Koonung Heights Uniting Church
Service of Worship at Home
Christmas Eve ABC – 24 December 2023 – 10am or whenever possible
You may like to light a candle during your time of worship.
Feel free to text the Peace to other members of the congregation.
Introit: “Light One Candle” – (TiS 286)
Light one candle for hope, one bright candle for hope.
He brings hope to every heart. He comes! He comes!
Light one candle for peace, one bright candle for peace.
He brings peace to every heart. He comes! He comes!
Light one candle for you, one bright candle for joy.
Every nation will find salvation in Bethlehem’s baby boy.
Light one candle for love, one bright candle for love.
He brings love to every heart. He comes! He comes.!
Acknowledgement of Country:
As we meet to worship today,
I acknowledge the Wurundjeri WoiWurrung People of the Kulin nation,
the first inhabitants and custodians of this place
from time beyond remembering.
I pay my respects to their elders,
past and present,
and to future leaders and generations.
I pray the God who brings hope, peace, love and joy
will continue to bless each one of us.
Gathering Words:
We have travelled from near and far
to be here for this special day.
The waiting is almost over.
Excitement and expectation are building as we prepare,
once more, to celebrate the birth of a child.
But not just any child,
we will celebrate the wonderful news of the birth of Jesus –
Emmanuel – God with us.
We Sing: “O Come All Ye Faithful” – (TiS 304)
O come, all ye faithful,
joyful and triumphant,
come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem;
come and behold him
born the king of angels:
come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord!
True God of true God, Light of light eternal,
lo, he abhors not the Virgin’s womb;
Son of the Father, begotten, not created:
come, let us adore him, O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord!
See how the shepherds summoned to his cradle,
leaving their flocks, draw nigh with holy fear;
we too will thither bend our joyful footsteps:
come, let us adore him, O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord!
Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation,
sing all ye citizens of heaven above,
‘Glory to God, glory in the highest’:
come, let us adore him, O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord!
Prayer of Adoration and Confession:
God, our Parent,
ever-loving, all-knowing,
abundant in mercy and kindness.
Your care of your children is unending,
and you treasure each one of us for who we are,
whatever we are, whatever our ability
or age, or background,
whomever we love, and wherever we are.
You delight in our uniqueness and potential.
We marvel at your unending love,
your compassion for our needs and that you stand with us,
You hold us, you carry us, you inspire us:
you hear our prayers and answer them,
even in ways we do not realise or expect.
Throughout our lives are signposts, symbols and signs
pointing ever toward your presence,
invitations to come close to you,
to rest in your love,
and to know the assurance of your ongoing attention,
whether that is in this building, or our homes,
or the wide world around us.
Merciful God,
we confess that sometimes we do not see
or do not grasp the opportunities
to be with you,
to know you,
to speak to you,
that we do not offer help when we can,
show your love when we can.
In silence and in the surety of your grace, love and forgiveness
we bring to you our own prayers.
(Moment of silence)
Loving God, Creator of all that we are,
all that we have, all that we could ever want,
help us to come together in community,
to draw close to you in prayer,
and to live lives to your glory
and the care of a world so in need of your love.
Amen.
Words of Assurance:
The ancient promises of God are fulfilled.
God does not forget us.
God’s mercy extends from generation to generation.
Let our souls rejoice in God!
The Peace:
The love of Christ lives in each of us, bringing us joy and hope.
The peace of Christ be with you always … and also with you.
The Rush of Christmas:
The thought of rest is one that seems all too elusive in today’s lightning speed culture of news, technology, work, demands of daily duties, activities, and sometimes even church commitments. Of course all of this can be how it is normally, throw in the activities of Christmas and suddenly there is so much more to do.
Whether it’s writing the Christmas letter or cards, purchasing and wrapping gifts, putting up and decorating the Christmas tree, organising a menu, purchasing food, co-ordinating where you will spend the day, and making sure you attend the various Christmas get-togethers you are invited too, just add so much more rushing.
It’s quite ironic really. This can’t be what Christmas is about. Surely, there is another purpose to Christmas. I wonder if some children might help us understand what the story of Christmas really is.
We Watch: The Christmas Story
The ABC of Christmas:
Let’s listen to the Christmas ABC story, and pay close attention. This is a story that needs help to tell. When you arrived this morning you received a small poster with ‘Shepherds’, ‘Wise Ones’ or ‘Angel’ on it. These are a clue to how you will help tell the story.
Every time you hear the word “Shepherds”, the Shepherds are to hold up their poster and say “Let’s go see!”
Every time you hear the words “Wise Ones”, the Wise Ones hold their poster and say “Look, a star!”
When we say the word “Angel”, the angels hold their poster and say “Hallelujah!”.
So let’s begin …
A is for ANGEL. The ANGEL Gabriel began the story by telling Mary …
28 “Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you.”
29 But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. 31 And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He 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. 33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
(Luke 1:28-33)
B is for Bethlehem where our story takes place. People travelled from far and wide to get to Bethlehem, which was not a very big village.
C is for Census, which means an official counting of all the people. The reason so many people came to Bethlehem.
D is for Donkey. A donkey carried the family on their long journey. Mary and Joseph had to travel 170 kilometres along the Jordan Road to get from Nazareth to Bethlehem. That’s a pretty long journey.
E is for Exhausted. That’s how everyone must have felt when they arrived. It would take about 36 hours of walking to go that far. That’s three days in a row of doing nothing but walking in the daytime.
We Sing: “O little town of Bethlehem” – (TiS 316)
O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see you lie!
Above your deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by:
yet, in your dark streets shining the everlasting light,
the hopes and fears of all the years are met in you tonight.
For Christ is born of Mary; and, gathered all above,
while mortals sleep the angels keep their watch of wondering love.
O morning stars, together proclaim the holy birth,
and praises sing to God the King and peace to all on earth.
How silently, how silently the wondrous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of his heaven.
No ear may hear his coming; but in this world of sin,
where meek souls will receive him, still the dear Christ enters in.
O holy child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray;
cast out our sin and enter in, be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels their great, glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us, our Lord Immanuel.
F is for Family. Mary, Joseph and their new baby created a new family, one that would bless the whole world.
6 While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. 7 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 in the guest room.
(Luke 2:6-7)
G is for the Good News about to be shared with all the earth. This is what the ANGELS said:
8 Now in that same region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 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: 11 to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord.
12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favours!
(Luke 2:8-14)
H is for Hope. Now we light the Advent candle of Hope. Hope is knowing that good news is coming, even when things look bleak. Jesus is the source of our hope.
I is for Imagine. If we close our eyes and imagine the scene, we can see the beauty and wonder of the ANGELS proclaiming good news to all men and women. We can see the SHEPHERDS, first terrified, but then overcome with joy as they hear good news. If we try even harder, we can imagine a world where God’s peace reigns, where there is no war or hunger or injustice. And if we can imagine it, we can do it with God’s help.
J is for Joy. Now we light the Advent candle of Joy. Joy is a kind of happiness that comes from God. It cannot be dampened, and is always shared. The birth of Jesus gives us joy.
We Sing: “Joy to the world!” – (TiS 268)
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.
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.
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.
K is for King. Though Jesus would be King, he was not the kind of King people were used to. Most kings are born in palaces, surrounded by servants. He was born in a stable, surrounded by dirty, smelly SHEPHERDS. Most kings rule with power and fear. Jesus rules with mercy and love.
L is for Lost. When Jesus grew up he told a lot of stories, and three of them were about lost things that were found. He loved to find lost things, and when you are with Jesus, you will never be lost. He is the good SHEPHERD, who will do anything to find his lost sheep.
L is also for Love. Now we light the Advent candle of Love. Jesus summarised his ministry by saying “Love God … and Love your neighbour as yourself.”
M is for Manger. A manger is usually used to hold food for animals, but this time it held the baby because he had no crib.
We Sing: “Away in a Manger” – (TiS 318)
Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,
the little Lord Jesus
laid down his sweet head;
the stars in the bright sky
looked down where he lay,
the little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.
The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes,
but little Lord Jesus no crying he makes.
I love you, Lord Jesus;
look down from on high,
and stay by my side until morning is nigh.
Be near me, Lord Jesus; I ask you to stay
close by me for ever, and love me, I pray.
Bless all the dear children in your tender care,
and fit us for heaven to live with you there.
N is for Noel. Noel is another word for Christmas. It means new birth, and that’s what happened in our story. That’s what happens every year at Christmas time. And that’s what happens every time we decide to follow Jesus – he is born anew in us.
O is for Offering. The WISE ONES gave gifts to the baby, and we can offer our gifts every day. We give our time, our talents, and our treasure to God, and pray that as a Church, we are good stewards of all that is entrusted to us. So we share our gifts now.
P is for Peace. Now we light the Advent candle of peace. Jesus is the Prince of Peace, and is the source of the kind of peace that surpasses all understanding.
Q is for Quiet. We begin a time of prayer in quiet, allowing God to speak to us, and we are joyful when the quiet is broken by small voices.
R is for Revealed. Revealed means “showing us something that was once hidden.” God revealed to us what love looks like by giving us Jesus. Jesus is love, and reveals to us the way to love one another.
S is for Star. One special star guided WISE ONES to come to see the baby. They were curious, and they lived far away, but they brought gifts to Jesus because they knew that he would grow up to be a King.
9 When they had heard the king, they set out, and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen in the east, until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
(Matthew 2:9-11)
T is for Table. When Jesus grew up he invited all to his table. He gave his friends bread and wine, and told them to remember him always. When we gather at the Lord’s Table we call it Communion because we come together. So at this table, we also remember the next letter …
U is for Unity. Communion is a time when all people can come together and be one. Just as many grains come together to form one bread, we, who are many people, come together to be one body of Christ.
V is for Vulnerable. Vulnerable means, “able to be hurt.” Every baby is very vulnerable, and so are we when we love one another. God became vulnerable when Jesus was born, and we are called to be vulnerable when we love our brothers and sisters.
W is for wonder. Like the WISE ONES, we stand in awe and wonder of the newborn King.
X is for Christ. X is the Greek letter Chi, the first letter of the word “Christ”. The X is one of the most ancient symbols of Christianity. People have been using the letter X to stand for Christ for centuries. The large white candle we lit at the beginning of the service today is the Christ candle, which symbolises the coming of light into the world when Jesus was born.
Y is for You. You ANGELS. You WISE ONES. You SHEPHERDS. You sons and daughters. You mothers and fathers. You friends and strangers. You are all here to worship and celebrate the birth of Jesus.
Z is for Zeal. Zeal means dedication or enthusiasm. Let your zeal for Christ burn brightly. As you look at the candle lights burning brightly, know that the light of God burns much, much brighter. Though these lights will die out, the light of God is steadfast, and endures forever.
So what did you think of the ABC of Christmas? Were you reminded of something special? Did you learn something new? Had you heard it all before?
The story of Christmas is well known. It’s a good story. A baby is welcomed, visitors come and gifts are given. We like stories like this … stories with a happy ending. But it can be easy for us to leave Jesus, as a vulnerable baby, lying in a manger. The reality is that this is just a part of the story of Jesus … a story that begins when he is born as a baby … a story that doesn’t end there.
And that’s what I like about the ABC of Christmas. While Christmas began in a certain time and place many, many years ago, this story reminds me that Christmas is also something that happens again and again. When we remember that God chose to be vulnerable, to slip into skin and live a human life with us, how can we not feel loved? When we look at the life of Jesus’ and the example he gave of how to live with integrity, honesty and justice, how can we not want to do the same? When we witness his continual welcome to the marginalised, how can be not be challenged to do the same? For when we do these things, the hope born at Christmas is born again … and again … and again.
May this hope be a reality for those we know, and those we don’t, this Christmas.
Amen.
Prayer for Others (prepared by Graham & Wendy Ray):
God of joy, hope, peace and love.
We have so much for which to be grateful – there are many blessings in our lives.
But today as we joyfully wait to celebrate the birth of Your son Jesus, we realise that there are many people in this world who are tired and weary.
We pray that we will not forget all those affected by war, hunger and injustice.
Instead of fear and dread, may they experience mercy and love.
There are many around the world affected by natural disasters such as floods, fires, cyclones and droughts.
We pray for all those emergency workers helping to save lives and properties, and for all those working on ways to lessen the impact of climate change on Your creation.
In our own society, we pray for those who have difficulties finding a place to sleep, or find employment, or food to eat.
We give prayerful thanks to all those agencies, reaching out to those in need, including the Christmas Bowl Appeal, and close by, Boroondara Community Outreach.
We pray that our gifts of money, time and food may be put to good use for those in need.
May our enthusiasm and dedication to help others, burn brightly.
Let us take this opportunity, to pray the prayer that is on our hearts this morning.
It may be for a situation overseas, or for someone we know, and at this time, we think especially of Graham McKirdy’s family, and Peta Lowe, who are mourning the recent passing of Graham.
Now, in a moment of silence, we bring our prayer to You … (silent prayer)
God of joy, hope, peace and love,
Thank You for this congregation with its many talents and gifts, our minister Heather, and this time of prayer, where we open our hearts to You.
May we continue to be curious like the Wise Men, and continue to bring our gifts to make the world a better place.
All this we pray, concluding with the words You taught us,
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name;
Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil.
For the Kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever.
Amen.
We Sing: “Love came down at Christmas” – (TiS 319)
Love came down at Christmas,
Love all lovely, Love divine;
Love was born at Christmas,
star and angels gave the sign.
Emmanuel, God with us, Love incarnate, Love divine;
worship we our Jesus, but do others see the signs?
Love shall be our token, love be yours and love be mine,
love to God and neighbours, love for plea and gift and sign.
Blessing:
The busy world summons us back
to the last-minute frantic rush –
there are still things to do.
But let us resist the busy world,
at least for a while,
because this coming night the Christ was born.
May the joy of his coming be in our hearts.
May his love fill our lives to overflowing.
May we share God’s blessing with everyone we meet.
And the blessing of the Triune God,
One in Three, Three in One,
be with you always.
Amen.
Thanks to all those who have assisted in preparation for this liturgy with encouragement, prayers and conversation.