Sunday, December 30, 2018

Sing, choirs of angels, Dec 30,2018

Worship on Sunday, December 30 …

 We celebrate the First Sunday of Christmas with a special focus on music of the season.  The sermon portion of the service will include exploration of the history of some of our favorite Christmas hymns and singing them together. 
╬ Sing, choirs of angels! 
People of faith everywhere gather to celebrate a new day dawning. The long-awaited light has come. Emmanuel – God with us – has come into the world to show us a way and a truth and a life that leads to the very heart of God.  We come together to raise our voices in songs of praise, to celebrate with the songs that have given meaning to our lives, that express our joy in this day of days, and give voice to our hopes for a future of peace on earth and unity among all people.

 Below are the Prayer of the Day and Readings.  

 Nothing like a hymn sing to celebrate Christmas!

 - Pr. Brad Highum
bhighum@abidinglove.org

 PRAYER OF THE DAY ---------------------
God of light, fill our hearts this day with the power of your Spirit as we welcome the gift of your Christ into the midst of life.  Fill us with the peace, hope, love and joy that he brings.  Fill us with songs to praise the One who comes to make all things new.  Amen.

 READINGS ----------------------------------

 First Reading:  Isaiah 52:7-10
7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, "Your God reigns."  8 Listen! Your sentinels lift up their voices, together they sing for joy; for in plain sight they see the return of the Lord to Zion.  9 Break forth together into singing, you ruins of Jerusalem; for the Lord has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem.  10 The Lord has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.

 Psalm 98
1 O sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things. His right hand and his holy arm have gotten him victory.
2 The Lord has made known his victory; he has revealed his vindication in the sight of the nations.
3 He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel.  All the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.
4 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises.
5 Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody.
6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord.
7 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who live in it.
8 Let the floods clap their hands; let the hills sing together for joy at the presence of the Lord,
9 for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.

 Second Reading:  Hebrews 1:1-8
1 Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. 3 He is the reflection of God's glory and the exact imprint of God's very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.  5 For to which of the angels did God ever say, "You are my Son; today I have begotten you"?  Or again, "I will be his Father, and he will be my Son"?  6 And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, "Let all God's angels worship him." 7 Of the angels he says, "He makes his angels winds, and his servants flames of fire."  8 But of the Son he says, "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the righteous scepter is the scepter of your kingdom. 

 Gospel:  Luke 2:15-21
15 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." 16 So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. 17 When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.  21 After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
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