Christmas Eve Lessons and Carols Program (click here to open pdf )

Christmas Eve Lessons and Carols Program

Prelude

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
Cecelia McDowall

Carol
Once in royal David’s city
stood a lowly cattle shed,
where a mother laid her baby
in a manger for his bed:
Mary was that mother mild,
Jesus Christ, her little child.

He came down to earth from heaven
who is God and Lord of all,
and his shelter was a stable,
and his cradle was a stall;
with the poor and meek and lowly,
lived on earth our Savior holy.

And our eyes at last shall see him,
through his own redeeming love;
for that child so dear and gentle
is our Lord in heav’n above;
and he leads his children on
to the place where he is gone.

Treble Soloist, Wilma Hovland

First Lesson

God tells sinful Adam that he has lost the life of Paradise and that his seed will bruise the serpent’s head.
Genesis 3:8-15; 17-19

Carol
O come, O come, Emmanuel,
and ransom captive Israel,
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear.

Refrain
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to you, O Israel.

O come, O Dayspring, come and cheer;
O Sun of justice, now draw near.
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
and death’s dark shadow put to flight. Refrain

O come, O King of nations, come,
O Cornerstone that binds in one:
refresh the hearts that long for you;
restore the broken, make us new. Refrain

Bell Response: People, Look East
arr. Linda R. Lamb

Second Lesson

God Promises to faithful Abraham that in his seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.
Genesis 22:15-18

Carol
It came upon the midnight clear,
that glorious song of old,
from angels bending near the earth
to touch their harps of gold:
“Peace on the earth, good will to all,
from heav’n’s all-gracious king.”
The world in solemn stillness lay
to hear the angels sing.

For lo! The days are hast’ning on,
by prophets seen of old,
when with the ever-circling years
shall come the time foretold,
when peace shall over all the earth
its ancient splendors fling,
and all the world give back the song
which now the angels sing.

Third Lesson

The prophet foretells the coming of the Savior.
Isaiah 9:2; 6-7

Message from Pastor Phil Ruge-Jones

Carol
Lo, how a rose e’er blooming
from tender stem hath sprung!
Of Jesse’s lineage coming
as seers of old have sung,
it came, a flow’r so bright,
amid the cold of winter,
when half-spent was the night.

Isaiah had foretold it,
the rose I have in mind;
with Mary we behold it,
the virgin mother kind.
To show God’s love aright,
she bore to us a Savior,
when half-spent was the night

O Savior, child of Mary,
who felt our human woe;
O Savior, king of glory,
who dost our weakness know:
bring us at length, we pray,
to the bright courts of heaven
and into endless day.

Fourth Lesson

The peace that Christ will bring is foreshown.
Isaiah 11:1-3a; 4a; 6-9

Carol
In the bleak midwinter,
frosty wind made moan,
earth stood hard as iron,
water like a stone;
snow had fallen, snow on snow,
snow on snow,
in the bleak midwinter,
long ago.

Heaven cannot hold him,
nor earth sustain;
heav’n and earth shall flee away
when he comes to reign;
in the bleak midwinter
a stable place sufficed
the Lord God almighty,
Jesus Christ.

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 my heart.

Bell Response
Carol of the Bells
arr. Jason W Krug

Fifth Lesson

The angel Gabriel salutes the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Luke 1:26-35; 38

Choral Response
The Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy
Brian Trant

Carol
Refrain
Go tell it on the mountain,
over the hills and ev’rywhere;
go tell it on the mountain
that Jesus Christ is born!

While shepherds kept their watching
o’er silent flocks by night,
behold, throughout the heavens
there shone a holy light. Refrain

The shepherds feared and trembled
when, lo, above the earth
rang out the angel chorus
that hailed our Savior’s birth. Refrain

Down in a lonely manger
the humble Christ was born;
and God sent us salvation
that blessed Christmas morn. Refrain

Sixth Lesson

St. Luke tells of the birth of Jesus.
Luke 2: 1; 3-7

Carol
1 Away in a manger, no crib for his 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. 3

Be near me, Lord Jesus; I ask you to stay
close by me forever and love me, I pray.
Bless all the dear children in your tender care
and fit us for heaven, to live with you there.

Seventh Lesson

The shepherds go to the manger.
Luke 2:8-16

Carol
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,
heav’nly 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 your holy face,
with the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord, at your birth,
Jesus, Lord, at your birth.

Offertory

Bell Response
What Child Is This?
arr. Jason W. Krug

Eighth Lesson

The Wise men are led by the star to Jesus.
Matthew 2:1-12

Carol
We three kings of Orient are;
bearing gifts we traverse afar,
field and fountain, moor and mountain,
following yonder star.

Refrain:
Oh, star of wonder, star of night,
star with royal beauty bright;
westward leading, still proceeding,
guide us to thy perfect light!

Born a king on Bethlehem’s plain,
gold I bring to crown him again;
king forever, ceasing never,
over us all to reign. Refrain

Frankincense to offer have I;
incense owns a deity nigh;
prayer and praising, gladly raising,
worshiping God Most High. Refrain

Myrrh is mine; its bitter perfume
breathes a life of gathering gloom;
sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying,
sealed in the stone-cold tomb. Refrain

The Three Kings
Melchior: Pete Lokken
Balthazar: Rick Long
Caspar: Roger Pomplun

Ninth Lesson

St. John unfolds the great mystery of Incarnation.
John 1:1-14

Benediction

Carol
O come, all ye faithful,
joyful and triumphant!
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem;
come and behold him,
born the king of angels:

Refrain
O 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
in the highest: Refrain

Yea, Lord, we greet thee,
born this happy morning;
Jesus, to thee be glory giv’n!
Word of the Father,
now in flesh appearing: Refrain

Postlude

Joy to the World
Michael Burkhardt

__________________

Rev. Dr. Philip Ruge-Jones, Pastor
Elaine Mann, Organist, Music Director
Julie DeBoer, Choir Director
Karen Lionberger, Pacibells Director

 

Grace Lutheran Choir

Soprano	Alto	Tenor	Bass
Stacey Geist Wilma Hovland Sharon Kappus Barb Piper Diane Pomplun Diana Cataldi Joanna Simpson	Jan Adams Kathy Delfosse Barb Eidahl Kathi Sue Krause Norma Lionberger Linda Simpson Eva Puschautz	Randy Adams Paul Lokken Paul Rosenau	Rick Long Dean Simpson Jon Thorpe Joseph Hubbard Pete Lokken Collin Pomplun Roger Pomplun Judy Rosenau

Pacibells

Karen Lionberger
Norma Lionberger
Andrea Phan
Julie DeBoer
Kathy Delfosse
Katrina Cooper

Grace Children’s Choir

Annie Ram
Quinn Ram
Corban Simpson
Braelyn LaDew
Cadence LaDew
Violet Cooper

Readers

Rev. Philip Ruge-Jones
Anita Reid
Norma Lionberger
Jan and Randy Adams
Suzette Peltier
Ember Ewings
Dean and Linda Simpson
Arthur Grothe and Molly Wilson
Lynne Ziehr

_____________

Video Editing by Julie DeBoer
Photographs by Rick Long
In-person carols filmed by Iconostar Video

About Philip Ruge-Jones

After I served for eighteen years as a professor of theology at Texas Lutheran University, my family decided to return to the Midwest where my wife and I grew up, attended college and seminary. Read more...