Here you can find resources for our liturgy to pray at home or wherever you are.
The readings for today and some of the prayers of our liturgy are on the downloadable pew sheet.
In church, we sing O come, all ye faithful, in procession to the crib
Dear friends, as we meet to celebrate the birth of Christ,
let us pray that God will bless this crib,
that all who worship his Son, born of the Virgin Mary,
may come to share his life in glory.
God our Father,
on this night your Son Jesus Christ
was born of the Virgin Mary for us and for our salvation:
+ bless this crib, which we have prepared to celebrate that holy birth;
may all who see it be strengthened in faith
and receive the fullness of life he came to bring,
who lives and reigns forever. Amen.
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known,
and from whom no secrets are hidden:
cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,
that we may perfectly love you,
and worthily magnify your holy name;
through Christ our Lord. Amen.
God is love and we are God’s children, there is no room for fear in love.
We love because God loved us first. Let us confess our sins in penitence and faith.
Silence
God our Father, we confess to you
and to our fellow members in the Body of Christ
that we have sinned in thought, word and deed,
and in what we have failed to do.
We are truly sorry.
Forgive us our sins,
and deliver us from the power of evil.
For the sake of your Son who died for us,
Jesus Christ, our Lord.
God, who is both power and love,
forgive us and free us from our sins,
heal and strengthen us by the Holy Spirit
and raise us to new life in Christ our Lord. Amen.
O God,
you have made this most holy night
grow radiant with the brilliance of the true Light:
grant that, as we have known the mystery of that Light on earth,
so we may delight in him in heaven;
through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, world without end. Amen.
In church, we sing On Christmas night, all Christians sing
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 substance 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 of the Virgin Mary,
and was made human.
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.
We meet in Christ's name.
Let us share his peace.
In church, we continue with the Liturgy of the Sacrament, singing O little town of Bethlehem
Let us present our offerings to the Lord.
Yours, Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory,
the splendour and the majesty;
for everything in heaven and on earth is yours.
All things come from you, and of your own we give you.
Please join in the prayer Jesus himself taught us:
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.
Do not bring us to the time of trial
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power
and the glory are yours,
now and for ever.
Amen.
During Communion, we sing Silent Night (Ulrike sings the first verse in its original German)
Father of all,
we give you thanks and praise
that when we were still far off
you met us in your Son and brought us home.
Dying and living, he declared your love,
gave us grace, and opened the gate of glory.
May we who share Christ's body live his risen life;
we who drink his cup bring life to others;
we whom the Spirit lights, give light to the world.
Keep us firm in the hope you have set before us,
so we and all your children shall be free,
and the whole earth live to praise your name;
through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
In the name of Christ. Amen.
Sunday 25th December
Christmas Day
Thursday 29th December
Sunday 1st January
Christmas 1
Thursday 5th January
Sunday 8th January
Epiphany
Christmas is a time for giving and receiving. This year, more than any other, many in our community will go without.
With minimal effort, we are keen to redistribute pre-loved toys, children’s clothes and unwanted Christmas gifts to support charities and those in need in our community.
We are holding a collection for good quality (complete and in excellent working order) items following the service on Sunday 8th January.
You might be interested in how best to help people in crisis in Ukraine.
The College of Bishops have highlighted these two organisations:
The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal:
https://donation.dec.org.uk/ukraine-humanitarian-appeal
Among the DEC partners are Christian Aid, the British Red Cross, and Tearfund. The UK Government has pledged to match donations from the public to the DEC fund, pound-for-pound, up to £20 million.
The UK for UNHCR:
https://www.unrefugees.org.uk/where-help-is-needed/ukraine-situation/
