First Sunday after Christmas
Minister: Rev. Russell McLarty
Organist: Iain Mackinnon
Opening Voluntary
Jesu joy of man’s desiring JS Bach (1685-1750)
Welcome & Intimations
Call to Worship
Hymn 306 O come, all ye faithful
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.
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord.
2 God of God,
Light of light,
Lo! He abhors not the Virgin’s womb;
very God,
begotten not created;
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord.
3 Sing, choirs of angels,
sing in exultation,
sing, all ye citizens of heaven above,
‘Glory to God in the highest’:
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord.
4 Yea, Lord, we greet thee,
born for our salvation;
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.
Prayer of Approach, ending with Lord’s Prayer
Lighting the Christmas Day Candle
Hymn 282 Christmas is coming
ALL: ‘Christmas is coming!’,
the church is glad to sing,
and let the advent candles
brightly burn in a ring.
The first is for God’s promise
to put the wrong things right,
and bring to earth’s darkness
the hope of love and light.
The second for the prophets,
who said that Christ would come
with good news for many
and angry words for some.
The third is for the Baptist
who cried, ‘Prepare the way.
Be ready for Jesus
today and every day.’
The fourth is for the Virgin,
who mothered God’s own Son
and sang how God’s justice
was meant for everyone.
At last we light the candle
kept new for Christmas day.
This shines bright for Jesus,
new-born, and here to stay
ALL: ‘Christ is among us.
The candles in the ring
remind us that our Saviour
will light up everything.
Scripture Reading: Luke 2: 1-21 – Stewart Lowe
The birth of Jesus
2 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.
4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to 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. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying14 ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests.’
15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.
Hymn 320 Joy to the world
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 world, 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 He rules the world 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.
A Story for Christmas
Hymn 300 The Virgin Mary had a baby boy
1 The Virgin Mary had a baby boy,
the Virgin Mary had a baby boy,
the Virgin Mary had a baby boy,
and they say that his name is Jesus.
He come from the glory,
He come from the glorious kingdom.
He come from the glory,
He come from the glorious kingdom.
O yes, believer! O yes, believer!
He come from the glory,
He come from the glorious kingdom.
2 The angels sang when the baby was born,
the angels sang when the baby was born,
the angels sang when the baby was born
and they sang that his name is Jesus.
3 The shepherds came where the baby was born,
the shepherds came where the baby was born,
the shepherds came where the baby was born,
and they say that his name is Jesus
Doxology –spoken together
‘All glory be to God on high,
and to the earth be peace;
good will is shown from heaven above
and never more shall cease.’
Prayer of Dedication for the Offering
Prayers for the World
Hymn 301 Hark the Herald Angels
1 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 the angelic hosts proclaim,
‘Christ is born in Bethlehem’.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
‘Glory to the new-born King’.
2 Christ, by highest heaven adored,
Christ, the everlasting Lord,
late in time behold him come,
offspring of a virgin’s womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
hail the Incarnate Deity,
pleased as Man with man to dwell,
Jesus, our Immanuel!
3 Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings,
risen with healing in his wings.
Mild He lays His glory by,
born that man no more may die,
born to raise the sons of earth,
born to give them second birth:
Benediction
Threefold Amen
Closing Voluntary – And the Glory of the Lord – from the Messiah GF Handel (1685-1759)
Link to our live recording on facebook https://fb.watch/a886Lo55K4/
INTIMATIONS
Sunday Services – We welcome Rev Russell McLarty, our Interim Moderator, to take our service today, and we wish him well for his retirement.
Next Sunday, 2 January 2022, Rev Ron Smith, will lead our worship.
Christmas Appeal: This year’s Christmas Appeal is for the Fresh Start Cooker appeal. Donations will be collected till the end of December. There is a retiring offering today for the appeal.
Please use a Gift Aid envelope if you can give by Gift Aid. Cheques should be made payable to North Leith Parish Church. If you wish to use online banking please put ‘Christmas’ in the reference field.
Fresh Start is also currently looking for donations of curtains and small electrical items – kettles, toasters, irons and small table lamps.
Daily Prayer group: if you would like to join a local churches WhatsApp mobile phone group to receive a short daily prayer please speak to Annie or Anne.
A prayer from the Church of Scotland website:
Loving God,
we remember that from the very start,
the Good News of Jesus was not just for a select few,
but for all.
You were born and grew and lived on this earth.
Help us in the heights and depths of our lives,
to not only know where to look for You,
but to recognise You in our midst.
Help us to look into the difficult places of our lives,
and to know You present with us.
Help us to recognise You in all people,
welcoming, including and caring for all.
Help us to think and act beyond ourselves,
loving Your creation and making choices that are unselfish, generous
and compassionate toward all living things.
In our praying and singing,
speaking and listening,
giving and receiving,
may You be honoured and glorified,
and all people be dignified and acknowledged as Yours.
Amen
