CHRISTMAS EVE 2014

VESPERS

ST. JOHN’S LUTHERAN

3594 RUE JEANNE MANCE

MONTREAL, QUEBEC H2X 2K3

☎ (514) 844-6297 ✇ (514) 845-2961www.SaintJohnsLutheranMontreal.org

✉ stjohns@SaintJohnsLutheranMontreal.org

EGLISE LUTHÉRIENNE

ST-JEAN

ATTENTION: HAND CANDLES

Please note that young children must not hold candles.They can share a candle with a parent or guardian, butwhere the adult is firmly in control of the candle.

For safety reasons, ushers will not distribute candlesto young children.

When lighting your candle, please remember to hold already burning candlesupright and tip only unlit candles.

Visitors are welcome to use the offering envelopes lo-cated in the pews. All donations of $20 or more will re-ceive a receipt for Income Tax purposes. Please clearly indicate your full address on the envelope.

Wir fassen keinen andern Gott als den,

der in jenem Menschen ist, We can not comprehend any

der vom Himmel kam. other kind of God

Ich fange bei der Krippe an. than the one in each person,

-M. Luther the one who came from heaven.

I start with the manger.-Martin Luther

NOTICE FROM REVENUE CANADA: Regulations stipulate that donations you wish included on your 2014 receipt mustreach the church office by Dec. 25 or be postmarked before Dec. 31, if mailed. Wewill do our best to include donations made at church on Sun., Dec. 28, but cannotguarantee that they will be included for 2014; any donations which we can notprocess for Dec. 31, will be included on your tax receipt for 2015. We regret anyinconvenience.

BISHOP Michael Pryse Eastern Synod, ELCICPASTOR Eric E. DyckHONORARY ASSISTANT Matthew AndersonHONORARY PRESIDENT Rudolf HeissCHAIRPERSON Martina ThielTREASURER Carol MeindlDIRECTOR OF MUSIC Joel PetersSACRISTAN John HarrisonSUNDAY SCHOOL Suzanne ReyOFFICE SECRETARY Katherine Hedrich

VESPERS ON CHRISTMAS EVE

P: PASTOR A: ASSISTANTS C: CONGREGATION

SIT

PRELUDE Es ist ein Ros' entsprungen, Op. 122 (Brahms)

The lights are lowered for the Service of Light which begins vespers.The Easter Candle and other lights are brought into the darkened church.The choir leads the dialogue with the people.The congregation responds with the parts in bold print.

STAND

As the Easter Candle is placed at the front, the congregation sings the carol: As the carol is sung, hand candles are lighted.

1. O little town of Bethlehem,How still we see thee lie!Above thy deep and dreamlesssleepThe silent stars go by;Yet in they dark streets shinethThe everlasting light.The hopes and fears of all theyearsAre met in thee tonight.

2. For Christ is born of Mary,And gathered all aboveWhile mortals sleep, the angelskeepTheir watch of wond’ring love.O morning stars, togetherProclaim the holy birth,And praises sing to God the king,and peace to all the earth!

3. How silently, how silentlyThe wondrous gift is giv’n!So God imparts to human heartsThe blessings of his heav’n.No ear may hear his coming;But, in this world of sin,Where meek souls will receivehim, stillThe dear Christ enters in.

4. O holy child of Bethlehem, Descend to us, we pray;Cast out our sin, and enter in,Be born in us today.We hear the Christmas angelsThe great glad tidings tell;Oh, come to us, abide with us,Our Lord Immanuel!

Thanksgiving The presider continues:

“Let us give thanks . . . name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”Blessed are you, O Lord and mighty God,our eternal Father and David’s King.You have made our gladness greater and increased our joy by sending todwell among us the wonder Counsellor, the Prince of Peace.Born of Mary, proclaimed to the shepherds, and acknowledged to the ends ofthe earth, your unconquered Sun of Justice destroys our darkness and established us infreedom and we are led forth from bondage.All Glory in the highest be to you, through Christ, the Son of your Favour, inthe anointing love of his Spirit this night and forever and ever.

C

Hand candles are extinguished as some lights are turned on.

SIT

PROPHECIESA: Now we rest from doing our business, from our worries, and from our

dreams.We become silent and hear the Word out of the stillness, the Word of thisnight.We become silent for now the One speaks who gave us to speak, who gaveus joys and sorrows.We become silent, for the time to occupy ourselves with the labours of theday is over and we hear the Word of this night.Throughout the winter stillness penetrates the voice of light, penetrates theilluminating Word.Pray and sing, be open to hear the Word of this night.

4

CAROL “Of the Father’s Love Begotten” [EvLW 295]

1. Of the Father's love begottenEre the worlds began to be,He is Alpha and Omega, He the source, the ending he,Of the things that are, that havebeen,And that future years shall see,Evermore and evermore!

2. This is he whom seers in oldtimeChanted of with one accord,Whom the voices of the prophetsPromised in their faithful word;Now he shines, the longexpected;Let creation praise its LordEvermore and evermore!

I Prophecy: Micah 5: 2-5a

Carol “What Child is this” [EvLW 296]

1. What child is this, who, laid torest, on Mary’s lap is sleeping?Whom angels greet with anthemssweet while shep-herds watch arekeeping?This, this is Christ the King,whom shepherds guard andangels sing;haste, haste to bring him laud, the babe, the son of Mary!

2. Why lies he in such mean estatewhere ox and ass are feeding?Good Christian, fear; for sinnershere the silent Word is pleading.Nails, spear shall pierce himthrough, the cross be borne for me, for you;hail, hail the Word made flesh,the babe, the son of Mary!

II Prophecy: Isaiah 9: 2-6

Carol “‘Twas in the Moon of Wintertime” Huron Carol; Tune: French folk song [EvLW 284]

1. ‘Twas in the moon of winter-timeWhen all the birds had fled.That mighty Gitchi ManitouSent angel choirs instead.Before their light the stars grew dim,

And wond’ring hunters heard thehymn:

Refrain: Jesus your king is born! Jesus is born!In excelsis gloria!

2. Within a lodge of broken bark,

the tender Babe was found;A ragged robe of rabbit skinenwrapped His beauty round.And as the hunter braves drew nigh,the angel song rang loud and high:

Refrain3. O children of the forest free,O sons of Manitou,The holy child of earth and heav’n

Is born today for you.Come kneel before the radiant boy

Who brings you beauty, peace, andjoy.Refrain

III Prophecy: Isaiah 11, 1-2

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CAROL "Lo, How a Rose ere Blooming" [EvLW 272]

1. Lo, how a rose e’re blooming,From tender stem hath sprungOf Jesse’s lineage comingas prophets long have sung,Would bear one perfect flow’rAmid the cold of winterWhen half spent was the night.

2. Isaiah ‘twas foretold itThe rose I have in mind.With Mary we behold itThe Virgin mother kind.To show God’s love arightShe bore to us a saviourAt midnight calm and still.

3. This flow’r, so small and tender,With fragrance fills the air;his brightness ends the darknessthat kept the earth in fear.True God and yet true man,He came to save his peopleFrom earth’s dark night of sin.

4. O Saviour, child of Mary,who felt our human woe;O Saviour, king of glory,who dost our weakness know:bring us at length, we pray,to the bright courts of heavenand into endless day.

STANDPrayer

P Let us pray.The proper prayer for this evening prayer service is said.

At the conclusion of the prayer:C Amen.

CHRISTMAS GOSPEL

STANDPreparations are made for hearing the narrative of Christ’s birth. The lights are progressively lowered as the hand candles are again lighted.

Please note: DO NOT DIP LIGHTED CANDLES.Dip only your UNLIGHTED candle when lighting candleswith your neighbour's.

[EvLW 257]

1. Oh, come, oh, come, Emmanuel,And ransom captive Israel,That mourns in lonely exile hereUntil the Son of God appear.

Refrain:Rejoice! Rejoice!EmmanuelShall come to you, O Israel.

2. O come, O Wisdom from on high,embracing all things far and nigh:in strength and beauty come andstay;

teach us your will and guide ourway.Refrain

3. Oh, come, oh, come, great Lordof might,Who to your tribes on Sinai’s heightIn ancient times once gave the lawIn cloud, and majesty and awe.Refrain

4. Oh, come, strong Branch ofJesse, free

Your own from Satan’s tyranny;

From depths of hell your people saveAnd give them vict’ry o’er the grave. Refrain

5. O come, O Key of David, come,and open wide our heav’nly home;make safe the way that leads onhigh,

and close the path to misery.Refrain

6. O come, O King of nations,come,O Cornerstone that binds in one:refresh the hearts that long for you; restore the broken, make us new.Refrain

When all is ready, the Gospel is read in sections punctuated with music.

Part 1: Luke 2: 1-7Response: From heaven above (selected verses) EvLW 268

1. From heav'n above to earth IcomeTo bear good news to everyhome!Glad tidings of great joy I bringTo all the world, and gladly sing:

3. This is the Christ, God's son mosthigh,Who hears your sad and bittercry;He will himself your Saviour beAnd from all sin will set you free.

8. Welcome to earth, O noble guest,Through whom this sinful world isblest!You turned not from our needsaway!How can our thanks such loverepay?

13.Ah dearest Jesus, holy Child,Prepare a bed, soft, undefiled,A holy shrine, within my heart,That you and I may never part.

Part 2: Luke 2: 8-14Response: Carol “Angels we have heard on High” [EvLW 289]]

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.2. Shepherds, why this jubilee,Why your joyous strains prolong?What the gladsome tidings beWhich inspire your heav'nly song?Refrain

3. Come to Bethlehem and seeHim whose birth the angels sing;Come, adore on bended kneeChrist the Lord, the newborn King.Refrain

Part 3: Lukas 2, 15-16Response: “In the bleak mid-winter” (H. Darke) Choir

7

SIT at the conclusion of the Gospel reading.

The hand candles are extinguished at the conclusion of the reading.

VISIT TO THE CRECHE

All children are invited to come forward as the congregation sings the carol.

1. Oh, come, little children, oh, come,one and all,To visit the manger in Bethlehem’s stallAnd see what the Father in heaven sotrueHas done to prepare a bright Christ-mas for you.

2. O see, in the manger, this strangelittle bed,A Child, sweet and gentle, is resting itshead,A Babe, clad in garments so pure andso white,And fairer by far than the angels oflight.

5. O dearest, O sweetest, O heavenlyChild,So pure and so holy, so good and somild;For us poor and weak in the mangerhast lain,And also for us like a lamb Thou wastslain.

6. Take Thou, then, our hearts whichwe offer to Thee,And keep them from sin and fromwickedness free;Yes, let them be holy and blessed likeThine,Thou Son of the Highest, Thou Infantdivine.

The pastor explores the Creche with the children.At the conclusion, the children return to their seats,

SITOFFERING Your contributions will help us balance accounts at year’s end .

Music during the collection: Canon (Round): “Es ist ein Ros entsprungen” Choir

STAND

LITANY (SUNG) During the Litany, the hand candles are lighted.

P Let us complete our Evening Prayer on the eve of Christ’s birth.C Response is repeated

after every petition.

A By the sacred mysteries of the Word made flesh, let us pray to the Lord.C sung Lord have mercy.A By the wondrous birth in time of the timeless son of God, let us pray to the

Lord.C sung Lord have mercy.

A By the humble nativity of the King of glory in the cave of Bethlehem, let uspray to the Lord.

C sung Lord have mercy.A By the splendid manifestation of the King of the Jews to the shepherds and

Magi, let us pray to the Lord.C sung Lord have mercy.A By the lowly submission of the Maker of the world to Mary and Joseph of

Nazareth, let us pray to the Lord.C sung Lord have mercy.A By the holy baptism of the spotless Son of God by John int eh Jordan, let

us pray to the Lord.C sung Lord have mercy.A By the revealing miracle of the water made wine at Cana of Galilee, let us

pray to the Lord.C sung Lord have mercy.A For all who are gathered here, rejoicing in the Christmas festival, able to

tell good news to the whole waiting world, let us pray to the LordC sung Lord have mercy.A For an end to fighting in Bethlehem and throughout the biblical lands, let

us pray to the Lord.C sung Lord have mercy.A For those who will keep Christmas in hospitals, nursing homes, shelters

and jails, Let us pray to the Lord.C sung Lord have mercy.A For those who mourn the loss of a loved one, for those who weep, for

those who know no rest, Let us pray to the Lord.C sung Lord have mercy.P Wonderful-Counsellor, Mother, Father, Prince of Peace,

You came to the lowly shepherds first, to tell of the birth of our Saviour.Give us shepherd’s eyes to see your glory,shepherd’s wisdom to rejoice.We ask this in Jesus’ name

C Amen.A Lord remember us in your Kingdom and teach us to pray:C 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.

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1. Silent, night, holy night!All is calm, all is brightRound yon virgin mother and childHoly Infant, so tender and mild,Sleep in heavenly peace,Sleep in heavenly peace.

2. Silent night, holy night!Shepherds quake at the sight;Glories stream from heaven afar,Heav'nly hosts sing, Alleluia!

Christ, the Saviour, is born!Christ, the Saviour, is born!

3. Silent night, holy night!Son of God, love's pure lightRadiant beams from your holyface,With the dawn of redeeming grace,Jesus, Lord, at your birth,Jesus, Lord, at your birth

.STAND

SENDING

Closing Gospel: Luke 2: 17-20

after the closing Gospel has been read:

P: When we afterwards move home, through this evening of Christmas, we areprivileged to know: we are not alone.Christ is born, God with us. He accompanies us on our way.May we go forth in the name of God the Father, God the Son, and God the HolySpirit.

C Thanks be to God!

Hand candles are extinguished.CAROL "It came upon a midnight clear" [EvLW 282]

1. It came upon the midnight clear,That glorious song of old,From angels bending near the earthTo touch their harps of gold:“Peace on the earth, good will to all,From heav’n’s all gracious king”.The world in solemn stillness layTo hear the angels sing.

2. Still through the cloven skies theycomeWith peaceful wings unfurled,And still their heav’nly music floatsO’er all the weary world.Above its ad and lowly plainsThey bend on hov’ring wing,And ever o’er its babel soundsThe blessed angels sing.

3. And you, beneath life’s crushing load,Whose forms are bending low,Who toil along the climbing wayWith painful steps and slow:Look now, for glad and golden hoursCome swiftly on the wing;Oh, rest beside the weary roadAnd hear the angels sing!

4. For lo! The days are hast’ning on, By prophets seen of old,When with the ev-er-cir-cling yearsShall come the time foretold.When peace shall over all the earthIts ancient splendours fling,And all the world give back the songWhich now the angels sing.

POSTLUDE “Vom Himmel Hoch da komm ich her”Canon alla quinta, BWV 769a (J.S. Bach)

WE EXTEND OUR THANKS TO . . . ...those who assisted in the liturgy this evening, including our confirmands and youth

...our Music Director, Joel Peters and St. John’s Choir...sacristan John Harrison’s work

...Wolfgang Wimmer for donating the Christmas tree and Ewald Stranzl for assistingwith the hauling in of the tree

...Ewald Stranzl and the men who assisted in bringing in the tree and setting it up....Margaret Ringel and her decorating team for trimming the tree

...Helen Bartsch for tying wreaths...all who donated poinsettias or cash for purchasing poinsettias; without these dona-

tions we would not have such a festive sanctuary...the contributions of any person we might have missed; everything everyone did for

the Christmas season is much appreDecember 18, 2014ciated.

SERVICES FOR CHRISTMAS & EPIPHANY

Dec. 24Midnight Eucharist

11 p.m.Solemn Vigil Eucharist

Dec. 25 The Nativity of Our Lord: Christmas Day

11 a.m.German-English Eucharist

Dec. 28Holy Innocents, Martyrs

11 amEnglish Eucharist

Jan. 4 The Epiphany of Our Lord

11a.m.English Eucharist

Jan. 11The Baptism of Our Lord

11a.m.English Eucharist

11 a.m.Sunday School resumes

12 noonNew Year’s Potluck

Regular Schedule resumes Jan. 18:

9:30 a.m. German Service and 11 am. English service

Join our Facebook page: “Lutherans Downtown (St. John’s)”

Check our redesigned website:www.SaintJohnsLutheranMontreal.org

On-line donations accepted through our website or directly at www.CanadaHelps.org

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSTexts and Music from Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006) used with permission

and under licence from Augsburg Fortress. “Litany” from Praise God in Song, copyright 1979 by GIA. Used with permission, Carol texts that are copyrighted, used with permission (EvLW #257, vs. 2 & 7 and

#268 © Augsburg Fortress); all others in the public domain.

Our treasurer comments as the financial year draws to aclose:

Your continued financial and volunteer support keeps our spiritual community

and our ministries going. We share this responsibility with one another, each

doing as much as we are able. What every member and supporter contributes is

part of a community effort that assures the ongoing mission of St. John’s.

Together, we appreciate each other’s contributions.

This past year we continued to update our accounting methods and we were

blessed in September with Katherine Hedrich, an experienced administrator and

accounts person, taking the position as Office Secretary. Although only a few

months in the job, her skills have been noticeable in upgrading our

administration.

It was another year of very careful managing of expenses. Thankfully a few

extra sources of income helped our cash flow (e.g. our rental to the Malagasy

Lutheran congregation), but having insufficient funds in the bank when large

payments were due was still cause for sleepless nights. At year end, I will be

able to assess our final position, but this will depend on our combined efforts in

this final month of the year. Thanks to all our contributors, to the assistance of

the auxiliaries, and to the congregations’s patience with rentals.

Despite our sometimes precarious cash-flow situation, we were able to fully

maintain all the ministries that are an expression of our discipleship and Gospel

mission. In the spirit of ministry together I look towards the coming year with

courage and hope. The blessings of the past remain and the need for us to be a

church today and tomorrow are seen at every gathering at St. John’s. We as a

community of the baptised must ensure that the spiritual and social needs of our

congregation and surrounding neighbourhood continue to be met as Christ’s dis-

ciples, as Christians, gathered as St. John’s Lutheran, Montreal.

I want to thank the many members who have met or exceeded the annual

pledge, given as “General Offerings,” set by the congregational meeting of

$300 for single individuals and $600 for families.

Together, we thank those who kindly increased their General Offerings this

year –even a little bit makes a difference!

Financial contributions are not the only type of meaningful contribution. The

offering of skills, physical work, time to help out, and gifts-in-kind do much to

build and support our congregation. The way forward involves our active

ministry together as the baptised people ministering through St. John’s, sharing

what we have and furthering God’s Vision for us here on Earth.

On behalf of all of us, to all of us: THANKS.-Carol Meindl, Treasurer