Day One — Sunday 25 December 2022 — The Birth of Our Lord — Christmas Day
Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favours!
Daniel Bonnell. Seeing Shepherds II.
Isaiah 62:6-12
Upon your walls, O Jerusalem,
I have posted sentinels;
all day and all night
they shall never be silent.
You who remind the Lord,
take no rest,
and give him no rest
until he establishes Jerusalem
and makes it renowned throughout the earth.
The Lord has sworn by his right hand
and by his mighty arm:
I will not again give your grain
to be food for your enemies,
and foreigners shall not drink the wine
for which you have laboured;
but those who garner it shall eat it
and praise the Lord,
and those who gather it shall drink it
in my holy courts.
Go through, go through the gates,
prepare the way for the people;
build up, build up the highway,
clear it of stones,
lift up an ensign over the peoples.
The Lord has proclaimed
to the end of the earth:
Say to daughter Zion,
‘See, your salvation comes;
his reward is with him,
and his recompense before him.’
They shall be called, ‘The Holy People,
The Redeemed of the Lord’;
and you shall be called, ‘Sought Out,
A City Not Forsaken.’
Psalm 97
The Lord is king! Let the earth rejoice;
let the many coastlands be glad!
Clouds and thick darkness are all around him;
righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
Fire goes before him,
and consumes his adversaries on every side.
His lightnings light up the world;
the earth sees and trembles.
The mountains melt like wax before the Lord,
before the Lord of all the earth.
The heavens proclaim his righteousness;
and all the peoples behold his glory.
All worshippers of images are put to shame,
those who make their boast in worthless idols;
all gods bow down before him.
Zion hears and is glad,
and the towns of Judah rejoice,
because of your judgements, O God.
For you, O Lord, are most high over all the earth;
you are exalted far above all gods.
The Lord loves those who hate evil;
he guards the lives of his faithful;
he rescues them from the hand of the wicked.
Light dawns for the righteous,
and joy for the upright in heart.
Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous,
and give thanks to his holy name!
Christmas lights in Lviv, Ukraine
Titus 3:4-8
But when the goodness and loving-kindness of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy, through the water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. This Spirit he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Saviour, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. The saying is sure.
I desire that you insist on these things, so that those who have come to believe in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works; these things are excellent and profitable to everyone.
Luke 2.8-20
In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,
‘Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom he favours!’
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.’ So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
God of joy, we celebrate the birth of your Son! In churches throughout the world, people are gathering. We are glad that we can celebrate together. Yet when we come to pray, we soon remember that there are many who are not able to be joyful this Christmas: survivors from war and disaster, loved ones of those killed by violence and accident, refugees—herded together behind wire, and people sleeping rough, and too many others. Loving God, we ask for your compassion on those who cannot rejoice. Help us to know how to celebrate and how to show mercy.
Dear Lord, how deeply we pray that the nations of the earth would respond to the gospel of peace, the goodwill your angels announced to the shepherds at Bethlehem. We pray for the people of Bethlehem today—help them somehow to find a way to peace.
We pray for the church; may it truly represent the good news of Jesus. As the church worships the Christ-child, by the power of your Spirit give new love where there is dispute, new hope where there is struggle and setback, and new faith in your power and goodness.
Lord Jesus, you were born as a vulnerable child into an ordinary family, to experience the ups and downs of family life. Often, we feel vulnerable at Christmas time. Be with those who find loneliness hard to bear, who experience hurt or disappointment. Be close to those for whom Christmas is a reminder of tragedy or bereavement. We give thanks for the happiness of Christmas, but we ask that you help us when we feel sadness or distress. Heal, we pray, all who need restoration in body, soul and spirit.
As holidays begin, we ask for rest and safety for those who are taking a break and encouragement for those who need to work.
We thank you, Lord, for the angels' proclamation of peace and goodwill to all and for the promise of eternal life. May your kingdom come and your will be done. We thank you in the name of Jesus whose birth we celebrate.
Бог ся рождає, хто (Boh sya razhdayeh) | God is being born now, C18th Ukrainian Christmas Carol
Бог ся рождає, хто ж Го може знати!
Ісус Му ім'я, Марія Му Мати!
Приспів:
Тут Ангели чудяться,
Роженного бояться,
А віл стоїть, трясеться,
Осел смутно пасеться.
Пастиріє клячуть,
В плоти Бога бачуть,
Тут же, тут же, Тут же, тут же, тут!
Марія Му Мати прекрасно співає,
І хор ангельський їй допомагає! (Приспів)
Йосиф старенький колише Дитятко:—
Люляй же, люляй, мале Отрочатко! (Приспів)
Три славні царі к вертепу приходять,
Ладан і смирну, золото приносять.(Приспів)
А пастиріє к Ньому прибігають
І яко Царя своєго вітають. (Приспів)
God is being born now, who can know it, brother?
Jesus His name is, Mary is His Mother.
Refrain:
Angels here are marveling,
Round the Newborn caroling,
The ox stands trembling from fear,
The donkey is grazing near,
The shepherds are kneeling,
God in body seeing,
Right here, right here now, right here, right here now.
Mary, His Mother, Sings to him beautifully,
And the Angels' choir, helps her dutifully. Refrain
Joseph, the old man, is rocking the cradle:
"Lullaby, O, lullaby, my little sweet Baby!" Refrain
The kings of the East, gifts they bring Him:
frankincense, gold and myrrh for the King. Refrain
And to the Newborn, let us honor render!
"Glory in the Highest!" Let us sing so tender. Refrain
— paraphrase by Wolodymyr B. Mykula
May the Lord, who has called us out of darkness into his marvellous light, bless us and fill us with peace. Amen.