Service of Lessons and Carols

Sunday, January 2nd, 2021

Prelude

Welcome and Announcements

Opening Litany:
Leader: Remember the journey God has taken with God’s people,
All: Let us listen again to the story of Christmas.
Leader: It started at the beginning of time and continues today,
All: Let us sing the songs that speak of God’s faithfulness.
Leader: With readings and carols we travel towards Bethlehem,
All: Let us worship God, who came and dwelt among us.

Prayer of the Day
Let us pray. Almighty God, you have filled all the earth with the light of your incarnate Word. By your grace empower us to reflect your light in all that we do, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

SERVICE OF LESSONS AND CAROLS

Carol: ELW 288 Good Christian Friends Rejoice

First Reading: Genesis 1:1-8
1 In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, ² the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. ³ Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. ⁴ And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. ⁵ God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.⁶ And God said, “Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” ⁷ So God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it was so. ⁸ God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.

Carol: ELW 292 Love Has Come

Second Reading: Jeremiah 23:5-6
⁵ The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. ⁶ In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: “The Lord is our righteousness.”

Carol: ELW 294 In the Bleak Midwinter

Third Reading: Zechariah 9:9-10
⁹ Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem!Lo, your king comes to you;triumphant and victorious is he,humble and riding on a donkey,on a colt, the foal of a donkey.¹⁰ He^] will cut off the chariot from Ephraimand the war-horse from Jerusalem;and the battle bow shall be cut off,and he shall command peace to the nations;his dominion shall be from sea to sea,and from the River to the ends of the earth.

Carol:ELW 266 All Earth is Hopeful

Fourth Reading: Luke 1:26-33
²⁶ In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, ²⁷ to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸ And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” ²⁹ But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. ³⁰ The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. ³¹ And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. ³² He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. ³³ He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

Carol:ELW 279 O Little Town of Bethlehem, stanzas 1 and 2.

Fifth Reading: Matthew 1:18-23
¹⁸ Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹ Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. ²⁰ But just when he had resolved to do 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 as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹ She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” ²² All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:²³ “Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,and they shall name him Emmanuel,”which means, “God is with us.”

Carol: ELW 279  O Little Town of Bethlehem, stanzas 3 and 4

Sixth Reading: Luke 2:8-18
⁸ In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ Then an angel of the Lord stood before 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; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: ¹¹ to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah,the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” ¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven,and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”¹⁵ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” ¹⁶ So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. ¹⁷ When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; ¹⁸ and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them.

Carol: ELW 275 Angels from the Realms of Glory

Seventh Reading: Luke 2:21
²¹ After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Carol: ELW 300 The First Noel

Eighth Reading: John 1:1-9
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being ⁴ in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

⁶ There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. ⁸ He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. ⁹ The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

Carol: ELW O Come All Ye Faithful

Prayers of Intercession
Joining our voices with the heavenly host and Christians throughout time and space, let us pray for the church, the world, and all in need.

You make yourself known in the gift of language in diverse forms. Draw our attention to those who communicate through sign, Braille, and technology. Make your church a place where all methods of communication are celebrated. Merciful God, receive our prayer.

Creating God, the sun greets us anew each morning. Thank you for waking us up today to witness and share your abundance. Awaken us always to your wisdom and deepen our care for your natural world. Merciful God, receive our prayer.

Emmanuel, in your name we are assured that you are with us. Train nations and peoples to honor and respect one another, especially those whose names and identities have been mistreated, neglected, or oppressed. Merciful God, receive our prayer.

You adopt us as your beloved ones. Accompany parents and children navigating the adoption process, especially those in the foster system. Sustain those struggling with infertility or pregnancy loss. Tenderly embrace all in need (especially). Merciful God, receive our prayer.

You journey with us through change. Guide those assuming new roles in this congregation or making transitions in their families, workplaces, or communities (especially). As the seasons and the calendar change, equip us for unexpected challenges. Merciful God, receive our prayer.

We give you thanks for all who modeled lives of loving service. Lead us in your grace until, with all your saints, we enter the fullness of your glory. Merciful God, receive our prayer.

Rejoicing in your Word made flesh among us, we commend these prayers to you, confident of your grace and love made known to us in Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen.

Peace
The peace of Christ be with you always.
And also with you.

Moment for Mission
Lutherans Engaging in Advocacy Ministry New Jersey (LEAMNJ)

Lutherans Engaging in Advocacy Ministry New Jersey (LEAMNJ) represents the official positions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). While some advocacy efforts are focused on the executive and legislative branches of state government, county leaders as well as municipal governments are a foci; its greatest effort is directed toward empowering congregations with the issues that embraces their Baptismal calling to strive for justice and peace in all the earth.

Let us now receive our offering.

Offering Prayer
Let us pray. Good and loving God, we rejoice in the birth of Jesus, who came among the poor to bring the riches of your grace. As you have blessed us with your gifts, let them be blessing for others. With the trees of the field, with all earth and heaven, we shout for joy at the coming of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord’s Prayer
Lord, remember us in your kingdom and teach us to pray.

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.

Blessing
The God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Sending Song ELW 287 Let All Together Praise Our God

Dismissal
Go in peace. Serve the Lord. Thanks be to God.