Order of Service 24 December 2019 Christmas Eve

December 24, 2019

WELCOME TO ST ANDREW’S ON THE TERRACE

Shalom!

 

 

Congregational responses are printed in bold. We will sing the carols without announcement. Stand if you are able, but feel free to remain seated if that is more comfortable for you.

During the service an offering will be gathered for
the Christian World Service Christmas Gift Appeal.

ORGAN PRELUDE Chorale Prelude on “In dulci jubilo”
by J.S. Bach BWV 729

INTROIT : St. Andrew’s Singers Gloria in Excelsis Deo
Words and Music© Colin Gibson COC 22
GATHERING
In this southern place Barbara Sampson (adapted)
pohutukawa stands all year
green and murmuring
wind whipped
clinging to rocky shore lines.
But when pohutukawa breaks
glorious red
against a clear blue sky
to the roar of rolling surf
we know that Christmas has come.
Pohutukawa Christ,
you stand in our midst all year
singing your ever-green song of love.
But at Christmas you break out
blood-red, flesh soft
to the sound of a baby breathing.
Gift beyond description we welcome you!
Let us celebrate life in the presence we name God.

PROCESSIONAL CAROL CH4 303 ‘It came upon the midnight clear’
Words Edmund H. Sears; Music (arr) Arthur Seymour Sullivan

1. It came upon the midnight clear,
That glorious song of old,
From angels bending near the earth
With news of joy foretold,
"Peace on the earth, good will to all
From heaven's all gracious King."
The world in solemn stillness lay,
To hear the angels sing.

2. Still through the cloven skies they come,
Love's banner all unfurled;
And still their heavenly music floats
Over all the weary world.
Above its sad and lowly plains
Old echoes plaintive ring,
And ever o’er its Babel sounds
The blessed angels sing.

3. For lo! the days are hastening on,
By prophets seen of old,
When with the ever circling years
Shall the time foretold;
When peace shall over all the earth
Its ancient splendours fling,
And the whole world send back the song
Which now the angels sing.

WELCOME & INTRODUCTION
E te whanau a Te Karaiti
Nga mihi aroha ki a tatou katoa
Kia ora

AN ADVENT WREATH LITURGY OF REMEMBRANCE

Andrew & Wendy Matthews

This first candle of hope we light is to remember those whom we have loved and lost.
(First candle is lit)

We pause to remember their name, their face,
their voice, the memory that binds them to us
in this season in the hope they will
continue to make a difference to our lives
May God's caring love surround them and us.

 
This second candle of peace we light is to mend the pain of loss; the loss of relationships, loss of jobs, loss of health and home.
(Second candle is lit.)

We pause to gather up the pain of the past
and offer it to God,
asking that we receive the gift of peace.
Refresh, restore, renew us we pray,
and lead us peacefully into the future

This third candle of joy we light is for ourselves.

(Third candle is lit.)

We pause to remember past weeks and months and years:
the disbelief, anger and ‘down’ times,
the poignancy of reminiscing,
hugs and handshakes of family and friends,
who stood with us.
Let us remember dawn defeats darkness
for ‘joy comes in the morning’

This fourth candle of love we light is to remember
the gift of love which the Christmas story offers us. (Fourth candle is lit.)

We remember Creativity - God companions us,
sharing our life, Being -With -Us, Emmanuel
. Let us look for new possibilities now, in the present.
Spirit of God, calm our hearts
so we can hear your still, small voice.

SILENCE

MUSIC: CH4 305 ‘In the bleak mid-winter’
Words: Christina Rossetti; Music: Gustav Holst
Soloist: Jane Keller

 
Children come to the front

STORYTIME FOR THE CHILDREN Jim Cunningham

CAROL WOV 243(i) ‘ Love came down at Christmas’
Words: Christina Georgina Rossetti
Music: Irish Traditional Melody; Gartan. Public Domain

Love came down at Christmas, Love all lovely, Love divine;
Love was born at Christmas, star and angels gave the sign.

Worship we the Godhead, Love incarnate, Love divine;
Worship we our Jesus: but wherewith for sacred sign?

Love shall be our token, love be yours and love be mine,
Love to God and all folk, love for plea and gift and sign.

LIGHTING THE CHRIST CANDLE Rosemary Lawrence

We have waited with hope
for God to bring justice and righteousness.
We have waited with peace
for God’s shalom to be felt.
We have waited with joy,
celebrating the things God has already done.
We have waited with love,
awed by how God’s love has been shown to us.

Tonight we light this candle
to celebrate the light of God, coming into the world
in the birth of Jesus.

O God of hope and peace, joy and love
From that stable so long ago
your light shines out
into every corner of the world.

Help us to sing with angels
of the joy of your coming.
Help us to live by your light not only today,
but throughout the whole year,
so that tidings of peace and goodwill to all
will truly transform everything.

PASSING THE PEACE

The Holy Child of peace has come to dwell among us!
Let us share the peace with one another.
Christ has come among us!
The peace of Christ
and the joy of Christmas
be always with you.
And also with you.

WORD IN TEXTS & MUSIC

Hebrew Scripture: Isaiah 40: 1-4

Music: Comfort ye my people – Handel’s “Messiah” Soloist: Jamie Young

Gospel
Luke 2: 1-7 Anna Smith
The Birth
Luke 2: 8-14 Maxine Cunningham
The Angels
Luke 2: 15-20 Barrie Keenan
The Shepherds

RESPONSE
For the Word in scripture and music,
For the Word among us,
For the Word within us,
We give thanks

REFLECTION Jim Cunningham
Longing for Life to be Different

ST ANDREW’S SINGERS Angels Carol by John Rutter

“ Have you heard the sound of the angel voices?”

 
CAROL FFS 12 (i) ‘Dream a dream’
Words: © 1996 Shirley Erena Murray.
Music: © 1996 Nigel Eastgate (1930-2001).
Dream a dream, a hopeful dream
as children do on Christmas Eve,
imaginings, surprising things
to hold and to believe.

Dream a time this Christmas time
when no-one’s hungry or afraid;
that weapons go and harvests grow,
that friends are met and made.

Dream a peace, our planet’s peace,
the greening of the earth at play,
the holy ground where life is found,
where God has touched the clay.

Dream a gift, the Christmas gift
that changes everything we see:
the shimmering of angel wing,
the Child, the Mystery.

OFFERING FOR CHRISTIAN WORLD SERVICE

HYMN OF DEDICATION Words© Shirley Murray; Music© David Dell COC 48

Where is the room,
where is the house of Christmas?
Where shall we welcome Jesus,
where are the signs of home?

Let Christ have space,
place at the heart of living,
centre for birth’s new breathing,
cradle for hope and peace.

Let there be room,
room for the friend and stranger,
room without hurt or anger,
room for whoever come.

Let love be here,
love for the Christmas stable,
love at our open table,
love to be shared all year.
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE Sue McRae

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Eternal Spirit, Life-giver, Pain-bearer, Love-maker,
source of all that is and that shall be,
Father and Mother of us all,
loving God, in whom is heaven.
The hallowing of your name echo through the universe!
The way of your justice be followed by all created beings!
Your commonwealth of peace and freedom come on earth!
With the bread that we need for today, feed us.
In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.
In times of temptation and test, strengthen us.
From trials too great to endure, spare us.
From the grip of all that is evil, free us.
For you reign in the glory of the power that is love,
now and forever.
Amen.

COMMUNION

St Andrew’s is an open community and all are invited to Christ’s table. 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 to share in the communion. This is God’s meal for all people.

COMMUNION HYMN COC 14 (ii) ‘Come now Lord Jesus’
Words: © 1992 Shirley Murray Music: Traditional Zulu arr. Roy Tankersley

1. Come now, Lord Jesus,
enter our Christmas,
be to us no stranger
in this new made manger. 2. Come, small and human,
born of a woman,
yet a child much greater,
of our own Creator.

3. Come, cold and crying
comfort denying,
no place to receive you,
few yet to believe you. 4. Come, poor and simple,
our flesh your temple
in your body feeling
hurt as well as healing.

5. Come, gift and token,
bread to be broken —
star and sign still point you,
myrrh will anoint you.

COMMUNION PRAYER Michael Morwood (adapted)

On this special night of nights
once again we celebrate a Creative Mystery we name God.
A serendipitous creativity beyond our words
and beyond our images.

A creativity which undergirds our human existence
in all its complexity and all its diversity.

All our collected human wisdom is a
visible expression of this Creative Mystery,
active in all places, at all times,
in individuals and cultures,
seeking expression in the creation of a just and peaceful world.

As Christians we rejoice in the birth of Jesus
in whom we see the fullness of human possibility:
to make God visible in our lives.

In Jesus we have seen this Mystery
come to expression in human form.
Like us he grew in wisdom.
Questioning.
Searching for meaning.
Shaping convictions.
Enacting justice.
Experiencing love
and coming to know love's connectedness with God.

Jesus stood firmly in his own religious tradition
and preached good news to all people
dreaming of a better world.

We rejoice that Jesus led people
to discover the sacred in the ordinary:

in the crowd,
in the rejected ones,
in everyday life,
in human yearnings to be better people,
and in being neighbour to one another.

And so we recall the ancient story.
At the end of a journey, among friends, gathered round a table,
Jesus took bread, gave thanks,
broke it and shared the bread with his friends,
asking them to gather in memory of him,
and to live in a covenant of love,
with their God.

Let us share this bread and be strengthened,
loving as Jesus loved and
bringing peace and justice to the world.

We take this wine,
mindful of our responsibility
to be bearers of forgiveness, tolerance and understanding.

We drink committing ourselves
to allow the Spirit of generosity
that took flesh and moved so boldly in Jesus
to move in our lives.

To this commitment we give our 'Amen'
and offer it as our Christmas gift
to our family, friends and neighbours
and to all the earth.

God of life, with this bread and this wine,
we celebrate the birth and life of Jesus,
and we offer ourselves to follow his way.

Bless us and these gifts,
so that we may take light and hope,
love and peace, into the world,
now and forever. Amen.

COMMUNION IS SHARED

Communion is served by intinction. Come to the front of the church and receive the bread (or gluten-free cracker), taking a piece large enough to dip into the wine (large silver chalice) or grape juice (small silver chalice).
Eat the bread dipped in wine/juice.
You will be given a carol candle to take with you
as you return to your seat.

 
CAROLS BY CANDLELIGHT
Lighting the candles
Please keep LIT candle in a vertical position

O little town of Bethlehem,
how still we see thee lie!
Above the deep and dreamless sleep
the silent stars go by:
yet in the dark streets shineth
the everlasting Light;
the hopes and fears of all the years
are met in thee tonight.

How silently, how silently
the wondrous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts
the blessings of his heaven.
No ear may hear his coming;
but in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive him , still
the dear Christ enters in.

******************

Angels from the realms of glory,
wing your flight o'er all the earth;
ye who sang creation's story,
now proclaim Messiah's birth:
Come and worship Christ, the newborn King
Come and worship ,Worship Christ, the newborn King!

To the weary comes refreshment,
to the grieving, strength and peace;
to the anxious, sweet contentment,
to the captive soul, release:
Come and worship……….

******************
 
The first nowell the angel did say
was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay,
in fields where they lay keeping their sheep
on a cold winter’s night that was so deep.
Nowell, nowell, nowell, nowell, born is the King of Israel.

*********************

Hark! the herald angels sing
glory to the newborn king,
peace on earth and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled.
Joyful, all ye nations rise,
join the triumph of the skies;
with the angelic host proclaim,
‘Christ is born in Bethlehem.”
Hark! the herald angels sing,
Glory to the newborn king.

Mild he lays his glory by,
born that we no more may die,
born to live as one with earth,
born to give us second birth.
Hail the heaven-born prince of peace!
Hail the son of righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings,
risen with healing in his wings.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
Glory to the newborn king.

*******************

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.

****************

Silent night, holy night: all is calm, all is bright
round yon virgin mother and child,
holy infant so tender and mild,
sleep in heavenly peace, sleep in heavenly peace

Silent night, holy night: shepherds quake at the sight;
glories stream from heaven afar,
heavenly hosts sing ‘Alleluia’;
Christ the Saviour is born, Christ the Saviour is born.

Silent night, holy night: wondrous star, lend your light;
with the angel’s let us sing
Alleluia to our King;
Christ our Saviour is born, Christ our Saviour is born.

********************

Joy to the world! A new age dawns.
It comes, shalom to bring
Let ev’ry heart prepare a room,
and heav’n and nature sing, and heav’n and nature sing,
and heav’n and heav’n and nature sing.

Graceful and true, the Saviour brings
compassion all may share
for poor and homeless, so may they find
their life becomes more fair, their life becomes more fair
their life, their life becomes more fair.

O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, o come ye to Bethlehem;
come and behold him born the king of angels:
O come let us adore him, o come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord!

Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation,
sing, all ye citizens of heaven above,
’Glory to God, glory in the highest’
O come let us adore him, o come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord!

THE CALL TO SERVICE (standing)
Go as far as your courage takes you,
for we cannot go beyond the reach of God.
Give as extravagantly as you may,
for we cannot spend all the riches of God.
Care as lavishly as you are able,
for we cannot exhaust the love of God.
Keep journeying and searching,
for God will always travel with us.

BLESSING & SUNG AMEN
May the love that gives to life its beauty,
the reverence that gives to life its sacredness,
and the purposes that give to life its deep significance
be strong within each of you
and lead you into ever deepening relationships
with all of life.
Amen

RECESSIONAL CAROL COC 7 ‘Carol our Christmas’
Words: © 1996 Shirley Murray, Music by Colin Gibson, © 1992 Hope Publishing Co.

Carol our Christmas, an upside down Christmas;
snow is not falling and trees are not bare.
Carol the summer, and welcome the Christ child,
warm in our sunshine and sweetness of air.

Sing of the gold and the green and the sparkle,
water and river and lure of the beach.
Sing in the happiness of open spaces,
sing a nativity summer can reach.

Shepherds and musterers move over hillsides,
finding, not angels, but sheep to be shorn;
wise ones make journeys whatever the season, searching for signs of the truth to be born.

Right side up Christmas belongs to the universe,
made in the moment a woman gives birth;
hope is the Jesus gift, love is the offering,
everywhere, anywhere here on the earth.
 
ORGAN POSTLUDE Toccata from Symphony Number 5
by C.M. Widor