Second Sunday of Christmas Worship Service| 1-5-25

January 5, 2025 Christmas

+ Gathering +

OPENING SONG: “ANGELS WE HAVE HEARD ON HIGH” Green #71

THE OPENING RITE AND PRAYER OF THE DAY: Pastor Neil

L Light looked down and saw darkness.

C “I will go there,” said LIGHT.

L Peace looked down and saw war.

C “I will go there,” said PEACE.

L Love looked down and saw hatred.

C “I will go there,” said LOVE.

L God looked down and saw our world.

C “I will go there,” said GOD.

L And so it is that HE,

the Lord of Light, the Prince of Peace, the King of Love, the Son of God,

came down on a cold winter’s night in the dark shadows of a barn

and crept in beside us…

C tiny and frail,

wet and whimpering,

the Word made flesh,

among us and one of us,

JESUS CHRIST!

L Once more we celebrate the miracle of Jesus’ birth.

Once more we celebrate that God is born among us and for us. And we pray together…

C Almighty God,

You have filled us with the new light of the Word who became flesh and lived among US.

We pray to You, please take away from us everything that cannot bear this light in Year 2025..

Let Jesus be a lamp to our feet and a word of freedom and mercy.

And let the light of our faith shine forth in all we think, say, or do. Amen.

+ Holy Word +

FIRST READING: Jeremiah 31:7-14 Katrina Whittaker
[Out of exile into dancing, joy, and abundant food!]

31:7 For thus says the LORD: Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob, and raise shouts for the chief of the nations; proclaim, give praise, and say, “Save, O LORD, your people, the remnant of Israel.”

31:8 See, I am going to bring them from the land of the north and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, those with child and those in labor together; a great company, they shall return here.

31:9 With weeping they shall come, and with consolations I will lead them back; I will let them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path where they shall not stumble, for I have become a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.

31:10 Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, and declare it in the coastlands far away; say, “He who scattered Israel will gather him and will keep him as a shepherd does a flock.”

31:11 For the LORD has ransomed Jacob and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him.

31:12 They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion, and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the LORD, over the grain, the wine, and the oil, and over the young of the flock and the herd; their life shall become like a watered garden, and they shall never languish again.

31:13 Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy; I will comfort them and give them gladness for sorrow.

31:14 I will give the priests their fill of fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my bounty, says the LORD.

SECOND READING: Ephesians 1:3-14 Doris Fortune
[Out of sin into inheritance as God’s own beloved children!]

1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,

1:4 just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love.

1:5 He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will,

1:6 to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace

1:8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and insight

1:9 he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ,

1:10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

1:11 In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will,

1:12 so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory.

1:13 In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit;

1:14 this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s own people, to the praise of his glory.

SONG BEFORE THE GOSPEL: “SILENT NIGHT, HOLY NIGHT!” Green #65

GOSPEL: John 1:1-18 Darrell Hudson
[Out of life’s shadows into light and life through Jesus Christ!]

1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

1:2 He was in the beginning with God.

1:3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being

1:4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.

1:5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.

1:6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John.

1:7 He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.

1:8 He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light.

1:9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

1:10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through him, yet the world did not know him.

1:11 He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him.

1:12 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God,

1:13 who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.

1:14 And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.

1:15 (John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.'”)

1:16 From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.

1:17 The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

1:18 No one has ever seen God. It is the only Son, himself God, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.

THE SERMON: Pastor Gwen or Pastor Neil

SONG SELECTION: ALL SAINTS CHOIR

THE PRAYERS… We pray that the good news and great joy of JESUS CHRIST will touch all lives and transform the world!

+ Holy Meal +

TITHES (10% giving) AND GIFTS… We have been blessed by GRACE to be a blessing of GRATEFUL GENEROSITY!

We finished 2024 well as we responded with our time, abilities, and even our possessions!

The offering on December 22 was over $6,000; the offering on December 29 was over $5,000. Now we start a brand new year of grateful and faithful giving! Those in the Sanctuary can put their offering in the offering plate to share their gratitude and generosity in response to Christ’s love. Those that are farther away might:

mail a check or money order to St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, 2169 74th Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19138…
contribute online through bit.ly/stpetersgiving and set up a one-time donation or a recurring weekly gift to the categories you select…
or text Give+ at 833-914-0896 and follow the instructions to register and record your contribution.

God has blessed us to be a blessing!

SONG SELECTION: ALL SAINTS CHOIR

OFFERING SONG: “O COME, ALL YOU FAITHFUL” Green #45

OFFERING PRAYER by the Communion Assistant: Regina Carter

Good news! Great Joy! Loving God, if light has dawned on us, we want to share it. And if there is joy to tell, we can’t help but proclaim it. O how we thank you for the gift of new and eternal life in Jesus Christ! As we celebrate his birth, guide us to be bearers of light, makers of peace, and heralds of good news to all the world. AMEN.

THE PREFACE:

L Christ is born among us! The Lord be with you. C AND ALSO WITH YOU!

L Hope and promise are alive! Lift up your hearts! C WE LIFT THEM UP IN LOVE FOR GOD!

L Jesus is our Redeemer! Let us give thanks to our God! C IT IS RIGHT TO GIVE GOD THANKS AND PRAISE!

L Gracious God, we gather together in celebration of all the signs of your love in our lives, too many to count.

But especially we thank you this Christmas Season for speaking your Word, Jesus Christ, to us. You could

have shown no greater love than by sharing what you treasured most, your only Son, your Word of love,

your peace on earth, the light that comforts us, the hope to which we cling. He was born to give us new life,

and he died to deliver us from grave and from hell. We join with heaven and earth in singing our praises…

C (sing) JESUS… JESUS… OH, WHAT A WONDERFUIL CHILD!

JESUS… JESUS… SO HOLY, MEEK, AND MILD!

NEW LIFE, NEW HOPE, TO ALL HE BRINGS;

LISTEN TO THE ANGELS SING,

“GLORY, GLORY, GLO-RY TO THE NEW BORN KING!”

THE EUCHARISTIC WORDS by the Celebrant, who recalls and re-enacts Jesus’ Holy Meal.

THE LORD’S PRAYER (spoken)

COMMUNION AND BLESSINGS… All believers in Christ are welcome at the Lord’s Table! We will have “continuous distribution” with wafers and either wine or grape juice. CHRIST COMES TO US IN BREAD AND WINE AND BLESSING, BRINGING US PEACE, UNITY, STRENGTH, AND HOPE!

COMMUNION SONGS: “WHAT CHILD IS THIS?” Green #40

“IT CAME UPON A MIDNIGHT CLEAR” Green #54

THE COMMUNION BLESSING by the Celebrant after all have communed.

POST-COMMUNION PRAYER by the Communion Assistant: Linda Gillum

O Lord, with our own eyes we have seen the joy of your salvation, and with our own lips we have tasted of your Kingdom. We celebrate the birth of your Son among us! Shine out through us to a hurting world that knows the night and needs the light. Amen.

+ Sending +

THE BENEDICTION… We go forth in the POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT to testify, baptize, and serve!

CLOSING SONG: “GOOD CHRISTIAN FRIENDS, REJOICE” Green #55

Artist credit: Wesley, Frank, 1923-2002. The Light of the World, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=59168 [retrieved January 5, 2025]. Original source: Estate of Frank Wesley, http://www.frankwesleyart.com/main_page.htm.