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2016 Christmas Church Service

Today's Christmas Day Church service comes from Mo'unga Heamoni, the Northcote Tonga Methodist Church in Auckland, The minister is the Rev. Tevita M. Finau, and the service features the young singers from the Tupou Tertiary Institute Choir from Tonga conducted by Music Director Savelio Mataele.

The 2016 Church Christmas Church service from Mo'unga Heamoni, the Northcote Tonga Methodist Church, Auckland

Minister: Rev. Tevita M. Finau
Choir: Tupou Tertiary Institute Choir, Tonga
Music Director: Savelio Mataele

Introit: Into my heart

Into my heart, into my heart,
Come into my heart, Lord Jesus;
Come in today, come in to stay;
Come into my heart, Lord Jesus.

Call to Worship

Hymn: O come, all ye faithful

O come, all ye faithful
Joyful and triumphant
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem
Come and behold him
Born the king of angels!

Chorus
O come, let us adore him
O come, let us adore him
O come, let us adore him
Christ the Lord

God of God, light of light,
Lo, he abhors not
the Virgin's womb;
Very God, begotten,
not created.

Chorus

Sing, choirs of angels
Sing in exultation
Sing, all ye citizens of heav'n above
Glory to God
In the highest!

Chorus

Yea, Lord, we greet thee,
Born this happy morning,
Jesus, to thee be glory giv'n
Word of the Father,
Now in the flesh appearing

Chorus

Prayer of Adoration

The Lord’s Prayer

Declaration of Forgiveness

Reading: Psalm 98

Let all creatures praise God.
O sing unto the Lord a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.|
The Lord hath made known his salvation: his righteousness hath he openly showed in the sight of the heathen.
He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.
Sing unto the Lord with the harp; and the voice of a psalm.
With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the Lord, the King.
Let the sea roar, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together
Before the Lord; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity.

Anthem: For unto us a child is born

For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given,
and the government shall be upon his shoulder;
and his name shall be called Wonderful,
Counsellor, the Mighty God,
the Everlasting Father,
the Prince of Peace.

Gospel reading: John 1: 1-14

Before the world was created the Word already existed; he was with God, he was the same as God. From the very beginning the Word was with God. Through him God made all things; not one thing in all creation was made without him. The Word was the source of life, and this life brought light to men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has never put it out.

God sent his messenger, a man named John, who came to tell the people about the light, He came to tell them so that all should hear the message and believe. He himself was not the light; he came to tell about the light. This was the real light—the light that comes into the world and shines on all men.

The Word was in the world, God made the world through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own country, but his own people did not receive him. Some, however, did receive him and believed in him; so he gave them the right to become God's children. They did not become God's children by natural means, by being born as the children of a human father; God himself was their Father.

The Word became a human being and lived among us. We saw his glory full of grace and truth. This was the glory, which he received as the Father's only Son.

Hymn: Silent Night

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 Saviour, is born!
Christ, the Saviour, 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!

Silent night, holiest night!
Darkness flies and all is light!
Shepherds hear the angels sing;
Hallelujah! hail the King!
Jesus, Saviour is here,
Jesus, Saviour is here.

Reflection on compassion, inclusivity and justice by Rev Tevita M. Finau

Ecumenical prayers

Hymn: Joy to the World

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 earth, the Saviour reigns
Let all their songs employ
While fields and floods
Rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make his blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

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, wonders of his love.

Benediction

Additional Hymns

As well as performing in the service, the group of young singers from Tonga also sing some extra hymns as a special Christmas present to our New Zealand audience.

First we’ll hear Tupou Tertiary Institute Choir from Tonga, with a taste of Handel – a chorus from the oratorio Judas Maccabeus, in which the composer sets to music the lines:

Sing unto God, and high affections raise,
To crown this conquest with unmeasur'd praise.

We’re now turning from the eighteenth century to the nineteenth, but with a twist. The well-known hymn 'Nearer My God to Thee' is performed in an elaborate a cappella arrangement which begins with the chorus singing in Latin.

We have the bonus of an two extra hymns sung in in Tongan by the Tupou Tertiary Institute Choir from Tonga. First they bring us the popular 'Mafasia E'.

Under the musical direction of Savelio Mataele, who graduated in 2015 from the School of Music at Victoria University of Wellington, it’s now to sing another traditional hymn in Tongan.

The singers are the Tupou Tertiary Institute Choir from Tonga conducted by Savelio Mataele, and the service came from Mo'unga Heamoni, the Northcote Tonga Methodist Church in Auckland. We’d like to thank the Rev. Rev. Tevita M. Finau and his congregation for the invitation to join them for this special event, and to acknowledge the Vahefonua Tonga Methodist Mission Charitable Trust – Siaola.

This production was proudly presented by RNZ in association with Auckland’s Pacific Media Network, and radio 531pi.

MUSIC DETAILS:

Artist: Tupou Tertiary Institute Choir
Song: Into My Heart
Composer: Harry Dudley Clarke
Album: RNZ Recording

Artist: Tupou Tertiary Institute Choir
Song: O come all ye faithful
Composer: John F Wade
Album: RNZ Recording

Artist: Tupou Tertiary Institute Choir
Song: For unto us a child is born
Composer: Handel
Album: RNZ Recording

Artist: Tupou Tertiary Institute Choir
Song: Silent Night
Composer: Franz Gruber
Album: RNZ Recording

Artist: Tupou Tertiary Institute Choir
Song: Joy to the world
Composer: Handel
Album: RNZ Recording

Artist: Tupou Tertiary Institute Choir
Song: Sing unto God
Composer: Handel
Album: RNZ Recording

Artist: Tupou Tertiary Institute Choir
Song: Nearer my God to thee
Composer: Lowell Mason/James Stevens
Album: RNZ Recording

Artist: Tupou Tertiary Institute Choir
Song: Mafasia e
Composer: Sitiveni Fonua
Album: RNZ Recording

Artist: Tupou Tertiary Institute Choir
Song: Traditional hymn
Composer: Traditional
Album: RNZ Recording