St.
Matthew Lutheran Church 3620 Red
Rose Farm Road Baltimore,
Maryland 21220 Pastor
John M. Kulczycki
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St. Matthew
Lutheran Church
3620 Red Rose
Farm Road
Thursday,
December 24, 2020
The
Nativity of Our Lord
Welcome to
our 2020 Children's Christmas Eve Service. We hope that you will be blessed by
your participation. May the light that made this night so bright lighten your
heart during this whole Christmas Season.
Prelude:
Meditation on “Stille Nacht”
Welcome
and Announcements
Gathering
Carol: “O Come, All Ye Faithful” – LBW # 45, vs 1 - 2
Confession
& Forgiveness
Greeting
Gathering Canticle
Prayer of the Day
First
Reading, Isaiah 7:10-14
Psalm
# 110
Second
Reading, 1 John 4:7-16
Holy
Gospel, Matthew 1:18-25
Sermon
Hymn
of the Day: “Away in the Manger” – LBW # 67, vs 1 - 3
Nicene
Creed
Prayers
of the Church
The
Lord’s Prayer
Sending
Prayer
Benediction
Dismissal
Sending
Hymn: “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” - LBW # 60, vs 1 – 2
Postlude:
Voluntary on “Antioch”
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(Congregational responses are in bold print)
Prelude Meditation
on “Stille Nacht”
Welcome and Announcements Pastor John
Gathering Carol “O Come,
All Ye Faithful” LBW # 45,
vs 1 - 2
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!
The highest, most holy, light of light eternal, born
of a virgin, a mortal he comes; Son 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!
Confession
& Forgiveness (Pastor)
Almighty and
compassionate God, we regret that we have not lived graceful lives in response
to your gracious gift!
We have
not renounced our godless ways, forsaken our worldly values or lived our lives
in temperance, honesty and righteousness. Forgive us
we pray.
In mercy and
loving kindness God forgives us all our sins for the sake of Jesus, who
delights to call us sisters and brothers. Amen.
Greeting (Pastor)
May the grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. And also with you.
Gathering Canticle (Worship Assistant)
Behold, I
bring you good tidings of great joy that will be to all people. Unto us this
night is born a savior who is the Christ.
Glory to God
in the highest! And peace on earth among all people whom God has chosen to
favor.
Prayer
of the Day (Pastor)
First Reading: Isaiah 7:10-14 (Worship Assistant)
10Again the Lord
spoke to Ahaz: 11“Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as
Sheol or high as heaven.” 12But Ahaz said,
“I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” 13And he
said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that
you weary my God also? 14Therefore the Lord himself will give you a
sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name
Immanuel.” This is the word of the Lord, thanks be to God.
Psalm: Psalm # 110 -
read responsively (Worship
Assistant)
In this psalm we hear the promise of God to bless the
kingly line of David. As Christians, we hear it as the union of king and priest
in the person of Jesus Christ. Not only was Jesus a descendant of King David, he was also David’s Lord and was anticipated by David.
The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until
I make your enemies your footstool.”
The Lord will send the scepter of your power out of
Zion, saying, “Rule over your enemies round about you.
Princely state has been yours from the day of your
birth; in the beauty of holiness have I begotten you, like dew from the womb of
the morning.”
The Lord has sworn and he
will not recant: “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”
Second Reading: 1 John 4:7-16 (Worship Assistant)
St. John makes it clear that we love only because God
has loved us first. God sent Jesus to be the Savior of our lives and the one
who grants us forgiveness. The love of God is what empowers us to love like
Jesus, sacrificially and unconditionally.
7Beloved, let
us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of
God and knows God. 8Anyone who does not love does not know God,
because God is love. 9In this the love of God was made manifest
among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live
through him. 10In this is love, not that we have loved God but that
he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11Beloved,
if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12No one has
ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is
perfected in us. 13By this we know that we abide in him and he in
us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14And we have seen and
testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15Whoever
confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16So
we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love,
and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. This is the
Word of God, word of life, thanks be to God.
Holy Gospel: Matthew 1:18-25 (Pastor)
The Holy
Gospel according to St. Matthew, the 1st Chapter. Glory to you, O
Lord.
As the honorable man, Joseph, was wrestling with the
situation concerning his pregnant fiancé, an angel of the Lord came to him in a
dream. The angel explained how the child Mary was carrying was the Son of the Most High God, and Joseph was called to care for them and
name the child “Jesus,” which means “He saves.”
18The birth of
Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to
Joseph, before they came together she was found to be
with child from the Holy Spirit. 19And her husband Joseph, being a
just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20But
as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in
a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21She
will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people
from their sins.” 22All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had
spoken by the prophet: 23“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear
a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). 24When
Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took
his wife, 25but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And
he called his name Jesus.
This is the gospel of the Lord, praise to you, O
Christ.
Children’s Sermon Pastor John
Hymn of the Day "Away in the Manger" LBW # 67 vs. 1-3
Away in a
manger, no crib for a bed, the little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head; the
stars in the sky looked down where he lay, the little Lord Jesus asleep on the
hay.
The cattle
are lowing; the poor baby wakes, But little Lord Jesus
no crying he makes. I love you, Lord Jesus; look down from the sky And stay by my cradle til morning
is nigh.
Be near me,
Lord Jesus; I ask you to stay Close by me forever and love me, I pray. Bless
all the dear children in your tender care And fit us
for heaven to live with you there.
Nicene
Creed
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being
with the Father; through him all things
were made. For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven; by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and
the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the
Son. With the Father and the Son he is
worshiped and glorified. He has spoken
through the prophets. We believe in one
holy catholic and apostolic Church. We
acknowledge one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Prayers of
the Church (Pastor & WA)
(P):
Walking in the light of the coming Savior, let us pray for the church, the
world, and all who await God’s justice. A brief silence.
(W): Holy God, you sent your Son, Jesus, to take on our human form and to live
among us as one of us in all our fragility. Let us clearly see in Jesus that
you are with us, Emmanuel, walking alongside us on this journey of life and
faith. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
(W): Loving God, you sent angels to bring good news of great joy to all people.
On this holy night, fill us with your Holy Spirit, that would know true joy and
that your peace would fill our hearts. Help the world to remember that Christ’s
birthday has a deeper meaning than just presents and decorations. It was a
moment in history when everything changed for the better. Lord in your
mercy, hear our prayer.
(W): Heavenly Father, you have put us in families so that we would have love,
companionship, and be nurtured in many ways. Bring peace to families that are
separated, by distance or by strife. Help us to practice forgiveness and mercy
toward one another, in this season and always. Lord in your mercy. Hear our
prayer. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
(W): God of life, pour out your
healing power on those who are dealing with broken hearts this day. Give them
strength to embrace each day, knowing that you are with them. Bring your
healing to those who are suffering from illness. May they know your abiding
presence and put their complete trust in your never-failing promises for new
life. Lord in your
mercy, hear our prayer.
(P):
Rejoicing in your glory revealed to the world, we offer these and all our
prayers to you, O God of our salvation, through Christ our light. Amen.
The
Lord’s Prayer
Let
us pray the prayer our Savior taught us…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 trespasses, as we
forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation but
deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,
forever and ever. Amen.
Sending Prayer (Worship
Assistant)
Let us Pray...Almighty
God, you gave your Son both as a
sacrifice for sin and a model of the
godly life. Enable us to receive him always
with thanksgiving and to conform our lives to
his; through
the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Benediction (Pastor)
May the
God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may
abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Dismissal (Worship
Assistant)
Go in peace.
Serve the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Sending Carol: “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” LBW # 60 vs. 1-2
Hark! The herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn
king; peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled.” Joyful, all you nations rise; join the triumph of the skies; with
angelic hosts proclaim, “Christ is born in Bethlehem!” (Refrain)
(Refrain): Hark! The
herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn king!”
Christ, by highest heav'n
adored, Christ, the everlasting Lord, Late in time
behold him come, Offspring of a virgin's womb. Veiled in flesh the Godhead see!
Hail, incarnate deity! Pleased as man with us to dwell, Jesus, our Emmanuel! (Refrain)
Postlude Voluntary
on “Antioch”
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Helping with the Children’s Service
Pastor John, Kathy Duvall, Mark Hurley,
and the Kulczycki
Grandchildren
Blessed Christmas and Happy New Year to All!
From Pastor John, His Family, and the Church Staff!