St Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church
313 4th Street, Manistee,
www.StPaulsManistee.com
facebook.com/SPLCManistee
Pastor Dennis Himm (810)252-5821
December 24, 2023 Christmas Eve
Joy to the World, the Lord has Come!
May the holy LORD God bless your worship as you celebrate the birth of your Savior.
WELCOME
HYMN 62 (1,2,4) “Joy to the World” – please stand for last stanza
L: I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
C: Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.
L: Oh, come, let us sing to the Lord.
C: Let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.
L: Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving:
C: And make a joyful noise with psalms.
L: The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.
C: We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
PRAYER
L: Almighty God, you made this holy night shine with the brightness of the true light. Grant that as we have known on earth the wonder of that light, we may also behold him in all glory in the life to come; through your only Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C: Amen.
HYMN 23 (1,2) “Oh, Come, Oh, Come, Emmanuel”
FIRST LESSON: Titus 2:11-14
Christmas changes everything! It inspires us to live in joy and holiness until Christ comes again.
11 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
CHILDREN’S SONG: “Worship the King”
THE CHRISTMAS ACCOUNT- Luke 2:1-20
LUKE 2:1-5
1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register. 4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.
HYMN 65 (1,2) “O Little Town of Bethlehem”
LUKE 2:6,7
6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
HYMN 67 (1,3) “What Child Is This”
LUKE 2:8-15
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” 15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
HYMN 61 (1,3) “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”
LUKE 2:16-20
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
HYMN 68: “Away in a Manger”
CHRISTMAS MESSAGE: Isaiah 9:6-7
A Savior Has Been Born To YOU
Written by Circuit Pastor John Eich
PRAYER & LORD’S PRAYER
BLESSING
C: Amen. Amen. Amen. (sung)
HYMN 60 “Silent Night”
ANNOUNCEMENTS
THANKOFFERING BASKET BY DOOR
The members of St Paul's have joined together to do the Lord’s work in this area and around the world. Our guests may but are not expected to participate in this offering which supports our church’s ministry.
Guests, please sign our Guest Book in the entryway.
NEXT SUNDAY – Sunday, December 31
We will follow our regular Sunday schedule on. Sunday School & Bible Class at 9 am and Worship at 10 am. There will be no New Year’s Eve night service.
THANK YOU
We thank all who contributed to our worship tonight – our organist, leaders, and children. We thank you for coming to celebrate your Savior’s birth and what it means for your daily life. And we thank you for being here to continue to encourage one another as we bask in the joy of Christmas. To God be the glory!
All Scripture readings are from the NIV 2011. Used by permission.