Christmas Eve 2024 St. Paul’s Church, Charlottetown, PEI 4:00 pm & 7:00 pm

 
Christmas Eve 2024
St. Paul’s Church, Charlottetown, PEI
4:00 pm & 7:00 pm
 
Preludes: 
Meditation on ’Silent Night’  Gilbert Martin
Chorale Prelude on 'Dulci Jubilo'  J.S. Bach
Fanfare on ‘Hark! The Herald Angels Sing’  Gordon Young
Chorale Prelude on 'Now Come, Saviour’  J.S. Bach
 
Clergy & Choir in their place. Candles are not yet burning.
House lights are dimmed, maybe before preludes end. [4 sets in the nave]
 
The Gathering of the Community [Presider]
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,
be with you all.
And also with you.
Light and peace, in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Thanks be to God.
 
John reads Matthew 5: 14-16
Short Lesson of Scripture: Matthew 5: 14-16
‘You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
 
Lighting of the Altar & Wreath
The Prayer for Light [Presider]
Let us pray.
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.
 
During the hymn, the candles at the altar and wreath are lit.
Houselights come up slowly.
 
118 O Come, All Ye Faithful (v 1-5)
 
Welcome [John]
 
The Collect [Presider]
Let us pray,
Almighty God, you wonderfully created and yet more wonderfully restored our human nature. May we share the divine life of your Son Jesus Christ, who humbled himself to share our humanity, and now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
 
The Proclamation of the Word
Reading: Isaiah 52:7-10 [@ 7:00 pm only]
A Reading From The Book Of Isaiah
How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, "Your God reigns." Listen! Your sentinels lift up their voices, together they sing for joy; for in plain sight they see the return of the Lord to Zion. Break forth together into singing, you ruins of Jerusalem; for the Lord has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem. The Lord has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.
Thanks be to God.
 
Psalm 98 [@ 7:00 pm only]
Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvellous things. With his right hand and his holy arm has he won for himself the victory.
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
The Lord has made known his victory; his righteousness has he openly shown in the sight of the nations. He remembers his mercy and faithfulness to the house of Israel, and all the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
Shout with joy to the Lord, all you lands; lift up your voice, rejoice, and sing. Sing to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and the voice of song.
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn shout with joy before the King, the Lord. Let the sea make a noise and all that is in it, the lands and those who dwell therein.
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
Let the rivers clap their hands, and let the hills ring out with joy before the Lord, when he comes to judge the earth. In righteousness shall he judge the world and the peoples with equity.
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
 
7:00 p.m. Jehovah sung by Ken Campbell
 
The Holy Gospel: John 1:1-14
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John.
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth.
The Gospel of Christ.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
 
4:00 p.m. O Holy Night Adolphe Adam, Katherine Lowings, soloist
7:00 p.m. Anthem: Christ Is Born, Sing Glory to God Lloyd Larson
 
Sermon: John
 
137 What Child Is This
 
The Prayers of the Community
We join together at this holy time to praise God, the creator and maker of all saying, “Hear our prayer.”
 
We give thanks for the birth of Jesus the Christ-child, born in Bethlehem, the city of David, of the line of David’s family, to be the Saviour of the world. We are grateful, O God, that you have made it possible for your Spirit to be born in each of us; that we may rejoice that you have blessed humanity and all of creation by your presence in the world. God of love.
Hear our prayer.
We give thanks that messengers were sent to the shepherds, with news of great joy and peace for the whole world. We are grateful, O God, that the Good News is a comfort to the weak and a challenge to the strong; that we may embrace and ever hold fast to the Gospel proclaiming your love. God of love.
Hear our prayer.
We give thanks that Magi, wise people from the east, came to worship the One born in time, the timeless Son of God, God with us, God with everyone. We are grateful, O God, that your people everywhere are blessed with the spirit of love; that we may worship fully and without fear. God of love.
Hear our prayer.
We give thanks for the Holy Family, for Joseph and Mary, who lived as refugees in a time of great cruelty and hardship, and we ask you to look with mercy on all who are poor, powerless and who suffer. We are grateful, O God, that this extraordinary story of a birth, so long ago, fills us with hope and courage to do your will in this world. God of love.
Hear our prayer.
We give thanks for your son, who heralds peace, and we pray for people in war-torn places throughout the world. O God, grant an abundance of peace to your world; we pray for all your creatures, of land and sea and air; we pray for streams, rivers and oceans; we give thanks for all of creation; we pray for people of every nation, race and language. God of love.
Hear our prayer.
We give thanks for those who work and who are on duty this evening (for emergency workers, doctors and nurses, ambulance attendants, fire fighters, and forces personnel). We are grateful, O God, for families and this community, and we pray for those who are without a home; without food or water; we pray for refugees and those who are persecuted for their beliefs. We seek their protection. God of love.
Hear our prayer.
We pray for those in particular need; for the sick and the suffering, especially those who are dear to us. Rejoicing in the fellowship we share – we pray for the faithful departed, (especially for:
-
… we commend ourselves and all people to your unfailing love. God of love.
Hear our prayer.
O God, your love was so great for us that you gave us your Son to be born in the world and to shine in our darkness. Help us to make your light and love known in all the world, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
 
Confession and Absolution
Let us confess our sins,
confident in God’s forgiveness.
 
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 neighbours 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.
 
Almighty God have mercy upon you,
pardon and deliver you from all your sins,
confirm and strengthen you in all goodness,
and keep you in eternal life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
The Peace
The peace of the Lord be always with you
and also with you.
 
Announcements – communion instructions [brief]
 
154 Joy to the World
 
The Celebration of the Holy Eucharist
The Prayer Over the Gifts
Let us pray,
God of peace, your Son Jesus Christ has reconciled us to you. May all we offer you today renew us as members of your household. We ask this in his name. Amen.
 
Eucharistic Prayer 3
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
 
Blessed are you, gracious God, creator of heaven and earth; we give you thanks and praise through Jesus Christ our Lord, who in the mystery of his incarnation was made perfect man of the flesh of the Virgin Mary his mother; in him we have seen a new and radiant vision of your glory.
 
Therefore with all the angels of heaven, we lift our voices and sing our joyful hymn of praise 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.
 
We give thanks to you, Lord our God, for the goodness and love you have made known to us in creation; in calling Israel to be your people; in your Word spoken through the prophets; and above all in the Word made flesh, Jesus your Son.
 
For in these last days you sent him to be incarnate from the Virgin Mary, to be the Saviour and Redeemer of the world. In him, you have delivered us from evil, and made us worthy to stand before you. In him, you have brought us out of error into truth, out of sin into righteousness, out of death into life.
 
On the night he was handed over to suffering and death, a death he freely accepted, 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, Father, according to his command,
we remember his death,
we proclaim his resurrection,
we await his coming in glory;
 
and we offer our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to you, Lord of all; presenting to you, from your creation, this bread and this wine.
 
We pray you, gracious God, to send your Holy Spirit upon these gifts, that they may be the sacrament of the body of Christ and his blood of the new covenant. Unite us to your Son in his sacrifice, that we, made acceptable in him, may be sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
 
In the fullness of time, reconcile all things in Christ, and make them new, and bring us to that city of light where you dwell with all your sons and daughters; through Jesus Christ our Lord, the firstborn of all creation, the head of the Church, and the author of our salvation;
 
by whom, and with whom, and in whom, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all honour and glory are yours, almighty Father, now and for ever. Amen.
 
The Lord’s Prayer
Rejoicing in the presence of God here among us,
as our Saviour taught us, so we pray
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. Save us from the time of trial, and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and for ever. Amen.
 
Breaking of the Bread
We break the bread of life,
and that life is the light of the world.
God here among us,
light in the midst of us,
bring us to light and life.
Christ is the true bread
which has come down from heaven.
Lord, give us this bread always.
 
Lamb of God
Lamb of God you take away the sin of the world
    have mercy on us.
Lamb of God you take away the sin of the world
    have mercy on us.
Lamb of God you take away the sin of the world
    grant us your peace.
 
Hymns-during-communion
122 In the Bleak Midwinter
148 See Amid the Winter’s Snow
125 Infant Holy, Infant Lowly
117 Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming
153 Good Christians All, Rejoice
 
The Sending Forth of the Community
138 Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
 
Prayer after Communion
Let us pray,
Father of all, the child born for us is the Saviour of the world. May he who made us your children welcome us into your kingdom, where he is alive and reigns with you now and for ever. Amen.
 
House lights are dimmed as before, and everyone has a candle lit.
Dean – play Silent Night during the scripture quotes,
then pause at end of readings and start the carol as normal.
 
Candle Lighting: [John reads and during this 2 people will take the pavement candles into the congregation so that people’s candles can be lighted.]
Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. Isaiah 60:1
 
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6
 
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined. Isaiah 9:2
 
Jesus said, “I am the Light of the World, whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12
 
The Blessing
May the God of infinite goodness
scatter the darkness of sin
and brighten your hearts with holiness;
and the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you always. Amen.
 
The Scattering (Mark 4:20)
Alleluia! Go in peace.
Proclaim the birth of the Saviour.
Glory, thanks and praise to God. Alleluia!
 
119 Silent Night
 
Clergy process to the entrance. No more is said.
Merry Christmas! On slides
Please extinguish your candle and you can place it in a basket near the church entrance.
House lights come up again, for safety as people exit.