Christmas Eve 2018
Start Christmas Instrumental Music video at 6:45
Welcome and Opening Prayer - ________________________
Lighting of the Christ Candle - ________________________
Song
We Lift the Light of Hope (F) (Verse 5 only)
Reader ___________________
Let’s prepare our hearts to remember the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Tell Me The Story of Jesus (C) (Verse 1 only)
Reader _____________________
My name is Zechariah. I am an old man now but I can still perform my priestly duties in the temple of the Lord God of Israel.
My life has been good. What an honor it is to serve the Lord in the Holy Place of the Temple. I am honored to be chosen by the Lord to burn incense to Him today.
As I look back over my life there are only two great pains in my heart.
The first is that my poor wife, Elizabeth, is barren; we have no children, no son to carry on the family name. It breaks my heart when we go out in public and the other women have that look on their faces when they see her; it is kind of a look of pity that she has no child and a look of arrogance wondering what she must have done in order for the Lord to withhold His blessing of children from her.
Nothing could be further from the truth. My Elizabeth is a righteous, devout woman.
There is also another absence in my life that causes me great sadness. I had always had this inner feeling that the Messiah surely would come during my lifetime. And yet, here we are, still under Roman domination. No Savior. No Messiah. No Deliverer.
How long will it be? Will the next generation see His arrival?
I can only hope that we will see the glory of the Lord soon …
Song
Come Thou Long Expected Jesus (F)
Reader _________________________
My name is Gabriel. I am an Archangel of the Lord God Most High.
One of my duties is to carry important messages. In the ancient times of Israel I was sent twice to a prophet named Daniel. It was during the time when the chosen people of the Lord were in captivity in the foreign lands of the Babylonian and Medo-Persian Empires.
But now the Lord of Hosts is sending me to another righteous man. His name is Zechariah. He and his wife have been chosen to give birth to the one who will precede the long awaited Messiah!
This son of Zechariah and Elizabeth will be the one of whom it is written:
A voice of one calling in the wilderness “prepare the way for the Lord;
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.
And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together.
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” (Isaiah 40:3-5)
Let us see how it is written in the Holy Texts …
Reader _________________________________
Luke 1:5-25
Herod was king of Judea. During the time he was ruling, there was a priest named Zechariah. He belonged to a group of priests named after Abijah. His wife Elizabeth also came from the family line of Aaron. Both of them did what was right in the sight of God. They obeyed all the Lord’s commands and rules faithfully. But they had no children, because Elizabeth was not able to have any. And they were both very old.
One day Zechariah’s group was on duty. He was serving as a priest in God’s temple. He happened to be chosen, in the usual way, to go into the temple of the Lord. There he was supposed to burn incense. The time came for this to be done. All who had gathered to worship were praying outside.
Then an angel of the Lord appeared to Zechariah. The angel was standing at the right side of the incense altar. When Zechariah saw him, he was amazed and terrified. But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah. Your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will have a child. It will be a boy, and you must call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you. His birth will make many people very glad. He will be important in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or other such drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will prepare the way for the Lord. He will have the same spirit and power that Elijah had. He will bring peace between parents and their children. He will teach people who don’t obey to be wise and do what is right. In this way, he will prepare a people who are ready for the Lord.”
Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man, and my wife is old too.”
The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God. I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will have to be silent. You will not be able to speak until after John is born. That’s because you did not believe my words. They will come true at the time God has chosen.”
During that time, the people were waiting for Zechariah to come out of the temple. They wondered why he stayed there so long. When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple. They knew this because he kept gesturing to them. He still could not speak.
When his time of service was over, he returned home. After that, his wife Elizabeth became pregnant. She stayed at home for five months. “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days, He has been kind to me. He has taken away my shame among the people.”
Reader _____________________________
My name is Mary. I always thought of myself as an unremarkable, poor girl in an unremarkable, small town call Nazareth. Most people in Nazareth are born here, live all their lives here and die here. Certainly that was to be my future as well and that was fine.
The one great comfort I had was hearing the Torah and the Prophets being read to my brothers. I love to hear the great stories of Israel in the past. How the mighty hand of God would give them victory in battle and deliver them when overwhelming forces would come against them. But then my heart would be saddened whenever I would hear of them turning their backs on the Lord God of Israel and worshipping the idol gods of the surrounding nations.
I love the Lord God of Israel and often wonder what it would be like to offer incense in the Temple in Jerusalem as the priests do.
But, my life is different from that. I am pledged to be married to Joseph. He is a good man and I am sure that when we are married we will have a home and children who also will be born in Nazareth, they will live their lives in Nazareth and they will die in Nazareth.
Such is life in Nazareth.
But ……. One night I had a visitor. He looked like a human but somehow I knew he was not. The whole event was so overwhelming that I was not sure it was really happening or if I was having some kind of surreal dream. And this visitor had a message for me; a seemingly impossible message but somehow I knew it would be as he said it would be.
Play the video: Gabriel’s Message
Reader ____________________________
My name is Joseph. I am a carpenter living in the town of Nazareth in Galilee. My father was a carpenter as was his father before him and his father before him and on and on.
One thing that my family has always been proud of is that our ancestry is in the royal line of David, the King of Israel. What it must have been like to live back in that day, huh? Wow.
But … things are different now. Israel is under the control of the Romans and even our own king is not our king but has been appointed by the Romans as a figurehead. And, he himself is a wicked and brutal man.
On a good note, though, I have been betrothed to a young maiden who is also from Nazareth. She is quiet and pretty and of good character. It will be a while until we are married. I must finish our home first. But until that time we see each other in passing in the street. I smile at her and she smiles at me and we say, “Shalom”.
Suddenly one day, however, I hear that she will be traveling to see her cousin Elizabeth who lives near Jerusalem. Elizabeth is quite elderly but it seems that she has become pregnant even though she has never had any children before.
I am not told why Mary is going there. Perhaps the pregnancy is difficult and Elizabeth needs help in keeping the household running until after the baby arrives.
I will miss Mary. Perhaps she will surprise me when she gets back!
Play Mary Goes to Visit Elizabeth Video
Reader ______________________________
My name is Anne. Mary is my child. Mary has been such a good child in so many ways. Her attention to the things of the Lord has been a great example for everyone in the village; even for the men.
I just don’t understand what has happened? How can she be pregnant? You should have seen poor Joseph’s face when she came back from visiting Elizabeth. My head is spinning. Mary’s father walks around the village with his head hanging in shame. And, you should hear the gossip; some of them accusing Joseph, others speculating about one person or another.
(Pause)
Mary wouldn’t talk at first but then she told us the most unbelievable story. She said that an angel had told her that she would be the mother of the Son of God, the Messiah. She said that the Baby was a miracle from God and that she was still a virgin.
The miracle from God would be if anyone believed her!
Joseph tried to rush from place to place avoiding everyone he could. And then a few days later Joseph comes over to our house for the first time since Mary returned.
Joseph says that an angel visited him in a dream and told him not to be afraid to take Mary home to be his wife because the Baby is indeed from the Holy Spirit. He also said that the angel told him that Mary will give birth to a son, and they are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.
And then do you know what Joseph did? He took Mary by the hand and marched her down to his house and declared that she was now his wife and that’s that!
Well, five months went by and the time for Mary’s baby to be born was near and of all things now Joseph has to go to Bethlehem because of some idiotic Roman decree! And, on top of all that, Mary is going with him … IN HER CONDITION!
So, off they went. Well, God bless them!
You know … there is one thing I’ve always wondered about … how did they know the baby would be a boy???
Song
O Come O Come Emmanuel (Em) (Verse 1, Ch, Verse 2, Ch, Ch)
Reader _______________________
(Joseph)
What an amazing journey it has been. The trip has not been easy on Mary but she is a brave young woman. We have joined a caravan of people headed to Jerusalem. There are always people headed to or from Jerusalem and Bethlehem is only a few miles from there.
One day when it seemed that we just could not go on much longer we crested a hill and Mary shouted out, “Joseph! I see Bethlehem! Not much further!”
Sing O Little Town of Bethlehem (F) (Verses 1,3,4)
Readers _______________________________
(Mary)
We have finally reached Bethlehem but it is so crowded.
The Baby is coming and I am frightened. Whenever a woman in the village would give birth the men and the young unmarried women were always made to stay outside during the delivery.
I certainly have HEARD the women going through labor, though, and I am frightened.
Lord, please help us to find a place so that the Baby is not born here in the street.
(Pause)
Poor Joseph has been running all through the town looking for someone.
Lord, please help …
(Pause)
Finally Joseph has returned. We can find shelter in a stable.
Lord, please help Joseph, too. He is a carpenter and has never even delivered a lamb.
But today he will be delivering the Son of God.
Lord please help …
Singers Noel (with video)
Reader _________________________
My name is Asher … sheep. That’s all I know, is sheep! But, I like sheep, they’re not real smart but they are not mean like cattle can be. And, of all the sheep flocks in the world I have the privilege of tending to the flock that has the honor of being offered as sacrifices in the Temple on the grand holy Jewish feast days!
Well, let me tell you a little story … One night we were out watching the sheep and they were unusually quiet. It seemed like they had gone into this really deep sleep. None of them were bleating or moving about and I’m thinking, “This is going to be a very quiet and peaceful night!”
Wrong!
All of a sudden there’s this angel. At least I think he was an angel. I’ve never seen anyone like him. Ever! His appearance was terrifying! And then he says something like, “Do not be afraid. I’ve got some great news for everyone! Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, The Lord! And, here is how you will be able to find Him. He will be wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
Don’t be afraid? Great news for us? Even for shepherds? The Messiah is to be born in Bethlehem tonight? Here’s how we will find Him? Here’s how to identify Him?
IN A MANGER?!?!?!?!? THE MESSIAH IN A MANGER?!??????!!!
And then, as if that were not enough, suddenly the sky is filled with more angels than you could possibly count and they are singing, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”
Well, once we got up off from the ground and realized that the sheep still seemed to be in a deep sleep we decided, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.
Songs:
While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night (C) (Verses 1,3,4)
Angels We Have Heard On High (F) (Verse 1, Ch, 3, Ch, Ch)
Reader _____________
(Asher)
So, what do you think we lowly shepherds found in Bethlehem, wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger?
Song by _____________________
Away In A Manger (F) (Children singing)
Reader _____________________
(Mary)
I am in a state of utter exhaustion. The emotional exhaustion of the scandalous pregnancy, the trip of many days from Nazareth to Bethlehem, the incredible pain and effort of giving birth and then to top it off, a bunch of shepherds come to visit us in the stable.
All of them were crowded in around us and staring at the baby Jesus. For the first time in a long time we were surrounded by people we could relate to. Shepherds are looked down upon just like we have been for the past months. They felt like kindred spirits and they were SO excited!
And, what about those angels! The angel Gabriel was sent first to Zechariah and then to me. And then another angel spoke to Joseph in a dream and now an entire heavenly army has appeared to these shepherds.
It’s as if the Lord is constantly saying to Joseph and me, “It’s OK. I’ve got you in the palm of my hand.” Now we can finally get some rest.
But … little did I know … that months ago, in a land that is far to the east of us, a star had arisen that was unlike any other star before.
And, that wise men, not Jews but gentiles, had searched through the ancient Jewish Scriptures and found a verse written by Moses many centuries earlier that said, “I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near. A Star will come out of Jacob; a Scepter will rise out of Israel.”
And, so, we would soon have one more group of visitors …
Song
We Three Kings (Dm) (Verses 1,2,5)
Reader __________________________
My name is Caspar. We have traveled for many days in search of the One who is to be born King of the Jews. Many months ago we saw a most extraordinary star arise. A star that was so unique that it could not be dismissed as just some astronomical event.
So, we began to search through the ancient scriptures of many lands and we found many prophecies that were never fulfilled but we did find one that we thought must have been lost to antiquity. And, it seemed that it was now being fulfilled.
So, we had to see for ourselves but it was going to be a journey of months!
First we went to the palace in Jerusalem for we thought the King of the Jews must be born there. But when the King asked the religious experts where the Messiah would be born they told us that He would be born in Bethlehem.
The king told us that we should go check it out and then come back to report our findings to him.
So, when we left the palace and the star was brighter than ever. We don’t know how, but it seemed to be pointing directly to a specific place and guess what we found?
A poor baby, wrapped on poor cloths and poor parents. And the Baby was lying in a manger!
At first we didn’t know what to make of this but there was the prophecy and there was the star. There was also the prophecy of the Baby being born in this very little town.
We had brought gifts for the Infant King; gold to honor Him as a King, frankincense as a worship offering for a King who is also God, and, Myrrh for sadness that will one day come to Him although we couldn’t understand how or why.
One other thing we brought with us was hearts of worship.
We asked if we could approach the Child and worship Him?
Startled at the request the answer was, “Yes, of course.”
Song:
What Child is This (Em) (Vs 1, 3, tag)
Infant Holy, Infant Lowly (G)
Leader: And there you have it, the account of Jesus coming to earth for our Salvation.
Let’s stand and raise our voices in praise to the King of Glory!
Song:
Joy To The World (D) (Vs 1, 2, 4)
Passing the Light of Christ around the Congregation
Song (while lighting)
Silent Night (Bb) (a Capella)
Blessing the congregation
Dismissal
