Christmas Evening Prayer for Use at Home
Worship at Home,
Saturday, December 24, 2022
Christmas Eve
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Copyright © 2004 by the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada. All rights reserved.
Reproduced under license from ABC Publishing, Anglican Book Centre, a ministry of the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada, from Anglican Liturgical Library. Further copying is prohibited.
Evening Prayer (The Book of Alternative Services)
I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day a Saviour, Christ the Lord. Luke 2.10-11
The Service of Light
Light and peace in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Jesus Christ is the light of the world.
A light no darkness can extinguish.
O Gracious Light (Phos Hilaron)
O gracious Light,
pure brightness of the everliving Father in heaven,
O Jesus Christ, holy and blessed!
Now as we come to the setting of the sun,
and our eyes behold the vesper light,
we sing your praises, O God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
You are worthy at all times to be sung by happy voices,
O Son of God, O Giver of life,
and to be glorified through all the worlds.
Thanksgiving
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
5 Christmas and Epiphany †
Blessed are you, Lord our God,
our eternal Father and David’s king.
You have made our gladness greater and increased our joy
by sending to dwell among us
the Wonderful Counsellor, the Prince of Peace.
Born of Mary,
proclaimed to the shepherds,
and acknowledged to the ends of the earth,
your unconquered Sun of righteousness
destroys our darkness and establishes us in freedom.
All glory in the highest be to you,
through Christ, the Son of your favour,
in the anointing love of his Spirit,
this night and for ever and ever. Amen
Psalm 96
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 splendour of his sanctuary!
7 Ascribe to the Lord, you families of the peoples; * ascribe to the Lord honour and power.
8 Ascribe to the Lord the honour 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.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now , and will be for ever. Amen.
The Proclamation of the Word
2 *The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness—on them light has shined.3 You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as people exult when dividing plunder.4 For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian.5 For all the boots of the tramping warriors and all the garments rolled in blood shall be burned as fuel for the fire 6 For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.7 His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onwards and for evermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
Listen for the Leading of the Spirit.
Thanks be to God.
A reading from Titus 2:11-14
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all,* 12training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, 13while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Saviour,* Jesus Christ. 14He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.
Listen for the Leading of the Spirit.
Thanks be to God.
The Gospel is Proclaimed
The Lord be with you.
People: And also with you.
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke
People: Glory to you Lord Jesus Christ.
Luke 2:1-20
In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3All went to their own towns to be registered. 4Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. 5He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. 6While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. 7And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. 8 In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: 11to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 12This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.’ 13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, 14 ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favours!’ 15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.’ 16So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. 17When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; 18and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. 19But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. 20The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
The Gospel of Christ
People: Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.
The Confession of Faith
The Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God,
the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again
to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Prayers of the People (Incarnation)
(In joy and humility let us pray to the creator of the universe, saying, “Lord, grant us peace.”)
By the good news of our salvation brought to Mary by the angel, hear us,
O Lord.
Lord, grant us peace.
By the mystery of the Word made flesh, hear us, O Lord.
Lord, grant us peace.
By the birth in time of the timeless Son of God, hear us, O Lord.
Lord, grant us peace.
By the manifestation of the King of glory to the shepherds and magi, hear us, O Lord.
Lord, grant us peace.
By the submission of the maker of the world to Mary and Joseph of Nazareth, hear us, O Lord.
Lord, grant us peace.
By the baptism of the Son of God in the river Jordan, hear us, O Lord.
Lord, grant us peace.
Grant that the kingdoms of this world may become the kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; hear us, O Lord.
Lord, grant us peace
The Collect of the Day
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 Spririt,
one God, now and for ever. Amen
The Lord’s Prayer
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.
The Grace
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen.
Go in peace. Christ is with you. Merry Christmas Everyone!
You may like to sing the following:
Hymn 126 – Away in a Manger
Hymn 123 – Once in Royal David’s City
Hymn 154 – Joy to the World
Hymn 119 – Silent Night
They are in Common Praise or search the hymn title on Youtube and sing along!