THE EVE OF THE NATIVITY Procession & Holy Eucharist Tuesday, December 24 th, 2013 at 7:30 &10:00 p.m.
Welcome to the margin. Here you will find brief commentary and explanations of our worship as it unfolds. The Procession Let us go forth in Please stand and face the back of the church peace. Al -le - lu - ia! In the name of Christ Amen. Al -le - lu - ia! This hymn (song) is called O Come, All Ye Faithful. It was once commonly believed that it dated back to the thirteenth century and was written in Latin by St. Bonaventure. However, the legend was debunked by Dom John Stephan, a priest who researched the hymn. He discovered that the original manuscript was written by John Francis Wade, a Roman Catholic from England. During the Jacobite rebellion in the 18th century, Wade fled England with other Catholics. To support himself, he taught music and worked as a copyist of musical scores. In 1743, Wade introduced the world to this hymn and it became an instant Christmas classic. His original Latin version of the hymn still survives in the name of the tune Adeste Fideles, by which it is sung to this day! Processional Hymn (Sung by all) O come, all ye faith-ful, joy - ful and tri - um-phant, O God of God Li - ght of Li - ght, Sing, choirs of an - gels, sing in ex - ul - ta - tion; See how the shep-herds, sum-moned to his cra- dle, come ye, O come ye, to Beth - le - hem. lo, he ab - hors not the vir - gin s womb; sing, all ye cit - i - zens of heaven a - bove! Leav - ing their flocks draw nigh with low - ly fear; Come and be - hold him, born the King of an - gels; ve - ry God, be - got - ten not cre -a - ted: Glo - ry to God, in the - high - est; We too will thi - ther bend our joy - ful foot - steps; Refrain O come, let us a - dore him, O come, let us a - dore him, O come, let us a - dore him, Christ the Lord. 2
The Lighting of the Christ Candle Jesus Christ is the light of the world. Al - le - lu - ia! A light no darkness can extinguish. Al - le - lu - ia! The Christ candle is lit. A moment of silent prayer follows. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we light this candle in celebration of the Word made flesh among us. May we, through Christ s incarnation, be bound together as one human family in hope, peace, joy, and love. This we ask in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen. Each Sunday before Christmas, an Advent Candle was lit. These represent gifts that we believe come to us in Christ s birth. They are hope, peace, joy, and love. Tonight we light the white centre candle which symbolizes Jesus, the light of the world, who has been born in our midst. 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. The Collect of the Day 3 Please kneel or be seated Eternal God, this holy night is radiant with the brilliance of your one true light. As we have known the revelation of that light on earth, bring us to see the splendour of your heavenly glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Reader: A Reading from the Prophecy of Isaiah. Please be seated How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, "Your God reigns." Listen! Your sentinels lift up their voices, together they sing for joy; for in plain sight they see the return of the Lord to Zion. Break forth together into singing, you ruins of Jerusalem; for the Lord has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem. The Lord has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. Isaiah 52.7-10 Reader: The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. A moment of silence is observed Pronounced CALL-ect The collect of the day is the prayer we say that unites us in worship and praise. It focuses on the theme of the day and collects the meaning behind the readings and offers them in prayer. Isaiah was a prophet who wrote between 740-700 BC. Prophets were concerned more with interpreting the present than foretelling the future. In this reading, Isaiah is urging the people to keep hope until their promised Messiah comes. We read it at Christmas because we believe that he has come and will come again.
Pronounced sahm The Psalms are a collection of worship poetry and prose written between 950 and 350 BC. They were sung by the Israelites during worship and read for private meditation. Their themes vary; some psalms are laments and others hymns of praise. This hymn is actually a paraphrase of Psalm 98, but it beautifully captures the joyfulness of God s people as they await the coming of the Lord. The letter to the Hebrews is more of a sermon than a letter. It was written in the second century and its author is unknown. Of all the letters in the New Testament, it asserts most clearly that Jesus is part of the very nature of God. Psalm 98 (Sung by all) Please stand Refrain a d j k a d jz Sing a new song un-to the Lord; let y our songs be sung from moun- tains Reader: A Reading from the Letter to the Hebrews. Please be seated Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. He is the reflection of God's glory and the exact imprint of God's very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. Hebrews1.1-4 Reader: j k j k k k k kz k s k j k j k j k j k k k k j k k j k jz jz high. Sing a new song un-to the Lord, sing-ing Al-le - lu - ia! Yah - weh's peo - ple dance for joy. O come be- Rise, O chil - dren, from your sleep; your Sav - iour Glad my soul, for I have seen the glo - ry - fore the Lord and play for him on now has come. He has turned your of the Lord. The trum - pet sounds; the The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. glad tam-bou - rines, and let your trum - pet sound. sor - row to joy, and filled your soul with song. dead shall be raised. I know my Sav - iour lives. A moment of silence is observed 4
Sequence Hymn (Sung by all) 5 Please stand The first two verses are sung before the Gospel, the last verse; after the Gospel. The Gospel Hark! The her - ald an - gels sing, Glor - y to the new - born King; Christ, by high - est heav n a - dored; Christ the ev - er - last - ing Lord; Hail the heav n-born Prince of Peace! Hail the Sun of Righ-teous-ness! peace on earth, and mer - cy mild, God and sin - ners re - con - ciled! late in time, be - hold him come, off - spring of a vir-gin s womb. Light and life to all he brings, risen with heal-ing in his wings. Joy - ful, all ye na - tions rise, join the tri - umph of the skies; Veiled in flesh the God-head see; hail th in-car-nate de - i - ty, Mild he lays his glor - y by, born that we no more may die, Refrain with th an-gel - ic host pro- claim, Christ is born in Beth-le - hem! pleased as one of us to dwell, Je - sus our Em - man - u - el. born to raise each child of earth, born to give them sec - ond birth. The Lord be with you. And also with you. Refrain Hark! the her-ald an-gels sing, Glor-y to the new-born King! Hark! the her-ald an-gels sing, Glor-y to the new-born King! The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke. In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria. So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town. And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. While they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes This hymn first appeared in 1739 in the collection Hymns and Sacred Poems, having been written by Charles Wesley. A somber man, Wesley had requested and received slow and solemn music for his lyrics, not the joyful tune expected today. Moreover, Wesley's original opening couplet is "Hark! how all the welkin rings / Glory to the King of Kings". The lyrics were later changed to what we sing today by Wesley's co-worker George Whitefield. Gospel is an Old- English word meaning good news and refers to the writings of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, all of whom were witnesses to Jesus life and ministry, according to tradition. Luke s account emphasizes God's love for the poor, the disadvantaged, minorities, outcasts, sinners, and lepers. Women also play a more prominent role in Luke than in the other gospels. Notice how inclusive and farreaching Christ s birth is for Luke. While Jesus people would have thought that he was sent to deliver them alone, Luke sees Jesus as the Saviour of all people.
We may not think much of Jesus being born in a manger and appearing first to shepherds as significant, but those hearing the Gospel in Luke s time would have marveled that God first revealed his Son to such a humble gathering heralded by the heavenly host, no less! When Luke describes the angels proclaiming peace to God s people on earth, he means everyone! The sermon s purpose is to gather the themes of the readings into one and articulate what they meant for those about whom they were written and what they mean for us, today. The Nicene Creed is named after the location of the church council where it was created and is meant to be a statement of what Christians believe. The words we speak unite us with other Christians throughout the world and throughout the ages. It is a statement of faith that dates from the fourth century, and was the early church s attempt to speak the faith with one voice amidst many conflicting thoughts and ideas. and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock. The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear. The angel said to them Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a saviour has been born for you who is Christ and Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favours!" Luke 2.1-14 The Gospel of Christ. Sermon The Nicene Creed 6 Please be seated Please stand Let us confess our faith as we say, We believe in one God, the Father, the almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the scriptures; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father. With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified. He has spoken through the prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Prayers of the People Please kneel or be seated In joy and humility let us pray to the creator of the universe, responding to the invitation hear us, O Lord, singing: When the priest concludes, all join in prayer, saying, Almighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplications to you, and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together you will hear their requests. Fulfil now our desires and petitions, as may be best for us, granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come eternal life; for you, Father, are good and loving, and we glorify you through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, in the Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen. Confession and Absolution The Peace Lord, grant us peace. Dear friends in Christ, God is steadfast in love and infinite in mercy; he welcomes sinners and invites them to his table. Let us confess our sins, confident in God s forgiveness. 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 of the Lord be always with you. And also with you. Please stand In the prayers of the people, we offer to God our cares and concerns, our joys and hopes, praying for the church, the world, the sick, the suffering, and those whom we love but see no more. We are created in the image of God. In our hearts we know that we continually fall short of all that we have been fashioned to become. Confession is a time to offer all that separates us from God and our neighbour. Absolution is God s offer of unconditional forgiveness and is symbolized in the sign of the cross. This gesture reminds us that, just as the cross - a symbol of pain and death - can be redeemed through Christ s self-giving, so we can be as well. The peace is mentioned several times throughout the New Testament and has been a part of Christian worship since the second century. It is a gesture that we offer our neighbour that is meant to suggest that we are reconciled with one another and with God. 7
Offertory Hymn (Sung by all) Please remain standing The first no - well the an - gel did They look - èd up and saw a And by the light of that same This star drew nigh to the north- say was to cer - tain poor shep - herds in fields as they star shin - ing in the east, be - yond them star three wise men came from coun -try - west, o - er Beth -le - hem it took its lay; in fields where they lay keep-ing their far; and to the earth it gave great far; to seek for a king was their in- rest; and there it did both stop and sheep, on a cold win-ter s ni - ght that was so deep. light, and so it con - tin - ued both day and night. - tent, and to fol - low the star wher - ever it went. stay, right o - ver the place where Je - sus lay. Refrain No - well, no - well, no - well, no - well, born is the King of Is - ra - el. 8
The Holy Eucharist Offertory Sentence Prayer Over the Gifts (Sung by all) God of love and power, your word stirs within us the expectation of the coming of your Son. Accept all we offer you this day, and sustain us with your promise of eternal life. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Eucharist is a Greek word that means thanksgiving. It is a sacramental act of worship. A sacrament is an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace. This means that Jesus is somehow present to us in this ritual act, not by magic, but through the mystery of God s revealing himself in a unique way when we partake of this sacred meal of bread and wine. Anglicans believe that this act of receiving is central to our life in faith. 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. Sharing bread and wine is the enactment of a two thousand year old ritual, instituted by Jesus, through which we are reminded of these core elements of our spiritual tradition: a radically open table to which all people are invited and welcomed reminds us to be more open ourselves; Jesus life lived for and on behalf of others inspires us to see our own lives as a gift to be shared; and the resurrection affirms the counter-intuitive wisdom that it is in letting go of what we are afraid to lose that we are transformed and made new. 9
This ancient Hymn is always sung during the Eucharistic Prayer. It is called the Sanctus - a Latin word meaning holy. It is adapted from Isaiah 6.3 which describes the prophet s vision of the throne of God, surrounded by seraphim (angels.) We sing it to symbolize our confidence that we are present with God in the sacred act of communion and that we look to God in hope that our world and our lives will be transformed. The last part of this hymn Blessed is he etc. is taken from Matthew 21.9 - the Palm Sunday Gospel. We sing this along with the passage from Isaiah to remind ourselves that the reign of God in our lives is something in which we rejoice, but which transcends all of our presuppositions and expectations. The climax of this story is the celebration of the Eucharist itself, with Jesus and his disciples. We pray using Jesus own words and following his command to eat and drink in memory of him. Sanctus (Sung by all) - - - - - - - - - - - - Ho-ly Ho-ly Ho - ly Lord, God of pow-er and might; Heav'n and Earth are full of your glo - ry, Ho- - san - na in the high - est. Bless-ed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; Ho - san - na in the high - est. Please kneel or be seated 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; 10
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. A significant part of praying the Eucharist involves telling the story of God s love for his people. It begins with how God delivered the children of Israel from bondage, then moves to the love of God made known to us in Jesus life, death, and resurrection. As our Saviour taught us, let us 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. The Breaking of the Bread 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. The gifts of God for the People of God. Thanks be to God. The Lord s Prayer is the crux of Christian faith and worship because it was given to us by Jesus himself. It can be found in both Matthew 6 and Luke 11. It is a prayer of beauty and simplicity, addressing all that is sacred in our relationship with God and with one another. At this moment you are praying these words in communion with more than a billion Christians around the world. 11
This hymn is called the Agnus Dei - a Latin phrase meaning Lamb of God - and has been sung after the Eucharistic Prayer since the late seventh century. The phrase itself is from John 1.29 and was spoken by John the Baptist in reference to Jesus. We sing it here to remind ourselves that Jesus death on the cross frees us from all that alienates us from God and our neighbour. Communion Hymn (Sung by all) Agnus Dei (Sung by all) Lo, how a Rose e er bloom - ing I - sai - ah twas fore - told it, O Flower, whose fra - grance ten - der from ten - der stem hath sprung! of Jes - se s lin - eage com - ing, the Rose I have in mind; with Ma-ry we be - hold it, with sweet-ness fills the air, dis - pel in glor-ious splen-dour as seers of old have sung. It came, a blos - som bright, the vir - gin mo - ther kind. To show God s love a - right, the dark - ness ev - ery - where; true man, yet ve - ry God, a - mid the cold of win - ter, when half spent was the night. she bore to us a Sav -iour, when half spent was the night. from sin and death now save us, and share our ev - ery load. 12 Lamb of God, Lamb of God, you take a - way the sin of the world, have mer-cy, have mer - cy on us. Lamb of God, Lamb of God, you take a - way the sin of the world; grant us your peace. Grant us your peace.
Communion Hymn (Sung by all) What Child is this who, laid to rest on Ma-ry s lap is Why lies he in such mean es - tate, where ox and ass are So bring him in - cense, gold and myrrh, come pea-sant, king to sleep - ing? Whom an - gels greet with an - thems sweet, while feed - ing? Good Christ - ian, fear, for sin - ners here the own him; the King of kings sal - va - tion brings, let shep - herds watch are keep - ing? si - lent Word is plead - ing. lov - ing hearts en - throne him. This, this is Christ the King, whom shep - herds guard and an-gels sing; haste, haste, to bring him laud, the babe, the Son of Ma-ry. 13
Communion Hymn (Sung by all) 1. It came up - on the mid-night clear, that glor - ious song of 2. Still through the clov - en skies they come with peace -ful wings un- 3. Yet with the woes of sin and strife the world has suf - fered 4. And ye, be - neath life s crush - ing load, whose forms are bend - ing 5. For lo! the days are hast-ening on, by pro - phet bards fore- old, from an - gels bend - ing near the earth, to - furled, and still their heaven - ly mu - sic floats o er long; be - neath the an - gel strain have rolled two low, who toil a - long the climb - ing way with - told, when with the ev - er circ - ling years comes touch their harps of gold; Peace on the earth, good all the wear - y world; a - bove its sad and thou - sand years of wrong; and man, at war with pain - ful steps and slow, look now! for glad and round the age of gold; when peace shall o - ver will to men, from Heaven s all gra - cious King. the low - ly plains, they bend on hov - ering wing, and man, hears not the love song which they bring; O gold - en hours come swift - ly on the wing. O all the earth its an - cient splen - dors fling, and world in sol - emn still-ness lay, to hear the an-gels sing. ev - er over its Ba - bel sounds the bless-èd an-gels sing. hush the noise, ye men of strife and hear the an-gels sing. rest be - side the wear - y road, and hear the an-gels sing! the whole world send back the song which now the an-gels sing. 14
Devotional Hymn (Sung by all) The congregations candles are lit, then all join the choir in singing, when indicated Si Si Si Choir Anthem Prayer after Communion Father of all, tonight you have united earth and heaven in sending your Son to take our human nature. May we who have tasted heavenly things share in the life of his eternal kingdom. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Glory to God, whose power working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. Glory to God from generation to generation, in the Church and in Christ Jesus, for ever and ever. Amen. The Blessing Closing Hymn Dismissal - lent night, ho - ly night, All is calm, all is bright - lent night, ho - ly night, shep - herds quake at the sight; - lent night, ho - ly night, Son of God, love s pure light; Round yon vir - gin mo - ther and Child. Ho - ly In - fant, so ten - der and mild, glo - ries stream from heav-en a - far, heav n-ly ho - sts sing al - le - lu - ia! ra - diant beams from thy ho - ly face with the dawn of re - de - em-ing grace, Sleep in hea - ven-ly peace, Sleep in heav - en - ly peace. Christ the Sa - vior is born, Christ the Sa - vior is born! Je - sus, Lord, at thy birth, Je - sus, Lord, at thy birth. 15 Found on the next page Go forth rejoicing in the light that shines upon us. Alleluia! Thanks be to God. Alleluia! This closing prayer is called the Doxology, which literally means words of glory. We say this prayer to, for, and with, one another to proclaim that worshipping God together has made a difference in our lives. Worship is an encounter with God in community through which we begin to be opened, transformed and healed. Strengthened and nurtured we are now sent into the many circumstances of our lives to be agents of God s grace. The following Hymn, Joy to the World was penned in 1719 by English hymn writer Isaac Watts, based on Psalm 98 in the Bible. The song was first published in 1719 in Watts' collection; The Psalms of David: Imitated in the language of the New Testament, and applied to the Christian state and worship. Watts wrote the words of "Joy to the World" as a hymn glorifying Christ's triumphant return at the end of the age, rather than a song celebrating His first coming. It remains the most published Christian hymn in North America.
Closing Hymn (Sung by all) Please stand Joy to the world! the Lord is come: let earth re - ceive the Joy to the earth! the Sav - iour reigns: let us glad songs em- No more let wrongs and sor - rows grow, nor thorns in - fest the He rules the world with truth and grace, and makes the na - tions king; let ev - ery heart pre - pare him room, and - ploy, while fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains re- ground; he comes to make his bless - ings flow far prove the glo - ries of his right - eous - ness and heav n and na - ture sing, and heav n and na - ture - peat the sound - ing joy, re - peat the sound - ing as our sin is found, far as our sin is won - ders of his love, and won - ders of his sing, and heaven and heaven and na - ture sing. joy, re - peat, re - peat the sound-ing joy. found, far as, far as our sin is found. love, and won - ders, won - ders of his love. WITH SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR GUEST MUSICIANS: MARK CHADWICK JEREMY HUNTER-TY STEPHEN LECIK 16 ANDREA McCULLOCK