GIBSON MEMORIAL UNITED CHURCH

FREDERICTON, N.B.

December 24, 2011                    8:00 p.m.                  Christmas Eve

Communion Service

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WE GATHER FOR WORSHIP

*denotes standing for those who are able

PRELUDE             WELCOME                     ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

WE APPROACH GOD

*GREETING and CALL TO WORSHIP:  

Do not be afraid! I bring you good news.

We who are poor and poor in spirit.

Take heart, Jesus Christ is born today.

We who falter under worldly rulers.

Take heart, a new ruler has come.

We who long for peace.

Take heart, the prince of peace has come.

We who yearn to be close to God

Take heart,

Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us.

Do not be afraid,

this good news is for all the earth

Lift up your hearts and sing with joy!

Jesus Christ is born!

 

*OPENING HYMN: “Angels from the Realms of Glory”      36 by Sissel and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir

 

1        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.

 

2        Shepherds in the field abiding,

          watching o'er your flocks by night,

          God with us is now residing,

          yonder shines the infant Light:  R

2

 

3        Sages, leave your contemplations;

          brighter visions beam afar;

          seek the great desire of nations;

          ye have seen his natal star:  R

 

4        Saints before the altar bending,

          watching long in hope and fear,

          suddenly the Lord, descending,

          in his temple shall appear:  R

 

PRAYER:       “A Christmas Prayer”                                    VU 39

Generous God, you gave your only-begotten Son

            to take our nature upon him,

            and be born of your chosen one, Mary.

Grant that we, who have been born again

            and made your children by adoption and grace,

            may daily be renewed by your Holy Spirit;

through our Saviour Jesus Christ,

            who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

            one God now and forever. Amen.

 

WE LISTEN FOR GOD’S WORDS

 

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS:       John 1:1-14

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.

 

HYMN:           “See Amid the Winter’s Snow”                          76

1        See amid the winter's snow,

          born for us on earth below,

          see, the tender Lamb appears,

          promised from eternal years.

3

 

          R        Hail, thou ever-blessed morn;

                    hail, redemption's happy dawn;

                    sing through all Jerusalem,

                    Christ is born in Bethlehem.

 

2        Lo, within a manger lies

          God who built the starry skies,

          who enthroned in height sublime

          sits amid the cherubim.  R

 

3        Say, ye holy shepherds, say

          what your joyful news today;

          wherefore have ye left your sheep

          on the lonely mountain steep?  R

 

4        'As we watched at dead of night,

          lo, we saw a wondrous light;

          angels singing 'Peace on earth'

          told us of the Saviour's birth.'  R

 

SCRIPTURE

5The light shines in the darkness,

and the darkness did not overcome it.

 

POEM:                       “I Would See Your Light”

 

Hymn: “Angels We Have Heard on High”              38 by Third Day

1        Angels we have heard on high

          sweetly singing o'er the plains,

          and the mountains in reply,

          echoing their joyous strains.

                    Gloria, in excelsis Deo!

                    Gloria, in excelsis Deo!

 

2        Shepherds, why this jubilee?

          Why your joyous strains prolong?

          What the gladsome tidings be

          which inspire your heavenly song?  R

4

 

3        Come to Bethlehem and see

          Christ whose birth the angels sing;

          come, adore on bended knee

          Christ, the Lord, the newborn King.  R

 

4        See him in a manger laid,

          whom the choirs of angels praise;

          Mary, Joseph, lend your aid,

          while our hearts in love we raise.  R

 

SCRIPTURE

6There was a man sent from God,

whose name was John.

7He came as a witness to testify to the light,

so that all might believe through him.

8He himself was not the light,

but he came to testify to the light.

9The true light, which enlightens everyone,

was coming into the world.

10He was in the world,

and the world came into being through him;

yet the world did not know him.

11He came to what was his own,

and his own people did not accept him.

12But to all who received him,

who believed in his name,

he gave power to become children of God,

13who were born, not of blood

or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man,

but of God.

14And 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.

 

 

 

5

 

PRAYER        “A Christmas Prayer”                                   VU 53

Eternal God,

in Jesus Christ your light shines in our darkness,

            giving joy in our sorrow

            and presence in our loneliness.

Fill us with the mystery of your Word made flesh,

until our hearts overflow with praise and joy,

for he is the beginning and the end of all that exists,

            living forevermore. Amen.

 

WE RESPOND TO GOD’S WORD

 

HYMN AND OFFERING:  “O Little Town of Bethlehem”   64 by Nat King Cole

(The offering will be received during the singing)

1          O little town of  Bethlehem,

                        how still we see thee lie!

            Above thy deep and dreamless sleep

                        the silent stars go by;

            yet in thy dark streets shineth

                        the everlasting light;

            the hopes and fears of all the years

                        are met in thee tonight.

 

2          For Christ is born of Mary;

                        and gathered all above,

            while mortals sleep, the angels keep

                        their watch of wondering love.

            O morning stars, together

                        proclaim the holy birth,

            and praises sing to God the King,

                        and peace to all on earth.

 

3          How silently, how silently

                        the wondrous gift is given!

            So God imparts to human hearts

                        the blessed gift of heaven.

            No ear may hear his coming;

                        but in this world of sin,

          where meek souls will receive him, still

                        the dear Christ enters in.

6

 

4          O holy child of Bethlehem,

                        descend to us, we pray;

            cast out our sin, and enter in;

                        be born in us today.

            We hear the Christmas angels

                        the great glad tidings tell;

            O come to us, abide with us,

                        our Lord Emmanuel.

 

COMMUNION PRAYER

It was as a baby that you came to us, gracious God.

A child in a manger – crying and smiling,

staring out in wonder and sleeping in contentment.

As we celebrate this birth once again,

fill us with wonder and contentment.

In a world of craziness and busy-ness,

still our hearts and minds to the beauty of this sacred moment.

We thank you for Mary, a frightened teenage mother

who dared to say “yes” to you.

We thank you for Joseph, confused father

who learned to trust in your mysterious and wonderful ways.

We thank you for Jesus – child, youth, adult –

who brought your presence into our world for us,

offering hope at times when we feel all is lost.

As we celebrate his birth, so we commemorate his time among us,

We remember, how, on the night that Jesus was betrayed,

he sat at supper with his disciples.

While they were eating,

Jesus broke bread and as he shared it said, “remember me.”

Later he took a cup of wine

and shared it with the words, “remember me.”

And so, as Christ did,

we bless these gifts and share them amongst ourselves,

and in doing so we remember

Christ’s presence with us – always. Amen.

 

THE LORD’S PRAYER

 

7

 

SHARING OF BREAD AND CUP

 

*HYMN:                     “Joy to the World”                               59

1          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.

 

2          Joy to the earth! the Saviour 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.

 

3          No more let sins and sorrows grow,

            nor thorns infest the ground:

            he comes to make his blessings flow

            far as the curse is found, far as the curse is found,

            far as, far as the curse is found.

 

4          He rules the earth 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.

 

BLESSING

Let us go gently into this sacred night

as those who have seen the Christ.

We can go without fear for a divine light

illumined by the very heart of God,

shines on our paths and leads us to the place

where hope, peace, joy, and love are fulfilled.

Surely, now is the time for rejoicing!

 

POSTLUDE

 

 

Merry Christmas

And

Best Wishes

For

The New Year!