[CHPC] Christmas Eve
4pm felt early for a Christmas Eve service, but it was interesting having the outside get progressively darker as the service progressed metaphorically toward the light.
Call To Worship
[One] What do I want for Christmas?
I want to kneel in Bethlehem,
the air thick with alleluias,
the angels singing
that God is born among us.
[All] In the light of the Star,
I want to see them come,
the wise ones and the humble.
[One] I want to see them come
bearing whatever they treasure
to lay at the feet
of him who gives his life.
What do I want for Christmas?
[All] To see in that stable
the whole world kneeling in thanks
for a promise kept:
new life.
[One] For in his nativity
[All] we find ours.
("What Do I Want for Christmas?", Ann Weems)
I got a little choked up at the "the whole world kneeling in thanks for a promise kept: new life" bit.
Unison Prayer
Mysterious God, you come to us this season softly as a mother's sigh, as startling as the cry of a newborn child. Come into our hearts, we pray, that we may be cradled in your love and stirred by your glory. Amen.
(United Church of Canada)
( Collapse )
"Silent Night, Holy Night" (Please share the light of Christ by lighting the candle of the person next to you.)
I'm That Girl who wants to carry her lighted candle all the way home, so I'd put my jacket and bag on before we began the hymn (which also means there are spots of white candle wax on my new purple bag).
The sanctuary lights got turned off during the singing of the hymn, which I approved of.
After the hymn was the Benediction, and no one moved to leave during the postlude. After it was over, people began to head out to the narthex. I talked to Gusti briefly, and then various people with children kept coming out and just kind of staying, so I headed out. As soon as I opened the door a wind blew out my candle, so I could have let it close and gone to look for Mike to say hi to him since I'm quite fond of him, but I felt weird doing that (even though it's not like people had nothing better to do than watch what I was doing) and besides I wanted to get back to my apartment and get stuff taken care of before I headed out to Norwood. (Though the service was only about 45 minutes, so I was less in danger of being pressed for time than I thought I might be.)
Call To Worship
[One] What do I want for Christmas?
I want to kneel in Bethlehem,
the air thick with alleluias,
the angels singing
that God is born among us.
[All] In the light of the Star,
I want to see them come,
the wise ones and the humble.
[One] I want to see them come
bearing whatever they treasure
to lay at the feet
of him who gives his life.
What do I want for Christmas?
[All] To see in that stable
the whole world kneeling in thanks
for a promise kept:
new life.
[One] For in his nativity
[All] we find ours.
("What Do I Want for Christmas?", Ann Weems)
I got a little choked up at the "the whole world kneeling in thanks for a promise kept: new life" bit.
Unison Prayer
Mysterious God, you come to us this season softly as a mother's sigh, as startling as the cry of a newborn child. Come into our hearts, we pray, that we may be cradled in your love and stirred by your glory. Amen.
(United Church of Canada)
( Collapse )
"Silent Night, Holy Night" (Please share the light of Christ by lighting the candle of the person next to you.)
I'm That Girl who wants to carry her lighted candle all the way home, so I'd put my jacket and bag on before we began the hymn (which also means there are spots of white candle wax on my new purple bag).
The sanctuary lights got turned off during the singing of the hymn, which I approved of.
After the hymn was the Benediction, and no one moved to leave during the postlude. After it was over, people began to head out to the narthex. I talked to Gusti briefly, and then various people with children kept coming out and just kind of staying, so I headed out. As soon as I opened the door a wind blew out my candle, so I could have let it close and gone to look for Mike to say hi to him since I'm quite fond of him, but I felt weird doing that (even though it's not like people had nothing better to do than watch what I was doing) and besides I wanted to get back to my apartment and get stuff taken care of before I headed out to Norwood. (Though the service was only about 45 minutes, so I was less in danger of being pressed for time than I thought I might be.)