A Service of Lessons & Carols

12-31-23

 

_______________      FIRST LESSON Genesis 3:8-15, 17-19

Adam and Eve disobey God’s command and disrupt the order and goodness of creation

 

CAROL “O Little Town of Bethlehem” PH 44

 

_______________      SECOND LESSON Genesis 22:15-18

God promises that, through Abraham, all the peoples of the world will be blessed

 

CAROL “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” PH 9

 

_______________      THIRD LESSON Isaiah 9:2, 6-7

The people who walk in darkness receive the promise of the Messiah

 

CAROL “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear” PH 38

 

_______________      FOURTH LESSON Isaiah 11:1-4a, 6-9

The Messiah will come from the root of Jesse to restore the peace of creation

 

CAROL “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming” PH 48

 

_______________      FIFTH LESSON Luke 1:26-35, 38

An angel appears to Mary and announces that she will bear a holy child

 

CAROL “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” PH 31

 

_______________      SIXTH LESSON Luke 2:1-7

Joseph and Mary travel to Bethlehem, where Mary gives birth to her child

 

CAROL “Away in a Manger” PH 25

 

_______________      SEVENTH LESSON Luke 2:8-16

Angels appear to shepherds in the fields and announce the birth of the Messiah

 

CAROL “Angels We Have Heard on High” PH 23

 

_______________      EIGHTH LESSON Matthew 2:1-11

Magi from the East come seeking the Messiah and offer gifts to the baby Jesus

 

CAROL “We Three Kings of Orient Are” PH 66

 

_______________      NINTH LESSON John 1:1-14

The Word of God becomes flesh and lives among us, full of grace and truth

A Service of Lessons and Carols

12-31-23

 

PROCESSIONAL HYMN No. 133

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

2 True God from true God,
Light from light eternal,
born of a virgin, a mortal he comes;
very God, begotten, not created!
O come, let us adore him;
O come, let us adore him;
O come, let us adore him,
Christ, the Lord!

3 Sing, choirs of angels;
sing in exultation;
sing, all ye citizens of heaven above!
Glory to God, all
glory in the highest!
O come, let us adore him;
O come, let us adore him;
O come, let us adore him,
Christ, the Lord!

4 Yea, Lord, we greet thee,
born this happy morning;
Jesus, to thee be all glory given;
Word of the Father,
now in flesh appearing!
O come, let us adore him;
O come, let us adore him;
O come, let us adore him,
Christ, the Lord!

 

OPENING SENTENCES Psalm 96

Sing to the Lord a new song;

sing to the Lord, all the earth!

Sing to the Lord and bless God’s name;

tell the good news of salvation from day to day.

Declare God’s glory among the nations,

God’s marvelous works among all the peoples.

For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised.

Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice.

Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world, and those who live in it.

Let the whole creation sing for joy

at the presence of God, who is coming.

God is coming indeed, to judge the earth with righteousness, and the peoples with equity and truth. Praise the Lord!

 

OPENING HYMN No. 140            “Once in Royal David’s City”     vs. 1,2 & 4

1 Once in royal David’s city
stood a lowly cattle shed,
where a mother laid her baby
in a manger for his bed:
Mary was that mother mild;
Jesus Christ, her little child.

2 He came down to earth from heaven
who is God and Lord of all,
and his shelter was a stable,
and his cradle was a stall;
with the poor and meek and lowly,
lived on earth our Savior holy.

4 And our eyes at last shall see him,
through his own redeeming love;
for that child so dear and gentle
is our Lord in heaven above;
and he leads his children on
to the place where he is gone.

 

 

FIRST LESSON Genesis 3:8-15, 17-19

Adam and Eve disobey God’s command and disrupt the order and goodness of creation

 

⁸ They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. ⁹ But the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” ¹⁰ He said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.” ¹¹ He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” ¹² The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate.”¹³ Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent tricked me, and I ate.” ¹⁴ The Lord God said to the serpent,

“Because you have done this,
cursed are you among all animals
and among all wild creatures;
upon your belly you shall go,
and dust you shall eat
all the days of your life.

¹⁵ I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
he will strike your head,
and you will strike his heel.”

 

¹⁷ And to the man^[a] he said,

“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife,
and have eaten of the tree
about which I commanded you,
‘You shall not eat of it,’
cursed is the ground because of you;
in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
¹⁸ thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;
and you shall eat the plants of the field.
¹⁹ By the sweat of your face
you shall eat bread
until you return to the ground,
for out of it you were taken;
you are dust,
and to dust you shall return.”

 

CAROL No. 121

“O Little Town of Bethlehem”     vs.1,2 & 4

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.

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! 

 

SECOND LESSON Genesis 22:15-18

God promises that, through Abraham, all the peoples of the world will be blessed

 

¹⁵ The angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven, ¹⁶ and said, “By myself I have sworn, says the Lord: Because you have done this, and have not withheld your son, your only son, ¹⁷ I will indeed bless you, and I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of their enemies, ¹⁸ and by your offspring shall all the nations of the earth gain blessing for themselves, because you have obeyed my voice.”

 

CAROL No. 88

“O Come, O Come Emmanuel”    vs. 1 & 3

1 O come, O come, Emmanuel,
and ransom captive Israel,
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel.

3 O come, O come, thou Lord of might,
who to thy tribes on Sinai’s height
in ancient times didst give the law
in cloud and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel.

 

THIRD LESSON Isaiah 9:2, 6-7

The people who walk in darkness receive the promise of the Messiah

 

^2 [a] The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness—
on them light has shined.

 

⁶ For a child has been born for us,
a son given to us;
authority rests upon his shoulders;
and he is named
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
⁷ His authority shall grow continually,
and there shall be endless peace
for the throne of David and his kingdom.
He will establish and uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time onward and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

 

CAROL No. 123

“It Came Upon the Midnight Clear”          vs. 1-3 & 5

1 It came upon the midnight clear,
that glorious song of old,
from angels bending near the earth,
to touch their harps of gold:
“Peace on the earth, good will to all,
from heaven’s all-gracious King”:
the world in solemn stillness lay,
to hear the angels sing.

2 Still through the cloven skies they come,
with peaceful wings unfurled,
and still their heavenly music floats
o’er all the weary world:
above its sad and lowly plains
they bend on hovering wing,
and ever o’er its Babel sounds
the blessed angels sing.

3 Yet with the woes of sin and strife
the world has suffered long;
beneath the heavenly hymn have rolled
two thousand years of wrong;
and we at war on earth hear not
the tidings that they bring;
O, hush the noise and cease the strife
to hear the angels sing!

5 For lo, the days are hastening on,
by prophets seen of old,
when with the ever-circling years
shall come the time foretold,
when peace shall over all the earth
its ancient splendors fling,
and the whole world give back the song
which now the angels sing.

 

FOURTH LESSON Isaiah 11:1-4a, 6-9

The Messiah will come from the root of Jesse to restore the peace of creation

 

1 A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
² The spirit of the Lord shall 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.
³ His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.

He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide by what his ears hear;
⁴ but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;

 

 

⁶ The wolf shall live with the lamb,
the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
the calf and the lion and the fatling 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 asp,
and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.
⁹ They will not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain;
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.

 

 

CAROL No. 129

“Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming”         vs. 1 & 2

1 Lo, how a rose e’er blooming
from tender stem hath sprung,
of Jesse’s lineage coming,
by faithful prophets sung.
It came, a floweret bright,
amid the cold of winter,
when half spent was the night.

2 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 for us a Savior,
when half spent was the night.

 

FIFTH LESSON Luke 1:26-35, 38

An angel appears to Mary and announces that she will bear a holy child

 

²⁶ In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, ²⁷ to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸ And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”^[a] 29 But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.³⁰ The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. ³¹ And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. ³² He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. ³³ He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

 

³⁴ Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”^[b] 35 The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born^[c] will be holy; he will be called Son of God.

 

³⁸ Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

 

 

CAROL No. 119

“Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”         vs. 1 & 3

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

3 Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the sun of righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings,
risen with healing in his wings.
Mild he lays his glory by,
born that we no more may die,
born to raise us from the earth,
born to give us second birth.
Hark! The herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn king!”

 

SIXTH LESSON Luke 2:1-7

Joseph and Mary travel to Bethlehem, where Mary gives birth to her child

 

2 In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. ² This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. ³ All went to their own towns to be registered. ⁴ Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. ⁵ He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. ⁶ While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. ⁷ And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

 

 

CAROL No. 114

“Away in a Manger”        vs. 1 & 3

1 Away in a manger, no crib for his bed,
the little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head.
The stars in the bright sky looked down where he lay,
the little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.

3 Be near me, Lord Jesus; I ask thee to stay
close by me forever and love me, I pray.
Bless all the dear children in thy tender care,
and fit us for heaven to live with thee there.

 

SEVENTH LESSON Luke 2:8-16

Angels appear to shepherds in the fields and announce the birth of the Messiah

 

⁸ In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: ¹¹ to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah,^[a] the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” ¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host,^[b] praising God and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”^[c]

¹⁵ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” ¹⁶ So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger.

CAROL No. 113

“Angels We Have Heard on High”             vs. 1 & 3

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!

3 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!

 

EIGHTH LESSON Matthew 2:1-11

Magi from the East come seeking the Messiah and offer gifts to the baby Jesus

 

2 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men^[a] from the East came to Jerusalem, ² asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising,^[b]and have come to pay him homage.” ³ When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; ⁴ and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah^[c]was to be born. ⁵ They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:

⁶ ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd^[d] my people Israel.’”

 

⁷ Then Herod secretly called for the wise men^[e] and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. ⁸ Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” ⁹ When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising,^[f] until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ When they saw that the star had stopped,^[g] they were overwhelmed with joy. ¹¹ On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

 

CAROL No. 151          “We Three Kings of Orient Are”         vs. 1 & 5

1 We three kings of Orient are;
bearing gifts we traverse afar,
field and fountain, moor and mountain,
following yonder star.

Refrain:
O star of wonder, star of night,
star with royal beauty bright,
westward leading, still proceeding,
guide us to thy perfect light!

5 Glorious now behold him arise,
King and God and Sacrifice:
Alleluia! Alleluia!
sounds through the earth and skies. (Refrain)

 

NINTH LESSON John 1:1-14

The Word of God becomes flesh and lives among us, full of grace and truth

 

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 came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being ⁴ in him was life,^[a] and the life was the light of all people. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

⁶ There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. ⁸ He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. ⁹ The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.^[b]

¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. ¹¹ He came to what was his own,^[c] and his own people did not accept him. ¹² But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, ¹³ who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.

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,^[d] full of grace and truth.

 

 

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE

Eternal God, we praise you that in you we live and move and have our being. As you have always guided your people by your grace and mercy, we seek your guidance in the new year. Help us to demonstrate the love of Christ in all we do as a church and in our personal lives. When we worry about life, help us to put our trust in you and strive first for your kingdom and righteousness. In our failures, let us look to you for forgive- ness and correction. In our successes, may we give glory to your name rather than brag about our accomplishments.

 

God of all wisdom, we often do not now how to pray as we ought. Thank you that your Spirit intercedes for us with sighs to deep for words, for there is much in our world about which to sigh. Lord, in your mercy we pray for peace, for justice, for reconciliation, for healing, for truth, for new hearts, and for clear vision to see you at work in our world. We pray for the courage to commit ourselves again to Jesus Christ as Lord. May we seek your will in all things, even as Jesus always put your will above his own.

 

Lord of all time and space, as we mark another year, remind us that in your sight one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. Your steadfast love and mercy are the sure foundation for our lives. We thank you for the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of your Son, our Savior. As your children and heirs, may we lead lives worthy of the calling to which we have been called, with all humility and gentle- ness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

 

Hear our prayers, O Lord, incline your ear to us, and grant us your peace as we pray the prayer our Lord taught us: “Our Father ….”

 

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

INVITATION TO TITHES & OFFERINGS

O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. Let us give thanks to the Lord as we continue our worship and bring our tithes and offerings.

 

OFFERTORY

 

DOXOLOGY No. 147              “The First Nowell”           v. 6

Then let us all with one accord
sing praises to our heavenly Lord,
that hath made heaven and earth of nought,
and with his blood our life hath bought.

(Refrain)

Nowell, Nowell, Nowell, Nowell,
born is the King of Israel.

 

PRAYER OF DEDICATION

Gracious and giving God, we give thanks to you for you are good. Your steadfast love endures forever. We thank you for the blessings of the past year and for how you have stood with us and guided us in difficult times. We give thanks that you will stand with us and guide us in the year to come. Bless these offerings that they may be used to your glory and in service to others in the name of your Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ. Help us to have grateful hearts and to live as the joyful people of God; through Jesus Christ, the greatest gift of all. Amen.

 

CLOSING HYMN No. 141

“On This Day Earth Shall Ring”

1 On this day earth shall ring
with the song children sing
to the Lord, Christ our King,
born on earth to save us;
him the Father gave us.
Ideo, ideo,
ideo gloria in excelsis Deo!

2 His the doom, ours the mirth;
when he came down to earth
Bethlehem saw his birth;
ox and ass beside him
from the cold would hide him.
Ideo, ideo,
ideo gloria in excelsis Deo!

3 God’s bright star, o’er his head,
wise men three to him led;
kneel they low by his bed,
lay their gifts before him,
praise him and adore him.
Ideo, ideo,
ideo gloria in excelsis Deo!

4 On this day angels sing;
with their song earth shall ring,
praising Christ, heaven’s King,
born on earth to save us;
peace and love he gave us.
Ideo, ideo,
ideo gloria in excelsis Deo!

 

 

CHARGE AND BLESSING

As we leave the old year and enter the new,
go with these assurances:

The risen Lord says,
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,

the first and the last,
the beginning and the end.”

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,

the love of God,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit

be with all of you.

Amen.