The Eve of the Nativity of the Lord
December 24
The House of Bread
An empty, life size, wooden manger waits at the front of the Sanctuary.
This service requires: at least two readers, including the celebrant; one or more young women or girls to carry the bread and place it in the manger; the bread should be an intact loaf ca. 12’’ long and wrapped in a white cloth; one or more grandmothers to bring the bread from the manger to the Table.
Prelude:
Gathering Song: “Of the Father’s Love Begotten” 309/108
Lighting the Christ Candle
We light the Christ Candle from the candles of the Advent Wreath in silence. Or the Christ Candle is carried in during the first hymn.
Call to Worship
People will come from east and west
and from north and south,
and will eat in the Kingdom of God.
Indeed, some who are last will be first,
and some who are first will be last. Luke 13:29-30
We are celebrating the feast of the Eternal Birth
which God has borne
and never ceases to bear in all eternity...
But if it does not also happen in us, what good is it?
Everything depends on this,
that it should take place in each of us. Meister Eckhart
As we listen again to the story of Christ’s birth in Bethlehem,
may he be born as well in our own hearts.
May the Light of God’s life shine in our darkness!
*Processional: “Once in Royal David’s City” 49/140
If the Christ Candle was not lit earlier, someone may process with it now.
In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus
that all the world should be registered.
This was the first registration
and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria.
All went to their own towns to be registered.
Luke 2:1-3
This story begins with an imperial edict.
The strong man in Rome thought he was in charge.
He gave orders to soldiers and bureaucrats,
who carried out his will.
Little did he know.
The future emerges not from the wealthy and powerful,
not from the armed and affluent,
not from the bullies and the buyers.
not from the connected and the confident.
But from the rest of us:
the homeless, the refugees, the victims, the workers,
the poor, the broken, the outcast, and the lost.
Little did he know.
“The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness—
on them light has shined.” Isaiah 9:2
May the Light of God shine this night
into the controlled and restricted darkness of our world.
May the Light of God shine this night.
Song: “In the Bleak Midwinter” 36/144
Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea,
to the city of David called Bethlehem,
because he was descended from the house and family of David.
Luke 2:4
Bethlehem. The name means, “house of bread,” in Hebrew.
“I am the Bread of Life.
Whoever comes to me will never be hungry,
and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” John 6:35
“I am the living bread that came down from heaven.
Whoever eats of this bread will live forever;
the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” John 6:51
“And the Word became flesh and lived among us.” John 1:14
Song: “O Little Town of Bethlehem” 44/121
He went to be registered with Mary,
to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child.
Luke 2:5
Mary is the young woman to whom God’s Messenger comes, saying:
“Greetings, favored one!
The Lord is with you!” Luke 1:28
When the messenger shares with her the good,
but very disturbing, news,
that she will bring the Son of God into the world, she says:
“Here am I, the servant of the Lord;
let it be with me according to your word.” Luke 1:38
May it be with all of us
according to the saving, liberating, healing Word of the Lord.
May God’s saving presence be born in us.
May we not fear the reactions of those who do not see what God is doing.
May God’s saving presence be born in us.
May we live in joyful expectation, as goodness grows within us.
May God’s saving presence be born in us.
*Song: “See Amid the Winter’s Snow” 51/——
While they were there,
the time came for her to deliver her child.
And she gave birth to her firstborn son
and wrapped him in bands of cloth,
and laid him in a manger,
because there was no place for them in the inn.
Luke 2:6-7
Song: “Still, Still, Still” 47/124
During the song, a girl/young woman carries a loaf of bread wrapped in white cloth and places it in the manger.
To add insult to injury,
he is born in a barn,
laid in a feed-trough for animals.
He is unnoticed and unwelcomed by humans, at first.
He feels our vulnerability,
the anxiety, the grief, the hunger, the utter dependence.
He breathes the aromas of life in a barn.
He tastes the milk of human nourishment.
He hears the sounds of animals and wind,
and his parents’ tired, hopeful, relieved words,
soft and low.
He feels the texture of cloth and straw, and cold air on new skin.
He sees in the dim light the glistening face of his mother.
All this he takes on,
draping over himself to inhabit like a tent,
from which to know the world…
Even though it is he through whom God creates the world,
breathing it into being at the beginning,
saying, “Let there be!”
and, “It is very good!” From Genesis 1:1-31
For a child has been born for us,
a son given to us;
authority rests upon his shoulders;
and he is named
Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
His authority shall grow continually,
and there shall be endless peace
for the throne of David and his kingdom.
He will establish and uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time onwards and for evermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. Isaiah 9:6-7
Song: “While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks “ 59/118
In that region there were shepherds living in the fields,
keeping watch over their flock by night.
Luke 2:8
Shepherds on the night shift,
workers in the field,
shivering in the star-light,
imagining a better life,
wanting to go home.
Forgotten, invisible, taken-for-granted;
doing a job no one else wanted.
We give thanks for the servers and the watchers,
the caregivers and the waiters;
the stockers and the loaders,
the cashiers and the clerks,
the drivers and the cleaners,
the mechanics and the secretaries.
We give thanks for those who prepare the soil,
plant the seeds, watch over the plants as they grow,
then harvest and process the produce.
We give thanks for those who care for animals,
and for the animals, who give us many benefits.
On those same hills a boy named David also watched over sheep.
He was God’s unlikely chosen king.
Now God’s new unlikely chosen king,
a descendant of David by adoption,
is born in the same town:
the Bread of Life emerges from Bethlehem,
which means “House of Bread”.
*Song: “Angels, From the Realms of Glory” 22/143
We carry the loaf of bread from the manger to the Table.
Then an angel of the Lord stood before them,
and the glory of the Lord shone around them,
and they were terrified.
But the angel said to them,
“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 the Messiah, the Lord.
This will be a sign for you:
you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth
and lying in a manger.”
And suddenly there was with the angel
a multitude of the heavenly host,
praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”
Luke 2:9-14
Song: “Before the World Began” John L. Bell
1. Before the world began one Word was there;
Grounded in God he was, rooted in care;
by him all things were made in him was love displayed,
through him God spoke and said, “I am for you.”
2. Life found in him its Source, death found its end;
Light found in him its course, death found its end;
for neither death nor doubt nor darkness can put out
the glow of God, the shout, “I am for you.”
3. The Word was in the world which from him came;
Unrecognized he was, unknown by name;
one with all humankind, with the unloved aligned,
convinc-ing sight and mind, “I am for you.”
4. All who received the Word by God were blessed,
Sisters and brothers they of Earth’s fond guest.
So did the Word of grace proclaim in time and space,
and with a human face, “I am for you.”
When the angels had left them
and gone into heaven,
the shepherds said to one another,
“Let us go now to Bethlehem
and see this thing that has taken place,
which the Lord has made known to us.”
So they went with haste
and found Mary and Joseph,
and the child lying in the manger.
When they saw this,
they made known what had been told them about this child;
and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them.
But Mary treasured all these words
and pondered them in her heart.
The shepherds returned,
glorifying and praising God
for all they had heard and seen,
as it had been told them.
Luke 2:15-20
Mary’s Treasure Box*
Children gather at the chancel to hear the story.
Song: “Love Has Come” —/110
God of grace and wonder:
may our leaders be gentler,
and our hospitality far warmer,
than what we offered you
on that night long ago,
coming into our world.
Open our hearts and our homes
to the refugees, the undocumented, and the homeless today.
May we remember that we were aliens too,
whom you welcomed into the household of peace.
By your grace and your Spirit
let us inhabit the good creation,
under your order of peace, justice, and liberation.
Remove our fear
that sours into violence.
Remove our hatred
that closes our hearts to the cries of others.
Remove our resentment
that darkly dwells on what we think we have lost.
Turn our faces to your Light,
shining in the face of Jesus,
revealing to us the truth, goodness, beauty, and grace
you have poured so generously into our hearts.
Let us see him in the face of everyone.
Amen.
Offering
The Earth and everything on it,
the world and all its people,
they all belong to God. Psalm 24:1
Offertory Music:
*Doxology: “O Come, All Ye Faithful” 41/133
Words of Institution
On the night when Jesus was born,
in Bethlehem, the House of Bread,
his parents prayed and the angels sang,
and the shepherds came to visit him.
On the night before he gave his life
for the life of the world,
the Lord Jesus took bread.
On the night when he was born,
the Creator became a creature,
the Infinite was placed in a manger,
the Word became flesh,
the Spirit became matter,
Wisdom came into time,
and the Presence became present.
He gave thanks to God,
and broke the bread,
and gave it to his disciples, saying:
“Take and eat. This is my body, given for you;
do this in remembrance of me.”
The celebrant breaks the bread in two pieces.
On the night when he was born,
humanity was raised to heaven,
people were united to God,
the Creator emerged within creation,
sinners were saved,
the lost were found,
the blind were given their sight,
the lame were empowered,
the captives were freed,
debts were remitted,
and the dead received life.
He took the cup, saying:
“This cup is the new covenant in my blood,
shed for all people for the forgiveness of sins.
Whenever you drink it,
do this in remembrance of me.”
The celebrant fills the cup.
On the night when he was born,
the light began to shine
on those who lived in a land of deep darkness.
“The light shines in the darkness
and the darkness did not overcome it.” John 1:5
Eucharistic Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer
Creator God:
You send Jesus Christ into our world
as Savior, Redeemer, and Messenger of your will.
As your Spirit,
your holy Ruach,
the One to Whom Mary said “Yes!”
who dwells everywhere and fills all things,
infused her body with the grace and Presence
of your holy Word,
let that Spirit here and now
emerge within this bread and this cup,
making them the Body and Blood
of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,
your Word, given for the life of the world.
O God, like a mother who will not forget her nursing child
you always feed and remember us.
And so we are bold to pray in the words Jesus taught us,
saying: Our Father….
Receive the Body of Christ!
Taste the fountain of immortality!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
All commune from the broken bread.
Communion Music:
Charge
Jesus said:
“You are the Light of the World.” Matthew 5:14
We who have received his Light
become his Light.
Candlelighting Ceremony
We light our candles from the Christ Candles.
Please be careful….
*Song: “Silent Night, Holy Night” 60/122
In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things came into being through him,
and without him not one thing came into being.
What has come into being in him was life,
and the life was the light of all people.
The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness did not overcome it.
And the Word became flesh and lived among us,
full of grace and truth.
From John 1:1-14
*Recessional Song: “Go, Tell It on the Mountain!” 29/136
+++++++
*Mary's Treasure Box
Loosely based on the story in the children's book by that title, by Carolyn Walz Kramlich.
Necessary props:
- Wooden box, apparently handmade
- Raw wool
- Straw
- "Gold" (I use Hanukkah Geld)
- Frankincense (have an incense burner handy)
- Myrrh
With the children talk about and pass around each item in the box. There needs to be a lot of myrrh because Mary didn't use it when she intended to: to anoint the body of Jesus on Easter morning.
