Christmas Eve

View/print the bulletin Christmas Eve Flowers

PRELUDE

LIGHTING OF THE CHRIST CANDLE

Celebrant: Tonight we light all the candles of the Advent wreath. Each candle has a meaning. The first candle is HOPE, the second candle is PEACE, the third candle is JOY, and the fourth candle is LOVE. The center candle is the Christ candle.

The candles are lit.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

O God of hope, peace, joy, and love. As Mary and Joseph welcomed you into the world, now help us welcome you into our lives. Give us courage to hope; strength to seek peace. Fill our spirits with joy; and our hearts with love. Through Jesus Christ, the Lord of all. Amen.”

PROCESSIONAL 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;

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

God from God, Light from Light eternal,
lo! He abhors not the Virgin’s womb;
only begotten Son of the Father;

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

Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation,
sing, all ye citizens of heaven above;
glory to God, glory in the highest; Refrain

THE WORD OF GOD (Stand)

Celebrant: For unto us a child is born,
People: Unto us a son is given.

PRAYER: Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

THE COLLECT OF THE DAY

Celebrant: The Lord be with you.
People: And with your spirit.
Celebrant: Let us pray.

(Silence)

O God, you have caused this holy night to shine with the brightness of the true Light: Grant that we, who have known the mystery of that Light on earth, may also enjoy him perfectly in heaven; where with you and the Holy Spirit he lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

THE LESSONS OF THE DAY

A Reading from Isaiah 9:1-7 ESV
¹But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. ² The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. ³ You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil. ⁴ For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. ⁵ For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. ⁶ For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. ⁷ Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
"The Word of the Lord."
People: Thanks be to God.

PSALM 96 2019 BCP

1 O sing unto the Lord a new song; *|
sing unto the Lord, all the whole earth.

2 Sing unto the Lord and praise his Name; *
tell of his salvation from day to day.

3 Declare his honor to the nations, *
and his wonders to all peoples.

4 For the Lord is great, and highly to be praised; *
he is more to be feared than all gods.

5 As for all the gods of the nations, they are but idols; *
but it is the Lord who made the heavens.

6 Glory and majesty are before him; *
power and honor are in his sanctuary.

7 Ascribe unto the Lord, O you families of the peoples, *
ascribe unto the Lord worship and power.

8 Ascribe unto the Lord the honor due unto his Name; *
bring offerings and come into his courts.

9 O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness; *
let the whole earth stand in awe of him.

10 Tell it out among the nations, “The Lord is King; *
it is he who has made the world so firm that it cannot be moved; he shall judge the peoples righteously.”

11 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; *
let the sea make a noise, and all that is therein.

12 Let the field be joyful, and all that is in it; *
then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice before the Lord.

13 For he comes, for he comes to judge the earth, *
and with righteousness to judge the world, and the peoples with his truth.

A Reading from Titus 2:11-14 ESV
¹¹For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, ¹²training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, ¹³waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, ¹⁴ who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.
"The Word of the Lord."
People: Thanks be to God.

SEQUENCE HYMN “What Child is This”

What child is this, who laid to rest, on
Mary’s lap is sleeping? Whom angels greet with
anthems sweet, while shepherds watch are keeping?

Refrain: This, this is Christ the King, whom shepherds guard and angels sing; haste, haste to bring him laud, the babe, the son of Mary.

Why lies he in such mean estate where
ox and ass are feeding? Good Christian, fear: for
sinners here the silent Word is pleading. Refrain

So bring him incense, gold, and myrrh, come,
peasant, king, to own him; the King of kings salvation
brings, let loving hearts enthrone him. Refrain

THE HOLY GOSPEL OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRISTACCORDING TO LUKE

People: Glory to you, Lord Christ.

THE GOSPEL Luke 2:1-20 ESV
¹ In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. ² This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. ³ And all went to be registered, each to his own town. ⁴ And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, ⁵ to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. ⁶ And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. ⁷ And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.⁸And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. ¹⁰And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹²And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” ¹³And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ¹⁴“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” ¹⁵When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” ¹⁶And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.¹⁷And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. ¹⁸ And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. ¹⁹But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. ²⁰And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
"The Gospel of the Lord."
People: Praise to you, Lord Christ.

THE HOMILY by The Reverend Ronald J. Baillie, Rector

THE NICENE CREED (Please stand)

All stand to recite the Nicene Creed, the Celebrant first saying:

Let us confess our faith in the words of the Nicene Creed:

We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
of one Being with the Father.
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,
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
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 and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He 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,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

THE PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE

Blessing and honor and glory and power be to our God, for his love revealed in the Word made flesh.

Blessing and honor and glory and power be to our God, coming among us and sharing our humanity.

Blessing and honor and glory and power be to our God, filling Mary with the life of our Lord.

Blessing and honor and glory and power be to our God, for our salvation, for bringing joy and peace into our world; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Praise be to God in his great love for us. He has entered our darkness with his great light. He comes as our God and yet as a child. Lord, help us and your whole church to walk as children of the light.

Teach us to see your presence in each other: to be aware that what we do to each other we do to you. We give thanks for the word spoken by the prophets, but above all for the Word made flesh dwelling among us. May your whole church proclaim this Good News with joy. Lord Jesus, born of the Virgin Mary,
be born in us today.

Glory to God in the highest and on Earth peace. We pray for lasting peace in the Middle East and for Bethlehem today. Lord, give peace in the hearts of all, peace in our land, peace among the nations: peace in our homes and peace in all our dealings; peace through him who is the Prince of Peace. Lord Jesus, born of the Virgin Mary,
be born in us today.

Lord Jesus, born of Mary, you are part of the human family: you share our joys and our sorrows, our hopes and our fears. Bless our homes with your loving presence, be known to be with us, our families and our friends. Lord Jesus, born of the Virgin Mary,
be born in us today.

Lord Jesus Christ, you came down to lift us up. You descended that we might ascend. You became human that we could share in the divine. We pray for all who are down at this time…we remember the outcast and the refugee; the homeless peoples and the street-dwellers. We pray for the lonely and those who are unloved, for all who will find this a sad day or a hard day. Lord Jesus, born of the Virgin Mary,
be born in us today.

We give thanks that you have opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers. We pray for loved ones departed from us, that they may be one with you in your kingdom. Lord Jesus, born of the Virgin Mary,
be born in us today.

Celebrant adds a concluding Collect

THE PEACE

Celebrant: The peace of the Lord be always with you.
People: And with your spirit.

THE HOLY COMMUNION

Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:16

OFFERTORY HYMN “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”

Hark! the herald angels sing glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!
Joyful, all ye nations, rise, join the triumph of the skies;
with the angelic hosts proclaim Christ is born in Bethlehem!

Refrain: Hark! the herald angels sing, glory to the newborn King!

Christ, by highest heaven adored; Christ, the everlasting Lord;
Late in time behold him come, offspring of the virgin's womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see; hail the incarnate Deity.
Pleased as man with us to dwell; Jesus, our Immanuel! Refrain

Mild he lays his glory by, born that we no more may die,
born to raise us from the earth, born to give us second birth.
Risen with healing in his wings, Light and life to all he brings,
hail, the Sun of Righteousness! hail, the heaven-born Prince of Peace! Refrain

DOXOLOGY:

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
praise him, all creatures here below;
praise him above, ye heavenly host:
praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Celebrant: The Lord be with you.
People: And with your spirit.

Celebrant: Lift up your hearts.
People: We lift them up to the Lord.

Celebrant: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
People: It is right to give him thanks and praise.

It is right, our duty and our joy, always and everywhere to give thanks to you, Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.

Celebrant says the following Proper Preface

Because you gave Jesus Christ, your only Son, to be born for us; who, by the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary his mother, was made truly man, yet without the stain of sin, so that we might be cleansed from sin and be given the right to become your children.

Therefore we praise you, joining our voices with Angels and Archangels and with all the company of heaven, who forever sing this hymn 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.

THE PRAYER OF CONSECRATION

Holy and gracious Father: In your infinite love you made us for yourself; and when we had sinned against you and become subject to evil and death, you, in your mercy, sent your only Son into the world for our salvation. By the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary he became flesh and dwelt among us.

In obedience to your will, he stretched out his arms upon the cross and offered himself once for all, that by his suffering and death we might be saved. By his resurrection he broke the bonds of death, trampling Hell and Satan under his feet. As our great high priest, he ascended to your right hand in glory, that we might come with confidence before the throne of grace.

On the night that he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus Christ took bread; and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take, eat; this is my Body which is given for you: Do this in remembrance of me.”

Likewise, after supper, Jesus took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink this, all of you; for this is my Blood of the New Covenant, which is shed for you, and for many, for the forgiveness of sins: Whenever you drink it, do this in remembrance of me.”

Therefore we proclaim the mystery of faith:
Celebrant and People: Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ will come again.

We celebrate the memorial of our redemption, O Father, in this sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, and we offer you these gifts. Sanctify them by your Word and Holy Spirit to be for your people the Body and Blood of your Son Jesus Christ. Sanctify us also, that we may worthily receive this holy sacrament, and be made one body with him, so that he may dwell in us and we in him. And bring us with all your saints into the fullness of your heavenly kingdom, where we shall see our Lord face to face.

All this we ask through your Son Jesus Christ: By him, and with him, and in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all honor and glory is yours, Almighty Father, now and forever. Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER

And now as our Savior Christ has taught us, we are bold to pray:

Celebrant and People together pray
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

THE BREAKING OF THE BREAD

Alleluia. Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.
Therefore let us keep the feast. Alleluia.

The Celebrant breaks the consecrated Bread.

Celebrant: Lamb of God

People: You take away the sin of the world, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world, grant us your peace.

THE MINISTRATION OF COMMUNION

Celebrant: The Gifts of God for the People of God. Take them in remembrance that Christ died for you, and feed on him in your hearts by faith, with thanksgiving.

FOR THOSE UNABLE TO ATTEND THE SERVICE TO PHYSICALLY RECEIVE THIS SACRAMENT

Silence is kept. Each member of the family may read and reflect on this prayer or otherwise meditate on Christ’s spiritual presence.

Dear Jesus, I believe that you are truly present in the Holy Sacrament. I love you above all things, and I desire to possess you within my soul, and since I cannot now receive you sacramentally, I beseech you to come spiritually into my heart. I unite myself to you, together with all your faithful people, gathered around every altar of your Church, and I embrace you with all the affections of my soul. Never permit me to be separated from you. Amen.

HYMN DURING COMMUNION “O Holy Night”

O holy night, the stars are brightly shining, It is the night of the dear Saviour’s birth;
Long lay the world in sin and error pining, 'Till he appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices, For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn;

Fall on your knees, Oh hear the angel voices! O night divine!
O night when Christ was born. O night, O night, O night divine.

Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming; With glowing hearts by his cradle we stand:
So, led by light of a star sweetly gleaming, Here came the wise men from Orient land,
The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger, In all our trials born to be our friend;

He knows our need, To our weakness no stranger! Behold your King!
Before the lowly bend! Behold your King! your King! before him bend!

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION (People and Celebrant)

Almighty and everliving God, we thank you for feeding us, in these holy mysteries, with the spiritual food of the most precious Body and Blood of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; and for assuring us, through this Sacrament, of your favor and goodness towards us: that we are true members of the mystical body of your Son, the blessed company of all faithful people; and are also heirs, through hope, of your everlasting kingdom. And we humbly ask you, heavenly Father, to assist us with your grace, that we may continue in that holy fellowship, and do all the good works that you have prepared for us to walk in; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be all honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

“Silent Night” Verse 1: Solo in German by Lois Salvatora

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 Savior,
is born! Christ, the Savior, 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.

CHRISTMAS BLESSING

May Almighty God, who sent his Son to take our nature upon him, bless you on this holy night, scatter the darkness of sin, and brighten your heart with the light of his holiness. Amen.

May God, who sent his angels to proclaim the glad news of the Savior’s birth, fill you with joy, and make you heralds of the Gospel. Amen.

May God, who in the Word made flesh joined heaven to earth and earth to heaven, give you his peace and favor. Amen.

And the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, be among you, and remain with you always. Amen.

RECESSIONAL 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 world! the Savior reigns; let us our
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 sorrow grow, nor thorn 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.

DISMISSAL

Celebrant: Alleluia, Alleluia! Let us go forth into the world rejoicing in the power of the Spirit.
People: Thanks be to God. Alleluia, Alleluia.

POSTLUDE