Order of Service for Christmas Day

(italics indicate sections for group to read aloud together if using in a group setting)

Good and gracious God, you have given us your only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to come to us and to become like us in flesh and appearance. Through his coming we can say confidently that you have not left us and you will never forsake us. Grant us the grace and the peace to live into this reality and to accept the adoption that you offer and may we be daily renewed in this grace by your Holy Spirit.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Psalm 96 Cantate Domino

1 Sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the whole earth.

2 Sing to the Lord and bless his Name;
proclaim the good news of his salvation from day to day.

3 Declare his glory among the nations
and his wonders among all peoples.

4 For great is the Lord and greatly 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 Oh, the majesty and magnificence of his presence! Oh, the power and the splendor of his sanctuary!

7 Ascribe to the Lord, you families of the peoples; ascribe to the Lord honor and power.

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

9 Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness;
let the whole earth tremble before him.

10 Tell it out among the nations: “The Lord is King!
he has made the world so firm that it cannot be moved; he 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 when he comes,
when he comes to judge the earth.

13 He will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with his truth.

or Sing Psalm 96 song (see track 1)

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

The Gospel Reading

Read Luke 2:1-14

The Word of the Lord, Thanks be to God

The Meditation

(For a guided meditation see track 2)

Lord, have mercy Christ, have mercy Lord, have mercy

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 sins
As we forgive those who sin against us And lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from evil

The Canticle

(The below canticle may be read and/or the hymn “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” may be sung. See track 3 for a recording of the hymn.)

Benedictus Dominus

“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has come to his people and redeemed them.

He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David,

as he said through his holy prophets of long ago, salvation from our enemies

and from the hand of all who hate us— to show mercy to our ancestors

and to remember his holy covenant,

the oath he swore to our father Abraham: to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,

and to enable us to serve him without fear

in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;

for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation

through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God,

by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness

and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

The Blessing

Hear these words and receive this blessing as we celebrate the hope we have in Christ:

Today the darkness begins to grow shorter and the light to lengthen, as the hours of night become fewer…. Realize that the true light is now here and, through the rays of the gospel, is illumining the whole earth.