Christmas Day December 25, 2021

Opening Hymn 62 Joy to the World

1 Joy to the world, the Lord is come!

Let earth receive her King;

Let ev’ry heart prepare him room

And heav’n and nature sing,

And heav’n, and heav’n and nature sing.

2 Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!

Let all their songs employ,

While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains

Repeat the sounding joy,

Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.

3 No more let sins and sorrows grow

Nor thorns infest the ground;

He comes to make his blessings flow

Far as the curse is found,

Far as, far as the curse is found.

4 He rules the world with truth and grace

And makes the nations prove

The glories of his righteousness

And wonders of his love,

And wonders, wonders of his love.

Text: Isaac Watts, 1674-1748, alt.

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.

First Lesson — Genesis 2:8-9; Genesis 3:1-15

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, 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.

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

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 35 — Of the Father’s Love Begotten

1 Of the Father’s love begotten Ere the worlds began to be,

He is Alpha and Omega, He the source, the ending he,

Of the things that are, that have been, And that future years shall see

Evermore and evermore.

3 This is he whom heav’n-taught singers Sang of old with one accord;

Whom the Scriptures of the prophets Promised in their faithful word.

Now he shines, the long-expected; Let creation praise its Lord

Evermore and evermore.

4 Let the heights of heav’n adore him, Angel hosts his praises sing,

Pow’rs, dominions bow before him And extol our God and King.

Let no tongue on earth be silent, Ev’ry voice in concert ring

Evermore and evermore.

Text: Aurelius Clemens Prudentius, 348-c. 413, abr.; tr. John M. Neale, 1818-66, st. 1-4, alt.; Henry W. Baker, 1821-77, st. 5, alt.

Third Lesson — Isaiah 9:2, 6-7
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 — Isaiah 11:1-9

11 A shoot will spring up from the stump of Jesse,

and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit.

2The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him:

the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,

the Spirit of counsel and might,

the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.

3He will be delighted with the fear of the LORD.

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,

nor will he render decisions based on what he hears with his ears,

4but with righteousness he will judge the poor,

and he will render fair decisions in favor of the oppressed on the

earth.

He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,

and with the breath from his lips he will put the wicked to death.

5Righteousness will be the belt around his waist,

and faithfulness the belt around his hips.

6The wolf will dwell with the lamb,

and the leopard will lie down with the young goat,

the calf, the young lion, and the fattened calf together,

and a little child will lead them.

Hymn 47 Behold a Branch Is Growing

1 Behold, a Branch is growing Of loveliest form and grace,

As prophets sang, foreknowing; It springs from Jesse’s race

And bears one little flow’r In midst of coldest winter,

At deepest midnight hour.

2 Isaiah had foretold it In words of promise sure,

And Mary’s arms enfold it, A virgin meek and pure.

Through God’s eternal will This child to her is given

At midnight calm and still.

3 The shepherds heard the story Proclaimed by angels bright,

How Christ, the Lord of glory, Was born on earth this night.

To Bethlehem they sped And in the manger found him,

As angel heralds said.

Text: Alte Catholische Geistliche Kirchengeseng, Köln, 1599, abr.; tr. composite.

Fifth Lesson — Luke 1:26-35, 38

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.

Hymn 46 Your Little Ones, Dear Lord, Are We

1 Your little ones, dear Lord, are we

And come your lowly bed to see;

Enlighten ev’ry soul and mind

That we the way to you may find.

2 With songs we hasten you to greet

And humbly fall before your feet.

Oh, blessed hour, oh, sweetest night

That gave you birth, our souls’ delight.

3 Oh, draw us wholly to you, Lord,

And to us all your grace accord;

True faith and love to us impart

That we may hold you in our heart,

4 Until at last we, too, proclaim,

With all your saints, your glorious name;

In paradise our songs renew

And praise you as the angels do.

Text: Hans A. Brorson, 1694-1764; tr. Harriet R. K. Spaeth, 1845-1925, alt.

Sixth Lesson — Matthew 1:18-25

18This is how the birth of Jesus Christ took place. His mother, Mary,

was pledged in marriage to Joseph. Before they came together, she was

found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. 19Joseph, her husband, was a

righteous man and did not want to disgrace her. So he decided to

divorce her privately. 20But as he was considering these things, an

angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to him in a dream and said,

"Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife,

because the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21She will

give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he

will save his people from their sins."

22All this happened to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through

the prophet: 23 "Look, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to

a son. And they will name him Immanuel," which means, "God with

us."

24When Joseph woke up from his sleep, he did as the angel of the

Lord had commanded him. He took Mary home as his wife, 25but he

was not intimate with her until she gave birth to her firstborn son. And

he named him Jesus.

Hymn 76 Jesus! Name of Wondrous Love

1 Jesus! Name of wondrous love,

Name all other names above,

Unto which must ev’ry knee

Bow in deep humility.

2 Jesus! Name decreed of old,

To the maiden mother told-

Kneeling in her lowly cell-

By the angel Gabriel.

3 Jesus! Name of priceless worth

To the fallen here on earth

For the promise that it gave,

“Jesus shall his people save.”

4 Jesus! Only name that’s giv’n

Under all the mighty heav’n

Whereby all, to sin enslaved,

Burst their fetters and are saved.

5 Jesus! Name of wondrous love,

Human name of God above;

Pleading only this, we, too,

Flee, O God, in faith to you.

Text: William W. How, 1823-97, abr., alt.

Sermonette

Seventh Lesson — Luke 2:8-14

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 63 Angels We Have Heard on High

1 Angels we have heard on high,

Sweetly singing o’er the plains,

And the mountains in reply,

Echoing their joyous strains.

Refrain:

Gloria in excelsis Deo; Gloria in excelsis Deo.

2 Shepherds, why this jubilee?

Why your joyous strains prolong?

What the gladsome tidings be

Which inspire your heav’nly song?

Refrain:

Gloria in excelsis Deo; Gloria in excelsis Deo.

3 Come to Bethlehem and see

Him whose birth the angels sing;

Come, adore on bended knee

Christ the Lord, the newborn King.

Refrain:

Gloria in excelsis Deo; Gloria in excelsis Deo.

Text: Nouveau recueil de cantiques, 1855; tr. The Crown of Jesus, Part 2, London, 1862, alt.

Eighth Lesson — 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 91 The Star Proclaims the King Is Here

1 The star proclaims the King is here; But, Herod, why this senseless fear?

For he who came from heaven’s throne Does not desire an earthly crown.

2 The wiser Magi saw from far And followed on his guiding star,

And, led by light, to Light they pressed And by their gifts their God confessed.

Text: Coelius Sedulius, 5th century, abr.; tr. John M. Neale, 1818-66, alt.

Ninth Lesson — 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.

Hymn 36 A Great and Mighty Wonder

1 A great and mighty wonder, A glorious mystery:

A virgin bears an infant Who veils his deity.

Refrain:

Repeat the hymn again: