God the Weaver: To the Tune of Away in the Manger
Magnify the Lord: to the Tune of O Come All Ye Faithful
God the Weaver
words by Katy Stenta
Can be sung to either tune of Away in the Manger
(Habakkuk 1:5-7)
Look at the nations, be astonished and see!
A work is being woven
That you’d not believe
The Son of Salvation is promised to come
And stay with us present, and lead us all home
(Isaiah 42:1-9)
God send us your servant, in whom you delight
Let justice be woven
An’ covenants of light
God who stretched heavens & birthed us with love Give light to the nations being taught from above.
(Psalm 139 and Matthew 1:21-22)
Come God and be with us, through babe ‘mmanuel
Let your child be woven
a child in the womb, Hold fast with your left hand and lead with your right So we can know your Son and name him aright
My favorite parts of this year Christmas eve service are many…but I’d love to name some
1. The children helping to light the advent candle. I did away with pre-planning a family to light candles (who has time to do that? not me, not them) and have been cycling through the children youngest to eldest–without repeating the previous weeks’ lighters, and reviewing the meanings as the Children’s sermons (they remembered ALL of it!!!!). Christmas Eve I invited all the children up…I believe there were about 10, to come and help to light the candles. Siblings shared holding the stick, and we did not set the church on fire….then I got to explain why we were lighting the Christ Candle and how we were going to share the light. It was awesome.
2. My children were totally distracted, my eldest belted out the carols and my middle child (who has communicative difficulties i.e. words are hard for him) answered back to every single Bible reading I made, plust there was the whining and rustling and near-escapes…but it reminded me of why we were there. Its why *my* family sings “the little Lord Jesus lotsa crying he makes” for Away in the Manger.
3. Communion, where we got to hear the choir sing plus some young adults sang the Christmas Alleluia which is the cool new Christian song (YAY). We took it by intinction (where we dip the bread), which means I got to pass to every single person, it was amazing.
4. Candles at the end, and raising the lights for the last verse of Silent Night
5. Being able to wish EVERY single person there a MERRY CHRISTMAS
🙂