christmas night
prayer
From Christmas to
Epiphany
Introductory
Responses
The God of peace grant
us a quiet night and a perfect end.
Amen.
Our help is in the name
of the Lord,
the
maker of heaven of earth.
The angels of God guard
us through the night,
and
quiet the powers of darkness.
The Spirit of God be
our guide,
to
lead us to peace and to glory.
It is but lost labour
that we haste to rise up early,
and so late take our
rest, and eat the bread of anxiety.
For
those beloved of God are given gifts even while they sleep.
Night Prayer continues with the Penitential Office.
Penitential
Office
For the forgiveness of
our sins and offences, let us pray to the Lord.
Silence
Lord, have mercy.
Christ,
have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Night Prayer continues with A Hymn for the Night.
A
Hymn for Night
The
following or some other suitable hymn may be sung.
Lo, how a Rose e’er
blooming
from tender stem hath
sprung,
of Jesse’s lineage
coming
as seers of old have
sung.
It came, a blossom
bright
amid the cold of
winter,
when half spent was the
night.
Isaiah ‘twas foretold
it,
the Rose I have in
mind;
with Mary we behold it,
the virgin mother kind.
To show God’s love
aright,
she bore to us a Saviour,
when half spent was the
night.
O Flower, whose
fragrance tender
with sweetness fills
the air,
dispel in glorious
splendour
the darkness
everywhere;
true man, yet very God,
from sin and death now
save us,
and share our every
load.
Night Prayer continues with the Psalm.
The
Psalm
Psalm 4
1
Answer me when I call, O God, defender of my cause; *
you set me free when I am
hard-pressed;
have mercy on me and hear my prayer.
2
“You mortals, how long will you dishonour my glory; *
how long will you worship dumb idols
and run after false gods?”
3
Know that the Lord does wonders for the faithful *
and will hear me when I call.
4
Tremble, then, and do not sin; *
speak to your heart in silence upon
your bed.
5
Offer the appointed sacrifices *
and put your trust in the Lord.
6
Many are saying,
“Oh, that we
might see better times!” *
Lift up the light of your
countenance upon us, O Lord.
7
You have put gladness in my heart, *
more than when grain and wine and
oil increase.
8
I lie down in peace; at once I fall asleep; *
for only you, Lord, make me dwell in
safety.
Faithful
defender, do not let our hearts be troubled, but fill us with such confidence
and joy that we may sleep in peace and rise in your light. Amen.
The
Reading
1 John 1.5-7
This is the message we
have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is
no darkness at all. If we say that we
have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do
what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we
have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us
from all sin.
After a period of silent reflection the one of following is said.
The word of the Lord.
Thanks
be to God.
or
Hear what the Spirit is
saying to the church.
Thanks
be to God.
or
Holy Word, Holy Wisdom.
Thanks
be to God.
Night Prayer continues with the Responsory or the Canticle.
The
Responsory
Into your hands, O God,
I commend my spirit;
for
you have redeemed me, O God of truth and love.
Keep us, O God, as the
apple of your eye;
hide
us under the shadow of your wings.
Night Prayer continues with the Canticle.
The
Canticle
Antiphon
Guide us waking, O
Lord, and guard us sleeping;
that
awake we may watch with Christ,
and
asleep we may rest in peace.
The Song of Simeon (Luke 2.29-32)
Now, Lord, you let your
servant go in peace:
your word has been fulfilled.
My own eyes have seen
the salvation
which you have prepared in the sight of every people:
a light to reveal you
to the nations
and the glory of your people Israel.
Glory to God, Source of
all being, eternal Word and Holy Spirit:
as it was in the
beginning, is now and will be for ever.
Amen.
or
Glory to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the
beginning, is now and will be for ever.
Amen.
Antiphon
Guide us waking, O
Lord, and guard us sleeping;
that
awake we may watch with Christ,
and
asleep we may rest in peace.
Night Prayer continues with the Affirmation of Faith or the
Prayers.
Affirmation
of Faith
The Apostles’ Creed
I
believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator
of heaven and earth.
I
believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
who
was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born
of the virgin Mary,
suffered
under Pontius Pilate,
was
crucified, died, and was buried;
he
descended to the dead.
On
the third day he rose again;
he
ascended into heaven,
he
is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and
he will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I
believe in the Holy Spirit,
the
holy catholic church,
the
communion of saints,
the
forgiveness of sins,
the
resurrection of the body,
and
the life everlasting. Amen.
Night Prayer continues with the Prayers.
The
Prayers
Come, O Spirit of God,
and make within us your dwelling place and home
May our darkness be dispelled by your light, and our troubles calmed by
your peace; may all evils be redeemed by your love, all pain transformed
through the suffering of Christ, and all dying glorified by his risen
life. Amen.
After a period of silence the following prayer is said.
Keep watch, dear God,
with those who work, or watch, or weep this night, and give your angels charge
over those who sleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the
weary, bless the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the
joyous; and all for your love’s sake. Amen.
Intercessions, thanksgivings and petitions may be offered. The time of prayer may be brought to a conclusion
by saying the following prayer.
Look down, O God, from
your heavenly throne, and illumine this night with your celestial brightness;
that by night as by day your people may glorify your holy Name; through Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen.
This Responsory is used
after the prayers.
I will lie down in
peace and take my rest,
for
it is in God alone that I dwell unafraid.
May God’s name be
praised beyond the furthest star,
glorified
and exalted above all for ever.
Night Prayer continues with the Lord’s Prayer.
The
Lord’s Prayer
Gathering our prayers
and praises into one,
let us pray as our
Saviour taught us,
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.
Night Prayer continues with the Dismissal.
The
Dismissal
Let us bless the
incarnate Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Then may be said.
May Christ, who by his
Incarnation gathered into one things earthly and heavenly, fill us with his joy
and peace. Amen.
Liturgical Resources Used
A Hymn for the Night, “Lo, How a Rose
E’er Blooming”, is taken from Common
Praise of The Anglican Church of Canada, #117.
The Psalm is taken from The Book of Alternative Services (c)
1985 by The Anglican Church of Canada. It
has been emended by the Rev’d Dr Richard Geoffrey Leggett for inclusive
language and, when necessary, renumbered to conform to the versification of the
New Revised Standard Version of the Bible.
The Psalm Prayer is taken from The Book of Alternative Services (c)
1985 by The Anglican Church of Canada and has been emended by the Rev’d Dr
Richard Geoffrey Leggett.
I John 1.5-7 is taken from the New
Revised Standard Version, (c) 1989 by The National Council of Churches.
The text of the Apostles’ Creed has
been suggested by the Consultation on Common Texts and included in Evangelical Lutheran Worship, p. 105.
The concluding doxology is adapted
from The Book of Occasional Services 2003,
p. 23 (c) 2004 by The Church Pension Fund.
All other liturgical texts are taken
from ‘Night Prayer’ in Eucharist Prayers,
Services of the Word, and Night Prayer:
Supplementary to The Book of Alternative Services, (c) 2001 by The
Anglican Church of Canada as emended by the Rev’d Dr Richard Geoffrey Leggett.
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