I believe in God the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ,
His only Son our Lod, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried;
He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead;
He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy universal church,
the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

hymnal 116
1. 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.
2. 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 of wonder, star of night, Star with royal beauty bright,
Westward leading, still proceeding, Guide us to Thy perfect light.
3. Frankincense to offer have I, Incense owns a Deity nigh;
Prayer and praising, all men raising, Worship Him, God on high.
O star of wonder, star of night, Star with royal beauty bright,
Westward leading, still proceeding, Guide us to Thy perfect light.
4. Myrrh is mine: its bitter perfume Breathes a life of gathering gloom;
Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying, Sealed in the stonecold tomb.
O star of wonder, star of night, Star with royal beauty bright,
Westward leading, still proceeding, Guide us to Thy perfect light.
5. Glorious now behold Him arise, King and God and Sacrifice;
Alleluia, Alleluia! Sounds through the earth and skies
O star of wonder, star of night, Star with royal beauty bright,
Westward leading, still proceeding, Guide us to Thy perfect light.

1 Peter 2:1-10
1 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.
2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,
3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.
4 As you come to him, the living Stone--rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him--
5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
6 For in Scripture it says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame."
7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, "The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone,"
8 and, "A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall." They stumble because they disobey the message--which is also what they were destined for.
9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

hymnal 120
1. 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.
2. For Christ is born of Mary; And gathered all above,
While mortals sleep, the angels keep Their watch of wond'ring love.
O morning stars, together Proclaim the holy birth;
And praises sing to God the King, And peace to men on earth!
3. 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.
4. 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. Amen.


hymnal 633
Take these gifts, take these gifts, O our God:
All we have, all we have comes from you.
With our voices raised in thanks, Lord, we give to you. Amen.


Hymnal 620
1 Gathered here within this place, we can share in God's redeeming grace
There's no room for dbout or fear; we can feel His presence here
As we face each passing day we will serve and honor and obey
And if hope should start to dim. We will know our trust is in Him
And we will keep our faith alive, God will always be our guide
Through the darkest night, we will see God's light. We will keep our faith alive
Keep our faith alive
2 We will live as God has planned, though at times we may not understand
Many things we may not see, but our faith will help us believe
from His Word we learn the truth Through His love we all are born anew
With His help we will not fail for we know our God will prevail
And we will keep our faith alive, God will always be our guide
Through the darkest night, we will see God's light. We will keep our faith alive
Keep our faith alive
3 When we share the Love He gives, all the world will know that we are His
In God's name we stand as one; and through us His work will be done
Out of bondage and sorrow, we are leaning hard on Christ the Lord
In Christ we will fight good fights. And will praise the name of the Lord
And we will keep our faith alive, God will always be our guide
Through the darkest night, we will see God's light. We will keep our faith alive
Keep our faith alive