Lessons and Carols by the Congregation
Hymn of the Day
Christmas Eve 2019 Sermon
We hear again the Good News from the Gospel according to St. Luke, chapter 2. Following each section of the reading, we sing songs of Christmas joy, echoing the sounds of the angels on that first Christmas night.
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.
A Christmas visit to the little town of Bethlehem by Rev. Phillips Brooks of Pennsylvania in 1865 led to his writing one of the most beloved of all Christmas hymns. We reflect on the importance of that special place as we sing...
And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths and laid Him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
Although “Away in a Manger” has been called “Luther’s Cradle Hymn” by some people, its actual Lutheran connection comes from the fact that it was first published in a LutheranSundaySchool hymnal in Philadelphia in 1885. It was not translated into German until 1934, but since then has become as well-loved by Christian people in the “Old World” as it is here in the “New World.”Let us sing...
And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”
There are many Christmas songs and carols that include references to angels and the angelic hosts. Now more than two centuries old, “Angels from the Realms of Glory” was written by English poet James Montgomery, who is the author of a number of hymns we sing throughout the year. We invite the angels to join our worship of the Christ Child as we sing...
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 among those with whom He is pleased!”
Some of the Christmas songs we cherish have deep historical roots. “Now Sing We, Now Rejoice” dates back to the thirteenth century so would have been known by Martin Luther and his family in Wittenberg. Originally, the lines of the song alternated between Latin and German. Together, we raise our voices to heaven as we join the “multitude of the heavenly host” in the holy song...
When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.
And when they [the shepherds] saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
Let us sing...
Luke writes that Mary “treasured up all these things in her heart.” That phrase “all these things” includes her personal experience of that first Christmas night with the angels and the shepherds and the promise of God coming true. God has kept His covenant with His people, and we are blessed by it. With renewing faith, growing hope, and expanding love on this most holy night, we sing.
Recessional Hymn