Worship
for Christmas Eve
December
24, 2020
After each hymn tonight
in the central part of worship, there is a scripture reading. You can read them on your own or I’ve also
included all three readings together in a YouTube video, separate from the
Sermon, if you wish to listen to me read them.
Let’s begin our worship
service together:
Hymn: Of the
Father’s Love Begotten
Call to Worship
(if
you are worshipping with others in your house, feel free to have one person
read the regular text and all others read the highlighted text)
Many the gifts, many
the people, many the hearts that yearn to belong. Let us be servants to one another, making
Your kingdom come.
Christ, be our
light!
Shine in our hearts. Shine through the darkness.
Christ, be our
light!
Shine in Your Church
gathered and scattered today.
Our
Savior’s birth is celebrated with bold faith.
May our hearts be willing.
Like Mary, who showed
humble surrender:
May our hearts be
willing.
Like Joseph, who
exhibited unconditional trust:
May our hearts be willing.
Like the shepherds, who
displayed awestruck wonder:
May our hearts be
willing.
For all who are willing
receive the gift of the Savior born in Bethlehem:
Grant that we might
have the peace of Christ as we wait, the love of Christ as we act, and the
grace of Christ as we speak.
Tonight we light all the candles. The first candle is the hope shining for
those worn thin by times of waiting. The
second candle is the light of hope shining for those worn down with wearied souls. The third candle captures the hopeful
expectation of those eagerly watching for God’s glory in our day. The fourth candle is the hope of a new
tomorrow for those seeking freedom from the wounds of this world. Tonight, we light the Christ Candle. This candle radiates the hope of Jesus Christ
to all who are willing to receive it.
Light of the Advent
Wreath and the Christ Candle
Hymn: Break Forth, O Beauteous Heavenly Light
Prayer of Confession
Words of Assurance
God’s love knows no bounds. Love comes down at Christmas—
a love so deep and so profound that nothing will ever
be the same again.
Know that this love is come for you— to touch you, to
heal you, to forgive you, to make you whole.
AMEN
Pastoral Prayer:
Beloved in Christ, it
is our duty and delight to prepare ourselves to hear again the message of the
angels, and to go in heart and mind to Bethlehem to see this thing which has
come to pass; the babe lying in a manger.
But first, because this of all things would rejoice Christ’s heart, let
us pray:
Holy God, we pray this
night for the needs of the whole world and all Your children…
For peace upon the earth
for which Your Son was born to save…
For love and unity
within the one Church He built…
For goodwill among all
peoples…
And particularly at
this time, let us remember the poor, the cold, the hungry, the oppressed…
the sick and those that
mourn…
the lonely and the
unloved…
the aged and the little
children…
we also pray for all
who do not know the Lord Jesus, or who by sin have separated themselves from
the heart of Your love…
Lastly, O Precious
Master, we remember all those who rejoice with us this night but stand upon
another shore and in Your greater light, that multitude which no one can
number, whose hope was in the Word made flesh, and with whom, in Your Son and
Our Lord, Jesus, we forevermore are one…
We humbly offer up to
the throne of heaven, these words that Christ himself taught us:
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. 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: O Come,
All Ye Faithful
Scripture Reading – Isaiah
9:2-7
Hymn: Angels
From the Realms of Glory
Scripture Reading –
Matthew 1:18-25
Hymn: Away
in a Manger
Scripture Reading –
Luke 2:1-20
Scripture Readings (all three of the
readings together in a YouTube video)
Sermon
–
A preaching professor at
Harvard University tells the story of the year his 5-year-old son was working
on an art project in his kindergarten class. It was made of plaster, resembled nothing in
particular, but with some paint, sparkle and time in a kiln, it was ready to be
wrapped as a gift. He wrapped it
himself, and was beside himself with excitement. It would be a gift for his father, one three
months in the making.
Early in December, when the
child could hardly contain the secret, the last day of school finally came. All the parents arrived for the big Christmas
play, and when the students left for home, they were finally allowed to take
their ceramic presents home. The
professor’s son secured his gift, ran toward his parents, tripped, and fell to
the floor. The gift went airborne, and
when it landed on the cafeteria floor, the shattering sound stopped all
conversations. It was perfectly quiet
for a moment, as all involved considered the magnitude of the loss. For a 5-year-old, there had never been a more
expensive gift. He crumpled down on the
floor next to his broken gift and just started crying.
Both parents rushed to their
son, but the father was uncomfortable with the moment. People were watching. His son was crying. He patted the boy on the head and said, “Son,
it’s OK – it doesn’t matter.” His wife
glared at the great professor. “Oh yes,
it matters,” she said to both of her men, “Oh yes, it does matter.” She cradled her son in her arms, rocked him
back and forth, and cried with him.
In a few minutes, the crying
ceased. “Now,” said the mother, “let’s
go home and see what can be made with what’s left.” And so with mother’s magic and a glue gun,
they put together from the broken pieces a multi-colored butterfly. Amazingly, the artwork after the tragedy was
actually much more beautiful than what it had been in a pre-broken state.
At Christmas, the gift was finally
given, and as long as he taught at Harvard, the professor kept the butterfly on
his desk. It was a constant reminder
that grief is real, and that loss hurts.
One of the great enduring hymns
that is often sung at Christmas is O Holy Night – The first stanza reads;
O Holy Night, the stars are
brightly shining; it is the night of our dear Savior’s birth. Long lay the world in sin and darkness
pining, till He appeared the and the soul felt its worth. A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices
for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!
Fall on your knees! O hear the
angel voices! O night divine, O night
when Christ was born! O night, O holy
night, O night divine!
As my friend and colleague
Kerra English says, “We live in a weary world.”
And this year has been particularly weary. But the words of this hymn ring out for me
this year. In the midst of that
weariness, there is a thrill of hope, and this weary world rejoices. Because something is breaking forth – a new
and glorious morn!
Amidst all the brokenness of this world, among all the shattered
pieces of our prized possessions like the piece of pottery that the professor’s
son had made, or perhaps the very pieces of our own lives, that we have to put
back together – there is a thrill of hope.
And that it was tonight – Christmas Eve – is all about. It is about the thrill of hope that God takes
all of our pieces, all of our brokenness and in the miracle of new life, in the
form of a baby Jesus, puts us back together again into something new and glorious!
Tonight, my friends, that light of hope breaks forth in us as we
celebrate together! AMEN.
(We normally hold a
candlelight service at this time during our worship together. Before you click on the following hymn,
Silent Night, turn out the lights, darken the room and let the light of the
candles or Christmas tree or just the light from your monitor brighten the
room.)
Hymn: Silent Night
Benediction
Go now in wonder. Go
to bring light to those in darkness. Go
with the songs of angels in your ears.
Go with the joy of the shepherds in your step. Go with the love of God in your hearts. Go and spread the word— the babe of Bethlehem
is born for all. Merry Christmas! AMEN.
No comments:
Post a Comment