December 24, 2020 Worship

 

PIONEER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

Worship via Blog                 Christmas Eve             December 24, 2020

 

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“Behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”  Luke 2:10b-11

 

 

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Welcome to this blog service in celebration of the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ. I wish we could all be together for this joyful event. But take comfort in knowing that though we can’t all be together, the world together celebrates the birth of our Savior.

 

During the live worship/Zoom service tonight we will be lighting candles (the battery ones) while singing Silent Night and Joy to the World, as is our Christmas Eve custom. I invite you to have a candle ready to light and to join in the singing as we joyfully proclaim the Light the came into the world.

 

Now allow yourself a brief time of silence

as you open your hearts and feel God’s presence with you, right where you are.

 

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LIGHTING OF THE ADVENT CANDLES

        This holy night, we light five special candles.

The first four candles remind us of

God’s hope, peace, joy and love.

This holy night, our Advent journey is over and our

Christmas celebration begins.

This holy night, we light the white candle—the Christ candle. It is the most special candle of all, for

we light it to celebrate the birth of Jesus.

This holy night, the Christ child comes to us.

This holy night, let us sing with joy,

for the Lord is come!

 

HYMN:             “O Come All Ye Faithful”                        Glory #133

 

CALL TO WORSHIP

Light looked down and saw darkness.

“I will go there,” said Light.

Peace looked down and saw war.

“I will go there,” said Peace.

Love looked down and saw hatred.

“I will go there,” said Love.

So he, the Lord of Light,

The Prince of Peace,

The King of Love

Came down and crept in beside us.

 

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Eternal God whose name is Love, this is the time we remember your gentleness, hidden in a mother’s hope and in the joy of a birth. This is the time when we believe again, if only for a season, that love is stronger than fear, peace more enduring than enmity, and that the darkness will never put out the light. And so we offer to you the joy, the hopes, the dreams of children. We offer to you our gift of gratitude for we are gathering in the name of Love. Amen.

 

SCRIPTURE 1:        Isaiah 11:1-3, 6-9a

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear

of the Lord—and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.

The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious.

 

HYMN:     “Angels We Have Heard on High”           Glory #113

 

SCRIPTURE 2:  Luke 2:1-20

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be enrolled, each to his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to be delivered. And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

        And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, "Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths 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, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!"

        When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." And they went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they saw it they made known the saying which had been told them concerning this child; and all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

 

CAROL:           “Away in a Manger”                         Glory #115

SERMON:                “God with Us”                  Rev. Jean Hurst

HYMN:     “Hark the Herald Angels Sing”                 Glory #119

 

PRAYER

        O God, whose love blesses and unites us in every place and time, we come before you with hearts gladdened by this holy season, its lights, its colors, and, most especially, its message of peace and good will to all.

        In the birth of Jesus, you have given our weary and struggling world reason to rejoice. In the cry of an infant, you have given hope to all who cry. By the light of a star, you have helped us find our way again.

        We thank you, good and generous God, that in Jesus the Christ, you have made yourself known and have beckoned us to join you in the continual creation of a world where wolf and lamb shall dwell together and justice will roll down like waters.

        Create in us, O God, hearts devoted to shaping that world and bless especially those for whom such a world seems only a distant dream—the poor, the imprisoned, the ill, the lonely, the despised. Open our hearts, Spirit of Life, to the news of angels and the wonder of shepherds that these days may renew us for the days to come.

        Grant, to your glory, that those whose lives we touch may hear in our words and see in our lives that truly you are merciful and gracious and abounding in steadfast love! These things we ask, trusting in your care for us today and always. Amen

 

CANDLE LIGHTING:

Jesus was the light that came into a world of darkness. As John’s Gospel declares, the darkness was not able to overcome it. We are now light bearers in Jesus’ name. As we light our candles, we proclaim the light of Jesus and the good news of his kingdom.     

 

CAROL:           “Silent Night”                                       Glory #122

 

CAROL:           “Joy to the World”                                Glory #134

 

PRAYER AND BENEDICTION

 

I want to share with you an old Jewish prayer. It’s a reminder to us of the miracles that are all around us if we would open our eyes to see them and open our hearts to receive them. This is a season of miracles. Let us pray:

 

Days pass and the years vanish and we walk sightless among miracles. Lord, fill our eyes with seeing and our minds with knowing. Let there be moments when your Presence, like lightning, illumines the darkness in which we walk. Help us to see, wherever we gaze, that the bush burns, unconsumed.  And we, clay touched by God, will reach out for holiness and exclaim in wonder, “How filled with awe is this place and we did not know it.” Amen.

 

May you be exceedingly blessed in this holy time. May your hearts hear the song of angels, may you be delighted by the wonder of the season. May the coming year be filled with peace and hope. As you go, may your hearts be lighter as you carry the light of the Lord with you.