SONGS & SCRIPTURES

READING 1: LUKE 1:26-38
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”

38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

GOD REST YE MERRY GENTLEMEN

Verse 1
God rest you merry, gentlemen, let nothing you dismay,
Remember Christ our Savior was born on Christmas Day
To save us all from Satan’s power, when we were gone astray.

Chorus
O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy; O tidings of comfort and joy.

Verse 2
From God our heavenly Father a blessed angel came
And unto certain shepherds brought tidings of the same;
How that in Bethlehem was born the Son of God by name.

Verse 3
“Fear not,” then said the angel, “Let nothing you affright.”
This day is born a Savior of a pure virgin bright,
To free all those who trust in Him from Satan’s power and might.

Verse 4
Now to the Lord sing praises all you within this place,
And with true love and brotherhood each other now embrace;
This holy tide of Christmas all other doth deface.

ANGELS WE HAVE HEARD ON HIGH

Verse 1
Angels we have heard on high, Sweetly singing o’er the plains
And the mountains in reply, Echoing their joyous strains

Chorus
Glo……ria / In excelsis Deo

Verse 2
Shepherds why this jubilee, Why your joyous strains prolong
What the gladsome tidings be, Which inspire your heavenly song

Verse 3
Come to Bethlehem and see, Christ whose birth the angels sing
Come adore on bended knee, Christ the Lord the newborn King

Verse 4
See Him in a manger laid, Whom the choirs of angels praise
Mary Joseph lend your aid, While our hearts in love we raise

READING 2: MATTHEW 1:18-25
18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

IT CAME UPON A MIDNIGHT CLEAR

Verse 1
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 men
From heaven’s all gracious King
The world in solemn stillness lay
To hear the angels sing

Verse 2
Still thro’ the cloven skies they come
With peaceful wings unfurled
And still their heavenly music floats
O’er all the weary world
Above its sad and lowly plains
They bend on hovering wing
And ever o’er its Babel sounds
The blessed angels sing

Verse 3
Yet with the woes of sin and strife
The world has suffered long
Beneath the angel strain have rolled
Two thousand years of wrong
And man at war with man hears not
The love song which they bring
O hush the noise ye men of strife
And hear the angels sing

READING 3: LUKE 2:8-18
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.”

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.

WHAT CHILD IS THIS?

Verse 1
What Child is this who laid to rest
On Mary’s lap is sleeping
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet
While shepherds watch are keeping

Chorus
This this is Christ the King
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing
Haste, haste, to bring Him laud
The Babe the Son of Mary

Verse 2
So, bring Him incense gold and myrrh
Come peasant king to own Him
The King of kings, salvation brings
Let loving hearts enthrone Him

READING 4: MATTHEW 2:1-5, 9-11
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:…

9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Message: “The Mothers of Jesus”

O HOLY NIGHT

Verse
O holy night
The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of our dear Savior’s birth
Now long lay the world in sin and error pining
Till he appeared and the soul felt it’s worth
The thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks, a new and glorious morn

Chorus
Fall on your knees
O hear the angel voices
O night divine
O night when Christ was born
O night divine, o night, o night divine

Verse 2
Truly He taught us to love one another,
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.
And in His name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
With all our hearts we praise His holy name.

Chorus 2
Christ is the Lord!
Then ever, ever praise we
His power and glory ever more proclaim!
His power and glory ever more proclaim!

Chorus
Fall on your knees
O hear the angel voices
O night divine
O night when Christ was born
O night divine, o night, o night divine

JOY TO THE WORLD

Verse 1
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!

Verse 2
Joy to the earth! The Savior reigns; Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods Rocks, hills, and plains.
Repeat the sounding joy, Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.

Chorus
Joy unspeakable joy, An overflowing well, No tongue can tell
Joy unspeakable joy, It rises in my soul, never lets me go

Verse 3
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.