Christmas
Evensong may be said as usual or Nine
Lessons and Carols may be substituted for it. If an extended Vigil Mass of
Christmas is desired, then Nine Lessons and Carols with or without Compline may
be said before the midnight mass.
Nine Lessons and
Carols for Christmas
This service may be used at any time
from night fall on Christmas Eve to twelfth night
The Opening Hymn
Here shall be sung a processional hymn
as the choir and minister enter. Once in Royal David’s City is traditional
The Bidding Prayer
Beloved
in Christ, in this Christmastide, let it be our care and delight to hear again
the message of the Angels, and in heart and mind to go even unto Bethlehem, and
see this thing which is come to pass, and the Babe lying in the manger.
Let
us read and mark in Holy Scripture the tale of the loving purposes of God from
the first days of our disobedience unto the glorious Redemption brought us by
this holy Child; and let us make this place glad with our carols of
praise.
But
first, let us pray for the needs of his whole world; for peace and goodwill
over all the earth; for the mission and unity of the Church for which he died,
and especially in this country and within this city.
And
because this of all things would rejoice his heart, let us at this time
remember in his name the poor and the helpless; the hungry and the oppressed;
the sick and those who mourn; the lonely and the unloved; the aged and the
little children; and all those who know not the Lord Jesus, or who love him
not, or who by sin have grieved his heart of love.
Lastly,
let us remember before God his pure and lowly Mother, and all those who rejoice
with us, but upon another shore and in a greater light, that multitude which no
one can number, whose hope was in the Word made flesh, and with whom, in this
Lord Jesus, we for evermore are one.
These
prayers and praises let us humbly offer up to the throne of heaven, in the
words which Christ himself hath taught us:
The Lord’s Prayer
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, and the power, and the glory, for ever and
ever. Amen.
The Lessons and
Carols
A Hymn
Here shall be sung a Hymn
The First Lesson Genesis
3:1-15
Now the serpent was
more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he
said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the
garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the
fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree
which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it,
neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said
unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know
that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be
as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that
the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to
be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and
gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the
eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they
sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. And they
heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day:
and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst
the trees of the garden. And the Lord God called unto Adam,
and said unto him, Where art thou?
And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden,
and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. And he
said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof
I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? And the man said,
The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did
eat. And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou
hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. And
the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art
cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly
shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And
I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her
seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Hymns, Carols or Psalms
Here shall be sung one or more hymns,
carols or psalms
The Second Lesson Genesis 22:16-18
And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the
Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son,
thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in
multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the
sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his
enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be
blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
Hymns, Carols or Psalms
Here shall be sung one or more hymns,
carols or psalms
The Third Lesson Isaiah 9:2,6,7
The
people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the
land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. For
unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be
upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The
mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon
the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it
with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the
Lord of hosts will perform this.
Hymns, Carols or Psalms
Here shall be sung one or more hymns,
carols or psalms
The Fourth Lesson Isaiah
11:1-9
And there shall come
forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And
the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and
understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of
the fear of the Lord; And shall make him of quick understanding
in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes,
neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: But with
righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of
the earth: and he shall smite the earth: with the rod of his mouth, and with
the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And
righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of
his reins. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the
leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the
fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the
cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the
lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall
play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the
cockatrice' den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my
holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the
waters cover the sea.
Hymns, Carols or Psalms
Here shall be sung one or more hymns,
carols or psalms
The Fifth Lesson Luke
1:26–35, 38
And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was
sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a
virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the
virgin's name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and
said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art
thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his
saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And
the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And,
behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call
his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son
of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father
David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and
of his kingdom there shall be no end. Then said Mary unto the
angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the
angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the
power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing
which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And
Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy
word. And the angel departed from her.
Hymns, Carols or Psalms
Here shall be sung one or more hymns,
carols or psalms of which the Magnificat may be one
Magnificat. St. Luke i. 46.
Antiphon: The
word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us* full of grace and truth Alleluia!
Or other
antiphon appointed for the particular day
MY soul doth magnify the Lord, * and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my
Saviour.
For he hath regarded * the lowliness of his handmaiden.
For behold, from henceforth * all generations shall call me blessed.
For he that is mighty hath magnified me; * and holy is his Name.
And his mercy is on them that fear him * throughout all generations.
He hath showed strength with his arm; * he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He hath put down the mighty from their seat, * and hath exalted the humble and meek.
He hath filled the hungry with good things; * and the rich he hath sent empty away.
He remembering his mercy hath holpen his servant Israel; * as he promised to our forefathers, Abraham and his seed, for ever.
For he hath regarded * the lowliness of his handmaiden.
For behold, from henceforth * all generations shall call me blessed.
For he that is mighty hath magnified me; * and holy is his Name.
And his mercy is on them that fear him * throughout all generations.
He hath showed strength with his arm; * he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He hath put down the mighty from their seat, * and hath exalted the humble and meek.
He hath filled the hungry with good things; * and the rich he hath sent empty away.
He remembering his mercy hath holpen his servant Israel; * as he promised to our forefathers, Abraham and his seed, for ever.
The Sixth Lesson Luke 2:1-7
And it came to pass
in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the
world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when
Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed,
every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from
Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David,
which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To
be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And
so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she
should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son,
and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there
was no room for them in the inn.
Hymns, Carols or Psalms
Here shall be sung one or more hymns,
carols or psalms
The Seventh Lesson Luke 2:8-16
And there were in
the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock
by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and
the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And
the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of
great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born
this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And
this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling
clothes, 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, and on earth peace, good will toward men. And
it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the
shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this
thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And
they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a
manger.
Hymns, Carols or Psalms
Here shall be sung one or more hymns,
carols or psalms
The Eighth Lesson Matt 2:1-12
Now when Jesus was
born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came
wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that
is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come
to worship him. When Herod the king had heard these things, he
was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had
gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded
of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In
Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, And
thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of
Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. Then
Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently
what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and
said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him,
bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also. When
they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in
the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child
was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great
joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young
child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they
had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and
frankincense and myrrh. And being warned of God in a dream that
they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another
way.
Hymns, Carols or Psalms
Here shall be sung one or more hymns,
carols or psalms
The Nineth Lesson John 1:1-14
IN the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by
him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and
the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the
darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent from God, whose name was
John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men
through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness
of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh
into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the
world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as
many as received him, to them gave he power to be come the Sons of God, even to
them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of
the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh, and
dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of
the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Hymns, Carols or Psalms
Here shall be sung one or more hymns,
carols or psalms of which the Te Deum may be one
Thee O God We
Praise - Te Deum laudamus.
WE praise thee, O God; we acknowledge thee to be the Lord.
All the earth doth worship thee, the Father everlasting.
To thee all Angels cry aloud; the Heavens, and all the Powers therein;
To thee Cherubim and Seraphim continually do cry,
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Sabaoth;
Heaven and earth are full of the Majesty of thy glory.
The glorious company of the Apostles praise thee.
The goodly fellowship of the Prophets praise thee.
The noble army of Martyrs praise thee.
The holy Church throughout all the world doth acknowledge thee;
The Father of an infinite Majesty;
Thine adorable, true and only Son;
Also the Holy Ghost the Comforter.
All the earth doth worship thee, the Father everlasting.
To thee all Angels cry aloud; the Heavens, and all the Powers therein;
To thee Cherubim and Seraphim continually do cry,
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Sabaoth;
Heaven and earth are full of the Majesty of thy glory.
The glorious company of the Apostles praise thee.
The goodly fellowship of the Prophets praise thee.
The noble army of Martyrs praise thee.
The holy Church throughout all the world doth acknowledge thee;
The Father of an infinite Majesty;
Thine adorable, true and only Son;
Also the Holy Ghost the Comforter.
THOU art the King of Glory, O Christ.
Thou art the everlasting Son of the Father.
When thou tookest upon thee to deliver man, thou didst humble thyself to be born of a Virgin.
When thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death, thou didst open the Kingdom of Heaven to all believers.
Thou sittest at the right hand of God, in the glory of the Father.
We believe that thou shalt come to be our Judge.
We therefore pray thee, help thy servants, whom thou hast redeemed with thy precious blood.
Make them to be numbered with thy Saints, in glory everlasting.
Thou art the everlasting Son of the Father.
When thou tookest upon thee to deliver man, thou didst humble thyself to be born of a Virgin.
When thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death, thou didst open the Kingdom of Heaven to all believers.
Thou sittest at the right hand of God, in the glory of the Father.
We believe that thou shalt come to be our Judge.
We therefore pray thee, help thy servants, whom thou hast redeemed with thy precious blood.
Make them to be numbered with thy Saints, in glory everlasting.
The Seasonal Collect
The Benediction
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