Midnight Mass from St George's Cathedral Southwark

In the name of the Father, and of In the name of the Father, and of

ALL: Amen. I warmly welcome you all

We cover the whole of South London and the county of Kent. I welcome

to all of you, watching on television. As we prepare to

celebrate the great feast of the Incarnation, when God became man in

the person of Jesus Christ. He came as our saviour and Redeemer, to

reconcile us to God and to one another and to offer us the gift of

eternal life. Tonight, we open our hearts to

welcome the God who loves us so much.

And to pray especially for all of those who are alone this Christmas,

or are anxious or suffering in any way. We pray that God may grant

them his gifts of hope and joy and peace in mind and in heart.

And we begin our celebration with the blessing of the crib and the

Dear friends in Christ, we meet to celebrate

let us pray that God will bless this crib,

that all who worship his Son, born of the Virgin Mary,

may come to share his life in glory.

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. Amen.

Christ the Light of the world

has come to dispel the darkness of our hearts.

In his light may we give glory to God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

ALL: Amen.

# The twenty-fifth day of December

# When ages beyond number

# Had run their course from the creation of the world

# When God in the beginning created heaven and earth

# And formed man in his own likeness

# When century upon century had passed

# Since the Almighty set his bow in the clouds after the Great Flood

# As a sign of covenant and peace

# In the twenty-first century since Abraham our father in faith

# Came out of the Ur of the Chaldees

# In the thirteenth century since the People of Israel

# Were led by Moses in the Exodus from Egypt

# Around the thousandth year since David was anointed King

# In the sixty-fifth week of the prophecy of Daniel

# In the one hundred and ninety-fourth Olympiad

# In the year seven hundred and fifty-two

# Since the foundation of the City of Rome

# In the forty-second year of the reign of Caesar Octavian Augustus

# The whole world being at peace

# Jesus Christ, eternal God, and Son of the Eternal Father

# Desiring to consecrate the world by his most loving presence

# Was conceived by the Holy Spirit

# And when nine months had passed since his conception

# Was born of the Virgin Mary in Bethlehem of Judah and was made man

# The nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the flesh. #

# Gloria in excelsis Deo

CHOIR: # Et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis

# Laudamus te

# Laudamus te

# Laudamus te

# Benedicimus te

# Adoramus te

# Glorificamus te

# Gratias agimus tibi propter magnam gloriam tuam

# Gratias agimus tibi propter magnam gloriam tuam

# Domine Deus, Rex caelestis

# Deus Pater omnipotens

# Domine Fili unigenite

# Jesu Christe, Domine Deus

# Agnus Dei, Filius Patris

# Qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis

# Qui tollis peccata mundi

# Suscipe deprecationem nostram

# Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris, miserere nobis

# Miserere nobis

# Quoniam tu solus Sanctus

# Quoniam tu solus Sanctus

# Tu solus Dominus

# Jesu Christe, cum Sancto Spiritu in gloria Dei Patris

# Amen. #

# Amen. #

# Amen. #

Let us pray.

O God, who have made this most sacred night radiant

with the splendour of the true light,

grant, we pray, that we,

who have known the mysteries of his light on earth,

may also delight in his gladness in heaven.

Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever. ALL: Amen.

A reading from the prophet Isaiah.

The people that walked in darkness has seen a great light;

on those who live in a land of deep shadow a light has shone.

You have made their gladness greater,

you have made their joy increase;

they rejoice in your presence as men rejoice at harvest time,

as men are happy when they are dividing the spoils.

For the yoke that was weighing on him,

the bar across his shoulders, the rod of his oppressor,

these you break as on the day of Midian.

For all the footgear of battle, every cloak rolled in blood,

is burnt, and consumed by fire.

For there is a child born for us, a son given to us

and dominion is laid on His shoulders;

and this is the name they give him: Wonder-Counsellor, Mighty-God,

Eternal-Father, Prince-of-Peace.

Wide is his dominion in a peace that has no end,

for the throne of David and for his royal power,

which he establishes and makes secure

in justice and integrity.

From this time onwards and for ever,

the jealous love of the Lord of Hosts will do this.

The word of the Lord.

ALL: Thanks be to God.

ORGAN PLAYS

GIRLS CHOIR: # Today a saviour has been born to us

# He is Christ the Lord

ALL: # Today a saviour has been born to us

# O sing a new song to the Lord

# Sing to the Lord all the earth

# O sing to the Lord, bless his name

# Proclaim his help day by day

# Tell among the nations his glory

# And his wonders among all the peoples

# Let the heavens rejoice and earth be glad

# Let the sea and all within it thunder praise

# Let the land and all it bears rejoice

# All the trees of the wood shout for joy

# At the presence of the Lord for he comes

# He comes to rule the earth

# With justice He will rule the world

# He will judge the peoples with his truth

A reading from the letter of St Paul to Titus.

God's grace has been revealed,

and it has made salvation possible for the whole human race

and taught us that what we have to do

is to give up everything that does not lead to God,

and all our worldly ambitions; we must be self-restrained

and live good and religious lives here in this present world,

while we are waiting in hope for the blessing which will come

with the Appearing of the glory

of our great God and saviour Christ Jesus.

He sacrificed himself for us

in order to set us free from all wickednes

and to purify a people so that it could be his very own

and would have no ambition except to do good.

The word of the Lord.

ALL: Thanks be to God.

GIRLS: # Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

# Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

MEN: # Dominus dixit ad me

# Filius meus es tu

# Ego hodie genuite

THEY SING IN LATIN

GIRLS AND MEN: # Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

# The Lord be with you

ALL: # And with your spirit

# A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke

ALL: # Glory to you, O Lord. #

Caesar Augustus issued a decree

for a census of the whole world to be taken.

This census - the first -

took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria,

and everyone went to his own town to be registered.

So Joseph set out from the town of Nazareth in Galilee

and travelled up to Judaea, to the town of David called Bethlehem,

since he was of David's House and line,

in order to be registered together with Mary, his betrothed,

who was with child.

While they were there the time came for her have her child,

and she gave birth to a son, her first born.

She wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger

because there was no room for them at the inn.

In the countryside close by

there were shepherds who lived in the fields

and took it in turns to watch their flocks during the night.

The angel of the Lord appeared to them

and the glory of the Lord shone round them.

They were terrified, but the angel said, "Do not be afraid.

"Listen, I bring you news of great joy,

"a joy to be shared by the whole people.

"Today in the town of David a saviour has been born to you;

"he is Christ the Lord.

"And here is a sign for you:

"you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes

"and lying in a manger."

And suddenly with the angel

there was a great throng of the heavenly host,

praising God and singing:

"Glory to God in the highest heaven,

"and peace to men who enjoy his favour."

The Gospel of the Lord.

ALL: Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

ORGAN FANFARE

My dear brothers and sisters,

when we look back at the news headlines over the past year,

many of them have been anything but good.

There has been a continuous stream of bad news -

from the ongoing tragedy of the war in Afghanistan

to the civil disturbances and deaths

in countries involved in the so-called "Arab Spring".

We have witnessed a series of natural disasters -

earthquakes and floods in Japan and Asia, famine in East Africa,

and in this past week

more devastating floods in the Philippines

and yet another earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand.

These natural disasters have occurred in the shadow

of the deepening financial crisis and global economic recession

which has brought its own suffering to so many -

growing unemployment, especially amongst the young,

rising prices and a growing gap between the rich and the poor.

And in England last summer

we saw appalling scenes of rioting, violence and destruction

by a small number of criminals and disaffected young people.

The list could go on!

Yet in the midst of this bleak and depressing picture

we have also witnessed

some wonderful examples of light and hope.

Alerted to the famine in Africa,

within weeks the people of this country

donated more than �40 million to help the starving,

and more recently,

another �27 million for the BBC's Children in Need appeal

despite the severe economic difficulties we all face.

Following the riots here in London,

we saw local communities spontaneously getting together

to help clear up the damage

and offering comfort and help to the victims.

And many of us will have experienced acts of goodness and kindness

at a more personal level -

in our families and in our neighbourhoods day by day.

So despite all the gloom and anxiety,

the light and goodness of the human spirit has continued to shine out

in the midst of adversity.

Those acts of good neighbourliness remind us

that although we human beings can be selfish and self-seeking,

our human nature is basically good.

And as we celebrate this wonderful feast of the Incarnation,

we see why that is.

For tonight we rejoice in the fact that the almighty and merciful God,

who created us in his own image and likeness,

reached out in love and became one like us in all things but sin.

Isaiah prophesied that unique moment in history -

"The people that walked in darkness has seen a great light,

"on those who live in a land of deep shadow,

"a light has shone...

"for there is a child born for us,

"a son given to us."

On the night that Christ was born,

Luke tells us that the angel appeared to the shepherds and said,

"Do not be afraid.

"Listen, I bring you news of great joy,

"a joy to be shared by the whole people.

"Today in the town of David a saviour has been born to you,

"he is Christ the Lord."

He is, in the words of St John,

"a light that shines in the dark,

"a light that darkness could not overpower",

because the truth is that in that vulnerable, new-born child,

"We see our God made visible

"and so are caught up in the God we cannot see."

He came to save us from our self-centredness and isolation,

and to show us through his own example

how to reach out to others in that love which is always life-giving.

He came to meet us where we are,

and immersed himself fully in our confused and messy world,

asking us to open our hearts to welcome him.

Reflecting on that

reminded me of the famous painting by Holman Hunt

entitled Christ The Light Of The World.

In that painting,

Christ is depicted standing in the darkness of the night,

with a lantern in his hand, knocking at a door.

The door is covered by climbing plants and brambles,

and clearly hasn't been opened for a very long time.

And when you look more closely at the door,

you see that there is no handle on it.

Was this an oversight by the artist, a mistake?

No, it wasn't.

It was a deliberate omission,

because Holman Hunt's insight

was based on the words of the Book of Revelation,

Christ "stands at the door and knocks".

He longs to come in, but waits patiently to be admitted,

because the door to our hearts can only be opened from the inside.

So, if there are times when we feel afraid to approach God,

through guilt, through apprehension, or feelings of unworthiness,

we need to take to heart again

the message of the angel to the shepherds -

"Do not be afraid."

Why?

Because in this new-born child in Bethlehem,

we are invited to see and experience

the sheer tenderness of the love and compassion

that he offers unconditionally

to all who are willing to open their hearts to him.

And that love has the power to transform our lives,

and enable us to love others as he has first loved us.

The challenge for each one of us

is to allow Jesus Christ to be born again in our own hearts,

to allow his love to become incarnate in us

and share it with others.

Then we become lights which bring hope to a world

which at times seems to grow so dark with selfishness and sin.

He calls us to continue his work of love

by making our own unique contribution

to the task of healing human brokenness,

to fostering peace and harmony in human relationships,

and to bringing a little of his light

into the darkness and confusion of the world in which we live.

We don't need to be anxious or afraid,

because the great joy of Christmas,

the good news that we celebrate tonight is simple yet profound -

that no matter how deep or oppressive

the darkness in our world or in our own hearts,

the light of God's love and compassion

is always brighter, stronger and more enduring.

That is the good news we celebrate tonight.

ORGAN PLAYS

# Credo in unum Deum

CHOIR MEN: # Patrem omnipotentem

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A Saviour has been born for us.

With love, joy, and confidence,

we open our hearts and minds to him in prayer.

Lord in your mercy...

ALL: Hear our prayer.

Lord in your mercy...

Hear our prayer.

Lord in your mercy...

Hear our prayer.

Lord in your mercy...

Hear our prayer.

Lord in your mercy...

Hear our prayer.

We remember those dear to us who have died,

and pray that they may come to inherit the eternal life

promised by Christ.

May the Lord Emmanuel be a light in the darkness

for all those who mourn.

Lord in your mercy...

Hear our prayer.

We

We pray,

We pray, especially

We pray, especially for the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh and all

of the members of the Royal Family. That Prince William may enjoy a

speedy recovery. In a period of silence, we bring our own needs and

as we ask her to pray Almighty God, hear our prayers,

as you accomplished your will in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen.

GIRLS: # Of one that is so fair and bright

# Velut maris stella

# Brighter than the day is light

# Parens et puella

# I cry to thee to turn to me

# Lady, pray thy Son for me, tam pia

# That I may come to thee, Maria

# In sorrow, counsel thou are best

# Felix fecundata

# For all the weary thou art rest

# Mater honorata

# Beseech him in thy mildest mood

# Who for us did shed his blood in cruce

# That we may come to him in luce

# All this world was forlorn

# Eva peccatrice

# 'Til our Saviour Lord was born

# De te genetrice

# With thy Ave sin went away

# Dark night went and in came day

# Salutis

# The well of healing sprang from thee virtutis

# Lady, flower of everything

# Rosa sine spina

# Thou borest Jesus, heaven's king

# Gratia divina

# Of all I say thou bore the prize

# Lady, Queen of Paradise electa

# Maiden mild Mother es effecta. #

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may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father.

May the oblation of this day's feast be pleasing to you,

O Lord, we pray, that through this most holy exchange

we may be found in the likeness of Christ

in whom our nature is united to you.

Who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.

The Lord be with you.

And with your spirit.

Lift up your hearts.

We lift them up to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right and just.

It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation,

always and everywhere to give you thanks,

Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God.

For in the mystery of the Word made flesh,

a new light of your glory has shone upon the eyes of our mind, so that,

as we recognise in him God made visible,

we may be caught up through him in love of things invisible.

And so, with Angels and Archangels,

with Thrones and Dominions,

and with all the hosts and Powers of heaven,

we sing the hymn of your glory, as without end we acclaim.

CHOIR: # Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus

CHOIR: # Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus

# Dominus Deus Sabaoth

# Pleni sunt coeli et terra gloria tua

VOICES MERGE

# Hosanna in excelsis. #

# Benedictus qui venit

# In nomine

# Domini

# Benedictus qui venit

# In nomine

# Domini

# Hosanna in excelsis. #

You are indeed Holy, O Lord, the fount of all holiness.

Make holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray,

by sending down your Spirit upon them like the dewfall,

so that they may become for us

the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.

At the time he was betrayed and entered willingly into his Passion,

he took bread and, giving thanks, broke it,

and gave it to his disciples, saying,

"Take this, all of you, and eat of it,

"for this is my body, which will be given up for you."

In a similar way, when supper was ended,

he took the chalice and, once more giving thanks,

he gave it to his disciples, saying,

"Take this, all of you, and drink from it,

"for this is the chalice of my blood,

"the blood of the new and eternal covenant,

"which will be poured out for you and for many

"for the forgiveness of sins.

"Do this in memory of me."

# The mystery of faith

Therefore, as we celebrate

the memorial of his Death and Resurrection,

we offer you, Lord, the Bread of life and the Chalice of salvation,

giving thanks that you have held us worthy to be in your presence

and minister to you.

Humbly we pray that, partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ,

we may be gathered into one by the Holy Spirit.

Remember, Lord, your Church, spread throughout the world,

and bring her to the fullness of charity,

together with Benedict our Pope

and Peter our Archbishop and all the clergy.

Remember also our brothers and sisters who have fallen asleep

in the hope of the resurrection, and all who have died in your mercy

welcome them into the light of your face.

Have mercy on us all, we pray,

that with the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God,

with the blessed Apostles,

and all the Saints who have pleased you throughout the ages,

we may merit to be coheirs to eternal life,

and may praise and glorify you through your Son, Jesus Christ.

# Through him, and with him, and in him

# O God, almighty Father

# In the unity of the Holy Spirit

# All glory and honour is yours

# For ever and ever. #

ALL: Amen.

At the Saviour's command and formed by divine teaching, we dare to say:

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Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil,

graciously grant peace in our days,

that, by the help of your mercy,

we may be always free from sin

and safe from all distress,

as we await the blessed hope

and the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Lord Jesus Christ, who said to your Apostles:

Peace I leave you, my peace I give you,

look not on our sins, but on the faith of your Church,

and graciously grant her peace and unity in accordance with your will.

Who live and reign for ever and ever. Amen.

The peace of the Lord be with you always.

And with your spirit.

Let us offer each other the sign of peace.

# Qui tollis

# Agnus Dei

# Qui tollis peccata mundi

# Miserere nobis

# Agnus Dei

# Qui tollis peccata mundi

# Dona nobis pacem. #

# Dona nobis pacem. #

VOICES MERGE

Behold the Lamb of God,

behold him who takes away the sins of the world.

Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.

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# In splendoribus sanctorum

# Ex utero ante luciferum genui te

HE SINGS IN LATIN

# In splendoribus sanctorum

# Ex utero ante luciferum genui te

# Donec ponam inimicos tuos scabillum pedum tuorum

CHOIR SINGS IN LATIN

# Ex utero

# Ante

# Luciferum

# Genui te

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# Ex utero

# Ante

# Luciferum

# Genui te. #

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 227 seconds

Grant us, we pray, O Lord our God, that we,

who are gladdened by participation

in the feast of our Redeemer's Nativity,

may through an honourable way of life

become worthy of union with him.

Who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.

Now

Now before

Now before we

Now before we conclude our celebration, I wish you all, here

at St George's Cathedral and all of you watching at home. A joyful and

peaceful Christmas and a very, very happy New Year.

who by the Incarnation of his Son and by that glorious Birth has

drive far from you the darkness of vice

and illumine your hearts with the light of virtue. Amen.

May God, who willed that the great joy of his Son's saving Birth

be announced to shepherds by the Angel,

fill your minds with the gladness he gives

and make you heralds of his Gospel. Amen.

And may God, who by the Incarnation

brought together the earthly and heavenly realm,

fill you with the gift of his peace and favour

and make you sharers with the Church in heaven. Amen.

And may the blessing of Almighty God,