CHRISTMAS EVE / AGAPE MEAL

December 24, 2021

The Ministers – Rev. Lorrie Lowes & Rev. Kim Vidal
Music Director – Abe TeGrotenhuis

The video recording of this service can be found here.

The Gathering

Gathering Music: The Cradle Rocks in Glory! - Grace Notes, BCUC 2019 Concert, Percussion: Raven/Heidi/Arcadie

Traditional Spiritual, additional words © Besig & Price, arr. © Don Besig
ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Welcome Rev. Kim Vidal

Good evening. Merry Christmas! On behalf of BCUC and in the name of Jesus Christ, I welcome and greet you to our Christmas Eve Service. Tonight, we are not only celebrating the birth of Jesus, but more importantly, that we recognize the truth at the heart of this story: that Love was born at Christmas. This is the good news of great joy! May tonight’s service reminds us too that we are all God’s children - recipients of God's hearty welcome to the manger and God’s table of grace.

We will be sharing an agape meal during the service. Please make sure you have some bread or crackers and any beverage ready to partake during the agape meal.

I would like to highlight a couple of announcements:

On the First Sunday after Christmas (Dec 26) there will be a joint service with Glen Cairn and Kanata congregations. The service will be hosted by Glen Cairn United Church and it will be offered onsite at 10 am and live stream via YouTube. If you are joining onsite, you are required to be fully vaccinated and wearing a mask. Youtube link on website at gcuc.ca.

Due to the ongoing COVID pandemic, all worship services, gatherings and events in the BCUC building are cancelled until further notice. The Sunday worship service will be offered online via Youtube and through telephone. Check our website for the link at bcuc.org.

Let us now prepare our hearts, mind and spirit as we gather in our Christmas Eve service.

Carol: “O Come All Ye Faithful” - Voices United #60 BCUC Choir

1.O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant, O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem: come and behold him, born the King of angels;

Refrain:
O come, let us adore him, (3x)
Christ the Lord.

2 God of God, light of light,
lo, he abhors not the virgin's womb,
very God, begotten, not created: R

3 Sing, choirs of angels,
sing in exultation,
sing, all ye citizens of heaven above;
Glory to God in the highest: R

4 See, how the shepherds summoned to his cradle, leaving their flocks,
draw nigh with lowly fear;
we too will thither bend our joyful footsteps; R

5 Yea, Lord, we greet thee,
born this happy morning;
Jesus, to thee be all glory given;
word of the Father, now in flesh appearing: R

Words in English: Frederick Oakeley, 1841; Music: John Francis Wade, 1743.
Song # 592e04d371906 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Lighting of the Christ Candle Acolytes: Monica Peck, David Jones and Samantha

(Eric Hebert-Daly, Gathering, ACE 2021-2022. Used with permission.)

Reader 1: Enter, with your vulnerabilities and with your whole self just as you are.
We come seeking hope.

Reader 2: Come with your brokenness.
We come seeking peace and healing.

Reader 3: Come with your desire for new life.
We come seeking joy.

Reader 1: Come with your desire to love and be loved.
We come seeking love. We come to prepare the way of love.

Reader 2: Come at God’s invitation this night.
We come to welcome the Christ child.

Reader 3: Tonight, hope, peace, love and joy are found in a manger and throughout the world.

(The Christ Candle is lit).

Sung Response: A Candle is Burning - Voices United #6 (Verse 5)

We honour Messiah with Christ candle’s flame,
our Christmas Eve candles glad tidings proclaim.
O come, all you faithful, rejoice in this night,
as God comes among us, the Christian’s true light.

Call to Gather Rev. Lorrie Lowes

(Rt. Rev. Richard Bott, Gathering, ACE 2018-2019. Used with permission)

Why do we gather here,
on a night so beautifully dark and quiet?
To celebrate the birth of a child.
Who is the child that is born this night?
The One, the Christ, the God-with-Us.
Who are we, that we commemorate this birth?
His sisters and brothers and siblings,
his disciples and friends.
Then, as family and friends, let us come together,
to tell stories and sing songs,
to share in the feast of thanksgiving,
to celebrate and worship our God!

Opening Prayer

(Kerry Parsons, Gathering, ACE 2021-20122 Used with permission.)

Loving and faithful God, as we once again celebrate the Christmas season,
we are reminded that you gave us a gift:
A gift that lets your light in.
A gift that encourages us to depend on you.
A gift that offers us hope for your reign.
A gift that sustains our faith.
A gift that tests our call to say “yes” to you.
A gift that we are allowed to re-gift freely.
A gift that abides with us eternally.
A gift of love.
The gift of your son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Special Music: Shepherd Boy - Charlotte Algozin CGS/Bells Canto & Erin Berard

Shepherd boy, shepherd boy, look up at the star.
Shepherd boy, shepherd boy, it guides from a-far.
Its radiant beams shine down through the night.
Shepherd boy, shepherd boy, follow it’s light.

Shepherd boy, shepherd boy, hear the an-gels sing.
Shepherd boy, shepherd boy, hear the tidings they bring.
In the city of David lies a baby so fair.
Shepherd boy, shepherd boy, go find him there.

Leave your hillside don’t delay.
Find his manger bed of hay.
Play your pipe and dance with joy.
Welcome Ma-ry’s newborn boy.

Shepherd boy, shepherd boy, see the Christ child so sweet.
Shepherd boy, shepherd boy, kneel at his feet.
He is God’s Son sent from heaven above.
Shepherd boy, shepherd boy, his message is love.

Time for the Young at Heart Rev. Lorrie Lowes

A Carol for Christmas – written by Ann Tompert and illustrated by Laura Kelly

Silent Night was written on December 24, 1818,
and first performed that very night
in the church of St. Nicholas in Oberndorf, Austria.
It was the creation of Joseph Mohr and Franz Gruber.

This is the legend of the creation of that beautiful hymn – told from the perspective of a small church mouse. In the cold winter of 1818, food is so scarce that the mice at St. Nicholas Church resort to making soup from the leather that connects the organ strings to the keyboard – making the organ completely out of service. On Christmas Eve, the pastor and the organist decide to write new Christmas music for midnight mass that would be suitable to be played on guitar. In our story, the pastor’s words to the hymn are inspired by a visit to a poor couple who has just welcomed a newborn baby in their small woodcutter’s hut in the forest of Oberndorf – and the mouse receives a miraculous chunk of cheese to share with his family.

Carol: Away in a Manger - Voices United #69

1 Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,
the little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head.
The stars in the bright sky looked down where he lay,
the little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.

2 The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes,
but little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes.
I love you, Lord Jesus; look down from the sky,
and stay by my side until morning is nigh.

3 Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask you to stay
close by me for ever, and love me, I pray.
Bless all the dear children in your tender care,
and fit us for heaven, to live with you there.

Words: Author Unknown; Music 1895 William James Kirkpatrick
Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

The Word

Prayer for Illumination Reader: Barbara Bole

(Laura Rousseau, Gathering, ACE 2021-20122 Used with permission.)

Holy God of angels and shepherds, of magi and refugee families, we pray today:
prepare our hearts to receive the hope of the Christmas Story.
Amen.

The Nativity Reading: Luke 2:1-20 (NRSV)

The Birth of Jesus

2 In those days a decree went out from Emperor 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 for them in the inn.

The Shepherds and the Angels

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. 19 But 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, as it had been told them.

May the light of God dwell where the word is spoken. Thanks be to God!

Ministry of Music: Noel Tidings (Sing We Now/God Rest Ye): – BCUC Choir 2019 concert

Christmas Meditation Rev. Kim Vidal

Christmas Eve is just a few hours from now. What comes to mind when you talk
about Christmas Eve - the night when we celebrate the birth of Jesus? Something hopeful and celebratory? Perhaps a grandiose family dinner? Gift-giving? A holy, silent night? To some, maybe, it is just an ordinary night like the rest of the nights? What about calling Christmas Eve “a night of great joy”? That for me, is the closest phrase I could think of. It reminds me of the angels bringing good news to Mary, to Joseph, to the shepherds, to the townfolks and yes even to the animals in the stable.

What does joy mean for you? Why would Christmas be a day of rejoicing despite the ongoing life challenges? Does joy have to do with “doing the right thing” as in meticulous preparations and perfect gift-giving? Is it about opening your homes to family and friends for dinner? Is it about carol singing or poetry reading? Does it have to do with a table set flawlessly with a full course meal, followed by gift-exchange with excited children running around the house? What makes Christmas Eve a night of great joy? The prose and poetry of our Christian faith speak about the joy of Christmas Eve that are filled with light, glory and revelation. The prophet Isaiah reminds us that: "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness on them has light shined." Luke's nativity story too, is filled with light bursting out of the darkness: "As shepherds watched their flocks by night, a being of light appears, and the glory of God shines around them. A message is given, be not afraid and the night sky is filled with the light of the heavenly host who proclaimed good news of great joy.”

It is so wonderful to hear these readings and yet ...what happens when the turkey isn’t cooked quite right and the table is short of some cutleries and the gift has not been fully appreciated, and you did not receive a Christmas card from your best friend and the children gets squirmy while eating cookies and the clothes you are wearing isn’t the right colour for you? Maybe Christmas Eve isn’t something you are looking forward to. Maybe it isn’t meant to be joyful for you. What do you do when the night of great joy lacks the luster you were hoping for? This year, sadly, Christmas Eve will be different from the other Christmas Eves that we have celebrated due to the ongoing COVID-variant pandemic. Not everyone are looking forward to Christmas. Being together with family is not good news for everyone. Not good news for those confronted with illness, isolation or grief. Not good news for the community where shelters for the homeless like The Mission and Elizabeth Fry are filling up again as the days get colder. Not good news for those who cannot afford a decent meal. There is nothing worse than feeling alone and hopeless, when the rest of the world seems to be gushing with joy. Globally, we might think we are not there yet in terms of joy.

Listen once more to these verses: "While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. 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 for them in the inn.” It is so easy to forget, isn’t it, that the first Christmas didn’t go all perfect either. We hear the story almost every year on the same night and we assume that the birth of Jesus had been joyful and flawless! Sometimes the carols we sing are not in sync with the real birth story. We love to sing “Away in a Manger” especially that part that says, “The cattle are lowly; the baby awakes, but little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes.” It is a great carol, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t think baby Jesus was quiet at all. I’m sure he cried a lot like most newborns do.

Don’t you think it would be nice for someone to write a Christmas carols about how stinky the animals smell… about how difficult the labour was for Mary - not to mention the agony that Joseph went through as he waited and watched... or a verse about the mosquitoes biting the shepherds who endured from “keeping watch over their flocks by night”? When this happens, Christmas Eve might not be the perfect event but it becomes so close to reality – so earthy and so close to our very own lived experiences. I don’t mean to diminish the luster - all the glory and joyfulness of this Christmas Eve, All I wanted to say is that if things aren’t perfect for you, take heart! You are in good company with Mary and Joseph and baby Jesus and the shepherds and all of creation. Maybe we should redefine the word “joy” to mean more like a gift from God, not something that we put in a box and tweak it the way we wanted it to be. The good news of great joy is this. The God of Christmas comes to us through the birth of Jesus, in our wildernesses, changing our darkness into light, sorrow into singing, hatred into peace, fear into joy. No matter how bleak the tragic course of history, how unnerving our personal circumstances, or how pessimistic the forecasts of intellectuals, with joy, we can expect God’s love to blossom even in the dust and dirt of our lives. There is still joy in the world!

“Joy” comes from the word “to rejoice”. It is a feeling of “great delight caused by something or someone exceptionally good or satisfying”. Other words for joy include bliss, jubilation, glee, and appreciation. And for those of us who take joy in God’s love, there is a gift of joy, on this holiest of nights, a baby born in a stable to a poor, ordinary couple, who will later on walk and talk the meaning of hope, peace, joy and love to all.

As we gather for an agape meal, let us remember that this night is made joyful not because of what or how much we do or don’t do; not because of all the meals we prepare, or the gifts we wrap, or even the worship service we celebrate. The joy of Christmas Eve shines with the brightness not of our individual candles, but the brightness of the Christ candle - the light of Jesus who will guide us in the new year to come. Every moment of our lives is infused with joy because God has indeed become like us. As the theologian Karl Barth puts it: "the God remembered at Christmas is a God with a name, a God with a human face." God was born this night to dwell in places of poverty, to take on our frailness as holy and fragile. God came as a precious and vulnerable child - who is named “Emmanuel” God-with us.

We work hard, don’t we, to make this Christmas Eve a night of great joy and yet in spite of all that we do, it hardly seems anywhere close to enough, does it? So when the turkey isn’t cooked quite right and the table is short of some cutleries and the gift has not been fully appreciated, and you did not receive a Christmas card from your best friend and the children gets squirmy eating the cookies and the clothes you are wearing isn’t the right colour for you and when we are disappointed because of the COVID pandemic, take heart! At Christmas, we remember that we are unconditionally and deeply loved by a God who cares for all people and the creatures of the world, from the smallest to the most important, from the wisest to the weirdest. God cares for the world in all its brokenness and imperfections.

Beloved friends, on this holy night, a Holy child is born - Jesus, Emmanuel, God-with-Us. This is the good news of great joy! Thanks be to God. Amen.

The Response

Christmas Prayer Rev. Kim Vidal

(UCC Intergenerational Christmas Service, 2016)

God of hope, of silent prayers and urgent cries,
we pray for your world and its people…
          for those who will spend this day alone;
          for those who will not enjoy a feast this day;
          for those whose tables will have an empty place this year.

Lift our hearts in anticipation of your vision.
Shine a light in the depth of fear.
Sing a song of joy in the lonely heart.

God of peace, on this Christmas day we pray
for the people of Bethlehem, of Israel and Palestine;
for refugees who have nowhere to lay their heads,
for those who find themselves in strange lands.
Watch over and protect them, God of the morning star.
Guide us in the ways of mercy and reconciliation.

Open our hearts, that we might receive you
and hear your voice, Loving God.
May we share the gift of your heaven,
your vision for all people:
hope of fulfillment,
peace in our time,
joy that persists through trial and celebration,
and love that heals the wounded heart.
In the name of Jesus whose birth we celebrate on. Christmas. Amen.

Carol: ‘Twas in the Moon of Wintertime – Voices United #71

1. 'Twas in the moon of wintertime,
when all the birds had fled,
that mighty Gitchi Manitou
sent angel choirs instead;
before their light the stars grew dim,
and wandering hunters heard the hymn:

Refrain:
Jesus your King is born,
Jesus is born, In excelsis gloria.

2. Within a lodge of broken bark
The tender babe was found,
A ragged robe of rabbit skin
Enwrapped his beauty round,
But as the hunters brave drew nigh,
The angel song rang loud and high. R

3. The earliest moon of wintertime
is not so round and fair.
As was the ring of glory on
the helpless infant there.
The chiefs from far before him knelt
with gifts of fox and beaver pelt. R

4. O children of the forest free,
the angel song is true.
The holy Child of earth and heaven
is born today for you.
Come kneel before the radiant boy
who brings you beauty, peace and joy. R

Celebration of Agape Meal Rev. Lorrie Lowes & Rev. Kim Vidal

The Invitation Kim

Friends, welcome to this still, sacred night, where bread is broken for the gifts of compassion, and the wine poured for the healing of all. For in this moment of celebration of the common with the extraordinary, earth with heaven, and of the humanity with the Divine, the joy and mystery of Christmas is given, not just to behold, but to live out with gratitude, love and joy.

Prayer of Thanksgiving Kim

May the peace of the Infant Jesus be with you.
Lift up your hearts.
Pour out your souls.
It was as a baby that you came to us, gracious God.
A child in a manger, staring out in wonder and sleeping in contentment.
As we celebrate Jesus’ birth once again, fill us with wonder and joy.
As we celebrate his birth, so we commemorate his time among us.
He grew up as an adult to be your instrument of love, healing the sick,
preaching your Word, and being one among the people.

The Fraction Lorrie

We remember how Jesus sat at supper with his disciples.
While they were eating, Jesus broke bread and as he shared it, he said,
“remember me.”
Later, he took a cup of wine and shared it with these words: “remember me.”
And so, as Jesus did, we bless these gifts and share them amongst ourselves,
and in doing so, we remember his presence with us – always.
Bless us, God, in the breaking of bread and inspire us through the sharing of cup.
For these unfolding gifts, we are grateful. For this living hope, we offer our lives.

The Lord’s Prayer Lorrie

Let us recite together this prayer that Jesus taught his friends and followers in the language of your choice.

Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kin-dom 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 trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kin-dom, the power and the glory,
Forever and ever, Amen.

The Sharing of the Bread and the Cup Kim

Let us now share and partake the bread and the cup reminding us of God’s unconditional love.
This is the bread – food for the journey. Take, eat and be nourished by God’s love.
This is the cup – drink for the journey. Take, drink and be sustained by God’s grace.

Prayer after Meal Lorrie

We give thanks O God, because you have refreshed us at your table, touched our deepest needs, and called us to a life shared in memory and hope. Send us forth with courage and joy in the name of Jesus Christ, that we, too, may become bread and peace for one another and the world. Amen.

Invitation to Offer Rev. Kim

As we celebrate the birth of Jesus, remember that the gift of love came to all of us, enabling us to make the world a more welcoming place for the God of joy and peace. I invite you to respond to that love by offering our time, talents and treasures together and present them as an offering to God. If you are not on PAR and wish to send in your offering and donations, you can drop them in the slot by the kitchen door of the church or mail them to BCUC. You can also send in your support through e-transfer. Thank you for your continued love and support to BCUC.

Offertory Prayer

(Inspired by the prayer of David Sparks, Gathering, ACE 2021-20122 Used with permission.)

Loving God, we bring these gifts of Christmas for your blessing, knowing that in the midst of a challenging time, our willingness to give joyfully and generously will be a gift. In the name of Jesus, whose birth we are celebrating, Amen.

The Blessing

*Carol: “Joy to the World” - Voices United #59

1. Joy to the world! the Lord is come:
let earth receive her King!
Let every heart prepare him room,
and heaven and nature sing,
and heaven and nature sing,
and heaven, and heaven and nature sing.

2. Joy to the earth the Saviour reigns:
let all their songs employ
While fields and floods, rocks,
hills and plains repeat the sounding joy.
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.

3. No more let sins, and sorrows grow,
or thorns infest the ground.
He comes to make his blessings flow,
far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
far as, far as the curse is found

4. He rules the earth with truth and grace, and makes the nations prove
the glories of his righteousness
and wonders of his love,
and wonders of his love,
and wonders, wonders of his love.

*Sending Forth Rev. Kim

(Robin Wardlaw, Gathering ACE 2017-2018)

Send us forth this Christmas Eve, O Love Incarnate,
with the light of Jesus glowing within us.
Send us forth from this feast of love to celebrate
the One who is bread for the journey
and the cup of blessing.
Go in hope, peace, joy and love now and in the days to come. Amen.

Carol: Silent Night, Holy Night – Voices United #67

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!

Silent night! Holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight;
glories stream from heaven afar,
heavenly hosts sing Alleluia,
Christ, the Saviour, is born!
Christ, the Saviour, is born!

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.

Departing Music: Never Been a Night Like This! BCUC combined choirs 2019 concert

Bonus: Nutcracker Jingles: BCUC Choir 2019 concert

Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!!!

Christmas Eve Service - December 24, 2021