Liturgical Color: White

Theme: John's version of the Christmas story - The Word

Pastoral Invitation to the Celebration
Suggestion: Begin, In the Name of the Word, the Word made flesh, welcome to this Christmas celebration. God continues to present the Gift, we continue to receive, relieved of the Christmas rush.

Continue with a litany of John 1 , using either the J. B. Phillipps' translation or Clarence Jordan's Cotton Patch Translation.

Acts of Confession
Suggestion: Begin, "We'll never be good enough to merit God's unconditional acceptance." My theology professor in seminary said he doubted more than five percent of us Presbyterians believed in the grace of God. Most of us are trying to earn our salvation by what we do.

People sit in worship for years and never integrate the message…