welcome to worship with us on this blessed christmas day

Welcome to

worship

with us

on this blessed

Christmas Day

Christmas day 2012

ChristmasProper111

Hymnic service with holy communion for Christmas

dayFrom Approved Worship Services of the

Lutheran Church of Australia

The Commission on Worship Lutheran Church of Australia

Copyright © Lutheran Church of Australia 1997

Authorisation for use granted to Lutheran congregations

OPENING SENTENCES

M: To us a child is born!C: To us a Son is given!M: The Word became flesh and lived

among us.C: To us a Son is given.M: From the fullness of his grace we

have all received one blessing after another.

C: To us a Son is given.

IN THE NAME

M: In the name of the Father and of the Son † and of the Holy Spirit.

C: Amen.

ENTRANCE HYMN

Christians, awake, salute the happy morn

V.1,2,4

LHS 625 CAL293

John Byrom (1692-1763), alt.


1. Christians, awake, salute the happy morn,

Whereon the Saviour of the world was born;

Rise to adore the mystery of love,Which hosts of angels chanted from

above; »


With them the joyful tidings first begun

Of God incarnate and the virgin’s Son.


2. Then to the watchful shepherds it was told,

Who heard the angelic herald’s voice, ‘Behold,

I bring good tidings of a Saviour’s birth

To you and all the nations on the earth; »


This day has God fulfilled His promised word,

This day is born a Saviour, Christ the Lord.’


4. O may we keep and ponder in our mind

God’s wondrous love in saving lost mankind;

Trace we the babe, who hath retrieved our loss,

From His poor manger to His bitter cross; »


Saved by His love, incessant we shall sing

Eternal praise to heaven’s almighty king.

†

CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION

M: Friends in Christ: Jesus says: ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’ Let us confess our sins to God our Father, and ask him to forgive us through Jesus Christ our Lord.


C: Lord God, our heavenly Father,I am a sinner and I have sinned against you, not only in my words and actions,but also in my secret thoughts and desires which I cannot fully know or understand, but which you know completely.


C: I am sorry that I have displeased you,and repent of the evil I have done.For the sake of your dear Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, have mercy on me,forgive my sins, and graciously help me in my weakness.

Amen.


M: As a called and ordained servant of the word, I announce the grace of God to all of you. On behalf of my Lord Jesus Christ, and by his command, I forgive the sins of all of you who repent and believe, in the name of the Father and of the Son † and of the Holy Spirit.

C: Amen.

LORD, HAVE MERCY

M: Lord Jesus Christ, born for us, hear our prayer and save us.

C: Lord, have mercy.M: Lord Jesus Christ, born for us, hear

our prayer and help us.C: Christ, have mercy.M: Lord Jesus Christ, born for us, hear

our prayer and give us peace.C: Lord, have mercy.

GLORY TO GOD (spoken)

M: Glory to God in the highest,

C: and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased.

♫ Glory to God (Sung)

♫C: Joy to the world! The Lord has come;let earth receive its king;let every heart prepare him room,and heaven and nature sing,

and heaven and nature sing,and heaven, and heaven and

nature sing.

Joy to the world! The Saviour reigns;let us our songs employ;while fields and floods, rocks, hills and plainsrepeat the sounding joy,

repeat the sounding joy,repeat, repeat the sounding joy.

He rules the world with truth and grace,and makes the nations provethe glories of his righteousnessand wonders of his love,

and wonders of his love,and wonders, wonders of his

love. †

LITURGY OF THE WORD

GREETING

M: The Lord be with you.

C: And also with you.

PRAYER OF CHRISTMAS DAY

M: Let us pray that we shine as lights in the world.

C: Thank you, loving Father, for filling the world with the new light of your Word who became a human being.

PRAYER OF CHRISTMAS DAY

Keep the flame of faith and love burning in our hearts and shining in our lives.

for he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

FIRST Reading

Isaiah 52:7-10 CEV

The salvation of our God

Isaiah 52:7-10

The first reading for Christmas Morning is written in Chapter fifty two of Isaiah beginning at verse seven.

7What a beautiful sight! On the mountains a messenger

announces to Jerusalem, "Good news! You're saved. There will be peace. Your God is now King.”

Isaiah 52:7-10 8Everyone on guard duty, sing and

celebrate! Look! You can see the LORD returning

to Zion. 9Jerusalem, rise from the ruins! Join in

the singing. The LORD has given comfort to his people; he comes to your rescue.

Isaiah 52:7-10 10The LORD has shown all nations his

mighty strength; now everyone will see the saving power of our God.

This is the Word of the Lord.C: Thanks be to God.

The Psalm

Psalm 98 CEV

All the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.

Psalm 98

R: The Psalm is Psalm 981Sing a new song to the LORD! He has worked miracles, and with his

own powerful arm, he has won the victory.

C: 2The LORD has shown the nations that he has the power to save and to bring justice.

Psalm 98

R: 3God has been faithful in his love for Israel, and his saving power is seen everywhere on earth.

C: 4Tell everyone on this earth to sing happy songs in praise of the LORD.

Psalm 98

R: 5Make music for him on harps. Play beautiful melodies!

C. 6Sound the trumpets and horns and celebrate with joyful songs for our LORD and King!

Psalm 98

R: 7Command the ocean to roar with all of its creatures, and the earth to shout with all of its people.

C: 8Order the rivers to clap their hands, and all of the hills to sing together.

Psalm 98

R: 9Let them worship the LORD! He is coming to judge everyone on the earth, and he will be honest and fair.

C: Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit;

As it was in the beginning is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

2nd Reading

Hebrews 1:1-12 CEV

God speaks to us through his Son

Hebrews 1:1-12

R: The second reading is written in Chapter one of Hebrews beginning at verse one.

Long ago in many ways and at many times God's prophets spoke his message to our ancestors.

Hebrews 1:1-12 2But now at last, God sent his Son to

bring his message to us. God created the universe by his Son, and everything will someday belong to the Son. 3God's Son has all the brightness of God's own glory and is like him in every way.

Hebrews 1:1-12

By his own mighty word, he holds the universe together.

After the Son had washed away our sins, he sat down at the right side of the glorious God in heaven. 4He had become much greater than the angels, and the name he was given is far greater than any of theirs.

Hebrews 1:1-12 5God has never said to any of the

angels, "You are my Son, because today I have become your Father!" Neither has God said to any of them, "I will be his Father, and he will be my Son!”

Hebrews 1:1-12 6When God brings his first-born Son

into the world, he commands all of his angels to worship him.

7And when God speaks about the angels, he says, "I change my angels into wind and my servants into flaming fire.”

Hebrews 1:1-12 8But God says about his Son, "You are

God, and you will rule as King forever! Your royal power brings about justice. 9You loved justice and hated evil, and so I, your God, have chosen you. I appointed you and made you happier than any of your friends.”

Hebrews 1:1-12 10The Scriptures also say, "In the

beginning, Lord, you were the one who laid the foundation of the earth and created the heavens. 11They will all disappear and wear out like clothes, but you will last forever. 12You will roll them up like a robe and change them like a garment.

Hebrews 1:1-12

But you are always the same, and you will live forever."

This is the Word of the LordC: Thanks be to God

HALLELUJAH RESPONSE

C: Alleluia, alleluia.

Glory to God in the highest,

and peace to God's people on earth.

Alleluia. Alleluia.

gospel

John 1:1-14 CEV

the eternal Word has become a human being

John 1:1-14

M: The Holy Gospel is written in Chapter one of the Gospel according to St John beginning at verse one.

C: Glory to you, O Lord, Light of the world.

John 1:1-14

In the beginning was the one who is called the Word. The Word was with God and was truly God. 2From the very beginning the Word was with God. 3And with this Word, God created all things. Nothing was made without the Word.

John 1:1-14

Everything that was created 4received its life from him, and his life gave light to everyone.

5The light keeps shining in the dark, and darkness has never put it out.

John 1:1-14

6God sent a man named John, 7who came to tell about the light and to lead all people to have faith.

8John wasn't that light. He came only to tell about the light. 9The true light that shines on everyone was coming into the world.

John 1:1-14

10The Word was in the world, but no one knew him, though God had made the world with his Word. 11He came into his own world, but his own nation did not welcome him.

John 1:1-14

12Yet some people accepted him and put their faith in him. So he gave them the right to be the children of God.

13They were not God's children by nature or because of any human desires. God himself was the one who made them his children.

John 1:1-14

14The Word became a human being and lived here with us. We saw his true glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father. From him all the kindness and all the truth of God have come down to us.

This is the Gospel of the LordC: Praise to you, O Christ, Light of the

world.

♫Gospel Response ♫

♫C: O holy child of Bethlehem.descend to us we pray;cast out our sin, and enter in;be born in us today.We hear the Christmas angelsthe great glad tidings tell;O come to us, abide with us,our Lord Immanuel!

Nicene Creed

C: We believe in one God,the Father, the Almighty,maker of heaven and earth,of all that is, seen and unseen.

Nicene Creed

C: 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;

Nicene Creed

through him all things were made.For us* and for our salvationhe came down from heaven,was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Maryand became truly human.

Nicene Creed

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;he suffered death and was buried.On the third day he rose againin accordance with the Scriptures;he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

Nicene Creed

He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,and his kingdom will have no end.

Nicene CreedWe believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life

who proceeds from the Father and the Son,

who with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified,

who has spoken through the prophets.

Nicene CreedWe believe in one holy Christian† 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. * This means: us human beings

† Christian or: catholic ; 'catholic' here means 'universal'

Carol

O come, all ye faithful

LH34 CAL 293

Adeste, fideles

Latin hymn, before 18th century

Tr. Frederick Oakeley, 1852, alt.


1. O come, all ye faithful,

Joyful and triumphant,

O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem;

Come and behold Him,

Born the king of angels:


O come, let us adore Him,



Christ the Lord!


2. God of God,

Light of light,

Lo, He abhors not the virgin’s womb;

Very God,

Begotten, not created:





Christ the Lord!


3. Sing, choirs of angels,

Sing in exultation,

Sing, all ye citizens of heaven above;

Glory to God

In the highest:





Christ the Lord!


4. Yea, Lord, we greet Thee,

Born this happy morning,

Jesus, to Thee be glory given;

Word of the Father,

Now in flesh appearing:





Christ the Lord!

†

SERMON

HYMN AND OFFERING

O thou holiest,

LHS 630 CAL 293O du frohliche, o du selige

Johannes Daniel Falk (1768-1826)Tr. A.T. Hanser, 1917, alt.

O thou holiest

1. O thou holiest, O thou happiest,

Grace-bestowing Christmastide!

Christ in a manger

Saves from all danger:

O rejoice, ye Christians far and wide!

O thou holiest


Peace-proclaiming Christmastide!

Christ’s light is beaming,

Mankind redeeming:


O thou holiest


Life-imparting Christmastide!

Angels from glory

Chant the great story:


†

OFFERTORY SONG

Let’s kneel with the shepherds, adore him today,

and worship and praise him as gladly as they,

rejoice that he comes as our Saviour from sin,

and join with the angels in singing to him. »

OFFERTORY SONG

Dear Christchild, we bring our own offering to you;

we give you our hearts; keep them loving and true.

O let them be holy, and make us all one

with you, our dear Saviour, and God’s only Son. †

Offering Prayer

M: Lord, help us to put our faith in your Son, and to live as your children.

Lead us to show your light to others in our words and in our actions,so that they, with us, may know your peace, comfort and salvation.

C: Amen.

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH

M: Our Father in heaven has given us the greatest gift possible: the gift of his own Son, the Word made flesh. Let us pray to God in the name of his Son.

PRAYER OF THE CHURCHThe response,

M: May your word live in us,C: and bear much fruit to your glory. M: Father, as we celebrate the mystery

of the Word made flesh in the birth of Jesus Christ, may he live in us and we in him, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C: Amen.

LITURGY OF THE LORD’S SUPPER

M: The Lord be with you.

C: And also with you.

M: Lift up your hearts.

C: We lift them to the Lord.

M: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

C: It is right to give our thanks and praise.


M: It is indeed right and good, Lord God, holy Father, that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to you, through Jesus Christ our Lord.


M: You have revealed your glorious presence to us in a new way through the mystery of the Word made flesh, so that as we see you in your Son, we are drawn to love you whom we cannot see. And so, with angels and archangels, and with all the company of heaven, we adore and praise your glorious name:

♫ HOLY, HOLY ♫♫C: Holy, holy, holy Lord,

great and ever-present God.Earth joins heaven as we sing:Praise to our triumphant king.In this place let us proclaimChrist who comes in God’s own name;

♫ HOLY, HOLY ♫♫C: join with angels as we sing:

Glory to our holy king.Holy, holy, holy Lord,great and ever-present God.

WORDS OF INSTITUTION AND PRAYER

All praise and thanks be to you, eternal God, holy Father, together with your only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, who unites your people in love. We thank you for creating all things. We thank you for calling and rescuing your chosen people.


Above all we thank and praise you for keeping your promise to the people of old and sending your Son Jesus Christ, whose birth and life, death and resurrection for our salvation we remember as he comes to us in this holy meal.

C: Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.


M: Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night when he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, and said, Take and eat; this is † my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.


M: In the same way he took the cup, after the supper, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and said, Drink of it, all of you; this is † my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. Do this as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.


C: Christ has died.Christ is risen.Christ will come again.

M: Send us your Holy Spirit to strengthen our faith, so that we who receive the body and blood of Christ may live as true members of the body of your Son.

C: Amen. Come, Holy Spirit.


M: Join our prayers with those of your servants of every time and every place, and unite them with the ceaseless petitions of our great high priest until he comes as victorious Lord of all.


C: Through him, with him, in him,in the unity of the Holy Spiritall honour and glory are yours,

almighty Father, now and forever. Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER

C: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,your kingdom come,your will be done, on earth as in heaven.

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Give us today our daily bread.Forgive us our sins

as we forgive those who sin against us.Lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.For the kingdom, the power, and the

glory are yours now and forever. Amen.

PEACE

M: The peace of the Lord be with you always.

C: Amen.

INVITATION TO RECEIVE the SACRAMENT

M: Jesus says: ‘I am the living bread that came down from heaven. The bread that I will give you is my flesh, which I give so that the world may live.’

Come, everything is ready.

1♫ LAMB OF GOD♫

♫ C: Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God,you take away our sin,you take the sin of all the world:have mercy, make us clean.

2♫ LAMB OF GOD ♫

♫ C: Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God,you take away our sin,you take the sin of all the world:have mercy, make us clean.

3♫ LAMB OF GOD ♫

♫ C: Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God,you take away our sin,you take the sin of all the world:grant us your peace. Amen.

DISTRIBUTION

Server: Take and eat, this is the body of Christ, given for you.

Server: Take and drink, this is the blood of Christ, shed for you, for the forgiveness of sins.

DISMISSAL

M: The body of our Lord Jesus Christ and his precious blood strengthen and preserve you in body and soul to life eternal. Go in peace †.

C: Amen.

♫ POST-COMMUNION SONG

♫C: We welcome you, O noble Guest!Through you our sinful world is blest.And my poor life you enter, too;how can I give my thanks to you?


♫C: For you O Lord, created all,and yet you have become so smallthat you lie in a cattle shedon straw, where cows and donkeys fed.


♫C: Ah dearest Jesus, little one,prepare a bed to lie upon,a soft clean bed within my heart,that you and I may never part.

†

POST-COMMUNION PRAYER

M: Let us pray. Thank you, loving Father, for filling the

world with the new light of your Word who became a human being.

As we have been fed with his body and blood, keep the flame of faith and love burning in our hearts and shining in our lives.

POST-COMMUNION PRAYER

For he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.C:Amen.

BLESSING

M: Christ the Son of God give you joy and peace by his presence with you. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord look upon you with favour †, and give you peace.

C: Amen.

DISMISSAL

M: Go in peace. Live in the light of the Lord.

C: In the name of Christ. Amen.

We sing

May the feet of God walk with you,

LHS 888 CAL293

Aubrey Podlich 1946- (1983)

May the feet of God walk with you,

May the feet of God walk with you,and his hand hold you tight.May the eye of God rest on you,and his ear hear your cry.May the smile of God be for you,and his breath give you life.May the Child of God grow in you,and his love bring you home. †

Enjoy a blessed Christmas

welcome to worship with us on this blessed christmas day

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