joy to the World (v. 1,2 & 4)
1. 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.
2. Joy to the earth! the Saviour reigns:
let all their songs employ,
while fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
repeat the sounding joy,
repeat the sounding joy,
repeat, repeat the sounding joy.
4. 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.
Christmas Welcome
Territorial Acknowledgement
Long ago, all of this land was covered by ice
Clothed in a winter without end
But God our Creator brought back the warmth
Pulling back the ice and revealing this land
Plants and animals returned to the land
And it was good
Then God gave to the land many peoples
And many peoples to the land
To care for one another
To live together
And in this time, we celebrate the gifts of Treaty 18 and the Homeland of the Anishinaabek, Six Nations of the Grand River, Haudenosaunee, and Wendat-Wyandot-Wyandotte peoples
We celebrate all who make this place a home today
We celebrate together with the God of justice
As a people called to love and serve others Called to seek justice
We eagerly await the day where the heavens are glad and the earth rejoices
Where all will share our abundance together
We work and wait for that day, when all will live together
in hope, peace, joy and love. Amen
Call to Worship:
An unmarried teenage girl was invited—
to carry Christ into this world.
An ordinary carpenter was invited—
to be a father to a child unlike any other.
The shepherds were invited—
outcast and isolated, included at the manger.
The Magi were invited—
foreigners and seekers, included at the manger.
And if she was invited, and he was invited, and they were invited—
then we can trust that we too are invited.
This story is for us.
This love is for us.
Family of faith, this is our invitation. Welcome home.
Amen.
Carol: VU 60 O Come, All Ye Faithful (v. 1 & 2)
1. 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;
Refrain:
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
Christ, the Lord.
2. God of God, light of light,
lo, he abhors not the virgin’s womb;
very God, begotten, not created:
Refrain:
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord.
Prayer for Illumination:
Holy God,
We’ve heard this story a million times—
Mary and Joseph, the angels, the shepherds.
We’ve heard it a million times,
but we want to hear it like it’s the first.
So move among us.
Circle back.
Draw close.
Crack open our hearts and fill them with your goodness.
Help us to hear what it is you might be saying to us
with curiosity, joy, and hope.
This is an invitation.
Come be here with us.
Gratefully we pray, amen.
The Story of Christmas
First Lesson: Isaiah 40:1-8 (NRSV)
The Prophet Isaiah Gives Hope to the Exiles ~ Jim Oliver
Comfort, O comfort my people,
says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and cry to her t
hat she has served her term,
that her penalty is paid,
that she has received from the Lord’s hand
double for all her sins.
A voice cries out:
“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain.
Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all people shall see it together,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
A voice says, “Cry out!”
And I said, “What shall I cry?”
All people are grass,
their constancy is like the flower of the field.
The grass withers, the flower fades,
when the breath of the Lord blows upon it;
surely the people are grass.
The grass withers, the flower fades;
but the word of our God will stand forever.
Carol: VU 60 – O Come, All Ye Faithful (v 3 & 4)
3. Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exaltation,
sing, all ye citizens of heaven above;
glory to God in the highest:
Refrain:
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord.
4. See how the shepherds summoned to his cradle,
leaving their flocks, draw nigh with lowly fear;
we too will thither bend our joyful footsteps;
Refrain:
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
O come let us adore him.
Christ the Lord.
Second Lesson: Adapted from Luke 1:26-38
The Message of the Angel
NARRATOR 1
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 virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said,
GABRIEL
Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.
NARRATOR 1
But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
GABRIEL
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, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.
MARY
How can this be since I am not with child, nor expect to be for some time?
GABRIEL
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. 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. For nothing will be impossible with God.
MARY
Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.
Hymn: VU 12 The Visit (v. 1 & 2)
1. She walked in the summer through the heat on the hill
She hurried as one who went with a will.
She danced in the sunlight when the day was done.
Her heart knew no evening who carried the sun.
2. ---- Fresh as a flower at the first ray of dawn,
she came to her cousin whose morning was gone.
There leaped a little child in the ancient womb,
and there leaped a little hope---in every ancient tomb.
Third Lesson: Adapted from Luke 1:39-45
Mary and Elizabeth Share Good News
NARRATOR 2
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 leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry,
ELIZABETH:
“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 leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”
Anthems:
Before the Marvel of this Night
Infant Holy, Infant Lowly
Fourth Lesson: Adapted from Luke 1:46-55
Mary's Hymn of Praise
MARY
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
Carol: VU 64 – O Little Town of Bethlehem (v. 1, 2 & 3)
1. O little town of Bethlehem,
how still we see thee lie!
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
the silent stars go by;
yet in thy dark streets shineth
the everlasting light;
the hopes and fears of all the years
are met in thee tonight.
2. For Christ is born of Mary;
and gathered all above,
while mortals sleep, the angels keep
their watch of wondering love.
O morning stars, together
proclaim the holy birth,
and praises sing to God the King,
and peace to all on earth.
3. How silently, how silently,
the wondrous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts
the blessed gift of heaven.
No ear may hear his coming;
but in this world of sin,
where meek souls will receive him,
still the dear Christ enters in.
Fifth Lesson: Matthew 1:18-25
Joseph's Dream
NARRATOR 2
Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way.
When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from 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,
GABRIEL
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. All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him “Emmanuel," which means, "God is with us."
NARRATOR 2
When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.
Carol: VU 69 Away in a Manger
1. Away in a manger no crib for a bed,
the little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head.
The stars in the bright sky looked down where he lay,
the little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.
2. 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.
3. Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask you to stay
close by me forever, and love me, I pray.
Bless all the dear children in your tender care,
and fit us for heaven, to live with you there.
Sixth Lesson: Luke 2:1-7
The Birth of Jesus
NARRATOR 2
In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered.
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. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child.
While 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.
Carol: VU 75 While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks (v. 1, 2, 3 & 6)
1. While shepherds watched their flocks by night
all seated on the ground,
the angel of the Lord came down,
and glory shone around,
2. “Fear not,” said he, for mighty dread
had seized their troubled mind;
“glad tidings of great joy I bring
to you and humankind,
3. “To you in David’s town this day,
is born of David’s line
a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord;
and this shall be the sign:
6. "All glory be to God on high,
and on the earth be peace;
good will to all from highest heaven
begin, and never cease.”
Seventh Lesson: Luke 2:8-20
The Shepherds and the Angels
NARRATOR 3
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,
ANGEL
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.
NARRATOR 3
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,
HEAVENLY HOST
"Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!"
NARRATOR 3
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.
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.
Carol: VU 91 The First Nowell (v. 1-4)
1. The first Nowell the angel did say
was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay;
in fields where they lay keeping their sheep
on a cold winter's night that was so deep.
Nowell, Nowell, Nowell, Nowell,
Born is the King of Israel.
2. They looked up and saw a star,
shining in the east, beyond them far;
and to the earth it gave great light,
and so it continued both day and night.
Nowell, Nowell, Nowell, Nowell,
Born is the King of Israel.
3. And by the light of that same star
three wise men came from country far;
to seek for a king was their intent,
and to follow the star wherever it went.
Nowell, Nowell, Nowell, Nowell,
Born is the King of Israel.
4. This star drew nigh to the northwest;
o’er Bethlehem it took its rest,
and there it did both stop and stay,
right over the place where Jesus lay.
Nowell, Nowell, Nowell, Nowell,
Born is the King of Israel.
Prayers of the People
The Lord’s Prayer:
As a child turns to a loving caregiver who watches over them, we turn in prayer to you O God, who are our heavenly parent, our mother,
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 trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
Invitation to the Offering:
Jesus was not born in a real home.
He was born into poverty.
He was born into simplicity.
He was born into a manger in Bethlehem.
And despite the little he might have had, Jesus still spent the rest of his days on earth giving to others.
Generosity is in the DNA of our faith. We give what we can, not because we should or because scripture says to. We give because we’re family. We give because we belong to one another. Amen.
Sung Dedication: VU 55 v 4
4. What can I give him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
if I were a wise man, I would do my part;
yet what I can I give him --give my heart.
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Care, Prayer, Share
Closing Hymn: VU 67 Silent Night, Holy Night
1. 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.
2. Silent night! Holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight:
glories stream from heaven afar,
heavenly hosts sing Hallelujah,
Christ the Savior is born,
Christ the Savior is born.
3. 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.
Lighting of the Candles
Commissioning and Benediction
Postlude:
An Improvisation on Christmas Carols ~ C. Burton
*****
RESOURCES USED (all with permission):
Prayers and Liturgies:
- Advent Candle Lighting Liturgy: Written by Richard Bott. Gathering, Advent/Christmas/Epiphany 2015-2016, page 60. Used with permission.
- Territorial Acknowledgment: Written by Mitchell Anderson, Advent 2019 at Lanigan-Nokomis Pastoral Charge, Treaty 4 Territory and the Homeland of the Métis Nation
- Call to Worship: Rev. Sarah (Are) Speed A Sanctified Art LLC sanctifiedart.org.
- Prayer of Dedication: Rev. Sarah (Are) Speed A Sanctified Art LLC sanctifiedart.org.
- Pastoral Prayer: Rev. Sarah (Are) Speed A Sanctified Art LLC sanctifiedart.org.
Hymns and Sung Responses:
- “Joy to the World” Music: attrib. George Frideric Handel 1742; arr. Lowell Mason 1836 Public Domain.
- “O Come, All Ye Faithful” Words: English trans. Frederick Oakeley 1841, et al., French trans. Claude Rosier 1950. Music: attrib. John Francis Wade ca. 1743. Public Domain
- ”The Visit:” Words: Miriam Therese Winter 1968. Music: Miriam Therese Winter 1968; accomp. Nan Thompson 1995. Words and music copyright© 1968 Medical Mission Sisters. Accompaniment copyright© 1995 Nan Thompson.
- “O Little Town of Bethlehem” Words: Phillips Brooks 1868. Music: Lewis Henry Rener 1868 One License # 608577
- “Away in a Manger” Words: Author unknown. Music: William James Kirkpatrick 1895; arr. Desmond Hassell 1992 Arrangement copyright ©1992 Desmond Hassell. One License #608577
- “While Shepherds Watched” Words: Nahum Tate 1700, alt. Music: adapt. from Este's Whole Booke of Psalmes 1592. Public Domain
- “The First Nowell” Words: English traditional carol, ca. 17th century, alt. Music: English traditional melody; harm. John Stainer 1871; desc. and harm. Healey Willan 1926 Refrain harmony and descant copyright ©1926 Oxford University Press. Inc. One License #608577
- “In The Bleak Midwinter” Words: Christina Georgina Rosetti ca. 1872. Music: Gustav Theodor Holst 1906. One License #608577
- “Silent Night” Words: v.1 Katharine Emily Roberts 1927, alt; v.2 William Thomas Penner Davies 1951. Music: Welsh carol; harm. Erik Routley 1951. Words copyright © 1928 Oxford University Press (v.1), © 1954 W.T. Pennar Davies (v.2) Harmony copyright © Hope Publishing Company. Public Domain
Scripture Passage from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission.
Anthems:
“Before the Marvel of this Night” Words: Jaroslav J. Vajda. Music: Carl F. Schalk 1981 Words copyright © 1981 Jaroslav J. Vajda Music copyright © 1989 G.I.A. Publications One License#608577
“Infant Holy, Infant Lowly” Words: Polish carol, trans. and para. Edith M.G. Reed 1921 Music: Polish folk melody, harm. C. Burton
Prelude: An Improvisation on Christmas Carols C. Burton
Postlude: An Improvisation on Christmas Carols C. Burton
