December 31, 2017
The Invocation:
Blessed be God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
And blessed be His Kingdom, now and forever. Amen.
The Prayer of Preparation:
Almighty God, to You all hearts are open, all desires known, and from You no secrets are hid: 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.
Hymn: “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”
God rest ye merry, gentlemen
Let nothing you dismay
Remember, Christ, our Saviour
Was born on Christmas day
To save us all from Satan's power
When we were gone astray
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy
In Bethlehem, in Israel,
This blessed Babe was born
And laid within a manger
Upon this blessed morn
The which His Mother Mary
Did nothing take in scorn
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy
From God our Heavenly Father
A blessed Angel came;
And unto certain Shepherds
Brought tidings of the same:
How that in Bethlehem was born
The Son of God by Name.
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy
"Fear not then," said the Angel,
"Let nothing you affright,
This day is born a Saviour
Of a pure Virgin bright,
To free all those who trust in Him
From Satan's power and might."
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy
The shepherds at those tidings
Rejoiced much in mind,
And left their flocks a-feeding
In tempest, storm and wind:
And went to Bethlehem straightway
The Son of God to find.
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy
And when they came to Bethlehem
Where our dear Saviour lay,
They found Him in a manger,
Where oxen feed on hay;
His Mother Mary kneeling down,
Unto the Lord did pray.
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy
Now to the Lord sing praises,
All you within this place,
And with true love and brotherhood
Each other now embrace;
This holy tide of Christmas
All other doth deface.
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy.
Hymn: “Go Tell It On The Mountain”
Refrain:
Go, tell it on the mountain,
over the hills and everywhere;
go, tell it on the mountain
that Jesus Christ is born.
While shepherds kept their watching
o’er silent flocks by night,
behold, throughout the heavens
there shone a holy light.
[Refrain]
The shepherds feared and trembled
when lo! above the earth
rang out the angel chorus
that hailed our Savior‘s birth.
[Refrain]
Down in a lowly stable
the humble Christ was born,
and God sent us salvation
that blessed Christmas morn.
[Refrain]
The Collect of the Day:
Almighty God, you have poured upon us the new light of
your incarnate Word: Grant that this light, enkindled in our
hearts, may shine forth in our lives; through Jesus Christ our
Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy
Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
The Psalm Reading:
Psalm 148
1 Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; Praise Him in the heights!
2 Praise Him, all His angels; Praise Him, all His hosts!
3 Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all you stars of light!
4 Praise Him, you heavens of heavens, And you waters above the heavens!
5 Let them praise the name of the Lord, For He commanded and they were created.
6 He also established them forever and ever; He made a decree which shall not pass away.
7 Praise the Lord from the earth, You great sea creatures and all the depths;
8 Fire and hail, snow and clouds; Stormy wind, fulfilling His word;
9 Mountains and all hills; Fruitful trees and all cedars;
10 Beasts and all cattle; Creeping things and flying fowl;
11 Kings of the earth and all peoples; Princes and all judges of the earth;
12 Both young men and maidens; Old men and children.
13 Let them praise the name of the Lord, For His name alone is exalted; His glory is above the earth and heaven.
14 And He has exalted the horn of His people, The praise of all His saints-- Of the children of Israel, A people near to Him. Praise the Lord!
The Old Testament Lesson:
Isaiah 61:10-11, 62:1-3
10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the earth brings forth its bud, As the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth, So the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.
1 For Zion's sake I will not hold My peace, And for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, Until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, And her salvation as a lamp that burns.
2 The Gentiles shall see your righteousness, And all kings your glory. You shall be called by a new name, Which the mouth of the Lord will name.
3 You shall also be a crown of glory In the hand of the Lord, And a royal diadem In the hand of your God.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The New Testament Lessons:
Galatians 4:4-7
4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,
5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.
6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!"
7 Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The Gospel Lesson:
Luke 2:22-40
22 Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord
23 (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord"),
24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, "A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons."
25 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
27 So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law,
28 he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:
29 "Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word;
30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation
31 Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,
32 A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel."
33 And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him.
34 Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, "Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against
35 (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."
36 Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity;
37 and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.
38 And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.
39 So when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth.
40 And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.
The Gospel of our Lord.
Praise to You, Lord Christ.
The Sermon:
The Apostles Creed:
I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, He is seated at the right hand of the Father, and He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.
Amen.
The Prayers of the People:
-Prayer requests of those present.
Confession of Sin:
Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.
Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against You in thought, word and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved You with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbor as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
For the sake of Your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in Your will, and walk in Your ways, to the glory of Your name. Amen.
The Great Thanksgiving:
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
We lift up our hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give Him thanks and praise.
It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to You, Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.
The Preface:
Therefore we praise You, joining our voices with Angels and Archangels and with all the company of heaven, who for ever sing this hymn to proclaim the glory of Your Name.
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of Your glory.
Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
Holy and gracious Father: In Your infinite love You made us for Yourself; and when we had fallen into sin and become subject to evil and death, You, in Your mercy sent Jesus Christ, Your only and eternal Son, to share our human nature, to live and die as one of us, to reconcile us to You, the God and Father of all.
He stretched out His arms upon the cross, and offered Himself, in obedience to Your will, a perfect sacrifice for the whole world.
On the night He was handed over to suffering and death, our Lord Jesus Christ took bread; and when He had given thanks to You, He broke it, and gave it to His disciples, and said, “Take, eat: This is my Body, which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.”
After supper He took the cup of wine; and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them, and said,
“Drink this, all of you: This is my Blood of the new Covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me.”
Therefore we proclaim the mystery of faith:
Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ will come again.
We celebrate the memorial of our redemption, O Father, in this sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. Recalling His death, resurrection, and ascension, we offer You these gifts.
Sanctify them by Your Holy Spirit to be for Your people the Body and Blood of Your Son, the holy food and drink of new and unending life in Him. Sanctify us also that we may faithfully receive this holy Sacrament, and serve You in unity, constancy, and peace; and at the last day bring us with all Your saints into the joy of Your eternal kingdom.
All this we ask through You Son Jesus Christ. By Him, and with Him, and in Him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit all honor and glory is Yours, Almighty Father, now and for ever. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer:
And now as our Savior Christ taught us, we are bold to say:
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, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
The Breaking of the Bread:
Alleluia. Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.
Therefore let us keep the feast. Alleluia.
The gifts of God for the People of God.
Take them in remembrance that Christ died for you, and feed on Him in your hearts by faith with thanksgiving.
The Body of Christ, the bread of heaven. Amen.
The Blood of Christ, the cup of salvation. Amen.
The Prayer of Thanksgiving:
Let us pray.
Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we your servants give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all whom you have made. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up our selves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.
The Blessing:
May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen.