Christmas Eve Service 1993
(Our service begins when the music begins. We request
your silence for the prelude.)
PRELUDE
OPENING WORDS: Great ideas come
into the world as gently as a dove. Perhaps, then, if we listen attentively,
we shall hear amid the uproar of empires and nations the faint flutter of wings,
the gentle stirrings of life and hope. --Albert Camus
CONGREGATIONAL
CAROL:
People, look East. The time is near
Of the crowning of the year.
Make your house fair as you are able,
Trim the hearth,
and set the table.
People, look East, and sing today:
Love, the Guest, is on the way.
Furrows, be glad. Though earth
is bare,
One more seed is planted there.
Give of your strength
the seed to nourish,
That in course the flower may flourish.
People, look East, and
sing today:
Love, the Rose, is on the way.
Stars, keep
the watch. When night is dim
One more light the bowl shall brim,
Shining beyond the frosty weather,
Bright as sun and moon
together.
People, look East, and sing today:
Love, the
Star, is on the way.
READING: from Waldemar Argow
When
the white wolf of winter stalks through the snow with the dead year in
its mouth;
When the
days grow short as a dying soul's breath;
When earth is iron and water
is stone, when cold kills and darkness overwhelms the spirit in us.
Then it is that the strange thing happens!
Out of
the depths of despair, joy blossoms.
Out of December death, life bursts
forth!
For Christmas comes! Christmas comes like a star in
the east, like an angel singing, like a god assuming mortality --like
all the impossible things
that mystify the mind and secretly delight the heart.
Now the
carols ring and the children shout; now the candles shine and the fire
burns bright on the Christmas hearth.
And and now the white wolf
slinks away into the night, and crouching in the darkness watches hopelessly
its prey, for even a beast can recognize defeat, and in some dumb,
inchoate way know that life has conquered death.
RESPONSIVE READING:
In
this night,
the
stars left their habitual places
And kindled wildfire
tidings
that spread faster than sound.
In
this night
the shepherds
left their posts
To shout the new slogans
into each other's clogged ears.
In
this night
the foxes left their warm burrows
And the lion spoke
with
deliberation,
"This is the end
revolution."
In
this night
roses fooled the
earth
And began to bloom
in the
snow.
--Dorothee Solle
OFFERTORY
READING:
Once in the midst of darkness,
darkness
deeper than
any night,
not the close, warm darkness
of peaceful
rest and renewal
but the cold darkness of hatred, prejudice,
blinding fear,
the bitter darkness of hunger and want and
desperate need,
once in the midst of darkness
the children
of the earth huddled together
clutching to themselves the familiar
terror,
the deep dread of all that was new or strange or unfamiliar,
the
unreasoning
fear of those they knew and did not know
in the next
house, the next street, the next town,
fear of all that lay beyond
the horizon of their experience.
The world was a place of danger and
threat
the world was beyond understanding
and fearing
to trust themselves, other people, the world
each new event, each
new face was greeted
with suspicion and hatred.
And with
each passing year
the
numbing darkness on the face of the earth
and in the human heart
grew
deeper and deeper.
Then, out of the
darkness came one
bearing a spark of light.
Where first the light was found,
we do not know.
From what generous spark it was kindled
in the encompassing
darkness no one can say
Perhaps it was a gift from some other light bearer,
some
chance acquaintance,
some unrecorded contact,
for the bearers
of the light have emerged again
and again
out of the shadows of our common world.
Whatever the source,
out
of humanity's unrelieved darkness
come one bearing light.
The shadows
and the glom fled away;
in the presence of the light-bearer
human
hearts began to thaw
icy fear, prejudice, hated and suspicion
began to melt
away.
In the presence of the light,
people began to see more clearly,
to
understand more fully,
to trust more completely.
In the presence
of the light,
people began
to understand that they
and all people--friends and strangers
--were children
of the one earth,
the offspring of the same great love
which created
the universe,
that the world was home
and need not be a fearsome place.
And
slowly the darkness began to lift.
The light carried into a darkened
world
by one individual
touched off sparks in the lives of others
so
that when the light-bearer's days were accomplished
there were lights burning
here and there
in many places--in
the lives of many people--
and the darkness was driven back for a time.
The
bearers of the light have many names.
they have
come again and again
to the children of earth,
reminding
all who hear
of the great truth
that greater than hate
is love
and greater than fear is faith
and greater than
despair is hope.
Tonight,
when our world is dark,
when
the days are short
and
the sun is dim
and the nights seem never to end,
in
this world
where hatred and fear
suspicion
and violence
greed and malice
still darken human existence,
we
come together, as is our custom,
to sing the
old songs
and recount the old tales
which speak of the
birth of the light-bearer,
of the holy child born at the
midnight of the year,
who
is every child,
the holy child
who, over the millennia,
has symbolized
all those women and men of whatever age or
tradition
who have come into the world
bearing light into
the shadows.
We gather here,
at the midnight of the
year,
to give thanks for the light.
We come seeking to
make the light of love and hope and joy
burn in our lives
that
the world may be brighter
by
our living in it.
CONGREGATIONAL CAROL:
Joy to the world! the children come:
Let Earth rejoice
and sing;
Let every heart prepare them room,
And heaven
and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven,
and heaven and nature sing.
Joy to the earth! the shadows
fade
While we our songs employ,
While fields and floods,
rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat,
repeat the sounding joy.
Joy to the world, the light
is come:
Let earth with rapture ring;
Let every heart now
cast out gloom
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven
and nature sing,
And heaven, and heaven and nature sing.
READING:
BEVERLY
For two thousand years we have celebrated the birth of light
and hope in the midst of darkness
by recounting at Christmas time wondrous tales of marvelous events which
accompanied the birth of "the light of the world."
STEPHEN: It
is said that on the night the infant was born, a new star, a bright star appeared
in the sky, telling all the world that this new-born child would bring blessing
upon all the earth.
BEVERLY: It is reported that on that night a
choir of angels sang to a band of shepherds, announcing the coming of a marvelous
child who would lead the world
to peace and goodwill.
STEPHEN: Some say that three kings from distant
lands travelled many miles, following the star, and that shepherds deserted
their flocks that dark night, and went in search of the marvelous child.
BEVERLY:
It is said they found the child in a stable, soothed by the sounds of
the animals. They say the mother was the most beautiful of women and the father
the kindest, gentlest of men, and that a strange light filled the humble room,
while the babe slept peacefully
in a manger.
CONGREGATIONAL CAROL:
Angels we have heard
on high
Sweetly singing o'er the plains
And the mountains in reply
Echoing
their joyous strains.
Gloria in excelsis Deo
Shepherds,
why this jubilee?
Why these songs of happy cheer?
What
great brightness did you see?
What glad tidings did you hear?
Gloria
in excelsis Deo
Now is born the Child of love,
Child for
whom the ages long
Earth
below and stars above
Raise aloud the joyous song.
Gloria in excelsis
Deo
READING:
STEPHEN: We, today, are inclined to
argue about whether such things really happened.
BEVERLY: In our world,
new stars do not shine to announce the birth of a babe. In our world, sages
and rulers are too busy to seek out the birth place of low-born infants. In our
world shepherds and workers cannot abandon their responsibilities for such a
quest. Angels do not sing in our
world, and the light which surrounds the new-born no longer seems strange or
holy.
STEPHEN: Those who try to prove that miraculous things did not happen
that night so long ago, have not understood the ancient tale. The story
is not meant to tell us what happened once upon a time, far, far away, but rather
what is always happening for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear.
BEVERLY:
Perhaps there never was a star; perhaps there were no angels. But
when the bearers of the light
are born, the universe quivers with hope. Perhaps the stable was not filled
with wondrous light, but whenever a child is born, hope is renewed, the room seems
brightened by the presence of new life, and all the world seems forever changed.
MUSIC:
READING:
Perhaps this is the reason the Christmas story
has been told and retold for all these long years. Perhaps this is the reason
the story is still told, even by those who no longer believe in angels and
stars and miraculous events.
For all these years the tale has been told of a child born in a stable and how
the world received that child. And in the telling, we have heard another message:
We have heard something about who we are and how we ought to regard one another.
We have heard about wise rulers falling on their knees before a newborn
child, and in our minds stirs the understanding that wealth and power cannot replace
humility and love; we have heard about shepherds leaving their sheep to
find the new child, and in our
minds has stirred the suspicion that our responsibility to each other is more important
than any other thing. And throughout the tale runs the suggestion that
the world is more mysterious than we know and that in light of that mystery we
needs must deal gently with each other.
CONGREGATIONAL CAROL:
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, to all good-wilL,"
The words down the ages ring.
The world in solemn stillness lay
To hear the angels sing.
Still through 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.
But with the woes of sin and strife
The world has suffered
long;
Beneath the angel-strain have rolled
Two thousand
years of wrong;
And foe, at war with foe, hears not
The
love song which they bring.
O hush the noise, O cease the strife,
And hear the angels sing.
For, lo! the days are hastening
on
By prophet bards foretold,
When with the ever-circling
years
Comes round
the age of gold:
When peace shall over all the earth
Its ancient splendors fling,
And the whole world give back the song
Which now the angels sing.
READING:
Christmas
speaks of something more. The ancient tale suggests that the world belongs
to children and to those who can become as children--to those who can look upon
every star as if it were brand new and know that it shines for them. The world
belongs to those
who can set out on long journeys, leaving behind familiar places and comfortable
conventions, searching for that which is of ultimate significance. The world
belongs to the fresh and young of whatever age who are willing to embrace the
strange and novel world of tomorrow, and to those wise enough to know
that the future always exists among us, waiting to disclose itself to those willing
to see. And because Christmas is the season which turns us toward
the future, it is also the celebration
which proclaims a world of peace--both as future promise and present
reality. Christmas assures us that despite the darkness of this threatened and
harried world, someday the human race must learn to live in the clear
light of peace and goodwill--peace with all people the world around, and and peace
with the planet which is our mother and our home. And Christmas reminds us
that the peace we seek is rooted in our ability to live fully and serenely
in the midst of this present
world of incompletion and imperfection.
STEPHEN: When peace
comes, the world will find the time to celebrate the birth and own the holiness
of every child.
DAVID: When peace comes, we look at the sky and see
the stars as if they were new.
STEPHEN: When peace comes, we will understand
what is true worth, what gives life its meaning and zest.
BEVERLY:
When peace comes, the birth of every child will be an occasion for rejoicing,
and rulers and sages and common
folk will join in celebrating the hope and promise born among them.
STEPHEN:
When peace comes, we will let go our remorse for past failings. When
peace comes we will embrace with gratitude the blessings of the present and the
promise of the future.
BEVERLY: On that far away day of peace, Christmas
will come to the world not once a year, but with joy and light every day of
every year. Let the day of peace begin with us, this night.
CONGREGATIONAL
CAROL:
I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar, carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
of "Peace on
earth, to all good will."
I thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all christendom
Had rolled along th'unbroken
song
Of "Peace on earth, to all good will."
And in despair I bowed my head;
"There is no peace on earth"
I said,
For
hate is strong and mocks the song
Of "Peace on earth, to all
good will."
Then peal'd the bells more loud and deep:
"Hope is not dead; nor doth love sleep"
The wrong shall
fail, the right prevail
With "Peace on earth, to all good
will."
LIGHTING OF THE CANDLES
MUSIC:
READING: Now from this
chalice, receive the flame. As the light bearers come down the aisle, they will
light the candles of those
seated on the aisle. Each of these people will light the candle of the person
in the next seat. Thus, with great care, you will pass the flame from one to another.
Remember, as the flame passes, the lives of those who have been bearers
of the light, the women and men who have touched your lives with the flame of
hope and love, and who have made our common world a more gracious home for the
human spirit. Remember as the flame passes, that while it is beautiful, it is
also dangerous. Pass the flame
with special care, and take care of those around you that the flame may illumine
but cause none harm.
Now all the candles are lit. Pause for a moment.
Look about you. See the lights burning in the darkness. See the shadows that
are cast. Give thought to those who have preceded us in this place, and to
those who will come after us. Think for a moment of the miracle this symbolizes,
how from one light many flames are kindled. Think for a moment of what we
must be and do if we are to tend
the flame of hope and love in our own lives; if we are to pass that flame on
to our children, our children's children, to all others we encounter.
CONGREGATIONAL
CAROL:
Silent night, holy night,
All is
calm, all is bright.
Round yon gentle mother and child,
Holy
infant so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep
in heavenly peace.
Silent night, holy night,
Shepherds
quake, at the sight,
Glories stream from heaven afar,
Heavenly hosts sing "Alleluia
Child of Light at thy birth,
Child of light at thy
birth."
Silent night, holy night,
Child of hope,
love's pure light.
Radiant beams from thy holy face
With
the dawn of redeeming grace,
Child of light, at thy birth,
Child of light at they birth.
Now, with care, extinguish the candle
in your hands, knowing that
the flame still dances in your heart.
BEVERLY: Thus we celebrate this
evening, as women and men and children have celebrated for centuries, the coming
of the light into a darkened world, and the passing of light from life to life.
DAVID: We rejoice that no matter how hate-filled and bent on destruction
the world may seem, the precious light of hope and faith, of love and trust
continues to shine forth from the lives of men and women who will not surrender
to the darkness.
BEVERLY:
Sometimes that light is hard to find. Sometimes it flickers and all
but disappears; sometimes it seems the blanket of hatred and violence, of fear
and prejudice must smother it; but still it burns, and the promise is that someday
it will set a spark in the dry tinder of everyone's life. Then it will light
up the world and drive away the shadows of fear.
DAVID: Until that
day, we who would be people of the light must guard the precious flame, tend it
in our own lives, pass it carefully
from generation to generation, and together rejoice, especially at the midnight
of the year, that the light of hope and love still burns.
BEVERLY:
Rejoice this day in the light that is the hope of the world. Let a merry
Christmas remind us of our obligation to bear that light throughout the year.
CONGREGATIONAL
CAROL:
O we believe in Christmas,
And we keep Christmas day;
And we will honor Christmas
The ancient, world-wide way;
The Christmas of all peoples,
The sun's returning cheer
Rung out from tower and steeple
At midnight of the year.
And we will join at Christmas
The song of hope and joy
Which finds its theme at Christmas
In every girl and boy.
The flames of life will dwindle
As fades the sunset sky
Until a child shall kindle
New light and raise it high.
Then sing we all
at Christmas
The song of that new birth
Which holds the hope
of Christmas
And brings its joy to earth;
Which knits
the generations,
All living 'neath the sun,
Above all tribes
and nations
And makes the many one.
Shine out,
ye lights of Christmas,
From hearth and tree and star!
And
let the warmth of Christmas
Shed kindness near and far!
And clang, ye bells of Christmas
Upon the frosty air!
And may the joy of Christmas
Spread gladness everywhere.
CLOSING WORDS:
There is
a kind of immortality in this:
All the Christmas that went before
and all
that are to come
Are joined tonight by this one hour.
There is a kind
of immortality in this:
To be alive tonight;
To share the immortal feast of
Christmas;
To watch once more the candles glow;
To hear retold the ancient tale;
To hear and sing the ageless Christmas
songs.
Rejoice that we are here, together once again.
Rejoice in love and light.
--Robert
Thorstensen (adapted)
Postlude
(Our service ends when the music
ends. You are invited to be seated for the postlude.)