Christmas Eve

When the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

Galatians 4:4-6 (AV)

from Psalm 89

I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord, forever;

    with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.

For I said, “Steadfast love will be built up forever;

    in the heavens you will establish your faithfulness.”

You have said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one;

    I have sworn to David my servant:

‘I will establish your offspring forever,

    and build your throne for all generations.’” Selah

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;

    steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.

Blessed are the people who know the festal shout,

    who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face,

who exult in your name all the day

    and in your righteousness are exalted.

For you are the glory of their strength;

    by your favor our horn is exalted.

For our shield belongs to the Lord,

    our king to the Holy One of Israel.

Of old you spoke in a vision to your godly one, and said:

    “I have granted help to one who is mighty;

    I have exalted one chosen from the people.

I have found David, my servant;

    with my holy oil I have anointed him,

so that my hand shall be established with him;

    my arm also shall strengthen him.

My faithfulness and my steadfast love shall be with him,

    and in my name shall his horn be exalted.

I will set his hand on the sea

    and his right hand on the rivers.

He shall cry to me, ‘You are my Father,

    my God, and the Rock of my salvation.’

And I will make him the firstborn,

    the highest of the kings of the earth.

My steadfast love I will keep for him forever,

    and my covenant will stand firm for him.

I will establish his offspring forever

    and his throne as the days of the heavens.

Isaiah 59: 15b-21

The Lord saw it, and it displeased him

    that there was no justice.

¹⁶ He saw that there was no man,

    and wondered that there was no one to intercede;

then his own arm brought him salvation,

    and his righteousness upheld him.

¹⁷ He put on righteousness as a breastplate,

    and a helmet of salvation on his head;

he put on garments of vengeance for clothing,

    and wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak.

¹⁸ According to their deeds, so will he repay,

    wrath to his adversaries, repayment to his enemies;

    to the coastlands he will render repayment.

¹⁹ So they shall fear the name of the Lord from the west,

    and his glory from the rising of the sun;

for he will come like a rushing stream,

    which the wind of the Lord drives.

²⁰ “And a Redeemer will come to Zion,

    to those in Jacob who turn from transgression,” declares the Lord.

²¹ “And as for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the Lord: “My Spirit that is upon you, and my words that I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouth of your offspring, or out of the mouth of your children's offspring,” says the Lord, “from this time forth and forevermore.”

Anthem: "There shall a star from Jacob come forth"

Philippians 2: 5-11

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. ⁹ Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Anthem: "Te Deum"

Luke 1:67-79

And his [John the Baptist’s] father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,

⁶⁸ “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,

    for he has visited and redeemed his people

⁶⁹ and has raised up a horn of salvation for us

    in the house of his servant David,

⁷⁰ as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,

⁷¹ that we should be saved from our enemies

    and from the hand of all who hate us;

⁷² to show the mercy promised to our fathers

    and to remember his holy covenant,

⁷³ the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us

⁷⁴     that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,

might serve him without fear,

⁷⁵     in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

⁷⁶ And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;

    for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,

⁷⁷ to give knowledge of salvation to his people

    in the forgiveness of their sins,

⁷⁸ because of the tender mercy of our God,

    whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high

⁷⁹ to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,

    to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

Hymn: Hark! the Herald Angels Sing

Prayer:

O God, who makest us glad with the yearly remembrance of the birth of thy only son, Jesus Christ: Grant that as we joyfully receive him for our redeemer, so we may with sure confidence behold him, when he shall come to be our judge; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.

(from the Service of Nine Lessons and Carols)