December 27, 2020
Below, you’ll find the song lyrics and scripture readings for the live stream on December 27th (in the order they are needed).
O Come, All Ye Faithful
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
o come, let us adore him
o come, let us adore him
o come, let us adore him
christ the lord
O Sing, choirs of angels,
Sing in exultation,
Sing all ye citizens of Heaven above.
Glory to God
glory in the Highest;
o come, let us adore him
o come, let us adore him
o come, let us adore him
christ the lord
Ye, Lord, we greet Thee,
Born this happy morning,
Jesus to thee be all glory given
Word of the Father,
now in flesh appearing;
o come, let us adore him
o come, let us adore him
o come, let us adore him
christ the lord
Call to Worship
we have gathered to worship
the Eternal One
the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us
to enter the story of God
and find our own stories reimagined
inviting the Spirit of God to form us more fully in the way of Christ
setting our feet on the way of peace;
weaving joy into our hearts and minds
that we might bear the hope of Christ
and love of God in our ordinary lives
Amen
Joy to the World (w/ Ben Simmons)
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
Joy to the world, The Savior reigns
Let men their songs employ
While fields and floods
Rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy
He rules the world with truth and grace
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness
Far as the curse is found
Far as the curse is found
Far as, far as the curse is found
O Holy Night (w/ Kat Reynolds)
O Holy night! The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of our dear Savior's birth
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
'Til He appears and the soul felt its worth
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn
Fall on your knees; O hear the Angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born
O night, O Holy night, O night divine!
Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His Gospel is Peace
Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother
And in His name, all oppression shall cease
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we
Let all within us Praise His Holy name
Christ is the Lord; with never ending praise we
His power and glory evermore proclaim
His power and glory evermore proclaim
Fall on your knees; O hear the Angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born
O night, O Holy night, O night divine!
The First Noel (w/ Nathanael Mosher)
The first Noel the angel did say
was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay;
in fields where they lay keeping their sheep,
on a cold winter's night that was so deep.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel.
They looked up and saw a star
shining in the east, beyond them far;
and to the earth it gave great light,
and so it continued both day and night.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel.
This star drew nigh to the northwest,
o'er Bethlehem it took its rest;
and there it did both stop and stay,
right over the place where Jesus lay.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel.
Old Testament Reading
Today’s Old Testament reading is Psalm 147:
Praise the Lord!
How good it is to sing praises to our God;
for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting.
The Lord builds up Jerusalem;
he gathers the outcasts of Israel.
He heals the brokenhearted,
and binds up their wounds.
He determines the number of the stars;
he gives to all of them their names.
Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;
his understanding is beyond measure.
The Lord lifts up the downtrodden;
he casts the wicked to the ground.
Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
make melody to our God on the lyre.
He covers the heavens with clouds,
prepares rain for the earth,
makes grass grow on the hills.
He gives to the animals their food,
and to the young ravens when they cry.
His delight is not in the strength of the horse,
nor his pleasure in the speed of a runner;
but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,
in those who hope in his steadfast love.
Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion!
For he strengthens the bars of your gates;
he blesses your children within you.
He grants peace within your borders;
he fills you with the finest of wheat.
He sends out his command to the earth;
his word runs swiftly.
He gives snow like wool;
he scatters frost like ashes.
He hurls down hail like crumbs—
who can stand before his cold?
He sends out his word, and melts them;
he makes his wind blow, and the waters flow.
He declares his word to Jacob,
his statutes and ordinances to Israel.
He has not dealt thus with any other nation;
they do not know his ordinances.
Praise the Lord!
New Testament Reading
Today’s New Testament reading is John 1:1-18:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.
And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. (John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’”) From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.
Giving
UBC relies on the generosity of the community. If you are a in place that you are able to give of your time, talent, and resources to UBC we would be grateful. If you want to make a financial contribution, the easiest way to do so is through our church center app.
Prayer of Examen
You can find a written version of the Prayer of Examen here if you want to return to this later.
Hope
you lit a fire in the darkness
the darkness did not overcome
while we were hopeless and wandering
you were the breath in our lungs
you sang out hope into the dead of night
and it echoed off the edge of time
said, “i’ll bend lower to find you,
i’ve called you mine.”
you lit a fire in the darkness
the darkness did not overcome
though we keep losing our minds here
you know the depth of our thoughts
you sang out hope into the dead of night
and it echoed off the edge of time
said, “child, I made you on purpose
i’ve called you mine
and now every broken piece
will find its place again
and every twisted word you heard
in the night will be silent
the fever, it will break
the shadow, it will fade
’til all that’s left is light and love
in the dawn that never fades
on and on”
you lit a fire in the darkness
the darkness did not overcome
though our walls keep on closing
you are the field where we’d run
you sang out hope into the dead of night
and it echoed off the edge of time
said, “this is not how it ends here
i’ve called you mine
and you can’t go back
no, you can’t go back
though everything keeps fading
this fading here will end
and the Ever-Brilliant Word
whispered in the night will be shouted
the fever, it will break
the shadow, it will fade
’til all that’s left is light and love
in the dawn that never fades
on and on
Doxology
Praise God from whom all blessings flow
Praise him all creatures here below
Praise him above, ye heavenly host
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
Amen
Benediction
As we approach this week
May we love God
Embrace Beauty
and Live Life to the fullest
Amen