Christmas Eve, December 24, 2015 - 5:00 pm

Opening Hymn 118: O Come All Ye Faithful (V. 1 - 5 )

Christmas 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.

The Gathering of the Community

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,

and the love of God,

and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,

be with you all.

     And also with you.

Hymn 143: Angels from the Realms of Glory

The Collect of the Day

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.

Lighting of the Christ Candle

Behold, I bring you good news of great joy; for to you is born in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord!

Jesus has arrived in grace and mystery, renewing faded hopes and announcing peace to a weary world.

Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom God favours!

Jesus comes among us in power and glory inspiring fresh Christmas joy and calling us to lives that are full of God’s love.

Jesus, the light of the world, is born.

Let Christ’s light shine in the darkest corners of our lives. Let Christ’s light shine in the darkest corners of our world. God is with us.

(The candle is lit)

Let us pray:

God of grace and glory, as we celebrate this Christmas, transform our hearts and our lives so that your Good News is not an old story but a fresh truth lived out every day through the power of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Hymn 120: O Little Town of Bethlehem

The Holy Gospel - John 1:1-14

Sermon

Solo: Christmas Lullaby, Alexandra Smith

An Affirmation of Faith

Let us declare our faith in God.

We believe in God the Father,
from whom every family
in heaven and on earth is named.

We believe in God the Son,
who lives in our hearts through faith,
and fills us with his love.

We believe in God the Holy Spirit,
who strengthens us
with power from on high.

We believe in one God;
Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen. cf Ephesians 3

Prayers of the People

God of love.

     Hear our prayer.

Confession and Absolution

Let us confess our sins,

confident in God’s forgiveness.

Silence is kept.

Most merciful God,

we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbours as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us, that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your name. Amen.

Almighty God have mercy upon you, pardon and deliver you from all your sins, confirm and strengthen you in all goodness, and keep you in eternal life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Peace

The peace of the Lord be always with you.

     And also with you.

Hymn 128: The Virgin Mary had a Baby Boy

Prayer over the Gifts [Panel 4]

Let us pray,

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.

The Celebration of the Eucharistic (Prayer 3)

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 perfect man 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.

We give thanks to you, Lord our God, for the goodness and love you have made known to us in creation; in calling Israel to be your people; in your Word spoken through the prophets; and above all in the Word made flesh, Jesus your Son. For in these last days you sent him to be incarnate from the Virgin Mary, to be the Saviour and Redeemer of the world. In him, you have delivered us from evil, and made us worthy to stand before you. In him, you have brought us out of error into truth, out of sin into righteousness, out of death into life.

On the night he was handed over to suffering and death, a death he freely accepted, our Lord Jesus Christ took bread; and when he had given thanks to you, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, and said, “ Take, eat: this is my body which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.”

After supper he took the cup of wine; and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and said, “Drink this, all of you: 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 for the remembrance of me.”

Therefore, Father, according to his command,

we remember his death,

we proclaim his resurrection,

we await his coming in glory;

and we offer our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to you, Lord of all; presenting to you, from your creation, this bread and this wine.

We pray you, gracious God, to send your Holy Spirit upon these gifts, that they may be the sacrament of the body of Christ and his blood of the new covenant. Unite us to your Son in his sacrifice, that we, made acceptable in him, may be sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

In the fullness of time, reconcile all things in Christ, and make them new, and bring us to that city of light where you dwell with all your sons and daughters; through Jesus Christ our Lord, the firstborn of all creation, the head of the Church, and the author of our salvation;

by whom, and with whom, and in whom, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all honour and glory are yours, almighty Father, 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

Incarnation

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.

Giving of Communion

Christ is the true bread

which has come down from heaven.

Lord, give us this bread always.

Hymns-during-communion

- Lamb of God

Selections from the children, followed by,

- 125: Infant Holy, Infant Lowly

- 130: Born in the Night

- 131: Love Came Down at Christmas

The Scattering (Mark 4:20)

Hymn 119: Silent Night

Prayer after Communion [Panel 7]

Let us pray,

Father of all, the child born for us is the Saviour of the world. May he who made us your children welcome us into your kingdom, where he is alive and reigns with you now and for 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 Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen.

Hymn 154: Joy to the World

The Scattering

Alleluia! Go in peace.

Proclaim the Word made flesh.

Glory, thanks and praise to God. Alleluia!