4:30 PM CHRISTMAS PAGEANT Tuesday, December 24, 2019
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4:30 PM CHRISTMAS PAGEANT Tuesday, December 24, 2019 TRINITY CHURCH IN THE CITY OF BOSTON Welcome to Trinity Church Merry Christmas to you! What a joy it is to be together as we celebrate our Savior’s birth. May you experience the joy and hope of Christmastide in our service this evening. And please know this: the Creator of everything in heaven and earth desires joy for you and for us all by choosing to become one with us in this Holy Child. The divine Love that has come into our world in Christ now graces our lives and illuminates our way. Alleluia! You are welcome here not only at this season but throughout the year. If you are new to Trinity, or visiting our Episcopal Church for the first time, we encourage you to return and join us in our year-round sharing of Christian faith. Nothing could delight us more than to have you become part of our parish community. To learn more about Trinity Church, please fill out the purple-and-white Welcome card you’ll find in the pew rack before you, and hand it to an usher as you depart today. We look forward to getting to know you, and sharing with you the joy and hope that come from journeying together along Christ’s way of love. May you know the blessings of Christmas this night and through the coming year. The People of Trinity Church in the City of Boston To learn more, visit trinitychurchboston.org and click on For Newcomers, or contact Mark Kharas: [email protected], 617-536-0944 x372. The Christmas Pageant Our Christmas Pageant is designed for children of all ages. The Pageant is shaped as a service of Christmas Lessons and Carols. Please read the information at the top of the next page to help your children take part in this joyful celebration of the birth of Christ. We ask that you avoid obscuring the view of those sitting behind you. Please turn off or silence your digital devices. We ask that you do not take photographs until the pageant tableau has been fully assembled, as indicated in, ‘Go tell it on the mountain’. Finding Your Way Clarendon Street Accessibility Ramp Parish House Front Desk Parish House Ferris Library Classrooms Angel Room Restrooms Church Undercroft Parish House Forum St. James Avenue Levels 2-4 Commons Restrooms Nursery Legend Classrooms Elevator St. Andrew’s Hall [Choirs] Entrance/Exit Narthex Chapel Restroom Accessibility Ramp Stairs GROUND LEVEL Copley Entrance LOWER LEVEL Restrooms are located on the lower level of the Church. Stairs to the lower level are located to the Statement of Affirmation Trinity Church in the right & left of the Narthex (front hall) entrance to City of Boston is a the Church. congregation of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts and welcomes and honors everyone. In accordance with our baptismal covenant, we affirm Exits can be found at the four corners of the church. the inherent worth and dignity of every person. We strive to include all persons without regard to sexual orientation, race, nationality, gender, family Thank you for silencing your electronic devices (cell configuration, ethnic background, economic circumstances, difference in phones, tablets, pagers) before the service begins. ability, culture, or age. Our love and acceptance of each other embody our commitment to unity with God and each other in Christ. Cover photo by Beverly Fisher Crawford 2 3 welcome Hymn in Procession 83 ‘O come, all ye faithful’ Prelude O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant, Two settings of O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem; In dulci jubilo Johann Sebastian Bach come, and behold him, born the King of angels; (1685-1750) Refrain Marcel Dupré O come, let us adore him, (1886-1971) Christ the Lord. Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation, sing, all ye citizens of heaven above; The pageant welcomes all glory to God, glory in the highest; children present who wish to Refrain participate. At specific times, children will be invited to come See how the shepherds, summoned to his cradle, forward, receive a prop, and leaving their flocks, draw nigh to gaze; take their place at the manger we too will thither bend our joyful footsteps; scene. The littlest ones must be Refrain accompanied by parents. Yea, Lord, we greet thee, born this happy morning; Jesus, to thee be glory given; Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing; Refrain Opening Sentences & Collect Behold, I bring you good news of great joy, which will come to all the people. For to you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Glory to God for ever and ever! And peace to God’s people on earth. The Lord be with you. And also with you. Let us pray. Good and gracious God, on this holy night you have given us your Son, the Lord of the universe, wrapped in swaddling clothes; the Savior of all, lying in a manger. On this holy night, draw us into the mystery of your love. Join our voices with heaven’s angels, that we may sing your glory on high. Give us a place among the shepherds, that we may find the one for whom we have waited: Jesus Christ, your Word made flesh, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, in the splendor of eternal light, one God forever and ever. Amen. WORD OF GOD First Reading Isaiah 9:2, 6–7 • The Prophet foretells the birth of Christ The congregation remains seated The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; a light has dawned for the entire pageant—including on those living in the land of the shadow of death. For to us a child is born, hymns, carols, and lessons. to us a son is given, and he will be our ruler. And he will be called Wonderful We invite small children to stand Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His power will so they can see. never end, and his peace will last forever. He will rule David’s kingdom and make it grow strong. He will rule with honesty and justice forever. The power of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. 4:30 Pm Christmas pageant, TUESDAY, December 24, 2019 3 r Hymn 79 ‘O little town of Bethlehem’ 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 streets shineth the everlasting Light; The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight. 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 all the earth. Words by Phillips Brooks, Rector of Trinity Church, Boston, 1869–1891 Second Reading Luke 1:26–33, 38 • The appearance of the Angel God sent the angel Gabriel to the village of Nazareth in Galilee. Gabriel spoke to a young woman engaged to be married to a man descended from the ruler, David. His name was Joseph, and the girl’s name was Mary. Gabriel said to her, “Greetings, favored one! God be with you!” But Mary was frightened, wondering what was behind a greeting like that. But the angel assured her, “Mary, you have nothing to fear. God has a surprise for you. You will become pregnant and give birth to a son and call his name Jesus. He will be great and be called ‘Son of the Highest’. The Lord God will give him the throne of David and he will rule Jacob’s house forever and there will be no end to his kingdom.” Mary listened to everything the angel told her and she said, “Yes, I see it all now. I am the Lord’s servant. Let it be with me just as you say.” And the angel left her. During this hymn, Hymn 102 ‘Once in royal David's city’ stars proceed to the front. Once in royal David’s city stood a lowly cattle shed, where a mother laid her baby in a manger for his bed: Mary was that mother mild, Jesus Christ her little child. He came down to earth from heaven, who is God and Lord of all, and his shelter was a stable, and his cradle was a stall; with the poor, the scorned, the lowly, lived on earth our Savior holy. Not in that poor lowly stable, with the oxen standing round, we shall see him; but in heaven, where his saints his throne surround: Christ, revealed to faithful eye, set at God’s right hand on high. Third Reading Luke 2:1–7 • The decree of Augustus In those days Emperor Augustus gave orders for the names of all the people to be listed in record books. These first records were made when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Everyone had to go to their own hometown to be listed. So Joseph had to leave Nazareth in Galilee and go to Bethlehem in Judea. Long ago Bethlehem had been King David’s hometown, and Joseph went there because he was from David’s family. Mary was engaged to Joseph and traveled with him to Bethlehem. She was soon going to have a baby, and while they were there, she gave birth to her first-born son. She wrapped him in strips of cloth and laid him on a bed of hay, because there was no room for them in the inn.