Christmas Morning Zoom Service – 25th December 2020
Happy Christmas! Welcome to our Christmas morning worship brought to our homes by Zoom. After the worship we can have a short chat together. The hymns and other shared texts you might know by heart, or you can print out this service, or you may have a hymn book at home, or you may be happy to listen in silence.
The Sunday worship login for Sunday 27th remains the same. A new address will be necessary for the first Sunday of January onwards. See website.
This morning there will also be a Christmas Liturgy live-Zoomed from St. Paul’s Church. Only 9 people can attend by prior booking. The link to follow this service is also on our website.
The preacher this morning is Fr. Leonard
Priest: Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
All: and also with you.
Priest: Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favours.
All: Glory to God in the highest heaven.
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;
Refrain:
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him, Christ, the Lord!
2 God of God, Light of Light eternal,
Lo! he abhors not the Virgin’s womb;
Son of the Father, begotten, not created, [Refrain]
3 Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation,
Sing, all ye citizens of heav’n above:
“Glory to God, all glory in the highest!” [Refrain]
4 Yea, Lord, we greet thee, born this happy morning;
Jesus, to thee be all glory giv’n;
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing; [Refrain]
The priest then welcomes the people of God and the deacon leads us into Confession.
Minister: Christ the light of the world has come to dispel the darkness of our hearts. Therefore let us turn to the light and confess our sins.
All: Amen. Lord have mercy.
The deacon leads us into a short period of silence, followed by Confession.
Minister: God our Father, you sent your Son full of grace and truth: forgive our failure to receive him.
Kyrie eleison
All: Kyrie eleison
Minister: Jesus our Saviour, you were born in poverty and laid in a manger: forgive our greed and rejection
of your ways.
Christe eleison
All: Christe eleison
Minister: Spirit of Love, your servant Mary responded joyfully to your call: forgive the hardness of our hearts.
Kyrie eleison
All: Kyrie eleison
Priest: May the God of love and power forgive you and free you from your sins, heal and strengthen you by his Spirit, and raise you to new life in Christ our Lord. Amen.
Collect: Let us pray (Collect of the Day)
Almighty God, you have given us your only begotten Son to take our nature upon him and as at this time to be born of a pure virgin: grant that we, who have been born again and made your children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by your Holy Spirit; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen
1 Angels from the realms of glory,
wing your flight o’er all the earth;
ye who sang creation’s story
now proclaim Messiah’s birth:
Refrain:
Come and worship, come and worship,
worship Christ, the newborn king.
2 Shepherds, in the field abiding,
watching o’er your flocks by night,
God with us is now residing;
yonder shines the infant light: [Refrain]
3 Sages, leave your contemplations,
brighter visions beam afar;
seek the great Desire of nations;
ye have seen his natal star: [Refrain]
First Reading Isaiah 62, 6-12
Upon your walls, O Jerusalem, I have posted sentinels; all day and all night they shall never be silent.
You who remind the Lord, take no rest, and give him no rest until he establishes Jerusalem and makes it renowned throughout the earth. The Lord has sworn by his right hand and by his mighty arm: I will not again give your grain to be food for your enemies, and foreigners shall not drink the wine for which you have labored;
but those who garner it shall eat it and praise the Lord, and those who gather it shall drink it in my holy courts.
Go through, go through the gates, prepare the way for the people; build up, build up the highway, clear it of stones, lift up an ensign over the peoples. The Lord has proclaimed to the end of the earth: Say to daughter Zion,
“See, your salvation comes; his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.” They shall be called, “The Holy People, The Redeemed of the Lord”; and you shall be called, “Sought Out, A City Not Forsaken.”
This is the word of the Lord
All: Thanks be to God.
1 While shepherds watched their flocks by night,
all seated on the ground,
an angel of the Lord came down,
and glory shone around.
2 “Fear not,” said he for mighty dread
had seized their troubled mind
“glad tidings of great joy I bring
to you and all mankind.
3 “To you, in David’s town, this day
is born of David’s line
a Savior, who is Christ the Lord;
and this shall be the sign:
4 “The heavenly babe you there shall find
to human view displayed,
all simply wrapped in swaddling clothes
and in a manger laid.”
5 Thus spoke the angel. Suddenly
appeared a shining throng
of angels praising God, who thus
addressed their joyful song:
6 “All glory be to God on high,
and to the earth be peace;
to those on whom his favor rests
goodwill shall never cease.”
Gospel Reading
Minister: Alleluia, alleluia. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory..
All: Alleluia.
Minister: The Lord be with you
All: and also with you
Minister: Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to St. Luke (Luke 2, 8-20)
All: Glory to you, O Lord
In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favours!” 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.” So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
Minister: This is the gospel of Christ
All: Praise to you, O Christ.
Sermon
1 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.
2 For Christ is born of Mary,
and gathered all above,
while mortals sleep, the angels keep
their watch of wond’ring love.
O morning stars, together
proclaim the holy birth!
And praises sing—let “Glory!” ring
with peace to all on earth!
3 How silently, how silently,
the wondrous gift is giv’n!
So God imparts to human hearts
the blessings of the heav’ns.
No ear may hear his coming,
but in this world of sin,
where meek souls will receive him still
the dear Christ enters in.
4 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.
The Lord’s Prayer: (to be prayed in your own language)
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, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
All: God our Father, whose Word has come among us in the Holy Child of Bethlehem: may the light of faith illumine our hearts and shine in our words and deeds; through him who is Christ the Lord. Amen.
1 Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King:
peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!”
Joyful, all ye nations, rise,
join the triumph of the skies;
with th’angelic hosts proclaim,
“Christ is born in Bethlehem!”
Refrain:
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King“
2 Christ, by highest heaven adored,
Christ, the everlasting Lord,
late in time behold him come,
offspring of the Virgin’s womb:
veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
hail th’incarnate Deity,
pleased with us in flesh to dwell,
Jesus, our Immanuel. [Refrain]
3 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 we no more may die,
born to raise us from the earth,
born to give us second birth. [Refrain]
Priest: May the joy of the angels, the eagerness of the shepherds, the perseverance of the wise men, the obedience of Joseph and Mary, and the peace of the Christ-child be yours this Christmas:
And the blessing…..
Minister: The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth. Go in peace to love and
serve the Lord.
All: In the name of Christ. Amen.
Sunday 27th December: Service led by Deacon Christine. Fr. Leonard is on leave until 4th January.
Jan 6th – Feast of the Epiphany. There will be a Liturgy at 10.00am in St. Paul’s Church. Please email Fr. Leonard if you wish to book a place.
Fr. Leonard’s usual Day Off – Monday (in emergencies contact Deacon Christine)
Home tel : 210 72 14 906; email anglican@otenet.gr
Deacon Chris: 22950 53164: Day off – Friday
Swedish Church: contact Fr. Bjorn on 694 607 2428
The Anglican Church in Greece (including St. Paul’s) is self-financing, and receives no income other than from the generosity of those who worship here. We are a legal body and we pay tax. Our tax number is 997073090. If you wish to donate direct to our bank (IBAN) the account with Piraeus Bank is: The Anglican Church in Greece, St. Paul’s Athens GR 820172 0500 0050 5008 6327 479 Swift code is PIRB GRAA
Notices: Christmas Day Morning Worship 10.15hrs
Christmas Mass (said) 12 Noon
All of these are by Zoom. See our website for the login address for each service.
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