christmas
day
25 december
2011
The Gathering
of the Community
Processional Hymn
‘Hark! The Herald Angels Sing’ Common
Praise #138
Introductory Responses
Blessed
are you, O Christ, Son of God,
you
were before time began
and
came into the world to save us.
Blessed
are you, Sun of righteousness;
you
shine with the Father’s love
and
illumine the whole universe.
Blessed
are you, Son of Mary;
born
a child, you shared our humanity.
Let heaven and earth shout their
praise.
With
all the voices of heaven
we
celebrate the coming of our Saviour.
Let heaven and earth shout their
praise.
With
all the creatures on earth
we
sing and dance at his birth.
Praise and honour and glory to you,
O Lord most high.
Hymn of Praise
Gloria in excelsis by Rupert Laing
Collect
Let
us pray.
Almighty
God,
you wonderfully created
and yet more wonderfully restored
our human nature.
May we share the divine life of your
Son Jesus Christ,
who humbled himself to share our
humanity,
and now lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
The
Proclamation of the Word
First Reading
Isaiah
9.2-7
The Psalm
Psalm
96 in Songs for the Holy One
Second Reading
Titus
2.11-14
The Gradual Hymn
‘Love
Came Down at Christmas’ Common Praise #131
The Gospel
John
1.1-14
The Sermon
An Affirmation of Faith
We believe
that Christ is the image of the
invisible God,
the firstborn of all creation;
that in Christ all things in heaven
and earth were created,
things visible and invisible;
that Christ himself is before all
things,
and in him all things hold together;
that Christ is the head of the body,
the church,
for in Christ the fullness of God
was pleased to dwell;
that through Christ all things,
whether on earth or in heaven,
have been reconciled to God.
This is our faith and in this faith
we shall live. Amen.
The Prayers
of the Community
Intercessions,
Petitions and Thanksgivings
The Exchange of the
Peace
May
the peace of Christ be always with you.
And also with you.
The Holy
Communion
The Offertory Hymn
‘Infant
Holy, Infant Lowly’ Common Praise #125
Prayer over the Gifts
God
of peace,
your Son Jesus Christ has reconciled
us to you.
May all we offer you today
renew us as members of your
household.
We ask this in his name. Amen.
Thanksgiving at the
Table
The
Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift
up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let
us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and
praise.
Blessed
are you, gracious God,
creator
of heaven and earth;
we
give you thanks and praise
through
Jesus Christ our Lord,
who
in the mystery of his incarnation
was
made truly human
of
the flesh of the Virgin Mary his mother;
in
him we have seen a new and radiant vision of your glory.
Therefore
with all the angels of heaven,
we
lift our voices and sing our joyful hymn of praise
to
proclaim the glory of your name.
Holy, holy, holy Lord,
God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your
glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name
of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
Holy
One, the beginning and the end, the giver of life:
Blessed
are you for the birth of creation.
Blessed
are you in the darkness and in the light.
Blessed
are you for your promise to your people.
Blessed
are you for the prophets’ hopes and dreams.
Blessed
are you for Mary’s openness to your will.
Blessed
are you for your Son, Jesus, the Word made flesh.
In
the night in which he was betrayed,
our
Lord Jesus took bread, and gave thanks;
broke
it, and gave it to his disciples, saying:
Take
and eat; this is my body given for you.
Do
this for the remembrance of me.
Again,
after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks,
and
gave it for all to drink, saying:
This
cup is the new covenant in my blood,
shed
for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin.
Do
this for the remembrance of me.
Let
us proclaim the mystery of faith:
Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ will come again.
With
this bread and cup we remember
your
Word dwelling among us, full of grace and truth.
We
remember our new birth in his death and resurrection.
We
look with hope for his coming.
Come, Lord Jesus.
Holy
God, we long for your Spirit.
Come
among us. Bless this meal.
May
your Word take flesh in us.
Awaken
your people. Fill us with your light.
Bring
the gift of peace on earth.
Come, Holy Spirit.
All
praise and glory are yours, Holy One of Israel,
Word
of God incarnate, Power of the Most High,
one
God, now and for ever. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
As
our Saviour taught us, let us pray,
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against
us.
Save us from the time of trial,
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours,
now and for ever. Amen.
The Breaking of the
Bread
We
break the bread of life,
and
that life is the light of the world
God here among us,
light in the midst of us,
bring us to light and life.
The
gifts of God for the people of God.
Thanks be to God.
The Communion
Communion Hymn
‘Born
in the Night’ Common Praise #130
The Sending
Forth of the Community
Prayer after Communion
Lover
of all creation,
the child born for us is the Saviour
of the world.
May he be revealed in us, your
children,
and welcome us into your reign of
justice and peace,
where he is alive and reigns with
you now and for ever. Amen.
Glory
to God,
whose power, working in us,
can do infinitely more
than we can ask or imagine.
Glory to God from generation to generation,
in the Church and in Christ Jesus,
for ever and ever. Amen.
Closing Hymn
‘See
Amid the Winter’s Snow’ Common Praise #148
Dismissal
Go
forth in love to proclaim the birth of Christ.
Thanks be to God.
Notes
The icon of the Holy Family was found at http://www.alancreech.com/holy_family_icon.jpg
The
Introductory Responses are taken from The
Book of Alternative Services (1985), pp. 96-97.
The Collect,
Prayer over the Gifts and Prayer after Communion (emended) are taken from The Book of Alternative Services (1985),
p. 275-276.
The Readings
are the first set for ‘Christmas --- at Midnight’ from The Book of Alternative Services (1985), p. 273 with the Gospel
from the third set.
‘An
Affirmation of Faith’ was prepared by the Rev’d Dr Richard Geoffrey Leggett on
the basis of Colossians 1.15-20.
The
Thanksgiving at the Table is taken from Evangelical
Lutheran Worship (2006), p. 110 with the Preface (emended) for Christmas
from The Book of Alternative Services
(1985), p. 219.
Any
liturgical elements not noted here are taken from ‘The Holy Eucharist’ in The Book of Alternative Services, p. 185
ff. or other sections of this liturgical book.
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