Zoom Carol Service for the Eve of the Nativity of Christ 2021
(Zoom 18.00 – try to join around 17.45hrs)
At 17.50 Christina Antoniadou will play some Christmas music before we worship.
Welcome Father Leonard
Introduction Deacon Christine
Lord’s Prayer: Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name;
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done; in 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.
Carol
1 It came upon the midnight clear,
that glorious song of old,
from angels bending near the earth
to touch their harps of gold:
“Peace on the earth, good will to men,
from heaven’s all-gracious King.”
The world in solemn stillness lay,
to hear the angels sing.
2 Still through the cloven skies they come
with peaceful wings unfurled,
and still their heavenly music floats
o’er all the weary world;
above its sad and lowly plains,
they bend on hovering wing,
and ever o’er its Babel sounds
the blessed angels sing.
3 And ye, beneath life’s crushing load,
whose forms are bending low,
who toil along the climbing way
with painful steps and slow,
look now! for glad and golden hours
come swiftly on the wing.
O rest beside the weary road,
and hear the angels sing!
4 For lo! the days are hastening on,
by prophet seen of old,
when with the ever-circling years
shall come the time foretold
when peace shall over all the earth
its ancient splendors fling,
and the whole world send back the song
which now the angels sing.
1st Reading Luke 1 (26-38) The Annunciation (Shirley Poulakis)
Carol
1 The angel Gabriel from heaven came,
his wings as drifted snow, his eyes as flame;
“All hail,” said he to meek and lowly Mary,
“most highly favored maiden.” Gloria!
2 “I come from heav’n to tell the Lord’s decree:
a blessed virgin mother you shall be.
Your Son shall be Immanuel, by seers foretold,
most highly favored maiden.” Gloria!
3 Then gentle Mary meekly bowed her head;
“To me be as it pleases God,” she said.
“My soul shall laud and magnify his holy name.”
Most highly favored maiden, Gloria!
4 Of her, Immanuel, the Christ, was born
In Bethlehem, all on a Christmas morn,
and Christian folk throughout the world will ever say,
“Most highly favored maiden.” Gloria!
2nd Reading Luke 1 (39-56) The Visitation of Blessed Mary to Elizabeth (Nelly Paraskevopoulou)
Carol;
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,
Sleep in heavenly peace
Silent night, holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight.
Glories stream 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.
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus Lord, at Thy birth
Christmas Poem Read by Noelle Berkshire
3rd Reading Luke 1 (57-80) The Birth of John the Baptist (Sue Stephos)
Carol:
1 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.
2 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 Savior holy.
3 And thro’ all his wondrous childhood
he would honor and obey,
love and watch the lowly maiden
in whose gentle arms he lay:
Christian children all must be
mild, obedient, good as he.
4 And our eyes at last shall see him,
thro’ his own redeeming love;
for that child so dear and gentle
is our Lord in heav’n above:
and he leads his children on
to the place where he is gone.
5 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;
when like stars his children crowned
all in white shall wait around.
4th Reading Luke 2 (1-7) The Nativity of Christ (Angelos Palioudakis)
Carol:
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 to God the King,
And 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 his heav’n.
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 Immanuel!
Priest: O God the Son, highest and holiest, who humbled yourself to share our birth and our death: bring us with the shepherds, and wise men to kneel before you at your holy cradle, that we may come to sing with your angels your glorious praises in heaven: where with the Father and the Holy Spirit you live and reign, God, world without end. Amen.
Carol Away in a manger Played by Maria Nefeli (harpist)
5th Reading Luke 2 (8-20) The Shepherds’ worship
Carol:
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.”
6th Reading John 1, 1-14 The Mystery of Christmas (Reader: Deacon Christine)
Carol:
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]
Acclamation and blessing:
Priest: The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth
All: The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth
Priest: And we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son
All: full of grace and truth
Priest: Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
All: The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth
The Blessing Fr Leonard
Carol:
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]
Happy Christmas to one and all! And we pray hard for a good 2022!!
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