PRELUDE 

11 a.m.

“Silent Night” – arr. Canadian Brass
“Gesu Bambino” – arr. William Ryden
Youth Brass Ensemble: Carl Carter, Ewan Johnson, Brian Martin, David Martin; Larry Reimer, coordinator

“Puer Natus (A Child Was Born)” – J.S. Bach
“Quem Pastores Laudavere (Shepherds Left Their Flocks A-Straying)” – 14th century German carol
LaMarTi Brass Trio: Tim Martin, Larry Reimer, Mark Burlingame

7 p.m.

“We Three Kings” – John Hopkins
“I Saw Three Ships” – Traditional English, arr. Ocher 
“God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” – Traditional English 
Dalirusa Quartet: Sally Simonis, Lisa McElwee-White, Ruth Saunders, David Turner

“Lo, How A Rose E’er Blooming” – 16th century melody
“March of the Three Kings” – Provencal melody
Cello Duet: David Turner and Angela Mickle

“Come to Joy: An Advent Medley” – arr. Shirell Hix
Duet: Shirell Hix, dulcimer; Nan Ryan, djembe and chakapa

WELCOME and OFFERING – Rev. Bromleigh McCleneghan

LIGHTING OF THE ADVENT CANDLES – Paul Pritchard and Sharon Conley, 11 a.m.; Ron and Shirell Hix, 7 p.m.

HYMN – “O Come, All Ye Faithful” – John Frances Wade, 18th century
Solo – Vivienne Larson
Choir, Congregation, and Brass

Please join in singing with the choir following the solo verse

O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant.
O come ye, O come ye, to Bethlehem.
Come and behold Him, born the King of angels.
O come, let us adore Him. O come, let us adore Him.
O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.

Adeste Fideles laeti triumphantes,
Venite, venite in Bethlehem.
Natum videte, Regem Angelorum;
Venite adoremus, venite adoremus, venite adoremus, Dominum!

Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation,
Sing, all ye citizens of heaven above!
Glory to God, all glory in the highest.
O come, let us adore Him. O come, let us adore Him.
O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.

Yea, Lord, we greet thee, born this happy morning,
Jesus to thee be all glory given;
Word of our God, now in flesh appearing; O come, let us adore Him.
O come, let us adore Him. O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.

INVOCATION – Rev. Bromleigh McCleneghan

THE FIRST LESSON – Isaiah 40 – Jan Adkins, reader

CHOIR – “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” – arr. Zach Neece
Oboe, Sophia Lehrmann; English Horn, Kevin Donnelly

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here,
Until the Child of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

O come, Desire of nations, bind
all peoples in one heart and mind.
Bid envy, strife, and quarrels cease;
Fill the whole world with heaven’s peace.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

O come, O Key of David, come
And open wide your heav’nly home;
Make safe the path to endless day,
To hell’s destruction close the way.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel.

THE SECOND LESSON – Isaiah 9 and 40 – Domenic Durante, 11 a.m. reader; Vivian Gutierrez, 7 p.m. reader

CHILDREN’S CHOIR – “Away In a Manger” – Traditional
Phillip Herr-Klepacki, piano

Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,
The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head.
The stars in the bright sky
looked down where he lay,
The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.

The cattle are lowing, the poor baby wakes,
But little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes.
I love you, Lord Jesus!
Look down from the sky,
And stay by my side till morning is nigh.

Be near me, Lord Jesus; I ask you to stay,
Close by me forever and love me, I pray.
Bless all the dear children in your tender care,
And fit us for heaven to live with you there.

THE THIRD LESSON – Isaiah 7 and 11; Micah 4 – Charlie Williams, 11 a.m. reader; Brandon Telg, 7 p.m. reader

CHOIR – “Lo How a Rose/The Rose” – arr. Craig Hella Johnson

Lo, how a Rose e’er blooming
From tender stem hath sprung.
Some say love, it is a river
That drowns the tender reed;
Of Jesse’s lineage coming
As men of old have sung.
Some say love, it is a razor
That leaves your soul to bleed;
It came, a Flow’ret bright,
Some say love, it is a hunger
An endless aching need;
Amid the cold of winter,
I say love, it is a flower
And you, its only seed.
When half-spent was the night.
It’s the heart afraid of breaking
That never learns to dance;
It’s the dream afraid of waking
That never takes the chance;
It’s the one who won’t be taken
Who cannot seem to give;
And the soul afraid of dying
That never learns to live.
This Flow’r, whose fragrance tender
With sweetness fills the air,
When the night has been too lonely
And the road has been too long;
Dispels with glorious splendor
The darkness ev’rywhere.
And you think that love is only
For the lucky and the strong;
True man, yet very God,
Just remember in the winter
Far beneath the bitter snow;
From sin and death He saves us,
Lies the seed that with the sun’s love
In the spring becomes the rose.
And lightens ev’ry load.

THE FOURTH LESSON – Luke 1 – Stephen Pennypacker, reader

CHOIR – “Before the Marvel of This Night” – Carl Schalk

Before the marvel of this night, adoring, fold your wings and bow,
Then tear the sky apart with light, and with your news the world endow.
Proclaim the birth of Christ and peace, that fear and death and sorrow cease:
Sing peace, sing peace, sing gift of peace, sing peace, sing gift of peace!

Awake the sleeping world with song, this is the day the Lord has made.
Assemble here, celestial throng, in royal splendor come arrayed.
Give earth a glimpse of heav’nly bliss, a teasing taste of what they miss:
Sing bliss, sing bliss, sing endless bliss, sing bliss, sing endless bliss!

The love that we have always known, our constant joy and endless light,
Now to the loveless world be shown, now break upon its deathly night.
Into one song compress the love that rules our universe above:
Sing love, sing love, sing God is love, sing love, sing God is love!

THE FIFTH LESSON – Matthew 1 and Luke 2 – Liz Harvey, 11 a.m. reader; Christine Engels, 7 p.m. reader

YOUTH CHOIR – “Happy Christmas (War is Over)” – John Lennon & Yoko Ono – Phillip Herr-Klepacki, piano

So this is Christmas
And what have you done
Another year over
A new one just begun
And so this is Christmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear ones
The old and the young

A Merry, Merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let’s hope it’s a good one
Without any fear

And so this is Christmas (war is over)
For weak and for strong (if you want it)
The rich and the poor ones (war is over)
The road is so long (now)
And so happy Christmas (war is over)
For black and for white (if you want it)
For native and immigrant (war is over)
Let’s stop all the fight (now)

A Merry, Merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let’s hope it’s a good one
Without any fear

And so this is Christmas
And what have we done
Another year over
A new one just begun
And so happy Christmas
We hope you have fun
The near and the dear ones
The old and the young

A Merry, Merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let’s hope it’s a good one
Without any fear

War is over, if you want it
War is over now

RESPONSIVE PRAYER – Rev. Talia Raymond

Leader: O God, you have already come near to us; otherwise, we would not be waiting for Christmas, looking for the birth of love in our world.

People: The light we await is already shining. It is the source of our longing, the small voice that will not let us rest content with things as they are.

Leader: You have called us as your children and asked that we act as such toward you and toward each other.

People: Let us kindle the lights of Christmas, the lights of our hope and of our rejoicing.

Leader: May our Christmas lights be a sign of warmth and acceptance stronger than words, a light that will never be put out.

People: May the love that we see and hear be the light of our church, a beacon of your presence in this world. Amen. 

HYMN – “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear” – Traditional
Choir and Congregation

It 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.

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.

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.

For lo, the days are hastening on, by prophet bards foretold,
When with the ever circling years comes the age of gold;
When peace shall over all the earth its ancient splendors fling,
And all the world send back the song which now the angels sing.

THE SIXTH LESSON – Luke 2 – Finn DeMouey, 11 a.m. reader; Emi Maxwell, 7 p.m. reader

CHOIR OF LOWER VOICES – “The First Noel” – arr. Ross Farnworth

The first Noel the angels did say
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay;
In fields where they lay keeping their sheep,
On a cold winter’s night that was so deep.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,
Born is the King of Israel!

They looked up and saw a star
Shining in the east beyond them far,
And to the earth it gave great light,
And so it continued both day and night.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,
Born is the King of Israel!

THE SEVENTH LESSON – Luke 2 – Madeline Cox, 11 a.m. reader; Cadien Archer, 7 p.m. reader

CHOIR OF TREBLE VOICES – “This Little Babe” – Benjamin Britten

This little Babe so few days old
is come to rifle Satan’s fold;
all hell doth at his presence quake
though he himself for cold do shake;
for in this weak unarmèd wise
the gates of hell he will surprise.

With tears he fights and wins the field,
his naked breast stands for a shield;
his battering shot are babish cries,
his arrows looks of weeping eyes,
his martial ensigns Cold and Need
and feeble Flesh his warrior’s steed.

His camp is pitchèd in a stall,
his bulwark but a broken wall;
the crib his trench, haystacks his stakes;
of shepherds he his muster makes;
and thus, as sure his foe to wound,
the angels’ trumps alarum sound.

My soul, with Christ join thou in fight,
stick to the tents that he hath pight.
Within his crib is surest ward,
this little Babe will be thy guard.
If thou wilt foil thy foes with joy,
then flit not from this heavenly Boy.

THE EIGHTH LESSON – Matthew 2 – Geoff Dahl, reader

CHOIR – “Coventry Carol” – arr. Ola Gjeilo – Hannah Norton, soloist

Lully, lullay, thou little tiny child
By by, lully, lullay.
Thou little tiny child
By by, lully, lullay.

O sisters too, how may we do
For to preserve this day;
This poor youngling for whom we sing,
By by, lully, lullay.

Herod the king, in his raging,
Charged he hath this day;
His men of might, in his own sight,
All young children to slay.

That woe is me, poor child, for thee,
And ever mourn and say;
For thy parting, nor say nor sing,
By by, lully, lullay.

THE NINTH LESSON – John 1 and Luke 2 – Jenny Hill, reader

CHOIR – “Betelehemu” – Nigerian Christmas song in the Yoruba dialect; arr. Barrington Brooks – Adriane Isenberg, soloist; Shelby Havens, Jean Cunningham, Karol Halter, Elise Lee, drums

BENEDICTION 

HYMN – “Joy To The World” – Isaac Watts – Brass Ensemble

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.

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.

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.

Christmas choral music represents a long history of Christian tradition and theology. This diverse theological heritage may not always speak to you, or your understanding of the Christmas story. We hope that you will find some measure of hope, peace, joy, and love in the music, the story, and prophecy, and in the gathered community who share in these sacred moments together.

Phillip Herr-Klepacki – Conductor and Director of Music Ministry
Thomas Miller – Piano
Kevin Donnelly – English Horn
Sophia Lehrmann – Oboe
Talia Raymond and Phillip Herr-Klepacki – Youth Choir
Talia Raymond and Julia Crawford – Children’s Choir
Ruth Saunders – Instrumentalist Coordinator
Larry Reimer – Adult and Youth Brass Coordinator, Trumpet
Kitty Williams – Music Librarian
Catherine Cake – Production Coordinator
Jenny Hill – Readers’ Coach
Holden Martin – Video Coordinator
Tristan Ford – Sound Coordinator
John Bollinger – Photographer

Christmas Angel gifts are due back today. Please place your donations under the tree in the foyer.

The Racial Justice Committee will be in the courtyard selling BLM shirts every Sunday until January 14. Save the date and plan to join us for the annual Martin Luther King event on Monday, January 15.

Join us for a memorial service celebrating the life of UCG member Billy Stechmiller on Monday, December 11 at 2 p.m. The service will be in the Sanctuary and live-streamed, with a reception hosted by Kairos to follow in Reimer Hall.

Registration for “Reflections: Friendships and Moonbeams” Continues. Registration for the Women’s Overnight Retreat at Camp Weed (January 19-21 in Live Oak, FL) will take place in the library immediately after the 11 a.m. service or online at https://bit.ly/womens24. The deadline to register is Sunday, Dec. 17. Email Laura Robertson at alurajuly@gmail.com or Jane Emmerée at emmeree@gmail.com with questions.

Women’s Lunch Group Tasteful Christmas Luncheon Friday, December 15 at noon in Reimer Hall. All women are invited to bring a potluck dish to share and a beverage of their choice. Please bring your plate and utensils to save on clean-up and waste. Also, if you can, please bring new underwear or a donation (cash or check to Helping Hands Clinic) which will be given to Helping Hands Clinic for the women’s boutique. Join us for good food and fellowship this Christmas season.

Children’s Christmas Craft Fair — December 16, 3-5 p.m. We will have stations for kids to make holiday crafts to give as gifts as well as a cookie decorating table. Activities are geared towards kids from kindergarten to 5th grade, but younger siblings are welcome. There is a suggested donation of $5 per child to cover some of our supply costs but all are welcome!

The All-Church Band will play a medley of sing-along Christmas carols at the service on Sunday, December 17. If you play or have ever played a band instrument, pick up music in the foyer and participate in this great UCG tradition. Rehearsal will be at 9:15 a.m. on December 17 in the Sanctuary.

Blue Christmas Service — December 21 at 7 p.m. in the Sanctuary.  A service of grief, loss, reflection, and quiet hope. All are welcome and childcare is provided, with a light reception following.

Reproductive Justice in Florida – UCGers have been collecting signatures in our courtyard on petitions to get reproductive rights on the ballot in November 2024. The deadline is approaching, and we are 100,000 signatures shy of the number required. If you support this initiative, please sign a petition, which you can find at https://bit.ly/flprotfree. If you have already signed, please consider inviting five others to sign and submit. Almost one-third of the petitions submitted to the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections were deemed ineligible, so please consider calling them at 352-374-5252 to confirm that your signature was counted. Signed petitions can be returned to the church office.

Next Sunday, December 17

3rd Sunday in Advent