Sunday December 25, Christmas Day

Prelude

Lighting the Christ Candle

Call to Worship

Sing praises to God on high, for glorious are God’s works. Sing praises to the ends of the earth. Shout and sing for joy, O people of God, for great is the Holy One in our midst, blessed is the One who comes to dwell among us.

Hymn: 141 Good Christians all rejoice

Prayer of Adoration:

When the world was dark and the city was quiet, you O God came to live among us. You crept in beside us, and no one knew. Only the few who dared to believe that you might do something different noticed. This morning O God, we are here to praise you, and to notice that your grace has come among us.

So, please come among us in this time of worship, revive our faith in a world that has stopped believing. Revive our courage in a world where wars persist. Revive our love in a world that still does not notice your coming, that in us may be see the love and grace that the angels sang of.

(adapted from Cloth for the Cradle, Iona Community, Wild Goose Worship Group, C. 1997)

Prayer of Confession

God of stable, stars and surprises, of light and hope and new life: open our eyes and hearts to your presence in our world; forgive our obsession with property and possessions; forgive our compromises and narrowness of vision.

Open us to your grace, that we might hear again the song of the angels, and respond with a song in our hearts, and in our lives. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon

Hear the good news of the gift of God

The God who promised never to leave us or forsake us has come to us in Jesus Christ who binds up the brokenhearted.

In Jesus God heals all our infirmities, and relieves our burden of sin.

So arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.

Thanks be to God, in Jesus Christ we are forgiven!

May the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Share peace

 

Reading #1: Isaiah 7: 14 Isaiah 9: 6

14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Hymn: 110 Come thou long expected Jesus

Reading #2: Luke 1: 26-38

The Birth of Jesus Foretold

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”

38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

Hymn: 168 See amid the winter’s snow

 

Reading #3: Matthew 1: 18-23

Joseph Accepts Jesus as His Son

18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

20 But after he had considered 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 home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

Hymn: 161 What child is this?

Reading #4: Luke 2: 1-7

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.

4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

Hymn: 166 Once in Royal David’s City

Reading #5; Luke 2: 8-15

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to 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. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

Reflection:

It is impossible to miss the mysterious revelation of God through out the story of the birth of Jesus. Mostly, angels pop up all over the Christmas story.

An angel tells Mary she will give birth to Jesus. Mary in faith submits herself to bring the gift of God into the world. In time God’s purpose shall be revealed.

As Joseph struggles with knowing what was the right thing to do, an angel tells Joseph to call his name Jesus and to not be afraid to take Jesus as his own son. As a result, he takes Mary to be his wife trusting that in time God’s purpose shall be revealed.

An angel warns Mary and Joseph to flee to Egypt. They obey and go, trusting that in time God’s purpose shall be revealed.

An angel tells them when it’s safe to return to Israel. There they will raise Jesus in Nazareth trusting that God’s purpose shall be revealed.

All of the angels’ pronouncements unfold in God’s good timing.

Yet in the end, all those to whom the angels speak, believe and wait in faith for God’s purpose to be revealed.

Today the angel announces the birth of Christ to the shepherds, and then the angelic choir serenades them. It is one of the highlights of the Christmas story. The great announcement that our salvation has come, a pronouncement that gives God all the glory.

The mysterious revelation of God continues as the shepherds follow the star and gather in awe around the manger. They then return to the hills and the sheep, praising and glorifying God, because what the angels had said was true, and they had seen the salvation of the world with their own eyes.

The first witnesses to the mysterious revelation of God, were shepherds considered to be thieves, sinners and outcasts. God sent the baby to redeem outcasts and sinners, all those ordinary people who struggle within the limitations of their lives; and in his mercy God reveals the mysterious enormity of his love. In the angels, God’s purposes have been revealed.

May God be glorified forever.

Hymn:146 Angels from the realms of glory 

Reading #6: Matthew 2: 1-2

The Magi Visit the Messiah

2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

Hymn 173 We Three Kings 

Offering Offertory: 174 Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. 

Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness; bow down in reverence, God’s glory proclaim; gold of obedience and incense of lowliness bring now, adoring the Lord’s holy name.

Offering Prayer

We come O God, bringing treasure,

We come O God, seeking treasure.

We come O God seeking to be a treasure.

All we bring, is a sign of our love as people who are treasured, and in turn are treasuring.

 

Reading #7: Matthew 2: 13-15

The Escape to Egypt

13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”

14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

 

Gathering Prayer Requests Prayers of the People

We come, your mountain O Lord, to your house O God of Jacob;

that you may teach us your ways and that we may walk in your paths.

We bring to you our concerns for family, friends and the world to which you sent Jesus, that they, like us may walk in the light of the Lord!

Joyous Thanks

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Family and friends

 

 

 

 

The world

 

 

In the joyous proclamation of the angels, we come asking you for a good Christmas. WE pray that no powerful nation should uproot the poor. We pray that no door will be shut on those who need it to be opened. We pray that no child will go hungry.

We pray that this Christmas worship may become a manger and the church a stable and the song the angels sing a revelation of the reality that Christ has come among us. But mostly O God we pray that we would be the answer to the prayers we have raised.

We pray this in the name of Jesus who taught us to pray saying….

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.

 

 

Hymn: 153 Joy to the World v 1, 2, + 4

Benediction:

Come and see! The light of God has come into our world

to proclaim God’s justice and love; It has overcome the darkness and brought new life.

Come and follow! Christ our companion has redeemed our world He draws us into a loving family From every tribe and family and culture.

Go and tell! The Spirit has equipped us for service To love our neighbours as we do ourselves To bring God’s salvation to the ends of the earth.

Come and see, come and follow, go and tell! In God’s Love the nations of the earth will put their hope

Benediction Song:

133 Go Tell it on the Mountain