Christmas
Grace Presbyterian Church
Seeking to equip people to live as Christian disciples wherever God has placed them.
Welcome And Opening Prayer
Prelude Noël: Grand jeu et duo Louis-Claude d’Aquin
Call to Worship
One: There is good news of great joy for all!
All: Our Savior is born: the Messiah, the Lord.
One: Let our voices resound with jubilation:
All: Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth, peace.
Hymn Red 173* “O Come, All Ye Faithful”
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;
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord!
True God of true God,
Light from Light eternal,
lo, he shuns not the virgin’s womb;Son of the Father, begotten, not created;
Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation!
O sing, all ye citizens of heaven above:
“Glory to God, all glory in the highest”;
Yea, Lord, we greet thee,
born this happy morning,
Jesus, to thee be all glory given;
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing;
Call to Confession
Silent Confession of Sin
Assurance of Pardon
Gloria Patri
Passing of the Peace
Time with the Children
Prayer for Illumination in Unison
Emmanuel, God with us, may we receive your word to us as a gift to be unwrapped. Open our hearts and minds to receive it with joy. Amen.
First Scripture Reading (Unison) Luke 2:8-20
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 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 favors!”
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. 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.
Second Scripture Reading
Deuteronomy 8:3
One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
Isaiah 55:2
Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labour for that which does not satisfy?
John 6:35
Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
Luke 22:19b
Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’
Sermon The Manger Rev. Robin Miller Currás
Hymn Red 161* “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 mild,
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 and meek and lowly
lived on earth our Savior holy.
Jesus is our childhood’s pattern,
day by day like us he grew,
he was little, weak, and helpless,
tears and smiles like us he knew:
and he feels for all our sadness,
and he shares in all our gladness.
And our eyes at last shall see him,
through his own redeeming love;
for that child, so dear and gentle,
is our Lord in heaven above,
and he leads his children on
to the place where he has gone.
Affirmation of Faith* from A Brief Statement of Faith
In life and in death we belong to God. Through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, we trust in the one triune God, the Holy One of Israel, whom alone we worship and serve….
With believers in every time and place, we rejoice that nothing in life or in death can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Offertory Love came down at Christmas John Rutter
Doxology
Celebration of the Lord’s Supper
One: The Lord be with you.
All: And also with you.
One: Lift up your hearts.
All: We lift them to the Lord.
One: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God
All: It is right to give thanks and praise.
….who forever sing to the glory of your name:
All: 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.
Pastoral Prayer/The Lord’s Prayer
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 debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Hymn Red “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day”
I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
I thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along th’unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
And in despair I bowed my head:
“There is no peace on earth,” I said,
“For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.”
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth he sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men.”
Till, ringing, singing, on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime,
Of peace on earth, good will to men
Benediction
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