An All Hallows Christmas Day Service for Christmas Day (December 25, 2021)
Take a moment to quieten your thoughts and to center yourself on God.
Opening this link in a new tab to hear John Rutter’s choral arrangement of the Wexford Carol.
1. Good people all, this Christmas time,
Consider well and bear in mind
What our good God for us has done,
In sending His belovèd Son.
With Mary holy we should pray
To God with love this Christmas Day;
In Bethlehem upon that morn
There was a blessed Messiah born.
2. The night before that happy tide
The noble virgin and her guide
Were long time seeking up and down
To find a lodging in the town.
But mark how all things came to pass:
From every door repelled, alas!
As long foretold, their refuge all
Was but a humble oxen stall.
3. Near Bethlehem did shepherds keep
Their flocks of lambs and feeding sheep;
To whom God’s angels did appear
Which put the shepherds in great fear.
Prepare and go, the angels said,
To Bethlehem, be not afraid;
For there you’ll find, this happy morn,
A princely babe, sweet Jesus born.
4. With thankful heart and joyful mind,
The shepherds went the babe to find,
And as God’s angel had foretold,
They did our Savior Christ behold.
Within a manger He was laid,
And by His side the virgin maid
Attending on the Lord of Life,
Who came on earth to end all strife.
Coda
Good people all, this Christmas time,
Consider well and bear in mind
What our good God for us has done,
In sending His belovèd Son.
Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit:
And blessed be God’s kingdom, now and for ever. Amen.
The Lord be with you.
The Lord bless you.
O Christ, Son of God, existing before time,
you came into the world to save us.
Lord, have mercy.
Sun of Righteousness, shining with the Father’s love,
you illumine the whole universe.
Christ, have mercy.
Son of Mary: born a child,
you shared our humanity.
Lord, have mercy.
May the Lord forgive what we have been, help us to amend what we are and direct what we shall be, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Blessed is the Lord:
Who has heard the voice of our prayer.
Therefore shall our hearts dance for joy:
And in our song will we praise our God.
Open this link in a new tab to hear the 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
echoing their joyous strains.
Gloria in excelsis Deo,
gloria in excelsis Deo.
2 Shepherds, why this jubilee?
Why your joyous strains prolong?
What the gladsome tidings be
which inspire your heav'nly song?
Gloria in excelsis Deo,
gloria in excelsis Deo.
3 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.
Let us pray
Silence is kept..
Almighty God, you gave us your only Son to take on our
human nature and to illumine the world with your light. By
your grace adopt us as your children and enlighten us with
your Spirit, through Jesus Christ our Redeemer and Lord, who
lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now
and forever. Amen.
The Proclamation of the Word
The Reading
John 1:1-14 Prologue: Christ, the Eternal Word
In the beginning the Word already existed.
The Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He existed in the beginning with God.
God created everything through him,
and nothing was created except through him.
The Word gave life to everything that was created,
and his life brought light to everyone.
The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness can never extinguish it.
God sent a man, John the Baptist, to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.
He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.
So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.
Silence is kept.
May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory
Homily
When Jesus came into the world which he had created, he was not recognized for whom he is. He was rejected! Yes, rejected!
Rejection is painful. Rejection is traumatic. Neuroscience tell us that it affects the same part of the brain where we experience physical pain. The effects of rejection can last a lifetime.
You may have experienced rejection. You may have gone to a job interview and were not hired. A man or woman to whom you had taken a liking spurned your affections. Your spouse or partner broke up with you. A friend dumped you without explanation and abruptly vanished from your life.
Jesus was not rejected once. Jesus was rejected many times.
I must wonder how Jesus felt, each time someone walked away from him.
On the night of his arrest his disciples abandoned him. They fled.
His ultimate rejection was when the crowd screamed, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” and the Roman governor sent him to the cross.
As he hung on the cross, he was ridiculed.
Yet he would pray for those who rejected him. “Father, forgive them. They know not what they do.”
gloria in excelsis Deo.
Let us pray
Silence is kept..
Almighty God, you gave us your only Son to take on our
human nature and to illumine the world with your light. By
your grace adopt us as your children and enlighten us with
your Spirit, through Jesus Christ our Redeemer and Lord, who
lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now
and forever. Amen.
The Proclamation of the Word
The Reading
John 1:1-14 Prologue: Christ, the Eternal Word
In the beginning the Word already existed.
The Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He existed in the beginning with God.
God created everything through him,
and nothing was created except through him.
The Word gave life to everything that was created,
and his life brought light to everyone.
The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness can never extinguish it.
God sent a man, John the Baptist, to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.
He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.
So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.
Silence is kept.
May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory
Homily
He Was Rejected!
When Jesus came into the world which he had created, he was not recognized for whom he is. He was rejected! Yes, rejected!
Rejection is painful. Rejection is traumatic. Neuroscience tell us that it affects the same part of the brain where we experience physical pain. The effects of rejection can last a lifetime.
You may have experienced rejection. You may have gone to a job interview and were not hired. A man or woman to whom you had taken a liking spurned your affections. Your spouse or partner broke up with you. A friend dumped you without explanation and abruptly vanished from your life.
Jesus was not rejected once. Jesus was rejected many times.
I must wonder how Jesus felt, each time someone walked away from him.
On the night of his arrest his disciples abandoned him. They fled.
His ultimate rejection was when the crowd screamed, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” and the Roman governor sent him to the cross.
As he hung on the cross, he was ridiculed.
Yet he would pray for those who rejected him. “Father, forgive them. They know not what they do.”
He did not ask God to avenge him. He asked God to forgive those who had pushed him away.
To forgive is to let go of anger and to not hold against someone what they have done, to not harbor ill-will toward them..
And God did not hold it against us. God did not harbor ill-will toward us. God raised Jesus from the dead and overthrew sin and death. He opened the way to salvation for us.
When Jesus ascended into heaven, he sent the Holy Spirit as he had promised the disciples. God himself dwells in the hearts of those who believe and accept Jesus.
We pulled away from Jesus, but God did not pull away from us. He fills our lives with an abundance of his grace.
We hear and read how a stream of people are leaving our churches. Young people have dropped out of church. Families have stopped going to church. People are not visiting our churches like they once did. Few, if any, are the seekers and inquirers who drop in to our churches on Sunday or other occasions.
It is tempting to focus on these people, thinking to ourselves, “They are rejecting Jesus.” We do not look at the ways that we ourselves are pulling away from him, and how that might be influencing people.
Reject Jesus?! What do you mean?!
Jesus made very clear to his disciples that those who love him would keep his word and obey his commandments. They would remain in him. He would be their sole teacher, master, and guide. They would look to no one else.
Do we do that? Do we follow him unhesitatingly, not deviating from the path that he has laid out for us?
Are we kind as God is kind? Do we show mercy as he shows mercy? Do we love our neighbor as ourselves? Do we love our enemies? Do we pray for them when they treat us badly? Are we generous with others? Do we treat other people exactly as we would have them treat us? Do we do good to others and not hurt them? Are we slow to anger and quick to forgive? Do we measure others by a measure by which we would want to be measured? Do we make allowances for them? Do we pursue holiness? Do we love one another as Jesus loves us?
Maybe, right? Sometimes. When it does not get in the way of what we want to do, correct?
But when do that, we are pushing Jesus away. We are rejecting him. When we are unloving toward a neighbor or a fellow Christian, we are unloving toward Jesus.
On Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and the Twelve Days of Christmas we celebrate the birth of Jesus, the greatest gift God has given us. We can give a gift to our neighbors and to our fellow Christians, which, while it is not quite important as Jesus, is the best gift that we can give them next to Jesus. It is the gift of the kind of love that Jesus would have us show to all people as well as one another. It is love that is compassionate, caring, empathetic, forgiving, generous, kind, patient, truthful, and warm-hearted It is love that takes no delight in wrongdoing.
When we give that gift, we show that we have become children of God. We have been reborn with the birth that comes from God. If anything should fill our hearts with joy this Christmastide, it is that knowledge. Our Christmas will be a merry one indeed!
And God did not hold it against us. God did not harbor ill-will toward us. God raised Jesus from the dead and overthrew sin and death. He opened the way to salvation for us.
When Jesus ascended into heaven, he sent the Holy Spirit as he had promised the disciples. God himself dwells in the hearts of those who believe and accept Jesus.
We pulled away from Jesus, but God did not pull away from us. He fills our lives with an abundance of his grace.
We hear and read how a stream of people are leaving our churches. Young people have dropped out of church. Families have stopped going to church. People are not visiting our churches like they once did. Few, if any, are the seekers and inquirers who drop in to our churches on Sunday or other occasions.
It is tempting to focus on these people, thinking to ourselves, “They are rejecting Jesus.” We do not look at the ways that we ourselves are pulling away from him, and how that might be influencing people.
Reject Jesus?! What do you mean?!
Jesus made very clear to his disciples that those who love him would keep his word and obey his commandments. They would remain in him. He would be their sole teacher, master, and guide. They would look to no one else.
Do we do that? Do we follow him unhesitatingly, not deviating from the path that he has laid out for us?
Are we kind as God is kind? Do we show mercy as he shows mercy? Do we love our neighbor as ourselves? Do we love our enemies? Do we pray for them when they treat us badly? Are we generous with others? Do we treat other people exactly as we would have them treat us? Do we do good to others and not hurt them? Are we slow to anger and quick to forgive? Do we measure others by a measure by which we would want to be measured? Do we make allowances for them? Do we pursue holiness? Do we love one another as Jesus loves us?
Maybe, right? Sometimes. When it does not get in the way of what we want to do, correct?
But when do that, we are pushing Jesus away. We are rejecting him. When we are unloving toward a neighbor or a fellow Christian, we are unloving toward Jesus.
On Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and the Twelve Days of Christmas we celebrate the birth of Jesus, the greatest gift God has given us. We can give a gift to our neighbors and to our fellow Christians, which, while it is not quite important as Jesus, is the best gift that we can give them next to Jesus. It is the gift of the kind of love that Jesus would have us show to all people as well as one another. It is love that is compassionate, caring, empathetic, forgiving, generous, kind, patient, truthful, and warm-hearted It is love that takes no delight in wrongdoing.
When we give that gift, we show that we have become children of God. We have been reborn with the birth that comes from God. If anything should fill our hearts with joy this Christmastide, it is that knowledge. Our Christmas will be a merry one indeed!
Silence is kept.
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 catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
Open this link a new tab to hear a solo of William Dix’s Christmas carol, “What Child Is This.”
1 What child is this, who, laid to rest,
on Mary's lap is sleeping,
whom angels greet with anthems sweet,
while shepherds watch are keeping?
This, this is Christ the King,
whom shepherds guard and angels sing.
Come! Praise! The infant laud.,
the babe, the son of Mary!
2 Why lies he in such mean estate
where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christian, fear, for sinners here
the silent Word is pleading.
Nails, spear shall pierce him through,
the cross be borne for me, for you.
Hail, hail the Word-made-flesh,
the babe, the son of Mary!
1 What child is this, who, laid to rest,
on Mary's lap is sleeping,
whom angels greet with anthems sweet,
while shepherds watch are keeping?
This, this is Christ the King,
whom shepherds guard and angels sing.
Come! Praise! The infant laud.,
the babe, the son of Mary!
2 Why lies he in such mean estate
where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christian, fear, for sinners here
the silent Word is pleading.
Nails, spear shall pierce him through,
the cross be borne for me, for you.
Hail, hail the Word-made-flesh,
the babe, the son of Mary!
[Instrumental interlude]
3 So bring him incense, gold, and myrrh;
hold tongues and people own him.
The King of kings salvation brings;
let ev’ry heart enthrone him.
Raise! raise your song on high;
while Mary sings her lullaby.
Joy! joy, for Christ is born,
the babe, the son of Mary!
Let us pray for all people and the Church throughout the world.
After each petition silence may be kept. Further specific petitions may be added at appropriate points in the prayers or before the response.
We pray for the peace of the world, for the leaders of the nation, and for all in authority.
God of grace,
hear our prayer.
We pray for the welfare of your holy church, our bishop, and for all clergy and people.
God of grace,
hear our prayer.
We pray that we nay share with justice the resources of the earth, and live in trust and goodwill with one another,
God of grace,
hear our prayer.
We pray for the aged and infirm, for the bereaved and the lonely, and for the sick and the suffering.
God of grace,
hear our prayer.
We pray for the poor and the oppressed, for prisoners and captives, and for all who care for them.
God of grace,
hear our prayer.
We pray for ourselves and each other.
God of grace,
hear our prayer.
We praise you, Lord God, for the communion of the saints, and for the glorious hope of the resurrection to eternal life.
God of grace,
hear our prayer.
Faithful God,
you have promised to hear the prayers
of all who ask in Jesus’ name.
In your mercy, accept our prayers.
give us what we asked in faith,
according to your will;
Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Let us pray the prayer that Jesus gave us.
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.
The Dismissal
Open this link to hear Sir Phillip Ledger’s choral arrangement of the German carol, “Good Christian Men, Rejoice.”
1 Good Christian men, rejoice
with heart and soul and voice;
give ye heed to what we say:
Jesus Christ was born today.
Ox and ass before him bow,
and he is in the manger now.
Christ is born today!
Christ is born today!
2 Good Christian men, rejoice
with heart and soul and voice;
now ye hear of endless bliss:
Jesus Christ was born for this!
He has ope’d the heavenly door,
and man is blessed forevermore.
Christ was born for this!
Christ was born for this!
Christ was born for this!
Christ was born for this!
3 Good Christian men, rejoice
with heart and soul and voice;
now ye need not fear the grave:
Jesus Christ was born to save!
Calls you one and calls you all
to gain his everlasting hall.
Christ was born, was born to save!
Christ was born to save!
The Lord be with you
The Lord bless you
Let us praise the Lord
Thanks be to God
May the One who is the true light
shine brightly in our lives
and may the blessing of God Almighty,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be with us
and remain with us always. Amen.
3 So bring him incense, gold, and myrrh;
hold tongues and people own him.
The King of kings salvation brings;
let ev’ry heart enthrone him.
Raise! raise your song on high;
while Mary sings her lullaby.
Joy! joy, for Christ is born,
the babe, the son of Mary!
Let us pray for all people and the Church throughout the world.
After each petition silence may be kept. Further specific petitions may be added at appropriate points in the prayers or before the response.
We pray for the peace of the world, for the leaders of the nation, and for all in authority.
God of grace,
hear our prayer.
We pray for the welfare of your holy church, our bishop, and for all clergy and people.
God of grace,
hear our prayer.
We pray that we nay share with justice the resources of the earth, and live in trust and goodwill with one another,
God of grace,
hear our prayer.
We pray for the aged and infirm, for the bereaved and the lonely, and for the sick and the suffering.
God of grace,
hear our prayer.
We pray for the poor and the oppressed, for prisoners and captives, and for all who care for them.
God of grace,
hear our prayer.
We pray for ourselves and each other.
God of grace,
hear our prayer.
We praise you, Lord God, for the communion of the saints, and for the glorious hope of the resurrection to eternal life.
God of grace,
hear our prayer.
Faithful God,
you have promised to hear the prayers
of all who ask in Jesus’ name.
In your mercy, accept our prayers.
give us what we asked in faith,
according to your will;
Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Let us pray the prayer that Jesus gave us.
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.
The Dismissal
Open this link to hear Sir Phillip Ledger’s choral arrangement of the German carol, “Good Christian Men, Rejoice.”
1 Good Christian men, rejoice
with heart and soul and voice;
give ye heed to what we say:
Jesus Christ was born today.
Ox and ass before him bow,
and he is in the manger now.
Christ is born today!
Christ is born today!
2 Good Christian men, rejoice
with heart and soul and voice;
now ye hear of endless bliss:
Jesus Christ was born for this!
He has ope’d the heavenly door,
and man is blessed forevermore.
Christ was born for this!
Christ was born for this!
Christ was born for this!
Christ was born for this!
3 Good Christian men, rejoice
with heart and soul and voice;
now ye need not fear the grave:
Jesus Christ was born to save!
Calls you one and calls you all
to gain his everlasting hall.
Christ was born, was born to save!
Christ was born to save!
The Lord be with you
The Lord bless you
Let us praise the Lord
Thanks be to God
May the One who is the true light
shine brightly in our lives
and may the blessing of God Almighty,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be with us
and remain with us always. Amen.
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