December 24, 2022

Dec 23

Candlelight Christmas Eve Communion

A Joint Service with Mars Hill United Methodist Church
+ Bright Hope Laurel United Methodist Church

Enhance your online worship experience

Whether you’re a first-time online visitor or a life-long member, we welcome and celebrate the ways you enrich our collective worship of a scattered yet gathered Children of God. As we begin our service, we invite you to light a candle, just as we do in the prelude during our in-person worship. Our two altar candles symbolize that Christ was both a human being and God. A light being carried into the world shows that Jesus Christ is for all people - everywhere. Just as a the acolyte carries the lighted candlelight into the congregation, the light symbolizes the light of Jesus Christ preceding us into the world where we as the church are to serve.

Prelude

O Sing a Song of Bethlehem arr. Maureen Giles

Welcome & Announcements

Call to Worship

One: Let us go, in heart and mind, to see what has come to pass. Let us go with the shepherds:
Many: Let us go to find the Savior!
One: Let us go with the wise ones:
Many: Let us go to find God's promise, born for us!
One: Let us go with the poor and humble:
Many: Let us go to find our King, born in a lowly manger.
One: Let us go with all the world, with all the peoples of the nations. Come, let us worship; come, let us adore him:
Many: Christ the Lord! +

Carol

Angels We Have Heard on High UMH#238

Prayer

God of miraculous love, you came into the world so long ago surprising us with your great action. You entered into the world that we might know forever how well you understand our pains and weaknesses. You journeyed with us that we might know the way to follow in your footsteps. In that great knowledge we come before you to open ourselves to your transformative grace. In silence we lift to you the things we have done and left undone that have fallen short of your great calling and we lift the wounds of our lives that make us so susceptible to our failings. Shower us with your grace and healing and renew us with your strength.

Silent prayer

Let the miraculous power of Christmas come to us now. Let your grace and healing be born in us anew. In Christ’s name we pray
Amen

Christmas is the miracle of God reaching us where we live, even when it's messy. Christ came because of our weakness, not because of our strength. Know that the gift of Christmas lives anew this night. In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven and made new.
In the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven and made new. Thanks be to God.

Duet

I Wonder as I Wander John Jacob Niles
Cindy Fulton and Chip Hayden

Lighting of the Advent Candle

Wayne and Patty Higgins, Anthony Ingle

Carol

Joy to the World UMH#246

Scripture Reaing

Isaiah 9:2-7

Children’s Message

Carol

Away in a Manger UMH#217

Gospel Reading

Luke 2:1-20