Christmas On Line Worship Service
The following is material from our recent Christmas Concerts and the Christmas Eve services. We present it here as our Christmas gift to each of you.
Readings are based on The Inclusive Bible, and come from the Gospel according to Luke, chapters 1 and 2.
Music is from the Sanctuary Choir and Orchestra and soloists, under the direction of Vicky Thomas, and from Michelle Horsley, organist.
Readings are based on The Inclusive Bible, and come from the Gospel according to Luke, chapters 1 and 2.
Music is from the Sanctuary Choir and Orchestra and soloists, under the direction of Vicky Thomas, and from Michelle Horsley, organist.
Prelude
Noel, Grand Jeu et Duo
~Louis-Claude Daquin
~Louis-Claude Daquin
Gathering
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From Heaven Above to Earth I Come ~Martin Luther Jim Ginn, Soloist From heaven above to earth I come to bring good news to everyone. Good tidings of great joy I bring to all the world, and gladly sing. To you this night is born a child of Mary, chosen virgin mild; This new-born child of lowly birth shall be the joy of all the earth. My heart for very joy now leaps; my voice no longer silence keeps. And all must join the angel-throng to sing with joy his cradle-song. Good news! Noel! |
Sing-Along Carol
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Sing We Now of Christmas
~15th C. French carol, text adapt. V. Thomas Sing we now of Christmas; sing we all, Noel! Sing we now of Christmas, great glad tidings tell. Refrain: Sing we, Noel; the King is born, Noel! Sing we now of Christmas; sing we all, Noel! Sing we now of shepherds, watching flocks by night; Hasten now to Beth'lem; see the glorious sight. Refrain Sing we now of Mary in the manger bare. Sing we now of Joseph, cradling Jesus there. Refrain Sing we now of wise men trav'ling from afar. Bearing gifts to Beth'lem guided by the star. Refrain |
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The Angel's Noel to Mary
According to the gospel of Luke... the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a young woman named Mary; she was engaged to a man named Joseph, of the house of David. Upon arriving, the angel said to Mary, "Rejoice, highly favored one! God is with you! Blessed are you among women!" Mary was deeply troubled by these words and wondered what the angel's greeting meant. The angel went on to say to her, "Don't be afraid, Mary. You have found favor with God. You'll conceive and bear a son, and give him the name Jesus - 'Deliverance.' "
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Salutation Carol ~15th C. English noel, arr V. Thomas Noel! This is the salutation of Angel Gabriel. Tidings true there come anew sent from the Trinity by Gabriel to Nazareth, city of Galilee. A clean maiden, a pure virgin, by her humility shall now conceive the person second in deity. Hail, Virgin celestial, the meekest ever was! Hail, temple of the deity! Hail, mirror of all grace! Hail, virgin pure! I thee ensure within a little space, thou shalt conceive and him receive that shall bring great solace. |
Sing-Along Carol
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Shepherds, Shake Off Your Drowsy Sleep
~16th C. French carol, text anon. Shepherds, shake off your drowsy sleep. Rise and leave your silly sheep; Angels from heav'n around are singing. Tidings of great joy are bringing. Refrain: Shepherds, the chorus come and swell, Sing noel, noel, noel! Angels, announce to man and beast Him who cometh from the East. Set ev'ry peak and valley humming with the word, the Lord is coming. Refrain Cometh at length the age of peace. Strife and sorrow now shall cease; Prophets foretold the wondrous story of this heav'n-born Prince of glory. Refrain Shepherds then up and quick away. Seek the babe ere break of day; He is the hope of ev'ry nation. All in him shall find salvation. Refrain |
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Unto Us a Child Is Born
In those days, Caesar Augustus published a decree ordering a census of the whole Roman world. This first census took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All the people were instructed to go back to the towns of their birth to register. And so Joseph went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to the city of David - Bethlehem, in Judea, because Joseph was of the house and ancestry of David; he went to register with Mary, his espoused wife, who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the child to be delivered and Mary gave birth to her firstborn son; she wrapped him in a simple cloth and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn.
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O Nata Lux ~Morten Lauridsen O born light of light, Jesus, redeemer of the world, mercifully deem worthy and accept the praises and prayers of your supplicants. Thou, who once deigned to be clothed in flesh for the sake of the lost ones, grant us to be made members of your holy body. |
Sing-Along Carol
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The First Noel
~17th C. English carol The first Noel the angel did say was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay; In fields where they lay keeping their sheep, on a cold winter's night that was so deep. Refrain: Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel! Born is the King of Israel. They look-ed up and saw a star shining in the east beyond them far; And to the earth it gave great light, and so it continued both day and night. Refrain This star drew near to the northwest, o'er Bethlehem it took its rest; And there it did both stop and stay right over the place where Jesus lay. Refrain |
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Shepherds in the Field
In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then the angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds, and the glory of God shown around them; and they were terrified. The angel said to them, "Do not be afraid! I come to proclaim good news to you - news of great joy to be shared by the whole people. Today in the city of David, a savior - the Messiah - has been born to you. Let this be a sign to you: you will find an infant wrapped in simple cloth, lying in a manger.
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Once the shepherds saw this, they reported what they had been told concerning the child. All who heard it were astonished at the report given by the shepherds. But Mary treasured all these things and reflected on them in her heart. The shepherds went away glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as they had been told.
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Once the shepherds saw this, they reported what they had been told concerning the child. All who heard it were astonished at the report given by the shepherds. But Mary treasured all these things and reflected on them in her heart. The shepherds went away glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as they had been told.
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Shepherd's Pipe Carol
~John Rutter Going through the hills on a night all starry, on the way to Bethlehem, far away I heard a shepherd boy piping on the way to Bethlehem. Angels in the sky brought this message nigh: Dance and sing for joy that Christ the newborn King is come to bring us peace on earth, and he's lying cradled there at Bethlehem. ... Where is this new King, shepherd boy piping merrily? Is he there at Bethlehem? I will find him soon by the star shining brightly in the sky over Bethlehem. May I come with you, shepherd boy piping merrily, come with you to Bethlehem? Pay my homage too at the new King's cradle. Is it far to Bethlehem? |
Reflections
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Angel Songs
Pastor Tim Phillips Scripture: Luke 1 and 2 It’s hard to imagine the Christmas story without angels. An angel appears to both Mary and Joseph to say that the life being born in Mary is of the Holy Spirit. Not necessarily good news for either one of them but it gives each of them some new light in which to see what’s happening to them. It’s an angel that tells Zechariah that his wife Elizabeth, in their advanced years, is going to have a baby. Again, not necessarily great news but the message might help them make sense of the life of their son, John, who turns out to be an unusual character. Angels appear to shepherds keeping watch over their flocks by night and sing a chorus that has become the standard anthem of angelic choirs ever since. Click to Read More... |
God with Us
Pastor Ned Allyn Parker Scripture: Luke 2:1-20 I was born in 1976, which makes me (you can do the math on your own time) – which makes me a Bicentennial Baby! At that time, while the nation celebrated the 200 years that had passed since its own birth, my parents and two foster brothers were living in the small town of Bar Mills, Maine, where my dad was the pastor of the local Baptist church. Just about eight months after I was born, the Bar Mills Baptist Church prepared for a rural New England Christmas: lights were hung, carols dusted off, jello molds taken out of cupboards, and pasta salad recipes hung magnetized to refrigerators along with annual Christmas letters and postcards with holiday greetings. The congregation gathered together for fellowship, for Christmas cheer, to extend the great tradition of pot-luck dinners, and… to offer our small family with this new child [THIS new child] a gift of the season. Click to Read More... |
Sing-Along Carol
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Joy to the World
~tune attrib G.F. Handel; adopt. Lowell Mason Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive its King; let ev'ry heart prepare him room and heav'n and nature sing.... Joy to the world, the Savior reigns! Let all their songs employ, while fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains repeat the sounding joy... No more let sin and sorrow grow nor thorns infest the ground; he comes to make his blessings flow far as the curse is found... He rules the world with truth and grace and makes the nations prove the glories of his righteousness and wonders of his love... |
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Taking the Message Out Into the World
When the song of the angels is stilled, when the star in the sky is gone, when the kings and princes are home, when the shepherds are back with their flock, the work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among people and to make music in the heart.
~Howard Thurman, African American theologian, activist and educator
To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among people and to make music in the heart.
~Howard Thurman, African American theologian, activist and educator
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Suscepit Israel and Amen from Magnificat ~Andrew Carter He has helped his servant, Israel, in remembrance of his mercy. As it was spoken to our forefathers, to Abraham and his seed forever. Amen! |