Christmas Eve 2015

Christmas Eve Service - December 24, 2014 - 7:00 PM

Christmas Eve Service - December 24, 2015 - 7:00 PM

Cross~Wind UMC 

Musical Time of Reflection (Claudia)    approximately 20 minutes of music 

Carols of Praise                                   “O Come, All Ye Faithful” (#234) vs 1 and 3

                                                            “There’s a Song in the Air” (#249) vs 1, 2 and 4

                                                            “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” (#240) vs 1 and 3

 

Bishops Christmas Offering (Claudia)

Prayer (Pastor George 

Singing of Carols                                “Infant Holy, Infant Lowly”(#229) vs 1 and 2

                                                            “Away in a Manger”(#217) vs 1-3

                                                            “O Little Town of Bethlehem” (#230) vs 1 and 4

 

Scripture Reading (Denny Mykrantz)

Lighting of Advent Candles

(Luke 2:1-20 NRSV)  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. [Christ Candle] {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, 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, praising God and saying, {14} "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!" {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. {17} When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; {18} and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. {19} But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. {20} The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. 

Hymns of Praise                                  “The First Noel” (#245) vs 1 and 2

                                                            “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear”(#218) vs 1 and 4           

Message: “Christmas Reminder” Pastor George

It was February of 1988 that I went on a journey to what we know as the "Holy Land."  There is much about it that is not so holy.  The animosity and wars we have all read and seen on television. The head of Iran said that Israel needed to be wiped off the map. People claim God is on their side in this battle.  

One of the more disappointing places to visit is Nazareth.  The town is half Jew and half Arab.  There is an uneasy peace between them.  It is an out of the way village, not even on a major road.  Expectations are high as we visited the hometown of Jesus.  Yet, when we arrive, there are two churches that claim to be the place of Mary's vision of Gabriel.  As we got off the bus, kids surrounded us with trinkets to sell.  Bottled water was for sale.  The church we entered was cold and simple.  We filed in, sat on old benches, had time for reflection, and left.  Though few of us said it, the feeling was clear.  "We came all this way for this?"  There are many places in Israel to be inspired.  For me, Nazareth was not one of them.

A young American clergyman approached Bethlehem on horseback on Christmas Eve in 1865.  It is an ordinary city. In the fading light of the early evening, he paused just beyond the city's borders to watch from the hills.  The scene moved him deeply.  He saw narrow streets of Bethlehem lined with modest homes.  He thought about the people who lived there.  They depended on the land and their flocks for survival.  He also pondered a mystery: In this city, the Savior of the world was born.  In the stillness of that moment, Bethlehem became more than just another town.  It became a place of wonder and mystery.  From that experience, the young clergyman gave us one of our most cherished Christmas carols.  His name is Phillips Brooks and he penned these words from that long‑ago Christmas Eve experience: 

            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. 

Even if we have never visited Bethlehem, it has visited us.  Every year, for as far back as we can remember, its borders have intersected our lives.  Its ancient residents have become our neighbors.  Why?  Christ was born in Bethlehem.

            How silently, how silently the wondrous gift is given!

            So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of His 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. 

            We still have time to let Christ into our lives.

There have been inspiring moments in all of our lives, when we felt as close to God as we thought we could ever feel.  However, most of our lives are spent in pretty ordinary places.  There is little obviously holy about most of the times and places of our lives.  We won't live on cloud nine, Disney World, or Oz.  We live in Nazareth.  That dusty, congested, backwater town. It might be named Logansport, ….l.  It is still Nazareth.  It a place where horns honk, where there is sin and darkness, where teens are in trouble, families experience stress, and all the rest.  We need to know that God came here, to places like Nazareth.  Real places.  Ordinary places. 

            We come here today to be reminded of familiar things.  Jesus lived among us, long ago.  The promise of the gospel is that He lives among us now, in the real, ordinary places where you and I live.  When we know this, we know that even the Nazareth of our own lives is truly holy.

Love did come down at Christmas – and still does, emptying itself in a million places, circumstances and hearts.  May it find and touch you this Christmas.  May you find and touch it – He, who is love.  Perhaps it will happen for you this Christmas.

 

Incidental Music (Claudia – to give time to light candles)      

Closing Carol                                      “Silent Night, Holy Night” (#239)  

Benediction    (Pastor George)……congregation dismissed to leave in silence. 

11 pM

Christmas Eve Service – December 24, 2015

11:00 PM – Cross~Wind UMC 

Prelude                                                                                                                        Claudia

Words of Welcome and Instruction                                                               Pastor George

Call to Worship           (Dave or Cassie)

Leader:     Unto us a child is born, and unto us a son is given; and the government                                           shall be upon his shoulders; and his name shall be called Wonderful                                                      Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.

People:     Let us now go even unto Bethlehem and see this thing which is come to                                          pass, which the Lord hath made known to us. 

 

We remember why we gather tonight: 

            “Before anything else existed, there was Christ, with God.   He has always been alive and is himself God.   He created everything there is – nothing exists that he didn’t make.”   John 1: 1-3

            “For God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son so that anyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”               John 3: 16         

We remember the announcement of his birth: 

Carol               “Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus” (#196) vs 1 and 2 

We remember the Lord’s Birth:

            “About this time, Caesar Augustus, the Roman Emperor, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the nation.   (This census was taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.)   Everyone was required to return to his ancestral home for this registration.   And because Joseph was a member of the royal line, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, King David’s ancient home, journeying there from the Galilean village of Nazareth.   He took with him Mary, his fiancé, who was obviously pregnant by this time.”                                    Luke 2: 1 – 5 

Special Music              “I Wonder as I Wander”                     Steve Gwin 

            “And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born; and she gave birth to her first child, a son.    She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the village inn.”                                                                Luke 2: 6 -7 

Advent Wreath / Lighting of the Christ Candle                  Pastor George and Suzanne Plasterer 

Carol                           “What Child Is This” (#219) vs 1 - 3

We remember the angels who sang about the Savior:

            “In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.   Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them , and they were terrified.   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:   to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.   This will be a sign for you:   you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.’   And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors.”                                               Luke 2: 8 – 14 

Carol                           “Angels We Have Heard on High” (#238) vs 1 and 4 

            “The shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child.   All who heard the shepherds’ story expressed astonishment, but Mary quietly treasured these things in her heart and often thought about them.   Then the shepherds went back again to their fields and flocks, praising God for the visit of the angels, and because they had seen the child, just as the angel had told them.”                                                                                                                      Luke 2: 17 – 20

Carol               “While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks” (#236) vs 1 and 6 

We remember the purpose of His coming:

            “When someone becomes a Christian he becomes a brand new person inside.   He is not the same anymore.   A new life has begun!   All these new things are from God who brought us back to Himself through what Christ Jesus did.   And God has given us the privilege of urging everyone to come into His favor and be reconciled to Him.   For God was in Christ, restoring the world to Himself, no longer counting men’s sins against them but blotting them out.   This is the wonderful message He has given us to tell others.   We are Christ’s ambassadors.”                                               II Corinthians 5: 17 – 20 

Carol               “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”  (#240) vs 1 - 3 

We remember the Lord with our Christmas offering:

Offertory

Prayer 

MEDITATION “Coming to Bethlehem” by Rev. George Plasterer

Year ABC

Christmas Eve

Cross~Wind UMC

Title: Coming to Bethlehem 

            I wonder what I would have heard had I been there that night. Would I have heard the choirs of angels singing or simply the sounds of barnyard animals shifting around? Would I have seen the star in the sky that night or simply two poor and very frightened kids? Would I have understood the hushed silence of the divine presence, or simply the chill of a cold east wind? Would I have understood the message of Emmanuel, God with us, or would the cosmic implications of that evening have passed me by?
            I am convinced that had two people been there that night in Bethlehem it is quite possible that they could have heard and seen two entirely different scenes. I believe this because all of life is this way. God never presents himself in revelation in a manner in which we are forced to believe. We are always left with an option, for that is God's way. Thus, one person can say, “It’s a miracle, while another says, “It’s coincidence."
            Certainly very few people in Palestine saw, heard, and understood what took place that night. The haggling and trading going on in the Jerusalem bazaar drowned out the choirs of angels singing. There was a bright star in the sky but the only ones apparently to pay any attention to it were pagan astrologers from the East. If anyone did see Mary and Joseph on that most fateful night, they were too preoccupied with their own problems to offer any assistance.
            In one of the All in the Family episodes that aired some years ago Edith and Archie are attending Edith's high school class reunion. Edith encounters an old classmate by the name of Buck who, unlike his earlier days, had now become excessively obese. Edith and Buck have a delightful conversation about old times and the things that they did together, but remarkably Edith doesn't seem to notice how extremely heavy Buck has become. Later, when Edith and Archie are talking, she says in her whiny voice, “Archie, ain't Buck a beautiful person." Archie looks at her with a disgusted expression and says: "Your a pip, Edith. You know that. You and I look at the same guy and you see a beautiful person and I see a blimp.” Edith gets a puzzled expression on her face and says something unknowingly profound, "Yeah, ain't it too bad."
            You see, what we see and what we hear in life depends not upon the events but rather the perspective that shapes the way we see.

            Yet, here we are, coming to Bethlehem...Again. We hear the story repeatedly, especially during this season of the year. A child is born in a manger.  The angels sing of good news of great joy for all people.  This child shall be Savior, Messiah, Lord.  They sing of peace that shall come to the earth.  All of this occurs because God is present through this child in a way different from any other child that had ever been born.  Has the story gotten so old that we no longer listen?  Is it possible to sing of him, preach about him, pray to him, and yet still miss him?  I think so. 

            It is easy to miss Jesus.  Many people missed him on that first Christmas night.  Many still do.  Maybe the story is too ordinary.  A baby is born.  It happens all the time, right?  Maybe our own preconceived notions blur our vision of Jesus.  We go through all the preparations for Christmas.  However, maybe he will surprise us by being in the place we least expected to find him. 

            On this night, I want to get sentimental.  I love the Christmas songs.  I love received communion on this night. I love to have candlelight service, remembering the light which Jesus brought into the world.  I like sharing that light with one another.  We symbolize our unity in Christ and our unity with one another.  I find myself wanting to do what our text says Mary did: she "treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart."  Maybe, I think, if I treasure the Christmas story one more time, I will see Jesus in a new way, one that truly changes a part of me that might have needing changing for a long time. 

            It is like the cartoon I saw of a man surrounded by beautifully wrapped gifts.  He had a long shopping list in front of him.  He says to himself, "Now, let's see, have I forgotten anyone?"  In the upper left hand corner is the face of Jesus.  I find myself, on this night, above every other night, not wanting to forget Jesus.  I find myself wanting to see Jesus, to take that journey to the Bethlehem of the soul, and allow Jesus to be born anew in me.

            I would like to focus our attention upon someone not in the biblical story, but who might be there in our imagination.  I am speaking of one of the shepherds on that hill.  He had been a youth on that fateful first Christmas night.  Now, he is much older.  He has a grandson who is sitting upon his knee.  He recalls this story, even on this night: 

A long, long time ago, when I was little more than a boy, I was out on the Judean hills one night with some other shepherds, keeping watch over the flock.  And the angel of the Lord came upon us and the glory of the Lord shone roundabout us.  And we were afraid.  And the angel said, "Fear not...for unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord...You shall find the babe in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 

The lips stopped moving.  Silence.  The little boy looks with wide, puzzled eyes into his grandfather's face and says: "But granddad is that all?  What did you do when you heard the good news?  Was what the angel said really true?  Was the Christ Child ever really born?"  The old man shook his head: "I never knew.  I never went to see.  Some say that it is all a myth.  Others say they found in Him the Light of God, the power of life.  But for me, I could never be quite sure.  I never did go to see."  (Clovis Chappel, quoted by Bill Schwein, December 22, 1991). 

            It occurs to me that most of us have been invited to Bethlehem repeatedly in our lives.  We have been invited to see Jesus, to allow Jesus to be born, not just in Bethlehem long ago, but in our hearts.  Would it not be a shame if, after all these invitations, we would never go and see for ourselves? 

 

 

We remember the Lord in Holy Communion:

            (Communion will be served by intinction)

Incidental Music during Communion                                                 Claudia

 

Carol                           “Silent Night, Holy Night” ( #239) vs 1 – 4

            (This is sung while candles are being lit.)

 

Carol                           “Joy to the World” (#246) vs 1 - 4

            (This is sung after all candles are lit.)

 

 

Benediction                 “Go in Peace.   Merry Christmas to you all!”

Postlude