Worshipping at Home 25th December 2022
Home Worshipping 

Christmas - 25th December 2022 

The First Hymn
Welcome!
Throughout the world people of every culture and even of every religion welcome the arrival of Christmas. We travel back in time and find ourselves in a stable, gazing at a manger. A child has been born who will be the Saviour of the World. As Christians we worship this child as no less than God Incarnate. ‘Joy to the world, the Lord is come. Let earth receive her King! 


Psalm 96
Sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth.
Sing to the Lord, praise his name;
proclaim his salvation day after day.
Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
he is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the nations are idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.
Splendour and majesty are before him;
strength and glory are in his sanctuary.
Ascribe to the Lord, all you families of nations,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
bring an offering and come into his courts.
Worship the Lord in the splendor of his[a] holiness;
tremble before him, all the earth.
Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.”
The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved;
he will judge the peoples with equity.
Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
let the sea resound, and all that is in it.
Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;
let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.
Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for he comes,
he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
and the peoples in his faithfulness.

Acclamation

Joy to the World, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King
Let every heart prepare him room
And heaven and nature sing!

The Collect Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, your birth at Bethlehem 
draws us to kneel in wonder at heaven touching earth: 
accept our heartfelt praise as we worship you, 
our Saviour and our eternal God. Amen.

Sharing the Peace

We are the Family of God;
In the one Spirit we were all baptised
into one body.
Let us then pursue all that makes for peace
and builds up our common life.

(At this point please think of others
and in your heart send them
the message: Peace be with you.)

Bible Reading

John 1: 1-14 (Jesus is proclaimed the Light of the World.)

 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.



There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognise him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God


The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Thought for the Day

Towards the end of the New Testament there are three letters from John. His first letter begins with these words: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 

The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us.” These words echo the more famous words we hear each Christmas from the first chapter of John’s Gospel: “We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” But what episode in Jesus’ life are these verses referring to? At what point did Jesus’ glory become so apparent? At his Transfiguration? Resurrection? 

As a Church, we opt to see Jesus’ divine glory most clearly at his birth. Each year we recreate the tableau of angels singing in the night sky, a star appearing over Bethlehem, and a little crowd gathered round a manger in wonder and adoration. 

Was it really like that, or have we embellished a scene with what we have subsequently learnt about Jesus? What is undeniably true is the overwhelming glory of the ‘Incarnation’. Whether there was an unearthly glow in a stable or not, what stops us in our tracks each year is the remembrance that somehow the eternal entered time, the Creator of life experienced a human birth, heaven ‘kissed the earth’, and God declared ‘I am with you’. Beyond all miracles, and above all teaching, this extraordinary act of entering human life testifies to the loving nature of God, and it also highlights the full potential of our lives. The teachings of the adult Jesus show us how to live, but it is the Christmas miracle that makes us want to live. “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind”. Behold the glorious wonder!

Let us Pray

O Holy One, heavenly angels spoke to earthly shepherds and eternity entered time in the child of Bethlehem. Through the telling of the Christmas story, let our temporal lives be caught up in the eternal in that same child, that we might join shepherds and all the heavenly host in praising the coming of Jesus Christ, our Saviour. Amen.

God of glory, your splendour shines from a manger in Bethlehem, where the Light of the world is humbly born into the darkness of human night. Open our eyes to Christ's presence in the shadows of our world, so that we, like him, may become beacons of your justice, and defenders of all for whom there is no room. Amen.

God of all ages, in the birth of Christ your boundless love for your people shattered the power of darkness. Be born in us with that same love and light, that our song may blend with all the choirs of heaven and earth to the glory of your holy name. Amen.

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. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and for ever. Amen.

(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 Blessing

Christ the Son of God, born of Mary, fill you with his grace to trust his promises and obey his will. And may God the Father, who led the wise men by the shining of a star to find the Christ, the Light from light, lead you in your pilgrimage to find the Lord. And the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always.


Amen

 The Second Hymn

If you have any thoughts, questions or concerns, please contact us

Henley in Arden The incumbent/priest in charge John Ganjavi
telephone 01564 792570 or email Incumbent / Priest in charge

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I believe if you keep your faith, you keep your trust, you keep the right attitude, if you're grateful, you'll see God open up new doors.
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