All Hallows Christmas Day Service (December 25, 2022)
The Birth of the Lord Jesus Christ
The Gathering Open this link in a new tab to hear Lydia McCauley’s arrangement of Personet Hodie for piano, harp, violin, oboe, and flute.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Hal H. Hopson’s arrangement of the fifteenth or sixteenth century Latin carol Personet Hodie, “On This Day Earth Shall Ring (Carol Processional).”
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.
Id-e-o-o-o, id-e-o-o-o,
Id-e-o 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.
Id-e-o-o-o, id-e-o-o-o,
Id-e-o gloria in excelsis Deo!
3 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.
Id-e-o-o-o, id-e-o-o-o,
Id-e-o gloria in excelsis Deo!
Deo!
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
And the Word became flesh and lived among us, full of grace and truth.
The Lord be with you
The Lord bless you
Let us pray
Silence
God most high,
whose eternal Word chose a dwelling among us,
that we might live in your presence:
grant us a spirit of wisdom
to know how rich is the glory you have given us,
and how great is the hope to which we are called
in the Word made flesh;
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God for ever and ever. Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Charles Wesley’s “Hark the Herald Angels Sing."
1 Hark! the herald angels sing
glory to the new-born 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 new-born King.
2 Christ, by highest heaven adored,
Christ, the everlasting Lord,
late in time behold him come,
offspring of a Virgin's womb!
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see:
Hail, the incarnate Deity,
pleased as man with man to dwell,
Jesus, our Emmanuel.
Hark, the herald angels sing
glory to the new-born 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 man no more may die,
born to raise the sons of earth,
born to give them second birth.
Hark, the herald angels sing
glory to the new-born King.
Dear People of God: On this Christmas Day, let it be our great joy and delight to hear once more the story of the birth of our blessed Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ and to join our voices to the angels in praising God’ holy name.
But first, let us pray for the needs of his whole world, for peace and justice on earth, for the unity and mission of the Church for which he died, and especially for his Church in our country and in our community.
And because he particularly loves them, let us remember in his name the poor and helpless, the cold and the homeless, the hungry and the oppressed, the sick and those who mourn, the lonely and unloved, the aged and little children, as well as all those who do not know and love the Lord Jesus Christ.
Let us not forget those Christians who are suffering persecution for their faith, missionaries at home and abroad, members of our armed forces stationed overseas, particularly those who may be in harm’s way, the victims of domestic abuse, and all who are struggling with any form of addiction.
Finally, let us give thanks to God for our Lord’s pure and lowly Mother, and for that whole multitude which no one can number, whose hope was in the Word made flesh, and with whom, in Jesus, we are one for evermore. And now, to gather up all these petitions, let us pray in the words which Christ himself has taught us, saying:
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 trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power, and the glory
for ever and ever.
Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Elaine Hagenberg’s arrangement of Martin Luther’s “All Praise to Thee, Eternal Lord.”
All praise to Thee, Eternal Lord,
Clothed in a garb of flesh and blood;
Choosing a manger for Thy throne,
While worlds on worlds were Thine alone.
Alleluia, alleluia.
Alleluia, alleluia.
Thou comest in the darksome night
To make us children of the light,
To make us, in the realms divine,
Like Thine own angels round Thee shine.
Alleluia, alleluia.
Alleluia, alleluia.
A little Child, Thou art our Guest,
That weary ones in Thee may rest:
Forlorn and lonely is Thy birth,
That we may rise to heaven from earth.
Alleluia, alleluia.
Alleluia, alleluia.
Alleluia, alleluia.
Alleluia,
Alleluia.
Alleluia
Amen
Amen
The Readings
A reading from the Book of Isaiah.
How beautiful on the mountains
are the feet of the messenger who brings good news,
the good news of peace and salvation,
the news that the God of Israel reigns!
The watchmen shout and sing with joy,
for before their very eyes
they see the Lord returning to Jerusalem.
Let the ruins of Jerusalem break into joyful song,
for the Lord has comforted his people.
He has redeemed Jerusalem.
The Lord has demonstrated his holy power
before the eyes of all the nations.
All the ends of the earth will see
the victory of our God.
After the reading silence may be kept.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.
Thanks be to God.
Open this link in a new tab to hear David M. Cherwien’s arrangement of Isaac Watt’s paraphrase of Psalm 98, “Joy to the World!” for SATB choir and congregation.
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
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
No more let sins and sorrow 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
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.
He rules the world 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!
Open this link in a new tab to hear Richard Jeffey’s “Festival Alleluia” for SATB voices and congregation.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Unto us a son is given, Jesus Christ the Lord.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
The Holy Gospel according to John
Praise and glory to God.
In the beginning the Word already existed.
The Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He existed in the beginning with God.
God created everything through him,
and nothing was created except through him.
The Word gave life to everything that was created,*
and his life brought light to everyone.
The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness can never extinguish it.*
God sent a man, John the Baptist, to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.
He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognise him. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.
So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.
After the Gospel, silence may be kept.
This is the Gospel of Christ.
Praise to Christ, the Word.
The Message
“He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness” is how John describes Jesus in the last paragraph of this morning’s Gospel Reading. “He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness.” Unfailing love and faithfulness are qualities that are associated with God’s character in the Old Testament. They are qualities that Jesus himself exhibited during life and ministry here on earth. In coming in the person of Jesus, in coming in the person of the Son, God also shows his unfailing love and faithfulness
Through the prophets of the Old Testament God makes a number of promises to the remnant of the people of Israel. In Jesus’ first coming which we celebrate during the Christmas Season he keeps in part these promises. Through the prophet Isaiah God, for example, promised to teach his people and he fulfills that promise in Jesus. What was not fulfilled by Jesus’ first coming will be fulfilled by his second coming. Ultimately everything God said he will do, he will do. He will be true to his character. We can trust God to keep his word. He will not go back on his promises.
This may be difficult for us to believe because we may have had too many experiences when people whom we believed and trusted did not do what they said that they would do. We also have tendency to think the worst of people and we may transfer our suspicion and distrust from our relationships with others to our relationship with God. Our negative attitude toward the world and others can affect our attitude toward God.
A promise that we can expect God to keep is for God to recognize as his children those who believe Jesus and trust him. They can expect to experience a spiritual rebirth. Some theologians argue that this spiritual rebirth must occur before we believe Jesus and trust him. Others argue that it must follow. A number of theologians point out that they are flip sides of the same coin.
What matters most is that God will fulfill this promise. He will do what he said he will do. God’s grace, the power of the Holy Spirit, working in us, will not only enable us to believe Jesus and to trust him but also to experience the birth that comes from God. God is never failing in his love and God is reliable and trustworthy.
In his teaching Jesus emphasizes being loving and faithful to God and to our fellow human beings. We show our love for God by honoring and obeying God. We show our faithfulness to God in the same way. We show our love for other people by treating them with kindness, forgiveness, and compassion. We show our faithfulness through our loyalty and dependability.
The spiritual rebirth that we experience is a beginning just like our physical birth is a beginning. Having aroused and awakened our faith, God invigorate and strengthen it. God renovates our character and restores the divine image in us. With our cooperation God will give us a complete makeover.
Why do we need a makeover? It’s a rough analog but we can be compared to a laptop with the corrupted, virus-infected operating system. It is not going run like it is supposed to run if it runs at all. The spiritual rebirth is like wiping the laptop and replacing the old operating system with a new one, one to which can be added the latest updates and upgrades, making it possible for the laptop to operate at its optimum.
Our physical birth and our spiritual rebirth, or spiritual birth if you like, are separate events. They do not occur at the same time.
We can buy an electrical assisted bike but if it does not come with a battery and we do not install a battery, we are going to have to peddle it like a regular bike. The electrical motor is not going to provide us with an assist. We are the same way. We are not going to get very far under our own power. In fact, we are not going to go anywhere. We need an assist from God.
Will the change in our attitudes, feelings, and behavior be dramatic? While it is possible, the transformation for most people is gradual. We may experience lapses and setbacks. But God who has promised to be with us always will help us get back on track.
With the help of God’s grace, the assist that God provides us, we can be loving and faithful like Jesus taught us to be. Our love and our faithfulness may not be as perfect as God’s, but we will be moving in the right direction. We and those around us will be better for it too.
Silence
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.
Thanks be to God.
Open this link in a new tab to hear David M. Cherwien’s arrangement of Isaac Watt’s paraphrase of Psalm 98, “Joy to the World!” for SATB choir and congregation.
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
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
No more let sins and sorrow 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
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.
He rules the world 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!
Open this link in a new tab to hear Richard Jeffey’s “Festival Alleluia” for SATB voices and congregation.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Unto us a son is given, Jesus Christ the Lord.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
The Holy Gospel according to John
Praise and glory to God.
In the beginning the Word already existed.
The Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He existed in the beginning with God.
God created everything through him,
and nothing was created except through him.
The Word gave life to everything that was created,*
and his life brought light to everyone.
The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness can never extinguish it.*
God sent a man, John the Baptist, to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.
He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognise him. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.
So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.
After the Gospel, silence may be kept.
This is the Gospel of Christ.
Praise to Christ, the Word.
The Message
An Assist from God
“He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness” is how John describes Jesus in the last paragraph of this morning’s Gospel Reading. “He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness.” Unfailing love and faithfulness are qualities that are associated with God’s character in the Old Testament. They are qualities that Jesus himself exhibited during life and ministry here on earth. In coming in the person of Jesus, in coming in the person of the Son, God also shows his unfailing love and faithfulness
Through the prophets of the Old Testament God makes a number of promises to the remnant of the people of Israel. In Jesus’ first coming which we celebrate during the Christmas Season he keeps in part these promises. Through the prophet Isaiah God, for example, promised to teach his people and he fulfills that promise in Jesus. What was not fulfilled by Jesus’ first coming will be fulfilled by his second coming. Ultimately everything God said he will do, he will do. He will be true to his character. We can trust God to keep his word. He will not go back on his promises.
This may be difficult for us to believe because we may have had too many experiences when people whom we believed and trusted did not do what they said that they would do. We also have tendency to think the worst of people and we may transfer our suspicion and distrust from our relationships with others to our relationship with God. Our negative attitude toward the world and others can affect our attitude toward God.
A promise that we can expect God to keep is for God to recognize as his children those who believe Jesus and trust him. They can expect to experience a spiritual rebirth. Some theologians argue that this spiritual rebirth must occur before we believe Jesus and trust him. Others argue that it must follow. A number of theologians point out that they are flip sides of the same coin.
What matters most is that God will fulfill this promise. He will do what he said he will do. God’s grace, the power of the Holy Spirit, working in us, will not only enable us to believe Jesus and to trust him but also to experience the birth that comes from God. God is never failing in his love and God is reliable and trustworthy.
In his teaching Jesus emphasizes being loving and faithful to God and to our fellow human beings. We show our love for God by honoring and obeying God. We show our faithfulness to God in the same way. We show our love for other people by treating them with kindness, forgiveness, and compassion. We show our faithfulness through our loyalty and dependability.
The spiritual rebirth that we experience is a beginning just like our physical birth is a beginning. Having aroused and awakened our faith, God invigorate and strengthen it. God renovates our character and restores the divine image in us. With our cooperation God will give us a complete makeover.
Why do we need a makeover? It’s a rough analog but we can be compared to a laptop with the corrupted, virus-infected operating system. It is not going run like it is supposed to run if it runs at all. The spiritual rebirth is like wiping the laptop and replacing the old operating system with a new one, one to which can be added the latest updates and upgrades, making it possible for the laptop to operate at its optimum.
Our physical birth and our spiritual rebirth, or spiritual birth if you like, are separate events. They do not occur at the same time.
We can buy an electrical assisted bike but if it does not come with a battery and we do not install a battery, we are going to have to peddle it like a regular bike. The electrical motor is not going to provide us with an assist. We are the same way. We are not going to get very far under our own power. In fact, we are not going to go anywhere. We need an assist from God.
Will the change in our attitudes, feelings, and behavior be dramatic? While it is possible, the transformation for most people is gradual. We may experience lapses and setbacks. But God who has promised to be with us always will help us get back on track.
With the help of God’s grace, the assist that God provides us, we can be loving and faithful like Jesus taught us to be. Our love and our faithfulness may not be as perfect as God’s, but we will be moving in the right direction. We and those around us will be better for it too.
Silence
Open this link in a new tab to hear Christina Georgina Rossetti’s Love Came Down at Christmas."
1 Love came down at Christmas,
love all lovely, Love divine;
Love was born at Christmas;
star and angels gave the sign.
2 Worship we the Godhead,
Love incarnate, Love divine;
worship we our Jesus,
but wherewith for sacred sign?
3 Love shall be our token;
love be yours and love be mine;
love to God and all men*,
love for plea and gift and sign.
* “Others” in more recent versions of this hymn.
The Dismissal
Let us pray
Almighty God,
who gave your only-begotten Son
to take our nature upon him
and was at this time to be born of the virgin Mary:
grant that we being born again
and made your children by adoption and grace,
may daily be renewed by your Holy Spirit;
through the same our Lord Jesus Crist,
who lives and reigns with you and the same Spirit,
ever one God, now and for ever. Amen.
May Christ who by his Incarnation
gathered into one things earthly and heavenly,
fill us with his joy and peace;
and the blessing of God Almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be upon us and remain with us always. Amen.
Let us go forth in the name of Christ.
Thanks be to God. Alleluia!
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