24 th December, 2016 Christmas Eve Crib Service

Transcription

1 24 th December, 2016 Christmas Eve Crib Service

2 Gathering Hymn Once in Royal David s City Once in Royal David s city stood a lowly cattle shed Where a mother laid her baby in a manger for his bed: Mary was that mother mils, Jesus Christ her little child. He came down to earth from heaven who is God and Lord of all, And his shelter was a stable, and his cradle was a stall; With the poor, despised and lowly lived on earth our Saviour holy. The Lord be with you. And also with you Welcome! What a joy it is to have you here at St Mary s, built 152 years ago on the land of the Jaara Jaara people. There is no such thing as shushing at St Mary s if children want to ask questions they can, if adults want to ask questions that can. Please don t feel that you have to take a child out of the space if he or she is making some joyful noise. The children are welcome to come forward and sit on the cushions near the nativity so they can see everything that happens as we put all of the people and animals in the scene. We bless our nativity crib and sprinkle it with holy water. Once the nativity is all in place we ll read a story called The Extra Special Baby by Antonia Woodward. Whilst we re sitting near the nativity we ll also make some Christmas Hearts and Peace Doves for the children to take home with them and place on their own Christmas tree at home.

3 A song to welcome the bible reading Away in a manger 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. The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes But little Lord Jesus no crying he makes. I love you Lord Jesus, look down from on high, And stay by my side until morning is nigh. Be near me Lord Jesus, I ask you to stay Close by me forever, and love me, I pray. Bless all the der children in your tender care, And fit us for heaven to live with you there. A reading from the gospel of Luke chapter 2 verses 1-16 In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem. 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. 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, 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 Saviour, who is the Messiah,

4 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, Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favours! 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. THE ADVENT WREATH Over the past four Sundays we have been lighting our special advent wreath candles, one each week. Tonight we get to light the middle candle the best candle because we know that it means that Christmas Day has arrived! Candle one is purple and reminds us that Jesus calls for us to be people of peace in the world. Candle two is purple and reminds us that love is the message of Jesus. Candle three is pink and reminds us that the Holy Spirit fills our hearts with joy. Candle four is purple and reminds us of hope in the promises that God made to us to always be near. Candle five is white. We light this candle to remember that Jesus is the light of the world. Jesus shines a light on our path to guide and help us through our lives, and especially through dark times.

5 We say together: Jesus said I am the light of the world and we walk in that light in faith, love, hope and joy. A song to welcome the prayers Silent Night Silent night, holy night: All is calm, all is bright Round the 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 hosts sing, Alleluia! Christ the saviour is born, Christ the saviour is born. Silent night, holy night: Wondrous star, ;end your light; With the angels let us sing Alleluia to our King; Christ the saviour is born, Christ the saviour is born.

6 Prayers Jesus, born in a human family: we pray for all families that they will be share times of peace and joy especially at Christmas time. Jesus our friend, hear our prayer. Jesus, sleeping in a manger: We pray for people who are homeless, we pray for refugees who have left their homes. We pray with hope for better times for them. Jesus our light, hear our prayer Jesus, sharing his first day with animals in a stable; we pray for the earth, and for all the creatures of the earth. Jesus our joy, hear our prayer Jesus, who hears all of our prayers and knows our troubles; we pray especially for those people who are special to us who are sick or sad or lonely at this time. Please come forward and light a candle for someone or a situation that you are praying for at this time. and now we pray the prayer that Jesus taught us Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and for ever. Amen.

7 A song to take with us as we go O Come all ye faithful O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant, 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, 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! Blessing May the joy of Christmas shine on you and from you this day and always. May the hope of Christmas be in your hearts and on your lips this day and always. May the peace of Christmas surround you on this day and always And the blessings of God Almighty, the father, the Son and the Holy Spirit be with you and all those you love this day and always. Amen. Go in peace to love and serve the Lord In the name of Christ. Amen. You are welcome to stay in the church and finish any colouring or story sharing that you may have begun. This is YOUR church and you are welcome.

8 ***some thoughts from Rev. Mel This is my first Christmas at St Mary s. I moved here with my family last December and was in the midst of unpacking and finding spots for furniture this time last year. That s not a task that you want at this time of year! It has been a joy to get to know this community over the past twelve months and I, and my family, have been welcomed in the most beautiful way. There have been some challenging times for Woodend recently and I have loved seeing you all pull together and support each other a true community spirit that really does show that love and peace are at work in the hearts of the people who live here. I am so grateful that I get to minister in this beautiful part of God s world (I still pinch myself that I have been so amazingly fortunate to have been called here). My prayer is that each of you will be blessed this Christmas and know God s love surrounding you and your families. Every blessing to you for Christmas and a safe and happy 2017 Mel. PO Box 699, Woodend, VIC Rev d Melissa Clark