Christmas Eve
**Please note this service is based on the format of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Canada. Unless otherwise indicated, all prayers come from Evangelical Lutheran Worship (ELW). Hymns and other prayers have been sourced to give appropriate credit.
**NRSV translation used for the readings, unless otherwise stated.
Opening Hymn – Glad
Tidings
Carol – O Come,
All Ye Faithful (ELW #283)
Christmas
Dialogue
Fear not for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy
which shall be to all people.
The grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all.
For unto you is born this day in the City of David, a
Saviour, Christ the Lord.
Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given.
All authority is given to Him in heaven and on earth.
And these are His names: Wonderful Counselor and Mighty God, Eternal Father and Prince of Peace.
Let all the heavenly angels sing His praises:
“Glory to God in the highest!”
Let the whole world join to swell the angels’ song:
And peace to God’s people on earth!
Carol – I Am So
Glad Each Christmas Eve (ELW #271)
Prayer of the Day
The Lord be with you.
And
also with you.
Let us pray.
Almighty God, you made this holy night shine with the
brightness of the true Light.
Grant that here on earth we may walk in the light of Jesus’
presence and in the last
day wake to the brightness of his glory; through your Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God,
now and forever.
Amen.
Carol – O
Little Town of Bethlehem (ELW #279)
The
Lesson
This poem promises deliverance from Assyrian oppression, a
hope based on the
birth of a royal child with a name full of promise. While
Judah’s king will practice
justice and righteousness, the real basis for faith lies in
God’s passion for the people:
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this!
A reading from the book of Isaiah (9:2-7)
The people
who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who
lived in a land of deep darkness—
on them light has shined.
You have
multiplied the nation,
you have increased its joy;
they
rejoice before you
as with joy at the harvest,
as people exult when dividing plunder.
For the
yoke of their burden,
and the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor,
you have broken as on the day of Midian.
For all
the boots of the tramping warriors
and all the garments rolled in blood
shall be burned as fuel for the fire.
For a
child has been born for us,
a son given to us;
authority
rests upon his shoulders;
and he is named
Wonderful
Counsellor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
His
authority shall grow continually,
and there shall be endless peace
for the
throne of David and his kingdom.
He will establish and uphold it
with
justice and with righteousness
from this time onwards and for evermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The
Christmas Gospel and Carols
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.
Glory
to you, O Lord.
In those days a decree went out from
Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first
registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to
their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in
Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended
from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom
he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time
came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped
him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a
manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
Carol – Away in
a Manger (ELW #277)
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. 10But 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.”
Carol – The
First Noel
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."
Carol – Hark!
The Herald Angels Sing (ELW #270)
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.
The gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
Carol – What
Child is This?
Sermon
May
only truth be spoken and truth heard. Amen.
The four Gospels present four
unique and yet complimentary pictures of Jesus in the way they record the birth
of Jesus: Matthew presents Jesus as the King of the Jews worthy of obedience
and worship; Luke shows a humane Savior that brings good tidings and liberation
to the poor, neglected and marginalized; Mark presents Jesus as Lord that
serves in secret and thus shows a new way, free from the fight for supremacy
and status; and finally, John presents Jesus as God, who comes as the Word
become flesh and shines in the darkness to bring a new beginning in this world.
The most well-known and the
most recited account of the birth of Jesus (especially if you’re a fan of
Charlie Brown!) belongs to the Gospel of Luke, of which we heard today. Luke’s
Gospel is an attempt to put in place an orderly account of the birth, ministry,
life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Luke wrote his Gospel primarily for a
Gentile audience and focuses on the traditionally marginalized and neglected
groups in First Century Mediterranean societies. Thus, Luke’s Gospel is full of
references to women, children, the sick, the poor and rejected people groups
like the Samaritans.
This special and caring focus
on the neglected and rejected also features in Luke’s account of the birth of
Jesus. Luke’s birth narrative is the longest out of all of the four Gospels and
gives special attention to the role of the Holy Spirit and to the women in the
story. Here the angel appears to Mary (not to Joseph as in Matthew’s Gospel)
and it is Elizabeth, and then later again Mary, that each has words of praise
and blessings recorded. Luke, in his human focus, records the “homeless” status
of Joseph and Mary in Bethlehem, the special care given to the baby Jesus as he
is born, and how a lowly feeding troth becomes a crib.
As if to further emphasize
this consistent focus of the poor and the rejected of society, the angels
appear to shepherds in Luke’s account, not to the rich, privileged and powerful
wise men in Matthew’s account. It is the ordinary shepherds that witness this
glorious event and became the first messengers of God’s peace and goodwill
towards people on earth.
The beautiful birth narrative of Jesus in Luke’s
Gospel illustrates God’s relinquishing of the divine in Jesus, born amongst the
poor and rejected, bringing good tidings of peace and goodwill to all.
So instead of
singing “happy birthday to you” as we would any other baby, to celebrate the
moment we happily join with millions of Christians around the world in remembering
the birth of our Savior by singing “Joy to the world, the Lord is come!” We
celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace with joy, and praise, and song!
And yet, despite
being in a season of joy, sometimes we see and hear only the worst of what is
around us, neglecting the simplest joys, and thinking that our times are so
much worse than those faced by people in the past. Or perhaps we have reached
the point of assuming that it's all up to us to bring the peace our hearts long
for, with God not bothering to participate at all. Can we even begin to make
everything right, without any help at all? Where are God’s caring hands in all
of this desperate search for hope?
But isn't
Christmas about God intervening in human history? Isn't Christmas about God
telling us not to give up hope after all, telling us not to believe that we are
all on our own? While we can't do it all, we can do something, and if we do
this something together, just think of the great wonders God will work.
Christmas is a
tough time for many, and we are tasked as God’s children to take the message of
hope found in Jesus and to spread our love and joy to others, now and all year
round. And there is no denying that we can’t forget the suffering of God's
children this Christmas season. This may be our biggest challenge: how do we
sing, and feel, joy when, for example, people are freezing to death in the
streets?
The world just
seems so dark and hostile. So, I wonder what this Christmas will feel like when
so much of the world seems to be in turmoil and the angel’s cry of “peace on
earth” seems like more of a wish than a blessing and we who gather to sing
carols, light our candles, and hear the Christmas story seem so very small
against the backdrop of this troubled world.
Now more than ever, it is important that we become
instruments of God's compassion and justice, and sing with our whole hearts, as
we strive to put ourselves in God's service, to participate in what God is
doing.
Think about the
angels singing that night, even though Rome had its boot heel on the throat of
the Jewish people. Those angels sang anyway because they brought tidings of
hope and of great joy. That is where we turn for help in dealing with the news
on TV and on social media, and I hope that in some small way we might become
tidings of great joy, and a word of hope, to those whom we meet each day. That
work is the kind of music, the kind of singing together, that will change the
world, and it is the melody God is calling us to join in and sing.
So, when you
leave tonight, I pray that you will take the birth of Jesus into your hearts,
and the joy and love and hope that his birth carries. In Jesus, God has brought
us the light we need to shine in the dark places, to bring hope to the
discouraged, insight to the lost, and the promise of peace for all those who
long for it. It is this vision of the world that is indeed good news of great
joy for all people.
And as a final
thought before we head off to parties or family gatherings, I want to leave you
with this thought: Through the craziness and busy-ness that has become the new
normal of the Christmas season, remember that the true meaning of Christmas is
not the presents…it is family. As you breathe in the story of the birth of
Jesus, remember that it doesn’t matter if you don’t like the present you opened
or didn’t get everything you want, it doesn’t matter that you didn’t find that
perfect gift for the special people in your life. What matters is that you are
with your family, whatever shape that might take.
Jesus was with
his family and that tiny little manger was full of hope and love. We are with
our church family tonight, and this building is full of hope and love. Now go
to your families and fill your home and theirs with hope and love.
May the hope, love, joy, and peace of the Christmas season be forever in your hearts.
In the name of the Creator, redeemer, and sanctifier. Amen.
Carol – Angels
We Have Heard on High (ELW #289)
Carol – Quiet Night, Wondrous Sight
Carol – It Came upon the Midnight Clear (ELW #282)
Litany
Of Light
The Light Shines in the Darkness
and the Darkness has not overcome it
The Word became flesh and dwelt among us
and we have beheld Christ’s glory
To us a child is born, to us a Son is given
In the Word was life, and the life as the light of the people.
Lord’s
Prayer
Gathered into one by the Holy Spirit, let us pray as Jesus
taught us.
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
God bless you and keep you,
☩ Jesus
grant you grace and truth,
and the Spirit send peace upon your hearts,
now and forever.
Amen.
Carol – Joy to
the World (ELW #267)
Dismissal
Christ the Savior is born!
Go in peace. Proclaim this good news.
Thanks be to God.
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