Morning Prayer for Christmastide: December 29th
Come, come, come to the manger, children, come to the children’s King;
Sing, sing. chorus of angels, star of morning o’er Bethlehem sing.
He lies ‘mid the beasts of the stall, who is Master and Lord of us all;
the wintry wind blows cold and dreary, see, he weeps, the world is weary; Lord, have pity and mercy on me.
Come, come, come to the manger,
children, come to the children’s King;
Sing, sing. chorus of angels,
star of morning o’er Bethlehem sing.
As we light the candle for peace:
Let us pray
We pray for peace in the Holy Land, in Syria and Iraq,
Yemen and the Sudan,
And in all the countries where people’s lives are threatened
or taken from them by violence and war.
We pray for refugees,
and for a change of heart in those who use violence.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
O God, come to our aid:
O Lord, make haste to help us.
Glory to the Father, glory to the Son,
glory to the Holy Spirit now and for ever. Amen.
Psalm 33: I will bless your goodness, God, my Father. You make me one with Christ, your Son.
I will thank the Lord in joy and sorrow, my tongue shall always tell his praise;
In the Lord alone my spirit glories; the sad at heart take heart anew.
I will bless your goodness, God, my Father. You make me one with Christ, your Son.
Turn your face to God, and shine in splendour, his presence drives away all fear;
When the poor cry out, the Lord is list’ning, he rescues them in all their needs.
I will bless your goodness, God, my Father. You make me one with Christ, your Son.
Like an army, angels gather round us, to shelter those who fear his name.
Taste and see how gracious is his goodness! How happy those who trust in God !
I will bless your goodness, God, my Father. You make me one with Christ, your Son.
Keep your tongue from speaking any evil, your lips from any lying word;
Turn aside from wrong to ways of goodness, and always seek the paths of peace.
I will bless your goodness, God, my Father. You make me one with Christ, your Son.
God will set his face against the wicked; their name will fade beyond recall;
He will turn to hear his faithful servants, and give them what they ask in love.
I will bless your goodness, God, my Father. You make me one with Christ, your Son.
Let us pray
As the people of Israel entered the promised land with the words’ Taste and see that the Lord is good,’
so let us sing with joy the new song that you have given us as we celebrate the feasts of Christmas.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
We stand for the Glory to God
Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to people of good will.
We praise you, we bless you, we adore you, we glorify you,
we give you thanks for your great glory, Lord God, heavenly King, O God, almighty Father.
Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son,
Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father,
you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us;
you take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer;
you are seated at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us.
For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord,
you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father.
Amen
The Collect of the Day
The 1st reading
Alleluia, alleluia. At various times in the past, and in various different ways,
God spoke to our ancestors, God spoke through the prophets.
Now in our time he has spoken through his Son. Alleluia, alleluia.
Intercessions
God in his compassion sent us Christ, the prince of peace.
Let us trustingly proclaim: Peace to your people, let there be peace.
From the very beginning, you promised us your victory through Christ our saviour:
grant that the whole human family may be enlightened by the light of your Gospel
Peace to your people, let there be peace.
We give praise to your Son. Abraham joyfully foresaw his coming;
the patriarchs hoped for it; the prophets announced it and the people longed for it.
Bring salvation to people everywhere. Peace to your people, let there be peace.
By your will, your Son’s birth was proclaimed by the angels in heaven.
From age to age the Apostles and martyrs and all the faithful join in praise with them: give peace to the world, the peace that the angels announced.
Peace to your people, let there be peace.
Sanctus Memorial Doxology Agnus Dei
Communion
Away in a manger, no crib for a bed, the little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head. The stars in the bright sky looked down where he lay,
the little Lord Jesus, asleep on the hay.
The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes, but little Lord Jesus no crying he makes.
I love thee, Lord Jesus! Look down from the sky, and stand by my side until morning is nigh.
Be near me, Lord Jesus; I ask thee to stay close by me forever, and love me, I pray. Bless all the dear children in thy tender care,
and fit us for heaven, to live with thee there.
Benedictus 4
And you, my child, are favoured by the Most High: you shall be called a prophet of our God.
You shall go forth as herald from the Lord, and shall prepare the ways on which he comes.
You shall make known the wonders of salvation to everyone called chosen by the Lord.
Blessing:
May the Lord bless us, & keep us from all harm, & may he lead us to eternal life.
Copyrights: Psalm 33 (a): Words (c) James Quinn SJ; Music David Harris (c) Kevin Mayhew. Benedictus verse: words © Stephen E Smyth. Graphic (c) Netta Ewing. Hymns reproducwed under Calamus lic: 0262 and CCL lic no: 74396
