Led by: Revd Ernesto Lozada-Uzuriaga
and Revd George Mwaura

Please note that the video feed will go live from around 9:50 am and will be switched off after the service.
A separate video feed of the choir is available here.

Gathering music

Welcome

Gathering Prayer

God of wonder, with joy and celebration we gather today to welcome afresh the gift of the child born to be king;
Emmanuel, God with us; light for the world and a beacon in the darkness.
Jesus Christ is born among us.
Jesus Christ is born for us.
Let us come to you and celebrate.
Amen.

Hymn – CHE 335 – Joy to the world

Joy to the world! The Lord is come:
let earth receive the King;
let every heart prepare him room,
and heaven and nature sing,
and heaven and nature sing,
and heaven, and heaven and nature sing.

Joy to the world! The Saviour reigns:
Your sweetest songs employ,
while fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
repeat the sounding joy,
repeat the sounding joy,
repeat, repeat the sounding joy.

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.

A prayer of Adoration

Gift giving God,
how mighty you are, how wondrous the gift you have given.
Foretold and promised, now born among us:
how blessed we are!

Born to redeem us, to rescue and keep us:
how blessed we are!

Born to transform and take us to glory:
how blessed we are!

Born out of love, born to give love:
how blessed we are!

God incarnate, how blessed we are by your extraordinary being.
God gives to us his Son,
and to those who seek it, forgiveness for their sins.
Go and share the gift,
show the love and know the peace that God gives.
Amen.

The Confession

Generous, overwhelming God, in the excitement and joy of this day, we take a moment to reflect and ponder on the

immensity of the gift given.
Forgive us if we have belittled the most precious gift of all.
Forgive us if we have cast it aside, put it on the back burner, left it packed away since last Christmas with all the tinsel and trappings.
Forgive us for not pondering enough the depth of your giving and sacrifice for us.
As you give to us, so we give to you our sorrow and confession for all that has not been worthy of your name.

Silence…

God gives to us his Son, and to those who seek it, forgiveness for their sins.
Go and share the gift, show the love and know the peace that God gives.
Amen.

The Lighting of the Christmas candle

As we light this Christmas candle, may its flame be for us a sign of Jesus’ birth.

Loving God, today – on this special day – you remind us that you can use anyone and everyone for your purposes.
We willingly offer you all that we are and all that we have, choosing to believe that who we are is enough to be used by you. We do this in Jesus’ name.
Amen.

Gospel Reading

Luke 2:15-20

¹⁵ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’

¹⁶ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. ¹⁷ When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸ and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰ The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Meditation
by Revd George Mwaura

Choral response

Prayers & Intercessions

The Peace

May the peace and the love of the Baby born this night be yours this night and always. May the peace of the Lord be with you
And also with you

Let us share a sign of peace

Hymn – CHE 794 – What child is this

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, greet the infant Lord,
the Babe, the Son of Mary!

Why lies he in such mean estate,
where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christians, fear:
for sinners here
the silent Word is pleading.
Nails, spear, shall pierce him through,
the cross be borne for me, for you:
ail, hail the Word made flesh,
the Babe, the Son of Mary!

So bring him incense, gold and myrrh,
come peasants, king, to own him.
The King of kings
salvation brings,
let loving hearts enthrone him.
Raise, raise the song on high,
the Virgin sings her lullaby:
joy, joy for Christ is born,
the Babe, the Son of Mary!

The Prayer of Thanksgiving

Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation: through your goodness we have this bread to set before you, which earth has given and human hands have made.
It will become for us the bread of life.
Blessed be God for ever.

Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation: through your goodness we have this wine to set before you, fruit of the vine and work of human hands.
It will become for us the cup of salvation.
Blessed be God for ever.

The Lord be with you!
And also with you!

Lift up your hearts!
We lift them to the Lord!

Let us give thanks!
It is right to give God thanks and praise!

We adore you, creator of the universe.
In the beginning you spoke life into being.

We adore you, God, who kept the promise made to our ancestors
You promised to redeem the earth and set its people free.

In the fullness of time, You came to us in Jesus,
A baby, born of God’s desire to lift up the broken hearted.

We adore you with the simplicity of a shepherd’s conviction,
We adore you with the wise of ancient days, who knelt before You and paid You homage.
We adore you, with the angels who sang glory to you
in the highest heavens and brought peace to all people on earth,

Today we join them to praise your name:

Holy Lord, God of endless love,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
The wise men recognize it,
the angels and the whole creation sang of it,
the shepherds encountered it,
we have been blessed with it.
Blessed is he who is born this day.
Glory to God and on earth peace to all people.

Beloved God
you came to us, in Jesus Christ, who on the night he was betrayed, took the bread, blessed it, broke it, gave it to his disciples saying: ‘Take, eat, this is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’

After supper, he took the cup, and gave it to them saying, this is my blood of the New Covenant, poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in remembrance of me.

Beloved God send the power of your Holy Spirit upon us, that we may experience the presence of the Word- made-flesh – Jesus Christ.

Breathe your Spirit in us that we may be one body with him –faithfully following and serving him, and awaiting with expectation the coming of his kingdom when we will adore him forever and ever.
Amen

The Lord’s Prayer

As our Saviour taught us, so we pray

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.

Breaking the Bread

We break this bread and take this cup so that we can all share in the life of Christ. God’s gifts for God’s people.
Amen

Prayer After Communion

Most gracious God, source of all blessing, we give you thanks for inviting us to share this meal as your family; strengthen us to be a blessing to one another and a blessing to all the world, glorifying you in all things, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Christmas Acclamation

We came to adore the Son of God.
Jesus is the Light of the world.

We came to share the bread of heaven.
Jesus is our way, our truth, our life.

We came to enter the door to life.
Jesus is the first and last.

We came to adore the Lord of all.
Jesus is our wisdom from above.

We came to adore the King of kings.
Jesus is our friend and brother,
Immanuel, God with us
Joy to the World.
We come from all the corners of the world to adore Him.
Amen

Hymn – CHE 520 – O come all ye faithful

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;

Refrain:
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.

God of God,
Light of Light,
lo, he abhors not the virgin’s womb;
very God, begotten not created:
[Refrain]

Sing, choirs of angels,
sing in exultation,
sing, all ye citizens of heaven above;
glory to God, glory in the highest:
[Refrain]

Yea, Lord, we greet thee,
born this happy morning,
Jesus, to thee be glory given;
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing:
[Refrain]

The 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, Father, Son and Holy Spirit be upon you and remain with you always.
Amen.