04B - Advent 4B — 05B - Christmas Day
CALL TO WORSHIP
Psalm 96:1 – 2
Sing to the LORD a new song,
sing to the LORD all the earth;
bless the name of the LORD,
tell of God’s saving acts day after day!
SING: Hymn 227: Hark! the herald angels sing
Psalm 96:3 – 6
Proclaim the greatness of the LORD around the world;
recount God’s marvellous works to all the peoples.
The LORD is great and greatly to be praised;
to be held in holy awe above all other gods.
For all the gods we make are good for nothing;
it is the LORD who made the heavens.
Honour and majesty are before our God;
strength and beauty are in God’s holy place.
SING: Hymn 224: Joy to the world.
Psalm 96:7 – 9
Honour and majesty are before our God;
strength and beauty are in God’s holy place.
Say of the LORD, all you families of the peoples;
say of the LORD, “Glory and strength”.
give to the LORD the glory due God’s name,
bring an offering and come into the courts of the LORD.
Bow down before the LORD in holy splendour
tremble before the LORD, all the earth.
SING: Hymn 241 Child in the manger
Psalm 96:10 – 13
Say among the nations: The LORD is king!
The world is set firm, immovable;
God will judge the peoples justly.
Let the cosmos be glad, let the earth rejoice;
let the sea roar, and all that is in it.
Let pasture, stock and crop shout;
then all the trees of the scrubland will sing for joy before the LORD,
for the LORD is coming, coming to judge the earth.
The LORD God will rule the earth with justice,
and all the peoples with faithfulness.
PRAYER OF ADORATION
(in which images from Isaiah 9:2-7 are used to reflect on our less than perfect world.)
Father, Redeemer and Spirit of grace, we adore you.
You give hope to those who are yoked
to the burden of injustice, oppression, loneliness, and grief:
in lovjngkindness you have shone a great light
into the deep darkness of our world.
You give hope to those who suffer
under the rod of famine and war:
in your faithfulness you have established
a kingdom of endless peace.
You give hope to those whose shoulders ache
under the bar of apartheid and religious persecution:
in solidarity with humanity
you establish justice without end.
You give hope to those crushed by the tramping warriors
of homelessness, unemployment, intolerance:
by grace you reveal to us your action for putting things right.
Therefore we adore you, Holiest Trinity,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit:
one God, for ever and ever. Amen
A CREATIVE MOMENT
Click here for some ideas for Christmas worship gleaned from the pages of “On the Move” (now out of print) originally published by the Joint Board of Christian Education, Melbourne, Australia.
Looking for contemporary music and song resources?
Try David MacGregor’s Together to Celebrate
Or metrical psalms? Try Dale A. Schoening’s Sing the Psalms
| HYMN SUGGESTIONS FOR CHRISTMAS EVE |
||
| Let earth & heaven combine | TIS 305 | AHB 229 |
| O little town of Bethlehem | TIS 316 | AHB 240 |
| O, how joyfully, O, how hopefully, | TIS 330 | |
| Robe yourself, my soul, with gladness | TIS 503 | AHB 424 |
| The first nowell the angel did say | TIS 301 | AHB 221 |
| The heavens declare your glory Lord | AHB 330 | |
| ISAIAH 9 | ||
| Beauty for brokenness | TIS 690 | |
| Blessed Jesus, here we stand | AHB 404 | |
| Come let us with our Lord arise | TIS 375 | AHB 297 |
| Hark the glad sound ! the Saviour comes | TIS 269 | AHB 197 |
| Jesus, where’er your people meet | TIS 445 | AHB 372 |
| Join all the glorious names of wisdom,love | TIS 205 | AHB 135 |
| King of glory,King of peace | TIS 201 | AHB 129 |
| Light one candle for hope | TIS 286 | |
| Long ago, prophets knew | TIS 283 | SA 61 |
| Lord Jesus, our bright Morning Star | TIS 199 | |
| My heart & voice I raise | TIS 225 | AHB 160 |
| O come! O come, Emmanuel | TIS 265 | AHB 193 |
| O day of God, draw near | TIS 616 | AHB 547 |
| O God of every nation | TIS 621 | |
| Son of God, eternal Saviour | TIS 606 | AHB 529 |
| The people that in darkness walked | TIS 274 | AHB 202 |
| To us a child of royal birth | TIS 308 | AHB 230 |
| Unto us a boy is born! | TIS 293 | AHB 218 |
| PSALM 96 | ||
| Creation sings a new song to the Lord | TIS 166 | AHB 102 |
| Joy to the world, the Lord is come | TIS 268 | AHB 224 |
| Let all mortal flesh keep silence | TIS 497 | AHB 418 |
| O sing a new song to the Lord | TIS 54 | |
| Sing a new song, sing a new song | TIS 166 | AHB 102 |
| The royal banners forward go | TIS 332 | AHB 251 |
| Wake, awake! for night is flying | TIS 266 | AHB 195 |
| Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness | TIS 454 | AHB 382 |
| TITUS 2 | ||
| Father of everlasting grace | AHB 313 | |
| God of all power and truth and grace | TIS 567 | AHB 477 |
| Good Christians all, rejoice | TIS 313 | AHB 238 |
| My heart & voice I raise | TIS 225 | AHB 160 |
| O come! O come, Emmanuel | TIS 265 | AHB 193 |
| O gladsome light, O grace | AHB 121 | |
| With glorious clouds encompassed round | AHB 155 | |
| LUKE 2 | ||
| Angels from the realms of glory | TIS 309 | AHB 235 |
| Behold, a rose is growing | TIS 294 | |
| Born in the night | TIS 323 | |
| Child in a manger | TIS 319 | AHB 241 |
| Christ is the world’s light | TIS 246 | AHB 191 |
| Christians awake, salute the happy morn | TIS 306 | AHB 231 |
| Coldly the night winds winging | TIS 321 | AHB 245 |
| Come, your hearts and voices raising | TIS 297 | |
| From east to west, from shore to shore | TIS | AHB 217 |
| Funny kind of night, funny kind of day | TIS 329 | |
| Glory to our boundless God | TIS 189 | |
| Glory, glory, glory, – glory be to God on high | TIS 775 | |
| God from on high has heard | AHB 226 | |
| Good Christians all, rejoice | TIS 313 | AHB 238 |
| Hark the herald angels sing | TIS 303 | AHB 227 |
| Infant holy, infant lowly | TIS 292 | AHB 225 |
| Jesus has come, and brings joy as our Saviour | TIS 208 | |
| My soul gives glory to my God | TIS 171 | |
| Never in all human story | TIS 320 | |
| No use knocking on the window | AHB 559 | |
| Not the powerful, not the privileged | TIS 288 | |
| O come, all ye faithful,joyful and triumphant | TIS 304 | AHB 228 |
| O sing a new song to the Lord | TIS 54 | |
| On Christmas night all Christains sing | TIS 300 | |
| Once in royal David’s city | TIS 312 | AHB 237 |
| Silent night, holy night | TIS 311 | AHB 236 |
| The first nowell the angel did say | TIS 301 | AHB 221 |
| To us a child of royal birth | TIS 308 | AHB 230 |
| While shepherds watched their flocks | TIS 299 | AHB 223 |