Christmas Eve: God's Loving Promise

Lisa Frenz 1998

Multiple narrators will be needed.

The music is suggested; feel free to substitute more familiar carols, etc.

Pre-worship Caroling:

Go Tell It on the Mountain - vs. 1

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing - vs. 1

The First Noel - vs. 1

Silent Night, Holy Night - vs. 1,2,3

Joy to the World - vs. 1,2,4

God’s Loving Promise

A Christmas Reflection

Leader: Promise of God. ... Light of truth among us.

Women: Come be with us. ... Be with us forever.

Men: Promise of God. Hope that we seek. Light of truth among us.

All: Come be with us. Come to us now. Be with us forever.

Choir “Prepare” (W. Michael Aguilar)

Narration: Psalm 43:3-5

O send out your light and your truth;

let them lead me;

let them bring me to your holy hill

and to your dwelling.

Then I will go to the altar of God,

to God my exceeding joy;

and I will praise you with the harp,

O God, my God.

Why are you cast down, O my soul,

and why are you disquieted within me?

Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,

my help and my God.

Carol: “Oh, How Joyfully”

Oh, how joyfully, Oh, how merrily

Christmas comes with its grace divine!

Grace again is beaming,

Christ the world redeeming:

Hail, ye Christians,

Hail the joyous Christmas time!

Oh, how joyfully, Oh, how merrily

Christmas comes with its peace divine!

Peace again on earth is reigning,

Christ our peace regaining,

Hail, ye Christians,

Hail the joyous Christmas time!

Oh, how joyfully, Oh, how merrily

Christmas comes with its life divine!

Angels high in glory,

Chant the Christmas story:

Hail, ye Christians,

Hail the joyous Christmas time!

Narration: Isaiah 43:1-3a, 5-7

But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you; I will say to the north, “Give them up,” and to the south, “Do not withhold; bring my sons from far away and my daughters from the end of the earth— everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”

Leader: Promise of God. Hope that we seek. Light of truth among us.

All: Come be with us. Come to us now. Be with us forever.

Narration: Isaiah 44:1-8

But now hear, O Jacob my servant, Israel whom I have chosen! Thus says the Lord who made you, who formed you in the womb and will help you: Do not fear, O Jacob my servant, Jeshurun whom I have chosen. For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my spirit upon your descendants, and my blessing on your offspring. They shall spring up like a green tamarisk, like willows by flowing streams. This one will say, “I am the Lord’s,” another will be called by the name of Jacob, yet another will write on the hand, “The Lord’s,” and adopt the name of Israel. Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god. Who is like me? Let them proclaim it, let them declare and set it forth before me. Who has announced from of old the things to come? Let them tell us what is yet to be. Do not fear, or be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? You are my witnesses! Is there any god besides me? There is no other rock; I know not one.

Narration: Isaiah 42:1-4

Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not grow faint or be crushed until he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his teaching.

Leader: Promise of God. Hope that we seek. Light of truth among us.

All: Come be with us. Come to us now. Be with us forever.

Narrator:

Pronounced Love. Commanding Love. God’s Love... God said to Moses, “Write these commandments in accordance with the words I have given you. I have made a covenant with you and Israel. I will perform marvels such as have not been seen and all people shall see the work of the Lord.

Narration: Isaiah 42:5-9

Thus says God, the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it: I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. I am the Lord, that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to idols. See, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them.

Leader: Promise of God. Hope that we seek. Light of truth among us.

All: Come be with us. Come to us now. Be with us forever.

Narration: Isaiah 42:14-16

For a long time I have held my peace, I have kept still and restrained myself; now I will cry out like a woman in labor, I will gasp and pant. I will lay waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbage; I will turn the rivers into islands, and dry up the pools. I will lead the blind by a road they do not know, by paths they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground. These are the things I will do, and I will not forsake them.

Carol: “Before This Universe Began” (W. Michael Aguilar III/Lisa Frenz)

Before this universe began, the Light already was.

Before the stars ignited, the Word already was.

Refrain: A new creation comes to us. Do not be afraid.

God calls us into harmony with light for all to see.

Before this world was fashioned, the Light already was.

Before the sky awakened, the Word already was. Refrain

Before the land unfolded, the Light already was.

Before the seas erupted, the Word already was. Refrain:

Before this wondering race was born, the Light already was.

Before the ardent soul became, the Word already was. Refrain

Christ Jesus is the vision new, the Light born into flesh.

Christ brings to us salvation true, the Word made manifest. Refrain:

Leader: Promise of God. Hope that we seek. Light of truth among us.

All: Come be with us. Come to us now. Be with us forever.

Narration:

Tempestuous Love. Intense Love. God's Love... God said to David, " I will raise up your offspring and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever."

Narration: Zephaniah 3:14-15

Sing aloud, O daughter Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away the judgments against you, he has turned away your enemies. The king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall fear disaster no more.

Narration: Zephaniah 3:16-18a

On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands grow weak. The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing as on a day of festival.

Leader: Promise of God. Hope that we seek. Light of truth among us.

All: Come be with us. Come to us now. Be with us forever.

Narration: Zephaniah 3:18b-20

I will remove disaster from you, so that you will not bear reproach for it. I will deal with all your oppressors at that time. And I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth. At that time I will bring you home, at the time when I gather you; for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes, says the Lord.

Carol: “Oh, Come, Oh, Come, Emmanuel”

Solo Oh, come, oh, come, Emmanuel,

and ransom captive Israel,

that mourns in lonely exile here

until the Son of God appear.

All: Refrain: Rejoice! Rejoice!

Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel.

Women Oh, come, oh, come, great Lord of might,

Who to your tribes on Sinai’s height

In ancient times once gave the law

In cloud, and majesty, and awe.

ALL Refrain.

Choir Oh, come, strong Branch of Jesse, free

Your own from Satan’s tyranny;

From depths of hell your people save

And give them vict’ry o’er the grave.

ALL Refrain:

Men Oh, come, blest Dayspring, come and cheer

Our spirits by your advent here;

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,

And death’s dark shadows put to flight.

ALL Refrain:

All Oh, come, O Key of David, come,

And open wide our heav’nly home;

Make safe the way that leads on high,

And close the path to misery.

Refrain:

Narration: Psalm 132:11-18

The Lord swore to David a sure oath from which he will not turn back: “One of the sons of your body I will set on your throne.

If your sons keep my covenant and my decrees that I shall teach them, their sons also, forevermore, shall sit on your throne.”

For the Lord has chosen Zion; he has desired it for his habitation:

“This is my resting place forever; here I will reside, for I have desired it.

I will abundantly bless its provisions; I will satisfy its poor with bread.

Its priests I will clothe with salvation, and its faithful will shout for joy.

There I will cause a horn to sprout up for David; I have prepared a lamp for my anointed one.

His enemies I will clothe with disgrace, but on him, his crown will gleam.”

Narration: Micah 5:2-5

But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days. Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has brought forth; then the rest of his kindred shall return to the people of Israel. And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth; and he shall be the one of peace. If the Assyrians come into our land and tread upon our soil, we will raise against them seven shepherds and eight installed as rulers.

Narrator:

Unfailing Love. Eloquent Love. God's Love... God said to Mary, You are my daughter. I am with you. From you will come my Son, the Messiah, who will be Savior to all the nations."

Narration: Luke 1:26-33

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

Leader: Promise of God. Hope that we seek. Light of truth among us.

All: Come be with us. Come to us now. Be with us forever.

Narration: Luke 1:34-38

Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 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 will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” 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.

Solo: “Magnificat” (W. Michael Aguilar)

Offering

Narration: Matthew 1:18-23

Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means, “God is with us.”

Leader: Promise of God. Hope that we seek. Light of truth among us.

All: Come be with us. Come to us now. Be with us forever.

Narration: Matthew 1:24-25

When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.

Carol: “Lo How A Rose Is Growing” (Es Ist Ein Ros)

Lo, how a rose is growing, a bloom of finest grace;

The prophets had foretold it: a branch of Jesse’s race

would bear one perfect flow’r

here in the cold of winter and darkest midnight hour.

The rose of which I’m singing, Isaiah had foretold.

He came to us through Mary who sheltered him from cold.

Through God’s eternal will

this child to us was given at midnight calm and still.

This flow’r, so small and tender, with fragrance fills the air,

His brightness ends the darkness that kept the earth in fear.

True God and yet true man,

he came to save his people from earth’s dark night of sin.

Narration: Psalm 95:1-3

O come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!

Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!

For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.

Leader: Promise of God. Hope that we seek. Light of truth among us.

All: Come be with us. Come to us now. Be with us forever.

Narration: Psalm 95:4-7

In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also.

The sea is his, for he made it, and the dry land, which his hands have formed.

O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!

For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.

O that today you would listen to his voice!

Carol: "Angels We Have Heard On High"

Angels we have heard on high,

Sweetly singing o’er the plains,

And the mountains in reply,

Echoing their joyous strains

Refrain: Gloria in excelsis Deo;

Gloria in excelsis Deo.

Shepherds why this jubilee?

Why your joyous strains prolong?

What the gladsome tidings be

Which inspire your heav’nly song? Refrain:

Come to Bethlehem and see

Him whose birth the angels sing;

Come, adore on bended knee

Christ the Lord, the newborn king. Refrain:

Narrator 1:

Enveloping Love. Dynamic Love. God’s Love... God says to us, “Remember I am with you always. You are my children, my loves. Walk with me in the light of the new creation in Christ. Join in the birth of eternity.”

Narrator 2: The voice of the Lord thunders

in the answer of a young girl,

“Let it be to me as the Lord wills.”

The voice of the Lord rolls over the waters

in the acts of a man,

“I will do as the Lord commands.”

The voice of the Lord breaks the trees of the forest

with the cry of a new-born baby!

Narrator 1: Hear the voice of the Lord:

The voice that flashes flames of fire;

Narrator 2: The voice of God with us, Emmanuel!

Narrator 1: So ascribe to the Lord all the glory of heaven.

Ascribe to the Lord the glory of God’s name,

Narrator 2: Worship the Lord! Sing praises to God!

For the Lord is king forever.

Narrator 1: The voice of the Lord shakes the foundations of the earth

In the quietest of nights,

“And it came to pass that she gave birth.”

The voice of the Lord strips the forest bare

In the blessings of an old man,

“And a sword will pierce your soul.”

The voice of the Lord is full of majesty,

In the cry of a new-born baby!

Narrator 2: Hear the voice of the Lord:

The voice that flashes flames of fire;

Narrator 1: The voice of God with us, Emmanuel.

Narrator 2: So ascribe to the Lord all the glory of heaven.

Ascribe to the Lord the glory of God’s name,

Narrator 1: Worship the Lord! Sing praises to God!

For the Lord is king forever.

Narration: Isaiah 9:2-3

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. You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as people exult when dividing plunder

Narration: Isaiah 9:4-5

For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. For all the boots of the tramping warriors and all the garments rolled in blood shall be burned as fuel for the fire.

Carol: “Love Has Come”

Love has come_ a light in the darkness!

Love shines forth in the Bethlehem skies. . . .

Love! Love! Glory to God on high.

Love is born!_ Come, share in the wonder.

Love is God now asleep in the hay. . . .

Love! Love! Jesus, Immanuel.

Love has come_ and never will leave us!

Love is life everlasting and free. . . .

Love! Love! Praise to you, God on high!

Narrator 1: A fervent love from a passionate God is realized in the birth of Jesus Christ.

Narrator 2: An active hope from a compelling God is your gift tonight.

Leader: Go in peace. Serve your loving God, The Creator, The Savior, The Comforter.

All: Amen. Thanks be to God!

Leader: Promise of God. Hope that we seek. Light of truth among us.

All: Come be with us. Come to us now. Be with us forever.