Order of Service - Christmas Eve – Lessons and Carols 2022

Brougham Place Uniting Church

2022-12-24

Order of Service - Christmas Eve – Lessons and Carols 2022

Brougham Place Uniting Church - December 24th 2022

Kardlayirdi Karnungga
A light on the hill

Prelude

Jenny Symonds, Georgia Elsegood, Margaret Sallis

Opening proclamation: Luke 2: 10-11

Opening Carol: Once in Royal David’s City

Duet: Once in royal David’s city Skyla & Sophie Hutchinson
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.

Please stand as you are able and join in singing.

All: 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, despised and lowly
lived on earth our Saviour holy.

And through all his wondrous childhood,
day by day like us he grew;
he was little, weak, and helpless,
tears and smiles like us he knew;
and he feels for all our sadness,
and he shares in all our gladness.

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,
when his children gather round
bright like stars, with glory crowned.

Together in Song 312. Cecil Frances Alexander 1818-95 alt. Public domain.

Welcome and Acknowledgment of the Land

Opening prayer

Music reflection: The light, the Christmas light BPUC Choir

Words by Shirley Erena Murray, music by Colin Gibson, arranged by Rosemary Nairn

Lighting the Advent Candles

Lucy Gill & Mae Hern

Voice 1: Tonight, we light a candle for hope.
Voice 2: The kind of hope that is brave and courageous. Hope that sees what is and believes instead in what could be. The kind of hope that speaks truth to power, and amplifies the whispers that bring change.
Voice 1: God of hopefulness, may we bring hope to our world.

Voice 1: Tonight, we light the second candle for peace.
Voice 2: All of creation tells of God’s promises, saying “peace and goodwill to all the earth.”
Voice 1: God of peace, may we share peace in our lives, in our homes, in our communities and in our world.

Voice 1: We light our third candle for joy.
Voice 2: Joy is a gift that comes to us, even in difficult times: A baby’s smile; rain on a tin roof; it surprises us, and ripples outwards to affect others.
Voice 1: God who gives us joy, may this gift bubble up in us and turn us towards light and life.

Voice 1: The fourth candle, we light for love:
Voice 2: Love that is patient and kind; bold and passionate; gentle and tender; is courageous and strong; brings change and speaks truth.
Voice 1: Open our hearts to love
so that love is born in us and through us
and shared with all the world.

Voice 2: On this holy night, we wait and watch, as Christ comes again – light in the darkness, for all people, in all times, in all places.
Voice 1: Come, Jesus Christ. Show us the paths of hope, peace, joy and love, that you may be born in us again this night. Amen.

♪ Christ, be our light!
Shine in our hearts. Shine through the darkness.
Christ be our light!
Shine in your Church gathered today.
Christ be our light!

All Together OK, 313. Words and music: Bernadette Farrell. © 1993 Bernadette Farrell. Published by OCP Publications. All rights reserved. ONE LICENSE. License #A‑604444.

Carol: Love Came Down at Christmas

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

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

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

Together in Song 317 Christina Georgina Rossetti, 1830-94 alt. Public Domain

First Lesson: Isaiah 9 2-7: The Prophet Isaiah foretells the Birth of Christ

Music reflection: O Come, O Come Emmanuel MiniM Ensemble

arranged Rachel C Hardy

Second Lesson: Luke 1: 26-38 The Angel Gabriel Appears to Mary

Carol: Hark the Herald Angels Sing

1. Hark! the herald angels sing
glory to the new-born King,
peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled.
Joyful, all you 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 new-born King.

2. Christ, by highest heaven adored,
Christ, the everlasting Lord,
late in time behold him come,
offspring of a virgin’s womb:
veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
hail the incarnate Deity,
pleased in human flesh to dwell,
Jesus, our Immanuel.

Hark! The herald angels sing
Glory to the new-born King.

3. Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings,
risen with healing in his wings:
mild he lays his glory by,
born that we no more need die,
born to raise us from the earth,
born to give us second birth.

Hark! the herald angels sing
glory to the new-born King.

Together in Song 303. Charles Wesley 1707-88 and others. Public Domain.

Third Lesson: Luke 2:1-7 Jesus is born in Bethlehem

Reflection: Stable Relationships - Subtle Bricks

Fourth Lesson: Luke 2: 8-18 The shepherds go to the manger

Music reflection: Shepherd’s Pipe Carol BPUC Choir

Words and music by John Rutter

Christmas Bowl

Prayers for Peace

Music reflection: Wexford Carol Rosie O’Reilly

Fifth Lesson: John 1:1-5 The light shines in the darkness

During the singing of Silent Night, the lighting of candles shall begin from one single light being carried to the front pews from the Advent Candles. Please pass on to your neighbours beside you and behind you as we show how God’s light from a single flame can light the whole world.

Carol: Silent Night

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

2. 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.

3. Silent night, holy night:
wondrous star, lend your light;
with the angels let us sing
alleluia to our King;
Christ our saviour is born,
Christ our saviour is born.

Together in Song 311 Franz Gruber and Joseph Mohr. tr John Freeman Young Public Domain

Prayers for Christmas

Carol: Joy to the World

1. Joy to the world! The Lord is come;
let earth receive its king;
let every heart prepare him room
and heaven and nature sing,
and heaven and nature sing,
and heaven, and heaven and nature sing.

2. Joy to the earth! The Saviour reigns;
let us our songs employ;
while fields and streams, rocks, hills and plains
repeat the sounding joy,
repeat the sounding joy,
repeat, repeat the sounding joy.

3. He rules the earth 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, and wonders of his love.

Together in Song 268 Isaac Watts, 1674-1748 alt Based on Psalm 98. Public Domain

Benediction

Postlude

We invite you to be COVID conscious as you greet one another this Christmas Eve and to not crowd the doorways as you exit.

May you know God’s peace and hope, light and life, this Christmas.

Brian Hern OAM and Rosemary Nairn OAM (co-ordinators) wish to acknowledge all the members associated with this Lessons and Carols Service 2022

Worship Leaders and Readers:

Alex Sims, Robyn Blake-Mortimer, Barbara Day, Alison Williams, Peter Subramanian, Rev John Minchin, Rev Dr Ian Price, Mark Waters, Gwenda Kerley

Lighting of the Advent Candles:

Lucy Gill and Mae Hern

Advent candles design:

Daryl Parker

Vocalists:

Skyla and Sophie Hutchinson, Rosie O’Reilly

Brougham Place Uniting Church Choir:

Directed by Rosemary Nairn, OAM

Accompanied by Helen Angove

Instrumentalists:

Jenny Symonds, Georgia Elsegood and Margaret Sallis

Organist:

Rosemary Nairn, OAM

Choral:

MiniM Ensemble members

Drama:

Subtle Bricks

Flowers:

Michelle Harris

Ushers:

Rev Rob & Gill Brown

Technology:

Steven Goldsmith, Nathaniel Sims, Alex Sims

Verger:

Alex Sims

Office:

Judith Whitehorn