christmas day
25 december 2013
The Gathering of the Community
Processional Hymn
‘Hark, a Herald Voice is Sounding’ Common
Praise #108 vv. 1, 2, 3
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 [i]
Collect
Let us pray.
God of promise,
from
ancient times you have sustained your people.
With
Mary and Joseph,
teach
us to treasure in our hearts the birth of Jesus,
and
with shepherds and angels,
lead
us to praise the holy Child of Bethlehem
in
whose name we pray. Amen. [ii]
The Proclamation of the Word
First Reading
A Reading from the prophet Isaiah (52.7-10).
How
beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace,
who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God
reigns.” Listen! Your sentinels lift up
their voices, together they sing for joy; for in plain sight they see the
return of the Lord to Zion. Break forth together into singing, you ruins
of Jerusalem; for the Lord has
comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem. The Lord
has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of
the earth shall see the salvation of our God.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the church.
Thanks be to
God.
The Psalm
Psalm 98 with
refrain from Songs for the Holy One
Refrain (sung
twice): Sing
to the Holy One! Sing a new song!
1 Sing a new
song to the Lord,
who has done
marvellous things, *
whose strong hand and holy arm have won
the victory.
2 O Lord,
you have made known the victory; *
you have openly shown your
righteousness in the sight of the nations.
3
You remember your mercy and faithfulness to the house of Israel, *
and all the ends of the earth have seen
your victory, O God.
Refrain: Sing
to the Holy One! Sing a new song!
4 Shout with
joy to the Lord, all you lands; *
lift up your voice, rejoice and sing.
5
Sing to the Lord with the harp, *
with the harp and the voice of song.
6
With trumpets and the sound of the horn *
shout with joy before our sovereign,
the Lord.
Refrain: Sing
to the Holy One! Sing a new song!
7
Let the sea make a noise and all that is in it, *
the lands and those who dwell therein.
8
Let the rivers clap their hands, *
and let the hills ring out with joy
before the Lord,
who is coming to judge the earth.
9
In righteousness shall God judge the world *
and the peoples with equity.
Refrain: Sing
to the Holy One! Sing a new song!
Second Reading
A Reading from the Letter to the Hebrews (1.1-4).
Long
ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in
these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all
things, through whom he also created the worlds. He is the reflection of God’s glory and the
exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful
word. When he had made purification for
sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as
much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than
theirs.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the church.
Thanks be to
God.
The Gradual Hymn
‘Of Eternal Love Begotten’ Common
Praise #132
The Gospel
The Lord be with you.
And also with
you.
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according
to John (1.1-14).
Glory to you,
Lord Jesus Christ.
In
the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things
came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into
being. What has come into being in him
was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the
darkness did not overcome it.
There
was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe
through him. He himself was not the
light, but he came to testify to the light.
The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
He was in the world, and the world came
into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own
people did not accept him. But to all who
received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of
God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of
man, but of God.
And
the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory
as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.
The Gospel of Christ.
Praise to
you, Lord Jesus Christ.
The Sermon
An Affirmation of Faith
Let us affirm our 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.
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
‘Good Christians All Rejoice’ Common
Praise #153
Prayer over the Gifts
Good and loving God,
we
rejoice in the birth of Jesus,
who
came among the poor
to
bring the riches of your grace.
As
you have blessed us with your gifts,
let
them be a blessing for others.
With
the trees of the field,
with
all earth and heaven,
we
shout for joy at the coming of your Son,
Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen. [iv]
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.
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,
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
‘See Amid the Winter’s Snow’ Common
Praise #148
The Sending Forth of the Community
Prayer after Communion
Radiant God,
with
our eyes we have seen your salvation,
and
in this meal we have feasted on your grace.
May
your Word take flesh in us,
so
that we may be your holy people,
revealing
your glory made known to us
in
Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord. Amen.
[vii]
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
‘Hark, a Herald Voice Is Sounding’ Common
Praise #108 vv. 3, 4, 5
Dismissal
Go forth in love to proclaim the birth of Christ.
Thanks be to
God.
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