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Welcome!

While we are practicing social distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19 there is also a need to imagine what worship could look like more creatively. We will have worship on Sunday mornings at 10:00am EST on our Facebook Page.

Below you will find interactive bulletins for our Sunday morning services. Bulletins will include music, prayers, scripture readings, and an audio recording of the sermon. You may choose to worship on your own schedule using the resources provided or use them to follow along in the service on Facebook. If for some reason the Facebook stream stops working you can find the video on Holy Trinity’s YouTube channel.

Licensing

Holy Trinity Lutheran Church is covered under the following licenses:

• CCLI: 1510407
• OneLicense: 732293-A
• Augsburg Fortress: SAS006846

Children’s Message

For the Children’s message this week we invite you to check out back episodes of Morning Watch by Pastor Matt and Pastor Jesse, who are good friends of mine and ELCA pastors in Greensboro, NC. Each week day they engage children and adults alike with scripture, music, and prayer. A link to their videos is linked in the interactive bulletin found at holytrinitybellerose.wordpress.com.

Sunday School Lessons

Lessons & Carols + December 27, 2020

DIALOGUE

Jesus, the bright Morning Star, shines light in the world.
By day and night he shines for all to see.
Jesus was born in the midst of injustice and poverty
that the world may see the justice and richness of God.
God so loved the world that God sent Jesus,
so that all who believe in him may not perish but have eternal life.
Jesus is the light of the world.
Jesus is the light of our lives.
Sing to God a new song!
A song of hope, joy, and peace around the world.

GATHERING HYMN: Angels We Have Heard on High (ELW #289 + Verses 1 & 3)

1 Angels we have heard on high,
sweetly singing o’er the plains,
and the mountains in reply,
echoing their joyous strains.

Refrain
Gloria in excelsis Deo;
gloria in excelsis Deo.

3 Come to Bethlehem and see 
him whose birth the angels sing;
come, adore on bended knee
Christ the Lord, the newborn king.  Refrain

Text: French carol; tr. H. F. Hemy, The Crown of Jesus Music, 1864

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Almighty God, you wonderfully created the dignity of human nature and yet more wonderfully restored it. In your mercy, let us share the divine life of the one who came to share our humanity, Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

After each reading the response is:
Word of God, Word of Life. Thanks be to God.

FIRST LESSON: Genesis 1:1-5, 14-18

In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, ²the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.  ³Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.  ⁴And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.  ⁵God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.¹⁴And God said, “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years,  ¹⁵and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth.” And it was so.  ¹⁶God made the two great lights — the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night — and the stars.  ¹⁷God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth, ¹⁸to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.

FIRST CAROL: I Wonder As I Wander (WOV #642)

I wonder as I wander, out under the sky,
How Jesus the Savior did come for to die
For poor ord’n’ry people like you and like I.
I wonder as I wander out under the sky.

When Mary birthed Jesus, all in a cow’s stall,
Came wise men and farmer and shepherds and all,
And high from the heavens a star’s light did fall;
The promise of the ages it then did recall.

SECOND LESSON: Micah 5:2-5a

²But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah,
who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel,
whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.
³Therefore he shall give them up until the time
when she who is in labor has brought forth;
then the rest of his kindred shall return to the people of Israel. ⁴And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God.
And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth; ⁵and he shall be the one of peace.

SECOND CAROL: Once in Royal David’s City (ELW #269 Verses 1 & 2)

1 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.

2 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 and meek and lowly,
lived on earth our Savior holy.

Text: Cecil Frances Alexander, 1818-1895

THIRD LESSON: Luke 1:26-35, 38

²⁶In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth,  ²⁷to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.  ²⁸And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”  ²⁹But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.  ³⁰The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.  ³¹And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus.  ³²He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David.  ³³He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”  ³⁴Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”  ³⁵The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God.  ³⁸Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

THIRD CAROL: The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came (ELW #265 Verses 1 & 4 )

1 The angel Gabriel from heaven came,
with wings as drifted snow, with eyes as flame:
“All hail to thee, O lowly maiden Mary,
most highly favored lady.” Gloria!

4 Of her, Emmanuel, the Christ, was born
in Bethlehem all on a Christmas morn,
and Christian folk throughout the world will ever say:
“Most highly favored lady.” Gloria!

Text: Basque carol; para. Sabine Baring-Gould, 1834-1924

FOURTH LESSON: Matthew 1:18-25

¹⁸Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.  ¹⁹Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly.  ²⁰But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  ²¹She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”  ²²All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: ²³“Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means, “God is with us.”  ²⁴When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife,  ²⁵but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.

FOURTH CAROL: That Boy-Child of Mary (ELW #293 Verses 1 & 4)

Refrain
That boy-child of Mary was born in a stable,
a manger his cradle in Bethlehem.

1 What shall we call him, child of the manger?
What name is given in Bethlehem?  Refrain

2 His name is Jesus, God ever with us,
God given for us in Bethlehem.  Refrain

Text: Tom Colvin, 1925-2000

Text © 1969 Hope Publishing Company, Carol Stream, IL 60188. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

FIFTH LESSON: Luke 2:8-20

⁸In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.  ⁹Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  ¹⁰But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see — I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people:  ¹¹to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.  ¹²This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.”  ¹³And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, ¹⁴“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”¹⁵When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.”  ¹⁶So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger.  ¹⁷When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; ¹⁸and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them.  ¹⁹But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.  ²⁰The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

FIFTH CAROL: Angels, from the Realms of Glory (ELW #275 Verses 1 & 2)

1 Angels, from the realms of glory,
wing your flight o’er all the earth;
once you sang creation’s story,
now proclaim Messiah’s birth:
Come and worship, come and worship,
worship Christ, the newborn king.

2 Shepherds, in the fields abiding,
watching o’er your flocks by night,
God with us is now residing,
yonder shines the infant light.
Come and worship, come and worship,
worship Christ, the newborn king.

Text: James Montgomery, 1771-1854, alt., sts. 1-3; Salisbury Hymn Book, 1857, st. 4

SIXTH LESSON: Matthew 2:1-11

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem,  ²asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.”  ³When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him;  ⁴and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.  ⁵They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: ⁶‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.'”
⁷Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared.  ⁸Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.”  ⁹When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was.  ¹⁰When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy.  ¹¹On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

SIXTH CAROL: Your Little Ones, Dear Lord (ELW #286 Verses 1 & 4)

1 Your little ones, dear Lord, are we,
and come your lowly bed to see;
enlighten ev’ry soul and mind,
that we the way to you may find.

4 Until at last we too proclaim,
with all your saints, your glorious name;
in paradise our songs renew,
and praise you as the angels do.

Text: Hans A. Brorson, 1694-1764; tr. Harriet Krauth Spaeth, 1845-1925, alt.

SEVENTH LESSON: John 1:1-14

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  ²He was in the beginning with God.  ³All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being  ⁴in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.  ⁵The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

⁶There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.  ⁷He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.  ⁸He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light.  ⁹The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

¹⁰He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him.  ¹¹He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him.  ¹²But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, ¹³who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.

¹⁴And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.

SEVENTH CAROL: Love Has Come (ELW #292 Verses 1 & 3)

1 Love has come—a light in the darkness!
Love shines forth in the Bethlehem skies.
See, all heaven has come to proclaim it;
hear how their song of joy arises: 
Love! Love! Born unto you, a Savior! 
Love! Love! Glory to God on high.

3 Love has come and never will leave us! 
Love is life everlasting and free.
Love is Jesus within and among us.
Love is the peace our hearts are seeking.
Love! Love! Love is the gift of Christmas;
Love! Love! Praise to you, God on high!

Text: Ken Bible, b. 1950

Text © 1996 Integrity’s Hosanna! Music (ASCAP) c/o Integrity Media, Inc., 1000 Cody Road, Mobile, AL 36695

RESPONSIVE PRAYER

It is you, loving God, who lights our path with truth.
Your Word, Jesus, is truth.
In his light, draw all to the manger
to gather in wonder with the shepherds.
In his light, draw all to the manger
to kneel in reverence with the wise ones.
In his light, draw all to the manger
to sing for joy with the angels.
In the brightness of his life
cast away the darkness of injustice, poverty,
and hunger in the world.
It is you, loving God, who meets us on our way.
In the light of Jesus, show the world the way of life. Amen.

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE

Joining our voices with the song of the angels, let us pray for the church, the world, and all who are in need.

A brief silence.

Night and day, all creation praises you, O God. Strengthen your church across nations, denominations, and traditions. Fill us with wisdom and unify our proclamation of your forgiveness and mercy. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
All creation is holy to you, O God. You cause the earth to bring forth its shoots and gardens to spring up. Protect hibernating animals and frozen lands that wait earnestly for longer days of awakening and growth. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
The nations are upheld by your hand, O God. Cause righteousness and praise to spring forth, inspiring leaders to serve with compassion and integrity. Send your spirit of discernment upon legislators grappling with complex decisions for the sake of the common good. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Adopt us into your family, O God. Bless our elders with the peace and joy of Simeon and Anna. Strengthen those who have retired, those who work in older age, and those in need of income, food, company, or health care. Connect young and old across generations. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Your people long for your healing, you pour out mercy to all who cry out to you. Surround everyone in need of healing in body, mind, or spirit with your tender presence. Come to our aid as the Coronavirus spreads globally, heal those who are sick, support and protect their families from being infected. We also pray especially for Joe Sovercel, Carol Albasini, Karen McKenzie, Cathy Bressingham, Florence Buckley, David Snow, Ken Budds, the family Werner Neubauer, Bob Ross, Dylan Pearce and Karol Alvarado. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Let your justice roll down like waters as we fervently pray for all who experience racism as part of their daily realities, those who feel fear for their own safety and that of those whom they love.  We pray for all who are not treated with the respect they deserve, for we are all your children, created in your image.  We pray for those who are scared and angry that they’re fighting a seemingly endless battle for safety.  We pray for the families and friends of those who have been lost.  We pray for wisdom and safety for public officials and law enforcement.  We pray that no more harm come to our communities by anyone for any reason. We pray for peace, and we long for a future where the dignity of all God’s children is respected and upheld. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Let us depart in peace, O God, according to your word. Prepare our salvation in the sight of all your witnesses of every time and place. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
God of mercy, come quickly to us with grace upon grace as we lift these and all our prayers to you, in the name of Jesus. Amen.

SHARING OF CHRIST’S PEACE

The peace of the Lord be with you always.
And also with you.
Let us share Christ’s peace with one another.

CONGREGATIONAL SONG: We Are An Offering (ELW #692)

We lift our voices, we lift our hands, we lift our lives up to you:  we are an offering.

Lord, use our voices, Lord, use our hands,
Lord, use our lives, they are yours:  we are an offering.

All that we have, all that we are, all that we hope to be, we give to you, we give to you. 

We lift our voices, we lift our hands, we lift our lives up to you:  we are an offering, we are an offering.

OFFERTORY MESSAGE & PRAYER

Gracious God,
you came to us as one unknown,
bringing joy and salvation to the earth.
Nourish us at your banquet table,
that with all who welcome your birth
we may proclaim your peace,
revealed in Jesus Christ, our Savior.
Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Lord, remember us in your kingdom and teach us to pray:

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses,

 as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen

ANNOUNCEMENTS

We celebrate with joy those who have birthdays in December especially Sharon, Harry, Sharida, Laura, Jeff, Niels, Jean, Ruth, Charlie, Katherine and Nancy.

And all others who celebrate their birthdays in December. 

Let us pray:

O Lord; creator of all that exists, we thank you for the joy of watching new life begin and the privilege of sharing in its continual growth. 

In your mercy grant that these blessings may continue for us and for our children’s children, that generations yet unborn may bless your holy name. 

Loving God, bless those who are before you now, in person or online, celebrating the passage of another year. Bless them with health and joy as they grow in years and in faith. Through Jesus’ name.

BENEDICTION

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow!
Praise God, all creatures here below!
You are the shepherds telling the story.
We tell it in the streets and across the land.
You are the wise ones worshiping with thanksgiving.
We worship with gifts of song and service, talents and treasures.
You are the angels announcing peace.
We live with joy and go now in peace.
Almighty God, Father, + Son, and Holy Spirit,
bless you now and forever.
Amen.

SENDING HYMN: Good Christian Friends Rejoice (ELW #288 Verses 1 & 3)

1 Good Christian friends, rejoice
with heart and soul and voice;
give ye heed to what we say:
Jesus Christ is born today;
ox and ass before him bow,
and he is in the manger now.
Christ is born today!
Christ is born today!

3 Good Christian friends, rejoice
with heart and soul and voice;
now ye need not fear the grave;
Jesus Christ was born to save!
Calls you one and calls you all
to gain the everlasting hall.
Christ was born to save!
Christ was born to save!

Text: Medieval Latin carol; tr. John Mason Neale, 1818-1866

DISMISSAL

What is our mission? Welcoming all to grow in faith; living Christ’s message of serving and loving neighbors near and far.

Go in peace. Christ is with you. Thanks be to God.