"Silent Night, Holy Night" -- UUSE Virtual Worship, December 24, 2025 - 5:00 PM

Gathering Music (Mary Bopp)

Words of Welcome (Emmy Galbraith)

Centering (Rev. Josh Pawelek)

Prelude

"Bring a Torch, Jeannette Isabella"

Traditional French carol

Arr. by Mary Bopp

Chalice Lighting and Opening Words

Excerpt from "A Christmas Carol"

by Charles Dickens

gently adapted by Rev. Josh Pawelek

Opening Hymn

"Angels We Have Heard on High"

Words by Earl Marlatt

Music: French Carol

Angels we have heard on high

Sweetly singing o'er the plains

And the mountains in reply

Echoing their joyous strains

Gloria in excelsis Deo

Gloria in excelsis Deo

Shepherds why this jubilee?

Why your joyous strains prolong?

What glad tidings do you bring

Which inspire your heavenly song?

Gloria in excelsis Deo

Gloria in excelsis Deo

See him in a manger laid

Whom the choirs of angels praise

Mary, Joseph, lend your aid

While our hearts in love we raise

Gloria in excelsis Deo

Gloria in excelsis Deo

Reading

Luke 2:1 1-14

(New Revised Standard Version)

Silence

Carol

"In the Bleak Midwinter"

Words by Christina Rosetti and Andrew Storey

Music by Gustav Theodore Holst

In the bleak midwinter frosty wind made moan,

earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone,

snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,

in the bleak midwinter long ago.

Christ a homeless stranger, so the gospels say,

cradled in a manger and a bed of hay;

in the bleak midwinter, stable-place sufficed

Mary and her baby, Jesus Christ.

Once more child and mother weave their magic spell,

touching hearts with wonder words can never tell;

in the bleak midwinter, in this world of pain,

where our hearts are open, love is born again.

Story

"Santa's God"

Neale Donald Walsch

Musical Meditation

Offering

It is our tradition on Christmas Eve to dedicate our offering to the UUSE Minister's Discretionary Fund. This fund is used throughout the year to provide financial support to people in our congregation and in the wider community who have fallen on hard economic times, or who have specific monetary needs they cannot otherwise afford.

Offering Music

"Christmas Time is Here"

Vince Guaraldi

Homily (Rev. Josh Pawelek)

Silence

Music

"The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire"

by Mel Torme and Robert Wells

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire

Jack Frost nipping at your nose

Yuletide carols being sung by a choir

And folks bundled up in winter clothes

Everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe

Help to make the season bright

Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow

Will find it hard to sleep tonight.

They know that Santa's on his way

He's loaded lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh

And every mother's child is going to spy

To see if reindeers really know how to fly

And so I'm offering this simple phrase

to kids from one to ninety-two

Although it's been said many times, many ways

Merry Christmas

To you.

Carols

"Joy to the World"

Words by Isaac Watts

Music attributed to George Frederick Handel

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 men their 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 and wonders of His love.

"It Came Upon a Midnight Clear"

Words by Edmund Hamilton Sears

Music by Richard Storrs Willis

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 men,

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 prophet 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 the whole world send back the song

which now the angels sing.

"Silent Night, Holy Night"

Words by Joseph Mohr

Music by Franz Xaver Gruber

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.

Extinguishing the Chalice

Closing Circle

May faith in the spirit of life

And hope for the community of earth

And love of the light in each other

Be ours now, and in all the days to come.

Closing Music

"Jingle Bells"

Jingle bells, jingle bells

Jingle all the way

Oh what fun it is to ride in a

One horse open sleigh

Jingle bells, Jingle bells

Jingle all the way

Oh what fun it is to ride in a

one horse open sleigh.

Dashing through the snow

In a one horse open sleigh

Over the hills we go

Laughing all the way

Bells on bobtails ring

Making spirits bright

What fun it is to ride and sing

A sleighing song tonight.

Jingle bells, jingle bells

Jingle all the way

Oh what fun it is to ride in a

One horse open sleigh

Jingle bells, jingle bells

Jingle all the way

Oh what fun it is to ride in a

One horse open sleigh.

A day or two ago

I thought I'd take a ride

And soon Miss Fanny Bright

Was sitting by my side

The horse was lean and lank

Misfortune seemed its lot

We got into a drifted bank

And there we got upsot.

Jingle bells, jingle bells

Jingle all the way

Oh what fun it is to ride in a

One horse open sleigh

Jingle bells, jingle bells

Jingle all the way

Oh what fun it is to ride in a

One horse open sleigh.