St. Mark’s United Church: Port Hawkesbury
Minister: Barb MacNaughton (902-302-5832)
Pianist: Adam Cooke
Office Administrator: Jane MacKinnnon
Ministry: The Whole Congregation
December 24th, 2021 ~ Christmas Eve ~ Year C
For unto you is born this day in the city of David,
a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2: 11)
In this season of expectant waiting,
we have held hope in our hands
Hope that in the vulnerable infant Jesus is our promise for transformation.
(The candle of Hope is lit)
Hope leads us to pray for peace, acting peacefully to cultivate harmony in all our relations.
In that peace, we find the Prince of Peace.
(The candle of Peace is lit)
Peace transforms into joyful celebration: walls torn down, chasms filled, barriers levelled, valleys bridged.
Joy inspires us to dance with abandon.
(The candle of Joy is lit)
Joy embraced fosters love that makes all things new
and, in that newness, we discover the deep meaning of love shared.
(The candle of Love is lit)
Love self-given through self-emptying, through humility,
shows us the Christ, still completely vulnerable, yet filled with promise.
(The Christ candle is lit)
♫ Carol: O Come All Ye Faithful VU 60
Gathering Words:
The night of magic and mystery has arrived. The time of the birth of the Christ child is upon us.
Our long wait has ended; Christ is born in Bethlehem.
We gather as people seeking the light of Christ’s birth in our lives. We gather as individuals, couples, or families.
Our long wait has ended; Christ is born in Bethlehem.
We focus on the manger scene – a source of hope, peace, joy, and love for the entire world and all who live in it.
Our long wait has ended; Christ is born in Bethlehem.
Our long wait has ended; Christ is born in Bethlehem
With gratitude, we come to worship God.
Opening Prayer:
Gracious God, on this holy night, comes the song of your promise. A young woman will conceive and bear a child, and he shall be called Emmanuel, God-with-us. This is the night of radiance and of joy; this is the night of the singing of the angels. Shine on us, O light, in the darkness of our world; sing, O angels, in the stillness of our hearts. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace and good will among all. Amen.
♫ Carol: Go, Tell it on the Mountain VU 43
The First Lesson: Isaiah 9: 2, 6-7
♫ Carol: Once in Royal David’s City VU 62 vs 1&2
The Second Lesson: Luke 1: 26-35
♫ Carol: Hark! the Herald Angels Sing VU 48
The Third Lesson: Luke 2: 1-7
♫ Carol: O Little Town of Bethlehem VU 64 vs 1&2
The fourth Lesson: Luke 2: 8-16
♫ Carol: While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks VU 75 vs1-3
Christmas Message
♫ Offertory Hymn
What can I give him, poor as I am
If I were a Shepherd, I would bring a lamb
If I were a wise man, I would do my part, yet
What I can I give him – give my heart.
Offering Prayer:
We give thanks for Jesus, the one born in a manger in Bethlehem, the one who brings peace and good news, the one who came to show us the way. May this offering we bring in response to this good news, be blessed and used to help bring about the kingdom of God in this place. Amen
Christmas Communion
♫ Communion Carol:
Angels from the realms of glory,
wing your flight o’er all the earth;
ye who sang creation’s story,
now proclaim Messiah’s birth:
Come and worship, come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn King.
Sages, leave your contemplations;
brighter visions beam afar;
seek the great desire of nations;
ye have seen his natal star:
Come and worship, come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn King.
All who come with hearts confessing
Thus approach his table now.
Let us, with the Saviour’s blessing,
in his presence humble bow.
Come and worship, come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn King.
As we come to this table we are reminded that this is not the table of St. Mark’s United Church nor is it the table of the United Church of Canada or any particular denomination, it is the table of Jesus Christ, the family feast for the whole people of God. All who seek to be nourished and sustained in the journey of faith and long to live justly and in peace with your neighbour are welcome here. Let us eat and drink together for our strengthening in the faith, and for the sake of the world.
As Christians we rejoice in the birth of Jesus. In him we see the fullness of human possibility: to make God visible in our lives. In him, we have seen the Ultimate Reality, God, Breath of Life, Wisdom, come to expression in human form.
Like all of us he grew in wisdom as he aged. He questioned, he searched for meaning, he shaped his convictions, he experienced love and came to know love’s connectedness with his God.
He stood firmly in his own religious tradition and preached good news to all people dreaming of a better humanity.
We rejoice that Jesus led people to discover the sacred in the ordinary: in the crowd, in the lowly, in everyday life, in human yearnings to be better people, and in being neighbour to one another.
We rejoice that his teachings set us free to believe that we live in God and that God lives and comes to wonderful expression in us.
We are thankful for Jesus’ courage in the face of opposition and powerful influences wanting to silence him.
We remember the night before he died when he shared a meal with his friends. He took bread, honouring the God of faithful presence in the ordinary and in the ups and downs of life. He gave thanks for all the blessings in his life and shared the bread with his friends, and asked them to gather in memory of him and to live in a covenant of love with their God. We break bread as Jesus broke bread, mindful of the call to love generously and faithfully, whatever the cost. We share this bread giving our “Amen” to love as Jesus loved.
We take wine, mindful of our responsibility to be bearers of forgiveness, tolerance and understanding. We share committing ourselves to allow the Spirit of generosity that moved so boldly in Jesus to move in our lives. To this commitment we give our Amen and offer it as our Christmas gift to our family and friends and neighbours.
We acknowledge the Spirit with us as we share these gifts which symbolize for us our call to be the body of Christ: light, life and love in the world. Amen
Sharing of the Bread and Cup:
The gifts of God for the people of God, come for all things are now ready.
The Bread of Life ~ The Cup of Blessing
Prayer after communion:
We give thanks for God being with us in the love of family and friends, in whatever has been, in the circumstances of life now, and in whatever the future holds for us. Our Christmas prayer is that we may recognize and actively acknowledge the presence of the sacred in the places we are reluctant to look: in the stables of our own lives; among the downtrodden in our society; in refugees; in people who are different from us. May we recognize God-in-us and give expression to this wonderful gift we all share as we come together with the prayer we know so well in our hearts… Our father…
♫ Communion Carol:
May the bread of life enfold us,
may the wine instill the love
of the Christ-child, long foretold us,
now proclaimed from heaven above.
Come and worship, come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn King.
The Lighting of the Christmas candles
♫ Carol: Silent Night (by candlelight)
Commissioning/Benediction
♫ Strathdee Amen VU 974 x3
