Worshiping…In Spirit and In Truth

Tonight our church participated in a Hanging of the Green Service. This is probably one of my favorite services of the year. I love the pagentry and the singing of the Christmas Carols. We make it a very interactive experience, with young and older students and adults partcipating in the reading and placing the greens in the sanctuary. We had a few glitches but they did not detract from the service as a whole. The link above gives details about the whole service with all the readings. We changed a few of the Christmas carols. Below is the quick outline of the service. Check the link for the full service. Dennis Bratcher at The Voice does a great job in pulling together various resources for the church year. Be sure to check it out.

Hanging of the Greens

Opening Prayer
The Meaning of the Service
Congregational Song: Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus
Christmas In America
Lessons of Christmas
Congregational Song: Hark! the Herald Angels Sing!
Responsive Reading: A Call to Celebration
The Sanctuary Evergreens
Congregational Song: Go, Tell It On The Mountains
The Christmas Tree
Congregational Song: Joy to the World
The Christmas Poinsettia
Congregational Song: I Wonder As I Wander
The Paraments and Advent Colors
Congregational Song: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
The Advent Candles
Congregational Song: Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne
The Nativity
Congregational Song: O Little Town of Bethlehem
The Gifts of Christmas
Congregational Song: How Great Our Joy!
The Bells of Christmas
Christmas Caroling
Congregational Song: Angels We Have Heard on High
The Christ Of Christmas
Congregational Song: The Birthday of a King
Concluding Prayer
The Blessing