FIRST UNITED
Pleasant Valley and
Christmas Eve 2007
Welcome! We are happy that you have come to worship
here this Christmas Eve.
We invite you to open your heart to
the message of the birth of Christ,
proclaimed
in word and music, and to sing with us the songs that proclaim his birth!
PRELUDE Love Came
Down at Christmas
WELCOME
UNISON PRAYER:
God of love, open the hearts and minds of many this Christmas time
to the good and saving news of Jesus Christ; that those whose lives are
insecure, or empty, or aimless, may find in the one born at Bethlehem all that
they need today, and much more besides. For his name’s sake.
Amen.
OPENING
HYMN 240 Hark!
the Herald Angels Sing
THE PROPHET ISAIAH SPEAKS "...For
unto us a Child is born." Isaiah 9:1-7 Isaiah
wrote these words 700 years before the birth of Jesus!
HYMN
211
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel Vs. 1 - 4
THE
PROPHET'S HOPE OF PEACE Jeremiah 31: 31 - 34
Jeremiah describes what the Messiah will bring...
HYMN
219 What Child is This? William Dix
What
Child is this who laid to rest, So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh,
on Mary's lap is sleeping? Come, peasant, King to own Him.
Whom
angels greet with anthems sweet, The King of kings salvation brings,
while shepherds watch are keeping Let loving hearts enthrone Him.
(Chorus)
This, this is Christ the King, whom shepherds guard and angels sing.
Joy, joy, for Christ is born, the Babe, the
Son of Mary.
THE
BIRTH OF OUR SAVIOR
Luke 2:1-7
"...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."
HYMN
234 O
Come, All Ye Faithful verses 1, 3, 6
THE
ANGELS SING Glory to God in the Highest! Luke 2:8-14
HYMN
204 Emmanuel
THE
SHEPHERDS VISIT Luke 2:15-20
"Let us go now to
which the Lord has made known to
us."
PRESENTATION
OF OUR CHRISTMAS OFFERING
OFFERTORY
Good Christians All, Rejoice Red
Youth Choir
CHRISTMAS
MESSAGE “Christmas
Contrasts” Pastor Donat
LIGHTING
OF THE CHRIST CANDLE
CANDLE
LIGHTING AND CAROL SING
See insert for words for carol sing...
CHRISTMAS
PRAYER
CLOSING
HYMN 246 Joy to the World!
Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her
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 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.
No more let sins and sorrows grow, nor
thorns infest the ground;
he
comes to make his blessings flow far as the curse is found,
far
as the curse is found, far as, far as the curse is found.
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.
Following hymn, please extinguish all candles.
*BENEDICTION
*POSTLUDE
ACOLYTE:
Jesse Hamilton
FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH STAFF
Steve Donat, Senior Pastor
HeyYoung Horton, Associate Pastor
Glenn Rodgers, Director of Music
Joan Flamini, Office Administrator
Sue Harris, Parish Nurse
Curt Diehl, Property Maintenance Coordinator
We worship here each Sunday morning at
Saturday Vespers at
Come and worship with us!
A
service of Holy Communion will be held in our Sanctuary on Dec. 31, at
We
would like to encourage you to make this a part of your evening’s agenda, as we
remember our family in Christ, and our only true source of hope, as we welcome
in a New Year.
Church Office Contacts
Phone:
856-235-0450 Fax: 856-235-2722
E-mail: church@meetwithGod.com Website: meetwithGod.com
(CCLI License No.
782839)