Christmastide December 27, 2020 at 9:30am (EST) North Hills Christian Reformed Church 3150 N Adams Road Troy, Michigan 48084 www.northhillscrc.org About our Worship Setting for Christmastide: White and gold are the festival colors of the church year, their use reserved only for the celebrations of Christmas and Easter. The side wall banners show the symbols Alpha [A] and Omega [Ω]; these first and last letters of the Greek alphabet recall Christ’s words I am the first and the last, the Alpha and Omega, the bright morning star. The simple pulpit paraments, bursting with golden rays, lead the eye to the place where God’s word is read and preached. The Christ candle is prominently displayed on the front ledge. The banners were designed by the late Chris Stoffel Overvoorde and appliquéd by Mrs. Ellie van Harn. The communion table star covering and baptismal cap were created by Jean Engle, Pastor Engle’s mother, and gifted to North Hills Church in 2010. The Pastor’s stole was made in Bethlehem, it depicts scenes of Christ’s ministry. Gathering Music offered by flutist Jeffrey Zook: Three Christmas Soliloquies1 for solo flute by Thomas Keesecker I. O Come, O Come Emmanuel II. The Angel Gabriel III. Rejoice, Rejoice Believers Opening Sentences: One: Our help is in the name of the Lord, the One who made the heavens and the earth. All: Amen. Welcome and Opening Prayer *God’s Greeting *Mutual Greetings 1 These three carol settings for solo, unaccompanied flute receive their premiere this morning at North Hills Church. We thank composer Thomas Keesecker for graciously sharing his manuscripts with us, and flutist Jeffrey Zook for offering them for us! *Our Opening Hymn: O Come, All Ye Faithful Our Morning Prayers Our Morning Offerings are Received *Our Scripture Lesson: John 1:1-14 One: This is the Word of the Lord! All: Thanks be to God! The Voluntary: Shepherd’s Pipe Carol The voluntary is inspired by this text: Going through the hills on a night all starry On the way to Bethlehem Far away I hear a shepherd boy piping On the way to Bethlehem Angels in the sky brought this message nigh: Dance, and sing for joy that Christ the newborn King is Come to bring us peace on earth And He’s lying cradled there at Bethlehem Tell me, shepherd boy, piping tunes so merrily On the way to Bethlehem Who will hear your tunes on these hills so lonely? On the way to Bethlehem Angels in the sky . None may hear my pipes on these hills so lonely On the way to Bethlehem But a King will hear me play sweet lullabies When I get to Bethlehem Angels in the sky. Where is this new King, shepherd boy piping merrily Is He there at Bethlehem? I will find Him soon by the star shining brightly In the sky o’er Bethlehem Angels in the sky. May I come with you, shepherd boy piping merrily Come with you to Bethlehem? Pay my homage too at the new King’s cradle Is it far to Bethlehem? Angels in the sky brought this message nigh: Dance and sing for joy that Christ the newborn King is Born this night in lowly stable yonder Born for you at Bethlehem! {Text and music by John Rutter, 1969} The Sermon: THE WORD OF CHRISTMAS The Sermon Prayer *The Blessing (spoken) *The Doxology (sung): *The Postlude Leading us in worship this morning: Deacon Jeff Brown; Elder Mike VanAmberg; Flutist Jeffrey Zook; Organist Mary Baker; Pastor Randall Engle; Technicians Willie Yuhas & David Zijlstra .