Service Outline
You may like to include all or some of the videos of Israeli and Palestinian readers
Welcome
Hark the herald angels
Reading 6 - Luke 2: 1-7
by Bishara Awad
Reading 1 - John 1: 1-3,14
by Lamma Mansour
Angels from the realms of
glory
Silent night (3 verses)
Reading 7 - Luke 2: 8-15
Reading 2 - Isaiah 9: 2, 6-7
by Amira Al-Tawil
by Bader Mansour
In the bleak midwinter
Reading 3 - Isaiah 7: 13-14
by Dina Katanacho
Reading 8 - Isaiah 60: 1-3
by Fuad Hadad
Once in royal David’s city
Reading 9 - Matthew 2: 1-11
by Clemence Hadan
Reading 4 - Luke 1: 26-38
by Rani Espanioly
Sermon
(see Sermon Outline PDF)
Reading 5 - Micah 5: 2-5
by Nawal Qumsieh
O come all ye faithful
Meditation (Video)
Retiring offering for BMS
World Mission
Benediction
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Additional
songs and prayers
You may like to supplement the traditional selection of Christmas carols with a
couple of songs from those listed below:
God surprises earth with heaven to the tune of Greensleeves
John L Bell and Graham Maule
(of the Iona Community)
Make way for Christmas
Graham Kendrick
includes music and words for several contemporary carols at
http://www.grahamkendrick.co.uk/songs_sheetmusic.php
Saviour’s Day
Cliff Richard
The earth was dark until you spoke
Lights to the world
For unto us a child is born
Handel’s Messiah
O Holy Night
as sung by Rhydian (2007, X Factor) or The Fold
Alternative Christmas songs for
Christmas Café Church etc
All-age friendly songs for Christmas
You may like to use some all-age friendly songs
from the selection below in a Sunday before
Christmas service or Christmas Day service. Many
of them can be downloaded from iTunes.
O Come O Come Emmanuel
God in the flesh, Sticky music
Image of the invisible
Do they know it’s Christmas?
(Feed the world)
God in the Flesh, Sticky music
Band Aid 1984
http://www.links2love.com/christmas_songs_do_
they_know.htm
Wise men
God in the Flesh, Sticky music
http://stickymusic.co.uk.seanic17.net/acatalog/lls.
html
Go tell it on the mountain
Mary did you know
http://www.links2love.com/christmas_song_mary_
did_you_know.htm
Mary did you know
by Spoken, on YouTube
http://www.last.fm/music/Spoken/+videos/+1rtsMYErtYBk
Of two bearded men
Number One Gun
http://www.last.fm/music/Number+One+Gun/_/
Of+Two+Bearded+Men
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Additional
songs and prayers
When the song of the angels is stilled,
when the star in the sky is gone,
when the kings and princes are home,
when the shepherds are back with the flocks,
then the work of Christmas begins:
to find the lost,
to heal those broken in spirit,
to feed the hungry,
to release the oppressed,
to rebuild the nations,
to bring peace among all peoples,
to make music with the heart…
Our longing for peace
Our cry for freedom
Our hope for salvation
Is in a Saviour
Born in Bethlehem
Our longing for wisdom
Our cry for redemption
Our hope for new creation
Is in a Saviour
Born in Bethlehem
And to radiate the light of Christ,
every day, in every way,
in all that we do and in all that we say.
Then the work of Christmas begins.
Our longing for good news
Our cry for justice
Our hope for the nations
Howard Thurman (1899 – 1981)
Is in a Saviour
Born in Bethlehem
Visited by shepherds
Encountered by astrologers
Sung of by angels
This vulnerable Saviour
Born in an animal trough
In your lives you must think and act like Christ Jesus.
Christ himself was like God in everything.
But he did not think that being equal with God was
something to be used for his own benefit.
You are God, our Saviour
Born in Bethlehem
But he gave up his place with God.
He gave up his comforts.
He gave up his privileges.
He made himself nothing.
He was born as a human being and became like a
servant.
Loving God
thank you
that a Saviour has been born
to rescue us from our darkness.
As we offer our worship
hear your word,
reflect on your love,
May we open our minds and hearts
to receive
all that Christ has done for us,
that others in turn may celebrate
everything he has done for them.
Amen
That through his poverty, you might become rich.
(Based on Phil 2:5-7; 2 Cor 8: 9)
May the blessing of the Father almighty who
gave his son, Jesus, to bring light and peace
to our world, shine in our hearts to spread the
knowledge of the grace and glory of God the
Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen
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