THE FIRST CHURCH IN ALBANY
(Reformed Church in America)
Founded in 1642
Christmas Eve 2007
8:00 p.m.
Prelude: Baroque Christmas Selections
by Bach, Handel, Telemann, Purcell and Vivaldi
Carols from the British Isles, France, Germany and the Americas
The Lighting of the Sanctuary Candles
Carol during the lighting: Once in Royal David’s City Henry Gauntlet
Once in royal David’s city stood a lowly cattle shed,
Where a mother laid her baby in a manger for his bed.
Mary was that mother mild, Jesus Christ her little child.
He came down to earth from heaven, who is God and Lord of all,
And his shelter was a stable, and his cradle was a stall;
With the poor and meek and lowly lived on earth our Savior holy.
Gathering Song: Kindle a Flame
The Lighting of the Christ Candle
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.
Those who lived in a land of deep darkness,
on them light has shined.
For a child has been born for us, a son given to us;
authority rests upon his shoulders.
And he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
In him is life and the life is the light of all people.
The light shines in the darkness
and the darkness has not over come it.
From Isaiah 9:2, 6 and John 1: 4-5
Prayer
Good and gracious God, on this holy night you gave us your Son, the Lord of the universe, wrapped in swaddling clothes, the Savior of all lying in a manger. On this holy night, draw us into the mystery of your love. Join our voices with the heavenly choir that we may sing to your glory. Help us to find our place among the shepherds so that we, too, may welcome Christ in our hearts as Savior and Lord. Amen.
*Carol 195 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:
Refrain 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, in the highest!”
Refrain
Yea, Lord, we greet thee, born that happy morning;
Jesus, to thee be glory given;
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing:
Refrain
Greeting
Isaiah 9:2-7 The Prophet Isaiah Tells of the Coming Messiah
Carol for Violin and Cello
Isaiah 11:1-9 The Prophet Tells of the Peace that Christ Will Bring
*Carol 204 Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming ES IST EIN’ ROS’
Lo, how a rose e’er blooming from tender stem hath sprung,
Of Jesse’s lineage coming by faithful prophets sung;
It came a flow’ret bright, amid the cold of winter
When half spent was the night.
Isaiah ‘twas foretold it, the rose I have in mind;
With Mary we behold it, the virgin mother kind.
To show God’s love aright she bore for us a Savior
When half spent was the night.
O flow’r whose fragrance tender with sweetness fills the air,
Dispel in glorious splendor our darkness everywhere.
Human, yet very God, from sin and death now save us
And share our ev’ry load.
Luke 1:26-38 The Angel Gabriel Visits the Virgin Mary
Choir Carol Mary’s Salutation Johann Eccard
Mary arose and journeyed far, in haste to greet Elizabeth, whose babe did leap within her womb. The Holy Spirit gave her breath to hail the mother of the Lord. And Mary with joy then did sing,”My soul doth magnify the Lord, my spirit hath rejoiced in God, my savior, merciful to all who fear his holy name.” ...
Luke 2:1-7 Jesus Is Born at Bethlehem
*Carol 206 Angels We Have Heard on High (verses 1-3) gloria
Angels we have heard on high, singing sweetly through the night,
And the mountains in reply echoing their brave delight.
Refrain: Gloria, in excelsis Deo!
Gloria, in excelsis Deo!
Shepherds, why this jubilee? Why these songs of happy cheer?
What great brightness did you see? What glad tidings did you hear?
Refrain
Come to Bethlehem and see him whose birth the angels sing;
Come, adore on bended knee, Christ the Lord, the newborn King.
Refrain
Luke 2:8-20 The Birth Is Announced to Shepherds
Carol O Magnum Mysterium Morten Lauridsen
O great mystery and wonderful sacrament
That the animals should see the Lord born lying in a manger.
Blessed virgin whose womb was worthy to bear Lord Christ. Alleluia.
Matthew 2:1-11 A Star Leads the Wise Men to Jesus
Choir Carol The Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy
West Indian Spiritual arr. Walter Ehret
The Virgin Mary had a baby boy..., and they say that his name was Jesus.
Refrain: He come from the glory, he come from the glorious kingdom. Oh yes believer, He come from glorious Kingdom
The angels sang when the baby born....
And proclaim him the Savior Jesus. Refrain
The wise men saw when the baby born
The wise men saw where the baby born,
The wise men went where the baby born,
And they saw that his name was Jesus. Refrain
Sermon
Offertory: The Little Road to Bethlehem Michael Head
As I walked down the road at set of sun
The lambs were coming homewards one by one
I heard a sheepbell softly calling them
Along the little road to Bethlehem
Beside an open door as I drew nigh
I heard sweet Mary sing a lullaby
She sang about the lambs at close of day
And rocked her tiny King among the hay
Across the air the silver sheepbells rang
"The lambs are coming home," sweet Mary sang
"Your star of gold, your star of gold is shining in the sky
So sleep, my little King, go lullaby." As I walked down the road at set of sun...
*Carol 196 Hark the Herald Angels (verses 1 and 3) mendelssohn
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!”
Refrain Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King!”
Hail the heav’n-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings, ris’n 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.
Refrain
The Prayers of Intercession and the 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, for ever. Amen.
Carol 216 Silent Night (verses 1-3) 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 hosts 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.
John 1:1-5, 1-14 The Word Made Flesh
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.
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.
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,
We have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son,
full of grace and truth.
*Carol 198 Joy to the World! antioch
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 earth, the Savior reigns!
Let us our songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy, repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.
No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor 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.
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.
*Benediction
*Postlude: In Dulci Jubilo Johann Sebastian Bach
*Those who are able, please stand.
Welcome to the Festival of the Nativity at First Church. From the ministers and staff of First Church comes the fond hope that the celebration of the birth of Christ may be for you a time of reflection and renewal. May God grant you a joyous Christmas and a blessed New Year.
Everyone is invited to Wassail Hour downstairs in Zimmerman Hall following the service. The coordinators of this year’s Wassail Hour are: Jim Folts, Pat Marshall, Elizabeth Marshall, Joline Mondore.
Candle Lighters: Paige Allen, Spencer Allen, Stuart Allen, Anthony Ballou, Kenneth Ballou, Whitney Ballou, Colin Parmalee, Meredith Parmalee, Jabrone Nelson, E-Quasia McGhee, Charnelle Jones, Janelle Robinson, Daquail West, Kaila West, Zaquan West, Kate Wuerstlin, Matthew Ziman, Zachary Ziman.
Liturgist: The Rev. John Bowen; Preacher: The Rev. John D. Paarlberg; Readers: Kaila West, Marilyn Fink, Gerald Harrington, Mary Jane Wilkinson, Stephen Dorn.
Instrumentalists: Elizabeth Huntley, harp; Elizabeth Jones, violin; Jay Schulman, cello; Richard Albagli, timpani; Brent Wheat, Eric Latini, trumpets.
The Choir of First Church, Mary Bon, Organist/Choir Director. Sopranos: Amanda Bon-Keen, Ella Campbell, Cheryl Janice Gowie, Audrey Ming, Bette Jane Poulos, Jamee Robinson, Janelle Robinson, Lisa Westman. Altos: Marey Louise Bailey, Norma Jean Ballou, E. Helen Gardner, Becki Hudak, Marilyn Paarlberg, Harriet Stockhoff. Tenors: David Bon-Keen, Paul Coffey, William Staats. Baritones: David Bradley, Ian Leet, Cliff Lamere, Wayne Sivaslian, Peter Subers.
You can listen to tonight’s worship service and past worship services on the web at www.firstchurchinalbany.
Do you have a family heirloom bell? An old cow bell? A simple hanging-around-the-house bell? Bring your bells to morning worship next Sunday, December 30th. Come to experience the wonder, joy and love of the Christmas season and celebrate that joy by ringing those bells. If you have a bell to share, bring it! We’ll have some extra bells if you can’t bring a bell of your own.
CDs of our Pipe Organ with Mary Bon, organist, are here! Pick up a CD at the Hospitality Table. The CDs include many favorites such as the Widor Toccata, Barber Adagio for Strings, and The Bach St. Anne Fugue. All proceeds from the sales will be split between the First Church Music Fund (to give our pipe organ some much needed repairs) and OIKOCREDIT, a worldwide non-profit organization, which promotes global justice by providing low-cost, microcredit loans to disadvantaged people around the world. CDs are $10. Make you checks payable to: First Church in Albany, marked “organ CD” and leave it in Mary Bon’s box in the work room, or mail it to the church office.
The Christmas Eve offering has been designated for Bibles for the Roma people and for the construction of a prayer cabin at Fowler Camp and Retreat Center.
The Roma (gypsy) population is the largest ethnic minority in Central and Eastern Europe and Roma are among the poorest people on earth. Isolated from the larger society, most do not know how to read or write. In some regions their rate of unemployment reaches 99 percent. Theirs is a society in which the children grow up with little hope.
Dick and Carolyn Otterness are RCA missionaries to the Roma in Hungary and are supported, in part, by the First Church in Albany. They are working with the Hungarian Reformed Church to get Bibles into the homes (and hearts) of the Roma people. A special Roma translation of the Bible has been created for the Year of the Bible in Hungary. Each Bible costs $8, and the goal is to distribute 6,000 Bibles. Our gifts will supply Roma Bibles to help children and their parents learn of God's love for them.
The congregation of First Church in Albany has promised to contribute at least $21,000 toward the construction of a prayer cabin at Fowler Camp and Retreat Center and we are well on our way to fulfilling that promise. The cabin will house summer volunteers and serve as retreat space for individuals and small groups in other seasons. The cabin is simple and restful, designed to give guests the time and space for reading, reflection, silence, and prayer. It will be a place for people to draw near to the God who has come to be with us.
This Christmas season, may we welcome anew the child in the manger with our songs and our prayers, our worship and our gifts. Through our gifts others, too, will come to know and love God.