First eucharist of christmas
24 december 2013
The Gathering of the Community
Prelude
Processional Hymn
‘O Come, All Ye Faithful’ Common
Praise #118 vv. 1, 2, 3, 4
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
Collect
Let us pray.
Eternal God,
who made this most holy night
to shine with the brightness of your one true light:
bring us, who have known the revelation
of that light on earth,
to see the radiance of your heavenly glory;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
[ii]
The Proclamation of the Word
First Reading
A Reading from the Prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 9.2-7)
The
people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a
land of deep darkness — on them light has shined. You have multiplied the nation, you have
increased its joy;
they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest,
as people exult when dividing plunder.
For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the
rod of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. For all the boots of the tramping warriors and all the garments rolled in blood shall be
burned as fuel for the fire. For a child
has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders;
and he is named Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of
Peace. His authority shall grow
continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his
kingdom. He will establish and uphold it
with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the church.
Thanks be to God.
The Psalm
Psalm 96 with
the refrain from Songs for the Holy One
Refrain (sung twice): May the heavens rejoice and
the earth sing for joy.
1
Sing to the Lord a new song; *
sing
to the Lord, all the whole earth.
2
Sing to the Lord and bless the divine
name; *
proclaim the good news of our salvation
from day to day.
3
Declare the glory of the Lord among the nations *
and
the wonders of God among all peoples.
4
For great is the Lord and greatly to be
praised, *
more to be feared than all gods.
Refrain: May the heavens rejoice and
the earth sing for joy.
5
As for all the gods of the nations, they are but idols; *
but
it is you, O Lord, who made the heavens.
6
Oh, the majesty and magnificence of your
presence! *
Oh, the power and the splendour of your
sanctuary!
7
Ascribe to the Lord, you families of the peoples; *
ascribe
to the Lord honour and power.
8
Ascribe to the Lord the honour due the
divine name; *
bring offerings and come into the
courts of the Lord.
Refrain: May the heavens rejoice and
the earth sing for joy.
9
Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness; *
let
the whole earth tremble before God.
10
Tell it out among the nations: “The Lord
reigns! *
The Lord who made the world so firm
that it cannot be moved will judge
the peoples with equity.”
11
Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;
let the sea thunder and all that is in it; *
let
the field be joyful and all that is therein.
12
Then shall all the trees of the wood
shout for joy
before
the Lord who is coming, *
who is coming to judge the earth.
13
The Lord will judge the world with righteousness *
and the peoples with truth.
Refrain: May the heavens rejoice and
the earth sing for joy.
Second Reading
A Reading from the Letter to Titus (2.11-14).
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing
salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in
the present age to live lives that are self- controlled, upright, and godly,
while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our
great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ. He
it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and
purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the church.
Thanks be to
God.
The Gradual
Hymn
‘While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks’ Common
Praise #136
The Gospel
The Lord be with you.
And also with
you.
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according
to Luke (2.1-20).
Glory to you,
Lord Jesus Christ.
In
those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be
registered. This was the first
registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be
registered. Joseph also went from the town
of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because
he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom
he was engaged and who was expecting a child.
While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and
wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no
place for them in the inn.
In that region there were shepherds
living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them,
and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the
angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see — I am bringing you good news of
great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a
Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord.
This will be a sign for you: you
will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a
multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the
highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favours!”
When
the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one
another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place,
which the Lord has made known to us.” So
they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the
manger. When they saw this, they made
known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were
amazed at what the shepherds told them.
But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and
praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
The Gospel of Christ.
Praise to
you, Lord Jesus Christ.
The Sermon
The Nicene Creed
We believe in
one God,
the Father,
the Almighty,
maker of
heaven and earth,
of all that
is, seen and unseen.
We believe in
one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son
of God,
eternally
begotten of the Father,
God from God,
Light from Light,
true God from
true God,
begotten, not
made,
of one Being
with the Father;
through him
all things were made.
For us and
for our salvation
he came down
from heaven,
was incarnate
of the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary
and became
truly human.
For our sake
he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered
death and was buried.
On the third
day he rose again
in accordance
with the scriptures;
he ascended
into heaven
and is seated
at the right hand of the Father.
He will come
again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his
kingdom will have no end.
We believe in
the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds
from the Father,
who with the
Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified,
who has
spoken through the prophets.
We believe in
one holy catholic and apostolic church.
We
acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for
the resurrection of the dead,
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
‘’Twas in the Moon of Wintertime’ Common
Praise #146
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.
Hosanna in
the highest. [v]
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.[vi]
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
The Sending Forth of the Community
Procession to the Crèche
Candles are
lit during the Hymn and remain lit for the concluding prayers.
‘Silent Night, Holy Night’ Common
Praise #119
Prayer after Communion
Mary gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped in
bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in
the inn. Luke 2.7
Silence
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.
[viii]
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.
Blessing
May the God of infinite goodness
scatter the darkness of sin
and brighten your hearts with holiness;
and the blessing of God almighty,
the Lover of creation, the Beloved of God
and the Love that unites them,
be among you and remain with you always. Amen.
Closing Hymn
‘It Came upon a Midnight Clear’ Common
Praise #141
Dismissal
Go forth in love to proclaim the birth of Christ.
Thanks be to
God.
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