Christmas Day: Saturday 25 Dec 2021
[Revised Common Lectionary Year C]

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Opening:

Almighty God, you have given your only-begotten Son to take
our nature upon him, and to be born this day of a pure virgin:
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 Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom with you and the same
Spirit be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

After seeing [the baby, lying in the manger],
the shepherds told everyone what had happened
and what the angel had said to them about this child.
All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished.
(Luke 2:17-18)

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O Come All Ye Faithful – Martina McBride
[worship4christ2012]

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OT Reading: Isaiah 62:6-12 (NLT)

62:6 O Jerusalem, I have posted watchmen on your walls;
they will pray day and night, continually.
Take no rest, all you who pray to the Lord.
7 Give the Lord no rest until he completes his work,
until he makes Jerusalem the pride of the earth.
8 The Lord has sworn to Jerusalem by his own strength:
“I will never again hand you over to your enemies.
Never again will foreign warriors come
and take away your grain and new wine.
9 You raised the grain, and you will eat it,
praising the Lord.
Within the courtyards of the Temple,
you yourselves will drink the wine you have pressed.”

10 Go out through the gates!
Prepare the highway for my people to return!
Smooth out the road; pull out the boulders;
raise a flag for all the nations to see.
11 The Lord has sent this message to every land:
“Tell the people of Israel,
‘Look, your Savior is coming.
See, he brings his reward with him as he comes.’”
12 They will be called “The Holy People”
and “The People Redeemed by the Lord.”
And Jerusalem will be known as “The Desirable Place”
and “The City No Longer Forsaken.”

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Psalms: Psalm 97- “All The Ends of the Earth”
[Frederick Lau]

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NT Reading: Titus 3:4-7 (NLT)

3:4 When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, 5 he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. 6 He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. 7 Because of his grace he made us right in his sight and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.

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“God Came Down To Us” | Jonathan and Emily Martin

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Gospel Reading: Luke 2:15-20 (NLT)

2:15 When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16 They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. 17 After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. 18 All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, 19 but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. 20 The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.

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Angels We Have Heard On High – Third Day
Lance Tucker

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Prayer: (Universalis)

God our Father, this morning we eagerly greet the birth of Jesus, our brother and Saviour. He is the Daystar from on high, the light-bearer who brings the dawn to us, who wait patiently for his coming.
– Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men.

Father, bless on this holy day the Church all over the world. May she light afresh in men’s hearts the lamps of hope and peace.
– Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men.

Your Son has come to us in the fullness of time: let those who wait for him recognize his coming.
– Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men.

His birth bound heaven to earth in harmony and peace. Establish that same peace among nations and men of today.
– Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men.

With Mary and Joseph we rejoice in the birth of Jesus. May we welcome Christ as they did.
– Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men.

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Benediction: 

The Lord bless us,
and keep us from all evil,
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.

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+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.