Eldad – Hampton Pastoral Charge
of the United Church of Canada.
Rev. Doug Ferris
Music Director: Evan Funnell
December 24, 2025
Christmas Eve Service
Services are recorded, contact eldadunitedchurch@gmail.com,
if you wish to receive a link each Sunday to the service.
Processional Hymn: VU#6 A Candle is Burning, Verses 1, 4, & 5 (omit vs. 2&3) link
Words of Welcome and Opening Prayer: (Rev. Doug Ferris)
Reading A: The Journey (Luke, 2:1 – 4)
On that first Christmas night so long ago, Joseph and Mary travelled from their home in the village of Nazareth to the Ancient city of Bethlehem, where the Saviour would be born, as told by the prophets of old, and the Gospel of Luke tells us that:
“In those days a decree went out from Emperor 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.
Hymn A: O Little Town of Bethlehem VU #64 link
Reading B: The Manger (Luke, 2:5-7) (Children’s Story Time)
Joseph and Mary were denied a place to stay in when they arrived in Bethlehem, so when Mary’s baby was born, they placed the baby in a feed trough for sheep, where flocks of sheep would find hay to eat in the dry winter months. The Gospel of Luke tells us that:
“Joseph 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 for them in the inn”.
Hymn B: Away in a Manger VU #69 link
Reading C: The Countryside Pasture Fields (Luke 2: 8-11)
In the countryside outside of Bethlehem, shepherds, were tending their sheep in the pastures, when suddenly, an Angel appeared before them and shared the ‘Good News’ and the ‘Great Joy’ for all people to hear, that God’s promised Messiah, the Lord had been born in Bethlehem that very night. The Gospel of Luke tells us that:
In that 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.”
Hymn C: While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night VU #75 link
Reading D: The Prophecy Promised (Luke 2: 12-14)
First, the Angel of the Lord proclaimed that the Good News about the birth of the Messiah, the Lord is Good News for ALL people. But the Angel of the Lord also explains that people will find the Messiah when people follow the signs of the Messiah’s coming. The Messiah has come, as helpless as a newborn baby, bound with strips of cloth and resting in a feed trough. The angel reminds all that we must follow the signs so we can find the child. We have a role to play in the restoration of the realm of God, we are called to seek, and to find. The Gospel of Luke says:
“This will be a sign for you. You will find a child wrapped in cloths 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 among those whom God favours.
Hymn D: Joy to the World VU #59 link
Reading E: The Prophecy Revealed (Luke 2:15- 20)
After the angels appeared, the Shepherds hurried to Bethlehem to see the fulfillment of God’s promise, a child laying in a manger, who would grow to become the Messiah who was promised in the scriptures, who was filled with God’s faith, hope, and love, and would restore all people to the One on whom our hearts rely, the fully shared life at the heart of the universe. The Gospel of Luke tells us that:
“The shepherds went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.”
Hymn E: O Come, All Ye Faithful VU #60 link
Homily: “The Wisdom of Shepherds,” Brief Words by Rev. Doug Ferris
Hymn F: Hark the Herald Angels Sing VU #48 link
Pastoral Prayer and Benediction: Rev. Doug Ferris
Hymns G: (a cappella)
Silent Night VU#67 link
Go Tell it on the Mountain VU#43 link
& We Wish You a Merry Christmas.
Postlude: Congregational Ringing of the Tower Bell with Joy
Hampton United Church 