Theme: Names of Christmas-Immanuel, God With Us
Time: Set-up at 6:30pm, Service Starts at 7pm
Scripture: Luke 1: 26-38, 2: 1-18, Matthew 1:18-25 & 2:1-11
Luke 1:26-38
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.
Luke 2:1-18
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. 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.
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!”
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
Matthew 1:18-25
18 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. 19 Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. 20 But
just when he had resolved to do 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 as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy
Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
23 “Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,”
which means, “God is with us.” 24 When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, 25 but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.
Matthew 2:1-11
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” 3 When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:
6 ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd my people Israel.’”
7 Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8 Then
he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the
child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go
and pay him homage.” 9 When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 On
entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they
knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests,
they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Order of Worship
Gathering
Good evening. On this Christmas Eve, we are gathered as God's people to celebrate again what Christ's coming means to the world. We join with Christians all over the world who are celebrating tonight.
Prelude
Call to Worship Lisa CR
Leader: Rejoice, for God is with us—Emmanuel.
People: In the darkness of our world shines God’s holy light.Leader: Now there is reason to hope, to love, to laugh, to live.
People: God is truly with us. We are not alone.
UNISON: Thanks be to God!
Hymn #148 “O Come, All Ye Faithful” ALL
Opening Prayer
UNISON: 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 and good will to all people.” This we pray in the name of the Child of Bethlehem. Amen.
The Prophecy of a Messiah
Scripture: Isaiah 9:2 and 6-7 Mark CR
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness - on them light has shined.
Scripture: John 1: 1-5 Kyle S
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
Lighting of the Christ Candle Candlelighter & Family
Leader: Jesus Christ is the greatest gift who makes all these gifts possible - Hope, Peace, Love and Joy. So we light the Christ candle now as we think about what Christ's coming means to each one of us.
People: Emmanuel, Emmanuel, God with us, Emmanuel!
The Coming of Jesus Is Announced to Mary & Joseph
Scripture: Luke 1:26-38 Mark CR
In the sixth month 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, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor 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 said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 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. 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.” 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.
Mark lights a candle for Mary.
Musical Offering “Mary Did You Know” Dara Thomason
Scripture: Matthew 1:18-25 Kyle S.
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, “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.” 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.
Kyle lights a candle for Joseph.
Preparing for the Birth of Jesus
Hymn #144 “O Little Town of Bethlehem” ALL
Scripture: Luke 2:1-5 Mark CR
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.
Mark lights a candle for Bethlehem.
Jesus Is Born
Hymn #147 “Away in a Manger” ALL
Scripture: Luke 2:6-7 Kyle S.
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.
Kyle lights a candle for the baby in the manger.
Musical Offering “O Holy Night” Mary Bondurant
Jesus’ Birth is Announced to the Shepherds
Scripture: Luke 2:9-14 Mark CR
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, “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.” 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!”
Mark lights a candle for the angels.
Hymn #153 “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear” ALL
Scripture: Luke 2:15-18 Kyle S.
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.
Kyle lights a candle for the shepherds.
Hymn #151 “The First Noel” stanzas 1 & 2
The Wise Men Bring Their Gifts to Jesus
Scripture: Matthew 2:1-11 Mark CR
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:
‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd my people Israel.’”
Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then
he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the
child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go
and pay him homage.” When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On
entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they
knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests,
they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Mark lights a candle for the wise men.
Hymn #151 “The First Noel” stanzas 3 & 4
Communion
Meditation/Invitation Lisa CR
Prayers for Bread and Cup Elders
Words of Institution Elders
Communion
All are welcome to share at the
Table. Come forward using the center
aisle. As you partake of the bread and
the cup you are welcome to place an offering in the wooden bowl in front of the
table. The offering you share supports
the ministries and life of Christ’s church.
Prayer of Thanksgiving
UNISON We are filled with joy for we have heard good news of great joy. We are filled with love for we have tasted the sign of God’s great love. We are filled with hope for the angels still sing in our world and there is Light for us to follow. Because of this great Light, peace will reign in our hearts. AMEN.
Passing the Light
Hymn #145 “Silent Night” ALL
Benediction Lisa CR
Hymn #150 “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” stanza 1
