All Saints’ Church Renhold Bedfordshire, England
All Age Communion Service: - Christmas Morning
We say together the words printed in bold font
Welcome and the Gathering
Come let us follow the star of Christmas,
then shall fists of fury become open hands reaching out,
Then shall minds plagued by fear know the joy of trusting another’s voice;
Then shall hearts consumed by hatred be open to new friendships;
Then shall bodies trampled in the dust and filth of poverty rise up, stretch out and leap like new-born lambs;
Come let us follow the Christmas star together. Amen.
O come, all ye faithful
1 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.
2 God of God, Light of Light;
lo, he abhors not the virgin’s womb;
very God,
begotten not created;
Refrain
3 Sing, choirs of angels,
sing in exultation,
sing, all ye citizens of heaven above!
Glory to God
in the highest:
Refrain
4 Yea, Lord, we greet thee,
born this happy morning:
Jesus, to thee be all glory given;
word of the Father,
now in flesh appearing;
Refrain
Translated from the Latin (18th century)
by Frederick Oakely (1802-1880)The Greeting
The Lord Jesus Christ be with you - and also with you.
Today we remember Jesus and the story of his birth;
Jesus is our King
The ceremony of lighting the Advent wreath
As a candle is lit
Jesus Christ is the light of the world;
Jesus is our Way.
With Jesus even dark places are light;
Jesus is the Truth.
In Jesus we shall live for ever:
Jesus is our Life.
Living God, all the candles are lit,
All our preparations are done;
All our hopes are met in Jesus Christ today - Amen
As we come before out loving God on this Christmas morning, let us rejoice in his great gifts to us
Jesus child of the crib, with Mary – Who bore you
With Joseph – who protected you
With the animals - who watched over you
With the angels - who sang of you
With the shepherds - who ran to you
With our brothers and sisters throughout the world – We welcome you!!
Confession
As we kneel with the shepherds before the new-born Christ-child,
Let us open our hearts in penitence and faith.
Say together
Gracious God
Forgive us when, as the inn-keepers of our time,
We turn away those who are different from ourselves;
When there is no room in our hearts for those you love,
Confront us until all the doors and windows of our souls are flung open;
That inspired by your love for us we might be generous to all who come near to us in need;
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our saviour - Amen
May God who loved the world so much
that he sent his Son to be our Saviour
forgive us our sins
and make us holy to serve him in the world,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Collect for Christmas Morning Let us pray
Lord Jesus Christ, your birth at Bethlehem draws us to kneel in wonder at heaven touching earth: accept our heartfelt praise as we worship you,
our Saviour and our eternal God. Amen
The Liturgy of the Word
New Testament Reading Titus 3:4-7
But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour was revealed, he saved us. It was not because of any good deeds that we ourselves had done, but because of his own mercy that he saved us, through the Holy Spirit, who gives us new birth and new life by washing us. God poured out the Holy Spirit abundantly on us through Jesus Christ our Saviour, so that by his grace we might be put right with God and come into possession of the eternal life we hope for.
This is the word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
Carol – Away in a manger
Away in a manger, no crib for a bed
The little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head
The stars in the sky look down where He lay
The little Lord Jesus asleep in the hay.
The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes
But little Lord Jesus no crying He makes
I love you, Lord Jesus Look down from the sky
And stay by my side until morning is night
Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask You to stay
Close by me forever and love me I pray
Bless all the dear children In your tender care
And fit us for Heaven to live with You there
Gospel Reading Luke 2: 8-20
God’s word is a lantern to our feet
and a light to our path.
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.
Glory to you, O Lord.
There were some shepherds in that part of the country who were spending the night in the fields, taking care of their flocks. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone over them. They were terribly afraid, but the angel said to them, “Don't be afraid! I am here with good news for you, which will bring great joy to all the people. This very day in David's town your Saviour was born Christ the Lord! And this is what will prove it to you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
Suddenly a great army of heaven's angels appeared with the angel, singing praises to God:
“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom he is pleased!”
When the angels went away from them back into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us.”
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and saw the baby lying in the manger. When the shepherds saw him, they told them what the angel had said about the child. All who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said. Mary remembered all these things and thought deeply about them. The shepherds went back, singing praises to God for all they had heard and seen; it had been just as the angel had told them.
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
All-Aged talk
– amen
Affirmation of faith Let us affirm our faith in the one true 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.
Prayers
In peace let us pray to the Lord.
Amen.
The Peace –
Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given,
and his name shall be called the Prince of Peace.
The peace of Lord be always with you and also with you.
Carol – O little town of Bethlehem (during which a collection will be taken)
O little town of Bethlehem
How still we see thee lie
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The everlasting Light
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight
For Christ is born of Mary
And gathered all above
While mortals sleep, the angels keep
Their watch of wondering love
O morning stars together
Proclaim the holy birth
And praises sing to God the King
And Peace to men on earth
How silently, how silently
The wondrous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of His heaven.
No ear may his His coming,
But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive him still,
The dear Christ enters in.
O holy Child of Bethlehem
Descend to us, we pray
Cast out our sin and enter in
Be born to us today
We hear the Christmas angels
The great glad tidings tell
O come to us, abide with us
Our Lord Emmanuel.
Eucharistic Prayer (D)
The Lord is here.
His Spirit is with us.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give thanks and praise.
Almighty God, good Father to us all,
your face is turned towards your world.
In love you gave us Jesus your Son
to rescue us from sin and death.
Your Word goes out to call us home
to the city where angels sing your praise.
We join with them in heaven’s song:
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.]
Father of all, we give you thanks for every gift that comes from heaven.
To the darkness Jesus came as your light.
With signs of faith and words of hope
he touched untouchables with love and washed the guilty clean.
This is his story.
This is our song: Hosanna in the highest.
The crowds came out to see your Son,
yet at the end they turned on him.
On the night he was betrayed
he came to table with his friends
to celebrate the freedom of your people.
This is his story.
This is our song: Hosanna in the highest.
Jesus blessed you, Father, for the food;
he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and said:
This is my body, given for you all.
Jesus then gave thanks for the wine;
he took the cup, gave it and said:
This is my blood, shed for you all
for the forgiveness of sins.
Do this in remembrance of me.
This is our story.
This is our song: Hosanna in the highest.
Therefore, Father, with this bread and this cup
we celebrate the cross
on which he died to set us free.
Defying death he rose again
and is alive with you to plead for us and all the world.
This is our story.
This is our song: Hosanna in the highest.
Send your Spirit on us now
that by these gifts we may feed on Christ
with opened eyes and hearts on fire.
May we and all who share this food
offer ourselves to live for you
and be welcomed at your feast in heaven
where all creation worships you,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit:
Blessing and honour and glory and power
be yours for ever and ever. Amen.
As our Saviour has taught us; so we 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,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
Breaking of the Bread
We break this bread to share in the body of Christ.
Though we are many, we are one body,
because we all share in one bread.
God’s holy gifts, for God’s holy people
Jesus Christ is holy, Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father
We do not presume
to come to this your table, merciful Lord,
trusting in our own righteousness,
but in your manifold and great mercies.
We are not worthy
so much as to gather up the crumbs under your table.
But you are the same Lord
whose nature is always to have mercy.
Grant us therefore, gracious Lord,
so to eat the flesh of your dear Son Jesus Christ
and to drink his blood,
that our sinful bodies may be made clean by his body
and our souls washed through his most precious blood,
and that we may evermore dwell in him, and he in us. Amen.
Prayer After Communion.
Let us pray
God our Father, whose Word has come among us in the Holy Child of Bethlehem: may the light of faith illumine our hearts and shine in our words and deeds; through him who is Christ the Lord. Amen
Living God, Draw us deeper into your Love
Jesus our Lord, Send us to care and serve,
Holy Spirit, Make us heralds of good news.
Stir us, strengthen us, teach and inspire us
to live your Love with generosity and joy
imagination and courage; for the sake of your world
and in the name of Jesus Amen
Hark! the herald angels sing
1 Hark! the herald angels sing,
glory to the new-born 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 host proclaim:
Christ is born in Bethlehem.
Hark! the herald angels sing
Glory to the new-born King!
2 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 man to dwell,
Jesus, our Emmanuel:
Hark! the herald angels sing
Glory to the new-born King!
3 Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings,
risen with healing in his wings;
mild he lays his glory by,
born that man no more may die,
born to raise the sons of earth,
born to give them second birth:
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the new-born King!" Charles Wesley (1707-1788)
Blessing
May the joy of the angels, the eagerness of the shepherds,
the perseverance of the wise men,
the obedience of Joseph and Mary,
and the peace of the Christ-child
be yours this Christmas;
and the blessing … Amen.
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
In the name of Christ. Amen.
Copyright acknowledgement: Some material used in this service is copyright The Archbishops Council; Common Worship and New Patterns of Worship 2006; Some material based on Roots for churches ltd, and reproduced with the owner’s permission
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