Christmas Day Christ, the Savior, is born. Glory to God in the highest. Lutheran Church of the Redeemer Our Mission: To share Christ s love with the greatest number of people. December 25, 2017 The Service at 10:00 am
Christmas Day Service PRELUDE Christmas Carol Medley WELCOME APOSTOLIC GREETING PRAYER OF THE DAY The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. And also with you. Let us pray. All-powerful and unseen God, the coming of your light into our world has brightened weary hearts with peace. Call us out of darkness, and empower us to proclaim the birth of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. CAROL We invite you to turn and face the cross (as you are comfortable). Please turn to the front of the sanctuary after the cross has passed you. All stand and sing. HYMN #270 2
THE WORD FIRST READING: Isaiah 62:6-12 The prophet invites the people to give God no rest until God reestablishes Jerusalem. In turn, they will receive names full of promise: Holy People, the Redeemed of the Lord, a City Not Forsaken. 6 Upon your walls, O Jerusalem, I have posted sentinels; all day and all night they shall never be silent. You who remind the LORD, take no rest, 7 and give him no rest until he establishes Jerusalem and makes it renowned throughout the earth. 8 The LORD has sworn by his right hand and by his mighty arm: I will not again give your grain to be food for your enemies, and foreigners shall not drink the wine for which you have labored; 9 but those who garner it shall eat it and praise the LORD, and those who gather it shall drink it in my holy courts. 10 Go through, go through the gates, prepare the way for the people; build up, build up the highway, clear it of stones, lift up an ensign over the peoples. 11 The LORD has proclaimed to the end of the earth: Say to daughter Zion, See, your salvation comes; his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. 12 They shall be called, The Holy People, The Redeemed of the LORD ; and you shall be called, Sought Out, A City Not Forsaken. Reader Word of God, word of life. Thanks be to God. 3
SECOND READING: Titus 3:4-7 God saves us not because of what we do. Rather, God is a God of mercy and salvation who graciously cleanses us in baptism and renews our lives through the Holy Spirit. 4 When the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy, through the water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. 6 This Spirit he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Reader Word of God, word of life. Thanks be to God. All sing verse 1 only. HYMN #295 4
The Gospel is announced. The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke. Glory to you, O Lord. GOSPEL: John 1:1-14 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. 9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. 12 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. 14 And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth. The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ. Sit SERMON Testify to the Light Sandy Kessinger 5
All sing. HYMN #300 6
NICENE CREED With the whole church, let us confess our faith using the words of the Nicene Creed. We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father; through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary and became truly human. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son,* who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen. PRAYERS Prayers are included for the whole Church, the nations, those in need, the parish and special concerns. After each portion of the prayers: Assisting Minister At the end of the prayer: Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. Into your hands, gracious God, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in your mercy; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen. SHARING THE LORD S PEACE : May the peace of the Lord be with you always. And also with you. Please greet one another with God s peace. 7
THANKSGIVING FOR BAPTISM Joined to Christ in the waters of baptism, we are clothed with God's mercy and forgiveness. Water will be poured into the font by the pastor. Let us pray: We give you thanks, O God, for in the beginning your Spirit moved over the waters and by your Word you created the world, calling forth life in which you took delight. Through the waters of the flood you delivered Noah and his family. Through the sea you led your people Israel from slavery into freedom. At the river your Son was baptized by John and anointed with the Holy Spirit. By water and your Word you claim us as daughters and sons, making us heirs of your promise and servants of all. We praise you for the gift of water that sustains life, and above all we praise you for the gift of new life in Jesus Christ. Shower us with your Spirit, and renew our lives with your forgiveness, grace, and love. To you be given honor and praise through Jesus Christ our Lord in the unity of the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen Please Sit OFFERING Your offerings are collected to support Redeemer s work of sharing God s love with the world. OFFERING MUSIC Sleep of the Infant Jesus a Traditional French Carol OFFERTORY All sing verse 2 only. HYMN #295 8
THE GREAT THANKSGIVING Please stand. The Lord be with you. And also with you. Lift up your hearts, We lift them to the Lord. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God, It is right to give our thanks and praise. It is indeed right, our duty and our joy, that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise to you, almighty and merciful God, through our Savior Jesus Christ. In the wonder and mystery of the Word made flesh you have opened the eyes of faith to a new and radiant vision of your glory, that, beholding the God made visible, we may be drawn to love the God whom we cannot see. And so, with all the choirs of angels, with the church on earth and the hosts of heaven, we praise your name and join their unending hymn: Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna in the highest. EUCHARISTIC PRAYER THE LORD S PRAYER Please sit. 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; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen. Come for all is now ready. COMMUNION All who are baptized are welcome to receive Holy Communion. Those who are not baptized are invited to come forward for a blessing. Simply indicate this to the pastor when you come forward. You may take a small cup from the tray in the center aisle as you approach the altar, and the Communion assistants will fill your cup with wine (first chalice) or grape juice (second chalice). Or, you may use intinction, where the wafer is retained and touched lightly either to the wine (red) or to the grape juice (white). Gluten-free wafers are available from the. And in remembrance of your baptism, as you come forward you may dip your fingers into the font and make the sign of the cross on your forehead. 9
CAROL All sing. HYMN #277 Stand The second hymn is #276, in the cranberry hymnal, Infant Holy, Infant Lowly The body of our Lord Jesus Christ, and his precious blood, strengthen and preserve you unto eternal life. Amen. PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION Assisting Minister O Lord our God, we give you thanks for the gifts of bread and wine, the body and blood of your Son, Jesus Christ. Send us out into your world to proclaim with joy: Glory to God in the highest, and peace to God s people on earth. Amen BLESSING Stand THE SENDING May the God of Christmas be a blessing to you throughout the year. May we share with people everywhere the love, and the compassion, of our gracious God. May the blessing of the Almighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be with you, now and always. Amen. 10
SENDING HYMN Please follow the cross, turning toward the cross as it passes by your pew. As the cross leads, so Christ leads us out into the community to share Christ s love. All sing. HYMN #288 DISMISSAL POSTLUDE Assisting Minister Go in peace to share the good news. Christ, the Savior, is born. Glory to God in the highest. Amen! Alleluia! Break Forth, O Beauteous Heavenly Light by Johann Schop 11
Lutheran Church of the Redeemer 1545 Chain Bridge Road, McLean, VA 22101 Children are welcome in our worship. There is a children s worship bulletin for them. Also, a special cart of books is in the back of the nave. Your children are welcome to borrow books for the service. If you prefer, a nursery and/or childcare is available for children up to age 3 during all worship services. A pager is available from the nursery. Visitors are invited to include their contact information in the red attendance book in the pew. Hearing help available: The sanctuary is equipped with an audio induction loop assistive listening system. Please refer questions or comments to an usher. Next Sunday Lessons and Carols, December 31 (one service only) - 10 am We resume our usual service times on January 7th: 9:45 am for the contemporary service and 8:30 am and 11 am for traditional services. + Assisting in Worship + Assisting Minister: Emma Bradley Reader: Scotty Skotzko Communion Assistants: Scotty Skotzko Ushers: Kim and Rob Wenk Chancel Care: Jane Skotzko Accompanist Barbara Donne The End of the Year Our church leaders work hard throughout the year to be faithful stewards of what we have been given. The number of hours spent by volunteers and the quality of the gifts offered by all who actively participate in our ministry helps make a difference in what we can offer this world. We are now are at the end of our fiscal year and Redeemer faces a shortfall that we hope will be alleviated before December 31. We have accomplished this before and we hope we can do it again this year. Each and every gift is important and together we can end the year on a positive note. Thank you for all that you do to support Redeemer and our mission together. Return this bulletin to the entrance hall for recycling if you choose not to take it home. CCLI License# 1850655 12