All Hallows Evensong for Christmas Eve (December 24, 2020)
Welcome to All Hallows Murray's Christmas Eve Service. Take a moment to quieten your mind and settle your thoughts. The service will begin as soon as you are ready. May it bless you this Christmas Eve and those with you. May that blessing last beyond this night and remain with you always.
1. This is the truth sent from above,
The truth of God, the God of love;
Therefore don’t turn me from your door,
But hearken all, both rich and poor.
2. The first thing, which I do relate,
[Is that God at first man create]
The next thing, which to you I tell,
Woman was made with him to dwell.
3. Then after this, ‘twas God’s own choice
To place them both in Paradise,
There to remain from evil free
Except they ate of such a tree.
4. And they did eat, which was a sin,
And thus their ruin did begin;
Ruined themselves, both you and me,
And all of their posterity.
5. Thus we were heirs to endless woes,
Till God the Lord did interpose
And so a promise soon did run
That He would redeem us by his Son.
That He would redeem us by his Son.
6. God grant to all within this place
True saving faith—that special grace,
Which to His people doth belong—
And thus I close my Christmas song.
Silence is kept.
Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
O Lord, open thou our lips.
And our mouth shall show forth thy praise.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning. Is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Praise ye the Lord.
The Lord’s Name be praised.
Open this link to hear the French Christmas carol, “Angels, We Have Heard on High.”
1. Angels we have heard on high
Sweetly singing o'er the plains
And the mountains in reply
Echo back their joyous strains
Gloria, in excelsis Deo
Gloria, in excelsis Deo
Shepherds, why this jubilee?
Why your joyous strains prolong?
Sing what may the tidings be
Which inspire your happy song?
Gloria, in excelsis Deo
Gloria, in excelsis Deo
Come to Bethlehem and see
Him whose birth the angels sing,
Come, adore on bended knee,
Christ the Lord, the newborn King.
Gloria, in excelsis Deo
Gloria, in excelsis Deo
Silence is kept.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Psalm 89, Misericordias Domini
My song shall be always of the loving-kindness of the Lord: with my mouth will I ever be shewing thy truth from one generation to another.
2 For I have said, Mercy shall be set up for ever: thy truth shalt thou stablish in the heavens.
3 I have made a covenant with my chosen: I have sworn unto David my servant;
4 Thy seed will I stablish for ever: and set up thy throne from one generation to another.
5 O Lord, the very heavens shall praise thy wondrous works: and thy truth in the congregation of the saints.
6 For who is he among the clouds: that shall be compared unto the Lord?
7 And what is he among the gods: that shall be like unto the Lord?
8 God is very greatly to be feared in the council of the saints: and to be had in reverence of all them that are round about him.
9 O Lord God of hosts, who is like unto thee: thy truth, most mighty Lord, is on every side.
10 Thou rulest the raging of the sea: thou stillest the waves thereof when they arise.
11 Thou hast subdued Egypt, and destroyed it: thou hast scattered thine enemies abroad with thy mighty arm.
12 The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine: thou hast laid the foundation of the round world, and all that therein is.
13 Thou hast made the north and the south: Tabor and Hermon shall rejoice in thy Name.
14 Thou hast a mighty arm: strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand.
15 Righteousness and equity are the habitation of thy seat: mercy and truth shall go before thy face.
16 Blessed is the people, O Lord, that can rejoice in thee: they shall walk in the light of thy countenance.
17 Their delight shall be daily in thy Name: and in thy righteousness shall they make their boast.
18 For thou art the glory of their strength: and in thy loving-kindness thou shalt lift up our horns.
19 For the Lord is our defence: the Holy One of Israel is our King.
20 Thou spakest sometime in visions unto thy saints, and saidst: I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people.
21 I have found David my servant: with my holy oil have I anointed him.
22 My hand shall hold him fast: and my arm shall strengthen him.
23 The enemy shall not be able to do him violence: the son of wickedness shall not hurt him.
24 I will smite down his foes before his face: and plague them that hate him.
25 My truth also and my mercy shall be with him: and in my Name shall his horn be exalted.
26 I will set his dominion also in the sea: and his right hand in the floods.
27 He shall call me, Thou art my Father: my God, and my strong salvation.
28 And I will make him my first-born: higher than the kings of the earth.
29 My mercy will I keep for him for evermore: and my covenant shall stand fast with him.
30 His seed also will I make to endure for ever: and his throne as the days of heaven.
31 But if his children forsake my law: and walk not in my judgements;
32 If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments: I will visit their offences with the rod, and their sin with scourges.
33 Nevertheless, my loving-kindness will I not utterly take from him: nor suffer my truth to fail.
34 My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips: I have sworn once by my holiness, that I will not fail David.
35 His seed shall endure for ever: and his seat is like as the sun before me.
36 He shall stand fast for evermore as the moon: and as the faithful witness in heaven.
37 But thou hast abhorred and forsaken thine Anointed: and art displeased at him.
38 Thou hast broken the covenant of thy servant: and cast his crown to the ground.
39 Thou hast overthrown all his hedges: and broken down his strong holds.
40 All they that go by spoil him: and he is become a reproach to his neighbours.
41 Thou hast set up the right hand of his enemies: and made all his adversaries to rejoice.
42 Thou hast taken away the edge of his sword: and givest him not victory in the battle.
43 Thou hast put out his glory: and cast his throne down to the ground.
44 The days of his youth hast thou shortened: and covered him with dishonour.
45 Lord, how long wilt thou hide thyself, for ever: and shall thy wrath burn like fire?
46 O remember how short my time is: wherefore hast thou made all men for nought?
47 What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death: and shall he deliver his soul from the hand of hell?
48 Lord, where are thy old loving-kindnesses: which thou swarest unto David in thy truth?
49 Remember, Lord, the rebuke that thy servants have: and how I do bear in my bosom the rebukes of many people;
50 Wherewith thine enemies have blasphemed thee, and slandered the footsteps of thine Anointed: Praised be the Lord for evermore. Amen, and Amen.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son: and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be: world without end. Amen.
Silence is kept.
Open this link to hear the Gloria in Excelsis from Thomas Tallis’s Dorian Service.
Glory be to God on high.
And in earth peace, good will towards men.
We praise thee, we bless thee, we worship thee, we glorify thee, we give thanks to thee for thy great glory.
O Lord God, heavenly King, God the Father Almighty.
O Lord, the only-begotten Son, Jesu Christ:
O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, that takest away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us.
Thou that takest away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us.
Thou that takest away the sins of the world, receive our prayer.
Thou that sittest at the right hand of God the Father, have mercy upon us.
For thou only art holy; thou only art the Lord:
Thou only, O Christ, with the Holy Ghost, art most high in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
Silence is kept.
This Eve’s Lesson is written in Paul’s Letter to Titus, in the Second Chapter, beginning at Eleventh Verse.
For the grace of God has appeared for the salvation of all men, training us to renounce irreligion and worldly passions, and to live sober, upright, and godly lives in this world, awaiting our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all iniquity and to purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.
Declare these things; exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you.
Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for any honest work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all men. For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by men and hating one another; but when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of deeds done by us in righteousness, but in virtue of his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal in the Holy Spirit, which he poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that we might be justified by his grace and become heirs in hope of eternal life.
Here endeth the Lesson.
Silence is kept.
Open this link in a new tab to hear the Magnificat from Thomas Tallis’ Dorian Service.
MY soul doth magnify the Lord:
and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
For he hath regarded:
the lowliness of his hand-maiden.
For behold, from henceforth:
all generations shall call me blessed.
For he that is mighty hath magnified me:
and holy is his Name.
And his mercy is on them that fear him:
throughout all generations.
He hath shewed strength with his arm:
he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He hath put down the mighty from their seat:
and hath exalted the humble and meek.
He hath filled the hungry with good things:
and the rich he hath sent empty away.
He remembering his mercy hath holpen his servant Israel:
as he promised to our forefathers, Abraham and his seed, for ever.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son:
and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be:
world without end. Amen.
I believe in God the Father Almighty,
Open this link in a new tab to hear Psalm 89, Misericordias Domini
My song shall be always of the loving-kindness of the Lord: with my mouth will I ever be shewing thy truth from one generation to another.
2 For I have said, Mercy shall be set up for ever: thy truth shalt thou stablish in the heavens.
3 I have made a covenant with my chosen: I have sworn unto David my servant;
4 Thy seed will I stablish for ever: and set up thy throne from one generation to another.
5 O Lord, the very heavens shall praise thy wondrous works: and thy truth in the congregation of the saints.
6 For who is he among the clouds: that shall be compared unto the Lord?
7 And what is he among the gods: that shall be like unto the Lord?
8 God is very greatly to be feared in the council of the saints: and to be had in reverence of all them that are round about him.
9 O Lord God of hosts, who is like unto thee: thy truth, most mighty Lord, is on every side.
10 Thou rulest the raging of the sea: thou stillest the waves thereof when they arise.
11 Thou hast subdued Egypt, and destroyed it: thou hast scattered thine enemies abroad with thy mighty arm.
12 The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine: thou hast laid the foundation of the round world, and all that therein is.
13 Thou hast made the north and the south: Tabor and Hermon shall rejoice in thy Name.
14 Thou hast a mighty arm: strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand.
15 Righteousness and equity are the habitation of thy seat: mercy and truth shall go before thy face.
16 Blessed is the people, O Lord, that can rejoice in thee: they shall walk in the light of thy countenance.
17 Their delight shall be daily in thy Name: and in thy righteousness shall they make their boast.
18 For thou art the glory of their strength: and in thy loving-kindness thou shalt lift up our horns.
19 For the Lord is our defence: the Holy One of Israel is our King.
20 Thou spakest sometime in visions unto thy saints, and saidst: I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people.
21 I have found David my servant: with my holy oil have I anointed him.
22 My hand shall hold him fast: and my arm shall strengthen him.
23 The enemy shall not be able to do him violence: the son of wickedness shall not hurt him.
24 I will smite down his foes before his face: and plague them that hate him.
25 My truth also and my mercy shall be with him: and in my Name shall his horn be exalted.
26 I will set his dominion also in the sea: and his right hand in the floods.
27 He shall call me, Thou art my Father: my God, and my strong salvation.
28 And I will make him my first-born: higher than the kings of the earth.
29 My mercy will I keep for him for evermore: and my covenant shall stand fast with him.
30 His seed also will I make to endure for ever: and his throne as the days of heaven.
31 But if his children forsake my law: and walk not in my judgements;
32 If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments: I will visit their offences with the rod, and their sin with scourges.
33 Nevertheless, my loving-kindness will I not utterly take from him: nor suffer my truth to fail.
34 My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips: I have sworn once by my holiness, that I will not fail David.
35 His seed shall endure for ever: and his seat is like as the sun before me.
36 He shall stand fast for evermore as the moon: and as the faithful witness in heaven.
37 But thou hast abhorred and forsaken thine Anointed: and art displeased at him.
38 Thou hast broken the covenant of thy servant: and cast his crown to the ground.
39 Thou hast overthrown all his hedges: and broken down his strong holds.
40 All they that go by spoil him: and he is become a reproach to his neighbours.
41 Thou hast set up the right hand of his enemies: and made all his adversaries to rejoice.
42 Thou hast taken away the edge of his sword: and givest him not victory in the battle.
43 Thou hast put out his glory: and cast his throne down to the ground.
44 The days of his youth hast thou shortened: and covered him with dishonour.
45 Lord, how long wilt thou hide thyself, for ever: and shall thy wrath burn like fire?
46 O remember how short my time is: wherefore hast thou made all men for nought?
47 What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death: and shall he deliver his soul from the hand of hell?
48 Lord, where are thy old loving-kindnesses: which thou swarest unto David in thy truth?
49 Remember, Lord, the rebuke that thy servants have: and how I do bear in my bosom the rebukes of many people;
50 Wherewith thine enemies have blasphemed thee, and slandered the footsteps of thine Anointed: Praised be the Lord for evermore. Amen, and Amen.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son: and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be: world without end. Amen.
Silence is kept.
Open this link to hear the Gloria in Excelsis from Thomas Tallis’s Dorian Service.
Glory be to God on high.
And in earth peace, good will towards men.
We praise thee, we bless thee, we worship thee, we glorify thee, we give thanks to thee for thy great glory.
O Lord God, heavenly King, God the Father Almighty.
O Lord, the only-begotten Son, Jesu Christ:
O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, that takest away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us.
Thou that takest away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us.
Thou that takest away the sins of the world, receive our prayer.
Thou that sittest at the right hand of God the Father, have mercy upon us.
For thou only art holy; thou only art the Lord:
Thou only, O Christ, with the Holy Ghost, art most high in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
Silence is kept.
This Eve’s Lesson is written in Paul’s Letter to Titus, in the Second Chapter, beginning at Eleventh Verse.
For the grace of God has appeared for the salvation of all men, training us to renounce irreligion and worldly passions, and to live sober, upright, and godly lives in this world, awaiting our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all iniquity and to purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.
Declare these things; exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you.
Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for any honest work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all men. For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by men and hating one another; but when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of deeds done by us in righteousness, but in virtue of his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal in the Holy Spirit, which he poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that we might be justified by his grace and become heirs in hope of eternal life.
Here endeth the Lesson.
Silence is kept.
Open this link in a new tab to hear the Magnificat from Thomas Tallis’ Dorian Service.
MY soul doth magnify the Lord:
and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
For he hath regarded:
the lowliness of his hand-maiden.
For behold, from henceforth:
all generations shall call me blessed.
For he that is mighty hath magnified me:
and holy is his Name.
And his mercy is on them that fear him:
throughout all generations.
He hath shewed strength with his arm:
he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He hath put down the mighty from their seat:
and hath exalted the humble and meek.
He hath filled the hungry with good things:
and the rich he hath sent empty away.
He remembering his mercy hath holpen his servant Israel:
as he promised to our forefathers, Abraham and his seed, for ever.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son:
and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be:
world without end. Amen.
I believe in God the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth:
And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord,
Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
Born of the Virgin Mary,
Suffered under Pontius Pilate,
Was crucified, dead, and buried:
He descended into hell;
The third day he rose again from the dead;
He ascended into heaven,
And sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost;
The holy Catholick Church;
The Communion of Saints;
The Forgiveness of sins;
The Resurrection of the body,
And the Life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord be with you.
And with thy spirit.
Let us pray
Our Father, who art in heaven,
The Lord be with you.
And with thy spirit.
Let us pray
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,
for ever and ever. Amen.
O Lord, show thy mercy upon us.
And grant us thy salvation.
(Canada) O Lord, save the Queen.
And mercifully hear us when we call upon thee.
(United States) O Lord, save the President.
And mercifully hear us when we call upon thee.
Endue thy ministers with righteousness.
And make thy chosen people joyful.
O Lord, save thy people.
And bless thine inheritance.
Give peace in our time, O Lord.
For it is thou, Lord, only, that makest us dwell in safety.
O God, make clean our hearts within us.
And take not thy Holy Spirit from us.
The Collect of the Day
Almighty God, which has given us thy only begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and this day to be born of a pure virgin: Grant that we being regenerate and made thy children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by thy Holy Spirit; through the same our Lord Jesus Christ who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, now and ever. Amen.
The Second Collect, for Peace
O God, from whom all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works do proceed; Give unto thy servants that peace which the world cannot give; that our hearts may be set to obey thy commandments, and also that by thee, we, being defended from the fear of our enemies, may pass our time in rest and quietness; through the merits of Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen.
The Third Collect, for Aid against Perils
Lighten our darkness, we beseech thee, O Lord; and by thy great mercy defend us from all perils and dangers of this night; for the love of thy only Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Open this link to hear Richard Proulx's choral arrangement of the German carol, “Lo How Rose E’er Blooming”
1 Lo, how a Rose e'er blooming
From tender stem hath sprung!
Of Jesse's lineage coming
As those of old have sung.
It came, a blossom bright,
Amid the cold of winter
When half-spent was the night.
2 Isaiah 'twas foretold it,
The Rose I have in mind:
With Mary we behold it,
The virgin mother kind.
To show God's love aright
She bore to us a Savior
When half-spent was the night.
3 This Flower, whose fragrance tender
With sweetness fills the air,
Dispels with glorious splendor
The darkness everywhere.
It came, a blossom bright,
Amid the cold of winter
When half-spent was the night.
Silence is kept.
The Way of Christ
The Japanese set great store in harmony, harmony with other people, harmony with nature, harmony with the kami, the gods and spirits of a locality. This view of life is commendable in a number of ways. Even Westerners have adopted the principles of chyouwa, of living in balance with everything.
However, this way of living is missing a very important ingredient. This ingredient is living in harmony with the one true God, having a right relationship with the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ.
This is not something that we can attain on our own, by our own efforts. No matter how disciplined we are, no matter how dedicated we are, we cannot achieve a harmonious relationship with God from our own end. This is one of the things that distinguishes the kirisutochyou, the way of Christ, from Buddhism, Shinto, and other Eastern religions. A Buddhist may practice self-abnegation and the other teachings of Gautama Buddha and free himself of the cycle of reincarnation or so his philosophy teaches.
However, a Christian cannot by following the teachings of Jesus put himself right with God. Our obedience to Jesus’ teachings flow from our faith in Jesus. The faith by which we are reconciled to God is a gift from God. This is what apostle Paul is saying in his letter to Titus in tonight’s reading. The first stirrings of our faith are the work of the Holy Spirit in us. It is something that God gives us out of his own goodness—what Paul refers to as “grace.” Grace is defined as God’s favor and goodwill toward us, favor and goodwill that we do not merit or deserve. We cannot earn it. We cannot buy it. It is wholly God’s to give or withhold.
The flip side of these stirrings of faith is regeneration which is also the work of the Holy Spirit in us. Faith and regeneration are the opposite sides of the same coin. A crude analogy can be drawn with the way regeneration affects us and turning on the laptop, computer or other device that we are using. If the device is not plugged into a power source and turned on, all we can do is play with the keys and looks at our reflection in the screen. We may open and close the device. But the device is dead. It can do nothing. Well, we might be able to use it as a paper weight.
Before the Holy Spirit regenerates us, we are like the dead device. We are dead too, spiritually but not physically. We are incapable of turning away from what comes between us and God. We are incapable of turning to God, much less of having a right relationship with God. When the Holy Spirit regenerates us, it is like connecting the device to the power source and turning the device on. It begins to function—to do what is supposed to do. At least hopefully.
The difference between regenerations and powering up and turning on a device is that God is the one who connects us to the power source and turns us on. God himself is the power source. We begin to function. We recognize what has come between us and God and seek to turn away from it. We seek to turn to God, to have a right relationship with God.
A device can become corrupted and when it is powered up and turned on, it does not function properly. That describes our condition when we are regenerated. We have been powered up and turned on but we are not functioning properly. But that is the topic for another homily.
Theologians are apt to quibble over which comes first—regeneration or faith. But what matters most is that God takes the initiative, not we ourselves. Our salvation is God’s doing from beginning to end. God works in us to will and to do his good pleasure—what pleases him. This is why Paul writes Titus, “…but when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of deeds done by us in righteousness, but in virtue of his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal in the Holy Spirit, which he poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that we might be justified by his grace and become heirs in hope of eternal life.”
If you feel a stirring of faith in you, if you feel a growing desire to live more in harmony with God, if you are drawn to Jesus and to his teachings, that is God working in you. God has plugged you in. He has flipped your switch. You are ready to go.
If you are thinking to yourself, “I feel none of those things,” keep one thing in mind. God is like a gardener. God prepares the soil before he plants a seed. God may add fertilizer. God may let the soil rest for a while. God takes his time. God knows the number of our days. God is working in your heart this very moment. You may not feel God’s presence but God is there. For God loves you more deeply than you may know.
Silence is kept.
(Canada) Let us pray for the Queen’s Majesty.
O Lord our heavenly Father, high and mighty, King of kings, Lord of lords, the only Ruler of princes, who dost from thy throne behold all the dwellers upon earth: Most heartily we beseech thee with thy favour to behold our most gracious Sovereign Lady, Queen Elizabeth; and so replenish her with the grace of thy Holy Spirit, that she may alway incline to thy will, and walk in thy way: Endue her plenteously with heavenly gifts; grant her in health and wealth long to live; strengthen her that she may vanquish and overcome all her enemies, and finally after this life she may attain everlasting joy and felicity; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
(United State) Let us pray for the President of the United State and all in civil authority.
Almighty God, whose kingdom is everlasting and power infinite; Have mercy upon this whole land; and so rule the hearts of thy servants the President of the United States, the Governor of this State, and all others in authority, that they, knowing whose ministers they are, may above all things seek thy honour and glory; and that we and all the People, duly considering whose authority they bear, may faithfully and obediently honour them, according to thy blessed Word and ordinance; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with thee and the Holy Ghost liveth and reigneth ever, one God, world without end. Amen.
Let us pray for all clergy and people.
(Canada) Let us pray for the Queen’s Majesty.
O Lord our heavenly Father, high and mighty, King of kings, Lord of lords, the only Ruler of princes, who dost from thy throne behold all the dwellers upon earth: Most heartily we beseech thee with thy favour to behold our most gracious Sovereign Lady, Queen Elizabeth; and so replenish her with the grace of thy Holy Spirit, that she may alway incline to thy will, and walk in thy way: Endue her plenteously with heavenly gifts; grant her in health and wealth long to live; strengthen her that she may vanquish and overcome all her enemies, and finally after this life she may attain everlasting joy and felicity; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
(United State) Let us pray for the President of the United State and all in civil authority.
Almighty God, whose kingdom is everlasting and power infinite; Have mercy upon this whole land; and so rule the hearts of thy servants the President of the United States, the Governor of this State, and all others in authority, that they, knowing whose ministers they are, may above all things seek thy honour and glory; and that we and all the People, duly considering whose authority they bear, may faithfully and obediently honour them, according to thy blessed Word and ordinance; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with thee and the Holy Ghost liveth and reigneth ever, one God, world without end. Amen.
Let us pray for all clergy and people.
Almighty and everlasting God, from whom cometh every good and perfect gift: Send down upon our Bishops and Clergy, and all Congregations committed to their charge, the healthful Spirit of thy grace; and that they may truly please thee, pour upon them the continual dew of thy blessing. Grant this, O Lord, for the honour of our Advocate and Mediator, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Let us pray for those in anxiety
Almighty God, who art afflicted in the afflictions of thy people: Regard with thy tender compassion those in anxiety and distress; bear their sorrows and their cares; supply all their manifold needs; and help both them and us to put our whole trust and confidence in thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Let us give thanks for the mission of the Church.
We thank thee, most merciful Father, that it hath pleased thee to build thy Church in many lands. We praise thee for the light of the Gospel, the labours of thy servants, and the ministrations of thy Church. We also bless thy holy Name for those who have lived, and suffered, and died for thy sake; beseeching thee to give us grace so to follow their good examples, that with them we may at last attain thy heavenly promises; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
A Prayer of Saint Chrysostom.
Almighty God, who hast given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplications unto thee; and dost promise that when two or three are gathered together in thy Name thou wilt grant their requests: Fulfil now, O Lord, the desires and petitions of thy servants, as may be most expedient for them; granting us in this world knowledge of thy truth, and in the world to come life everlasting. Amen.
2 Corinthians 13:14.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost, be with us all evermore. Amen.
Open this in a new tab to hear John Rutter’s choral arrangement of Isaac Watts' hymn, “Joy to the World.”
1 Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her king;
let ev’ry heart prepare him room,
and heav’n and nature sing,
and heav’n and nature sing,
and heav’n, and heav’n and nature sing.
2 Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ
while fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains,
repeat the sounding joy,
repeat the sounding joy,
repeat, repeat the sounding joy.
3 No more let sins and sorrows grow,
nor thorns infest the ground.
He comes to make his blessings flow
far as the curse is found,
far as the curse is found,
far as, far as the curse is found.
4 He rules the world with truth and grace,
and makes the nations prove
the glories of his righteousness,
and wonders of his love,
and wonders of his love,
and wonders, wonders of his love.
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God
Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus unto all generations for ever and ever. Amen.
Let us pray for those in anxiety
Almighty God, who art afflicted in the afflictions of thy people: Regard with thy tender compassion those in anxiety and distress; bear their sorrows and their cares; supply all their manifold needs; and help both them and us to put our whole trust and confidence in thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Let us give thanks for the mission of the Church.
We thank thee, most merciful Father, that it hath pleased thee to build thy Church in many lands. We praise thee for the light of the Gospel, the labours of thy servants, and the ministrations of thy Church. We also bless thy holy Name for those who have lived, and suffered, and died for thy sake; beseeching thee to give us grace so to follow their good examples, that with them we may at last attain thy heavenly promises; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
A Prayer of Saint Chrysostom.
Almighty God, who hast given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplications unto thee; and dost promise that when two or three are gathered together in thy Name thou wilt grant their requests: Fulfil now, O Lord, the desires and petitions of thy servants, as may be most expedient for them; granting us in this world knowledge of thy truth, and in the world to come life everlasting. Amen.
2 Corinthians 13:14.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost, be with us all evermore. Amen.
Open this in a new tab to hear John Rutter’s choral arrangement of Isaac Watts' hymn, “Joy to the World.”
1 Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her king;
let ev’ry heart prepare him room,
and heav’n and nature sing,
and heav’n and nature sing,
and heav’n, and heav’n and nature sing.
2 Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ
while fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains,
repeat the sounding joy,
repeat the sounding joy,
repeat, repeat the sounding joy.
3 No more let sins and sorrows grow,
nor thorns infest the ground.
He comes to make his blessings flow
far as the curse is found,
far as the curse is found,
far as, far as the curse is found.
4 He rules the world with truth and grace,
and makes the nations prove
the glories of his righteousness,
and wonders of his love,
and wonders of his love,
and wonders, wonders of his love.
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God
Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus unto all generations for ever and ever. Amen.
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