Christmas Eve
December 24, 2020
Opening
Hymn and Litany: We Wait in Hope
Special
Music sings:
All
Creation lies in waiting,
in the stillness of the night,
with
hope anticipating
the
Advent of Eternal Light.
P: Advent is a time to proclaim.
C: Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
P: We proclaim a hope that is stronger
than any trial.
C: Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
P: We proclaim a victory that is stronger
than any defeat.
C: Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
P: We proclaim a peace that is stronger
than any conflict.
C: Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
P: We proclaim a freedom that is stronger
than any bondage.
C: Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
P: Tonight we
light all of the candles. The first candle reminds us that Advent is a time to
wait upon the Lord with faithful endurance. The second candle reminds us that
Advent is a time to watch for God’s presence with hopeful expectation. The
third candle reminds us that Advent is a time to prepare for the Lord in heart,
soul and mind. The fourth candle reminds us that the
One we wait for, watch for, and prepare for is Jesus Christ, who is Emmanuel,
meaning “God with us.” Tonight we light the Christ
candle. This candle reminds us that we are to proclaim the message of Christmas
by celebrating what Christ has done, and by sharing it with others. As the
light from each candle fills this room, so may the Light of Christ fill our
world!
Refrain
(congregation)
We
proclaim with hope for the morning Light,
For
the love of Christ to illuminate the night.
We
proclaim with joy for the Savior's birth;
We
proclaim with hope for peace on earth
Exhortation and Prayer
P: Beloved in Christ: In this Christmas
season it is our duty and delight to hear again the message of the angels and,
in heart and mind, to go even unto Bethlehem and see this thing which has come
to pass, which the Lord has made known to us, the Christ-child, lying in a
manger.
C: Let us read and learn in Holy
Scripture the story of the loving purposes of God from the first days after our
fall into sin to the glorious redemption brought to us by this Holy Child.
P: But first, let us pray for people all
over the world, who would delight with us to know the good news of Jesus Christ
and who would join with us in singing his praises. Let us pray for the people
of this city/place and for all those in our own congregation.
C: And because this would please our
Lord, let us remember, in his name, the poor and helpless, the cold, the
hungry, and the oppressed; the sick and those who are sad, the lonely and the
unloved, the elderly and the little children. We especially remember all those
who do not know the Lord Jesus, or who do not love him, or who by sin have
grieved his heart of love.
P: Finally, let us remember before God all
those who rejoice with us in heaven, who live in greater light than we, that
multitude which no one can number, whose hope was in the Word made flesh, who died
in faith, and who live before the throne of God and praise him each day in his
temple. We confess that we are united with them as we are united with one
another.
Hymn 55 O Come All Ye
Faithful
1 Oh, come, all ye faithful, Joyful and
triumphant,
Oh,
come ye, oh, come ye to Bethlehem;
Come
and behold him, Born the King of angels.
Refrain:
Oh,
come, let us adore him, Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh,
come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.
2 God from true God, and Light from Light
eternal,
Born
of a virgin, to earth he comes,
Only
begotten Son of God the Father.
Refrain:
Oh,
come, let us adore him, Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh,
come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.
3 Sing, choirs of angels, Sing in
exultation;
Sing,
all ye citizens of heav’n above.
Glory
to God, all Glory in the highest.
Refrain:
Oh,
come, let us adore him, Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh,
come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.
4 Yea, Lord, we greet thee, Born this happy
morning;
Jesus,
to thee be all glory giv’n,
Word
of the Father, Now in flesh appearing.
Refrain:
Oh,
come, let us adore him, Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh,
come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.
Text: John F. Wade, c. 1711-86; tr. Frederick Oakeley, 1802-80, alt.
First Lesson — Genesis
2:8-9; Genesis 3:1-15
Genesis 2:8-9
8The Lord God planted a garden in Eden in
the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9Out of the
ground the Lord God made every
kind of tree grow—trees that are pleasant to look at and good for food,
including the Tree of Life in the middle of the garden and the Tree of the
Knowledge of Good and Evil.
Genesis
3:1-15
3 Now the
serpent was more clever than any wild animal which the
Lord God had made. He said to the
woman, “Has God really said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
2The woman said to
the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees of the garden, 3but
not from the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden. God has
said, ‘You shall not eat from it. You shall not touch it, or else you will die.’ ”
4The serpent said
to the woman, “You certainly will not die. 5In fact, God knows that
the day you eat from it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God,
knowing good and evil.”
6When the woman saw
that the tree was good for food, and that it was appealing to the eyes, and
that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took some of its fruit and
ate. She gave some also to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7The
eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized
that they were naked. They sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for
their waists. 8They heard the voice of the Lord God, who was walking around in the garden during the cooler
part of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of
the Lord God among the trees of
the garden.
9The Lord God called to the man and said to
him, “Where are you?”
10The man said, “I
heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid
myself.”
11God said, “Who
told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree from which I
commanded you not to eat?”
12The man said, “The
woman you gave to be with me—she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”
13The Lord God said to the woman, “What have
you done?”
The woman said, “The serpent deceived me,
and I ate.”
14The Lord God said to the serpent:
Because
you have done this,
you
are cursed more than all the livestock,
and
more than every wild animal.
You
shall crawl on your belly,
and
you shall eat dust all the days of your life.
15I will put
hostility between you and the woman,
and
between your seed and her seed.
He
will crush your head,
and
you will crush his heel.
Hymn
28 vv 1, 4, 5 Let the Earth Now Praise the Lord
1.
Let the earth now praise the Lord,
Who
has truly kept his word
And at
last to us did send
Christ,
the sinner’s help and friend.
4
Welcome,
O my Savior, now!
Joyful,
Lord, to you I bow.
Come
into my heart, I pray;
Oh,
prepare yourself a way.
5.
Crush for me the serpent’s head
That,
set free from doubt and dread,
I may
cling to you in faith,
Safely
kept through life and death,
Text,
Tune, Setting: public domain.
Second Lesson — Genesis
22:15-18
Jack Vogel – Reader
Genesis 22:15-18
15The Angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time
from heaven 16and said, “I have sworn by myself, declares the Lord, because you have done this thing
and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17I will bless you
greatly, and I will multiply your descendants greatly, like the stars of the
sky and like the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of
the city gates of their enemies. 18In your seed all the nations of
the earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”
Hymn 41 vv
1-3, 6 — Let All Together Praise Our God
1
Let
all together praise our God
Before
his highest throne;
Today
he opens heav’n again
And
gives us his own Son,
And
gives us his own Son.
2
He
leaves his heav’nly Father’s throne,
Is
born an infant small,
And in
a manger, poor and lone,
Lies
in a humble stall,
Lies
in a humble stall.
3
He
veils in flesh his pow’r divine
A
servant’s form to take;
In
want and lowliness must die
Who heav’n and earth did make,
Who heav’n and earth did make.
6
For
us he opens wide the door
Of
paradise today.
The
angel guards the gate no more;
To God
our thanks we pay,
To God
our thanks we pay.
Text:
Nikolaus Herman, c. 1480-1561, abr.; tr. August Crull, 1845-1923, alt.
Third
Lesson — Isaiah 9:2, 6-7
Jeff
Kocsis- reader
Isaiah 9:2
2The people walking in
darkness have seen a great light.
For those living in the land of the shadow of death,
the light has dawned.
6For to us a child is born.
To us a son is given.
The authority to rule will rest on his shoulders.
He will be named:
Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God,
Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace.
7There will be no limit to
his authority
and no end to the peace he brings.
He will rule on David’s throne and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it with
justice and righteousness
from now on, into eternity.
The zeal of the Lord
of Armies will accomplish this.
Hymn
61 Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
1.
Hark! The herald angels sing,
“Glory
to the newborn King;
Peace
on earth and mercy mild,
God
and sinners reconciled!”
Joyful,
all you nations rise,
Join
the triumph of the skies;
With th’ angelic host proclaim,
“Christ
is born in Bethlehem!”
Hark!
The herald angels sing,
“Glory
to the newborn King!”
2.
Christ, by highest heav’n adored,
Christ,
the everlasting Lord,
Late
in time behold him come,
Offspring
of a virgin’s womb.
Veiled
in flesh the Godhead see,
Hail th’ incarnate Deity!
Pleased
as man with us to dwell,
Jesus,
our Immanuel!
Hark!
The herald angels sing,
“Glory
to the newborn King!”
3.
Hail, the heav’nly Prince of Peace!
Hail,
the Sun of Righteousness!
Light
and life to all he brings,
Ris’n with healing in
his wings.
Mild
he lays his glory by,
Born
that we no more may die,
Born
to raise us from the earth,
Born
to give us second birth.
Hark!
The herald angels sing,
“Glory
to the newborn King!”
Text,
Tune, Setting: public domain. Descant
and harmony for st.3 by David Willcocks. Reprinted by permission of Oxford
University Press.
Fourth
Lesson — Micah 5:2-4
Dave
Vogel – reader
Micah
5:2-4
2But you, Bethlehem
Ephrathah,
though
you are small among the clans of Judah,
from
you, will go out the one who will be the ruler for me in Israel.
His
goings forth are from the beginning, from the days of eternity.
3Therefore the Lord will give them up,
until
the time when the woman who is in labor bears a child.
Then
the remaining survivors from his brothers will return to the people of Israel.
4He will stand and
shepherd with the strength of the Lord,
in
the majesty of the name of the Lord
his God.
They
will dwell securely, for at that time he will be great to the ends of the
earth.
Hymn
50 Once in Royal David’s City
1
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.
2
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 mean and lowly
Lived
on earth our Savior holy.
3 But our eyes at last
shall see him
Through
his own redeeming love,
For
that child, so dear and gentle,
Is our
Lord in heav’n above,
As he
leads his children on
To the
place where he is gone.
4
Not
in that poor, lowly stable
With
the oxen standing by
Shall
we see him, but in heaven,
Set at
God’s right hand on high.
Then
like stars his children crowned,
All in
white, his praise will sound.
Text:
Cecil Frances Alexander, 1818-95, abr., alt.
Fifth
Lesson — Luke 1:26-35, 38
Luke
1:26-35
26In the sixth
month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee named Nazareth,
27to a virgin pledged in marriage to a man whose name was Joseph, of
the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28The angel went to
her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.
Blessed are you among women.”
29But she was
greatly troubled by the statement and was wondering what kind of greeting this
could be. 30The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, because
you have found favor with God. 31Listen, you will conceive and give
birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus. 32He will be great
and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord
God will give him the throne of his father David. 33He will reign
over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will never end.”
34Mary said to the
angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
35The angel answered
her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So
the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.
Luke
1:38
38Then Mary said,
“See, I am the Lord’s servant. May it happen to me as you have said.” Then the
angel left her.
Small
Group — Magnificat / My Soul in Stillness Waits.
My soul proclaims, My soul proclaims, My soul proclaims.
My soul now glorifies my spirit
sings in God my savior.
For he is mindful of the humble
state of his servant.
From now on all generations will
call me blessed.
My soul proclaims, my soul proclaims
the greatness of the Lord.
For the Mighty One has done great
things and holy is his name.
His mercy touches all who live in
reverence and fear
from generation to generation.
Refrain
For you , O
Lord, my soul in stillness waits, truly my hope is in you.
O Lord of Light, our only hope of
glory,
Your radiance shines in all who look
to you.
Come, light the hearts of all in
dark and shadow.
Refrain
For you , O
Lord, my soul in stillness waits, truly my hope is in you.
O Spring of Joy, rain down upon our
spirits.
Our thirsty hearts are yearning for
your Word.
Come,
make us whole, be comfort to our hearts.
Refrain
For you , O
Lord, my soul in stillness waits, truly my hope is in you.
O Root of Life, implant your seed
within us,
And in your advent draw us all to
you, Our hope reborn in dying and in rising.
Refrain
For you , O
Lord, my soul in stillness waits, truly my hope is in you.
O Key of Knowledge, guide us in our
pilgrimage,
We ever seek, yet unfulfilled
remain. Open to us the pathway of your
peace.
Refrain
For you , O
Lord, my soul in stillness waits, truly my hope is in you.
My soul proclaims, My soul proclaims,
He has done mighty deeds; he has
scattered those who are proud
within their thoughts. He's brought down rulers from their thrones
and lifted up
the meek. He has filled the hungry with good things
and the rich are empty.
My soul proclaims, my soul proclaims
the greatness of the Lord
For he has come to Israel to
remember mercy.
My soul proclaims, my soul proclaims
the greatness of the Lord
For he has come to Israel to
remember mercy.
The promise made to Abraham to his
sons forever.
Sixth
Lesson — the Christmas Gospel — Luke 2:1-7
Luke
2:1-7
2 In those
days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be
registered. 2This was the first census taken while Quirinius was
governing Syria. 3And everyone went to register, each to his own
town. 4And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the town of
Nazareth, into Judea, to the town of David, which is called Bethlehem, because
he was from the house and family line of David. 5He went to be
registered with Mary, his wife, who was pledged to him in marriage and was
expecting a child.
6And so it was that
while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7And she
gave birth to her firstborn son, wrapped him in swaddling cloths,
and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Hymn
707 Peace Came to Earth
1
Peace
came to earth at last that chosen night
When
angels clove the sky with song and light
And
God embodied love and sheathed his might-
Who
could but gasp: Immanuel!
Who
could but sing: Immanuel!
2
And
who could be the same for having held
The
infant in their arms and later felt
The
wounded hands and side, all doubts dispelled-
Who
could but sigh: Immanuel!
Who
could but shout: Immanuel!
3
You
show the Father none has ever seen,
In
flesh and blood you bore our griefs and pain,
In bread
and wine you visit us again-
Who
could but see: Immanuel!
Who
could but thrill: Immanuel!
4
How
else could I have known you, O my God!
How
else could I have loved you, O my God!
How
else could I embrace you, O my God!
Who
could but pray: Immanuel!
Who
could but praise: Immanuel!
The
picturesque language of this Jaroslav Vajda hymn vividly illustrates the
weighty significance of God becoming man in Christ.
Text:
Jaroslav J. Vajda, 1919-2008 © 1984 Concordia Publishing House. All rights
reserved. Used by permission.
Seventh
Lesson — Luke 2:8-14
Luke
2:8-14
Mark
Bradstreet - reader
8There were in the
same country shepherds staying out in the fields, keeping watch over their
flock at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the
glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified! 10But
the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. For behold, I bring you good news of
great joy, which will be for all people: 11Today in the town of
David, a Savior was born for you. He is Christ the Lord. 12And this
will be a sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13Suddenly, there
was with the angel a multitude from the heavenly army, praising God and saying,
14“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward
mankind.”
Hymn
53 vv 1-3 To Shepherds as They Watched by Night
1 To shepherds as they watched by night
Appeared
a host of angels bright;
“Behold
the tender babe,” they said,
“In
yonder lowly manger laid,
2 “At Bethlehem, in
David’s town,
As
Micah did of old make known.
It is
the Christ, your Lord and King,
Who will
to all salvation bring.”
3
Oh,
then rejoice that through his Son
God is
with sinners now at one;
Made
like yourselves of flesh and blood,
Your
brother is th’ eternal God.
Text:
Martin Luther, 1483-1546; tr. Richard Massie, 1800-87, alt.
Eighth Lesson — Matthew
2:1-12
Matthew
2:1-12
2 After Jesus
was born in Bethlehem of Judea, when Herod was king, Wise Men from the east
came to Jerusalem. They asked, 2“Where is he who has been born King
of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3When
King Herod heard this, he was alarmed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4He
gathered together all the people’s chief priests and
experts in the law. He asked them where the Christ was to be born. 5They
said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, because this was
written through the prophet:
6You, Bethlehem, in
the land of Judah, are certainly not least among the rulers of Judah: because
out of you will come a ruler, who will shepherd my people, Israel.”
7Then Herod
secretly summoned the Wise Men and found out from them exactly when the star
had appeared. 8He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search
carefully for the child. When you find him, report to me, so that I may also go
and worship him.”
9After listening to
the king, they went on their way. Then the star they had seen when it rose went
ahead of them, until it stood still over the place where the child was. 10When
they saw the star, they rejoiced with overwhelming joy. 11After they
went into the house and saw the child with Mary, his mother, they bowed down
and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts:
gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12Since they had been warned in a
dream not to return to Herod, they went back to their own country by another
route.
Hymn
51 I Am So Glad When Christmas Comes
1 I am so glad when Christmas
comes,
The
night of Jesus’ birth,
When Bethl’em’s star shone as the sun,
And
angels sang on earth.
2
The
little child of Bethlehem,
He was
a king indeed!
For he
came down from heav’n above
To
help a world in need.
3
He
lives again in heaven’s realm,
The
Son of God today;
And still he loves his little ones
And
hears them when they pray.
4 I, too, shall sing
my Savior’s praise,
My
joy, my crown, my Lord;
For he
has made me his own child
By
water and the Word.
5
And
so I love each Christmas Eve,
And I
love Jesus, too;
And
that he loves me ev’ry day
I know
so well is true.
Text:
Inger Marie Wexelsen, 1832-1911, abr.; tr. Norman A. Madson, 1886-1962, st. 1, 4,
alt.; Peter A. Sveeggen, 1881-1959, st. 2-3, 5, alt.
St.
1, 4 © 1982 Concordia Publishing House. All rights reserved. Used by permission;
St.
2, 3, 5 © Augsburg Publishing House. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission of Augsburg Fortress.
Ninth
Lesson — John 1:1-14
John 1:1-14
1 In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He
was with God in the beginning. 3Through him everything was made, and
without him not one thing was made that has been made. 4In him was
life, and the life was the light of mankind. 5The light is shining
in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
6There was a man,
sent from God, whose name was John. 7He came as an eyewitness to
testify about the light so that everyone would believe through him. 8He
was not the light, but he came to testify about the light.
9The real light
that shines on everyone was coming into the world. 10He was in the
world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not recognize him.
11He came to what was his own, yet his own people did not accept
him. 12But to all who did receive him, to those who believe in his
name, he gave the right to become children of God. 13They were born,
not of blood, or of the desire of the flesh, or of a husband’s will, but born
of God.
14The Word became
flesh and dwelled among us. We have seen his glory, the glory he has as the only-begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Sermonette
Hymn 60 Silent Night! Holy
Night
1
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.
2
Silent
night! Holy night!
Shepherds
quake at the sight.
Glories
stream from heaven afar;
Heav’nly hosts sing, Alleluia;
Christ,
the Savior, is born!
Christ,
the Savior, is born!
3
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.
Text:
Franz Joseph Mohr, 1792-1848, abr.; tr. John F. Young, 1820-85.
Prayers
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 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
Blessing
The
grace of our Lord Jesus + Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of
the Holy Spirit, be with you all. Amen.
Small
Group — Joyful Joyful to the World