St. Andrew Lutheran Church of Canyon Lake

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Lessons and Carols
Christmas Celebration
A Unique Festival of Music and Scripture

PRELUDE

WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

RINGING OF THE BELL

Please stand as you are able.

CAROL #282 “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear”

CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS

Blessed be the holy Trinity, one God, whose steadfast love is everlasting. Amen.

Let us confess our sin in the presence of God and of one another.

Silence is kept for reflection.

God-with-us, we confess that we have turned away those seeking shelter, claiming there is no room when we have plenty.

We have made power and wealth our idols, while you show us true glory; a baby in a manger. We have overlooked the shepherds, expecting good news in prettier packaging. Too often, we have valued violence instead of your peace. Turn us from our ways to your ways. Grant us the grace to begin again. Free us from all that keeps us bound, and forgive our sin, through Jesus Christ, who gives himself for us. Amen.

Hear the Good News and rejoice! You are God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, forgiven in Christ and freed to respond in joy. Amen.

CAROL # 296 “What Child is This”

GREETING

The grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the love of God and the communion of the Holy spirit, be with you all.

And also with you.

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Let us pray. Lord God, Grant us courage like Joseph, to care for those we love and those whose names we don’t even know, when violence and danger invade our safe spaces. Help us to seek the peace that even Jesus did not have, Amen.

Please be seated.

FIRST READING Genesis 1: 1-5, 14-18

1 When God began to create the heavens and the earth, 2 the earth was complete chaos, and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. 3 Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness.

5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. 16 God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. 17 God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the dark-ness. And God saw that it was good.

Carol #292 “Love Has Come”

SECOND READING Micah 5: 2-5a

2 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. 3 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. 4 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, 5 and he shall be the one of peace.

Carol # 279 “O Little Town of Bethlehem”

THIRD READING Luke 1: 26-35

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.” 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?” 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 will be holy; he will be called Son of God.

Carol # 269 “Once in Royal David’s City”

FOURTH READING Matthew 1: 18-25

18 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 pregnant from the Holy Spirit. 19 Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to divorce her quietly. 20 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.

21 She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23 “Look, the virgin shall become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means, “God is with us.”

24 When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord com-manded him; he took her as his wife 25 but had no marital relations with her until she had given birth to a son, and he named him Jesus.

Carol # 272 “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming”

FIFTH READING Luke 2: 8-20

8 Now in that same region there were shepherds living in the fields, keep-ing 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 terri-fied. 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 heav-enly 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 and 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, just as it had been told them.

Carol # 289 “Angels We Have Heard on High”

SIXTH READING John 1: 1-14

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, and the life was the light of all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake 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. 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, 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, full of grace and truth.

Carol #283 “O Come, All Ye Faithful” vs. 1-3

SEVENTH READING Matthew 2: 1-12

1 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, magi 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 in the east 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 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 shep-herd my people Israel.’ ” 7 Then Herod secretly called for the magi and learned from them the ex-act 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 in the east, until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw that the star had stopped, they were over-whelmed 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.

12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

Homily Ken Kleid

Carol “We Three Kings of Orient Are” vs. 1-4 (next pg.)

THE NICENE CREED

Together with the whole church, we confess our faith:

We believe in one God,

the Father, the Almighty,

maker of heaven and earth,

of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,

the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father,

God from God, Light from Light,

true God from true God, begotten, not made,

of one Being with the Father;

through him all things were made.

For us and for our salvation

he came down from heaven,

was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary

and became truly human.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;

he suffered death and was buried.

On the third day he rose again

in accordance with the scriptures;

he ascended into heaven

and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,

and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,

who proceeds from the Father and the Son,*

who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,

who has spoken through the prophets.

We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church.

We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.

We look for the resurrection of the dead,

and the life of the world to come. Amen.

RESPONSIVE PRAYER

It is you, loving God, who lights our path with truth.

Your Word, Jesus, is truth.

In Christ’s light, draw all to the manger

to gather in wonder with the shepherds.

In Christ’s light, draw all to the manger

to kneel in reverence with the wise ones.

In Christ’s light, draw all to the manger

to sing for joy with the angels.

In the brightness of Jesus’ life

cast away the darkness of injustice, poverty, and hunger in the world.

It is you, loving God, who meets us on our way.

In the light of Jesus, show the world the way of life. Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER (sung)

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.

BLESSING

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow!

Praise God, all creatures here below!

You are the shepherds telling the story.

We tell it in the streets and across the land.

You are the wise ones worshiping with thanksgiving.

We worship with gifts of song and service, talents and treasures.

You are the angels announcing peace.

We live with joy and go now in peace.

Almighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, bless you now and forever.

BENEDICTION

The triune God, glorious Mystery, holy Incarnate One, abiding Comforter, bless you with endless grace, peace, and joy.