The traditional Christian church calendar comprises seasons with the season of Christmas following the Advent season. Christmas is a short twelve days dedicated to celebrating the birth of the human who taught the essence of the relationship between humans and their relationship to God. He lived modeling those relationships.
Brief Order For Confession and Forgiveness
Music to accompany this worship is on Spotify at:
Entrance Hymn
Praise To The Lord
Kyrie
Hymn of Praise
Prayer of the Day
O Lord God, you know that we cannot place our trust in our own powers. As you protected the infant Jesus, so defend us and all the needy from harm and adversity, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
The First Lesson
Isaiah 63:7-9
7. I will recount the gracious deeds of the LORD, the praiseworthy acts of the LORD, because of all that the LORD has done for us, and the great favor to the house of Israel that he has shown them according to his mercy, according to the abundance of his steadfast love.
8. For he said, “Surely they are my people, children who will not deal falsely”; and he became their savior
9. in all their distress. It was no messenger or angel but his presence that saved them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.
Psalm
Psalm 148 (13)
1. Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens; praise him in the heights!
2. Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his host!
3. Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars!
4. Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens!
5. Let them praise the name of the LORD, for he commanded and they were created.
6. He established them forever and ever; he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed.
7. Praise the LORD from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps,
8. fire and hail, snow and frost, stormy wind fulfilling his command!
9. Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars!
10. Wild animals and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds!
11. Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth!
12. Young men and women alike, old and young together!
13. Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his glory is above earth and heaven.
14. He has raised up a horn for his people, praise for all his faithful, for the people of Israel who are close to him. Praise the LORD!
The Second Lesson
Hebrews 2:10-18
10. It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
11. For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. For this reason Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters,
12. saying, “I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters, in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.”
13. And again, “I will put my trust in him.” And again, “Here am I and the children whom God has given me.”
14. Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil,
15. and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death.
16. For it is clear that he did not come to help angels, but the descendants of Abraham.
17. Therefore he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people.
18. Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.
The Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia. Let the peace of Christ rule | in your hearts,
and let the word of Christ dwell | in you richly. Alleluia. (Col. 3:15, 16)
The Gospel
Matthew 2:13-23
13. Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.”
14. Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt,
15. and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, “Out of Egypt I have called my son.”
16. When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men.
17. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:
18. “A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they are no more.”
19. When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said,
20. “Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child’s life are dead.”
21. Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel.
22. But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee.
23. There he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, “He will be called a Nazorean.”
The Sermon
Jesus’ life began escaping persecution to a foreign country. A lesson for today?
The Hymn of the Day
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
The Creed
The Peace
The Prayers
The Offering
Communion
The Lord’s Prayer
Communion Hymns
Abba! Father
Communal Blessing
Dismissal
The Bible readings are from the New Revised Standard Version. I wish to thank the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, ELCA, and its predecessor bodies for all their teaching throughout the years. I’ve used the Lectionary published on the ELCA website at elca.org in preparation of this worship.