Night

 Eastern Parkway United Methodist Church 

 
 

 

 A warm welcome to each worshiper today. We celebrate you and offer you our friendship and love. We are a congregation of people who seek to grow spiritually, to become more like Christ in His compassion and acceptance of everyone while growing more aware of what it really means to be Christians today. 

As a Reconciling Congregation, EPUMC affirms the sacred worth of persons of all sexual orientations and gender identities and welcomes them into full participation in the fellowship, membership, ministries, and leadership of the congregation.  

943 Palmer Avenue, Schenectady, NY 12309 / 518-374-4306 epumc943@gmail.com / www.easternparkway.org 

Order of Worship 

December 24, 2022 

Christmas Eve 

7:00pm 

*You are invited to rise in body or spirit. 

  

Prelude Still, Still, Still Austrian carol, arr. Catherine McMichael 

Rebecca Oliver, violin 

 
 

Greeting 

 
 

Lighting of the Advent Wreath: 

Reader 1: Rejoice, people of God! The light has come into the world. 

Reader 2: With the company of heaven and with sounds of great joy, you come to us. This is the time of light and resplendent joy. 

Reader 1: The prophet Isaiah proclaimed a time when those who walked in the shadows would see a great light. A light would shine and a child would be born to us. The evangelist Luke painted the nativity sky and repeated the heavenly song of the angels, “Glory, peace on earth and goodwill!” John declared that this great light is Christ, the Word made flesh. This great light lives among us. By it we behold God’s glory—full of grace and truth. At Christ’s nativity, we now rejoice. 

People : God, our Life and Light, thank you for coming this night to us. Thanks for touching all heaven and earth with your splendor. In every corner of the world, shine with your peace. In every corner of our hearts, shine with your grace. Amen. 

  

*Hymn Angels We Have Heard on High #238 

              

Opening Prayer: 

O wondrous God of the stars, 

we come tonight with breathless wonder 

to see the babe who will change our lives. 

We hear the names “Wonderful Counselor,” 

“Mighty God,” “Prince of Peace,” 

and we are in awe. 

You have touched the earth this night 

with your unconditional love. 

Touch us— 

touch our hearts and minds and souls. 

May we never tire of this story. 

May we never take it for granted. 

Make this night magical again. Amen.                       Joanne Carlson Brown 

  

Scripture Reading Luke 2:1-7 

The Birth of Jesus 

2 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 All went to their own towns to be registered. 4 Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. 5 He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no place in the guest room.[a] 

 
 

Anthem O Come, All Ye Faithful #234 

Congregation sings vv. 1 & 6, choir sings vv. 2 and 3 

 
 

Scripture Reading Luke 2:8-14 

The Shepherds and the Angels 

8 Now in that same 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,[a] 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,[b] praising God and saying, 

14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, 
    and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”[c] 

 
 

*Hymn Go Tell It on the Mountain #251 

                                    Led by the Front Porch Rockers 

 
 

Scripture Reading Luke 2:15-20 

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, 19 and Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told them. 

 
 

Sermon Night 

 

This is a story that begins in the dark. And not just the darkness of night. 

The darkness of an overbearing ruler drives Mary and Joseph out of their home in Nazareth to an ancestral city far away. The coldness of the emporer’s heart keeps him from at least allowing them to wait until after the baby comes. 

Luke doesn’t give us much detail about the inn where Mary and Joseph tried to find shelter when Mary went into labor unexpectedly in Bethlehem. We don’t know if it was the darkness of overcrowding caused by the emporer’s census that made the inn keeper turn Mary and Joseph away, or if it was the darkness of his prejudice when he saw a young, unmarried, foreign woman of color asking for a safe place to give birth that made him grimace in disgust and then tell her to get lost.  

Either way, in the darkness of desperation, Mary and Joseph looked for a place to deliver their baby other than the street. The best they could find was a barn. In the darkness of loneliness—no family, no friends, no birth attendants—Mary and Joseph welcomed the very first, faint glimmer of light: their baby, whom they already knew to name Jesus, whom they quickly wrapped in the best scrap cloth they could find to protect him from the cold. 

In the darkness of poverty wages, shepherds for hire attended a flock of someone else’s sheep. They lived in the shadow of society, never seeing their families because their work took them from home at such odd hours, not wealthy enough to buy farms of their own, viewed as lowlifes because what kind of person would accept a couple bucks to stand next to a sheep at 2am? 

In the darkness of fear, the shepherds cowered when they were suddenly blinded by light, and the angels appeared. Despite our romantic notions of feathery wings, flowing robes, and sparkling halos, angels in the Bible were so frequently greeted with shouts of terror that I bet they had a complex about meeting new people. Regardless, they sang, and they lit a path to Mary, Joseph, and Jesus: you’ll find three random people nursing their newborn in that barn over there. You’ll recognize him because they used that thing pigs eat out of as a bed. Yes, really. Go greet your king. 

How brave would you have to be to accept that invitation? Following the glittering light of the angels’ directions, the shepherds found the holy family, and became the very first people after his parents to meet Jesus. These strangers became company to Mary and Joseph. This was a messy meeting of blood and amniotic fluid and breast milk and sweat and hay and dirt and the smell of farm animals. Maybe this is why, of all people, the angels picked the shepherds. The only people in town who wouldn’t recoil, repulse, or judge, because who were they to do that? Everyone in that room needed a friend, and they got one in one another. That right there is the light of Christ. When we find these moments to love one another despite all the obstacles that would keep us apart, the darkness cracks open and the light punches through the blue canopy, like stars. 

Tonight, we’re hearing these stories in the dark. The darkness of a bitterly cold December night. The darkness of whatever grief and pain we’ve carried around this year. Like the shepherds, maybe we’re working hours that make it hard to spend time with family. Like Mary and Joseph, maybe our loved ones are far away. Like the inn keeper, maybe we can’t see a loving face right in front of us without help. Luckily, we’ll all light candles later. 

I like to keep it short on Christmas Eve—my gift to you—so I wrap this up by sharing words penned by Howard Thurman, in a poem he titled “I Will Light the Candles This Christmas”. Choir, you’ll recognize these words because we sang them last year. 

 

I Will Light the Candles This Christmas 

From “The Mood of Christmas…” 
—by Howard Thurman 

I will light Candles this Christmas, 
Candles of joy despite all the sadness, 
Candles of hope where despair keeps watch, 
Candles of courage for fears ever present, 
Candles of peace for tempest-tossed days, 
Candles of grace to ease heavy burdens, 
Candles of love to inspire all my living, 
Candles that will burn all year long. 

 

Let us use the example of this story to bring light into a world with heavy darkness. The night may be long, scary, and feel overpowering, but the light of love truly is strong enough to drive away prejudice, loneliness, and fear and welcome in compassion and love. 

Merry Christmas. 

Amen. 

 

Offering  

 
 

Offertory Rise Up, Shepherd, and Follow Traditional Spiritual 

Chancel Choir 

 

*Doxology See projection Tune at #229 

*Prayer of dedication             

  

Pastoral Prayer and Lord’s Prayer 

 

Almighty God, our light shining in the darkness: we give you our thanks and praise that the light of your love came into the world in the person of your Son Jesus—God from God, light from light, true God from true God. Through your Son you created everything that is, seen and unseen; through your Son you gave us life; and through your Son you gave eternal life to all who would believe in him. This is good news. Indeed, this is “good news of great joy,” the best news of all. 

For those of us who have grown so familiar with this news that it begins to sound like old news, stir within our hearts a renewed sense of wonder. Astonish us with the gift of your love. Kindle hearts that have grown cold. Help us to feel within our innermost being these “good tidings of great joy,” that unto us is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” 

Humble us, like those shepherds abiding in the field. We have nothing to offer you; we possess nothing that you need; we have no gift to give you that pays you back for the gift that you give us. We are poor beggars standing in need of your mercy, forgiveness, and grace. And yet, you brought your good news to us; you invited us to celebrate your coming; you made a way for us to become your children. 

Receive now the gift of our gratitude. Enable us to share this news with others through word and deed, that the whole world may experience this good news for themselves and be transformed by it. 

Our Father, Mother, Creator God, 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 have trespassed against us. Lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory forever. Amen. 

 

The Gift of Light 

 
 

Hymn Silent Night #239 

                                             David Orr, Guitar 

Blessing 

 
 

*Hymn Joy to the World #246, vv. 1,2, 4 

 
Postlude O Morningstar, How Fair and Bright 

Philipp Nicolai, 1599, harm. by J. S. Bach, 1731 

 
 

Staff 

Natalie Bowerman Pastor 

Betsy Lehmann Music Director 

Joe White Custodian 

Cassandra Brown Nursery Attendant