FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
SERVICE OF NINE LESSONS AND CAROLS
FOURTH SUNDAY IN ADVENT
DECEMBER 18, 2005
GATHERING MUSIC
Brass Ensemble
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS Rev.
Steven A. Peay, Ph.D.
COMMISSIONING OF MAZAHUA MISSIONARIES 8:45
THE PRELUDE Bring
a Torch, Jeannette, Isabella Uehlein
THE LIGHTING OF THE
ADVENT WREATH
8:45 The Anheuser Family 11:00 The Snell Family
He came down that we may
have love; he came down that we may have love;
He came down that we may
have love; Hallelujah evermore.
CHIMES AND TOWER
BELLS
PROCESSIONAL Once
in Royal David’s City
*BIDDING PRAYER/LORD’S
PRAYER/BLESSING
*HYMN 111 Of
the Father’s Love Begotten
Of the Father’s love begotten, Ere the worlds
began to be,
He is Alpha and Omega, He the source, the ending
he;
Of the things that are, that have been, And that
Future years shall see, Ever more and ever more!
O ye heights of heaven adore him; Angel hosts, his
praises sing;
Powers, dominions, bow before him, And extol our
God and King;
Let no tongue on earth be silent, Every voice in
concert ring,
Ever more and ever more!
Christ, to thee with God the Father, And, O Holy
Ghost, to thee,
Hymn and chant and high thanksgiving, And
unwearied praises be:
Honor, glory and dominion, And eternal victory,
Ever more and ever more!
THE FIRST LESSON Max
Schaeffer
God announces in the
Garden of Eden that the seed of woman shall bruise the serpent’s head.
Genesis iii
And they heard the voice
of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day:
and Adam and his wife hid
themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.
And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he
said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked;
and
hid myself. And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of
the tree whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? And the man
said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I
did eat. And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast
done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. And the Lord
God said unto the serpent, Because thou has done this, thou art cursed above
all cattle and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go,
and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: and I will put enmity between
thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy
head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Thanks
be to God.
*HYMN 118 Break
Forth, O Beauteous Heavenly Light
Break forth, O beauteous heavenly light, And usher
in the morning;
Ye shepherds, shrink not with affright, But hear
the angel’s warning.
This child, now weak in infancy, Our confidence
and joy shall be,
The power of Satan breaking, Our peace eternal
making.
THE SECOND LESSON 8:45 Cynthia Payette 11:00 Susan Sappington
God
promises to faithful Abraham that in his seed shall the nations of the earth be
blessed.
Genesis
xxii
And
the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, and
said,
By
myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and
hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: that in blessing I will bless thee,
and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as
the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of
his enemies; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;
because thou hast obeyed my voice. Thanks
be to God.
HYMN 110 O
Come, O Come, Emmanuel (verses 1
and 4)
O come, O come, Emmanuel, And ransom captive
Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here, Until the Son of
God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O
Israel!
O come, Desire of nations, bind All peoples in one
heart and mind;
Bid envy, strife and quarrels cease; Fill the
whole world with heaven’s peace.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O
Israel! Amen.
THE THIRD LESSON 8:45 Karen Kerin 11:00 George Wells
Christ’s
birth and kingdom are foretold by Isaiah.
Isaiah
ix
The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they
that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall
be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the
mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his
government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon
his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice
from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. Thanks be
to God.
HYMN 131 Lo,
How a Rose E’er Blooming
Lo, how a Rose e’er blooming From
tender stem hath sprung!
Of Jesse’s lineage coming As men of
old have sung.
It came, a floweret 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 to
men a Savior,
When half spent was the night.
THE FOURTH LESSON R.
Duane Coates
The peace
that Christ will bring is foreshown.
Isaiah xi
And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a
branch shall grow out of his roots: and the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon
him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord; and shall make him of
quick understanding in the fear of the Lord. With righteousness shall he judge
the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth. The wolf also
shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the
calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead
them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down
together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall
play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the
cockatrice’ den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for
the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the
sea. Thanks
be to God.
*HYMN 134 O
Little Town of Bethlehem
O little town of Bethlehem, How still
we see thee lie!
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep The
silent starts go by;
Yet in thy dark streets shineth The
everlasting Light;
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight.
For Christ is born of Mary, And
gathered all above,
While mortals sleep, the angels keep
Their watch of wondering love.
O morning stars, together Proclaim the
holy birth!
And praises sing to God the King, And
peace to men on earth.
How silently, how silently, The
wondrous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts The
blessings of his heaven.
No ear may hear his coming, but in
this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive him,
still The dear Christ enters in.
O holy Child of Bethlehem! Descend to
us, we pray;
Cast out our sin and enter in; Be born
in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels The great
glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us, Our Lord
Emmanuel! Amen.
THE FIFTH LESSON Rev.
Carrie Kreps Wegenast
St. Luke i
And
in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee,
named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the
house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her,
and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee; blessed
art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and
cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said
unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold,
thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name
JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the
Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: and he shall reign
over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Then
said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the
angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the
power of the highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing
which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And Mary said,
Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.
And
the angel departed from her. Thanks
be to God.
ANTHEM Magnificat Vaughan
Williams
My soul doth
magnify the Lord; And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
For he hath
regarded the lowliness of his handmaiden.
For behold,
from henceforth: all generations shall call me blessed.
For he that
is mighty hath magnified me; and holy is his name.
And his mercy
is on them that fear him: throughout all generations.
He hath
showed strength with his arm;
he hath
scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He hath put
down the mighty from their seat: and exalted the humble and meek.
He hath
filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.
He remb'ring
his mercy hath holpen his servant Israel,
as he
promised to our forefathers, Abraham and his seed for ever.
Glory be to
the Father, and to the Son: and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in
the beginning, is now, and shall be; world without end. Amen.
THE SIXTH LESSON 8:45 Gary Back 11:00 Marilyn Auer
St. Matthew tells of the birth of Jesus.
St. Matthew I
Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise:
When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she
was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just
man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away
privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord
appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take
unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy
Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for
he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might
be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a
virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call
his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
Thanks be to God.
ANTHEM Sir
Christemas Mathias
Nowell,
nowell, Who is there
that singeth so,
Nowell,
nowell. I am here,
Sir Christemas,
Welcome, my
lord Sir Christemas! Welcome to all, both more and less, come near.
Nowell,
nowell. Dieu vous garde, beaux sieurs, tidings I you bring:
A maid hath
borne a child full young, which causeth you to sing:
Nowell,
nowell. Christ is now
born of a pure maid,
In an oxstall
he is laid, Wherefore sing we at a brayde: Nowell, nowell.
Buvez
bien, buvez bien
par toute la compagnie. Make good cheer and be right merry,
And sing with
us now joyfully: Nowell!
THE
SEVENTH LESSON Julie
Peay
The shepherds go to the manger.
St.
Luke ii
And there were in the same country shepherds
abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel
of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them:
and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold,
I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto
you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling
clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude
of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and
on earth peace, good will toward men. And it came to pass, as the angels were
gone away from them in heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go
even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord
hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph,
and the babe lying in a manger. Thanks
be to God.
ANTHEM Lullay
My Liking Holst
Lullay my
liking, my dear Son, my Sweeting;
Lullay, my
dear Heart, mine own dear Darling.
I saw a fair
maiden sitten and sing:
She lulled a
little child, A sweete Lording
Lullay my
liking . . .
That Eternal
Lord is He That made alle thing;
Of alle
Lordes He is Lord, Of every King He's King.
Lullay my
liking . . .
There was
mickle melody At that childes birth:
Though the
songsters were heavenly They made mickle mirth.
Lullay my
liking . . .
Angels bright
they sang that night And saiden to that Child
"Blessed
be Thou and so be she That is so meek and mild."
Lullay my
liking . . .
Pray we now
to that child, As to His Mother dear,
God grant
them all His blessing That now maken cheer.
Lullay my
liking . .
THE
EIGHTH LESSON Rev.
Samuel R. Schaal
The wise men are led by the star to Jesus.
St.
Mathew ii
Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in
the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to
Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen
his star in the east, and are come to worship him. When Herod the king had
heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he
had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he
demanded of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In
Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem
in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of
thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. Then Herod, when
he has privily called the wise men, inquired of them diligently what time the
star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search
diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word
again, that I may come and worship him also. When they had heard the king, they
departed: and lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till
it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they
rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they
saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him:
and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts, gold
and frankincense, and myrrh. Thanks
be to God.
*HYMN 119 As
With Gladness Men of Old
As with gladness men of old Did the guiding star behold;
As with joy they hailed its light, Leading onward, beaming bright;
So, most gracious Lord, may we Evermore be led to thee.
As with joyful steps they sped To that lowly manger bed,
There to bend the knee before Him whom heaven and earth adore;
So may we with willing feet Ever seek thy mercy seat.
As they offered gifts most rare, At the manger rude and bare,
So may we with holy joy, Pure and free from sin’s alloy,
All our costliest treasures bring, Christ, to thee, our heavenly
King.
Holy Jesus, every day Keep us in the narrow way;
And, when earthly things are past, Bring our ransomed souls at
last
Where they need no star to guide, Where no clouds thy glory
hide. Amen.
THE
NINTH LESSON Dr.
Peay
St. John unfolds the great mystery of the
Incarnation.
St.
John I
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was
with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All
things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.
In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in
darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent from God,
whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the light,
that all men through him might believe. He was not that light, but was sent to
bear witness of that light. That was the true light, which lighteth every man
that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him
and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God,
even to them that believe in his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of
the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was
made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the
only-begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth. Thanks
be to God.
ANTHEM A
Babe Is Born Mathias
A babe is
born all of a may,
To bring
salvation unto us.
To him we
sing both night and day.
Veni
Creator Spiritus.
At Bethlehem,
that blessed place,
The child of
bliss now born he was;
And him to
serve God give us grace,
O lux
beata Trinitas.
There came
three kings out of the East,
To worship
the King that is so free,
With gold and
myrrh and frankincense,
A solis
ortus cardine.
The angels
came down with one cry,
A fair song
that night sung they
In worship of
that child:
Gloria
tibi Domine.
A babe is
born all of a may,
To bring
salvation unto us.
To him we
sing both night and day.
Veni
Creator Spiritus. Noel!
THE COLLECT
*THE
BENEDICTION
*HYMN 120 Hark!
The Herald Angels Sing
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 host proclaim, “Christ is born in
Bethlehem!”
Refrain:
Hark! The herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn
King!”
Christ, by highest heaven adored; Christ the everlasting
Lord!
Late in time behold him come, Offspring of the Virgin’s
womb.
Veiled in flesh the God-head see; Hail the incarnate
Deity.
Pleased as man with men to dwell, Jesus, our Emmanuel.
Hail the heaven-born Prince of peace! Hail the Sun 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.
POSTLUDE Let
All Together Praise Our God Bach
*The
congregation is invited to stand.
and through the generous donations
of members in honor of or in memory of loved ones.
At 8:45, children should report
directly to their classrooms.
At 11:00, there will be nursery care
only.
Have a safe and blessed Christmas!
Join us on Christmas Eve for Worship.
4:00 p.m.
Family Service
Presented by the Junior and Senior High Pilgrim
Fellowship Students
7:00 p.m.
Communion Candlelight Service
and
11:00 p.m.
Candlelight Service
Rev. Peay is preaching at both services: “Once
upon a time in Bethlehem…”
|
Worship Preview for Sunday, December 25,
10:00 A.M. Rev. Peay will present the message entitled,
“Sing we now of Christmas!” Lee Jacobi will direct the Pilgrim Choir. Betty Dethmers is the organist. There is no Sunday School or nursery care. Children are invited to worship with their
family. |
FOR THE ADVENT SEASON
Donations to the
Christmas Decorations were made by—in honor of:
Phil and Anne Callen—Erin
and Bryn Callen
Cindy Payette—Hailey and
Madeline Sgarlata
George and Sally
Wells—Merrick II and Noah Wells
Donations to the
Christmas Decorations were made by—in memory of:
Eugenia T.
Jacobus—Charles D. Jacobus
Susan Rondeau—Helen
Weidenkopf and Carrie Rondeau
Mary Beth
Stevenson—Grandparents: John and Naomi Ross
Donations were also
received from:
Carol Buran
Jim and Sharon Petrie
CALENDAR
SUNDAY,
December 18
7:45
a.m.
Lectionary Bible Study-Library
8:45 a.m. Worship/Lessons and Carols/Sunday
School/Commission Mission Mazahua Team
10:00 a.m. Coffee Hour-SH, Sunday Symposium-Lounge, Jr. Choir
rehearsal-LL5
11:00 a.m. Worship/Lessons and Carols/Nursery only
4:00 p.m. “Blue” Christmas-Chapel
4:30 p.m. Jr. PF-302
6:30 p.m. @O’Meara’s-Sr. PF
7:00
p.m.
Bd/Fellowship-Library
8:00
p.m. AA-LL5
9:00
a.m. Retired
Men’s Club-SH
7:00
p.m. Church
Council-Lounge, Boy Scouts-LL5, Tosa Quilters-SH
9:00
a.m. Chapel
Devotions
9:30
a.m. Prayer
& Pilates-Lounge
6:00
p.m. Debtors
Anonymous-LL5
9:00
a.m. Big
Band-SH
6:00
p.m. College
Reunion Pizza Supper-Lounge
6:45
p.m. Pilgrim
Choir-LL1
7:55
p.m. Chancel
Choir-LL1
No church
events scheduled
12:00 p.m. Christmas Play rehearsal-Nave
4:00 p.m. Christmas Play & Family Service
7:00 p.m. Candlelight Communion Service
11:00 p.m. Candlelight Service
Welcome
to all visitors joining
us today. Please check the welcome tables in the atrium for information about
our church.
For those who wear a hearing
aid, our Nave is
equipped with an FM loop system. Simply set your hearing aid to the “T”
setting. In addition to the loop system, there is a
new hearing assistance system, which can amplify the
worship service with the use of a receiver and headset. The headset is not
usable with a hearing aid. Please ask for the receiver/headset at the church
office.
SERVING
December 18, 2005
Head
Greeters: Marilyn
Auer, David Moore
Head
Ushers: Sue
Melby, John O’Meara
Ushers: 8:45 a.m. Charlie Wakefield-Captain, Merrill York, Doug
Jacobson, Dick Clark and Stew Davis
Ushers: 11:00 a.m. Don Hensch-Captain, John O’Meara, Lyle Dobberke,
David Moore and Tom Winkel
Greeters:
8:45 a.m. Tom,
Sally, Scott & Susan Rondeau
Greeters: 11:00 a.m. Neal, Char & Mary Lou
Schowalter
Acolytes: 8:45 a.m. Madeline Cummings, Kurt Bokern
Acolyte: 11:00 a.m.
Today, join us at 10 a.m. in
Friendship Lounge for Sunday Symposium, as Dan Schowalter & friends lead us in Reflections
on the Season.
Everyone is invited to bring along a brief Christmas memory or story to share
with the group. There will be no Sunday Symposium on December 25.
If you struggle with past grief,
loss, or any feeling of being “blue” at Christmas, then join us today at 4 p.m. in
the Chapel. We will gather to
honor how we sometimes feel at the holidays, in the hope of leaving more
renewed and sustained during what is for some a difficult season.
The Retired Men’s Club of
Wauwatosa will
meet at 9 a.m. in the Social Hall on Tuesday, December 20. Following the
meeting, at 10 a.m. in the Nave, Wendy Traeger directs the Wauwatosa East High
School Choir. Guests are invited to attend this concert.
Attention College Students! Gather at church for a college
reunion pizza supper on December 22 at 6 p.m. RSVP to Carrie at 414-258-7375.
Even if you haven’t called ahead, we’d still like to see you. Catch up with
your old friends!
Christmas Eve Services, Saturday, December 24. There
will be three services: 4 p.m. Family Service; 7 p.m. Candlelight and Communion
Service; and 11 p.m. Candlelight Worship service.
On Christmas Day and New Year’s
Day there will be
only one service at 10 a.m. There will be no Sunday School or nursery
care. Children are welcome to join their families in worship.
Thank you for your generous
contributions given this year. Contributions
for the year 2005
must be in the office no later than noon on Friday, December 30 in order
to be included in your year-end statement to be mailed in early January.
Sunday School students are
collecting hats, scarves and mittens for the Hosea Outreach Project at Pilgrim
Congregational. The Mitten Tree is located near the 1st floor elevator.
A Chili Cook-off will be held during the January
All-Church Dinner on Wednesday, January 11 at 6 p.m. in the Social Hall. Submit
a pot of your favorite chili. We’ll have a salad bar and ice cream for dessert.
Children will enjoy hot dogs. Please sign up by Sunday, January 8 at
noon. Adults/$5; children under 12/$2.