[The service will proceed unannounced]

WELCOME

BIDDING PRAYER

Once, in Royal David’s city,

Stood a lowly cattle shed,

Where a mother laid her baby

In a manger for his bed.

Mary was that mother mild,

Jesus Christ, her little child.

He came down to earth from heaven,

Who is God and Lord of all,

And his shelter was a stable,

And his cradle was a stall:

With the poor and mean and lowly

Lived on earth our Saviour holy.

And our eyes at last shall see him

Through his own redeeming love;

For that child, so dear and gentle,

Is our Lord in heaven above;

And he leads his children on

To the place where he is gone.

Not in that poor lowly stable,

With the oxen standing by,

We shall see him, but in heaven,

Set at God’s right hand on high;

Where like stars his children crowned,

All in white shall wait around.

O little town of Bethlehem,

How still we see thee lie:

Above thy deep and dreamless sleep

The silent stars go by.

Yet in thy dark streets shineth

The everlasting Light;

The hopes and fears of all the years

Are met in thee tonight.

O morning stars, together

Proclaim the holy birth,

And praises sing to God the King,

And peace to men on earth;

For Christ is born of Mary,

And gathered all above,

While mortals sleep, the angels keep

Their watch of wondering love.

How silently, how silently,

The wondrous gift is given.

So God imparts to human hearts

The blessings of his heaven.

No ear may hear his coming;

But in this world of sin,

Where meek souls will receive him, still

The dear Christ enters in.

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 angels

The great glad tidings tell;

O come to us, abide with us,

Our Lord Emmanuel.

Silent night, holy night!

All is calm, all is bright

Round yon virgin mother and child

Holy infant so tender and mild,

Sleep in heavenly peace,S

leep in heavenly peace.

Silent night, holy night!

Shepherds quail, at the sight,

Glory streams from heaven afar,

Heavenly hosts sing ‘Alleluia:

Christ, the Saviour is born,

Christ the Saviour is born.

’Silent night, holy night!

Son of God, love’s pure light:

Radiance beams from thy holy face

With the dawn of redeeming grace,

Jesus, Lord, at thy birth.

Jesus, Lord, at thy birth.

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,

O come, let us adore him,O come, let us adore him, 

Christ the Lord!

God of God,

Light of light,

Lo, he abhors not the virgin’s womb;

Very God,

Begotten, not created: 

[refrain]

See how the shepherds,

Summoned to his cradle,

Leaving their flocks, draw nigh to gaze;

We too will thither

Bend our joyful footsteps: 

[refrain]

Lo, star-led chieftains,

Magi, Christ adoring,

Offer him incense, gold and myrrh;

We to the Christ-child

Bring our hearts’ oblations: 

[refrain]

Sing, choirs of angels,

Sing in exultation,

Sing, all ye citizens of heaven above;

Glory to God

In the highest: 

[refrain]

While shepherds watched their flocks by night,

All seated on the ground,

The angel of the Lord came down,

And glory shone around.

‘Fear not’, said he (for mighty dread

Had seized their troubled mind);

‘Glad tidings of great joy I bring

To you and all mankind.

‘To you, in David's town, this day

Is born of David's line

A Saviour, who is Christ the Lord;

And this shall be the sign:

‘The heavenly babe you there shall find

To human view displayed,

All meanly wrapped in swathing bands,

And in a manger laid.

’Thus spake the seraph; and forthwith

Appeared a shining throng

Of angels praising God, who thus

Addressed their joyful song:

‘All glory be to God on high,

And to the earth be peace;

Goodwill henceforth from heaven to men

Begin and never cease.’

8th LESSON John 1: 1–14 The Incarnation of the Word of God

Hark! the herald angels sing

‘Glory to the new-born King,

Peace on earth, and mercy mild,

God and sinners reconciled’.

Joyful, all ye nations rise,

Join the triumph of the skies,

With the angelic host proclaim,

‘Christ is born in Bethlehem’.

Hark! the herald angels sing:‘

Glory to the new-born King.’

Christ, by highest heaven adored,

Christ, the everlasting Lord,

Late in time behold him come,

Offspring of a virgin’s womb.

Veiled in flesh the Godhead see:

Hail the incarnate Deity,

Pleased as man with man to dwell,

Jesus, our Emmanuel.

Hark! the herald angels sing:

‘Glory to the new-born King.

’Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace!

Hail, the Sun of Righteousness!

Light and life to all he brings,

Risen with healing in his wings,

Mild, he lays his glory by;

Born that men no more may die;

Born to raise the sons of earth;

Born to give them second birth.

Hark! the herald angels sing:

‘Glory to the new-born King.’

The Lord’s Prayer

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 trespassesas 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.

Ding dong merrily on high,

In heaven the bells are ringing.

Ding, dong, verily the sky

Is riven with angel singing.

Gloria, hosanna in excelsis,.

Gloria, hosanna in excelsis.

E'en so here below, below,

Let steeple bells be swungen.

And i-o, i-o, i-o,

By priest and people sungen. 

[refrain]

Pray ye dutifully prime

Your matin chime, ye ringers.

May ye beautifully rhyme

Your evetime song, ye singers. 

[refrain]

Christmas Eve

5.00 pm Crib service

11.30 pm Midnight communion

Christmas Day

8.00 am Morning Prayer

10.00 am Family Service