Parish Eucharist Service Sheet

St Mary-at-Finchley Midnight Mass of the Nativity Christmas Eve 2025 11.30pm FESTIVAL EUCHARIST

 

 

 

A WARM WELCOME TO  ST MARY-AT-FINCHLEY

 

Prologue “BC/AD” by U A Fanthorpe

THE PROCESSIONAL HYMN

 

See amid the winter’s snow,
born for us on earth below,
see, the Lamb of God appears,
promised from eternal years.

Hail thou ever blessèd morn,
hail redemption’s happy dawn,
sing through all Jerusalem:
Christ is born in Bethlehem.

 

Lo, within a manger lies
He Who built the starry skies;
He Who, throned in height sublime,
sits amid the cherubim.

Hail thou ever blessèd morn,…

Say, you holy shepherds, say,
what your joyful news today.
Wherefore have ye left your sheep
on the lonely mountains steep?

                Hail thou ever blessèd morn,…

“As we watched at dead of night,
lo, we saw a wondrous light;
angels singing ‘Peace on earth’
told us of a Saviour’s birth.”

                Hail thou ever blessèd morn,…

Sacred Infant, all divine,
what a tender love was Thine,
thus to come from highest bliss
down to such a world as this.

                Hail thou ever blessèd morn,…

Teach, O teach us, holy Child,
by Thy face so meek and mild,
teach us to resemble Thee,
in Thy sweet humility.

                Hail thou ever blessèd morn,…

 

 

Priest:  + In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

All:     Amen

Priest:  Grace mercy and peace from God our Father and the Lord
Jesus Christ be with you

All:     and also with you.

 

Priest:  A warm welcome to you all for this Christ Mass. God becomes human in the Babe of Bethlehem and so comes close to each one of us. Let us joyfully ask the help of our Lord and Saviour.

 

INVITATION TO CONFESSION

 

Deacon:  Christ the light of the world has come to dispel the darkness of our hearts. In his light let us examine ourselves and confess our sins.

 

Deacon:   God our Father, you sent your Son full of grace and truth: forgive our  failure to receive him . Lord, have mercy.

All:  Lord, have mercy.

 

Deacon:  Jesus our Saviour, you were born in poverty and laid in a manger: forgive our greed and rejection of your ways . Christ, have mercy.

All:  Christ, have mercy.

Deacon: Spirit of love, your servant Mary responded joyfully to your call: forgive the hardness of our hearts . Lord, have mercy.

All:  Lord, have mercy.

Priest:  May the God of all healing and forgiveness draw you to himself, that you may behold the glory of his Son, the Word made flesh, and be cleansed from all your sins, through Jesus Christ our Lord .

All:     Amen.

 

THE GLORIA (tune “God rest you merry”)

 

Glory to God in highest heaven,

the clouds of angels sing.

Today in lowly Bethlehem

creation greets its king.

We join our voices now with them,

our praise and worship bring.

        O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy,

        O tidings of comfort and joy

 

Jesus our Saviour, Lamb of God,

forgiveness, mercy, grace

are poured upon our darkened world

to free the human race.

Love shines out bright into our chaos

from your radiant face.

        O tidings…

 

You only are the holy one,

You only are the Lord,

Immanuel God with us,

the everlasting Word,

with Father and with Holy Ghost

ever to be adored.

        O tidings…

 

COLLECT

Priest:  Let us pray in the peace of this Christmas celebration that our joy in the birth of Christ will last for ever.

 

Eternal God, who made this most holy night
to shine with the brightness of your one true light:
bring us, who have known the revelation of that light on earth,
to see the radiance of your heavenly glory;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

All:  Amen

 

All sit for the readings

 

A reading from the book of the Prophet Isaiah           52.7-10

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’ Listen! Your sentinels lift up their voices, together they sing for joy; for in plain sight they see the return of the LORD to Zion. Break forth together into singing, you ruins of Jerusalem; for the LORD has comforted his people, he has redeemed  Jerusalem. The 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.

This is the word of the Lord;

All:    Thanks be to God.

 

A reading from the letter to the Hebrews                     1.1-4

Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets,  but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things,  through whom he also created the worlds. He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

This is the word of the Lord.

All:    Thanks be to God.

 

ALL STAND FOR THE GOSPEL HYMN   

 

Silent night, holy night.

All is calm, all is bright,

round the virgin mother and child;

holy infant, so tender and mild,

sleep in heavenly peace,

sleep in heavenly peace.

 

Silent night, holy night.

Shepherds quake at the sight,

glories stream from heaven afar,

heav’nly hosts sing alleluia:

Christ, the Saviour is born,

Christ, the Saviour is born.

 

Silent night, holy night.

Son of God, love’s pure light,

radiant beams from thy holy face,

with the dawn of redeeming grace:

Jesus, Lord, at thy birth,

Jesus, Lord, at thy birth.

 

ALL STAND FOR THE GOSPEL

Deacon: The Lord be with you.

All:     And also with you.

Deacon: Hear the holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John        (1.1-14)

All:     Glory to you, O Lord.           

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being  through  him,  and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. This is the Gospel of the Lord;

All:     Praise to you, O Christ.

 

Blessing the Crib

God our Father,

on this night your Son Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary

for us and for our salvation: bless this crib,

which we have prepared to celebrate that holy birth;

may all who see it be strengthened in faith

and receive the fullness of life he came to bring,

who is alive and reigns for ever.

All Amen.

 

ALL SIT FOR THE SERMON

 

ALL KNEEL FOR THE PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION

 

ALL STAND FOR THE PEACE

Priest:  This holy night the angels sang, Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to all in whom he delights. The Peace of the Lord be always with you.

All:           and also with you

Deacon:   Let us greet one another with the sign of peace.

 

ALL STAND FOR THE OFFERTORY HYMN

 

Joy to the World , the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare him room,
And heav’n and nature sing,
And heav’n and nature sing,
And heav’n, and heav’n, and nature sing.

Joy to the World, the Saviour reigns!
Let us our 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.

 

The Prayer over The Gifts:

Priest:  Word made flesh, life of the world, in your incarnation you embraced our poverty: by your Spirit may we share in your riches.

All:  Amen.

 

THE EUCHARISTIC PRAYER (tune “Ding Dong Merrily”)

Priest:  The Lord be with you.

All:     And also with you.

Priest:  Lift up your hearts.

All:    We lift them to the Lord.

Priest:  Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

All:     It is right to give thanks and praise.

 

All  glory  and  honour  be  yours always and everywhere, mighty creator, ever-living God. We give you thanks and praise for your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ, who for love of our fallen race humbled himself, and on this night was born of the Virgin Mary by the power of your Spirit, and lived as one of us. In this mystery of the Word made flesh you have caused his light to shine in our hearts, to give knowledge of your glory in the face of Jesus Christ. In him we see our  God  made visible and so are caught up in the love of the God we cannot see. Therefore with all the angels of heaven we lift our voices to proclaim the glory of your name and sing our joyful hymn of praise:

 

All sing:  Holy, holy, holy Lord,

                The God of all creation.

                Peace and joy the angels’ word

                To each and every nation.

                        Gloria! Hosanna in excelsis!

 

We praise and bless you, loving Father through Jesus Christ, our Lord; and as we obey his command, send your  Holy  Spirit, that broken bread and wine outpoured may be for us the body and blood of your dear Son.  On the night before he died he had supper with his friends, and taking bread, he praised you.  He broke the bread, shared it with them and said: Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me.  When supper was ended he took a cup of wine.  Again he praised you, gave it to them and said: Drink this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.  Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.

 

So, Father, as we remember all that Jesus did, we plead with confidence his sacrifice made once for all upon the cross. Bringing before you the bread of life and the cup of salvation.  We proclaim his death and resurrection until he comes in glory.

 

All sing:  Glory, glory to the king

                The God of all creation.

                Heav’n and earth exultant sing

                The song of their salvation.

                        Gloria! Hosanna in excelsis!

 

Lord of all life, help us to work together for that day when your kingdom comes and your justice and mercy will be seen in all the earth.  Look with favour on your people, gather us in your loving arms and bring us with Mary the God-bearer  and all your saints to feast at your table in heaven.  Through Christ, and with Christ, and in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all honour and glory are yours, O loving Father, for ever and ever.

All :   Amen.

 

All sing:  Lift your voices now to praise

                The God of all creation

                On this holiest of days,

                The feast of Incarnation.

                        Gloria! Hosanna in excelsis!

 

[a short period of silence is kept]

 

Priest       : Rejoicing in the presence of God here among us, let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us

All:  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, 

        the power and the glory,

        for ever and ever.

        Amen.

 

The Priest breaks the consecrated bread, and then says :

 

Priest: We break the bread of life, and that life is the light of the world.

All:   God here among us, light in the midst of us, bring us to light and life.

 

ALL SING

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 stay by my side until morning is nigh.

 

Be near me, Lord Jesus; I ask Thee to stay

Close by me for ever, and love me, I pray,

Bless all the dear children in Thy tender care,

And fit us for heaven to live with Thee there.

 

GIVING OF COMMUNION

 

Priest:  Christ is the true bread which has come down from heaven.

All Lord, give us this bread always.

 

All are welcome to come forward for a blessing and if you are a full member of your own church you are invited to receive communion.

 

During Communion the choir sing:  H Darke, In the Bleak Midwinter

 

THE  POST COMMUNION PRAYER

Priest:   The shepherds said, ‘Let us go to Bethlehem, and see the thing that the Lord has made known to us.’

God our Father,
in this night you have made known to us again
the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:
confirm our faith and fix our eyes on him
until the day dawns
and Christ the Morning Star rises in our hearts.

All: To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

 

ALL STAND FOR THE FINAL HYMN

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:

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:

 

Sing, choirs of angels,

sing in exultation,

sing, all ye citizens of heaven above:

‘Glory to God

in the highest:’

 

Yea, Lord, we greet thee,

born this happy morning;

Jesu, to thee be glory given;

Word of the Father,

now in flesh appearing:

O come, let us adore him,

O come, let us adore him,

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

 

Priest:  The Lord be with you

All:     And also with you.

 

Priest:  May the Father, who has loved the eternal Son from before the foundation of the world, shed that love upon you his children.    Amen.
May Christ, who by his incarnation gathered into one things earthly and
heavenly, fill you with joy and peace.         Amen.
May the Holy Spirit, by whose overshadowing Mary became the Godbearer, give you grace to carry the good news of Christ.   Amen.
And the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always.     Amen.

 

Deacon: Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.

All:     In the name of Christ, Amen.

 

Happy Christmas!

 

 Material for this service is from Common Worship  © and is reproduced with permission. Church Copyright Licence 302817and Music Reproduction Licence number 904095

St Mary-at-Finchley Press