St. Luke s United Methodist Church 300 E lla Taylor Road Yorkt own, Virginia 23692 Christmas Eve December 24, 2016 5 o clock in the Evening Telephone (757) 898-3017 www.stlukesyorktown.org
The Order of Service v v v v v v v Welcome to St. Luke s Church! As we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ our Lord, may God bless you richly. (You are welcome to remain seated while singing. Lyrics will be on the screens at the front) Gathering Opening scripture: John 1:1-5 (Prologue) In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. The Word was with God in the beginning. Everything came into being through the Word and without the Word nothing came into being. What came into being through the Word was life, and the life was the light for all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness doesn t extinguish the light. Lighting of the Advent Candles {onscreen} Advent Song, Advent Song Light the Christmas candles, now: Sing of donkey, sheep and cow; birthday candles for the King, let the alleluias ring. Candle, candle, burning bright, shining in the cold winter night; candle, candle, burning bright, fill our hearts with Christmas light. Second Reading: Mark 1:1-4 (John the Baptist) The beginning of the good news about Jesus Christ, God s Son, happened just as it was written about in the prophecy of Isaiah: Look, I am sending my messenger before you. He will prepare your way, a voice shouting in the wilderness: Prepare the way for the Lord; make his paths straight. John the Baptist was in the wilderness calling for people to be baptized to show that they were changing their hearts and lives and wanted God to forgive their sins.
Hymn, O Come, All Ye Faithful {vs 1-2} Third Reading: Luke 1:26-38 (Gabriel Visits Mary) When Elizabeth was six months pregnant, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a city in Galilee, to a virgin who was engaged to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David s house. The virgin s name was Mary. When the angel came to her, he said, Rejoice, favored one! The Lord is with you! She was confused by these words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. The angel said, Don t be afraid, Mary. God is honoring you. Look! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and he will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of David his father. He will rule over Jacob s house forever, and there will be no end to his kingdom. Then Mary said to the angel, How will this happen since I haven t had sexual relations with a man? The angel replied, The Holy Spirit will come over you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the one who is to be born will be holy. He will be called God s Son. Look, even in her old age, your relative Elizabeth has conceived a son. This woman who was labeled unable to conceive is now six months pregnant. Nothing is impossible for God. Then Mary said, I am the Lord s servant. Let it be with me just as you have said. Then the angel left her. Hymn, Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus Fourth Reading: Luke 2:1-7 (Mary and Joseph) In those days Caesar Augustus declared that everyone throughout the empire should be enrolled in the tax lists. This first enrollment occurred when Quirinius governed Syria. Everyone went to their own cities to be enrolled. Since Joseph belonged to David s house and family line, he went up from the city of Nazareth in Galilee to David s city, called Bethlehem, in Judea. He went to be enrolled together with Mary, who was promised to him in marriage and who was pregnant.
While they were there, the time came for Mary to have her baby. She gave birth to her firstborn child, a son, wrapped him snugly, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the guestroom. Hymn, Away in a Manger {vs 1-2} Fifth Reading: Luke 2:8-14 (Angels) Nearby shepherds were living in the fields, guarding their sheep at night. The Lord s angel stood before them, the Lord s glory shone around them, and they were terrified. The angel said, Don t be afraid! Look! I bring good news to you wonderful, joyous news for all people. Your savior is born today in David s city. He is Christ the Lord. This is a sign for you: you will find a newborn baby wrapped snugly and lying in a manger. Suddenly a great assembly of the heavenly forces was with the angel praising God. They said Glory to God in heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors. Hymn, Angels We Have Heard on High {vs 1 & 3} Sixth Reading: Luke 2:15-20 (Shepherds) When the angels returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, Let s go right now to Bethlehem and see what s happened. Let s confirm what the Lord has revealed to us. They went quickly and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. When they saw this, they reported what they had been told about this child. Everyone who heard it was amazed at what the shepherds told them. Mary committed these things to memory and considered them carefully. The shepherds returned home, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. Everything happened just as they had been told. Hymn, Joy to the World {vs 1, 2 & 4} Seventh Reading: Matthew 2:1-12 (Magi) After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in the territory of Judea during the rule of King Herod, magi came from the
east to Jerusalem. They asked, Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We ve seen his star in the east, and we ve come to honor him. When King Herod heard this, he was troubled, and everyone in Jerusalem was troubled with him. He gathered all the chief priests and the legal experts and asked them where the Christ was to be born. They said, In Bethlehem of Judea, for this is what the prophet wrote: You, Bethlehem, land of Judah, by no means are you least among the rulers of Judah, because from you will come one who governs, who will shepherd my people Israel. Then Herod secretly called for the magi and found out from them the time when the star had first appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem, saying, Go and search carefully for the child. When you ve found him, report to me so that I too may go and honor him. When they heard the king, they went; and look, the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stood over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy. They entered the house and saw the child with Mary his mother. Falling to their knees, they honored him. Then they opened their treasure chests and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Because they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they went back to their own country by another route. Hymn, We Three Kings {vs 1 & 5} Musical Interlude The Great Thanksgiving Hymn, Silent Night {vs 1 & 4} Benediction Scripture Lessons from Common English Bible Hymns from The United Methodist Hymnal & The Faith We Sing
We invite you to join us for Christmas Day Worship at 3:00 pm in the Grove. New Year s Day We will have all four of our regular Sunday services next Sunday, January 1 st. Please plan to join us at 8:30, 9:45, 11:00 am or 5:05 pm. Join us each Sunday morning for worship at 8:30, 9:45, 11:00 am and 5:05 pm. Sunday school begins at 9:45 A.M. More information about other ministries is out at the table in the lobby or on our website at www.stlukesyorktown.org. Upcoming Events for Families and Children at St. Luke s Sunday School for all ages at 9:45 am each Sunday Sunday Worship - 8:30, 9:45, 11:00 am and 5:05 pm Shrove Tuesday & Lenten Workshop - February 28 th at 6:00 pm Easter Egg Hunt on the Great Lawn - April 9th at 4:00 pm Easter Celebration Services - April 16th 6:15 am Youth Led Sunrise Service, 8:30, 9:45, 11:00 am (the Sanctuary) & 5:05 pm (the Grove) Community Carnival - May 6th Vacation Bible School - July 17 th to 21 st, 2017 See our website for more information and to register www.stlukesyorktown.org The Christmas Miracle Here at St. Luke s we challenge our members and anyone who wishes to participate to join us for our annual Christmas Miracle offering. On Christmas Eve, you are invited to bring to church an amount equal to what you spent on your family for Christmas. Through the years this special offering has fully funded our Good Samaritan Fund, which helps the less fortunate in York County and Poquoson. Previous year s donations helped our church lead other churches in Virginia in the denominational Imagine No Malaria campaign, helped neighbors who were displaced by fire, we provided for a woman to live out her remaining days at home in hospice care, and we provided burials for two families unable to do so themselves. These and many other miracles are made possible by your unselfish contributions. This year the Christmas Miracle will enable St. Luke s to continue its strong United Methodist witness locally, nationally, and internationally.