A Flower in Winter

Welcome (Charissa)

Opening Prayer (Charissa)

Great God, as you came at night when all was still, so enter our lives this night. Illumine our paths with the light of Christ’s presence, that we may clearly see the way before us, the truth to speak, and the life to live for him, our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

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*Call to Worship

Leader: The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth.

Leader: The Word became flesh and dwelt among us,

full of grace and truth.

People: We have beheld his glory.

Leader: Glory to God in the highest,

People: And peace to God’s people on earth. Alleluia!

Lighting of the Advent Wreath (Readers 1 & 2 read while someone lights the wreath)

The Word was made flesh, Alleluia, Alleluia! and dwelt among us, Alleluia, Alleluia! Jesus, Son of the living God, splendor of the Father, Light eternal: Glory to you, O Lord! Jesus, King of glory, Sun of righteousness, born of the Virgin Mary: Glory to you, O Lord! Jesus, Wonderful Counselor, mighty God, everlasting Lord: Glory to you, O Lord! Jesus, Prince of Peace, Shepherd of souls, perfect in holiness: Glory to you, O Lord!

Jesus, Friend of all, Protector of the poor, Treasure of the faithful: Glory to you, O Lord! Jesus, Good Shepherd, inexhaustible Wisdom, our Way, our Truth, and our Life: Glory to you, O Lord! Jesus, joy of the angels, and crown of all the saints:

Glory to you, O Lord!

LIGHT CANDLES (PURPLE, PURPLE, PINK, PURPLE, WHITE)

LIGHT CANDLES

Christ is born! Give him glory! Christ has come down from heaven! Receive him! Christ is now on earth! Exalt him! O earth, sing to the Lord! O you nations, praise him in joy, for he has been glorified! Amen.

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Call to Confession:

When Jesus was born of the virgin Mary, he became like us in all things but sin. May we who have been reborn in him be free from our sinful ways. Let us confess our sin to God.

Prayer of Confession

Generous God, you give us the greatest gift of all, yourself, but often we find it hard to take notice; we are caught up with our own gifts, given and received. Forgive us, generous God, for the casual way we treat your gift of love. Cast out our sin and enter in, be born in us today

Assurance of Pardon

I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. (—, NIV) The grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all. (—, NRSV) No matter who you are, no matter where you’ve come from, no matter what you’ve done, this gift is for you if you but hear and receive it: I declare to you in the name of Jesus Christ you are forgiven.

I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. (—Luke 2:10-11, NIV) The grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all. (—Titus 2:11, NRSV) No matter who you are, no matter where you’ve come from, no matter what you’ve done, this gift is for you if you but hear and receive it: I declare to you in the name of Jesus Christ you are forgiven.

Old Testament Reading (Erin)

Isaiah 9:2-7

2 The people walking in darkness

have seen a great light;

on those living in the land of deep darkness

a light has dawned.

3 You have enlarged the nation

and increased their joy;

they rejoice before you

as people rejoice at the harvest,

as warriors rejoice

when dividing the plunder.

4 For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,

Isaiah 9:2–7 ESV

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil. For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

you have shattered

the yoke that burdens them,

the bar across their shoulders,

the rod of their oppressor.

5 Every warrior’s boot used in battle

and every garment rolled in blood

will be destined for burning,

will be fuel for the fire.

6 For to us a child is born,

to us a son is given,

and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

7 Of the greatness of his government and peace

there will be no end.

He will reign on David’s throne

and over his kingdom,

establishing and upholding it

with justice and righteousness.

from that time on and forever.

The zeal of the Lord Almighty

will accomplish this.

Musical Meditation Choir Anthem

Psalm Reading (Mark)

Psalm 96

1 Sing to the Lord a new song;

sing to the Lord, all the earth.

2 Sing to the Lord, praise his name;

proclaim his salvation day after day.

3 Declare his glory among the nations,

his marvelous deeds among all peoples.

4 For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;

he is to be feared above all gods.

5 For all the gods of the nations are idols,

Psalm 96 ESV

Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth! Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength! Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts! Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth! Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns! Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.” Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in his faithfulness.

but the Lord made the heavens.

6 Splendor and majesty are before him;

strength and glory are in his sanctuary.

7 Ascribe to the Lord, all you families of nations,

ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;

bring an offering and come into his courts.

9 Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness;

tremble before him, all the earth.

10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.”

The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved;

he will judge the peoples with equity.

11 Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;

let the sea resound, and all that is in it.

12 Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;

let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.

13 Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for he comes,

he comes to judge the earth.

He will judge the world in righteousness

and the peoples in his faithfulness.

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First Gospel Reading (Marti)

Luke 2:1–7 ESV

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

Luke 2:1-7

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.

4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

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Second Gospel Reading (Marti)

Luke 2:8–14 ESV

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths 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, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

Luke 2:8-14

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to 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. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,

and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

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Third Gospel Reading (Marti)

Luke 2:15–20 ESV

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Luke 2:15-20

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Meditation on the Word Rev. Charissa Howe

Prayer: O Christ, the prophets foretold your coming, the poor longed to see you. The heavens celebrated your birth; the apostles, the martyrs, and the faithful down through the ages repeated the song of the angels. Your church praises you in every human language, for she has seen your salvation. Son of God, you humbled yourself and became a servant, raising us up to share in your glory. We were in darkness and you have given us light and strength, peace and joy. Lead us according to your loving will; make us a people who follow you in holiness. Give us generous hearts to hear your Word, and produce in us abundant fruit, through the power of your Spirit. Amen.

O Christ, the prophets foretold your coming, the poor longed to see you. The heavens celebrated your birth; the apostles, the martyrs, and the faithful down through the ages repeated the song of the angels. Your church praises you in every human language, for she has seen your salvation. Son of God, you humbled yourself and became a servant, raising us up to share in your glory. We were in darkness and you have given us light and strength, peace and joy. Lead us according to your loving will; make us a people who follow you in holiness. Give us generous hearts to hear your Word, and produce in us abundant fruit, through the power of your Spirit. Amen.

A Flower in the Middle of the Night

She was exhausted, this very pregnant young woman. Her entire being felt like it was in the middle of a bleak winter: the sort of winter in which there is nothing but brown as far as the eye can see. The flowers are long gone and all that is left of them is the promise that one day soon, the flowers would once again break into the dark and colorless world with an explosion of beauty. Spring is a time of promise and hope – of freedom from the weather that drives people indoors and isolates. It’s a time in which the whole world is made new again.

The flowers in Galilee in spring are beautiful. The colors are bold and powerful. The smell of the mustard flowers is rich and heady. Mary thought they always seemed to miraculously appear overnight. One day, everything was dry and brown and barren, then the next, it was bright and lush as if a painter had filled in the missing colors while everyone else slept.

Flowers are tangible too. They aren’t just some abstract thing to look at, you could touch them, smell them, put them in a jar in the house to brighten up the indoors. They are accessible beauty – not like the palaces and artwork the rich rulers had others create for them. Everyone can enjoy flowers. Rich, poor, popular, unloved – everyone can walk past a field of flowers or a tree in full spring bloom and appreciate that beauty in a real and powerful way. While palaces and kingdoms are man made, flowers are a gift from God in heaven. They create one of those places where heaven touches earth – a thin place in which heaven and earth don’t seem so far apart.

The long journey from Galilee to Bethlehem had taken its toll on her and now, road weary and in a strange place with her new husband, she began to feel the first pangs of labor. The time was nearing. The baby would soon arrive. They hadn’t wanted to travel this far this late into the pregnancy, but when all are ordered by the politicians in charge to be counted in their city of family origin, all must go be counted. They all knew that meant new taxes soon, but there was nothing that they could do about it but behave, keep their heads down, and keep on trying to make ends meet.

This baby, the Messiah, he would be the answer. He would free them from the burden of this bleak winter of the soul. She didn’t know how he would, but she knew that he was the answer.

Hours later, having found all the guest rooms in all the family homes packed full of people, she and her husband had been offered a place to stay in the lower level of a relative’s home with the animals. The floor was covered with straw, they were surrounded by sheep and goats, but at least they didn’t have to find somewhere to stable their donkey. He rested happily just a few feet away from them. And it was warm and dry. It had an earthly and real smell.

As Mary gazed into the eyes of this tiny baby – fresh and new and born in a sheep’s stall of all places, she thought he is like a flower. This baby is the Savior of all. This baby is a baby, but this baby is God. Not some half-god, half-human like the Greeks and Romans liked to mythologize, but totally God and totally human baby, right here in her arms. Just like flowers are a tangible sign of God on the earth, she could hold, touch, smell, and rock this very real baby. Just like flowers create a thin space in which heaven and earth aren’t so very far apart from one another, this baby is the gateway between heaven and earth. And laying here, sleeping in a goat’s food trough, wrapped up in the extra rags and blankets they could scrounge up, this baby was accessible to everyone. This was made apparent when later that night, a pack of rowdy, stinky, common shepherds came to pay homage. This baby is for everyone. The redemption and salvation that come through him are available to the poor and rich alike.

Our people, she thought, have been in a long and dark winter. Not a physical winter, but a spiritual one. After generations of cycling between following God and rebellion against God, this period of rebellion and winter had been the longest. Without God’s intervention, spring would never stay for long. But, this baby – he brought spring with him. He brought spring that would last for all time – permanent freedom from the forces that isolate, drives us away from God and too far into ourselves. Freedom from the oppression of sin and death and darkness.

When all the excitement died down, the shepherds left to proclaim the wonderful news, Joseph and the baby were both sleeping soundly after a long and exhausting day, Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

Tonight, we are all in different seasons of our lives. Some of us are experiencing spring - we can touch and see and smell heaven all around us. Some of us feel like we’re in the bleak desolation of barren winter. Some have had a long, dark winter like God’s people experienced so many years ago when Mary’s heart longed for freedom. Some know the grace found in the one who brings us springtime.

Whoever you are, tonight as you reflect on the meaning of this happy time, remember that Jesus came to give us freedom from the forces that separate us from others. He came so that we might know what it is like to hear God speaking in the world. He came to release us from the oppression of sin and death and darkness.

May you find that thin place tonight where heaven meets earth and the peace of God overwhelms your anxieties and fears. May you truly know the peace and goodwill the angels sang of some 2000 years ago.

Amen

Presenting our Tithes and Offerings

What can I give him, poor as I am? If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb. If I were a wise man, I would do my part. Yet what I can, I give him, give him my heart.

We give tonight not out of obligation but out of gratitude. We give cheerfully and as we are able.

If you are a regular at St. Andrew’s and have a Christmas offering, please use your envelope so that we know who it is from and which congregation it should go to. We also have online giving available for both congregations on the church websites. You are welcome to give that way as well.

Let us share our tithes and offerings.

OFFERTORY

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Prayer of Thanksgiving and Dedication

Gracious God, you have shown your great love for your children by using commonplace things for your purpose— water to mark your children, bread and wine to feed and nourish us ordinary people to be disciples, a child in a manger to announce your grace. Take these commonplace things, these gifts of paper and metal and the lives that stand behind them. Bless and use them to proclaim your gracious love, for we offer them in the name of Jesus, the Lamb of God. Amen.

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*Christmas Candle-lighting: As we sing, the ushers will light the candle of the first person in each pew. Each worshipper will light the candle of the person next to them. Once everyone’s candle is lit, we will begin singing “Silent Night.” Please extinguish candles following the blessing.

Silent Night

Silent night, holy night! All is calm, all is bright

‘round yon virgin mother and child!

Holy Infant, so tender and mild,

Sleep in heavenly peace, sleep in heavenly peace.

Silent night, holy night! Shepherds quake at the sight;

Glories stream from heaven afar,

Heavenly hosts sing “Alleluia:

Christ the Savior is born; Christ the Savior is born!”

Silent night, holy night! Son of God, love’s pure light

Radiant beams from thy holy face,

With the dawn of redeeming grace,

Jesus, Lord at thy birth, Jesus, Lord at thy birth.

Silent night, holy night! Wondrous star, lend thy light;

With the angels let us sing

Alleluia to our King:

Christ the Savior is born; Christ the Savior is born.

*Blessing

Go now into the world, carrying Christmas with you into everyday life. Open the inn within you and make room for that gift of gifts, even our Lord Jesus Christ.

Go now into the world, carrying Christmas with you into everyday life. Open the guestroom within you and make room for that gift of gifts, even our Lord Jesus Christ.

May the peace of our Lord Christ go with you, wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May he bring you home rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you. May he bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

*Postlu

A Flower in Winter

Prelude

Welcome

Opening Prayer

Hymn #88: O Come, O Come Emmanuel

Call to Worship

Lighting of the Advent Wreath

Hymn #133: O Come, All Ye Faithful

Call to Confession

Prayer of Confession

Assurance of Pardon

Old Testament Reading

Musical Meditation

Psalm Reading

Hymn #121: O Little Town of Bethlehem

First Gospel Reading

Hymn #147: The First Nowell

Second Gospel Reading (Marti)

Hymn #119: Hark the Herald Angels Sing

Third Gospel Reading

Prayer

A Flower in Winter

Presenting our Tithes and Offerings

Offertory

Doxology

Prayer of Thanksgiving and Dedication

Hymn #115: Away in a Manger

Hymn #113: Angels We Have Heard on High

Hymn #134: Joy to the World

Hymn #122: Silent Night

Blessing

Postlude