Bulletin, 12/24/2011 - Pageant

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• Parent Category: Sunday Bulletins
• Published on Saturday, 24 December 2011 10:36

CHRISTMAS EVE PAGEANT
December 24, 2011 -- 5:00 p.m.


PRELUDE:  Medley of Carols  String Ensemble
INTROIT  Ring, Ring ,Ring the Bells  Traditional
Oh, Come Little Children   arr.  Bailey/Mayo
Cherub Choir, directed by Don Johnson

THE CAPTIVITY

NARRATOR’S EXPLANATION OF THE CAPTIVITY
UNISON PSALM OF HELPLESSNESS (PSALM 13: 1-3)
How long, O Lord?  Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?

How long must I bear pain in my soul,
And have sorrow in my heart all day long?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?
Consider and answer me, O Lord, my God.
HYMN:     “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” (congregation standing)
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here, until the Son of God appear,
Rejoice!  Rejoice!  Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!
O Come, thou Dayspring, come and cheer
our spirits by thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
and death’s dark shadows put to flight.   
Rejoice!  Rejoice!  Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!

THE PROPHECIES OF HOPE

SCRIPTURE:            Isaiah, Jeremiah, Micah
HYMN:      “Once in Royal David’s City”  (congregation seated)
verse 1- Junior Choir;  verse 2 - Congregation
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 the 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, oppressed and lowly, lived on earth our Savior holy.

THE ANNUNCIATION

SCRIPTURE:                          Luke 1
HYMN:    “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming”    (congregation seated)
Lo, how a rose e’er blooming from tender stem hath sprung,
Of Jesse’s lineage coming, by faithful prophets sung.
It came a floweret bright, amid the cold of winter,
When half spent was the night.
Isaiah ‘twas foretold it, the rose I have in mind.
With Mary we behold it, the virgin mother kind.
To show God’s love aright, she bore for us a Savior,
When half spent was the night.

THE MANGER

SCRIPTURE:                            Luke 2
ANTHEM                         “Mary, Mary”                     Junior Choir

THE SHEPHERDS

SCRIPTURE:                           Luke 2
*HYMN:            “Angels We Have Heard on High” (standing)
Angels we have heard on high, sweetly singing o’er the plains,
And the mountains in reply echoing their joyous strains.
Glo-ri-a in ex-cel-sis Deo; Glo-ri-a in ex-cel-sis Deo.  
Shepherds, why this jubilee?  Why your joyous strains prolong?
What gladsome tidings be which inspire your heavenly song?
Glo-ri-a in ex-cel-sis Deo; Glo-ri-a in ex-cel-sis Deo.    (continues)

Come to Bethlehem and see Him whose birth the angels sing;
Come adore on bended knee,
Christ, the Lord, the newborn King!
Glo-ri-a in ex-cel-sis Deo; Glo-ri-a in ex-cel-sis Deo.

ANTHEM:     “Who Is This Tiny Babe?”     Junior Choir
Christina Garcia, Emma Magee, Erin Tomsich,
Megan Dear, Grace Newman, Anna Angkatavanich

THE STAR

SCRIPTURE:                        Matthew 2
OFFERTORY HYMN:  “We Three Kings of Orient Are” (seated)
During this hymn, the Magi will receive your Christmas offering.
We three kings of Orient are, bearing gifts we traverse afar
Field 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.   O star…
Frankincense to offer have I, incense owns a Deity nigh;
Prayer and praising, we are raising, worshiping God on high.
O star…
Myrrh is mine; its bitter perfume breathes a life
of gathering gloom: Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying,
sealed in the stone-cold tomb.  O star…
Glorious now behold Him arise, King and God and Sacrifice;
Alleluia, alleluia sounds through the earth and skies.  O star…
ANTHEM:                  “The Innkeeper’s Carol”           Church School

THE LIGHT

HYMN:                              “Silent Night”      (congregation seated)    
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.

BENEDICTION

*HYMN:                    “Joy to the World”     (congregation standing)
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 world! The Savior reigns: Let us our songs employ;
While fields and floods, 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.


A Blessed, Holy Christmas to All!


Please join us for worship:
Sunday, December 25 - one service at 10:00am, Clare preaching, No Nursery care or Church School
Sunday, January 1 one service at 10:00am – Carolyn Johns preaching.  No Nursery care or Church School.

Christmas Pageant Participants
Baby Jesus     Leyton Parker
Mary         Maggie Durso-Smith
Joseph        Jake Schmidt
Isaiah        Phil Motter
Micah        Matt Landry-McWilliams
Jeremiah        Audrey Balaska
Gabriel        Amy Orenstein
Innkeeper        Megan Dear
Herald        Erin Tomsich
Herald Asst.    Kate Russell
King Herod    Sam Weeden
Priest        Daniel McDermott
Head Shepherd    Clare Bransfield
First Magi        Audrey Larrow
Cherub Choir Members:   Norah Beres, Samuel Beres,
Luke Braverman, Aiden Cohen, Braden DePetris, Mainey DePetris,
Samuel Frohling, Clara Gahm, Ella Hopfner, Isak Hopfner,
Levi Johnson, Violet Johnson, Sage Kellogg, Jack Magee,
Riley Mullett, Morgan Oakes, Stevie Varley and Chloe Winters.

Junior Choir Members:
Anna Angkatavanich, Clare Bransfield, Evan Chapman, Maura Connell, Megan Dear, Christina Garcia, Joshua Gottschalk, Audrey Larrow, Catherine Larrow, Emma Magee, Maya Mau, Daniel McDermott, Emma Mullett, Grace Newman, Amy Orenstein, Julie Orenstein, Eva Ott Hill, Kate Russell, and Erin Tomsich.

Thank you to our shepherds and travelers, the animals around the manger, our heavenly host of angels, the magi, and King Herod’s entourage. For the music tonight, we thank the Cherub and Junior Choirs and their directors Gail Etter and Liza Catino, Bill Speed, Director of Music Ministries, and the String Ensemble.  We also warmly thank all those who made this pageant possible: Alec Weeden on spotlight; Shepherd leaders Maddie Montenegro and Sarah Russell; the parent and high school helpers who have assisted this year; the Board of Christian Education for the nitty-gritty work to make things happen. Thank you to all—your gifts have helped to tell the Christmas story once again this year.

WELCOME TO FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH!

United Church of Christ
An Open and Affirming Congregation

122 Broad Street
Guilford, CT  06437
Telephone: 203-453-5249
Fax:  203-453-5589
email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
website: www.firstchurchguilford.org

We are pleased that you are here to worship with us for the Christmas Pageant, and we trust that you have found inspiration and fellowship.  If we can be of service to you, please speak with one of the ministers after worship, or call or email us:

Dr. Norris – This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or
Rev. Robert – This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Our Staff – Partners in Ministry
Kendrick L. Norris                                                    Senior Minister
Clare Robert                                            Interim Associate Minister
Christopher Solimene Acting Dir. of Children & Family Ministries
William C. Speed                                 Director of Music Ministries
Penelope Rebuzzini                                                  Office Manager
Larry Donahue                                                                        Sexton
Salisha Miller                                    Director of Pilgrim Fellowship
Liza Catino                                                  Director of Junior Choir
Gail Etter                                                   Director of Cherub Choir
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