:00:18. > :00:26.Welcome to Bath - and a very happy Christmas to you all.
:00:27. > :00:32.I'm standing in the very centre of Bath.
:00:33. > :00:35.It's a World Heritage City, and on a winter's morning like this,
:00:36. > :00:38.we can often see the steam from the hot springs rising up
:00:39. > :00:43.Christians have worshipped here from the fourth century.
:00:44. > :00:47.Today it is a thriving church and plays its part in a modern and
:00:48. > :00:56.energetic place. Our service is beginning,
:00:57. > :00:58.so let's join with the choirs of the Abbey and sing our first
:00:59. > :04:59.carol, O Come All Ye Faithful. He is Christ the Lord.
:05:00. > :05:29.Alleluia. We join our song with
:05:30. > :05:31.the angels and archangels as they sing, "Glory to God
:05:32. > :05:43.in the highest heaven". # Et in terra pax hominibus
:05:44. > :06:03.bonae voluntatis. # Gratias agimus tibi
:06:04. > :06:46.propter magnam gloriam tuam # Qui sedes ad dexteram
:06:47. > :08:15.Patris miserere nobis. # Quoniam tu solus
:08:16. > :08:23.sanctus tu solus Dominus, Let us pray in the peace of this
:08:24. > :09:15.Christmas celebration that our joy in the birth
:09:16. > :09:21.of Christ will last forever. Lord Jesus Christ,
:09:22. > :09:25.Your birth at Bethlehem draws us to kneel in wonder
:09:26. > :09:32.at heaven touching earth. By Your presence, inspire our faith
:09:33. > :09:35.and direct our lives. Already this year, we've
:09:36. > :09:59.hosted many carol services and around 30,000 people have
:10:00. > :10:01.come to mark Christmas But today it's the real
:10:02. > :10:06.thing - Christmas Day - it seems that there's hope
:10:07. > :10:16.for the world. Much of our service today
:10:17. > :10:18.is about celebrating this hope That's what this lovely
:10:19. > :10:24.tree is about - fun, laughter, giving and receiving,
:10:25. > :10:29.family and friends. But we know all our homes
:10:30. > :10:34.carry some sadness. Terrorism has cast
:10:35. > :10:41.a deep shadow of fear. Many people around
:10:42. > :10:44.the world are refugees There are Christians
:10:45. > :10:53.who are prevented from even lighting a tree - it would cost
:10:54. > :11:01.them their lives. God knows that we often make
:11:02. > :11:03.decisions that harm others Hannah's now going to help us
:11:04. > :11:10.to pray, to turn to God Lord, you came as Saviour to bring
:11:11. > :11:21.God's peace to the world. We're sorry for the
:11:22. > :11:23.times we choose war. Lord, you came as Saviour to bring
:11:24. > :11:36.God's light to the world. We're sorry for the times we choose
:11:37. > :11:39.to hide in the darkness Lord, you came as a Saviour
:11:40. > :11:48.to bring God's love We're sorry for the times
:11:49. > :11:52.we choose to abuse this gift. that he sent his Son
:11:53. > :12:07.to be our Saviour, forgive you and make you holy
:12:08. > :12:10.to serve him in the world, We celebrate the hope
:12:11. > :12:23.and healing Jesus brings us Here at Bath Abbey, we have special
:12:24. > :14:35.friendship links around One of them is very near Bethlehem,
:14:36. > :14:47.a place called Beit Sahour. Beit Sahour is where it's
:14:48. > :14:49.believed the shepherds saw the angels on that
:14:50. > :14:54.first Christmas night. My colleague Evelyn and I were there
:14:55. > :15:09.just a few weeks ago, And what did you feel about it when
:15:10. > :15:20.you were there? I was heartbroken and devastated with what I saw.
:15:21. > :15:24.Because of what I the impact of what I was in with a confit, separation
:15:25. > :15:31.and division in the land. What does it look like to you? Particularly
:15:32. > :15:36.economic issues, where Artisans, who made these beautiful decorations,
:15:37. > :15:43.can't find work. I know it was indeed a sad time but we met a very
:15:44. > :15:48.lovely lady, didn't we? We met a woman called Suzan, a Christian
:15:49. > :15:51.Palestinian and she had used her gifts and talents in business to
:15:52. > :15:55.bring together the very poor Artisans into a fair trade
:15:56. > :16:06.collective. Can you tell us what the collective does? As an example, it
:16:07. > :16:08.has made these baubles and angels. The impact of coming into the
:16:09. > :16:14.collective is that they are able to stay on the land. Their heritage,
:16:15. > :16:20.which is so important, so the work that she does in bringing economic,
:16:21. > :16:24.some degree of prosperity to them even though they are not rich by UK
:16:25. > :16:29.standards, it just means that they can stay there, and they don't
:16:30. > :16:41.emigrate. To her, that is an answer to a problem. Thank you.
:16:42. > :16:54.Would you like to stand up? As they sing our next Carol, we might think
:16:55. > :16:59.about those people who are in trouble today and places that are a
:17:00. > :17:05.bit anxious as well. They are going to sing The Little Roadster
:17:06. > :17:28.# I heard a sheepbell softly calling them