WELCOME AND CALL TO WORSHIP

JOHN 1:1-14

¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. ⁴ In him was life, and the life was the light of men. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

⁶ There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. ⁸ He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

⁹ The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. ¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. ¹¹ He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. ¹² But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, ¹³ who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

¹⁴ And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

LO, HOW A ROSE E’ER BLOOMING

Lo, how a Rose e’er blooming
From tender stem hath sprung!
Of Jesse’s lineage coming
As men of old have sung.
It came, a flower bright,
Amid the cold of winter
When half-spent was the night.

Isaiah ’twas foretold it,
The Rose I have in mind:
With Mary we behold it,
The virgin mother kind.
To show God’s love aright
She bore to men a Savior
When half-spent was the night.

O Flower, whose fragrance tender
With sweetness fills the air,
Dispels with glorious splendor
The darkness everywhere.
True man, yet very God,
From sin and death now saves us
And share our every load.

WORDS: THEODORE BAKER, 15TH CENT.; MUSIC: MICHAEL PRAETORIUS, 1571; PD; CCLI LICENSE #11029770

BEGIN AND NEVER CEASE (MVMT II)

While shepherds watched their flocks by night
all seated on the ground,
The angel of the Lord came down and glory shone around!

“Fear not!” said he, for mighty dread
had seized their troubled minds,
“Glad tidings of great joy I bring, to you and all mankind,
to you and all mankind!”

O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy,
O tidings of comfort and joy!

“To you, in David’s town this day, is born of David’s line,
The Savior, who is Christ the Lord, and this shall be the sign:

The Heavenly Babe you there shall find
to human view displayed,
And meanly wrapped in swaddling bands, and in a manger laid.”

O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy,
O tidings of comfort and joy!
O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy,
O tidings of comfort and joy!

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel! Born is the King of Israel!
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel! Born is the King of Israel!
Born is the King of Israel! Born is the King of Israel!

O come, let us adore him; O come, let us adore him;
O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord!
O come, let us adore him; O come, let us adore him;
O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord!
O come, let us adore him; O come, let us adore him;
O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord!

“All glory be to God on high, And to the earth be peace!
Good will henceforth from God to man:
Begin and never cease, begin and never cease,
Begin and never cease!”

WORDS: VERSES BY EDITH SANFORD TILLOTSON AND NAHUM TATE (1700); CHORUS FROM “GOD REST, YE MERRY GENTLEMEN” AN ENGLISH CAROL (18TH CENT.); 2ND BRIDGE FROM “O COME, ALL YE FAITHFUL” ATTRIB. JOHN FRANCIS WADE, TRANS. FREDERICK OAKELEY; MUSIC: VERSES BY THE OH HELLOS; 2ND BRIDGE ATTRIBUTED TO JOHN FRANCIS WADE; © 2013 THE OH HELLOS; CCLI LICENSE #11029770

ISAIAH 11:1-9

1 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
    and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
2 And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him,
    the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
    the Spirit of counsel and might,
    the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
    or decide disputes by what his ears hear,
4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
    and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
    and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
5 Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,
    and faithfulness the belt of his loins.

6 The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
    and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together;
    and a little child shall lead them.
7 The cow and the bear shall graze;
    their young shall lie down together;
    and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra,
    and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den.
9 They shall not hurt or destroy
    in all my holy mountain;
for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD
    as the waters cover the sea.

ANGELS WE HAVE HEARD ON HIGH

Angels we have heard on high, sweetly singing o’er the plains,
And the mountains in reply echo back their joyous strains!

Shepherds, why this jubilee? Why your joyous strains prolong?
Say what may the tidings be, which inspire your heav’nly song?

Gloria in excelsis Deo!

Come to Bethlehem and see him whose birth the angels sing;
Come, adore on bended knee Christ the Lord, the newborn King!

Gloria in excelsis Deo! Gloria in excelsis Deo!

See him in a manger laid, Jesus, Lord of heaven and earth!
Mary, Joseph, lend your aid; with us sing our Savior’s birth.

Gloria in excelsis Deo! Gloria in excelsis Deo!

WORDS/MUSIC: TRADITIONAL FRENCH CAROL, 18TH CENT.; TRANS. JAMES CHADWICK, 1862; ADAPT. HENRI HEMY, 1862; ARR. MICHAEL VAN PATTER; CCLI LICENSE #11029770

GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN

Go tell it on the mountain, Over the hills, and everywhere!
Go tell it on the mountain, That Jesus Christ is born!

While shepherds kept their watching
O’er silent flocks by night,
Behold! throughout the heavens,
There shone a holy light!

Go tell it on the mountain, Over the hills, and everywhere!
Go tell it on the mountain, That Jesus Christ is born!

The shepherds feared and trembled
When lo! above the earth,
Rang out the angels chorus
That hailed the Savior’s birth!

Go tell it on the mountain, Over the hills, and everywhere!
Go tell it on the mountain, That Jesus Christ is born!

Down in a lowly manger
The humble Christ was born,
And God sent us salvation
That blessed Christmas morn!

Go tell it on the mountain, Over the hills, and everywhere!
Go tell it on the mountain, That Jesus Christ is born!

WORDS & MUSIC: JOHN W. WORK, 1901; ARR. WILL MILKS; PD; CCLI LICENSE #11029770

COLOSSIANS 1:15-20

¹⁵ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. ¹⁶ For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. ¹⁷ And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. ¹⁹ For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, ²⁰ and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

HARK! THE HERALD ANGELS SING

Hark! 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 angelic host proclaim:
“Christ is born in Bethlehem!”
Hark! The herald angels sing:
“Glory to the newborn King!”

Christ, by highest heav’n adored;
Christ, the everlasting Lord!
Late in time, behold him come––
Offspring of the virgin’s womb.
Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see;
Hail the incarnate Deity!
Pleased as man with men to dwell:
Jesus, our Emmanuel!
Hark! The herald angels sing:
“Glory to the newborn King!”

Hail the heav’n born Prince of Peace;
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings––
Ris’n with healing in his wings!
Mild he lays his glory by:
Born that man no more may die;
Born to raise the sons of earth;
Born to give them second birth!
Hark! The herald angels sing:
“Glory to the newborn King!”

WORDS: CHARLES WESLEY, 1793; MUSIC: FELIX MENDELSSOHN, 1840; PD; CCLI LICENSE #11029770

WHAT CHILD IS THIS?

What child is this who, laid to rest
on Mary’s lap, is sleeping;
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,
while shepherds watch are keeping?

This, this is Christ the King,
whom shepherds guard and angels sing:
Haste, haste to bring him laud,
the babe, the son of Mary.

Why lies he in such mean estate,
where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christian, fear, for sinners, here,
the silent Word is pleading!

Nails, spear shall pierce him through;
the cross be borne for me, for you!
Hail, hail the Word made flesh,
the babe, the son of Mary!

So bring him incense, gold, and myrrh;
come, peasant, king, to own him;
The King of kings salvation brings,
let loving hearts enthrone him.

Raise, raise the song on high,
the virgin sings her lullaby:
“Joy, joy for Christ is born!”
The babe, the son of Mary.

WORDS/MUSIC: WILLIAM CHATTERTON DIX, 1866; PD; CCLI LICENSE #11029770

HOMILY

LUKE 2:1-21

¹ In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. ² This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. ³ And all went to be registered, each to his own town. ⁴ And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, ⁵ to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. ⁶ And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. ⁷ And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

⁸ And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. ¹⁰ And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹ For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹² And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” ¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

¹⁵ 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.” ¹⁶ And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. ¹⁷ And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. ¹⁸ And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. ²⁰ And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

²¹ And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

LET ALL MORTAL FLESH KEEP SILENCE

Let all mortal flesh keep silence, And with fear and trembling stand.
Ponder nothing earthly minded, For with blessing in his hand,
Christ our God to earth descendeth; Our full homage to demand!

King of kings, yet born of Mary; As of old on earth he stood.
Lord of lords, in human vesture; In the body and the blood.
He will give to all the faithful; His own self for heav’nly food.

Rank on rank the host of heaven Spreads its vanguard on the way,
As the Light of light descendeth From the realms of endless day,
That the pow’rs of hell may vanish! As the darkness clears away!

At his feet the six winged seraph––Cherubim with sleepless eye––
Veil their faces to the presence, As with ceaseless voice they cry:
“Hallelujah, hallelujah,Hallelujah, Lord Most High!”

WORDS/MUSIC: GERARD MOULTRIE, 1864; PD; CCLI LICENSE #11029770

COME, THOU LONG-EXPECTED JESUS

Come, thou, long-expected Jesus; born to set thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us; let us find our rest in thee.
Israel’s strength and consolation, hope of all the earth thou art,
Dear Desire of every nation, Joy of every longing heart.

Joy to those who long to see thee, Dayspring from on high, appear;
Come, thou promised Rod of Jesse; of thy birth we long to hear!
O’er the hills the angels singing news, glad tidings of a birth:
“Go to him, your praises bringing;
Christ the Lord has come to earth!”

Come to earth to taste our sadness, he whose glories knew no end;
By his life he brings us gladness, our Redeemer, Shepherd, Friend.
Leaving riches without number, born within a cattle stall;
This the everlasting wonder: Christ was born the Lord of all!

Born thy people to deliver, born a child and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever, now thy gracious Kingdom bring:
By thine own eternal Spirit rule in all our hearts alone,
By thine all-sufficient merit raise us to thy glorious throne.

WORDS: VV. 1, 4, CHARLES WESLEY, 1744.; VV. 2-3, MARK E. HUNT, 1978; MUSIC: ROWLAND HUGH PRITCHARD, 1830; CCLI LICENSE #11029770

BENEDICTION