December 25, 2017
WELCOME TO ST ANDREW’S ON THE TERRACE
St Andrew’s on The Terrace
ORDER OF SERVICE 25th December 2017 Christmas Day
Christ has come!
Wherever you are on your faith's journey,
wherever you have come from and wherever you are going to,
whatever you believe, whatever you do not believe, you are welcome here.
GATHERING
Come, long expected Jesus!
Come, set your people free,
From our fears and hurts release us,
Let us find in you our peace,
You are strength and consolation,
You are hope for all the earth,
Dear desire of every nation,
Joy of every loving heart.
PROCESSIONAL HYMN WOV 104 ‘Come Christmas Child’
Words © 2013 Shirley Erena Murray, Music: Was Lebet WOV 104.
Come Christmas Child, come again in your wonder,
changing the world with the light that you hold,
burst through the mist and the dust of the ages.
Word for our time to unwrap and unfold.
Come to be born in a comfortless cradle,
Come where our cruelties keep us in chains:
Herod still hunts for the innocent children,
Rachel still weeps and her sorrow remains.
Bring us your mirror of hope and compassion,
bring us your mindset that mends and restores,
bake us the bread of new life you will offer,
knocking once more on humanity’s doors.
Come, Christmas Child, in the festival’s flurry,
come in the silence, the pain and the night,
come in the hearts that are faithful as Mary
bringing the joy of the love you invite.
WELCOME
Happy Christmas to you all!
Happy Christmas!
LIGHTING THE CHRIST CANDLE
Partner Story from Lebanon: Our story is our future
In Lebanon, Syrian refugee students relish the opportunity to learn at the Sabra Centre. With their families, they have fled from war. Falling funding for refugee services and rising costs is making life harder. School is a welcome opportunity to learn skills that they can take with them no matter what the future. Older students can train in electronics and computer maintenance so that one day they can return home to bring hope to their shattered homeland.
In the lighting of this Christ Candle we make space within ourselves to hear and engage with the voices of those we might otherwise miss but with whom we are connected by our common humanity.
Light of Love, your moment has come. Into a world sorely in need of your light, you are born.
The light shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot put it out.
(Light the candle.)
We light the candle of love.
May it light the way for us
as we make hope our story
LORD’S PRAYER on card
LIGHTING THE RAINBOW ROOM CANDLE
STORY ‘Great Joy’
by Kate DiCamillo and Bagram Ibatoulline
PASSING THE PEACE
WORD IN TEXTS Roger Jones
Hebrew Bible Psalm 98 an interpretation by Nan Merrill
Gospel John 1:1-14
In 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 in him was life,
and the life was the light of all people.
The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness did not overcome it.
There was a man sent from God,
whose name was John.
He came as a witness to testify to the light,
so that all might believe through him.
He himself was not the light,
but he came to testify to the light.
The true light, which enlightens everyone,
was coming into the world.
He was in the world,
and the world came into being through him:
yet the world did not know him.
He came to what was his own,
and his own people did not accept him.
But to all who received him,
who believed in his name,
he gave the 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.
RESPONSE
For the Word in scripture,
for the Word among us,
for the Word within us,
We give thanks.
HYMN COC 4 (i) ‘All who would see God’s greatness’
Words © 1996 Marnie Barrell. Music © 1996 Ian Render
All who would see God's greatness,
draw near, bend down, look low:
see how love appears among us
as small as a child. Then go,
tell of the greatness made so small,
tiny and hidden, God of all.
If you would share God's riches,
draw near, reach out and touch:
God has only love to offer,
enough for us, and too much.
Take up God's treasure, made so poor,
naked the God that we adore.
Would you receive God's power?
Draw near, find strength in this:
laid open to all our violence
is love that will not resist.
This is our God, who chose to be
tied with our bonds to set us free.
Stand in the holy silence
while earth with heaven sings
that here in our hands for holding
is love that sustains all things.
Strange is this love that draws us near:
Glory of God, among us here.
REFLECTION Fiona McDougal
MUSIC “Ave Maria”
by Giulio Caccini Julian Lloyd Webber, cello, with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
HYMN COC 8 ‘Child of Christmas Story”
Words © 1992 Shirley Erena Murray, Music © 1992 Richard Madden
Child of Christmas story,
stable, straw and star,
small and sweet and gentle,
tell us who you are.
Child whose baby finger
round our own is curled,
come to melt our hearts,
and come to change the world.
Child of Jew and gentile,
child of white and black,
teach us how to love you,
teach us what we lack.
Child of Mary's courage,
birthed in human pain,
tell us what your name is,
be our hope again.
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE Fiona McDougal
PRAYER FOR ST ANDREW’S on card
HYMN ‘More than we know’
Words © 2000 Shirley Erena Murray, Music © 2017 Vivien Chiu
More than we know, God works within us,
more than we trust, mustard seeds grow,
more than we dream, God's possibility, this is the Gospel of love:
for Christ has come, bringing us life,
life in its fullness and joy! (repeat chorus)
He is God's eye, changing our focus,
he is the light, flooding our mind,
he is the fire, Spirit and energy sparking our spirit to shine,
for Christ has come, bringing us life,
life in its fullness and joy! (repeat)
He is God's face, smile of the rainbow,
colours of peace, blending us all,
he is the coin, God's new economy,
spending to feed and to save,
for Christ has come, bringing us life,
life in its fullness and joy! (repeat)
He is God's heart, tuned to our heartbeat,
he is the air, lifting our wings,
his are the arms stretched out to challenge us,
he is our courage to fly,
for Christ has come, bringing us life,
life in its fullness and joy! (repeat)
BLESSING
As we go out into the rest of Christmas Day,
May the energy of the creator
fill us with possibility.
the presence of the baby Jesus
touch our hearts,
and the joy of the Spirit accompany us
SUNG AMEN
THANK YOU Vivien Chiu
Our Musician today
Unless otherwise stated all hymns are used by permission CCLI Licence 341550