Welcome to our service - 25 December
This service sheet can be used individually or with households.
We would encourage you to say (or even sing) hymns and songs out loud.
Prayers, other liturgy or readings can be said out loud or silently, corporately or individually.
If you are able, we would also like invite you to join us for our main Sunday service, 10am, live on Zoom. Even if you have never been to St Gabriel’s before we would love you to join you. Please get in touch with the vicar Alistair (vicar@saintgs.co.uk) and he will send you the Zoom details.
Due to the lockdown there will be no service in the church at 11:30 am. You are invited to come to church at the same time for private prayer between 11:30 - 12:30.
SERVICE
You are invited to join us on Christmas Day at 11:30 am in the church for a service of Holy Communion.
There will be no 11:30am service in church on 27th December. Please join us again on 3rd January.
We do hope you will join us in person in the church being if you are willing and able.
SERVICE
Opening
The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light.
For to us a child is born
to us a Son is given.
His name will be called
Wonderful counsellor, mighty God,
the everlasting Father,
the Prince of Peace.
Glory to God in the highest
and peace to his people on earth.
SING:https://youtu.be/5JyWzaCUSkk
O come, all ye faithful,
Joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye
to Bethlehem;
Come and behold Him,
Born the King of Angels:
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.
2. God of God,
Light of Light,
Lo, he abhors not
the Virgin's womb;
Very God, begotten,
not created:
O come, let us adore Him...
3. Sing, choirs of angels,
Sing in exultation,
Sing, all ye citizens
of heaven above:
`Glory to God
In the highest':
O come, let us adore Him...
4. Yea, Lord, we greet Thee,
Born this happy morning;
Jesus, to Thee be glory giv’n;
Word of the Father,
Now in flesh appearing:
O come, let us adore Him ...
Words: Latin, 18th C (tr. F Oakley)
Music: J F Wade (arr. D Willcocks)
CONFESSION
Hear the words of the angel to Joseph: ‘You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ Therefore let us seek the forgiveness of God
through Jesus the Saviour of the world.
God our Father,
you sent your Son full of grace and truth:
forgive our failure to receive him.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus our Saviour,
you were born in poverty and laid in a manger:
forgive our greed and rejection of your ways.
Christ, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Spirit of Love,
your servant Mary responded joyfully to your call:
forgive the hardness of our hearts.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
May God who loved the world so much that he sent his Son to be our Saviour forgive us our sins and make us holy to serve him in the world, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
COLLECT
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.
SING: https://youtu.be/VWL9P6QT6lA
Once in royal David's city
Stood a lowly cattle shed,
Where a mother laid her baby
In a manger for his bed:
Mary was that Mother mild,
Jesus Christ her little Child.
2. He came down to earth from heaven
Who is God and Lord of all,
And his shelter was a stable,
And his cradle was a stall;
With the poor and mean and lowly
Lived on earth our Saviour holy.
3. And our eyes at last shall see him,
Through his own redeeming love,
For that Child so dear and gentle
Is our Lord in heaven above;
And he leads his children on
To the place where he is gone.
4. Not in that poor lowly stable
With the oxen standing by,
We shall see him; but in heaven,
Set at God's right hand on high;
When his children gather round
bright, like stars, with glory crowned.
Mrs C F Alexander
READINGS
Isaiah 9:2-7 New International Version - UK
The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned.
You have enlarged the nation
and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest,
as warriors rejoice
when dividing the plunder.
For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,
you have shattered
the yoke that burdens them,
the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor.
Every warrior’s boot used in battle
and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,
will be fuel for the fire.
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end..
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and for ever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
will accomplish this.
Luke 2:1-14 New International Version - UK
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register.
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
And there were shepherds living out in the fields near by, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
‘Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests.’
This the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
TALK by Alistair Stevenson
If this year has shown us anything, it is that life is fragile. Millions of people have experienced the fragility of life: yes - not only through COVID but through the continuation of natural disasters, war, conflict and extreme poverty. Here in Sheffield, many continue to sleep rough on the streets. Parents struggle to feed their families. Elderly wondering how long they can keep their heating on. As new strains of the virus become evident across the world - it can be difficult to feel any sense of hope this Christmas.
The vision of Jesus weeping at the news of Lazarus’ death grips us as we ask, “Where is God in all of this?”
Life is fragile. But it is not a word that we would often associate with God. God is mighty, strong, everlasting, sovereign and ruler. All of these descriptions are true. However, the nativity paints a different picture of God who came - Immanelle - God with us.
Luke, the writer of this gospel, wants us to notice very clearly that Jesus was wrapped in cloths and placed in a manger. Why, because he tells us, there was no room for them in the inn.
Remember, the angel Gabriel had said to Mary that this child would be “great - and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end” (Luke 1: 32 -33). What an amazing promise - what an awesome message. But I just wonder whether Mary was expecting the birth of the Son of the Most High to be in these circumstances - in such a fragile situation? She may have even feared whether this child would survive. It was a fragile start for this newborn King.
The manger is mentioned three times in Luke 2. It was, in fact, the sign for the Shepherds. The angels declared: ‘This will be a sign to you - you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’
This makes me think that God had this totally planned. God wasn’t caught out when the Innkeeper told Mary and Joseph there were no rooms left. God wasn’t suddenly worried or concerned. This was how it was meant to be!
But why - why into such fragile circumstances? Why didn’t God play it safe and at least get Mary and Joseph a nice, clean room?
God has a fondness for what is fragile. This means us. The Christmas story tells us that God came to us - and come to us still - with vulnerability and into our fragility.
Our world doesn't seem to value fragility. Strength, showing no weakness, power - these seem to be what our society values. We need to make sure we don’t show the cracks - don’t reveal what is really going on. To make it in the world you need to always be ahead - always be in front. To be fragile is to be weak and to open yourself up to the world - to open yourself up to getting hurt.
But it seems like in the Kingdom of God, things are done differently.
Christ is to be found among what is fragile - including us - when we experience pain and loss and when we are feeling less than whole. In coming to us as a child - Christ chooses to take on our human vulnerability. Marked here in his birth and demonstrated most fully with his death on a cross 33 years later.
As a church leader, I have to say that I don’t often want people to see my fragility - my vulnerability. I want to be seen as the leader who has got it all together - who can cope with working for a church, with 3 kids and the general busyness of life.
But, actually, being a leader may mean I need to follow the example of Jesus - to be willing to show my fragility and vulnerability to those I lead.
What might it mean for you? How easy do you find it to show others your weaknesses, your needs, your fragility?
Gertrud Mueller Nelson points out in her book To Dance With God: “The dark truth of Christmas is that Jesus was born in these conditions ‘because there was no room in the inn,’ because, the fact is, we gave and continue to give him no room. We open our doors but a crack and fail to recognize him.”
Not only do we struggle to let others in - but we struggle to let God into our fragility. Scared of what he might think - scared that we might be rejected. Scared about what he might ask of us or how we might have to change in light of his Holy Spirit touching our lives.
This Christmas - as we consider Jesus - coming to earth in all fragility and vulnerability. What might that mean for us in the midst of our own fragility and vulnerability, especially after the year we have just had?
Because it is here that Jesus meets us. Here he comes into the midst of our brokenness. He doesn’t expect us to be a certain way - to get to a certain place of ‘togetherness’. In fact, it is when we recognise our need for him that Jesus then comes, as he did as a baby 2000 years ago - he comes into the midst of our fragility and vulnerability.
In July 1999, Ralph Crathorne spoke at Holy Trinity Brompton about the recent death of his eight-year-old daughter, Sasha, from a brain tumour.
In his talk, Ralph said, ‘That one word exploded in my spirit. It was as though I suddenly saw the fullness of what God has meant us to understand about “living in hope”. It’s not the kind of wishy-washy, “I hope this will happen, but it probably won’t happen.” It’s the sure, confident, positive hope – the way God designed us to live.
‘Our hope was placed not in an outcome but in the Lord.
‘Sasha, too, held onto hope – not necessarily to be healed, although that was included, but a deeper hope, the hope that comes from the certainty of being in the palm of the hand of an all-loving God.’
In the final two weeks of her life, she went blind. Ralph said, ‘I remember lying in the bed saying to her, “Sasha do you ever see angels?”
‘She didn’t have much energy to speak. She said, “No dad.”
‘I was a bit disappointed. So, I thought, we’ll go for the big one. “Do you ever see Jesus?” I asked.
‘“Of course, I do. He holds my hand.”’
‘The dream that she would be healed was shattered, but we’re not disappointed with God. He hasn’t changed. He still pours his love into our hearts. We don’t understand her death. I doubt we really ever will. One day we’ll know… These are the foundational principles of living in hope.”
God can work through fragility when hope is present. Hope is the essence of faith.
‘Hope has a thick skin and will endure many a blow,’ wrote John Bunyan (1628–1688). ‘It will endure all things if it be of the right kind, for the joy that is set before it... it is hope that makes the soul exercise patience and long-suffering under the cross, until the time comes to enjoy the crown.’
This Christmas, would you see again the fragility and vulnerability at the heart of the Christmas story and so recognise God who comes to you in all your brokenness. And would you then have hope - hope that comes from the certainty of being in the palm of the hand of an all-loving God. Amen.
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
O LORD, HEAR MY PRAYER,
O Lord, hear my prayer:
When I call answer me.
O Lord, hear my prayer,
O Lord, hear my prayer:
Come and listen to me.
Jacques Berthier/Taizé.
Copyright © 1982 Ateliers et Presses de Taize (France).
PRAYERS - written by Linda Chambers
“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests.” One of the names for Jesus is ‘PRINCE OF PEACE’ so our prayers today focus on ‘PEACE’.
PRINCE OF PEACE, as we celebrate today the good news of the angels and your birth in Bethlehem, we also pray for PEACE across your troubled world …
PEACE in the land we call ‘holy’ - for those cut off from loved ones by the Separation Wall, unable to access the facilities they require, those whose homes have been recently bulldozed without warning
PEACE for those who have fled from Syria, now displaced throughout the Middle East, especially in Lebanon and Jordan, trying to survive in makeshift camps as temperatures fall
PEACE for those absent from home and family this Christmas – lorry drivers stranded in their vehicles, those in prison or held in captivity, living under persecution
PEACE for those with little reason to celebrate - victims of domestic abuse and modern slavery, the homeless in our cities, those with no gifts to open
PEACE for those who have lost homes, possessions, livelihoods this year due to wildfires, floods, hurricanes, earthquakes
PEACE for the thousands of migrants making treacherous journeys across land and sea - and for individuals and charities seeking to help them
PEACE in nations where there is discontent and instability, demands for reform, disputes over land or borders
PEACE within governments as they make complex and heart searching decisions about the pandemic and distribution of vaccines
PEACE for those with personal struggles, health concerns, financial worries, those lonely at Christmas, especially this year due to COVID restrictions
PEACE for so many who have lost a loved one this year through COVID, other illnesses or tragedies
May the PRINCE OF PEACE himself, grant each of us peace at all times and in every way this Christmas time and always. AMEN
LORD’S PRAYER
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
SING: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvegJ3wRLFE
While shepherds watched
their flocks by night,
all seated on the ground,
the angel of the Lord came down
and glory shone around.
2. ‘Fear not’, said he - for mighty dread
had seized their troubled mind -
‘Glad tidings of great joy I bring
to you and all mankind.
3. ‘To you in David's town this day
is born of David's line,
a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be the sign:
4.‘The heavenly babe you there shall find
to human view displayed,
all meanly wrapped in swathing bands,
and in a manger laid.’
5. Thus spake the seraph; and forthwith
appeared a shining throng
of angels praising God, who thus
addressed their joyful song:
6. ‘All glory be to God on high,
and on the earth be peace;
goodwill henceforth
from heav’n to men
begin and never cease!'
Words: Nahum Tate (1652-1715)
Music: from Este’s Psalter, 1592
arr. W H Monk (1823-1889)
OFFERTORY - Take a moment to consider how you are going to continue to give to the life of the church and support other aid agencies and mission organisations.
Yours, Lord, is the greatness, the power,
the glory, the splendour, and the majesty;
for everything in heaven and on earth is yours.
All things come from you, and of your own do we give you.
SING: https://youtu.be/3nArzyfFo1Y
Hark! the herald-angels sing
Glory to the new-born King,
Peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled.
Joyful, all ye nations, rise,
Join the triumph of the skies;
With th’ angelic host proclaim:
‘Christ is born in Bethlehem’.
Hark! the herald-angels sing
Glory to the new-born King.
2. Christ, by highest heav’n adored,
Christ, the everlasting Lord,
Late in time behold Him come,
Offspring of a virgin's womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see!
Hail, th’ incarnate Deity!
Pleased as man with man to dwell,
Jesus, our Emmanuel.
Hark, the herald....
3. Hail, the heav’n-born Prince of Peace!
Hail, the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings,
Ris’n with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glory by,
Born that man no more may die,
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.
Hark, the herald....
Words: Wesley, Whitefield, Madan (and others)
Music: F Mendelssohn (adpt. W H Cummings)
BLESSING:
May the joy of the angels, the eagerness of the shepherds, the perseverance of the wise men, the obedience of Joseph and Mary, and the peace of the Christ-child
be yours this Christmas;
and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you always. Amen.
We wish you a very happy Christmas!