Christmas Eve
December 24, 2010
Peter sings,
“Joyful day
A star to guide you, a song to remind you
The Joy will stay
Long past the turn of the page
In the story of Christmas”
Dear Friends, we are just about there. Only a few more pages and paragraphs to go in this part of the story of Christmas. I am grateful for your participation along the way. WE are all part of the story of Christmas. May you have a “joyful day” tonight and tomorrow and on all days. May there always be a star above your head to guide and direct you.
Listen to the songs of the season, especially those of our good friend Peter Mayer. Let them remind you of hope, light, love and Jesus. Tonight my good colleague, Pastor Ruth Ann Loughry and I will read responsively the Christmas Proclamation:
Sundays and Seasons
Proclamation of the Birth of Christ
PROCLAMATION OF THE BIRTH OF CHRIST
The services on Christmas Eve may begin with the proclamation of the birth of Christ, taken from the ancient martyrology. The proclamation should be understood as the announcement of the incarnation within human history rather than a literal counting of years. The proclamation may be read or sung on one note by a leader standing at the entrance to the church. Following the proclamation, the gathering song is begun.
Many ages after God created the heavens and the earth,
when man and woman were formed
in God's own image;
long after the great flood, when God set the rainbow
in the clouds as a sign of the covenant;
twenty-one centuries from the time of Abraham and Sarah;
thirteen centuries after Moses led God's people to freedom;
eleven centuries from the time of Ruth and the judges;
a thousand years from the anointing of David as king;
in the sixty-fifth week as Daniel's prophecy takes note;
in the one hundred and ninety-fourth Olympiad;
the seven hundred and fifty-second year
from the founding of the city of Rome;
the forty-second year of the reign of Octavian Augustus;
in the sixth age of the world,
all earth being at peace,
Jesus Christ, eternal God, Son of the eternal Father,
willing to hallow the world by his coming in mercy,
was born of the virgin Mary in Bethlehem of Judea.
Today is the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ,
God made flesh.
From Sundays and Seasons.com. Copyright 2010 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved.
Reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #26681.
Joyfully,
rtg
The Story of Christmas
by Peter Mayer
“New colors dancing on evergreen branches
You feel a change in the wind
Brings new light to your eyes once again
A year full of meanwhiles, hard times, good smiles
Suddenly the yuletide is near
Creeps in quietly, soon undeniably catches your heart
You’re part of the story of Christmas
Chorus
Joyful day
A star to guide you, a song to remind you
The Joy will stay
Long past the turn of the page
In the story of Christmas
Ribbons and strings, cold frozen streams
Forgotten dreams running wild
When every Mother and Father is a child
The song of an angel, good cheer to a stranger
The ones you’ve known all the way
Coming back to the heart of the matter to scatter the whistles and
bells
You’re telling the story of Christmas
Chorus”
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