A Celebration of the Holy Eucharist
Rite Two: 4:00 PM
The Nativity of Our Lord
December 24, 2021
Prelude
The Procession
Word of God
Opening Acclamation Prayer Book 355
The people standing, the Celebrant says
Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
People And blessed be his kingdom, now and for ever. Amen.
Hymn of Praise
The Collect of the Day:
The Celebrant says to the people
The Lord be with you.
People And also with you.
Celebrant Let us pray.
O God, you make us glad by the yearly festival of the birth of your only Son Jesus Christ: Grant that we, who joyfully receive him as our Redeemer, may with sure confidence behold him when he comes to be our Judge; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Lighting of the Advent Wreath
The Congregation is seated for the lessons.
The Lessons
The First Lesson Isaiah 9:2-7
Psalm 96 read responsively
The Second Lesson Titus 2:11-14
The Holy Gospel Luke 2:1-14, [15-20]
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke
People Glory to you, Lord Christ
After the Gospel, the Reader says
The Gospel of the Lord.
People Praise to you, Lord Christ.
Homily The Rev. Patrick Sanders
The Nicene Creed Prayer Book 358
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 and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshiped 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.
The Prayers of the People
Congregation may kneel or stand for the prayers. The peoples’ responses are printed in bold.
Presider: My sisters and brothers in the peace of God, all the gifts we shall give and receive in these days are but small tokens of the gift that shines forth in God’s word made flesh this night. From grateful hearts let us intercede for all who find themselves longing for this deepest, truest gift, saying: Let the heavens rejoice; and let the earth be glad.
Intercessor: That the peace proclaimed by angels in the shepherds’ field might be realized on every place of conflict and on every street of violence. Let the heavens rejoice; and let the earth be glad.
That the child born to us might find in our hearts warm welcome by our openness to the needs of the homeless and the hungry and our willingness to nourish the growth of our souls. Let the heavens rejoice; and let the earth be glad.
That in this time of gift-giving we might become more responsive to the abandoned, the despairing, and the mourning. Let the heavens rejoice; and let the earth be glad.
That the rejoicing of this night might be a bond leading us to true communion of life and worship through the fellowship of the Church. Let the heavens rejoice; and let the earth be glad.
That the joy and the consolation of the Wonderful Counselor might enliven all who are living with disease or illness, especially for those we now mention aloud or in the silence of our hearts (pause); all those serving our country at home and abroad; and those on our prayer list. That the angels may join in our chorus of gratitude and thanksgiving. That the blessed hope we celebrate this night might be the fulfillment of all who have gone before us in faith, especially all those we now name aloud or in the silence of our hearts(pause). Let the heavens rejoice; and let the earth be glad.
Presider: God of darkness and silence, you have pierced the quiet of this night by the utterance of your word in our flesh. May our words of praise and petition be strong echoes of your Christmas word, so that all might come to the peace you promise in Jesus, who is Lord and God this night and forever. Amen.
The Celebrant says
Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.
Silence
Minister and People
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 neighbors 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.
The Priest says
Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen you in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life. Amen.
The Peace
Celebrant: The Peace of the Lord be always with you.
People: And also with you.
The Ministers and People greet one another in the name of the Lord.
Announcements
Oblations brought forward (congregation stands)
Offertory
Presentation Hymn 380 (vs. 3) From all that dwell below the skies
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
praise him all creatures here below.
Praise him above, ye heavenly host:
praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen!
The Holy Communion
The Great Thanksgiving
Eucharistic Prayer B Prayer Book 367
The Lord be with you.
People And also with you.
Celebrant Lift up your hearts.
People We lift them to the Lord.
Celebrant Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
People It is right to give him thanks and praise.
Celebrant It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and
everywhere to give thanks to you, Father
Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.
The Celebrant adds an additional prayer (Proper Preface) followed by
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:
Sanctus S129
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.
The Celebrant continues
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 this command, O Father,
Celebrant and People We remember his death,
We proclaim his resurrection,
We await his coming in glory;
The Celebrant continues
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.
Celebrant:
And now, as our Savior Christ has taught us, we are bold to say,
The Lord’s Prayer Prayer Book 364
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, and the power, and the glory for ever and ever. Amen.
The Breaking of the Bread
The Celebrant breaks the consecrated Bread as a period of silence is kept.
Alleluia. Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us;
Therefore let us keep the feast. Alleluia.
Celebrant:
The Gifts of God for the People of God.
Communion of the People
Wherever you are on your journey of faith you are welcome at this table
For the Communion:
Post Communion Prayer Prayer Book 366
Celebrant Let us pray.
Celebrant and people
Almighty and everliving God, we thank you for feeding us with the spiritual food of the most precious Body and Blood of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; and for assuring us in these holy mysteries that we are living members of the body of your Son, and heirs of your eternal kingdom. And now, Father, send us out to do the work you have given us to do, to love and serve you as faithful witnesses of Christ our Lord. To him, to you, and to the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.
The Blessing
The Retiring Procession
Dismissal
Enjoy the stream from the National Cathedral this morning
The Nativity of Our Lord December 24, 2021 Rite II
December 24, 2021 @ 4pm
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