Carol Sing at 6:45pm
Introit - “The First Noel” - MCCC Choir
Merry Christmas! Over many generations we have gathered together as the Mantua Center Christian Church for Christmas Eve…thank you for being a part of continuing that tradition. We are blessed to have all of you here with us tonight to hear the Story in word and music.
Please make sure that you have a candle to light later in the service and feel free to follow along in the bulletin for the scriptures and songs we will sing.
I want, also, to take a moment to give thanks for all those on-call tonight---nurses, doctors, and caregivers, service men and women, first responders...all those who may rather be with their family tonight but serving our communities.
We are blessed tonight to hear words of scripture and also poetry written by Rev. Sarah Are Speed of Sanctified Art.
The great poet, author, and preacher Frederick Buechner once said,
“In the silence of a midwinter dusk, there is a sound so faint that for all you can tell it may be only the sound of the silence itself. You hold your breath to listen. You are aware of the beating of your heart. The extraordinary thing that is about to happen is matched only by the extraordinary moment just before it happens. Advent is the name of that moment.”
Tonight, our waiting, our yearning, our Advent draws to a close as we celebrate the birth of the one we await! Let us stand and sing!
CAROL - O Come, All Ye Faithful
1. O 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!
2. Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation,
sing, all ye citizens of heaven above!
Glory to God, all glory in the highest; [Refrain]
THE CHRIST CANDLE
Delaney Calapa, Aspen Baynes, Ryan Lind, Roger Hurd
In Advent this year, we shared in the theme From Generation to Generation. We have recognized the sacred call that we have to continue the legacy of those who have gone before us to share the story of Christ. We have heard from all the generations about Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. What each means to them. Tonight we remember that we are the ones now who will tell the story. Not only the story of Christ, but our own stories of life and faith. As we light the candle this Special Night we each bring our own story…
Over a hundred people, from the ages of two to 100 years old, were surveyed and asked to fill in the blank for the statement: “My story is. . . ” So from those voices of different generations, let’s hear their answers. My story is…..
My story is…..
Aspen: Amazing!
Laney: Just beginning.
Ryan: A wee bit messy, with lots of love.
Roger: Privileged.
Aspen: Hopeful.
Laney: Full of silliness.
Ryan: Still unfolding.
Roger: Long, but good.
Aspen: One of resilience.
Laney: Incomplete, thank goodness.
Ryan: Multilingual.
Roger: A work in progress.
Aspen: My story is not just mine, it’s tied to yours.
Ryan: Tonight we tell the story that we tell every year—the story of Christ’s birth, the story of love made flesh. It’s a story that weaves through every generation. It’s a story that picks up the bits and pieces of our narrative and braids us together.
Laney lights the Christ Candle
Roger: So tonight we light the Christ candle, because from generation to generation, our story belongs to God. Thanks be to God for a love like that. Amen.
SPECIAL MUSIC - O Come, O Come Emmanuel - The Linds
I. Hope: There’s Room for Every Story
Scripture Isaiah 11:1-2, 6 - Delaney Calapa
Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot—yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root. And the 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.
In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together;
the leopard will lie down with the baby goat.
The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion,
and a little child will lead them all.
Poetry: Room by Sarah R. Speed I asked God— what about my fingernail-biting habit or the way I leave all the cabinets open in the kitchen? What about the way I can be dramatic, drumming up a fight, only to hand out apologies like souvenirs? What about the way I second-guess myself, let shame drive, or stay quiet when I have something to say? What about the way I chase accomplishments like a dog with a bone? What about the doubt, or the fact that I’m terrible at prayer and cannot help but yawn during church? What about What about What about? My baggage might be too big for the van. But then God called me by my first and middle name, which always means business, and said: Who told you that you were too much? Sugar, there is so much room for you here. So that’s when I grabbed a seat and we hit the road and I knew right then that the rumors were true. There is room. There is room. There is room.
Anthem “A Child is Born” MCCC Choir
II. Peace: God Meets us in our Fear
Scripture Luke 1:26-38 - Aspen Baynes
In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!” Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!” Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.” The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. For the word of God will never fail.” Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.
Poetry: Love Comes Running I remember the first time I was afraid. I was a little child. It was a nightmare. I remember minutes felt like hours. I begged the sun to rise. (Fear always begs the sun to rise.) Eventually, after minutes that felt like hours, I cried out. My dad came running. He sat at the edge of my bed. He said there is no reason to be afraid. He checked the closet and the floorboards. He rearranged my pillows. He said, “I can stay.” And that’s when I learned that when you are afraid, love always comes running. Love says, “I can stay.” That’s what God does for us. God sits at the edge of the bed. God checks the closet and the floorboards. God says, “Be not afraid.” God stays until sunrise. Love always comes running.
Carol - Away in a Manger #147
1 Away in a manger, no crib for a bed, the little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head.
The stars in the sky looked down where he lay, the little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.
2 The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes, but little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes.
I love thee, Lord Jesus! Look down from the sky, and stay by my cradle till morning is nigh.
3 Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask thee to stay close by me for ever, and love me, I pray.
Bless all the dear children in thy tender care, and fit us for heaven, to live with thee there.
III. Joy: We Can Choose a Better Way
Scripture - Matthew 1:18-23 - Ryan Lind
This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly. As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet: “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”
Poetry Everywhere and Always Right here. That’s where God is. In the sun that turns our bedroom gold, in the creaks of this old house, and in birthday candles on the cake; in clean sheets, sock feet, and porch-sitting; in pancakes for breakfast and pancakes for dinner; in the swell of a lit candle, in fireplace conversations; in your grandmother’s carrot cake, and the smell of evergreen. God is in the seed-starters on the porch, and the space between my bones; in garlic butter, early mornings, and twinkle lights. Certainly in dancing and laughing, in cups of coffee, in the art hung on the fridge, snail mail, long phone calls, and oh how I love yous. God is right here. God pulled up a seat. God has traveled all the way to the heart. Tell the next generation.
Carol - Joy to the World #143
Joy 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.
Joy 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.
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 of his love, and wonders, wonders of his love.
IV. Love: We See God in Each Other
Scripture Luke 2:6-15 - Roger Hurd
And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them. That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the host of heaven—praising God and saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
Poetry: Every Year My heart and I have an agreement. Every year we show up here—here in the sanctuary, here with the candles and the tall ceilings, here with the creaky church pews and the songs of silent nights. My heart and I have an agreement. Every year we show up here—at the end of the year, after another 12 months of humanity, of me trying to keep it all together, trying to keep my head above water, trying to keep up appearances. Every year we show up here. We drop it all. We leave it at the door. We come into this space and I could swear it feels different. Maybe it’s God. Maybe it’s hope. Maybe it’s love. But whatever it is, I need it every year, so we show up here. Tell us again the story of tonight. My heart needs it.
Special Music “O Holy Night” Ally & Jon Bozeka
V. Christ is Born: We Tell the Story
Spread the Light around the Sanctuary
SCRIPTURE John 1:1-5, 14 - Calvin Brant
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 4in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. 5The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
14 And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.
Christmas Eve Prayer - Rev. Chad Delaney
Author of our lives, from Generation to Generation we have come into this place…we admit that there is something so wonderful about this night:
the glow of the candlelight, and the familiar carols,
the kids that are wound tight with contagious, joyful energy,
the feeling that something extraordinary might be within reach.
Joy and hope are in the air—so thick we could almost bottle it up.
But we don’t want to bottle up this feeling; we want to share it.
We want to share the joy of this night with those in need all around us:
with the tired and lonely, with the seeking and wondering, with the hurting and grieving.
We don’t want to bottle up the magic of this night; we want to share it.
We want to pour your good news all over this community so that generations from now, people will not only gather here as a church, but more importantly that people will know the story of Christ coming, of Emmanuel “God with us.” May we share and experience that Good News in the world. In Christ’s Name we Pray, Amen.
Carol - Silent Night #145, v.1-3
Silent 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.
Silent night, holy night. shepherds quake at the sight,
glories stream from heaven afar, heavenly hosts sing alleluia;
Christ, the Savior is born, Christ, the Savior is born!
Silent night, holy night. Son of God, love's pure light,
radiant beams from thy holy face, with the dawn of redeeming grace:
Jesus, Lord at thy birth, Jesus, Lord at thy birth.
BENEDICTION
God’s Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love be with all of you.
Merry Christmas and Go in Peace! Amen
POSTLUDE - Sarah Park
Thank you to our readers this evening:
Delaney Calapa, Aspen Baynes, Ryan Lind, Roger Hurd, and Calvin Brant
Thank you for those offering the gift of music:
Ryan & Karly Lind, Ally & Jon Bozeka, MCCC Choir, and Sarah Park