Love Came Down at Christmas!
Celebration and Eucharist for the Birth of Jesus
December 24, 2023 at 5:00 P.M.
Welcome to All Saints Episcopal Church for this wonderful Christmas celebration! How delightful to share this holy evening with you. Hymns are in the “Hymnal 1982” in the pew rack in front of you, and additional prayers may be found in the Book of Common Prayer (the book with a cross on the front).
To help our younger readers and listeners, we’re using the “God’s Word, My Voice: A Lectionary for Children” version of the readings.
Prelude
Opening Hymn #83: O come, all ye faithful, Verses 1 – 3
Welcome and Bidding Prayer
Priest Dear People of God: In this most holy season, let it be our delight to hear once more the story of Jesus’ birth, the story of Christmas.
Let us hear the story of God’s love in sending the angel to blessed Mary to announce the good news of Jesus, and to hear her say yes to this good news with her whole heart. Then we journey with Mary to visit her cousin, Elizabeth, and to hear Mary’s song of praise to God. Finally, we take our place at the manger with Mary and Joseph, with all the shepherds and angels, and sing with joy to Jesus our savior. But first, before we make this journey, let us join together in the prayer Jesus taught his disciples, saying:
All 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.
All may be seated.
A reading from the Gospel according to Luke, Chapter 1, Verses 26b – 38
The angel announces the coming of the messiah to Mary.
God sent an angel named Gabriel with a message for a young woman named Mary in Nazareth. She was engaged to Joseph, who was a descendent of King David.
Here was the message: “Greetings from God himself, Mary. You are special in God’s eyes. And God holds you close to his heart.” Mary couldn’t figure out what was going on and what the angel could possibly mean by that. Gabriel told her not to be afraid, that God had only good things in mind. “Here is the plan, Mary. You will conceive a baby boy and name him Jesus when he’s born. He will be great, the Son of the Most High, and he will reign over God’s people like King David did, but his kingdom will never end.”
Mary said, “But I’m not married. Why would you choose me to be Jesus’ mother?”
Gabriel said, “The Holy Spirit will make this happen, and you will be surrounded by God’s power as if it were incense. Your child will be holy. He will be called the Son of God. And guess what else? Your older cousin Elizabeth, who’s never been able to have children, is already six months pregnant. So you see, nothing is impossible with God.”
Then Mary said, “Okay. I am willing to work with God on this plan. I trust that God can do what he says he will do.” And then the angel left her alone to think about these things.
Hymn #84: Love Came Down at Christmas
Priest Pour your grace into our hearts, O Lord, that we who have known the incarnation of your Son Jesus Christ, announced by an angel to the Virgin Mary, may by his cross and passion be brought to the glory of his resurrection; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
A reading from the Gospel according to Luke, Chapter 1, Verses 39 – 56
Mary visits her cousin, Elizabeth, who is pregnant with John the Baptist.
Mary ran to see her cousin Elizabeth who lived in the hill country. When she cried out, “Elizabeth, it’s so good to see you!” the baby in Elizabeth’s belly jumped up and down.
Elizabeth all of a sudden was filled with the Holy Spirit and yelled, “You are so blessed, Mary! And the little one inside you is blessed as well. How God must love me to send the mother of my Lord to visit me. As soon as I heard your voice, this little guy inside me jumped up and down for joy. This is just as God said it would happen, and we are both so blessed to see things work out this way. God is good to us indeed.”
And Mary said, “My soul is so happy. I can’t stop singing about God’s kindness to me, a lowly servant. From now on, everyone will know that I have been blessed. God has done great things for me, and God’s name is holy. God’s heart goes out to those who walk the right way, in every generation, young and old. God is strong enough to scatter proud people in every direction. God picks up those who think they’re better than anyone else, and flings them off their fancy chairs, but he picks up those who are sad and lifts up their chins so they can hold their heads high again. God feeds hungry people the best food they’ve ever eaten. And when people with too much get in line, God says, ‘Enough already.’ God remembers his promise of mercy and has come to help out the people in Israel. God promised mercy to our ancestors, to all of Father Abraham’s children forever.”
Mary stayed about three months with Elizabeth and then went back home.
Hymn #438: Tell out my soul
Priest Father in heaven, by your grace the mother of your incarnate Son was blessed in bearing him, but still more blessed in keeping your word: Grant us who honor the exaltation of her lowliness to follow the example of her devotion to your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
A reading from the Gospel according to Luke, Chapter 2, Verses 1 – 20
Jesus is born, and the angels and shepherds adore him.
In order to count how many people there were so that he could tax them, the emperor told everyone to go to their hometowns to be counted. So Joseph went with Mary, his fiancée, who was expecting a baby at any time, from Nazareth to Bethlehem. His family was descended from King David, and King David had lived in Bethlehem. While they were there, Mary delivered a baby boy, wrapped him up tight, and laid him in a feed trough in the barn where they were staying because the inns were all full.
Meanwhile, in the fields, shepherds were watching their sheep during the night. All of a sudden an angel stood right in front of them, and God’s glory was shining all around and they were scared to death. The angel told them not to be afraid because there was only good news. “This news is so good,” the angel said, “that everyone will be happy. Today in the city of David, the Savior whom everyone’s been waiting for was born. I want you to go find him. Here’s how you’ll know he’s the right baby: He’ll be lying in a feed trough all wrapped up in strips of cloth.”
When the angel said that, the skies burst into song, and angels filled up the entire sky, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace to those on earth whom God loves.”
When the angels had gone back to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and find this baby boy they were talking about.” So they ran and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the feed trough, just as the angel had told them. They told Mary and Joseph what the angel had said, about who this child was and would become. Everyone was amazed at their story. But Mary kept this entire story in her heart. The shepherds praised God for all that had happened that night, and went back to their sheep who had been wondering where their shepherds had gone.
Hymn #96: Angels We Have Heard on High
Priest Almighty God, you have given your only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and to be born this day of blessed Mary: Grant that we, who have been born again and made your children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by your Holy Spirit; through our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom with you and the same Spirit be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.
Prayers of the People
Priest To us a child is born, to us a son is given; let us pray for the world and all the people he came to save, saying, “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done.”
Intercessor Wonderful Counsellor, you order all things with your wisdom: help the Church to reveal the mystery of your love and fill it with the Spirit of truth. Your Kingdom come,
People Your will be done.
Intercessor Mighty God, the government is on your shoulders: guide the leaders of the nations and bring in your kingdom of justice and righteousness. Your Kingdom come,
People Your will be done.
Intercessor Everlasting Father, you call us to live together in unity: protect by your mercy all your children, nourish your creation, and bless our families and renew our communities. Your Kingdom come,
People Your will be done.
Intercessor Prince of Peace, you bring reconciliation through the cross: by your healing power give your gift of wholeness and peace to all who suffer. Your Kingdom come,
People Your will be done.
Intercessor Son of God, Son of Mary, you hear the prayers of our hearts and lips with tender love and compassion: give your gifts of grace, peace and healing to all those we lift up to you. (People may add the names or places on their hearts, either silently or aloud). Your Kingdom come,
People Your will be done.
Intercessor Christ Child, your radiance filled a lowly manger: give the glory of your resurrection to all who rest in you. Your Kingdom come,
People Your will be done.
Priest Almighty God, you have poured upon us the new light of your incarnate Word: Grant that this light, enkindled in our hearts, may shine forth in our lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Priest The peace of the Lord be always with you.
People And also with you.
The peace is briefly shared with one another.
The Offertory begins with the following:
Priest Through Christ let us offer to God a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving;
People With gladness we present the offerings of our life and labor to the Lord.
Offertory Hymn #107: Good Christian Friends, Rejoice
After the Altar is prepared, the following is said:
Priest Everything in heaven and earth is yours, O Lord;
People All things come from you, and of your own have we given you.
The Great Thanksgiving – Eucharistic Prayer B
Priest The Lord be with you.
People And also with you.
Priest Lift up your hearts.
People We lift them to the Lord.
Priest Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
People It is right to give our thanks and praise.
Priest It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and every-
where to give thanks to you, Father Almighty, Creator of
heaven and earth. Because you gave Jesus Christ, your only Son, to be born for us; who, by the mighty power of the Holy Spirit, was made perfect Human of the flesh of the Virgin Mary his mother; so that we might be delivered from the bondage of sin, and receive power to become your children.
Therefore we praise you, joining our voices with Angels and
Archangels and with all the company of heaven, who for ever
sing this hymn to proclaim the glory of your Name:
Priest We give thanks to you, O God, for the goodness and love
which you have made known to us in creation; in the calling
of 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 Savior 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 before he died for us, 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, according to his command, O Father,
All We remember his death,
We proclaim his resurrection,
We await his coming in glory;
Priest And we offer our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to you,
O 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 may be acceptable through him,
being sanctified by the Holy Spirit. In the fullness of time,
put all things in subjection under your Christ, and bring us to
that heavenly country where, with all your saints, we may enter the everlasting heritage of 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 him, and with him, and in him, in the unity of the Holy
Spirit all honor and glory is yours, Almighty Father, now and
for ever. AMEN.
And now, as our Savior Christ has taught us, we are bold to say,
The bread is now broken, and a moment of silence is observed.
People may be seated while waiting to come forward. All are welcome to share in communion. Gluten free bread is available. Hold out your hands to receive the bread. If you wish to come forward for a blessing only, cross your arms over your chest.
Communion Hymn #115: What child is this
Communion Hymn #82: Of the Father’s love begotten
After Communion, the priest says Let us pray.
Post-communion Prayer
Eternal God, heavenly Father,
you have graciously accepted us
as living members of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ,
and you have fed us with spiritual food
n the Sacrament of his Body and Blood.
Send us now into the world in peace,
and grant us strength and courage
to love and serve you
with gladness and singleness of heart;
through Christ our Lord. Amen.
As the Priest reads the final reading of the night, the lights will be dimmed.
The Final Reading: John 1:1-14
The Prologue of St John’s Gospel.
Before there was anything, there was the Word, with God and in God. The Word was God! Everything there ever was in the whole universe came to life through the Word. In fact, there’s nothing that the Word didn’t make. Life came into being through him. That life lights up for all people to see. It shines in the darkness, and as you know, darkness cannot put out light.
John the Baptist was a man of God. He understood that Jesus was light, and that Jesus was coming to be our savior. Some people didn’t recognize that, but those who did, who let him shine his light into their hearts, had the power to become God’s children. And the Word actually became one of us, and lived here on earth with us. You and I have seen his glory, and he is filled with grace and truth. John cried out in the desert, pointing to Jesus and saying, “He’s the One. He’s the One I’ve been talking about!”
Because Jesus is filled with grace, all of us have more than our share of grace. In fact, we have been given grace upon grace upon grace. And even more grace than that.
The Law given to Moses serves its purpose; now grace and truth is serving its purpose through Jesus Christ. No one knows what God the Father looks like. Jesus, God’s only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, is the one who makes God the Father known to us.
Hymn #111: Silent Night
Priest O God, who wonderfully created, and yet more wonderfully restored, the dignity of human nature: Grant that we may share the divine life of him who humbled himself to share our humanity, your Son Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Blessing
May Almighty God, who sent his Son to take our nature upon him, bless you in this holy season, 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 upon you and remain with you for ever. Amen.
Priest Go in peace to love and serve the Lord!
People Thanks be to God!
Closing Hymn #100: Joy to the World
Postlude
Serving today:
Celebrant: Fr. Joseph Farnes
Lectors: Lucy Groves
Eucharistic Minister: Penny Sites
Altar Guild: Sue Nims
Ushers: Ray Stark & Mary Hill
Music Director: Shauna Emara
Camera: Ed Lonsdale