Hybrid Church, Christmas Eve, December 24, 2022, 7pm, Rev. Karen Hollis

Hybrid Church, Christmas Eve, December 24, 2022, 7pm, Rev. Karen Hollis

Musician: Dorothy Dittrich

Welcome and Land Acknowledgement

We acknowledge these lands upon which we worship are the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Snuneymuxw First Nation.

Whoever you are and wherever you are on life’s journey,

you are welcome here!

* please stand as you are able

Prelude: Medley of Carols

The Holly and the Ivy         Traditional       

Away in a Manger                                                                         VU #69

1Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,
the little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head.
The stars in the bright sky looked down where he lay,
the little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.

2The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes,
but little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes.
I love you, Lord Jesus; look down from the sky,
and stay by my side until morning is nigh.

3Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask you to stay
close by me for ever, and love me, I pray.
Bless all the dear children in your tender care,
and fit us for heaven, to live with you there        

Joy to the World        VU #59

1Joy to the world! the Lord is come:

let earth receive her King!

Let every heart prepare him room,

and heaven and nature sing,

and heaven and nature sing,

and heaven, and heaven and nature sing.

2Joy to the world! the Savior reigns:

let all their songs employ,

while fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains,

repeat the sounding joy,

repeat the sounding joy,

repeat, repeat the sounding joy.

3No 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 the curse is found,

far as, far as the curse is found.

4He rules the earth with truth and grace,

and makes the nations prove

the glories of his righteousness

and wonders of his love,

and wonders of his love,

and wonders, wonders of his love.     

Angels We Have Heard on High                                                  VU #38

1Angels 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!

2Shepherds, why this jubilee?

Why your joyous strains prolong?

What the gladsome tidings be

which inspire your heavenly song? [Refrain]

3Come to Bethlehem and see

Christ whose birth the angels sing;

come, adore on bended knee

Christ, the Lord, the newborn King. [Refrain]

4See him in a manger laid,

whom the choirs of angels praise;

Mary, Joseph, lend your aid,

while our hearts in love we raise. [Refrain]

Centering Stillness                                       

One:  I bring greetings in the name of the One born this night:

          May the hope, peace, joy and love of Christ be with you.

All:    And also with you.

Lighting the Christ Candle  Carol Martin & Steve Smith

Reader: Tonight, with the wreath aglow, we celebrate this night God taking on flesh and joining life in the struggle – this is what radical solidarity feels like. Lives and souls and bodies entangled. Risks and possibilities shared. We’re in this together. The mess, the beauty, the work. Don’t be afraid to feel hopeful. God’s promises are kept. God won’t opt-out or turn away. God won’t give up when things get tough. God won’t defend power, or privilege, or institutions, or tradition at the expense of freedom, or love, or liberation, or your worth. God’s with-ness is birthed at the margins. God knows what’s at stake. Let all who are weary, rejoice! All of evil’s deceptions will be revealed and fear of unjust powers will cease. The Liberating One now dwells among us, calling upon hearts from all walks of life to open . . . to take courage . . . to soften . . . to release. Behold, the Sacred enfleshed reveals the way of Love.

*Carol: O Come All Ye Faithful                                                     VU # 60   

1O come, all ye faithful,

joyful and triumphant,

O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem;

come and behold him, born the King of angels:

[Refrain:]

O come, let us adore him,

O come, let us adore him,

O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.

2God of God,

light of light,

lo, he abhors not the virgin's womb,

very God, begotten, not created: [Refrain]

3Sing, choirs of angels,

sing in exultation,

sing, all ye citizens of heaven above;

Glory to God in the highest: [Refrain]

4See, how the shepherds

summoned to his cradle,

leaving their flocks, draw nigh with lowly fear;

we too will thither bend our joyful footsteps; [Refrain]

5Yea, Lord, we greet thee,

born this happy morning;

Jesus, to thee be all glory given;

word of the Father, now in flesh appearing: [Refrain]

We Engage the Story

Lessons & Carols:

First Reading: Genesis 17:1-8 (JPS) 

When Abram was nineth-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am El Shaddai. Walk in My ways and be blameless. I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and I will make you exceedingly numerous.” Abraham threw himself on his face; and God spoke to him further, “As for Me, this is My covenant with you: You shall be the father of a multitude of nations. And you shall no longer be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I make you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fertile, and make nations of you; and kings shall come forth from you. I will maintain My covenant 

between Me and you, and your offspring to come, as an everlasting covenant throughout the ages, to be God to you and to your offspring to come. I assign the land you sojourn in to you and your offspring to come, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting holding. I will be their God.”

Song: God in Flesh Our Hope Divine                                   The Brilliance

God of heaven, Lord of earth, we beseech Thee

Born of Mary, virgin birth, Lord we greet Thee

God in flesh our hope divine, Hallelujah

Babe of heaven, God’s own son, Hallelujah

Star of David, Son of man, God be with us

Suffering servant, wounded man, bring peace to us

Broken flesh, our hope divine, Hallelujah

Lifted up for all mankind, Hallelujah

Gloria, gloria, gloria in excelsis deo (x2)

Brood of Jesse, which I’ll stand, Lord we need Thee

Banner o’er the nations, we receive Thee

Glorious resting place for all, Hallelujah

Jew and Gentile, welcome all, Hallelujah

Gloria, gloria, gloria in excelsis deo (x2)

Come Lord Jesus, people sing, we are yearning

Give us back the garden, we are longing

On that day we’ll see Thy face, Hallelujah

This whole realm in Your embrace, Hallelujah

 

Second Reading: Isaiah 9:2-7 (Robert Alter)                              

You have made great the nation

     and heightened its joy.

They rejoiced before You

     as the joy in the harvest,

as people exalt

     when they share out the spoils.

For its burdensome yoke

     the rod on its shoulders,

the club of its oppressor – 

     You smashed, as on the day of Midian.

For every boot pounding loudly

     and every cloak soaked in blood

            is consigned to burning, consumed by fire

For a child has been born to us,

     a son has been given to us,

            and leadership is on his shoulders.

And his name is called wondrous councillor,

     divine warrior, eternal father, prince of peace,

making leadership abound and peace without end

     on the throne of David and over his kingdom

to make it firm-founded and stay it up

     in justice and righteousness, forever more.

The zeal of the Lord of Armies shall do this.

     A word has the Master sent out in Jacob

            and it has fallen in Israel.

Carol: Once in Royal David’s City                                             VU #621 

1Once 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.

2He came down to earth from heaven,
who, with God is over all,
and his shelter was a stable,
and his cradle was a stall.
There among the poor and lowly
lived on earth our Saviour holy.

3For he is our lifelong pattern;
daily, when on earth he grew;
he was tempted, scorned, rejected,
tears and smiles like us he knew.
Thus he feels for all our sadness,
and he shares in all our gladness.

4And our eyes at last shall see him,
through his own redeeming love;
for that child who seemed so helpless
is our Lord in heaven above;
and he leads his children on
to the place where he is gone.

Third Reading: Luke 1:26-38 (NRSV)                                  

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, 

your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

Music: Ave Maria   by Franz Schubert

Fourth Reading: Luke 2:1-7 (The Message)                          Reader: Don Butt

About that time Caesar Augustus ordered a census to be taken throughout the Empire. This was the first census when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Everyone had to travel to his own ancestral hometown to be accounted for. So Joseph went from the Galilean town of Nazareth up to Bethlehem in Judah, David’s town, for the census. As a descendant of David, he had to go there. He went with Mary, his fiancée, who was pregnant. While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. She gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room in the hostel.

Music: What Child Is This    Lyrics by William Chatterton Dix

Fifth Reading: Luke 2:8-20 (CEV)                                        

That night in the fields near Bethlehem some shepherds were guarding their sheep. All at once an angel came down to them from the Lord, and the brightness of the Lord’s glory flashed around them. The shepherds were frightened. But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid! I have good news for you, which will make everyone happy. This very day in King David’s hometown a Savior was born for you. He is Christ the Lord. You will know who he is, because you will find him dressed in baby clothes and lying on a bed of hay.” Suddenly many other angels came down from heaven and joined in praising God. They said: “Praise God in heaven! Peace on earth to everyone who pleases God.” After the angels had left and gone back to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see what the Lord has told us about.” They hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and they saw the baby lying on a bed of hay. When the shepherds saw Jesus, they told his parents what the angel had said about him. Everyone listened and was surprised. But Mary kept thinking about all this and wondering what it meant. As the shepherds returned to their sheep, they were praising God and saying wonderful things about him. Everything they had seen and heard was just as the angel had said.

 

Carol:  It Came Upon a Midnight Clear   VU #44

1It came upon the midnight clear,

that glorious song of old,

from angels bending near the earth,

to touch their harps of gold,

"Peace on the earth, good will to all,

from heaven's all-gracious King!"

The world in solemn stillness lay

to hear the angels sing.

2Still through the cloven skies they come

with peaceful wings unfurled;

and still their heavenly music floats

o'er all the weary world;

above its sad and lowly plains

they bend on hovering wing,

and ever o'er its Babel sounds

the blessed angels sing.

3Yet with the woes of sin and strife

the world has suffered long;

beneath the angel strain have rolled

two thousand years of wrong;

and warring humankind hears not

the love song which they bring.

O hush the noise and cease your strife,

and hear the angels sing.

4For, lo! the days are hastening on,

by prophets seen of old,

when with the ever-circling years

shall come the time foretold,

when peace shall over all the earth

its ancient splendours fling,

and the whole world send back the song

which now the angels sing.

Meditation: The Christmas Story

Carol: Hark! The Herald Angels Sing                                 VU #48

1Hark! the herald angels sing ,

"Glory to the newborn King,

peace on earth, and mercy mild,

God and sinners reconciled!"

Joyful, all ye nations, rise,

join the triumph of the skies;

with the angelic hosts proclaim,

"Christ is born in Bethlehem!"

[Refrain:]

Hark! the herald angels sing,

"Glory to the newborn King!"

2Christ, by highest heaven adored,

Christ, the everlasting Lord,

late in time behold him come,

offspring of a virgin's womb.

Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;

hail the incarnate deity.

pleased with us in flesh to dwell,

Jesus, our Emmanuel! [Refrain]

3Hail, the heaven-born Prince of Peace!

Hail, the Sun of Righteousness!

Light and life to all he brings,

risen 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. [Refrain]

Prayers of the People   Rev. Karen Hollis

One: God Emmanuel

All:    Hear Our Prayer

Lord’s Prayer           VU p.959

Our Father in heaven, 

hallowed be your name, 

your kingdom come, 

your will be done, 

on earth as in heaven. 

Give us today our daily bread. 

Forgive us our sins 

as we forgive those who sin against us. 

Save us from the time of trial, 

and deliver us from evil. 

For the kingdom and the power, 

and glory are yours now and forever.  

Amen

We Respond to God’s Love

 

Invitation for Offering

God takes on flesh and joins life in the joy and the struggle – this is what radical solidarity feels like. Lives and souls and bodies entangled. Risks and possibilities shared. We’re together in this beautiful and messy life. On this Christmas night, let us offer our gifts as an expression of our togetherness.

Mission & Service-United Church           Primate’s World Relief Fund

1-800-268-3781 ext. 2738                       1-866-308-7973

https://united-church.ca/donate                https://pwrdf.org/give-today/

                                          

*Offering Prayer

With these gifts, loving God, accept the praise and thanksgiving of our hearts, which rejoice in your goodness and love. Let our gifts point to your presence in the world, and further your dream for the world through Jesus, Emmanuel, God-with-us. Amen.

Candle-lighting 

You’re invited to light and hold a candle (perhaps the Christ candle from your wreath) while we sing together Silent Night.  

Carol: Silent Night v.1, 2  VU # 67   

1Silent 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.

Instrumental

2 Silent night! Holy night!

Shepherds quake at the sight:

glories stream from heaven afar,

heavenly hosts sing Hallelujah,

Christ the Saviour is born,

Christ the Saviour is born,

Blessing

May the light that enlivens all the world, the light that darkness cannot overcome, 

love’s pure light in Jesus the Christ, shine on you and in our world this night. Amen

Postlude: O Holy Night -   by Adolphe Adam