December 27, 2020
First Sunday after Christmas
Welcome
The angel said to [the shepherds], “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ, the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11).
As we gather we hear again the good news the angels proclaimed: God has come for all people through the birth of the one named Jesus. Through Bethlehem’s manger God comes into the chaos, messiness, and vulnerability of the world. In all things and at all times, we rejoice that God comes to save us and reigns in love. We come to adore Jesus who is Savior, Christ, and Lord.
Confession and Forgiveness
Amid the troubles and fears of this world, let us confess our sin and welcome God’s forgiveness, grace, and love. Silence is kept for reflection
Mary accepted your call to be the mother of Jesus.
Forgive our lack of faith and trust.
Your Son was born in the poverty of a stable.
Forgive our neglect of the poor.
The shepherds left their flocks and went to Bethlehem.
Forgive our selfishness and complacency.
With great joy the angels proclaimed, “Do not fear. For I bring you good news of great joy. Today is born a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” In ☩ Jesus, who is Savior, Christ, and Lord, our sins are forgiven. May you know the peace which the angels sang from the heavens. Indeed, God’s forgiveness is good news of great joy!
Amen.
Gathering Carol Good Christian Friends, Rejoice! ELW #288
Good Christian friends, rejoice and sing!
Now is the triumph of our king!
To all the world glad news we bring:
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
The Lord of life is ris’n this day;
death’s mighty stone is rolled away;
let all the world rejoice and say:
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Praise we in songs of victory
that love, that life, which cannot die,
and sing with hearts uplifted high:
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Your name we bless, O risen Lord,
and sing today with one accord,
the life laid down, the life restored:
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Text: Cyril A. Alington, 1872-1955, alt. | Text © 1952, ren. 1986 Hymns Ancient & Modern, admin. Hope Publishing Company, Carol Stream, IL 60188. All rights reserved. Used by permission. Duplication in any form prohibited without permission or valid license from copyright administrator. Permission to reprint/podcast/stream the music in this service obtained from One License with license # A-715139.
Greeting
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ who is Savior and Lord, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
And also with you.
Canticle of Praise Angels We Have Heard on High ELW #289
Angels we have heard on high,
sweetly singing o’er the plains,
and the mountains in reply,
echoing their joyous strains.
Refrain
Gloria in excelsis Deo;
gloria in excelsis Deo.
Shepherds, why this jubilee?
Why your joyous strains prolong?
What the gladsome tidings be
which inspire your heav’nly song? Refrain
Come to Bethlehem and see
him whose birth the angels sing;
come, adore on bended knee
Christ the Lord, the newborn king. Refrain
Text: French carol; tr. H. F. Hemy, The Crown of Jesus Music, 1864
Prayer of the Day
Eternal Father, you gave your incarnate Son the holy name of Jesus to be a sign of our salvation. Plant in every heart the love of the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.
Psalm 8
1OLord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.
2Out of the mouths of babes and infants you have founded a bulwark because of your foes, to silence the enemy and the avenger.
3When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established;
4what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?
5Yet you have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honour.
6You have given them dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under their feet,
7all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field,
8the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
9OLord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
“For unto you is born a Savior, who is Christ, the Lord”
Lesson: Isaiah 12:2-6
Response: Beautiful Savior ELW #838
Beautiful Savior,
King of creation,
Son of God and Son of Man!
Truly I’d love thee,
truly I’d serve thee,
light of my soul, my joy, my crown.
Fair are the meadows,
fair are the woodlands,
robed in flow’rs of blooming spring;
Jesus is fairer,
Jesus is purer,
he makes our sorrowing spirit sing.
Fair is the sunshine,
fair is the moonlight,
bright the sparkling stars on high;
Jesus shines brighter,
Jesus shines purer
than all the angels in the sky.
Beautiful Savior,
Lord of the nations,
Son of God and Son of Man!
Glory and honor,
praise, adoration,
now and forevermore be thine!
Text: Gesangbuch, Münster, 1677; tr. Joseph A. Seiss, 1823-1904
Lesson: Matthew 1:18-21
Carol: Lo, How A Rose E’er Blooming ELW 272
Lo, how a rose e’er blooming
from tender stem hath sprung!
Of Jesse’s lineage coming
as seers of old have sung,
it came, a flow’r so bright,
amid the cold of winter,
when half-spent was the night.
Isaiah had foretold it,
the rose I have in mind;
with Mary we behold it,
the virgin mother kind.
To show God’s love aright,
she bore to us a Savior,
when half-spent was the night.
This flow’r, whose fragrance tender
with sweetness fill the air,
dispels with glorious splendor
the darkness everywhere.
True man, yet very God,
from sin and death he saves us
and lightens ev’ry load.
O Savior, child of Mary,
who felt our human woe;
O Savior, king of glory,
who dost our weakness know:
bring us at length, we pray,
to the bright courts of heaven
and into endless day.
Text: German carol, 15th cent.; tr. Theodore Baker, 1851-1934, sts. 1-2; Harriet R. Krauth, 1845-1925, st. 3; John C. Mattes, 1876-1948, st. 4
“For unto you is born a Savior, who is Christ, the Lord”
Lesson: Isaiah 61:1-3, 11
Response: O Come, All Ye Faithful (refrain only) ELW #283
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord!
Lesson: John 1:19-23, 29-34
Carol: In The Bleak Midwinter ELW #294
In the bleak midwinter,
frosty wind made moan,
earth stood hard as iron,
water like a stone;
snow had fallen, snow on snow,
snow on snow,
in the bleak midwinter,
long ago.
Heaven cannot hold him,
nor earth sustain;
heav’n and earth shall flee away
when he comes to reign;
in the bleak midwinter
a stable place sufficed
the Lord God almighty,
Jesus Christ.
What can I give him,
poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd
I would bring a lamb;
if I were a wise man
I would do my part;
yet what I can I give him—
give my heart.
Text: Christina Georgina Rossetti, 1830-1894
“For unto you is born a Savior, who is Christ, the Lord”
Lesson: Isaiah 6:1-8
Response: Once in Royal David’s City ELW #269
Once in royal David’s city
stood a lowly cattle shed,
where a mother laid her baby
in a manger for his bed:
Mary was that mother mild,
Jesus Christ, her little child.
He came down to earth from heaven
who is God and Lord of all,
and his shelter was a stable,
and his cradle was a stall;
with the poor and meek and lowly,
lived on earth our Savior holy.
And our eyes at last shall see him,
through his own redeeming love;
for that child so dear and gentle
is our Lord in heav’n above;
and he leads his children on
to the place where he is gone.
Not in that poor lowly stable,
with the oxen standing by,
we shall see him; but in heaven,
set at God’s right hand on high;
there his children gather round,
bright like stars, with glory crowned.
Text: Cecil Frances Alexander, 1818-1895
Lesson: Luke 1:26-35
Carol: Infant Holy, Infant Lowly ELW #276
Infant holy, infant lowly,
for his bed a cattle stall;
oxen lowing, little knowing
Christ the child is Lord of all.
Swiftly winging, angels singing,
bells are ringing, tidings bringing:
Christ the child is Lord of all!
Christ the child is Lord of all!
Flocks were sleeping, shepherds keeping
vigil till the morning new
saw the glory, heard the story,
tidings of a gospel true.
Thus rejoicing, free from sorrow,
praises voicing, greet the morrow:
Christ the child was born for you!
Christ the child was born for you!
Text: Polish carol; tr. Edith M. G. Reed, 1885-1933, alt.
Nicene Creed
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten not made, of one Being with the Father; through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary and became truly human. For our sake, he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day, he rose again in accordance with the scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Prayers of Intercession
Joining our voices with the song of the angels, let us pray for the church, the world, and all who are in need.
A brief silence.
Night and day, all creation praises you, O God. Strengthen your church across nations, denominations, and traditions. Fill us with wisdom and unify our proclamation of your forgiveness and mercy. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
All creation is holy to you, O God. You cause the earth to bring forth its shoots and gardens to spring up. Protect hibernating animals and frozen lands that wait earnestly for longer days of awakening and growth. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
The nations are upheld by your hand, O God. Cause righteousness and praise to spring forth, inspiring leaders to serve with compassion and integrity. Send your spirit of discernment upon legislators grappling with complex decisions for the sake of the common good. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Send the spirit of your Son into our hearts, O God. Come quickly to hearts that race with fear, hearts that break with grief, and hearts that long for wholeness (especially). Reveal your power to heal and to save. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Adopt us into your family, O God. Bless our elders with the peace and joy of Simeon and Anna. Strengthen those who have retired, those who work in older age, and those in need of income, food, company, or health care. Connect young and old across generations. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Here other intercessions may be offered.
Let us depart in peace, O God, according to your word. For (John, apostle and evangelist, and) all your saints, we give you thanks. Prepare our salvation in the sight of all your witnesses of every time and place. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
God of mercy, come quickly to us with grace upon grace as we lift these and all our prayers to you, in the name of Jesus.
Amen.
Offering Prayer
Gracious God, you came to us as one unknown, bringing joy and salvation to the earth. Nourish us at your banquet table, that with all who welcome your birth we may proclaim your peace, revealed in Jesus Christ, our Savior.
Amen.
Holy Communion/Words of Institution
Holy One, the beginning and the end, the giver of life:
Blessed are you for the birth of creation.
Blessed are you in the darkness and in the light.
Blessed are you for your promise to your people.
Blessed are you in the prophets’ hopes and dreams.
Blessed are you for Mary’s openness to your will.
Blessed are you for your Son Jesus,
the Word made flesh.
In the night in which he was betrayed,
our Lord Jesus took bread, and gave thanks;
broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying:
Take and eat; this is my body, given for you.
Do this for the remembrance of me.
Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks,
and gave it for all to drink, saying:
This cup is the new covenant in my blood,
shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin.
Do this for the remembrance of me.
Lord’s Prayer
All: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
Invitation to Communion
The Word is revealed in a manger, in simple bread and wine. Come meet Christ in this meal.
Prayer after Communion
We give you thanks, gracious God,
that you have once again fed us from your very self
with the body and blood of Christ.
Through this mystery, send us forth
to proclaim your promise to a world in need,
through the same Jesus Christ, our Savior,
Amen
Blessing
May you be filled with the wonder of Mary, the obedience of Joseph, the joy of the angels, the eagerness of the shepherds, and the everlasting peace of Jesus who is Savior, Christ, and Lord. Almighty God, Father,☩Son, and Holy Spirit, bless you and keep you now and forever.
Amen.
Sending Carol Go Tell It On The Mountain ELW #290
Go tell it on the mountain,
over the hills and ev’rywhere;
go tell it on the mountain
that Jesus Christ is born!
While shepherds kept their watching
o’er silent flocks by night,
behold, throughout the heavens
there shone a holy light.
Go tell it on the mountain,
over the hills and ev’rywhere;
go tell it on the mountain
that Jesus Christ is born!
The shepherds feared and trembled
when, lo, above the earth
rang out the angel chorus
that hailed our Savior’s birth.
Go tell it on the mountain,
over the hills and ev’rywhere;
go tell it on the mountain
that Jesus Christ is born!
Down in a lonely manger
the humble Christ was born;
and God sent us salvation
that blessed Christmas morn.
Go tell it on the mountain,
over the hills and ev’rywhere;
go tell it on the mountain
that Jesus Christ is born!
Text: African American spiritual, refrain; John W. Work Jr., 1872-1925, stanzas, alt.
Dismissal
Go in peace. Serve our Savior, Christ, and Lord.
Thanks be to God.