O SING A SONG OF BETHLEHEM Arr. M. McDonald
O sing a song of Bethlehem,
Of shepherds watching there,
And of the news that came to them
From angels in the air:
The light that shone on Bethlehem
Fills all the world today;
Of Jesus’ birth and peace on earth
The angels sing alway.
Refrain:
O sing, a song! Proclaim the holy birth.
For Christ has come to bring us peace on earth.
O sing a song of Galilee,
Of lake and woods and hill,
Of Him who walked upon the sea
And bade its waves be still:
For though, like waves on Galilee,
Dark seas of trouble roll,
When faith has heard the Master’s word,
Falls peace upon the soul. Refrain:
O sing a song of Calvary,
Its glory and dismay;
Of Him who hung upon the tree,
And took our sins away:
For He who died on Calvary
Is risen from the grave,
And Christ, our Lord, by heav’n adored,
Is mighty now to save.
O sing, O sing a song!
PSALM 30 – Psalter 362 Traditional
From out the depths I cry, O Lord, to Thee;
Lord, hear my call;
I love Thee, Lord, for Thou dost heed my plea,
Forgiving all;
If Thou shouldst mark our sins, who then could stand?
But grace and mercy dwell at Thy right hand.
I wait for God, the Lord, and on His word
My hope relies;
My soul still waits and looks unto the Lord
Till light arise;
I look for Him to drive away my night,
Yea, more than watchmen look for morning light.
Hope in the Lord, ye waiting saints, and He
Will well provide,
For mercy and redemption full and free
With Him abide;
From sin and evil, mighty though they seem,
His arm almighty will His saints redeem.
COME TO THE SAVIOUR NOW F.C.Maker
Come to the Saviour now!
He gently calleth thee;
In true repentance bow,
Before Him bend the knee:
He waiteth to bestow
Salvation, peace, and love;
True joy on earth below,
A home in heaven above.
Come to the Saviour now!
Gaze on that cleansing tide
Water and blood that flow
Forth from His wounded side.
Hark to the suffering One:
’Tis finished!” now He cries:
Redemption’s work is done,
Then bows His head and dies.
Come to the Saviour now!
He suffered all for thee;
And in His merits thou
Hast an unfailing plea:
No vain excuses frame,
For feelings do not stay;
None who to Jesus came
Were ever sent away.
Come to the Saviour, all!
Whate’er your burdens be;
Hear now His loving call
“Cast all your cares on Me.”
Come, and for every grief
In Jesus you will find
A sure and safe relief,
A loving Friend and kind.
Come, come, come.
CHRISTMAS GRACE R. E. Schram
To take God’s Son from heaven, to turn the Lord of all
Into a helpless infant, a baby weak and small.
To give to our Creator a fully human face!
This is Christmas grace.
The feet that walked in splendour on streets of purest gold,
Now wrapped in humble swaddling, now shiver from the cold.
The hand that Mary holds hung the moon and stars in space.
This is Christmas grace.
Grace to share our frailty, understand our fragile lot;
Jesus laid aside His power to be helped, trained, and taught.
To know the sting of hunger, feel the pain of grief and loss,
God’s Son allowed Himself to be born for us!
He traded heaven’s majesty, He left His glorious throne
For wood and hay and rubble, a shell of flesh and bone,
The Lord Almighty locked in a single time and place.
This is Christmas grace.
PSALM 72 Traditional
Duet: Jessica DeBoer & Gerard Coates
His wide dominion shall extend
From sea to utmost sea,
And unto earth’s remotest bounds
His peaceful rule shall be.
The tribes that in the desert dwell
Shall bow before His throne;
His enemies shall be subdued,
And He shall rule alone.
The kings shall come from distant lands
And islands of the sea;
Oblations they shall bring to him
And wait on bended knee.
So they shall live, and bring to Him
Their gifts of finest gold;
For Him shall constant prayer be made,
His praise each day be told.
Abundant fields of grain shall wave
All white for harvesting,
And boundless joy and gladness fill
The city of the King.
AUDIENCE:
Blest be the Lord, our fathers’ God,
Eternal King of kings.
Who only is omnipotent,
Performing wondrous things.
Blest be His great and glorious name
Forevermore, Amen,
And let His glory fill the earth
From shore to shore. Amen
GOD’S LOVE M. den Toom
Softly the dew fell on Bethlehem’s meadows,
Shepherds were there, waiting for morning light;
Does one still know what the prophets were saying?
Does one still know what had happened that night?
God’s love came down upon this earth;
Came as a Child with no grand entrance,
The Prince of Peace came as a Child,
He shall conquer death’s great sentence.
Swiftly the news spread through Bethlehem’s walkways,
Voices made mention of heaven’s great gift:
Shepherds had left their sheep in the meadows,
Their news did herald around so swift.
Quickly the news spread o’er Israel’s hillsides,
Hoping and trusting what the future will bring;
Trav’ler to heav’n, look to Jesus for blessing,
Find in Him Wisdom, for He is the King.
God’s love came down upon this earth,
Came as a Child without great splendor,
The Prince of Peace for fallen man
Came to be His chosen one’s defender.
Hear the great joy of the heavenly chorus,
Yea, all creation rejoices on high;
Yea, soon this Child that was born in the manger
Shall surely come on the clouds of the sky.
God’s love come down upon this earth;
Came as a Child without great splendor;
The Prince of Peace, Immanuel,
Is He now your great defender?
Prince of Peace, Immanuel,
He came as the great defender!
COME, O COME, EMMANUEL Arr. M. McDonald
Come, O come, Emmanuel,
Ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lowly exile here,
Until the Son of God appear.
O come, Desire of nations, bind
All peoples in one heart and mind;
Bid envy, strife and quarrels cease;
Fill the whole world with heaven’s peace.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel!
Shall come to thee, O Israel!
NO ROOM IN THE INN E.G. Updegraff
No beautiful chamber, no soft cradle bed,
No place but a manger, nowhere for his head;
No praises of gladness, no thought of their sin,
No glory but sadness, no room in the inn.
Refrain:
No room, no room for Jesus,
O give Him welcome free,
Lest you should hear at Heaven’s gate,
“There is no room for Thee.”
No sweet consecration, no seeking His part,
No humiliation, no place in the heart;
No thought of the Saviour, no sorrow for sin,
No prayer for His favour, no room in the inn. Refrain:
No one to receive Him, no welcome while here,
No balm to relieve Him, no staff but a spear;
No seeking His treasure, no weeping for sin,
No doing His pleasure, no room in the inn.
No room for the Saviour, He suffered alone,
On Calvary anguished, for sin to atone;
“Come, sinner, receive Me,” is His living plea;
He made room for sinners, He bids, “Come to Me.”
My God, I will extol Thee and ever bless They Name;
Each day will I give thanks to Thee,
And all Thy praise proclaim.
THE FIRST NOEL Arr. H. den Hollander
Duet: Jessica DeBoer & Gerard Coates
The first Noel the angels did say
Was to certain poor shepherds
In fields where they lay,
In fields where they lay
Keeping their sheep
On a cold winter’s night
That was so deep.
Refrain:
Noel Noel Noel Noel!
Born is the King of Israel!
The wise men looked and saw a star
Shining in the East beyond them far,
And to the earth it gave great light,
And so it continued both day and night. Refrain:
And by the light of that same star,
The wise men came from country far;
To seek a King was their intent,
And to follow the star
Wherever it went. Refrain:
This star drew nigh to the northwest,
Over Bethlehem it took its rest;
And there it did both stop and stay
Right over the place where Jesus lay. Refrain:
Then let us all with one accord
Sing praises to our heavenly Lord,
That hath made heaven
And earth of naught,
And with His blood
His people hath bought. Refrain:
UNTO GOD J. Raney
Unto God, we lift our allelulias.
We sing to God hymns of joyful praise.
Unto God, ruler of creation,
With grateful hearts our voice we raise.
Unto God of grace and glory,
Willing hearts and hands we bring.
We sing to God of might and majesty,
Sovereign Lord, eternal King.
Refrain:
Let all the world in every corner sing!
Earth and heaven with praises ring.
We sing to God who rules and reigns above,
God of power, God of love.
Unto God, Master of eternity.
Lord of earth, of time and space.
Unto God we bow in deep humility.
God of justice, God of Grace. Refrain:
A CHRISTMAS BLESSING P. Stopford
May the joy of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds,
The worship of the wisemen and the peace of the
Christ Child be yours, be yours this Christmas.
May Christ, who by his incarnation
Gathered into one all things earthly,
All things heavenly, and fill you with joy,
Fill you with joy and peace.
And the blessing of God the Father, and the Son,
And the Holy Spirit be with you and remain with you always,
And remain with you always. Amen, Amen
CLOSING
BE STRONG IN THE LORD T. Fettke
Be strong in the Lord, and be of good courage;
Your defender is He who is always the same.
Mount up with wings as the eagle ascending;
Vict’ry is sure when you call on His name.
Refrain:
Be strong, be strong, be strong in the Lord;
And be of good courage for He is your guide.
Be strong, be strong, be strong in the Lord;
And rejoice for the vict’ry is yours.
Put on the armour the Lord has provided;
Place your defense in His unfailing care.
Trust Him for He will be with you in battle,
Lighting your path to avoid ev’ry snare. Refrain:
Be strong in the Lord, and be of good courage;
Your mighty commander will vanquish the foe.
Fear not the battle, for the vict’ry is always His;
He will protect you wherever you go. Refrain: