Blue Christmas full script
WELCOME—Phyllis
PRELUDE
I Wonder As I Wander
* CALL TO WORSHIP
Jacquie/Phyllis accompany
Rev. Bill Walker
How indeed do we say love? For our hearts are bound by the memories we know. God first
loved us, and drew us to himself that we might know love and come alive.
And so we come again to find the heart of God.
We gather to praise God for the gift of life
and do not know what to say, and so we sing.
We gather remembering the loss of our loved ones,
and do not know what to say, and so we sing.
We gather in joy for the gift of love,
and do not know what to say, and so we sing.
God of the loving heart is always ready to have our hearts mended, filled, and opened again
to the wonders of life—and so we sing.
Let us worship God.
INTRO TO “O COME, O COME, EMMANUEL
_____________
Our first hymn, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” is an old song that dates from as early as
the eighth century. It was composed to be sung during Vespers in the last week of the Advent
season, and intended to be soothing, quieting, and contemplative.
When we sing this hymn, we are camped out with the ancient Israelites, asking ourselves
how it is we have grown distanced from God, and asking as well what we feel captive to, and
what we are exiled from. We, too, know what it is yearn for the “dayspring,” the dawn to
come and cheer our gloom.
The longing for God to be made known to us is a universal one, a “desire of nations,” of “all
peoples in one heart and mind.” As we sing this hymn, let us remember—as the last verse
suggests—that the only way to really see this tiny, tiny baby born into the cool, dark night
and laid deep in the straw is to get as close to the Christ as humanly possible—on our knees.
Please join me in singing “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.”
* CAROL
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
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 thee, O Israel.
O come, thou Dayspring, come and cheer our spirits by thy justice here; disperse the gloomy
clouds of night, and death’s dark shadows put to flight. Refrain.
O come, Desire of nations bind all peoples in one heart and mind. Bid envy, strife, and
discord cease, fill the whole world with heaven’s peace. Refrain
PRAYER
Phyllis
by Dom Helder Camara
In the middle of the night,
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When stark night was darkest
Then you chose to come,
God’s resplendent firstborn
Sent to make us one.
The voices of doom protest
“All those words about justice, love and peace;
All these naïve words will buckle beneath the weight of a reality which is brutal and bitter,
ever more bitter.”
It is true, Lord.
It is midnight upon the earth,
Moonless night and starved of stars.
But can we forget that you,
The Son of God,
Chose to be born precisely at
Midnight?
SCRIPTURE
Joan Fowler
Isaiah 40:1-11
The Lord is coming to bring comfort to the people of God’s choice. A reading from the
prophet Isaiah, chapter 40, beginning at verse 1
Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to
her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the
Lord’s hand double for all her sins.
A voice cries out: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the
desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill
be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. Then
the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth
of the Lord has spoken.” A voice says, “Cry out!” And I said, “What shall I cry?” All
people are grass, their constancy is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the
flower fades, when the breath of the Lord blows upon it; surely the people are grass. The
grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever.
Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good tidings; lift up your voice with
strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings, lift it up, do not fear; say to the cities of
Judah, “Here is your God!” See, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for
him; his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. He will feed his flock like a
shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and gently
lead the mother sheep.
Thanks be to God.
SILENT REFLECTION
Bill Walker introduces
During this time of silent reflection, you are invited to print the names of those who have
died, or with whom you are no longer in relationship that you would like to remember this
Christmas. It is also a time to write down any loss you or someone you know has suffered.
“Come Unto Him” from Messiah
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G.F. Handel
Jacquie
Blue Christmas full script
INTRO TO “SILENT NIGHT, HOLY NIGHT”
John Moore
ADVENT CANDLE LIGHTING AND LITANY OF REMEMBRANCE
Moore family
We light this first Advent candle to remember those persons who have been loved and lost.
We pause to remember their names, their faces, their voices. We give thanks for the memory
that binds them to us this season which anticipates Christmas.
May God’s eternal love surround them.
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.
We light this second candle to redeem the pain of loss: the loss of relationships, the loss of
jobs, the loss of health. As we gather up the pain of the past, we offer it to you, O God,
asking that into our open hands, you will place the gift of peace.
Refresh, restore, renew us, O God, and lead us into your future.
Silent night, holy night, griefs abound, ever in sight, Christ now comes in manger bare,
holds our loved ones in his holy care. Joy, at last, to be ours. Joy, at last, to be ours.
We light this third candle to remember ourselves this Christmas time. We pause and
remember the past weeks, months, and for some of us, years of down times. We remember
the poignancy of memories, the grief, the sadness, the hurts, the pain of reflecting on our own
mortality.
Let us remember that dawn defeats darkness.
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!
This fourth candle is lit to remember our faith and the gift of hope which God offers to us in
the Christmas story. We remember that God, who shares our life, promises us a place and
time of no more pain and suffering.
Let us remember the one who shows the way and who goes with us into our tomorrows.
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.
THE RITUAL OF TEARS
Bill Walker
You are invited to come forward to symbolize your recognition that in the body of Christ,
each one’s sorrow is shared, by adding salt to the water in the basin, creating tears. If you
are not comfortable in coming forward, please feel free to remain in your seat and pray for
healing for all of us.
“Sweet Little Jesus Boy”
SCRIPTURE
David
Bart and Janet Amburgy
1. Micah 5:2-5a
Bethlehem shall bring forth the one who will rule Israel in peace.
A reading from the prophet Micah, chapter 5, beginning at verse 2
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But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is
from of old, from ancient days. Therefore he shall give them up until the
time when she who is in labor has brought forth; then the rest of his kindred
shall return to the people of Israel. And he shall stand and feed his flock in
the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth;
and he shall be the one of peace.
Thanks be to God.
2. John 1:1-14
The Word of God became flesh, bringing life and light in the darkness.
A reading from John, chapter 1, beginning at verse 1.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He
was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him
not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was
the light of all people.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. There was a man
sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that
all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the
light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in
the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him.
He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who
received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who
were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. And
the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a
father’s only son, full of grace and truth.
Thanks be to God.
INTRO TO “O LITTLE TOWN OF BETHLEHEM”
Adult Ed. Class
On Christmas Eve in 1865, Phillips Brooks visited Bethlehem and made a journey on
horseback to the shepherds’ field and was inspired to write this text after seeing
Bethlehem in the distance that night. In a hymn that, on the surface, is about a small
town, Brooks offers the great idea that this night in Bethlehem changed the world in a
profound way when light and dark, hope and fear, sleeping and waking, sin and
forgiveness, and silence and sound all met.
After that night, nothing was changed, and everything was different. So it is when Christ
comes into our lives, nothing changes—the glories and drudgeries of life are still what
they have always been—but everything has changed, because in that moment we begin to
understand life as the ultimate affirmation that we are of God, and that this is a God
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Blue Christmas full script
whose love is greater than the forces of Rome, stronger than death, more
incomprehensible than the “silent stars” that go by. It is indeed an everlasting light.
Please join me in singing “O Little Town of Bethlehem.”
* CAROL
O Little Town of Bethlehem
O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie;
above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by.
Yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting light;
the hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.
For Christ is born of Mary, and gathered all above,
while mortals sleep, the angels keep their watch of wondering love.
O morning stars together, proclaim the holy birth,
and praises sing to God the King, and peace to all on earth.
How silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is given; so God imparts to human hearts the
blessings of his heaven. No ear may hear his coming, but in this world of sin, where meek
souls will receive him, still the dear Christ enters in.
O holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray; cast out our sin, and enter in, be born in
us today.
We hear the Christmas angels the great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us, our Lord Emmanuel.
LIGHTING OF REMEMBRANCE CANDLES Bill Walker
At this time you are invited to come forward and light a personal candle in memory of
whatever loss you are encountering in your life this night. Please light your candle from the
Christ candle and place it in the space provided.
As you come by the Communion Table, you may put in the pieces of paper on which you have
placed the names of those you have lost or the loss you have suffered. In this way, we are
offering our pain to God who wants to hold it and comfort us.
“In the Bleak Midwinter”
PRAYER
Phyllis
David and Jacquie/Phyllis play
from Ted Loder, Guerillas of Grace
O God of all seasons and senses, grant us the sense of your timing to submit gracefully and
rejoice quietly in the turn of the seasons.
In this season of short days and long nights,
of grey and white and cold,
teach us the lessons of endings;
children growing,
friends leaving,
loved ones dying,
grieving over,
grudges over,
blaming over,
excuses over.
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O God, grant us a sense of your timing.
In this season of short days and long nights,
of grey and white and cold,
teach us the lessons of beginnings;
that such waitings and endings may be the starting place,
a planting of seeds which bring to birth what is ready to be born—
something right and just and different,
a new song, a deeper relationship, a fuller love—
in the fullness of your time.
O God, grant us the sense of your timing.
THE LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours
now and forever. Amen.
SCRIPTURE
Isaiah 9:2-7
The birth of a child will bring justice and peace to the throne of David.
A reading from Isaiah, chapter 9, beginning at verse 2.
Isaiah 9:2-9
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of
deep darkness— on them light has shined. You have multiplied the nation, you have
increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as people exult when
dividing plunder. For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod
of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. For all the boots of the
tramping warriors and all the garments rolled in blood shall be burned as fuel for the fire.
For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and
he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His
authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David
and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from
this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
Thanks be to God.
* LITANY OF AFFIRMATION
Phyllis
First Coming by Madeleine L’Engle
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Blue Christmas full script
God did not wait ‘til the world was ready, ‘til nations were at peace.
God came when the Heavens were unsteady and prisoners cried out for release.
God did not wait for the perfect time.
God came when the need was deep and great.
God dined with sinners in all their grime, turned water into wine.
God did not wait until hearts were pure.
In joy God came to a tarnished world of sin and doubt. To a world like ours, of
anguished shame, God came and God’s Light would not go out.
God came into a world which did not mesh; to heal its tangles, shield its scorn.
In the mystery of the Word made flesh, the maker of the stars was born.
We cannot wait till the world is sane to raise our songs with joyful voice, or to share our
grief, to touch our pain.
God came with Love: Rejoice! Rejoice!
INTRO TO “HARK! THE HERALD ANGELS SING”
Phyllis
When I first decided to use the four hymns that we studied in our adult
education class, it seemed a little strange to include “Hark! The Herald Angels
Sing” in a Blue Christmas service—because it just seems so joyful and
exuberant, and our mood this evening is somewhat somber. As pleasing as it is
to the ear (Mendelssohn never intended this sprightly tune to be used for a
sacred text), however, the hymn is full of meaning and message to lead us “into
truth by the gentle hand of melody and rhyme.”
Angels—not just any angels, but “herald angels” who speak for the king—
announce God’s proclamation that in the birth of Jesus, peace has erupted into
the world. God’s reconciliation means an end to enmity, an escalating of
compassion, and the sown seeds of a new world order. This baby born in
Bethlehem will be our “Prince of Peace.” And so we “hail the sun of
righteousness” who brings “light and life.”
We all know that enduring relationships are never easy to maintain. Things like
egos and circumstances and bad breaks and hurt feelings and sheer exhaustion
chip away at them, making them smaller and smaller. It’s only when we go
about the hard work of repairing the wounds, reassembling the broken pieces
and broken hearts, it’s only then that we can become whole and intact again.
When we sing in the last verse of this hymn that God has “risen with healing in
His wings,” we are reminded that the word “heal” comes from the old English
word which means “to make whole again.” Our relationship with God is a
fundamentally healing one—but one in which we must also do are part. Not
only must we “render unto God what is God’s” and acknowledge that
everything is of God, but we must also be in right relationship with one another.
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 We must look after one another, the way new parents look after their own
miraculous, sleeping child.
 We must look after the Earth over which we have been given dominion, not
to conquer it but to care for it.
 We must look after the poorest among us, for we are in relationship with
them as well and the relationship must be right and generous.
 We must look after those who aren’t born yet because what we pass on to
them should mean more to us than what we inherited from past generations.
 And when relationships have eroded and are worn and tattered, we must
revive them.
And maybe that revival is what Wesley meant when he spoke of Jesus as “born
that we no more may die . . . born to raise us from the earth . . . born to give us
second birth.” Maybe that is the wisdom to know that we will always make
mistakes and we will always fail, but that God is constantly giving us new birth,
a second chance.
Charles Wesley and the rest of the team that assembled this great hymn meant
for it to take us to soaring places when we sang it, but having reached those
places they hoped as well that we would be changed by them. I hope that we,
too, will be changed in some small or large way in this worship service. Please
join me as we sing, “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.”
* CAROL
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Hark! The herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King.
Peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!”
Joyful, all ye nations, rise, join the triumph of the skies;
With angelic hosts proclaim, “Christ is born in Bethlehem!”
Hark! The herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King!”
Christ, by highest heaven adored, Christ, the everlasting Lord!
Late in time behold Him come, offspring of the virgin’s womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see; hail the incarnate deity,
Pleased in flesh with us to dwell, Jesus, our Emmanuel.
Hark! The herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King!”
Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace! Hail the sun of righteousness! Light and life to all He
brings, risen with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays his glory by, born that we no more may die,
Born to raise us from the earth, born to give us second birth.
Hark! The herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King!”
* CHARGE AND BENEDICTION—Phyllis
“The Spirit Is Breathing”
by Dom Helder Camera, It’s Midnight, Lord
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Blue Christmas full script
All those with eyes to see,
women and men with ears for hearing
detect a coming dawn;
a reason to go on.
They seem small, these signs of dawn
perhaps ridiculous.
All those with eyes to see,
Women and men with ears for hearing
uncover in the night
a certain gleam of light;
they see the reason to go on.
POSTLUDE
This Little Light of Mine
This little light of mine, I’m goin’-a let it shine. Everywhere I go.
All through the night
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