05B – Christmas Eve

04B - Advent 4B05B - 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

For use in worship, with acknowledgement. © Jeff Shrowder 2000.


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

HYMN SUGGESTIONS FOR CHRISTMAS EVE
 
Let earth & heaven combine TIS 305
O little town of Bethlehem TIS 316
O, how joyfully, O, how hopefully, TIS 330
Robe yourself, my soul, with gladness TIS 503
The first nowell the angel did say TIS 301
ISAIAH 9 
Beauty for brokenness TIS 690
Come let us with our Lord arise TIS 375
Hark the glad sound ! the Saviour comes TIS 269
Jesus, where’er your people meet TIS 445
Join all the glorious names of wisdom,love TIS 205
King of glory,King of peace TIS 201
Light one candle for hope TIS 286
Long ago, prophets knew TIS 283
Lord Jesus, our bright Morning Star TIS 199
My heart & voice I raise TIS 225
O come! O come, Emmanuel TIS 265
O day of God, draw near TIS 616
O God of every nation TIS 621
Son of God, eternal Saviour TIS 606
The people that in darkness walked TIS 274
To us a child of royal birth TIS 308
Unto us a boy is born! TIS 293
PSALM 96 
Creation sings a new song to the Lord TIS 166
Joy to the world, the Lord is come TIS 268
Let all mortal flesh keep silence TIS 497
O sing a new song to the Lord TIS 54
Sing a new song, sing a new song TIS 166
The royal banners forward go TIS 332
Wake, awake! for night is flying TIS 266
Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness TIS 454
TITUS 2 
Father of everlasting grace
God of all power and truth and grace TIS 567
Good Christians all, rejoice TIS 313
My heart & voice I raise TIS 225
O come! O come, Emmanuel TIS 265
LUKE 2
Angels from the realms of glory TIS 309
Behold, a rose is growing TIS 294
Born in the night TIS 323
Child in a manger TIS 319
Christ is the world’s light TIS 246
Christians awake, salute the happy morn TIS 306
Coldly the night winds winging TIS 321
Come, your hearts and voices raising TIS 297
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
Good Christians all, rejoice TIS 313
Hark the herald angels sing TIS 303
Infant holy, infant lowly TIS 292
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
Not the powerful, not the privileged TIS 288
O come, all ye faithful,joyful and triumphant TIS 304
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
Silent night, holy night TIS 311
The first nowell the angel did say TIS 301
To us a child of royal birth TIS 308
While shepherds watched their flocks TIS 299

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