WIXLIB

A CANDLELIGHT SERVICE OFADVENT AND CHRISTMAS LESSONS AND CAROLSSunday, December 6, 2020, 4:00 p.m.This year’s Candlelight celebration marks the 78th year of this event. As we look back on all of those years with fondremembrance may God use this night to strengthen our hearts and spirits to be a light to our city for years to come.HYMN: “Once in Royal David’s City” .IRBYStanzas 1 through 3 sung by the choirs.Once in royal David’s city stood a lowly cattle shed, where a mother laid her baby in a manger for his bed. Mary was thatmother mild, Jesus Christ her little Child.He came down to earth from heaven who is God and Lord of all; and his shelter was a stable, and his cradle was a stall.With the poor and mean and lowly lived on earth our Savior holy.And through all his wondrous childhood, he would honor and obey, love and watch the lowly maiden in whose gentlearms he lay. Christian children all must be mild, obedient, good as he.The congregation is invited to join in singing the final 3 stanzas.For he is our childhood’s pattern: day by day like us he grew. He was little, weak, and helpless; tears and smiles like ushe knew. And he feeleth for our sadness, and he shareth in our gladness.And our eyes at last shall see him through his own redeeming love; for that Child so dear and gentle is our Lord inheaven above; and he leads his children on to the place where he is gone.Not in that poor lowly stable with the oxen standing by, we shall see him; but in heaven, set at God’s right hand onhigh; when like stars his children crowned, all in white shall wait around.INVITATIONYou must be men and women of ceaseless hope, because only tomorrow can today’s human and Christian promise berealized; and every tomorrow will have its own tomorrow, world without end. Every human act, every Christian act, is anact of hope. But that means you must be men and women of the present, must live this moment - really live it, not justendure it - because this very moment, for all its imperfection and frustration, because of its imperfection andfrustration, is pregnant with all sorts of possibilities, is pregnant with the future, is pregnant with love, is pregnant withChrist.

And now, as our Savior Christ has taught us we are bold to pray: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 thosewho trespass against us;and lead us not into temptation,but deliver us from evil.For thine is the kingdom,and the power, and the glory,forever and ever. Amen.The Almighty God bless us with divine grace; Christ give us the joys of everlasting life; and unto the fellowship of thecitizens above may the King of Angels bring us all.Amen.WAITING IN ANTICIPATIONLESSON.Jeremiah 33:14-16The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house ofJudah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justiceand righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name bywhich it will be called: “The LORD is our righteousness.”The word of the Lord.Thanks be to God.“Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus”.Vicki Hancock WrightChildren’s and Junior ChoirCyndy O’Brien and Jan Klee, Chimes; Shannon Hardiek and Kevin Klee, PercussionCome, Thou Long Expected Jesus, born to set your people free; from our fears and sins release us, let us find our rest inthee. Come, O come, Emmanuel!Born your people to deliver, born a child and yet a King, born to reign in us forever, now your gracious Kingdom bring.Come, O come, Emmanuel!Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus, born to set your people free; from our fears and sins release us, let us find our rest inthee. Come, come O Jesus; come, O come, Emmanuel!“All Earth Is Hopeful”.Alberto Taule; arr. Robert A. HobbyWednesday Steel Drum EnsembleLESSON.Isaiah 40:1-5Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term,that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins. A voice cries out: “In thewilderness prepare the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be liftedup, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. Thenthe glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

The word of the Lord.Thanks be to God.“Climb to the Top of the Highest Mountain”.Carolyn JenningsChancel Choir; Elizabeth Richey and Mary Ellen Richey, SopranosClimb to the top of the highest mountain. Joyous tidings proclaim to the world, lift up your voice, shout the good news:behold, your Lord, comes to you. He will feed his flock like a shepherd, he will carry the lambs in his arms, he will everkeep them safe from harm. Behold, your Lord comes to you. He who made the stars in the heaven, he who fashionedthe earth and the sea, from time eternal, he was Alpha and Omega, He, Behold, your Lord! He will come in power andglory, he will rule with mercy and truth, Hope of the nations, Light of the world He will love the little children, he willhold them in his arms. Love him and trust him as a child, Behold, your Lord comes to you. Love him, trust him as a child.“And the Glory of the Lord” from Messiah.G.F. HandelChancel ChoirAnd the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all the flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord hathspoken it.THE ANGEL APPEARS TO MARYLESSON.Luke 1:39-55In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house ofZechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabethwas filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit ofyour womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard thesound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be afulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.” And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices inGod my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will callme blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear himfrom generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of theirhearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with goodthings, and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to thepromise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”The word of the Lord.Thanks be to God.“Magnificat”.Ruth Elaine SchramYouth ChoirPatricia Reeves, FluteMy soul glorifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God, my savior. My soul glorifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoicesin God.Mighty and holy, he has exalted the lowly, filled the hungry and scattered the proud. He has remembered his servant.My soul glorifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior. My soul glorifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoicesin God.LESSON.John 1:1-5, 9-14In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being inhim was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome

it. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came intobeing through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accepthim. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born,not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. 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.The word of the Lord.Thanks be to God.“‘Riu, Riu, Chiu’ Manger Birds Are Winging”.Spanish Carol; arr. Hal HopsonYouth ChoirPatricia Reeves, Flute; Kevin Klee, Tambourine“Riu, riu, chiu,” manger birds are winging; Holy Child, now hear them, hear their joyful singing; Holy Child, now hearthem, hear their joyful singing.Many ancient prophets told of his arriving; here is the Messiah, we end our endless striving. He is Light of lights, who ofdaylight is our token, Lamb of God is he, yes, the one that John has spoken.Hosts and hosts of angels fill the air with singing; joy rings through the earth with a thousand voices ringing. “Glory be toGod,” hear them sing in all their brightness; peace shall come at last through this Son of such uprightness.Through this child so small, a King to us is given; he is Christ the Savior, through him we are forgiven. Though he isimmortal, he is of our own station; he has come to give us life and our salvation.“Oh, Sleep Now, Holy Baby”.Hispanic Folk Tune; arr. Robert A. HobbyThursday Steel Drum EnsembleTHE WORD WAS MADE FLESHLESSON.Matthew 1:18-25Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, butbefore they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteousman and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to dothis, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary asyour wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, forhe will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through theprophet: ”Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means, “God iswith us.” When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, buthad no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.The word of the Lord.Thanks be to God.“Twas in the Moon of Wintertime”.French Folk Tune; arr. Evan M. AndersonCelebration Ringers“Mary Had a Baby”.Spiritual; arr. Evan M. AndersonChildren’s and Junior Choirs; Kristin Westover, ViolinMary had a baby, my Lord; Mary had a baby, my Lord; Mary had a baby, my Lord.Where did she lay him, my Lord? Where did she lay him, my Lord? Where did she lay, my Lord? Laid him in a manger, myLord; laid him in a manger, my Lord; laid him in a manger, my Lord. What did she name him, my Lord? What did she

name him, my Lord? What did she name, my Lord? Mary named him Jesus, my Lord; Mary named him Jesus, my Lord;Mary named him Jesus, my Lord.Traditional“Silent Night”.Franz Gruber; arr. Betty GareeTrinity RingersHOMILY . Pastor ErdosTAKING THE LIGHT INTO A DARKENED WORLD“Santa Lucia” . TraditionalYouth Choir; Lisa Walborn, SopranoSanta Lucia, thy light is glowing through darkest winter night, comfort bestowing. Dreams float on wings aflight; comesthen the morning light. Santa Lucia! Santa Lucia!Through silent winter gloom, thy song comes winging to waken earth anew, glad carols bringing. Come, thou, O Queenof Light, wearing thy crown so bright. Sa

A CANDLELIGHT SERVICE OF ADVENT AND CHRISTMAS LESSONS AND CAROLS Sunday, December 6, 2020, 4:00 p.m. This year’s Candlelight celebration marks the 78th year of this event. As we look back on all of those years with fond remembrance may God use this night to strengthen our hearts and spirits to be a light to our city for years to come.