FIRST UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. Christmas Eve, :30 p.m.

Transcription

1 FIRST UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH Christmas Eve, :30 p.m.

2 GATHERING * Please stand as you are able PRELUDE A Christmas Lullaby on Luther's "Cradle Hymn" Jeannie Lee, organist Il natale in Sicilia (Christmas in Sicily) O Jesulein süss (O Savior Sweet Chorale J. S. Bach Pastorale George Kauffmann Prelude Elizabeth Krause In dulci jubilo (In Quiet Joy Chorale and Preludes BWV 751 & 729 O Holy Night S. Michael Shuman, piano Joy to the World: Fantasy Albert Schmutz Pietro Yon German folk tune J.S. Bach Adolphe Adam/arr. J. Hess Michael Helman WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS LIGHTING OF THE CANDLES *HYMN 143 CALL TO WORSHIP (Please sign the Friendship Pad and pass it to others.) Angels From the Realms of Glory (verses 1-3) Angels, from the realms of glory, wing your flight o er all the earth; you, who sang creation s story, now proclaim Messiah s birth: come and worship, come and worship, worship Christ, the newborn king! Shepherds, in the fields abiding, watching o er your flocks by night, God with us is now residing; yonder shines the infant light: come and worship, come and worship, worship Christ, the newborn king! Sages, leave your contemplations; brighter visions beam afar; seek the great desire of nations; you have seen his natal star: come and worship, come and worship, worship Christ, the newborn king! Caleb Cox and Chloe Cox Glory to God Steve and Brittany Adair Let us go with Mary and Joseph to a stable in Bethlehem where Jesus is born. Let us run with haste with the shepherds to find a Baby lying in a manger. Let us follow the star to worship the newborn king. Let us sing with the angels and rejoice at our Savior s birth. THE ALPHABET OF CHRISTMAS A is for Angel (Luke 1:27-30) Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you. But she was much perplexed by his words

3 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. You will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. *HYMN 133 O Come, All Ye Faithful (verses 1, 3, and 4) Glory to God 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! Sing, choirs of angels; sing in exultation; sing, all ye citizens of heaven above! Glory to God, all glory in the highest! Refrain Yea, Lord, we greet thee, born this happy morning; Jesus, to thee be all glory given; Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing! Refrain *HYMN Oh, Come, Little, Children, Come One and Come All J.A.P. Schulz Oh, come, little children, come one and come all, Oh, come to the manger in Bethlehem s stall And see what the Father in heaven so true Has done to prepare a bright Christmas for you. Behold, in the manger, that strange little bed, A Child, sweet and gentle, is resting His head, A Babe, clad in garments so pure and so white, And fairer by far than the angels of light. On hay and on straw in the manger He lies; Both Mary and Joseph, with fond, loving eyes, Are gazing upon Him, and shepherds draw near, And jubilant angels from heaven appear. Oh, kneel with the shepherds in worshipful prayer And join the dear angels who also are there; Sing glory to God in the heavens above And thank Him for Jesus, the gift of His love. TIME WITH CHILDREN B is for Bethlehem C is for Census D is for Donkey E is for Exhausted (Luke 2:1-5) 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

4 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. *HYMN 121 O Little Town of Bethlehem (verses 1-2) Glory to God 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. 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. F is for Family (Luke 2:6-7) While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. G is for Good News (Luke 2:8-14) 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 Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to 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 favors! HYMN A Christmas Carol C. Ives; Chancel Choir H is for HOPE (The First Advent Candle) Britton Adair I is for Imagine J is for JOY (The Second Advent Candle) Sydney Adair *HYMN 134 Joy to the World Glory to God (Choir) Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her king; Let every heart prepare him room, and heaven and nature sing. (Women/Girls) Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns! Let all their songs employ, while fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains repeat the sounding joy. (Men/Boys) No more let sins and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground; he comes to make his blessings flow far as the curse is found.

5 (All) He rules the world with truth and grace, and makes the nations prove the glories of his righteousness and wonders of his love. K is for King L is for LOVE (The Third Advent Candle) M is for the Manger Riley Button HYMN 115 Away in a Manger Glory to God 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. MEDITATION Hope in a Manger (Luke 2:15-20) 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 as 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. HYMN 110 Love Has Come (verses 1-3) Glory to God Love has come: a light in the darkness! Love shines forth in the Bethlehem skies. See, all heaven has come to proclaim it; hear how their song of joy arises: Love! Love! Born unto you, a Savior! Love! Love! Glory to God on high. Love is born! Come, share in the wonder. Love is God now asleep in the hay. See the glow in the eyes of his mother; what is the name her heart is saying? Love! Love! Love is the name she whispers. Love! Love! Jesus, Emmanuel. Love has come and never will leave us! Love is life everlasting and free. Love is Jesus within and among us. Love is the peace our hearts are seeking. Love! Love! Love is the gift of Christmas. Love! Love! Praise to you, God on high! N is for Newborn O is for Offering OFFERTORY Who Would Think That What Was Needed S. Michael Shuman

6 *CONGREGATIONAL RESPONSE Christmas Doxology *PRAYER OF DEDICATION *PASSING OF THE PEACE P is for PEACE (The Fourth Advent Candle) The peace of Christ be with you! And also with you! Harley Fraizer and Jaxson Fazier *PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE MORE TIME WITH CHILDREN R is for Rejoice S is for the Star (Matthew 2:9-11) 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. T is for Time U is for Understanding V is for Visitors W is for Wonder X is for CHRIST (The Christ Candle) Y is for You Z is for Zzzz

7 *HYMN 122 Silent Night Glory to God (Choir members will carry the light from the Christ Candle to those who are seated at the end of each pew. When passing the light, please keep the lit candle upright and tilt the unlit candle into the light. We will rise on the final verse and lift our candles. They remain lit through the Blessing. Baskets for returning candles are in the Narthex.) 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. Silent night, holy night! Shepherds quake at the sight; glories stream from heaven afar, heavenly hosts sing Alleluia: Christ the Savior is born; Christ the Savior is born! 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. (rise) Silent night, holy night! Wondrous star, lend thy light; with the angels let us sing Alleluia to our King: Christ the Savior is born; Christ the Savior is born. *BLESSING The joy of the angels, the expectancy of the shepherds, the adoration of the wise ones, the wonder of Joseph and Mary, and the peace of the Christ Child be with you this Christmas. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord be kind and gracious to you. May the Lord look upon you with favor and grant you peace. Amen. Merry Christmas! *POSTLUDE Go Tell It On the Mountain arr. Fred Bock The Call to Worship spoken by Steve and Brittany Adair is from a post at

8 Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all! The ABC s of Christmas was originally the work of The Young Clergy Women s Project. Over the years, it has been modified in various congregations to fit the purposes of their services. We appreciate the desire of these ministers to share this idea and have others use it to retell the story of Christmas. Children are always welcome in worship at First United Presbyterian Church. Because tonight s service is child-friendly, our childcare providers are away celebrating Christmas with their families. If you find that you need to leave worship with a child, you will also be able to hear the service in the Parlor (to the right as you exit the Sanctuary). Please feel at home there or in the Narthex. Participants in tonight s Christmas Eve worship service are: Revs. Phil and Jan Butin, Co-Pastors Jeannie Lee, Organist Kristi Butin, Director of Christian Education Michael Shuman, Director of Music Ministries The Adult Choir, First United Presbyterian Church Caleb and Chloe Cox, Acolytes Harley and Jaxson Frazier, Passing of the Peace We want to thank Katherine Boushelle, high school senior and FUPC member, for the artistic illustrations for The Christmas Alphabet. Christmas Dinner for any who would like to come will be served in Upper Witherspoon at 3 o clock tomorrow afternoon. All are welcome! Please be sure to let office manager Molly Murray (officemanager@fupcfay.org or ) or one of our pastors know tonight if you are planning to attend. We are asking each person who is able to please bring one food item to share. Next Sunday is New Year s Eve. We will have ONE service at 11 o clock with the baptism of Elliot Sibley, son of Jesse and Dory (Ford) Sibley. After the service, the congregation is invited to stay for a brief service for the renewal of wedding vows for Joe and Elizabeth Schierschmidt. Lunch follows at Mojito s (across from the movie theater in the Uptown area). 695 E. Calvin Street Fayetteville, AR