Christmas Eve A: Peace on Earth

Note: 

There is an updated 2022 version of this post with more stuff.

Bible Readings: Isaiah 9:2-7, Psalm 96, Titus 2:11-14, Luke 2:1-20

About the Images:
Upper Left: A free microsoft clipart with text from the Bible
Upper Right: Found at http://www.gwpda.org/photos/greatwar.ht It is an actual picture of two soldiers with Christmas trees during the Christmas Truce on the Western Front.
Lower Left: A free clipart with text from the Bible.
Lower Right: This free image comes from www.sundaygraphx.blogspot.com

Call To Worship: This, Tonight, is the Meeting Place
From Cloth for the Cradle by Wild Goose Worship Group, Wild Goose Publications, 1997, ISBN 1901557014, page 83. (pictured below at left).

Listening Song: Christe Elieson
By Michelle Tumes on her album, Centre of My Universe (pictured at left).

Listening Song: Emmanuel
By Michael W. Smith on WOW  Christmas or on his album, Christmas Time (pictured at right).

Listening song: I Still Pray
By Casey Chambers on The Spirit of Christmas 2001 (pictured at left)

Listening Song: Blessed is...
By The Cafe of the Gate of Salvation on their album, A Window in Heaven (pictured at right) 

Reading: The Journey of Jesus
From Cloth for the Cradle by Wild Goose Worsh
ip Group, Wild Goose Publications, 1997, ISBN 1901557014, page 84 (pictured at left below).

Film Clip: He Came Down



Drama (Monologue): The Shepherd
From Cloth for the Cradle by Wild Goose Worship Group, Wild Goose Publications, 1997, ISBN 1901557014, page 94 (pictured at left).

Story: Two Babies in the Manger
Author unknown but it can be found in many places on the net by googling the title. It is the story of a little orphan boy called Misha and is set in the early 1990's.

Story: The Christmas Truce on the Western Front
The web has lots of pictures and accounts of this amazing truce which occurred on Christmas Eve 1914. Just google the title. Wikapedia is as good a source as any. However if you are really stuck, The Lion Christmas Book by Mary Batchelor (ed.), Lion Publishing, 1986, ISBN 0745912206, has the story on page 69.

Film Clip: Joyeux Noel
This is the film of the above story.

Film Clip; Christmas Truce
This is a documentary of the same story with lots of useful scenes.

Listening Song: Belleau Wood
By Garth Brooks on his album, Sevens (pictured at left). This is a song about the Christmas truce. I turned the sound off the documentary above and played this song as the backing for silent scenes of the soldiers coming out of their trenches to make their peace with each other.

Film Clip: Belleau Wood
This puts original photos, paintings and modern film stills together with Garth Brooks' song.



Story: The Christmas Troll
By Eugene H Peterson and Will Terry, Navpress,2004, ISBN 1576836819 (pictured at right)

Meditation: The People Who Walked
From Cloth for the Cradle by Wild Goose Worship Group, Wild Goose Publications, 1997, ISBN 1901557014, page 24.

Meditation: How Can I Keep from Singing
Show a series of images of the nativity and play How can I Keep from Singing (by Enya on her singles album, Silent Night) in the background.

Responsive Prayer: A Boy Has Been Born For UsFrom Cloth for the Cradle by Wild Goose Worship Group, Wild Goose Publications, 1997, ISBN 1901557014, page 114.

Prayer for Others: When The World Was Dark
From Cloth for the Cradle by Wild Goose Worship Group, Wild Goose Publications, 1997, ISBN 1901557014, page 92.

Proclamation: They Have Heard It on the Hills
From Cloth for the Cradle by Wild Goose Worship Group, Wild Goose Publications, 1997, ISBN 1901557014, page 97.

Response Activity: Candle Lighting and Offering at 12 midnight:
Works as follows:
Our offering tonight is for......fill in the blanks but not your own church - someone else instead. Please come forward and place your offering in the bowl provided and take a taper. If you have not brought anything with you, don't worry, just come and take a taper. Form a large circle around the church instead of returning to your seat. (This can be done with just about any number of people). Jesus said "I am the light of the world". (Light the Christ candle, light your taper off the Christ candle and light the tapers of the people on each side of you. Encourage them to light the taper of the person next to them and so on). As Jesus' light travels around the circle, we pray that God's love will be in everyone's hearts tonight and always.

Response Activity: Jesus the Light of the World
At some point in the service (where it fits) ask people to take a tea light, light it and place it around a small wooden feed box (with or with out baby) to represent Jesus as the light of the world. If your service ends at midnight, turn the lights off completely at this point so that only the manger is highlighted.

Also:

Meditation: Quiet Remembering

Found in Meditations from the Iona Community by Ian Reid, Wild Goose Publications, Trowbridge, 1998, ISBN 1901557022, page 16.