CHRISTMAS EVE 4.00pm SERVICE
Prelude: Joy to the World
WELCOME:
Christmas!!
Looks different, but we are here because we are celebrating the birth of Jesus!
Goody Bags – follow along with some of the symbols of what we’re opening up tonight.
SO SO many people helped out for tonight’s prayers – to make this really a celebration of us all.
God has given US gifts to share: like music and reading and arts and all sorts of good things.
God has given YOU gifts too, to show love to your families and friends and neighbours.
So tonight, we’re going to focus on the gifts that God has given all of us.
The gifts of Christmas! The symbols of how God loves us.
We’ll start with a gift – Eadlin is playing for us Angels We Have Heard on High!
Music: Angels We Have Heard On High – Eadlin Fraser
1.UNBOXING – BELL (ANGELS)
Bells are *very* special –
They tell us something important is happening
Why we use them to get attention – on our bicycles, on our animals –
Bells we use remind us of the sound angels make when they appear.
Every time a bell rings, and angel gets their wings!
As angels are God’s messengers, bells mean God is going to tell us something exciting. So when we start the message of Christmas, can you help me announce the angels? With your bells, let’s ring them loud and clear….
Jane is going to read for us how an Angel brings good news.
One day, Mary was at home, excited to speak with Joseph about their upcoming wedding. A loud noise startled her – it was like a bell – and an angel named Gabriel appeared out of nowhere.
“Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I have good news for you! You will have a baby boy, and his name will be Jesus. He will be your son, and he will be God’s son.”
Mary was confused. “How?” she asked.
Gabriel told her “The Holy Spirit makes all things possible. Your child will be holy, the Messiah, the saviour for all of God’s people.”
Mary was nervous, but also excited. She took a deep breath and said “If this is what God wants, I will gladly love and care for God’s son.”
Mary rushed to tell Joseph the news. He was concerned, and confused – A baby? God’s son? What did this mean for him? But later that night, when he was asleep, the angel came back with a message for him too. “Don’t be afraid!” The angel said again. “God wants you to care for this baby. You will name him Jesus – he will be a descendent of King David, and he will be a king for all of God’s people.”
Joseph woke up, amazed by his dream. The angel was gone, but he remembered the good news. He and Mary would soon be married, and they would get to love and care for God’s son! What a gift!
Let us pray:
God, we thank you for the angels.
We thank you that they surprise us with your messages of love.
We thank you for the good news that they bring to us,
for us to share with the world.
Help us to welcome everyone who has good news,
and everyone who speaks of your love. Amen.
And now our friend John is going to play Hark the Herald Angels Sing on his saxophone. Music - Hark the Herald Angels sing – John Graham
2. UNBOXING - WREATH
So at Christmas, we have wreaths and trees – and these are green even in winter, to remind us that God is always alive.
And the fun thing we do with our trees, is we put lights on them… and our wreaths, well we have candles around our wreaths to help us count down to Christmas – our “Advent wreath” tonight is these four large candles that are shining brightly.
The lights remind us that there’s always light in the world: even when it’s just a small amount, it’s always there. And each of us has light in our hearts, called faith. And when we put all of our lights together, the light keeps getting bigger and bigger until everyone can see it. And that’s a gift from God.
Daniel will read us a message of God promising to bring light to the world!
A long time ago, a man named Isaiah was a prophet – that meant he had a connection with God that was stronger than most. It also meant that sometimes God asked Isaiah to speak for him. One day, while praying, God said: “Isaiah, listen. It’s time to share my good news with my people – and I want you to deliver it!”
Isaiah was confused. He said “It doesn’t seem like the time is right… people are sad, and tired, and feeling pretty icky.”
God said “I know. It’s exactly why I want them to hear good news!”
Isaiah had faith. He knew that God could do anything, even when it seemed to be too good to be true. So he listened to what God had to say.
God said “I will comfort my people who are sad. I will strengthen my people who are weak. My people will work together to fix what is broken. I will bring fairness and blessing. Everyone will be full of joy once again – and my new promise of life will be for all!”
Isaiah was the first one to feel that joy – and so he went to tell everyone he could find the great news, saying “Arise! Shine! For your light has come – and the glory of the Lord will shine around you!”
Let us pray.
God, you are the God of all life.
We thank you for the people who remind us
of your promises, your comfort, your strength, and your goodness!
Thank you for all your gifts of life,
reminding us that we are all your beloved family,
and that your love surrounds us in all we do. Amen.
Music – What Child is This – John Graham
3. UNBOXING – LOVE (GIANT HEART INTO MANGER)
Biggest gift is love
Love comes in all sizes!
The biggest love of all came in a very small package: a little baby boy.
Tonight we celebrate his birth, because in coming to be with us, God filled his promises, and the entire world is better.
Reading: Jesus Is Love
In the beginning, before there was anything, there was God’s WORD. The Word was God, the Word was love. The Word was Jesus.
Jesus was there, in the beginning – the very beginning. Jesus has always been here – and there – and everywhere!
Jesus is in everything God creates.
Jesus is light; Jesus is life; Jesus is love.
God says “Love each other” and Jesus shows us how.
He told stories about God’s love, he taught God’s people how to love, he said “God loves you always and no matter what!”
No one has ever seen God, but Jesus shows us who God is.
God is grace
God is truth
God is love.
Because we know Jesus, we know God.
We are children of God! We are loved by God!
Let us pray:
Loving God, we thank you for the gift of Jesus.
We thank you that he shows us a lot about you;
and about how we can love each other.
We thank you for the gift of Christmas love.
Help us to live like Jesus, to love everyone we meet,
and to celebrate the love of Christmas every day! Amen.
Libby (and her mom) are playing The First Noel on their Fiddles
Music – The First Noel – Fraser Fiddle Quartet
4. UNBOXING – CANDY CANE (SHEPHERD)
Christmas is sweet!
Candy canes can remind us of shepherds –
Use for caring for their flocks: protection, direction, help in walking.
Jesus looks after us. Great Shepherd; we are the sheep – meaning we are always part of the family, always looked after, always loved.
Laura will tell us about when Jesus was born!
One night, Mary gave birth to a baby boy – Jesus was born, and love was in the world!
Baby Jesus was like every other baby – he yawned with a tiny mouth, he reached out with tiny fingers, he slept with tiny snores. Mary and Joseph couldn’t stop smiling.
In a nearby field, shepherds were watching over their sleeping sheep. So, the shepherds were gazing up at the quiet, starry sky. It was beautiful! Then a bright light flashed.
The shepherds jumped with surprise – and then an angel came! And we know that Angles come when they have messages from God.
“Don’t be afraid!” said the angel. “I have good news! Tonight the Messiah has been born! God’s son has come to be with you. His name is Jesus.”
The shepherds were speechless; they couldn’t believe that they were seeing an angel of God. Then, more angels appeared – a choir of angels filled the sky! They sang, with great joy, singing “Glory to God! Peace on the Earth!”
The shepherds knew they were a part of something – and they hurried to find Jesus. They ran across the hills shouting the good news: “Jesus is born!”
Let us Pray.
God, we give you glory!
We thank you for giving us guidance in our lives,
for keeping us safe, and sending us in the right direction.
We thank you that you find us where we are, to bring us good news.
We are amazed at all the good things you give us, lighting up our lives –
like fireworks or spotlights or tiny twinkling stars.
We thank you for the great news that Jesus is born!! Amen.
Lorne, with the amazing Leah and Ellen, will sing Mary’s Boy Child
Music – Mary’s Boy Child – Lorne Spence’s Awesome Band RECORDED
5. UNBOXING – STAR (LIGHT COMING INTO THE WORLD)
Our last box… the last gift we’ll open together tonight:
STARS!!
Lighten our path
Show us where to go
Make us happy – they’re always there, even when we can’t see them. Like God: always there – always guiding us.
Julia is going to tell us about a very special star:
The night that Jesus was born, everything changed! The earth felt happier, and in the skies a large star started shining. It wasn’t like a normal star, though, it was bigger, and brighter, and didn’t act the way that the normal stars do.
There were wise men who were used to noticing changes in the stars, even when other people didn’t see it. They saw this star, and deep within them, in the place where God speaks, they knew that they should pay attention to it. When it started moving, it felt like it was inviting them to follow it – so they did. They knew that this star was guiding them to find a King! So they traveled a long way, carrying presents, sometimes asking for directions when they were in cities.
One person they asked was confused – he thought HE was the king, after all. So he sent them away, but asked that they tell him later who they found; and where. But the wise men knew from angels that this king should be avoided in the future.
Finally, the star stopped moving. It was over the place where a small, young family was staying. The beams from the star lit up the sky, and lit up the child Jesus.
Amazed, the wise men from the east came in, and asked Mary and Joseph if they could worship the baby Jesus. Mary agreed – she knew that her child was God’s child, and that the gifts they offered would be helpful. So the wise men prayed over Jesus, and they prayed over Mary and Joseph.
And the star changed again – it moved from being a bright light in the sky to a guiding light in our hearts. Whenever anyone wants to praise Jesus, especially at Christmas, it shines for us and shows us the way.
Let us pray.
God of light, thank you for bringing light into the world.
Thank you for using the star to guide the Wise Men to find you.
Help us to see the light in the world today,
that we can find Jesus, and worship you.
Help us to follow the star every day, and to help others to know your light.
We pray and praise in the name of the baby Jesus. Amen.
CLOSING:
God’s gifts are with us all: they always are.
God came to us in Jesus so we would always carry with us love and joy and hope.
So this Christmas:
May you be blessed; may you be a blessing.
May we all live in the love of the Christ child.
May we all have a Merry Christmas.
Sing along to JOY TO THE WORLD!
PLAY – RECORDED
Music: Joy to the World
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