THE
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH AT CALDWELL
CHRISTMAS EVE
December 24, 2014
11:00 p.m.
PRELUDE
“Psallite”
Michael Praetorius (1571-1621)
arr. Susan T. Nelson
“Wexford Carol”
arr. H. Dean Wagner
GREETING AND CALL TO
WORSHIP
Leader: Joy to the
world,
People:
The Lord is come!
Leader: Sing it. Say
it. Tell the world.
People:
Go, tell it on the mountain,
Leader: Over the hills
and everywhere.
People:
Go, tell it on the mountain, that Jesus Christ is born!
Leader: Sing it. Say
it. Spread the news!
People:
Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Leader: O come, let us
adore him.
People:
O come, let us adore him.
ALL: O
come let us adore him, Christ the Lord!
*PROCESSIONAL CAROL NO.
133
“O
Come, All Ye Faithful”
Adeste fideles
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!
Yea,
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!
Sing,
choirs of angels, Sing in exultation! Sing, all ye citizens of heaven above!
Glory
to God, all 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!
LIGHTING OF THE ADVENT AND CHRIST CANDLES
The Hauser Family
PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION
FIRST LESSON
God promises that,
through Abraham, all the peoples of the world will be blessed.
*CAROL NO. 88
“O
Come, O Come, Emmanuel”
O
come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel, that
mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear. Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
O
come, thou Dayspring, come and cheer our spirits by thine advent here; disperse
the gloomy clouds of night, and death’s dark shadows put to flight. Rejoice!
Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
O
come, Desire of nations, bind all peoples in one heart and mind; bid envy,
strife, and discord cease; fill the whole world with heaven’s peace. Rejoice!
Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
SECOND LESSON
The people who walk in
darkness receive the promise of the Messiah.
ANTHEM
“Gloria in Excelsis” from Messa di
Gloria
Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924)
Arr. Michael Burkhardt
THIRD LESSON
The prophet Micah
foretells the glory of little Bethlehem.
CAROL NO. 121
“O
Little Town of Bethlehem”
St. Louis
O
little town of Bethlehem, How still we see thee lie!
Above
thy deep and dreamless sleep The silent stars go by.
Yet in
thy dark streets shineth The
everlasting light;
The
hopes and fears of all the years Are met in thee
tonight.
For
Christ is born of Mary; And gathered all above,
While
mortals sleep, the angels keep Their watch of
wondering love.
O
morning stars, together Proclaim the holy birth!
And
praises sing to God the King, And peace to all on
earth.
How
silently, how silently, The wondrous gift is given!
So God
imparts to human hearts The blessings of His heaven.
No ear
may hear His coming, But in this world of sin,
Where
meek souls will receive Him, still The dear Christ
enters in.
O holy
Child of Bethlehem, Descend to us, we pray;
Cast
out our sin and enter in, Be born in us today.
We
hear the Christmas angels The great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us,
Our Lord Emmanuel!
FOURTH LESSON
Jesus is born in a
stable, because there is no room in the inn.
ANTHEM
“In The Bleak
Mid-Winter”
Gustav Holst (1858-1924)
arr. Joel Raney
FIFTH LESSON
The angels bring good
news to the shepherds.
*CAROL NO. 147
“The First Nowell”
The First Nowell
The
first Nowell 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.
Refrain:
Nowell, Nowell, Nowell, Nowell, Born is the King
of Israel.
They lookéd 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. Refrain
Then
let us all with one accord Sing praises to our heav’nly
Lord;
That
hath made heaven and earth of naught, And with his
blood our life hath bought. Refrain
SIXTH LESSON
The shepherds go to the
manger.
*CAROL NO. 113
“Angels
We Have Heard on High”
Gloria
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; Gloria in excelsis Deo.
Shepherds,
why this jubilee? Why your joyous strains prolong?
What
the gladsome tidings be which inspire your heavenly song?
Gloria
in excelsis Deo; Gloria in excelsis Deo.
Come
to Bethlehem and see Him whose birth the angels sing;
Come,
adore on bended knee Christ, the Lord, the newborn King.
Gloria
in excelsis Deo; Gloria in excelsis Deo.
SEVENTH LESSON
John 1:1-14
The writer of the
fourth gospel unfolds the mystery of the incarnation
*CAROL NO. 119
“Hark!
The Herald Angels Sing”
Hark!
The herald angels sing, "Glory to the newborn King.
Peace
on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!"
Joyful,
all ye nations, rise, Join the triumph of the skies;
With th’ angelic host proclaim, "Christ is born in
Bethlehem!"
Hark!
The herald angels sing, "Glory to the newborn King!"
Christ,
by highest heaven adored, Christ, the everlasting Lord!
Late
in time behold Him come, Offspring of the virgin's womb.
Veiled
in flesh the Godhead see; Hail the incarnate Deity,
Pleased
in flesh with us to dwell, Jesus, our Emmanuel.
Hark! The herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King!"
Hail
the heaven-born Prince of Peace! Hail the sun of righteousness!
Light
and life to all He brings, Risen with healing in His wings.
Mild
He lays His glory by, Born that we no more may die,
Born
to raise us from the earth, Born to give us second birth.
Hark!
The herald angels sing, "Glory to the newborn King!"
THE OFFERING
OFFERTORY
“Personent
Hodie!”
arr. Mark Hayes
*CAROL OF DEDICATION
NO. 136
“Go,
Tell It on the Mountain”
Go Tell It
Refrain:
Go, tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere;
Go,
tell it on the mountain that Jesus Christ is born!
While
shepherds kept their watching o’er silent flocks by night,
Behold,
through out the heavens there shone a holy light.
Refrain:
The
shepherds feared and trembled when lo! above the earth
Rang
out the angel chorus that hailed our Savior’s birth. Refrain:
Down
in a lowly manger the humble Christ was born,
And
God sent us salvation that blessed Christmas morn. Refrain: 2x
PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
AND LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father
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
debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver
us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever.
Amen.
LIGHTING OF INDIVIDUAL
CANDLES
During
the singing of “Silent Night,” the candles will be lit. Please follow
appropriate safety proce-dures. Hold lighted candles
upright and tip the unlighted candles toward the lighted ones. Parents, please
give your children adequate supervision if they are participating in the
candle-lighting.
CAROL NO. 122
“Silent
Night, Holy Night”
Stille nacht
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 host sing, Alleluia!
Christ
the Savior is born! Christ the Savior, 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.
*CAROL NO. 134
“Joy
to the World!”
Antioch
As we
begin to sing the LAST STANZA, please RAISE your candle as a
symbol of
Jesus Christ, the Light which darkness will never overcome!
Joy to
the world! The Lord is come: Let earth receive her King;
Let
every heart prepare Him room, And heaven and nature
sing. . .
Joy to
the earth! The Savior reigns: Let all their songs employ;
While
fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains Repeat the sounding joy. . .
He
rules the world with truth and grace, And makes the
nations prove
The
glories of His righteousness, And wonders of his love.
. .
At the
conclusion of the blessing, please extinguish your candle
and
deposit it with the ushers as you exit.
*BLESSING
*POSTLUDE
“Forest Green”
arr. Charles E. Peery
*
Please rise in body or in spirit.
†A warm
welcome to all who are worshiping with us on this Christmas Eve! On this sacred
evening, remember in prayer all those who are near and dear to you, and all
others in need. The Pastoral Families and Staff Members of The First
Presbyterian Church at Caldwell join in wishing you a blessed Christmas and a
Happy New Year.
†Please
sign the Red Friendship Pad located in each pew and pass it to the
person next to you. Please put a check in the appropriate box if you would like
a Pastor to call or are interested in joining our congregation. You may call
the church office Monday through Friday at 973-228-0310 with any questions or
pastoral concerns.
†Our
cradle room is open tonight to serve children up to 24 months old. Restrooms
are located through the door to the left of the pulpit, then left to the end of
the hallway.
†An
usher will be glad to assist you and provide you with more information
about this congregation. Worship is every Sunday at 8:30AM in our Chapel
(except Dec. 28th and the first Sunday of each month) and 10:00AM in the
Sanctuary with Sunday School for children and youth also at 10:00AM.. The first Sunday of each month is Church Family Sunday
and we unite in worship and celebrate Communion at 10:00AM. Excellent infant
care for children up to 24 months is available at the 10:00AM service. We hope
you will come again. Opportunities abound for all ages!
CHRISTMAS
BREAK CABIN FEVER DAY
All children in 1st-5th grade are invited
to join us for a fun day at church on Monday, December 29th from 9am-3pm! We’ll
be playing games, watching a great Christmas movie, doing some fun crafts, and
having yummy snacks. The cost for the day is $5. Kids should bring their own
sack lunch. Teens are invited to join us as helpers for the day.
WORSHIP
LEADERS
Dr. Richard N. Sommers
Pastor/Head of Staff
Rev. Don Brown
Associate Pastor
Rev. Barbara Jo Piercy
Minister of Music
Noel Piercy Associate
Director of Music
Jaime Staehle Director
of Youth and Children’s Ministry
James De La Garza
Trumpet 1, Leader
Dan Egan Trumpet 2
Tim Sessions Trombone 1
Rob Fournier Trombone 2
John Lenis Bass
Erik Lynch Percussion
and Timpani
Jessica Goodson Flute
Ray Liptak
Sound Technician
Elizabeth Resch Candle
Preparation
Chancel Choir
Chancel Handbell
Choir
May your Christmas be filled with
Hope, Peace, Joy and Love.
The Church Staff
I know not always how God
comes,
but that God comes — this I know:
in an
obscure stable,
in
splashing waters,
in the
breaking of bread
and often, my friend,
incarnate in you,
for God, I believe, still comes in the flesh, in
people.
Now and always
may the
Christ in you
keep you
a sign
of living love
and love
living among us.
—Bonnie B. Belasic