Christmas 1: Hope Fulfilled: A Service of Lessons and Carols

Sunday, December 28, 2025
10:30 AM 11:30 AM 10:30 11:30

Union Presbyterian Church 200 E Main St Endicott, NY, 13760 United States (map)

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Join us this first Sunday in the Christmas season for a traditional service of Lessons and Carols. It will be an opportunity to hear the story of salvation from the beginning, as well as to sing some beloved favorite Christmas carols!

Please join us for worship on Sunday mornings at 10:30 AM in our beautiful sanctuary at 200 East Main Street, Endicott. Or, you can join our livestream by clicking on the Youtube Video right here. We would love to walk the Advent journey together.

1st Sunday in Christmastide

Hope Fulfilled

A Service of Lessons and Carols

December 28, 2025

Rev. Patricia J. Raube

Union Presbyterian Church, Endicott, NY

Welcome

Announcements Doug Moore

Prelude Chris Bartlette

“Gesù, Bambino,” Mark Hayes

Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.   

Opening Sentences

Sing to the Lord a new song;

Sing to the Lord, all the earth!

Sing to the Lord and Bless God’s Name;

tell the good news of salvation from day to day.

Opening Hymn #182 W & R

“O Come, All Ye Faithful” (Public Domain)

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 heaven above;
Glory to God, all 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.

Yea, Lord, we greet thee, born this happy morning,
Jesus, to thee be all glory given;
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing;

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

Prayers of Intercession Rev. Pat Raube

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.  

Lessons and Carols

1. God creates humanity in God’s image Genesis 2:26-31 Doug Moore

Then God said, “Let us make humans in our image, according to our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over the cattle and over all the wild animals of the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.”

So God created humans in his image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.

God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” God said, “See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the air and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Carol # 180 W & R

“O Little Town of Bethlehem” (Public Domain)

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.

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 angels
The great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us,
Our Lord Emmanuel.

2. God’s promise to Abraham Genesis 17:1-7; 15-16

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. And I will make my covenant between me and you and will make you exceedingly numerous.” Then Abram fell on his face, and God said to him, “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.

God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her and also give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.”

Carol “O Come, O Come Immanuel,” Barbara Lundblad 

O come, O come, Immanuel 

And bless each place your people dwell. 

Melt every weapon crafted for war, 

Bring peace upon the earth forever more. 

Rejoice! Rejoice! Take heart and do not fear, 

God's chosen one, Immanuel, draws near. 

O come green shoot of Jesse, free 

Your people from despair and apathy; 

Forge justice for the poor and meek, 

Grant safety for the young ones and the weak. 

Rejoice! Rejoice! Take heart and do not fear, 

God's chosen one, Immanuel, draws near. 

O come, now, living water, pour your grace 

And bring new life to every withered place; 

Speak comfort to each trembling heart; 

"Be strong! Fear not! For I will ne'er depart." 

Rejoice! Rejoice! Take heart and do not fear, 

God's chosen one, Immanuel, draws near. 

O come, dear child of Mary, Come, 

God's Word made flesh within our earthly home; 

Love stir within the womb of night, 

Revenge and hatred put to flight. 

Rejoice! Rejoice! Take heart and do not fear, 

God's chosen one, Immanuel, draws near. 

3. A great light in the darkness Isaiah 9:2; 6-7 Larry Goetz

The people who walked in darkness
    have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness—
    on them light has shined.

For a child has been born for us,
    a son given to us;
authority rests upon his shoulders,
    and he is named
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Great will be his authority,
    and there shall be endless peace
for the throne of David and his kingdom.
    He will establish and uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
    from this time onward and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Carol # 38 PH

“It Came Upon the Midnight Clear” (Public Domain)

It came upon the midnight clear,
That glorious song of old,
From angels bending near the earth
To touch their harps of gold:
"Peace on the earth, good will to all,
From heaven's all gracious King":
The world in solemn stillness lay
To hear the angels sing.

Still through the cloven skies they come,
With peaceful wings unfurled,
And still their heavenly music floats
O'er all the weary world;
Above its sad and lowly plains
They bend on hovering wing,
And ever o'er its Babel sounds
The blessed angels sing.

And ye, beneath life’s crushing load,

Whose forms are bending low,

Who toil along the climbing way

With painful steps and slow,

Look now! for glad and golden hours

Come swiftly on the wing:

O rest beside the weary road,

And hear the angels sing.

For lo, the days are hastening on,
By prophets seen of old,

When, with the ever-circling years,
Shall come the time foretold,
When peace shall over all the earth
Its ancient splendors fling,
And all the world give back the song
Which now the angels sing.

4. A little child will lead them Isaiah 11:1-4a; 6-9 Channel Rivera

A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,
    and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,
    the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
    the spirit of counsel and might,
    the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.

He shall not judge by what his eyes see
    or decide by what his ears hear,
but with righteousness he shall judge for the poor
    and decide with equity for the oppressed of the earth;

The wolf shall live with the lamb;
    the leopard shall lie down with the kid;
the calf and the lion will feed together,
    and a little child shall lead them.

The cow and the bear shall graze;
    their young shall lie down together;
    and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,
    and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.
They will not hurt or destroy
    on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
    as the waters cover the sea.

Time for Young Disciples Rev. Pat Raube

Music: “Child of Blessing, Child of Promise” (Public Domain)

Carol # 214 W & R

“Still, Still, Still,” George K. Evans

Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.   

Still, still, still, he sleeps this night so chill!

The virgin’s tender arms enfolding,

Warm and safe the Child are holding.

Still, still, still, he sleeps this night so chill.

Sleep, sleep, sleep, he lies in slumber deep

While angel hosts from heaven come winging,

Sweetest songs of joy are singing.

Sleep, sleep, sleep, he lies in slumber deep.

5. An angel appears to Mary Luke 1:26-35; 38 Barbara Gannon

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He 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. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The 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… Then 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.

Carol “My Soul Cries Out with a Joyful Shout,” Rory Cooney

Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.   

My soul cries out with a joyful shout

That the God of my heart is great,

And my spirit sings of the wondrous things

That you bring to the ones who wait.

You fixed your sight on your servant’s plight,

And my weakness you did not spurn,

So from east to west shall my name be blest.

Could the world be about to turn?

My heart shall sing of the day you bring.

Let the fires of your justice burn.

Wipe away all tears, for the dawn draws near,

And the world is about to turn.

Though I am small, my God, my all,

You work great things in me,

And your mercy will last from the depths of the past

To the end of the age to be.

Your very name puts the proud to shame,

And to those who would for you yearn,

You will show your might, put the strong to flight,

For the world is about to turn.

My heart shall sing of the day you bring.

Let the fires of your justice burn.

Wipe away all tears, for the dawn draws near,

And the world is about to turn.

From the halls of power to the fortress tower,

Not a stone will be left on stone.

Let the king beware for your justice tears

Every tyrant from his throne.

The hungry poor shall weep no more,

For the food they can never earn;

There are tables spread; every mouth be fed,

For the world is about to turn.

My heart shall sing of the day you bring.

Let the fires of your justice burn.

Wipe away all tears, for the dawn draws near,

And the world is about to turn.

Though the nations rage from age to age,

We remember who holds us fast:

God’s mercy must deliver us

From the conqueror’s crushing grasp.

The saving word that our forebears heard

Is the promise which holds us bound,

Till the spear and rod can be crushed by God,

Who is turning the world around.

My heart shall sing of the day you bring.

Let the fires of your justice burn.

Wipe away all tears, for the dawn draws near,

And the world is about to turn.

6. Mary gives birth in Bethlehem Luke 2:1-7 Ryan DeLap

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no place in the guest room.

Carol # 203 W & R

“Away in a Manger” (Public Domain)

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 side until 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 fit us for heaven, to live with thee there.

7. Angels announce the Messiah Luke 2:8-16 Jim Mica

Now in that same region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for see, I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace, goodwill among people!”

When 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.” So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the child lying in the manger.

Carol # 228 W & R

“While Shepherds Watched their Flocks” (Public Domain)

While shepherds watched their flocks by night,
All seated on the ground,
An angel of the Lord came down,
And glory shone around,
And glory shone around.

"Fear not!" said he, for mighty dread
Had seized their troubled mind;
"Glad tidings of great joy I bring
To you and humankind,
To you and humankind.

"To you, in David's town, this day
Is born of David's line
A Savior, who is Christ the Lord,
And this shall be the sign,
And this shall be the sign:

"The heavenly babe you there shall find
To human view displayed,
All meanly wrapped in swaddling bands,
And in a manger laid,
And in a manger laid."

Thus spoke the seraph, and forthwith
Appeared a shining throng
Of angels praising God, who thus
Addressed their joyful song,
Addressed their joyful song:

"All glory be to God on high,
And to the earth be peace;
Good will henceforth from heaven to all
Begin and never cease,
Begin and never cease!"

8. Magi come from the East Matthew 2:1-11 Rev. Pat Raube

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, magi from the east came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star in the east and have come to pay him homage.” When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him, and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet:

‘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.’ ”

Then Herod secretly called for the magi and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then 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.” When they had heard the king, they set out, and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen in the east, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On 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.

Carol # 236 W & R

“As with Gladness Men of Old” (Public Domain)

As with gladness men of old
Did the guiding star behold;
As with joy they hailed its light,
Leading onward, beaming bright,
So, most gracious Lord, may we
Evermore your splendor see.

As with joyful steps they sped
To that lowly manger bed,
There to bend the knee before
Him whom heaven and earth adore,
So, may we with willing feet
Ever seek the mercy seat.

As they offered gifts most rare
At that manger rude and bare,
So may we with holy joy,
Pure and free from sin's alloy,
All our costliest treasures bring,
Christ, to you, our heavenly King.

Holy Jesus, every day
Keep us in the narrow way;
And when earthly things are past,
Bring our ransomed souls at last
Where they need no star to guide,
Where no clouds thy glory hide.

9. And the Word became flesh John 1:1-14 Rev. Jeff Kellam

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.

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

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

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.

Carol # 4 PH

“Creator of the Stars of Night,” John Mason Neale, C. Winfred Douglas

Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.   

Creator of the stars of night,

Your people’s everlasting light,

O Christ, redeemer of us all,

We pray You, hear us when we call.

When this old world drew on toward night,

You came; but not in splendor bright,

Not as a monarch, but the child

Of Mary, blameless mother mild.

At your great name, O Jesus, now

All knees must bend, all hearts must bow:

All things on earth with one accord,

Like those in heaven, shall call you Lord.

To God the Father, God the Son,

And God the Spirit, Three in One,

Praise, honor, might, and glory be

From age to age eternally. Amen.

Closing Prayer

Carol # 46 PH

“On this Day Earth Shall Ring,” Jane Marion Joseph, Gustav Holst

Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.   

On this day earth shall ring
With the song children sing
To the Lord, Christ our King,
Born on earth to save us;
Him the Father gave us.
Ideo-o-o, Ideo-o-o,

Ideo gloria in excelsis Deo!

His the doom, ours the mirth;
When He came down to earth
Bethlehem saw His birth;
Ox and ass beside Him
From the cold would hide Him.

Ideo-o-o, Ideo-o-o,

Ideo gloria in excelsis Deo!

God's bright star, o'er His head,
Wise men three to Him led,
Kneeling low by His bed,
Lay their gifts before Him,
Praise Him and adore Him.
Ideo-o-o, Ideo-o-o,

Ideo gloria in excelsis Deo!

On this day angels sing;
With their song earth shall ring,
Praising Christ, heaven's King,
Born on earth to save us;
Peace and love He gave us.

Ideo-o-o, Ideo-o-o,

Ideo gloria in excelsis Deo!

Blessing and Charge

May Christ, who, by his incarnation,

gathered into one the things of heaven and earth,

fill you with the sweetness of inward peace and goodwill,

and the blessing of God almighty,

the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,

be upon you and remain with you always.

Alleluia!

Go forth in peace and joy.

Thanks be to God! Amen.

Postlude Chris Bartlette

“Hark! the Herald Angels Sing,” Lloyd Larson

Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.   

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Christmas 1: Hope Fulfilled: A Service of Lessons and Carols