Everything you need for Christmas Eve online worship 2021.
Preparations for Worship:
- Do your best to eliminate distractions like the phone, TV, etc.
- Worship actively! Whether you are by yourself or with others, try reading the parts of the service aloud (responses, lessons, and prayers).
- This service is for children too. Help them participate. Ask those who have that ability to read a prayer or lesson aloud. Take a moment to describe what’s happening. Ask questions. Encourage little ones to draw what they are hearing while you all listen. Unlike our more typical Sunday worship at church, you can pause at any time for questions and discussion.
- Before you begin, load each of the videos below. (You might first have to get past a distracting ad.)
- Pause for a moment of quiet meditation. Then pray:
“Heavenly Father, I have come to worship you. Draw near to me in your gracious Word, and assure me of your loving kindness. Curb my wandering thoughts, that with undivided attention I may hear your voice and speak your praise. Through Jesus Christ. Amen.”
CALL TO WORSHIP
Pastor: Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord, let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
Congregation: O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth. You have set your glory above the Heavens.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords, to him who alone does great wonders, who by his understanding made the heavens, who spread out the earth upon the waters, who made the great lights – the sun, to govern the day, the moon and stars to govern the night.
Great is the Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.
But our iniquities have separated us from our God; our sins have hidden his face from us, so that he will not hear. We look for light, but all is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows. We look for deliverance, but it is far away.
For our offenses are many in his sight, and our sins testify against us. Our offenses are ever with us, and we acknowledge our sins.
The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.
From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised.
“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord our Righteousness.”
Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.
Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.
Let the name of the Lord be praised forever and ever. Alleluia!
Dear friends, let us approach God with a true heart and confess our sins, asking him in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to forgive us.
Lord of life, I confess that I am by nature dead in sin.
For faithless worrying and selfish pride,
For sins of habit and sins of choice,
for the evil I have done and the good I have failed to do,
You should cast me away from your presence forever.
O Lord, I am sorry for my sins. Forgive me, for Jesus’ sake.
Glory to God in the highest!
In love that astounds us, the eternal God sent his one and only Son to live among us, to obey as we could not, and to suffer what we deserved.
In Christ there is indeed peace on earth In him God extends his good will to all people. He was born to save us.
Because of Christ and by his authority, I say to you what God himself says:
In Christ your sins are forgiven!
Glory to God in the highest! Amen.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Almighty God, you made this holy night shine with the brightness of the true light. Grant that as we have known on earth the wonder of that light, we may also behold him in all glory in the life to come; through your only Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
LESSON – ISAIAH 9:2-7
2The people walking in darkness have seen a great light. On those living in the land of the shadow of death, the light has dawned. 3You have multiplied the nation. You have increased its joy. They rejoice before you like the joy at harvest, like the celebration when people divide the plunder. 4 For you have broken the yoke that burdened him, the bar on his shoulder, and the rod of his oppressor, as you did in the day of Midian. 5For every boot that marched in battle and the garments rolled in blood will be burned, fuel for the fire. 6For to us a child is born. To us a son is given. The authority to rule will rest on his shoulders. His name will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7There will be no limit to his authority and no end to his peace. He will rule on David’s throne and over his kingdom to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from now on and forever. The zeal of the Lord of Armies will accomplish this.
LESSON – 1 JOHN 4:9-14
9This is how God’s love for us was revealed: God has sent his only-begotten Son into the world so that we may live through him. 10This is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11Dear friends, if God loved us so much, we also should love one another. 12No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God remains in us and his love has been brought to its goal in us. 13This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. 14We have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.
DEVOTION – LUKE 2:1-20
OFFERING
Offerings may be given on-line at tithe.ly/risensavior, mailed to the church, or dropped off at the church.
Our members have joined together in faith and love to do the Lord’s work in this community and around the world. Guests need not feel obligated to participate in this offering which supports our ministry.
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH
Holy and gracious Lord, Your Son became flesh with heart and hands to bear our sins to the cross, that our hearts might be pure and our hands clean before You.
As we give thanks for Your Son’s incarnation, strengthen our faith with the remembrance that He is born to save us by His life, death and resurrection.
Heavenly Father, by the gift of Your Holy Spirit we testify that Your Son is the Savior of the world. Pour out Your Spirit continually upon Your people.
Bless pastors as they proclaim Jesus who became flesh to save us by dying and rising again, and open our mouths to praise the name of the One born in Bethlehem.
God of comfort, You sent an angel to reveal to Joseph that the Child in Mary’s womb was Your own, preserving their marriage and family. Preserve our homes also by Your Holy Word.
Fill them with Your grace, that husbands and wives, parents and children may live in peace and love with one another.
Almighty God, the One born in Bethlehem is Son of David and Lord of David, to whom every knee shall bow.
Look upon all those whom You have placed in authority, and grant that they might govern in the wisdom, justice and mercy of the Christ who came to save.
Holy God, in the manger, despite appearances, we find Immanuel, “God with us,” to deliver us from sin. We give thanks for those gathered here in anticipation and celebration of the Christ child. We thank you, Lord God, that you moved in the hearts of many an opportunity for us to share the good news of a Savior born.
Open our eyes more and more by faith to find this same Savior with us in Word and Sacrament for the forgiveness of our sins.
We give thanks to You, O Lord, for the saints who received Your blessing of righteousness in Christ and now stand in the most holy place before Your throne in heaven.
Preserve us by Your grace in the holiness of Christ so that we, too, might dwell in Your light and life for eternity.
Almighty Father, You have given Your Son, born of Mary, to be the Savior of the world. Send Your Spirit and abide with us, that we might confess that Jesus is the Savior of the world and abide in Your love until He comes again in glory.
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.
THE LORD’S BLESSINGS
The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you.
The Lord look on you with favor and give you peace.
Glory to God in the highest. Amen!