Family Carol Service
at
St. Augustine's

2004 December 12

Key :

directions
instructions for congregation
movements during service
prayers and readings
sections of the service

Other information :

There are some notes on our production of the service.

A rough plan of the church is available.

A note on copyright.

THE SERVICE.

St. Augustine's Carol Service

Narrator Welcome !

We welcome you here in the name of Jesus : may the story of His birth bring new meaning into each of our lives.

We also welcome some of the people from "Joy Ministries" who worship here on the first Sunday of each month.

There will be no collection taken during this service. There is a donation box at the back of the church in case you should desire to leave an offering.

Music for the Carols we shall sing in this service is available; please put your hand up if you would like a copy of it.

Thank you.

Please stand for the Carol.

1.   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  :

Chorus
  O come, let us adore Him,
  O come, let us adore Him,
  O come, let us adore Him,
  Christ the Lord.

2.   God of God,
  Light of light -
  Lo  ! He abhors not the virgin's womb.
  Very God,
  Begotten not created  :

Chorus

3.   Sing, choirs of Angels,
  Sing in exultation  !
  Sing, all ye citizens of heaven above  !
  Glory to God
  In the highest :

Chorus

Narrator Please sit for all the Christmas story but do join in singing the carols.

Tonight as "The Christmas Story" is retold let us remember with thanksgiving the precious gift that God has given to us - the gift of His Son Jesus.

Let us also think about how we should respond to God's gift of Jesus.

In John Chapter 3 verse 16 we are told that :

God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.

The Angel Gabriel appears to Mary.

Narrator Luke Chapter 1 verses 26-38 ( Page 1123 in the pew Bibles ). The story begins about 2000 years ago in the home of a young woman called Mary. Mary lived in the town of Nazareth, which is about 110 kilometres north of Jerusalem.

Mary was promised in marriage to Joseph - but they hadn't yet set up house together.

( Mary comes down centre aisle and starts sweeping the floor in front of the altar. )
Narrator Suddenly the angel Gabriel appeared before Mary.
( Angel hurries out from behind blackboard. )
Angel Greetings - you who are most highly favoured ! The Lord is with you.
( Mary looks troubled and perplexed. )
Narrator Mary was greatly troubled by the angel's words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.
Angel Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favour with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son and you are to give him the name of Jesus.

He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High God.

The Lord God will give Him the throne of His ancestor David. And He shall reign over Israel forever.

His kingdom will never end.

Mary How can I have a baby - for I am still a virgin ?
Angel The Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the power of God shall overshadow you.

The holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. For nothing is impossible with God.

Mary I am the Lord's servant, and I am willing to do whatever He wants. May everything you have said come true.
( Angel hides behind blackboard again )
Mary ( Moves across to candle table and lights her candle; places 'willingness card' upright in front of candle )

My gift to God is my willingness to serve Him.

All Help us to be Your willing servants too.
Narrator Please remain seated for the DUET.

1.   The Angel Gabriel from heaven came,
  His wings as drifted snow, his eyes as flame;
  'All hail', said he, 'thou lowly maiden Mary,
  Most highly favoured lady.'
  Gloria !

2.   'For known a blessed mother thou shalt be,
  All generations laud and honour thee,
  Thy son shall be Immanuel, by seers foretold;
  Most highly favoured lady.'
  Gloria !

3.   Then gentle Mary meekly bowed her head,
  'To me be as it pleaseth God', she said,
  'My soul shall laud and magnify His holy name' :
  Most highly favoured lady.
  Gloria !

( Narrator swaps microphone and loudspeaker plugs. )

( During the conversations, the Givers move a little and face a rather different direction for each sentence, as if unsure of where God is, but always - except when offering the gift - more or less towards the congregation. )

( Enter Giver 1, with gift. Giver 1 moves tentatively down the centre aisle towards the gift table, looking round for someone to receive the gift. When Giver 1 is near the gift table - )

God Welcome, my child. What can I do for you ?
Giver 1 ( Shows surprise, looks all round anxiously, then ) Who are you ? WHERE are you ? I can't see you !
God No, you can't see me, but I'm here. I'm always here.
Giver 1 ( Facing congregation, looking upwards ) Are you God ? I've brought my gift to God.
God Thank you, my child. Gifts freely offered are always welcome. But, tell me, what persuaded you to offer your gift ?
Giver 1 Well, it seems to me that you've done a lot for me, and I don't like being in debt, so I thought I'd settle up. So I worked out what I was worth, and managed to scrape it together, and here it is.
God And how much do you think you're worth ?
Giver 1 I guessed, a bit, but the New Zealand Herald gave some numbers on November 23rd. I'm thirtyfive-ish, and what with the Auckland discount I reckon it must be somewhere around $150,000. It's all in the box.
( Puts the box on the gift table. )
God Thank you for the money; it will be put to good use. And thank you much more for wanting to give it. But to me you're worth infinitely more than $150,000 - in future, try listening to the Herald Angels rather than the Herald newspaper, and they'll tell you that I gave you My Son Jesus. That's a debt you can never settle. And I don't expect you to settle it - it's a gift, given because I love you. All you have to do is accept it.

( Giver 1 returns down hospital side to back;

Narrator swaps microphone and loudspeaker plugs. )

Joseph's Dream

Narrator Matthew Chapter 1 verses 18-25 ( Page 1048 )
( Joseph comes down centre aisle looking concerned and worried and sits on chair near altar. )
Narrator Joseph, a righteous man, hearing that Mary was pregnant and not wanting to expose her to public disgrace wanted to break their engagement quietly. While he was considering what to do he fell asleep and had a dream.
( Joseph falls asleep in the chair. )
 In his dream he heard an angel saying :
Angel ( Coming from behind blackboard ) Joseph, the baby that Mary is having is from the Holy Spirit. Go and take her to your home as your wife. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.
( Angel returns to back down centre aisle; Joseph wakes up. )
Narrator When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded and took Mary home as His wife.
But he did not sleep with her until after the baby was born.
Joseph ( moves across to candle table and lights his candle; puts 'obedience card' in front of candle. )

My gift to God is my obedience to Him.

All Help us to be Your obedient servants too.
( Joseph returns to back down Hospital aisle. )
During this carol, stage-hand places manger ( with 'Baby Jesus' doll under the straw ) and another chair in front of the altar, inn-keeper goes down organ side ready to meet Joseph and Mary.

1.   O little town of Bethlehem,
  How still we see thee lie
  Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
  The silent stars go by:
  Yet in thy dark street shineth
  The everlasting light;
  The hopes and fears of all the years
  Are met in thee tonight.

2.   For Christ is born of Mary;
  And, gathered all above,
  While mortals sleep, the angels keep
  Their watch of wondering love.
  O morning stars, together
  Proclaim the holy birth,
  And praises sing to God the King,
  And peace to men on earth.

3.   How silently, how silently,
  The wondrous gift is given!
  So God imparts to human hearts
  The blessings of His heaven.
  No ear may hear His coming;
  But in this world of sin,
  Where meek souls will receive Him still
  The dear Christ enters in.

( Enter Giver 2, with gift. Giver 2 walks confidently down the centre aisle towards the gift table. When Giver 2 is near the gift table - )
GOD Welcome, my child. What can I do for you ?
Giver 2 ( facing congregation ) Ah - I suppose you're God. I've brought a gift for you.
GOD Thank you, my child. Gifts freely offered are always welcome. What gift have you brought me ?
Giver 2 I've brought my skills. I thought maybe I could do odd jobs around the place. I'm fairly handy; I could do cleaning, or mending things, or tidying up the grounds. Anything like that. It's not too easy putting things like that in a box, but here they are.
( Puts the box on the gift table. )
GOD I can certainly find work for you to do, and it's a very valuable service. But, tell me, what persuaded you to offer your gift ?
Giver 2 Well, it seems to me that you're the boss round here, and experience tells me that it's always a good idea to get on the right side of the boss.
GOD Oh, you mean it's a sort of bribe ?
Giver 2 Er, well, wurrgh, oooo - No, not at all. That's a very biased way of looking at it. I'd rather see it with a bit of positive spin. Think of it as more a token of esteem, so that if it should happen that I do maybe make the odd mistake I'll be sort of in credit. Shows my good intentions, you might say. Yes.
GOD I see. But it doesn't work like that. I don't keep accounts; if you "make the odd mistake", as you put it, you can't sort it out because you've done some other things right. You have to do what you can to put right the mistake - and sometimes there's not much you can do. But if you're truly sorry and do your best to sort it out, I'll always forgive you, because I love you.
( Giver 2 returns to the back down Hospital side )
Narrator

Mary and Joseph journey to Bethlehem.

Luke Chapter 2 verses 1, 3-7 ( Page 1125 )

At that time the Emperor Augustus ordered a census to be taken throughout the Roman Empire.
Everyone had to go to their own home town to be registered.

( Mary and Joseph come down centre aisle, slowly. )
 Joseph, being a descendant of David, with Mary, had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, which was the birthplace of David. It was about 120 kilometres away, a hard journey for them both as Mary's baby was expected any day.
Arriving in Bethlehem tired and exhausted they looked for somewhere to stay.
Knocking at the door of the Inn -
( Joseph knocks at 'door', front centre )
Inn-keeper ( looking harassed ) No room here, or anywhere else in Bethlehem. Go away !
( Mary and Joseph turn away and walk towards tree. )
Narrator They turned sadly away. It was so cold, and Mary's birth pains had started; what should they do ?

The inn-keeper, seeing their distress, had compassion on them. He ran up to them and said :

Inn-keeper ( running up to Joseph and touching him on the shoulder ) It's true I have no room left, but I do have a stable which is sheltered from the wind and has lots of fresh straw. You can spend the night there, if you like.
Joseph ( looking relieved, Mary looks relieved too ) Oh ! - that's wonderful !. It will be great to get out of this wind and have somewhere to rest.
Inn-keeper I'll take you there right now.
( Inn-keeper leads Mary and Joseph to the stable in front of the altar, then inn-keeper goes to candle table, Mary and Joseph settle down in front of the altar. )
Inn-keeper ( Inn-keeper lights his candle ) My gift to God is compassion.
( Inn-keeper puts 'compassion card' in front of candle. )
All Help us to be compassionate people too.
Narrator During that night Mary gave birth to Jesus, wrapped him in strips of cloth and laid him in the manger.
( Mary wraps 'baby' in strips of cloth and lays him in the manger. )
( During this carol the angel and the shepherds go quietly up to the balcony. )

1.   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.

2.   The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes,
  But little Lord Jesus no crying He makes.
  I love Thee, Lord Jesus! Look down from the sky,
  And stay by my side until morning is nigh.

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

Narrator

The angels tell the shepherds of the birth of Jesus

Luke Chapter 2 verses 8-20 ( Page 1125 )

That night in the fields near Bethlehem some shepherds were guarding their sheep.

( Narrator points to balcony. )
 Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
Angel ( from balcony, standing on chair to be visible ) Don't be afraid. I bring you the most joyful news ever announced, and it is for everyone ! Today in King David's home town your Saviour was born - Christ the Lord ! And this is what will prove it to you; you will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger.
Narrator Suddenly a great army of heaven's angels appeared with the first angel singing praises to God :
Angel and shepherds sing from balcony "All glory be to God on high,
And to the earth be peace;
Good will henceforth from heaven to men
Begin and never cease."
Narrator When the angels went away from them back into heaven, the shepherds said to one another :
Shepherd 1 Let's go to Bethlehem and look for this baby.
Shepherd 2 Yes, let's go !
Shepherd 3 What about the sheep ?
Shepherd 4 They'll be OK. I must see this baby for myself.
( All shepherds come hurrying, noisily, down from the balcony, come down centre aisle to the stable. )
Narrator They hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and the baby, just as the angel had said.
Joseph What made you come here ?
Shepherd 1 An angel came and told us about the birth of a special baby
Shepherd 2 A special baby - God's gift to all mankind.
Shepherd 3 A Saviour called Christ the Lord !
Shepherd 4 After the angel had spoken there was a vast host of angels all round us,
Shepherd 1 Singing Glory to God,
Shepherd 2 Peace on earth,
Shepherd 3 Good will to all.
Shepherd 4 We just had to come and look for ourselves.
Shepherd 1 And now we know it's true we're going to tell everyone all about it.
Shepherds 2, 3, and 4 Yes, we are !
( Shepherds light their candles. )
Shepherds Our gift to God is to tell everyone about Jesus.
( Shepherd 1 puts 'telling others card' in front of main candle. )
All Help us to be people who tell others about Jesus too.
Shepherds go down centre aisle telling everyone about Jesus.

During this carol Three Wise Men get ready at back.

Narrator Please join in the carol
"Angels, from the realms of glory".

1. Angels, from the realms of glory,
  Wing your flight o'er all the earth;
  You who sang creation's story,
  Now proclaim Messiah's birth :

Chorus
  Come and worship Christ the new-born King
  Come and worship, worship Christ the new-born King

2. Shepherds, in the field abiding,
  Watching o'er your flocks by night,
  God with man is now residing,
  Yonder shines the infant Light :

Chorus

Narrator swaps microphone plugs.

( Enter Giver 4, with gift. Giver 4 comes hesitantly along the right-hand side aisle, sneaks across to the gift table, puts the rather small gift somewhat away from the others, then starts back by the same route. When Giver 4 is about half way to the wall - )

God : Welcome, my child. What can I do for you ? ( Giver 4 stops instantly. )
Giver 4 : Oh ! Er. Oh. Erm. Hello ? Who's that ?
God : Thank you, my child. I see you've brought me a gift. Gifts freely offered are always welcome. What gift have you brought me ?
Giver 4 : Oh ! Is that God ? I'm just going ....
God : No - don't go yet. Let's talk about your gift.
Giver 4 : I'd rather not. Can't I just go before you open it ?
God : Silly dear friend ! I know what it is already. But I'd like you to tell me all the same.
Giver 4 : Well. ( pause ) It's just an IOU. I wanted to give you something, but couldn't find anything nearly good enough. Just knowing that you love me, and the way you've made my life mean something worth while, has been so wonderful. I love you, and I want to say "thank you", but I don't know how, but when I find out I will. Really I will. But for now it's just an IOU.
God : Yes, you will find things to do for me - I'll make sure of that. But you've already given me the gift I really wanted - your love ! That's the only gift that really matters to me, for I love you too. Welcome to my family !
( Giver 4 goes to back down Hospital side. )
Narrator swaps microphone plugs.
Narrator

The Wise Men come looking for Jesus

Matthew 2 verses 1-2, 11-12 ( Page 1048 )

Soon afterwards some Wise Men from the east came to Jerusalem and asked :

Wise Men come down centre aisle, turn at steps and ask -
Wise Man 1 Where is the child born to be King of the Jews ?
Wise Man 2 We saw his star in the east -
Wise Man 3 - and have come to worship him.
Narrator King Herod asked the elders and teachers, "Where is Jesus to be born ?", and they replied, "In Bethlehem", and so he sent the Wise Men to search for Jesus in Bethlehem.
Wise Men move towards the tree, then turn towards the congregation again.
Wise Man 1 ( pointing above manger ) Look - there is the star !
Wise Man 2 Where ? I can't see it.
Wise Man 3 ( pointing above manger ) Oh yes, I see it, it's over there. Come on.
Wise Men continue to the manger and lay their gifts in front of the manger.
Wise Men We have come to worship this special child.
( Wise Men light their candles. )
Wise Men Our gift to God is worship.
( Wise Man 1 puts 'worship card' in front of main candle. )
All Help us to worship You too.
Wise Men return to back down Hospital aisle.

During this carol Mary, Joseph and 'the baby' return to back; Giver 1, Giver 2, Giver 3 come to centre down centre aisle.

Narrator Please stand for the carol
" Rejoice, rejoice"

Chorus
  Rejoice, rejoice, for Jesus
  Is come to be our King;
  With joyful praise and worship
  We bring our offering.

1.   In ancient times, the Wise Men
  Brought gold and spices rare
  To offer to the Christ Child,
  God's gift beyond compare.

Chorus

2.   Now we in turn bring our gifts,
  But what gift can we bring ?
  What can we give to please Him,
  The Lord of everything ?

Chorus

3.   He wants our willing service,
  Obedience, love, and praise;
  He wants us to proclaim how
  He cares for us always.

Chorus

Narrator Please sit.
Giver 2 : But what about us ? We love you too.
GOD : Yes, I know; you're part of my family as well. That's why I accepted all your other gifts. But I want your love most of all.
Giver 1 : You mean our money and our work and our teaching don't matter ?
GOD : Of course they matter - provided that you give them because of your love. If you're giving them for selfish reasons, because you think they'll do you some good, you'll be disappointed.
Giver 3 : But how are we to know that ?
GOD : Because I told you so. Jesus said, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the great and first commandment." That's what it's all about. And, if you do that, I'll make sure that you find ways to use your gifts.
( Giver 1, Giver 2, Giver 3 return to back. )
Preacher The Message.
Narrator Please stand for the hymn "Take my life"

1.   Take my life, and let it be
  Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
  Take my moments and my days,
  Let them flow in ceaseless praise.

2.   Take my hands, and let them move
  At the impulse of Thy love;
  Take my feet, and let them be
  Swift and beautiful for Thee.

3.   Take my voice, and let me sing
  Always, only, for my King;
  Take my lips, and let them be
  Filled with messages from Thee.

4.   Take my silver and my gold,
  Not a mite would I withhold;
  Take my intellect, and use
  Every power as Thou shalt choose.

5.   Take my will, and make it Thine;
  It shall be no longer mine:
  Take my heart, it is Thine own;
  It shall be Thy royal throne.

6.   Take my love; my Lord, I pour
  At Thy feet its treasure store:
  Take myself, and I will be
  Ever, only, all, for Thee

A time of offering

Narrator Now we're going to give you all an opportunity to offer your gifts to God. If you'd like to do so, you might write your offer on the paper in your order of service and place it in the basket on the gift table - or perhaps you'd prefer just to light a candle on the candle table. Or you can do both. Whatever you do is just between you and God - you don't have to write your name, and no one's going to check up ! Now the organist will quietly play the hymn again, while those who wish to make an offering do so.
Organist plays quietly while all who wish come forward and return to their seats. When all are seated -
Narrator Please sit or kneel for the prayers.

Thank You for the wonderful gift of Your Son Jesus which we celebrate each year at Christmas time. May this be a time of love, peace and rejoicing in our families and our community and throughout the world. Amen

We ask You, Lord God, to reveal to us the way we can use our gifts and talents to serve You today, tomorrow and every day. Amen

We pray for the lonely, the estranged and the sick at this time, asking for Your love and forgiveness to surround them and bring them peace. Amen

Together we sing the Lord's Prayer

All

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come,
Your will be done, on earth, as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial, and deliver us from evil.
For the Kingdom, the power and the glory are Yours, now and for ever. Amen

Narrator Please stand for the final carol,
"Joy to the world"

1.   Joy to the world ! - the Lord is come !
  Let earth receive her King;
  Let every heart prepare Him room,
  And heav'n and nature sing,
  And heav'n and nature sing,
  And heav'n, and heav'n and nature sing.

2.   Joy to the world ! - the Saviour reigns !
  Let men their songs employ,
  While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains,
  Repeat the sounding joy,
  Repeat the sounding joy,
  Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.

3.   He rules the world with truth and grace,
  And makes the nations prove
  The glories of His righteousness,
  And wonders of His love,
  And wonders of His love,
  And wonders, and wonders of His love.

The Vicar Blessing.

Grace for the barbecue.

Those taking part :

Angel, Giver 1, Giver 2, Giver 3, Giver 4, God, Inn-keeper, Joseph, Mary, Narrator, Preacher, Shepherd 1, Shepherd 2, Shepherd 3, Shepherd 4, Wise man 1, Wise man 2, Wise man 3