CHRISTMAS DAY
December 25, 2015— 10:15 AM
WELCOME
SHARING THE PEACE
HYMN
"Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"
LSB 380
Hark! the herald angels sing, "Glory to the new-born King;
Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!"
Joyful, all ye nations, rise, Join the triumph of the skies;
With the angelic host proclaim. "Christ is born in Bethlehem!"
Hark! the herald angels sing, "Glory to the new-born King!"
Christ, by highest heaven adored. Christ, the everlasting Lord,
Late in time behold Him come, Offspring of a virgin's womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see, Hail the incarnate Deity!
Pleased as Man with man to dwell; Jesus, our Immanuel!
Hark! the herald angels sing, "Glory to the new-born King!"
HaiI, the heavenly Prince of Peace! Hail, the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings, Risen with healing in His wings.
Mild He leaves His throne on high, Born that man no more may die;
Born to raise the sons of earth; Born to give them second birth.
Hark! the herald angels sing, "Glory to the new-born King!"
Come, Desire of nations, come, Fix in us Thy humble home;
Oh, to all Thyself impart, Formed in each believing heart!
Hark! the herald angels sing, "Glory to the new-born King;
Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!"
Hark! the herald angels sing, "Glory to the new-born King!"
INVOCATION
P In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C Amen.
P In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,
C and the Word was God.
P The Word became flesh and dwelt among us,
C and we have seen His glory. John 1:1, 14
CONFESSION
P Dearly beloved of God, we come together this day to hear of the great
miracle that God became flesh and dwelt among us. Because He did this in
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order to free us from our sins, let us first consider our sinfulness and confess
our need before God and one another. Together let us seek God’s grace and
forgiveness, convinced of His love. For He not only became flesh for us at
Christmas, but remains flesh for us, raising our humanity to fellowship with
God and eternal life.
(Silence for reflection)
C Almighty God, have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and lead us to
everlasting life; for the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
P To all who receive Him, who believe in His name, He gives the right to
become children of God. Upon this, your confession, I, by virtue of my office,
as a called and ordained servant of the Word, announce the grace of God
unto all of you, and in the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus
Christ I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the + Son
and of the Holy Spirit.
C Amen.
HYMN
Angels We Have Heard on High
LSB 368
Angels we have heard on high Sweetly singing over the plains,
And the mountains in reply, Echoing their joyous strains.
Gloria in excelsis Deo; Gloria in excelsis Deo.
Come to Bethlehem and see Him whose birth the angels sing;
Come, adore on bended knee Christ the Lord, the newborn
king.
Gloria in excelsis Deo; Gloria in excelsis Deo.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
P Let us pray. Almighty God, grant that the birth of Your only-begotten Son
in the flesh may set us free from the bondage of sin; through Jesus Christ,
Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one
God, now and forever.
C Amen.
OLD TESTAMENT
God.)
Isaiah 52:7-10 (All the earth sees the salvation of
How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news,
who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who
say to Zion, “Your God reigns!” Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices;
together they shout for joy. When the LORD returns to Zion, they will see it
with their own eyes. Burst into songs of joy together, you ruins of Jerusalem,
for the LORD has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem. The
LORD will lay bare his holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the
ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God.
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P This is the Word of the Lord.
C Thanks be to God.
EPISTLE
Hebrews 1:1-12
In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times
and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son,
whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the
universe. 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact
representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After
he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the
Majesty in heaven. 4 So he became as much superior to the angels as the
name he has inherited is superior to theirs. For to which of the angels did
God ever say, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father”? Or
again, “I will be his Father, and he will be my Son”? And again, when God
brings his firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship
him.” In speaking of the angels he says, “He makes his angels spirits, and his
servants flames of fire.” But about the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, will
last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your
kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore
God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with
the oil of joy.” He also says, “In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations
of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish,
but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will roll them up like
a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and
your years will never end.”
P This is the Word of the Lord.
C Thanks be to God.
GOSPEL
John 1:1-18
P The Holy Gospel according to Saint John, the first chapter.
C Glory to You, O Lord.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all
things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light
shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There
was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness
to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He
himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The
true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He
was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the
world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but
his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those
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who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of
God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a
husband’s will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his
dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and
only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John
testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke
about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because
he was before me.’”) Out of his fullness we have all received grace in
place of grace already given. For the law was given through Moses;
grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God,
but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest
relationship with the Father, has made him known.
P This is the Gospel of the Lord.
C Praise to You, O Christ.
HYMN
“Joy to the World”
LSB 387
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.
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.
No more let sins and sorrows grow Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow Far as the curse is found.
Far as the curse is found, far as, far as the curse is found.
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.
SERMON
APOSTLES’ CREED
C I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the
Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was
crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day
He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the
right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to
judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy
Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the
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resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
OFFERING
P We give Thee but Thine own, what e’re the gift maybe, all that we
have is Thine alone, a sacred trust from Thee. Amen.
OFFERTORY
What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits to me?
I will offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving
and will call on the name of the Lord.
I will take the cup of salvation and will call on the name of the Lord.
I will pay my vows to the Lord now in the presence of all His people,
In the courts of the Lord’s house, in the midst of you, O Jerusalem.
PRAYERS
P Glory to God in the highest. Glory to You, O God. Glory to You for the
great gift of salvation in Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Because He took
on our flesh, all mankind takes on the divine hope of eternal life. Receive our
heartfelt thanks and praise. Lord, in Your mercy,
C hear our prayer.
P As You took on our human flesh for our salvation, so may our Lord take on
new flesh and blood, living in us, His people, that He may extend the touch of
His salvation to all people in our world today. Bless Your Church to be the
hearts and hands and voices of Your grace to all people. Lord, in Your
mercy,
C hear our prayer.
P May all people over the whole world hear the Good News of Your love
and salvation in Christ, and, hearing, be brought to faith and delivered from
their sin. Cause Your Gospel to be preached and confessed with power and
boldness everywhere. Lord, in Your mercy,
C hear our prayer.
P On this Christmas Day, hear our prayers for all who are alone, those who
are sick or injured, and those suffering in body, mind, or spirit ____). Give
health and healing and strength to all who look to You for help. Lord, in Your
mercy,
C hear our prayer.
P Into Your hands, O Lord, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in
Your mercy, O Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C Amen.
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THE LORD’S PRAYER
P Lord, remember us in Your kingdom and teach us to pray:
C Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom
come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our
daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who
trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us
from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever
and ever. Amen.
CANTICLE
P O Lord of Light, in the darkness of our sin and its death we had no place
to turn but to You. You sent forth Your Light into our darkness and clothed
us in the light of Christ. Grant us Your Holy Spirit that we may live in His light
and walk in His light, to the glory of Your holy name; through Jesus Christ,
Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one
God, now and forever.
C Amen.
BENEDICTION
P The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine upon
You and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and
give you peace!
C Amen!
HYMN
"Come, Your Hearts and Voices Raising”
Come, your hearts and voices raising,
Christ the Lord with gladness praising;
Loudly sing His love amazing,
Worthy folk of Christendom.
Sin and death may well be groaning,
Satan now may well be moaning;
We, our full salvation owning,
Cast our every care away.
See how God, for us providing,
Gave His Son and life abiding;
He our weary steps is guiding
From earth's woe to heavenly joy.
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LSB 375
Christ, from heaven to us descending
And in love our race befriending,
In our need His help extending,
Saved us from the wily Foe.
Jacob's Star in all its splendor
Beams with comfort sweet and tender,
Forcing Satan to surrender,
Breaking all the powers of hell.
From the bondage that oppressed us,
From sin's fetters that possessed us,
From the grief that sore distressed us,
We, the captives, now are free.
Oh, the joy beyond expressing
When by faith we grasp this blessing
And to Thee we come confessing,
That our freedom thou hast wrought!
Gracious Child, we pray Thee, hear us,
From Thy lowly manger cheer us,
Gently lead us and be near us
Till we join the angelic choir.
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