Introit “The First Noel, the Angels Did Say” - Sarah Park
Welcome - Rev. Chad Delaney
Merry Christmas! Thanks be to God we have gathered together as the Mantua Center Christian Church for Christmas Eve…thank you for being a part of continuing this tradition and inviting others to join us. 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. Also, we do have spillover downstairs. Kids got a magna doodle. I also have pillows.
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 and prayers written by Rev. Sarah R Speed of Sanctified Art.
As we gather to hear the story, we also try to pan out to see the big picture of what God is doing in the world.
Jesus was born into a world that loves to turn people away—a world with shut doors and closed hearts. A world that loves to say, “There’s no room for you here.” But…the church should be different. Christians ought to be ones to make more room. After all, Jesus spent his life making room. He made room for tax collectors and outcasts. He welcomed little children. He made room for 5,000 people to sit down and eat together. He called women and men into ministry. He made room for Samaritans, Jews and Gentiles. He made room for the sick, for the outcast, for the unclean. Jesus was always pulling up a seat, saving space, making room for people, and he has made room for each of us. You are welcome here.
How does a weary world rejoice?
When we acknowledge our weariness
When we find joy in connection with one another
When we allow ourselves to be amazed
When we sing and share stories of hope
When we MAKE ROOM for each other.
So on this Night of Nights…come with your faith and your doubt.
Come with your questions and your hopes.
Come with your grief and your love.
Come with your weariness and your joy.
Just come, because there is room for you here.
Let us stand and sing!
*Carol O Come, All Ye Faithful #148,v.1-2,4
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]
4 Yea, Lord, we greet thee, born for our salvation,
Jesus, to thee be all glory given; Word of the Father,
now in flesh appearing: [Refrain]
THE CHRIST CANDLE - Rev. Chad Delaney
Throughout the season of Advent we have lit candles. Candles of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love.
The great Howard Thurman wrote:
"I will light candles this Christmas.
Candles of joy, despite all the sadness.
Candles of hope where despair keeps watch.
Candles of courage where fear is ever present.
Candles of peace for tempest-tossed days.
Candles of grace to ease heavy burdens.
Candles of love to inspire all of my living.
Candles that will burn all the year long. "
Tonight we light the Christ candle praying it will burn within each of us all year long. Will you join me in the candle lighting litany?
ONE: How does a weary world hold onto hope,
practice peace, spread joy, or know love?
ALL: How does a weary world combat cruelty?
ONE: How does a weary world shine a light into our bleakest night?
ALL: We do all these things with God’s help. For tonight, a child is
born in Bethlehem.
ONE: Tonight, Christ draws near.
ALL: Tonight, we light the Christ Candle.
ONE: Tonight, we are not alone.
ALL: God is near. Love has drawn close. Rejoice!
For God loves this weary world. Amen.
Special Music: Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming - The Linds
I. Hope: We acknowledge our weariness
Scripture Psalm 130:1-7 Katie Baird
1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.
2 Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my supplications!
3 If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand?
4 But there is forgiveness with you,
so that you may be revered.
5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope;
6 my soul waits for the Lord
more than those who watch for the morning,
more than those who watch for the morning.
7 O Israel, hope in the Lord!
For with the Lord there is steadfast love,
and with him is great power to redeem.
Poetry Wade In
Over time
wind and water will sand down the edges of a stone.
For humans, our wind and water is the grief of the world.
Stay here long enough and pieces of you
will be pressed upon by life’s never-ending stream.
It’s enough to make you weary.
It’s enough to make you question.
It’s enough to make you quiet.
And yet, the stream continues.
So do not be afraid to stand in that water.
Wade in. Soak the hem of your jeans.
Drip wet footprints through every room in your house.
Let the water stains tell your story.
And when your body grows weary of swimming,
name the stream.
Acknowledge your weariness.
For eventually, you will pick flowers from the opposite bank.
And over and over again, we’ll tell this story.
And over and over again,
a weary world will rejoice.
Anthem - “On this Still & Silent Night” - MCCC Choir
II. Peace: We find joy in connection
Scripture Luke 1:26-40 - Sandi Kossick
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, 27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. 28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”
29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. 30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 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. 33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”
34 Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”
35 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. 36 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. 37 For the word of God will never fail.”
38 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.39 In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, 40where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
Poetry Lessons in Connection
It’s been a long day,
long enough to complain,
long enough to wine and dine my disappointment,
to give weariness keys to the house.
But then you get the giggles
dancing with the dog in the kitchen.
Paws-sliding, tail-wagging, side-cramping giggles.
I can hear it from across the house.
Your joy burrows its way through the cracks in my armor
and then we are both laughing,
gulping for joyous, electric air.
And that’s when I know—
if you grab my hand,
if you ask me to dance,
if our weary human souls can make room for connection,
then we will survive.
Joy will take root.
Love will keep her keys to the house.
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 allow ourselves to be amazed
Scripture Luke 1:46-55 - Marcia Page
46 Mary responded,
“Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.
47 How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!
48 For he took notice of his lowly servant girl,
and from now on all generations will call me blessed.
49 For the Mighty One is holy,
and he has done great things for me.
50 He shows mercy from generation to generation
to all who fear him.
51 His mighty arm has done tremendous things!
He has scattered the proud and haughty ones.
52 He has brought down princes from their thrones
and exalted the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things
and sent the rich away with empty hands.
54 He has helped his servant Israel
and remembered to be merciful.
55 For he made this promise to our ancestors,
to Abraham and his children forever.”
Poetry All the Way to Joy
We could play hard and fast,
not let anything touch us at all,
keep composure, have all the answers.
Or we could crack ourselves open and let everything in.
We could feel everything,
every touch, every marvel.
We could stand gaping at the beauty of the world,
mouths wide open (because sometimes
a mouth wide open is the very best gratitude).
We could laugh so loudly that the whole restaurant looks,
and err on the side of goofy whenever possible.
We could put our defenses down.
We could grow soft.
We could choose awe.
We could take her by the arm.
We could let her lead us all the way to joy.
Carol Joy to the World #143, v.1-3
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 sing stories of hope
Scripture Luke 2:1-6 - Oscar Russo
At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. 2 (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. 4 And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. 5 He took with him Mary, to whom he was engaged, who was now expecting a child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born.
Poetry The Sound of Hope
We’ve been singing a sad song for quite some time,
the melody syncing with our heartbeats,
the lyrics stamped to the front of our minds.
You say, sad songs are honest.
It’s hard to disagree,
for sad songs tap us on the shoulder.
Sad songs remind us of the 100 different corners heartbreak could be behind.
But I don’t have it in me to sing a sad song forever.
So despite the news,
despite the aches in my body,
despite the phone call last night that says she’s waiting for the test results,
despite yesterday’s shooting,
despite the unknown and unchanged,
I am going to sing a song of hope.
Like a canary in a snowstorm,
I don’t need another song of what is;
I need a song of what could be.
So sing with me.
Our voices may get drowned out by the wind,
but surely someone will ask:
Was that a flash of yellow in the snow?
Was that the sound of hope?
Special Music - “O Holy Night” - Ally & Jon Bozeka
V. Christ is Born: We make room
Spread the Light around the Sanctuary
Scripture Luke 2:7-14 - Wanda Hoffman
7 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.
8 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—
praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in highest heaven,
and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”
Christmas Eve Prayer Rev. Chad Delaney
Holy God,
We have been waiting a long time for this night—
for the joy and the quiet of Christmas Eve,
for the sound of the angel chorus, for the old familiar songs.
We have carried weary hearts through the last four weeks of Advent,
longing for the peace and hope of this night, and now we’re finally here.
So tonight God, we say thank you for the things in our lives that spark joy:
Thank you for the gift of family recipes and crowded tables.
Thank you for infusing this season with practices of generosity.
Thank you for the bells, and the songs, and the candles in the windows.
Thank you for the children who squeal with joy,
and the neighbors who drop off cookies.
Thank you for every ounce of beauty that marks this season; it has made it possible for us to join our voices with the angel chorus.
We also still bring our weary and worried hearts to you tonight. Because many have an empty seat at the table this year. Many will celebrate Christmas from a hospital room. Many have crunched numbers over and over again to see if they could afford a gift. For far too many, the holidays are a reminder that the world is still not as it should be.
So in between our joy and our weariness, God, we ask that you would make room within us. Pour yourself into the cracks of our hearts. Bind yourself to our good days and our bad days. Carve out space for your love in the center of our beings so that no matter where we go we might trust the angels' song when they say, “Be not afraid,” and, “Joy to the world!” Until then, until the day when joy overpowers all weariness, we place our trust in you believing that you are always with us. In Jesus Name we pray, Amen.
LIGHT THE CANDLES
Scripture Reading
John 1:1-5, 14 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.
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.
May Christ’s light shine in you now and always.
Merry Christmas and Go in Peace! Amen
Postlude “Joy to the World” Sarah Park
Thank you to our readers this evening
Thank you for those offering the gift of music