Old South Church in Boston

A Service of Story and Song

C E
December 24, 2023 at 5:00 PM
 Christmas Eve: A Service of Story and Song
Sunday, December 24th, 2023 at 5:00 p.m.
Old South Church in Boston

GATHERING SONGS see insert

GREETING Ashley J. Popperson, Associate Minister

*CAROL O Come, All Ye Faithful

O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant,

O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem.
Come and behold him, born the King of angels.

O come, let us adore him, O come, let us adore him,

O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord!

Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation.

Sing, all ye citizens of heav’n above!
Glory to God, glory in the highest.

O come, let us adore him, O come, let us adore him,

O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord!

*PRAYER OF INVOCATION Kate M. Nintcheu,

Director of Children & Family Ministries

THE STORY OF CHRISTMAS

SETTING THE SCENE

2
CAROL 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 on earth.

How silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is given!

So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of his heaven.
No ear may hear his coming, but in this world of sin,
where meek souls will receive him, still the dear Christ enters in.

SCENE 1: JOSEPH, MARY, AND THE BABY JESUS

CAROL Away in a Manger

Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,

the little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head;
the stars in the sky looked down where he lay,
the little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.

The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes,

but little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes.
I love thee, Lord Jesus; look down from the sky,
and stay by my cradle till morning is nigh.

Be near me, Lord Jesus; I ask thee to stay

close by me forever and love me, I pray.
Bless all the dear children in thy tender care,
and t us for heaven to live with thee there.
3
SCENE 2: SHEPHERDS, SHEEP, AND ANGELS

CAROL Angels We Have Heard on High

Angels we have heard on high, sweetly singing o’er the plains,

and the mountains in reply, echoing their joyous strains.

Gloria in excelsis Deo! Gloria in excelsis Deo!

Shepherds, why this jubilee? Why your joyous strains prolong?

What the gladsome tidings be which inspire your heavenly song?

Gloria in excelsis Deo! Gloria in excelsis Deo!

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

Gloria in excelsis Deo! Gloria in excelsis Deo!

SCENE 3: TELLING THE GOOD NEWS

CAROL Joy to the World

Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King!
let every heart prepare him room, and heaven and nature sing,
and heaven and nature sing, and heaven, and heaven and nature sing.

Joy to the Earth, the Savior reigns! Let all their songs employ,
while elds and oods, rocks, hills, and plains repeat the sounding joy,
repeat the sounding joy, repeat, repeat the sounding joy.

He rules the world with truth and grace, and makes the nations prove
the glories of his righteousness and wonders of his love,
and wonders of his love, and wonders, wonders of his love.

SCENE 4: THE MAGI COME BEARING GIFTS

4
OFFERING
In thanksgiving to God and giving witness to generous hearts,
our financial gifts support ministries of mercy, justice, and beauty.

To give via ApplePay, GooglePay, or with a Credit Card,

scan the QR code with your smartphone camera.
You can also Text 44-321 and enter OSC to make a gift.

CAROL We Three Kings

We three kings of orient are; bearing gifts we traverse afar;

eld and fountain, moor and mountain, following yonder star.

O star of wonder, star of night, star with royal beauty bright,

westward leading, still proceeding, guide us to thy perfect light.

Born a king on Bethlehem’s plain; gold I bring, to crown him again,

King forever, ceasing never, over us all to reign. (refrain)

Frankincense to o er have I, incense owns a deity nigh,

prayer and praising, gladly raising, worship him, God most high. (refrain)

Myrrh is mine, its bitter perfume breathes a life of gathering gloom;

sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying, sealed in the stone cold tomb. (refrain)

Glorious now behold him arise, King and God and sacri ce;
Alleluia! Alleluia! sounds through the earth and skies! (refrain)

A CHRISTMAS PRAYER John M. Edgerton, Senior Minister

THE LORD’S PRAYER unison

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 debts as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory
forever. Amen.

5
PASSING THE LIGHT

CAROL remain seated Silent Night! Holy Night!

Silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright

Round yon virgin, mother and child.
Holy infant so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace, sleep in heavenly peace.

Silent night, holy night, shepherds quake at the sight,

Glories stream from heaven afar,
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia;
Christ the Savior is born, Christ the Savior is born.

Silent night, holy night, Child of God, love’s pure light.

Radiant beams from Thy holy face
Bring the dawn of redeeming grace;
Jesus Christ at Thy birth, Jesus Christ at Thy birth.

BENEDICTION Ashley J. Popperson, Associate Minister

óóóóóóóóóó
Our special thanks to:

The Perry-Barillas Family

Sienna B.

Harrison Reeder, Pearl Vercruysse, and Michael DeSantis

M
Mitchell Crawford, Minister of Music
Sara Mitnik, song leader
Brian Lew, trombone

6
 óóóóóóóóóó

MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Donations have been made by Old South members and friends in honor and memory
of loved ones. A listing of gifts is available at the back of the Sanctuary.

N Y ’ E O S
Sunday, December 31 st

N Y ’ E M W a.m. in the Gordon Chapel

F N P P C 7 p.m. in the Sanctuary

óóóóóóóóóó
Families of all sizes, shapes, and hues are welcome and cherished at Old South
Church. Whether your child is shy or squirmy, teddy-bear-clutching or bold, a boy in
a tutu or a girl who slays dragons, they will t in ne! It is our joy to enfold all
children the outspoken, the diagnosed, the temper-tantrum-throwing, and the sweet,
cuddly ones within the circle of community in Christ’s church.

Have you ever imagined yourself in a far away time and place? Ever wondered what it
would be like to see the world begin? Come play with us as we enter into the great
story of God and God's people. Godly Play meets at 10 a.m. every Sunday for age 3
through 4th grade.

Ever wondered if Moses was fun to hang out with? Have trouble keeping the
prophets separate? Come and Meet the Ancestors at 10 a.m. each week for 5th and
6th grades.

Learn more at oldsouth.org/children-youth-families.

7
 OLD SOUTH CHURCH in BOSTON — MINISTERS, OFFICERS, & STAFF
John M. Edgerton, Senior Minister
Ashley J. Popperson, Associate Minister
Rachel Barton, Assistant Minister and Nancy S. Taylor Fellow
Donald A. Wells, Theologian in Residence v June R. Cooper, Theologian in the City
David Story, Wedding Minister v Ken Orth, Healing Worship Minister
Madison Chau, Seminary Fellow
James W. Crawford, Senior Minister Emeritus v Nancy S. Taylor, Senior Minister Emeritus
Mitchell Crawford, Minister of Music
George Sargeant, Associate Organist & Choirmaster
Tim Harbold, Director, Gospel Choir v Peter Coulombe, Director, Old South Ringers
Kate Nintcheu, Director, Children & Family Ministries
Summer Marsh, Director, Old South Preschool
Aislin Kate Anderson, Children’s Choir Director
Amelia Gerrard, Church Administrator v John Braught, Director of Operations
Rémy Hat eld-Gardner, Administrative Assistant v Kathleen Steen, Staff Accountant
Emily Ross, Archivist v Karen Hand, Wedding Coordinator
Jamie Garuti Sage, Multimedia Director
Rémy Hat eld-Gardner and William Wei, Livestream Production Assistants v Ava Welling, Sound Technician
Elias Perez, Senior Sexton v Ozo Nwodo, Richard Serebour, and David Brode, Sextons
Corey Spence, Weekday Receptionist
Shirley Bivins, Shelia Randolph, and George Sargeant, Evening & Weekend Receptionists
Phil Stern, Moderator v Rob Gabler, Clerk v Bill Bulkeley, Treasurer
Debby Kuenstner, Chair, Board of Trustees v Kate Silfen, Historian
Christine Del Favero and Tony Rich, Senior Deacons v Vicki Newman, Pledge Secretary

A NOTE ON THE INCLUSIVE DIMENSIONS OF GOD’S GRACE

Old South Church in Boston, in the name of its host, Jesus Christ, and in the spirit of Christ’s invitation carved into the
stone of this church’s portico, “Behold I Set Before You an Open Door,” welcomes all who seek to know God. Following
the One who we believe is Sovereign and Savior, we affirm that each individual is a child of God, and recognize that we are
called to be like one body with many members, seeking with others of every race, ethnicity, creed, class, age, gender, marital
status, physical or mental ability, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression to journey together toward the
promised realm of God. We invite everyone to join in the common life and mission of our reconciling community
through participation and leadership in this congregation, and by fully sharing in the worship, rites and sacraments of this
church. As we all move forward with the work of this church, we commit ourselves to making justice and inclusivity a
reality in this congregation and in the world. On the threshold of Christ’s open door, we rely upon the healing,
unconditional nature of God’s love and grace to be our help and guide.