2022 Christmas Day Worship Order ~ Service of Holy Communion

December 25, 2022 ~ 9:30am

Prelude

Announcements

Invocation

Opening Hymn                                  Let Our Gladness Have No End (LBW 57)

Apostolic Greeting

Prayer of the Day

Almighty God, grant that the new birth of your only-begotten Son in the flesh may set free all who are held in servitude under the yoke of sin; through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

1^st Scripture Lesson   Isaiah 52:7-10

⁷How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.” ⁸The voice of your watchmen — they lift up their voice; together they sing for joy; for eye to eye they see the return of the Lord to Zion. ⁹Break forth together into singing, you waste places of Jerusalem, for the Lord has comforted his people; he has redeemed Jerusalem. ¹⁰The 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.

The Word of the Lord.

C: Thanks be to God.

2^nd Scripture Lesson   Hebrews 1:1-6 [7-12]

¹Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, ²but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. ³He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, ⁴having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. ⁵For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”? Or again, “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son”? ⁶And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.” [⁷Of the angels he says, “He makes his angels winds, and his ministers a flame of fire.” ⁸But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. ⁹You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.” ¹⁰And, “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; ¹¹they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment, ¹²like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end.”]

The Word of the Lord.

C: Thanks be to God.

Gospel Acclamation                          Joy to the World (LBW 39, verses 1 and 4)

Gospel   John 1:1-14

The Holy Gospel according to St. John, the 1^st Chapter.
C: Glory to you, O Lord.

¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²He was in the beginning with God. ³All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. ⁴In him was life, and the life was the light of men. ⁵The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. ⁶There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. ⁸He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. ⁹The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. ¹⁰He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. ¹¹He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. ¹²But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, ¹³who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. ¹⁴And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
The Gospel of the Lord.

C:  Praise to you, O Christ.

Sermon

Hymn of Day                                      Fullness of Grace

Nicene Creed

Prayers of God’s People

Offering                                               I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day ~ Bethany Randall

Offertory                                             What Child Is This?  (LBW 40, vs. 3)

So bring Him incense, gold, and myrrh; Come peasant, king to own Him.
The King of Kings salvation brings; let loving hearts enthrone Him.
Raise, raise the song on high; the virgin sings a lullaby.
Joy, joy, for Christ is born, the babe, the Son of Mary.

Offertory Prayer                                 p. 67 LBW

The Great Thanksgiving

Prayer of Hippolytus (Eucharistic Prayer 4)

Christ’s Words of Institution

The Lord’s Prayer

The Sharing of Holy Communion

Blessing & Post-Communion Prayer

Benediction                                        p. 74 LBW

Closing Hymn                                     Good Christian Men, Rejoice

Dismissal                                             p. 74 LBW

Postlude

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