Sunday, July 25
“Christmas on the Green,” Order of Worship, 7/25/2021
gathering music
welcome
opening prayer
carol NCH 131, “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear,” v. 1-3
readings Ephesians 3:14-21John 6:1-21
carols NCH 126, “Angels from the Realms of Glory,” v. 1, 4 NCH 144, “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” v. 2-3
meditation
carols NCH 133, “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” v. 3-4 NCH 148, “What Child is This,” v. 2-3
“God, Faith, and the Pandemic” – Stephanie Vrabec
Prayers of the People The Lord’s Prayer
carol NCH 154, “Go Tell It on the Mountain”
community notes
carol NCH 132, “Joy to the World”
benediction
carol NCH 134, “Silent Night, Holy Night” v. 1, 3
sending music
Carol Lyrics:
NCH 131: “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear,” v. 1-3. Text: Edmund H. Sears, 1849, alt; Tune: “Carol,” Richard S. Willis, 1850.
v. 1: I came upon the midnight clear, that glorious song of old, from angels bending near the earth to touch their harps of gold; “Peace on the earth, goodwill to all, great news of joy we bring.” The world in solemn stillness lay to hear the angels sing.
v. 2: Still through the cloven skies they come, with peaceful wings unfurled, and still their heavenly music floats o’er all the weary world; above its sad and lowly plains they bend on hovering wing, and ever o’er its Babel sounds the blessed angels sing.
v. 3: And you, beneath life’s crushing load, whose forms are bending low, who toil along the climbing way, with painful steps and slow, look now, for glad and golden hours come swiftly on the wing; O rest beside the weary road, and hear the angels sing!
NCH 126: “Angels from the Realms of Glory,” v. 1, 4. Text: James Montgomery, 1816, alt; Tune: “Regent Square,” Henry T. Smart, 1867.
v. 1: Angels from the realms of glory, wing your flight o’er all the earth; as you sang creation’s story, now proclaim Messiah’s birth: Come and worship, come and worship, worship Christ, give thanks and sing.
v. 4: Saints, before the altar bending, watching long in hope and fear, suddenly, your prayers attending, Christ beside you shall appear. Come and worship, come and worship, worship Christ, give thanks and sing.
NCH 144: “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” v. 2-3. Text: Charles Wesley, 1739, alt; Tune: “Mendelssohn,” Felix Mendelssohn, 1840, Arr. William H. Cummings, 1855.
v. 2: Christ, by highest heaven adored, Christ the everlasting Lord! Late in time the Savior comes, offspring of the Virgin’s womb. Veiled in flesh, the God-head see; hail the incarnate Deity, pleased on earth with us to dwell, Jesus, our Emmanuel. Hark! The herald angels sing, “Glory to the Christ-child bring!”
v. 3: Hail the Bearer of God’s peace! Hail the Sun of righteousness, light and life our Savior brings, risen with radiant, healing wings. Mildly laying glory by, born that we no more may die, born to raise us all from earth, born to give us second birth. Hark! The herald angels sing, “Glory to the Christ-child bring!”
NCH 133: “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” v. 3-4. Text: Phillips Brooks, 1868, alt; Tune: “St. Louis,” Lewis H. Redner, 1868.
v. 3: How silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is given! So God imparts to human hearts the glorious love of heaven. No one discerns God’s coming, but in this world of sin, where yearning souls long to be whole, the dear Christ enters in.
v. 4: 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.
NCH 148: “What Child is This,” v. 2-3. Text: William C. Dix, 1865, alt; Tune: “Greensleeves,” Trad. English melody, 16th cent.
v. 2: Why lies the Child in manger bare where ox and ass are feeding? Give heed, draw near; for sinners here the silent Word is pleading. Nails, spear shall pierce him through, the cross be borne for me, for you; hail, hail the Word made flesh, the babe, the child of Mary!
v. 3: Bring gifts of incense, gold, and myrrh; come, join in jubilation; the Holy Child, though meek and mild, has come with God’s salvation. Raise, raise the song on high, the mother sings her lullaby; joy, joy, for Christ is born, the babe, the child of Mary!
NCH 154: “Go Tell It on the Mountain,” Text and Tune: African-American spiritual; Arr. John Welsey Work II, 1907; Adapt. Joyce Finch Johnson, 1992.
Refrain: Go tell it on the mountain, over the hill and everywhere. Go tell it on the mountain, that Jesus Christ is born!
v. 1: While shepherds kept their watching o’er silent flocks by night, behold throughout the heavens there shone a holy light.
Refrainv. 2: The shepherds feared and trembled when lo! above the earth rang out the angel chorus that hailed our Savior’s birth.
Refrainv. 3: Down in a lowly manger the humble Christ was born, and God sent us salvation that blessed Christmas morn.
Refrain
NCH 132: “Joy to the World,” Text: Issac Watts, 1719, alt; Tune: “Antioch,” Lowell Mason, 1836.
v. 1: Joy to the world! the Lord is come: let earth its praises bring; let every heart prepare Christ room, and heaven and nature sing, and heaven and nature sing, and heaven, and heaven and nature sing.
v. 2: Joy to the earth! the Savior 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.
v. 3: Christ rules the world with truth and grace, and makes the nations prove the glories of God’s righteousness and wonders of God’s love, and wonders of God’s love, and wonders, wonders of God’s love.
NCH 134: “Silent Night, Holy Night” v. 1, 3. Text: Jospeh Mohr, 1818, Trans. John F. Young, c. 1863, alt; Tune: “Stille Nacht,” Franz Gruber, 1818.
v. 1: 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.
v. 3: Silent night, holy night, Child of God, love’s pure light, radiant beams from your holy face bring the dawn of redeeming grace; Jesus Christ at your birth, Jesus Christ at your birth.