What can be said about Christmas Eve at Union Presbyterian Church? That we sing our hearts out… that we listen to the story that never grows old… that we leave changed, even if only slightly, because the message that God’s love actually materialized in human form, specifically, the form of a tiny baby, is overwhelmingly beautiful. You are invited. Communion will be served. You won’t be sorry you came.
Please join us on Christmas Eve at 4:00 PM in our beautifully decorated sanctuary at 200 East Main Street in Endicott to share in our Christmas festivities. Or, you can join our livestream, right here. We hope you won’t miss this joyful, beautiful celebration.
Christmas Eve
Hope is Born
Isaiah 66:10-13; Luke 2:1-20
Union Presbyterian Church
December 24, 2025
Sharing the Light of Christ, Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
Liturgist: Rev. Jeff Kellam Preacher: Rev. Pat Raube
Preludes
“O Come, All Ye Faithful” Tower Ringers
“Angels We Have Heard On High”
“Go, Tell It on the Mountain”
“Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee”
Arranged by Patricia A. Sanders
©1994, Agape, All rights reserved.
Used with permission under ONE LICENSE,
License #A-728112. All rights reserved.
“Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” Salome Lomidze
“The First Nowell”
Arranged by Fabrizio Ferrari
©1999-2008, Virtual Sheet Music, All rights reserved.
Used with permission.
“Away in a Manger” Chris Bartlette
Arranged by Roger Summers
©2004, Lorenz Publishing Co., All rights reserved.
Used with permission under ONE LICENSE,
License #A-728112. All rights reserved.
* Call to Worship and Candle-Lighting Rev. Jeff Kellam
Candlelighter: Leah Cirillo
The grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all.
Glory to God in the highest!
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.
Glory to God in the highest!
For a child has been born for us, a Son has been given to us.
Glory to God in the highest!
He is Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Glory to God in the highest!
To us is born, in the city of David, a Savior, the Messiah, the Lord.
Glory to God in the highest!
And the Word became flesh, and lived among us.
Glory to God in the highest!
* Carol # 183 W & R
“Once in Royal David’s City”
(Public Domain)
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.
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.
Jesus is our childhood's pattern,
Day by day like us he grew;
He was little, weak, and helpless,
Tears and smiles like us he knew:
And he feels for all our sadness,
And he shares in all our gladness.
And our eyes at last shall see him,
Through his own redeeming love;
For that child, so dear and gentle,
Is our Lord in heaven above:
And he leads his children on
To the place where he has gone.
* Christmas Prayer
How amazing is your love, great God! You are not distant from us, in some faraway heaven; you have come close to us in a child born of simple parents and cradled in a borrowed bed of straw. Here amid dirt and straw, amid noise of cattle and labor of birth, we perceive your work. We dare to believe that it is you, God, coming to be among us in Jesus, and so we praise you with songs of joy. Glory be to you, O God, now and forever! Amen.
* Carol # 188 W & R
“Angels We Have Heard on High”
(Public Domain)
Angels we have heard on high
Sweetly singing o’er the plans,
And the mountains in reply
Echo back their joyous strains.
Gloria in excelsis Deo!
Gloria in excelsis Deo!
Shepherds, why this jubilee?
Why your joyous strains prolong?
Say, what may the 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!
* Sharing of the Peace
God is love.
A child is born, and he shall be called the Prince of Peace.
Let this child open a space for God’s love and peace in our hearts.
May the love and peace of God be with you.
And also with you.
Let us offer one another a sign of God’s peace.
Scripture Isaiah 66:10-13
In this oracle, God expresses motherly love for his people.
A reading from the Prophet Isaiah, beginning at Chapter 66, verse 10.
Rejoice with Jerusalem, and celebrate with her,
all you who love her;
rejoice with her in joy,
all you who mourn deeply over her—
in order that you all may nurse and be satisfied
from her comforting breast,
that you all may drink deeply and delight yourselves
from the glory of her breast.
For so says the Holy One of Old:
Watch! I will extend to her flourishing like a river,
and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing stream;
and you all shall nurse and be carried on her arm,
and you all shall be bounced on her knees.
As a mother comforts her child,
so will I comfort you all;
you all shall be comforted in Jerusalem.
Time for Young Disciples Rev. Pat Raube
Music: “On Christmas Night All Christians Sing” (Public Domain)
Duet Jegyoung Woo, Kyle Cho
“O Holy Night” (Public Domain)
O holy night! the stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth;
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Till He appeared, and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine! O night, when Christ was born!
O night divine, O night, O night divine!
Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand;
So, led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,
Here came the wise men from the Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus in lowly manger,
In all our trials born to be our friend;
He knows our need, He guardeth us from danger;
Behold your King! before Him lowly bend!
Behold your King! before Him lowly bend!
Scripture Luke 2:1-20 (NRSVUE)
A reading from the Gospel according to Luke, beginning at chapter 2, verse 1.
Now it happened in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered (for taxation). This was the first registration and occurred while Quirinius was the governor of Syria. So all went to be registered, each to their own towns. Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth into Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, for he was from the house and heritage of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was betrothed and who was pregnant. So it was, that, while they were there, the time came for her to birth her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and swaddled him, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
Shepherds were in that region there staying in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Most High God came upon them, and the glory of the Living God shone around them, and they were greatly terrified. But the angel said to them, “Fear not. Look! For I proclaim to you good news of great joy for all the people: For there is born to you this day a Savior who is the Messiah, the Sovereign God, in the city of David. This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby swaddled and lying in a manger. And immediately there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly array, praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among peoples whom God favors!”
And it happened when the angels had departed from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to be, which the Sovereign God has made known to us.” So they came hurrying and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Now seeing this. they made known what had been spoken to them about this child. And all who heard marveled at what was spoken by the shepherds to them. But Mary preserved all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen; it was just as it had been told them.
Response Holy Wisdom, Holy Word:
Thanks be to God!
Anthem Choir, Salome Lomidze
“The First Noel,” Andrew Huish
©2017, Beckenhorst Press, All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.
License #A-728112. All rights reserved.
The first Noel, the angel did say,
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay;
In fields where they lay a-keeping their sheep,
On a cold winter’s night that was so deep.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,
Born is the King, the King of Israel.
They looked up 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.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,
Born is the King, the King of Israel.
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 mankind hath bought.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,
Born is the King, the King of Israel.
Sermon The Birth of Hope
* Statement of Faith A Christmas Creed
We believe in Jesus Christ
and in the beauty of the gospel begun in Bethlehem.
We believe in the one whose spirit glorified a little town, and whose spirit still brings life to people all over the world, in towns both large and small.
We believe in the one for whom the crowded inn could find no room, and we confess that we sometimes cannot find room in our hearts for him either.
We believe in the one whom the rulers of the earth ignored
and the proud could never understand;
whose life was among common people;
whose welcome came from people with hungry and open hearts.
We believe in the one who proclaimed God’s love to be invincible.
We believe in the one whose cradle was a mother’s arms;
whose modest home in Nazareth had love as its only wealth; who had compassion on people because he saw God in them; who by love brought those who wander back to God’s path; and who lifted human weakness up by the strength of a loving God.
We believe in God who is love.
We believe in Jesus, son of the living God,
born in Bethlehem on Christmas night,
in love, for the sake of the whole world.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, by whose power we believe.
Amen.
* Carol # 222 W & R
“On Christmas Night All Christians Sing”
(Public Domain)
On Christmas night all Christians sing
To hear the news the angels bring;
On Christmas night all Christians sing
To hear the news the angels bring:
News of great joy, news of great mirth,
News of our merciful King’s birth.
Then why should we on earth be sad,
Since our Redeemer made us glad?
Then why should we on earth be sad,
Since our Redeemer made us glad,
When from our sin he set us free,
All for to gain our liberty?
All out of darkness we have light,
Which made the angels sing this night;
All out of darkness we have light,
Which made the angels sing this night:
“Glory to God and peace to men,
Now and forevermore. Amen.”
Prayers of the People
The Lord’s Prayer
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.
Prayer Response # 196 W & R (verse 4)
“In the Bleak Midwinter” (Public Domain)
What can I give him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
If I were a wise man, I would do my part;
Yet what I can I give him: give my heart.
Call for Offering
* Doxology # 195 W & R
“Gloria, Gloria, Gloria”
©1989, OCP Publications, All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.
License #A-728112. All rights reserved.
Gloria, gloria, gloria,
Glory be to God on high!
Gloria, gloria, gloria,
Glory be to God on high!
And on earth be peace to the people
In whom God is well pleased.
And on earth be peace to the people
In whom God is well pleased.
* Prayer of Dedication
The Lord’s Supper
The Invitation
The Light of the World has dawned;
come, let us adore him.
We have seen the star in the East;
let us bow before the newborn Sovereign.
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
The Great Thanksgiving
O Holy God, in Jesus you joined with us to be our brother and savior: with hearts full of joy we give you thanks and praise.
For a time we were a people
walking in shadow,
but in Christ we saw the Light of the World.
In Jesus the heavens and the earth are reconciled once again.
From Christ’s fullness we have all received,
grace upon grace.
Therefore, with the shepherds and the angels, with the children and the Wise Ones, with all people of every age, we lift our hearts to you and sing,
“Holy, Holy, Holy Lord,” Marty Haugen
©1984, GIA Publications, All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE. License #A-728112. All rights reserved.
O Gracious God, we cannot contain our joy
at the gift of your son Jesus Christ.
In Jesus, fully God and fully human,
all creation is redeemed and renewed.
Jesus accepted the baptism of John and lived as an observant Son of the Law.
Christ dwelled among us, healing the sick,
blessing and welcoming the children,
eating with the outcast, and
proclaiming the year of the Lord’s favor.
But in his inclusive welcome, he was a threat to the powers of his day and ours, and so the sin of the world brought him to be tortured and killed.
In the fullness of your time,
he was raised again,
vanquishing the powers and the principalities.
O Generous God, as we remember your gracious and saving acts in Christ Jesus, we take this bread and this cup, giving you praise and thanksgiving as we proclaim the mystery of our faith:
To us is born this day, in the city of David,
a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
O Mighty God, pour out your Holy Spirit upon us, that by your power, this bread and this cup may become for us the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Give us eyes to see your coming Reign, that we may feast with the Prince of Peace for all eternity.
Through Christ, with Christ, in Christ,
In the unity of the Holy Spirit,
All glory and honor are yours, almighty God,
Forever and ever. Amen.
The Words of Institution
We thank you that on the night before he died, Jesus took bread and after giving thanks, gave it to his disciples, saying, “This is my body that is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
Give us grace to live as your people, people who have received the gift of salvation in the Word made flesh.
In the same way, after supper, Jesus took the cup saying, “This cup is the new covenant sealed in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
By the mystery of this cup,
let the love we have been given pour forth in our lives,
bearing witness
to the Good News in all we say and do.
Sharing of the Bread and Cup
Music during Communion: “Once in Royal David’s City,” Greg Scheer Salome Lomidze
Unison Prayer of Thanksgiving
Christ is born, and we give him glory. Christ has come down from heaven, and we receive him. Christ is now on earth, and we exalt him. We thank you, Gracious and Loving God, for the gift of the Word made flesh. By the mystery of this joyful feast, strengthen and renew us, Holy God. Let us be like the angels, singing “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace to God’s people on earth.” Let us be like the shepherds, telling abroad the Good News of Christ’s birth. And let us be like the Wise Ones, living each moment in joyful anticipation of the day when Christ will come again. Amen.
* Carol # 186 W & R
“Silent Night, Holy Night”
(Public Domain)
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!
Son of God, love’s pure light,
Radiant beams from thy holy face,
With the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord, at thy birth,
Jesus, Lord, at thy birth.
* Scripture John 1:1-5, 14
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.
And 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.
* Hymn Introduction
“Fanfare Introduction to ‘Joy to the World’,” James J. Richardson
©2018, James. J. Richardson, All Rights Reserved.
Used with permission.
* Carol # 179 W & R
“Joy to the World!”
(Public Domain)
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 fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.
No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make his blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as the curse is found.
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.
* Benediction
Postludes
“Carol of the Bells” Salome Lomidze
Arranged by Fabrizio Ferrari
©1999-2008, Virtual Sheet Music, All rights reserved.
Used with permission.
“Ding Dong! Merrily On High,” Mark Hayes Chris Bartlette
©2011, The Lorenz Corporation, All rights reserved.
Used with permission under ONE LICENSE.
License #A-728112. All rights reserved.
Where an * is indicated, please rise in body and/or in spirit.
Liturgy taken or adapted from the PCUSA Book of Common Worship (2018).
Christmas Prayer adapted from a prayer in the UCC Book of Worship (1986).
Liturgy of the Lord’s Supper by Rev. Patricia Raube.
Scripture Translations are from A Women’s Lectionary for the Whole Church, Year A, by Wilda C. Gafney, unless otherwise noted.