Worship Service
Sunday, December 24, 2023, at 10 a.m.
WELCOME and ANNOUNCEMENTS
INVOCATION
Pastor: In the name of the Father and of the † Son and of the Holy Spirit.
People: Amen.
CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS
Pastor: Most merciful God,
People: We confess that we are in bondage to sin and cannot free ourselves. We have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways, to the glory of your holy name. Amen.
OPENING HYMN O Come All Ye Faithful
Verse 1
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
Chorus
O come, let us adore Him
O come, let us adore Him
O come, let us adore Him
Christ the Lord!
Verse 2
The Highest, most holy, Light of light eternal,
Born of a virgin, a mortal he comes;
Son of the Father, now in flesh appearing! (Chorus)
Verse 3
Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation
Sing, all ye citizens of heaven above!
Glory to God, all glory in the highest (Chorus)
Verse 4
Yea, Lord, we greet thee, born this happy morning,
Jesus to thee be all glory given!
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing! (Chorus)
CCLI Song # 31054; © Words: Public Domain, Music: Public Domain; For use solely with the SongSelect® Terms of Use. All rights reserved. www.ccli.com. CCLI License # 384330
GREETING
Pastor: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
People: And also with you.
KYRIE
HYMN OF PRAISE
Lighting of the Advent Candle
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Lay Leader: The Lord be with you.
People: And also with you.
Lay Leader: Let us pray. . .
People: Amen.
FIRST LESSON Romans 16:25-27
25Now to God who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages 26but is now disclosed, and through the prophetic writings is made known to all the Gentiles, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith—27to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever! Amen.
Lay Leader: The word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.
VERSE
GOSPEL LESSON Luke 1:26-38
Pastor: The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke, the first chapter.
People: Glory to you, O Lord.
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 30The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. 33He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 35The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. 36And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. 37For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
28“From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 30Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. 31Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
32“But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. 34It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. 35Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, 36or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. 37And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.
Pastor: The Gospel of the Lord
People: Praise to you, O Christ.
THE MESSAGE Pastor Abera Hellemo
THE HYMN OF THE DAY How Great is Our God
Verse 1
The splendor of the King, clothed in majesty
Let all the earth rejoice, all the earth rejoice
He wraps Himself in light, and darkness tries to hide
And trembles at His voice, and trembles at His voice
Chorus
How great is our God
Sing with me
How great is our God
And all will see how great
How great is our God
Verse 2
And age to age He stands, and time is in His hands
Beginning and the End, beginning and the End
The Godhead three in one, Father Spirit Son
The Lion and the Lamb, the Lion and the Lamb
Bridge
Name above all names
Worthy of all praise
My heart will sing
How great is our God (Repeat)
CCLI Song # 4348399, Chris Tomlin | Ed Cash | Jesse Reeves; © 2004 sixsteps Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing), worshiptogether.com songs (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing); Wondrously Made Songs
THE APOSTLES’ CREED
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell.
THE PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
Each prayer petition will end with –
Lay Leader: Lord in your mercy
People: Hear our prayer.
Pastor: Into your hands, O Lord, we commend all for whom we pray.
People: Amen
PEACE
Lay Leader: The peace of the Lord be with you always.
People: And also with you.
OFFERATORY SONG What Child Is This/Child of the Poor
Let the Vinyards be Fruitful
Let the vineyards be fruitful, Lord,
and fill to the brim our cup of blessing.
Gather a harvest from the seeds that were sown,
that we may be fed with the bread of life.
Gather the hopes and the dreams of all;
unite them with the prayers we offer.
Grace our table with your presence,
and give us a foretaste of the feast to come.
OFFERTORY PRAYER
Lay Leader: Let us pray. Merciful Father,
People: We offer with joy and thanksgiving what you have first given us—ourselves, our time, and our possessions, signs of your gracious love. Receive them for the sake of him who offered himself for us, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
THANKSGIVING
Pastor: Blessed are you, Lord
People: Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
PREFACE
WORDS OF INSTITUTION
THE LORD’S PRAYER
Pastor: Lord, remember us in your kingdom, and teach us to pray:
People: 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.
COMMUNION DISTRIBUTION:
At All Saints, we practice open communion. If you believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and have been baptized, you are invited to commune. Those not receiving the bread and wine are invited to come forward for a blessing. Grape juice is also available.
POST-COMMUNION BLESSING
Pastor: May the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ strengthen you and keep you in his grace.
People: Amen.
POST-COMMUNION PRAYER
Lay Leader: We give you thanks, almighty God, that you have refreshed us through the healing power of this gift of life; and we pray that in your mercy you would strengthen us, through this gift, in faith toward you and in fervent love toward one another; for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord.
People: Amen.
BLESSING
Pastor: Almighty God, Father, ☩ Son, and Holy Spirit, bless you now and forever.
People: Amen.
CLOSING HYMN Joy to the World, Unspeakable Joy
Verse 1
Joy to the world the Lord is come
Let earth receive her King
Let ev’ry heart prepare Him room
And heaven and nature sing
And heaven and nature sing
And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing
Verse 2
Joy to the world the Savior reigns
Let all their songs employ
While fields and floods rocks hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy
Chorus
Joy unspeakable joy
An overflowing well, No tongue can tell
Joy unspeakable joy
It rises in my soul, Never lets me go
Verse 3
He rules the world with truth and grace
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness
And wonders of His love
And wonders of His love
And wonders wonders of His love (Chorus)
CCLI Song # 5607039, Chris Tomlin | Ed Cash | George Frideric Handel | Isaac Watts | Matt Gilder
© sixsteps Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing), Vamos Publishing (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)
SENDING
Pastor: Go in peace. Serve the Lord!
People: Thanks be to God.