:00:24. > :00:27.Welcome to Bristol Cathedral on this Christmas Day.
:00:28. > :00:31.What we are celebrating today is simple and startling.
:00:32. > :00:34.At Christmas, God appears amongst us in the one form we can
:00:35. > :00:39.most easily understand, as one of us.
:00:40. > :00:44.He is made like us so we can become like him.
:00:45. > :00:48.Our cathedral is an abbey founded nearly 900 years ago, right
:00:49. > :00:54.It is a place where the city has always gathered
:00:55. > :01:03.Now our service is about to begin, and the congregation is ready
:01:04. > :01:06.to sing the first carol, inviting us all to join in and make
:01:07. > :05:10.In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
:05:11. > :05:16.Peace be with you. ALL: And also with you.
:05:17. > :05:22.Today heaven touches earth, God becomes a child,
:05:23. > :05:29.In this Eucharist, Christ comes to meet us and invites us to share
:05:30. > :05:32.in the life he already lives with us, his risen life.
:05:33. > :05:35.Christ, the light of the world, has come to dispel
:05:36. > :06:11.In his light, let us examine ourselves and call to mind our sins.
:06:12. > :06:26.# Kyrie eleison # Kyrie eleison
:06:27. > :06:31.# Christe eleison # Christe eleison
:06:32. > :06:44.# Kyrie eleison # Kyrie eleison
:06:45. > :07:40.# Kyrie eleison May the God of all healing
:07:41. > :07:47.and forgiveness draw you to himself, that you may behold the glory
:07:48. > :07:50.of his Son, the Word made flesh, and be cleansed from all your sins,
:07:51. > :07:53.through Jesus Christ our # Et in terra pax hominibus
:07:54. > :08:21.bonae voluntatis. # Gratias agimus tibi propter
:08:22. > :08:45.magnam gloriam tuam, # Domine fili unigenite,
:08:46. > :08:58.Jesu Christe, # Filius Patris qui tollis peccata
:08:59. > :09:19.mundi, miserere nobis. # Qui tollis peccata pecata mundi,
:09:20. > :09:33.suscipe deprecationem nostram. # Qui sedes ad dexteram ad dexteram
:09:34. > :09:49.Patris, miserere nobis. # Quoniam quoniam tu
:09:50. > :09:52.solus tu solus Sanctus, # Tu solus Dominus,
:09:53. > :09:58.tu solus Altissimus, # Jesu Christe, Jesu Christe cum
:09:59. > :10:22.Sancto Spiritu in gloria Dei Patris. # Amen, amen,
:10:23. > :10:47.amen, amen, amen, amen Let us pray in the peace of this
:10:48. > :10:58.Christmas celebration that our joy in the birth of Christ
:10:59. > :11:05.will last for ever. Almighty God, you have given
:11:06. > :11:12.us your only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him
:11:13. > :11:15.and as at this time to be Grant that we, who have been born
:11:16. > :11:22.again and made your children by adoption and grace,
:11:23. > :11:28.may daily be renewed by your Holy Spirit,
:11:29. > :11:31.through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns
:11:32. > :11:35.with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God,
:11:36. > :11:39.now and for ever. A reading from the
:11:40. > :11:55.prophecy of Isaiah. The people who walked in darkness
:11:56. > :12:01.have seen a great light. Those who lived in a land
:12:02. > :12:05.of deep darkness - You have multiplied the nation,
:12:06. > :12:14.you have increased its joy. They rejoice before
:12:15. > :12:18.you as with joy at the harvest, as people exult when
:12:19. > :12:23.dividing plunder. For the yoke of their burden,
:12:24. > :12:28.and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have
:12:29. > :12:34.broken as on the day of Midian. For all the boots of
:12:35. > :12:37.the tramping warriors and all the garments rolled
:12:38. > :12:39.in blood shall be burned For a child has been born
:12:40. > :12:51.for us, a son given to us. Authority rests upon his
:12:52. > :12:57.shoulders, and he is named Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God,
:12:58. > :13:05.Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. # Hodie in terra canunt angeli,
:13:06. > :13:49.laetantur archangeli. A reading from the letter
:13:50. > :14:23.of Paul to Titus. For the grace of God has appeared,
:14:24. > :14:26.bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety
:14:27. > :14:31.and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives
:14:32. > :14:35.that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, while we wait
:14:36. > :14:40.for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory
:14:41. > :14:42.of our great God and He it is who gave himself for us
:14:43. > :14:51.that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify
:14:52. > :15:01.for himself a people of his own This is the word of the Lord.
:15:02. > :17:48.ALL: Thanks be to God. Hear the Gospel of our
:17:49. > :17:55.Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke. In those days, a decree went out
:17:56. > :18:02.from Emperor Augustus that This was the first registration
:18:03. > :18:09.and was taken while Quirinius All went to their own
:18:10. > :18:17.towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town
:18:18. > :18:22.of Nazareth in Galilee in Judea, to the city of David called
:18:23. > :18:26.Bethlehem, because he was descended He went to be registered with Mary,
:18:27. > :18:34.to whom he was engaged While they were there, the time came
:18:35. > :18:43.for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn
:18:44. > :18:46.son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger,
:18:47. > :18:51.because there was no place In that region there were shepherds
:18:52. > :18:58.living in the fields, keeping watch Then an angel of the Lord stood
:18:59. > :19:06.before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them,
:19:07. > :19:10.and they were terrified. But the angel said to them,
:19:11. > :19:14."Do not be afraid, for see - I am bringing you good news of great
:19:15. > :19:21.joy for all the people. To you is born this day
:19:22. > :19:24.in the city of David a Saviour, This will be a sign for you -
:19:25. > :19:33.you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying
:19:34. > :19:38.in a manger." And suddenly there was with
:19:39. > :19:41.the angel a multitude of the heavenly host,
:19:42. > :19:44.praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest heaven,
:19:45. > :19:52.and on earth peace among those In the name of the Father,
:19:53. > :21:06.the Son and Holy Spirit. A young woman in a hospital,
:21:07. > :21:19.she has small children with her. She gets up to go, and a nurse
:21:20. > :21:28.asks where she is going. "We have no food at home,
:21:29. > :21:30.I am going shopping", When she gets to the supermarket,
:21:31. > :21:41.children in tow, someone "Give me your shopping
:21:42. > :21:44.list, go to the cafe. We are going to treat
:21:45. > :21:46.your family to supper I heard that story from
:21:47. > :21:56.the young woman herself. She thought she had learnt
:21:57. > :21:58.something about love We will come back to her after I
:21:59. > :22:04.have said something about Christmas. For three weeks people
:22:05. > :22:06.have been telling me, "This must be your busy
:22:07. > :22:09.time of year". In fact, Christmas is not
:22:10. > :22:16.the biggest challenge in my diary. However, just out of sight
:22:17. > :22:18.this morning, I have They have wrestled with
:22:19. > :22:25.15-foot Christmas trees, They have lit just shy of 800
:22:26. > :22:32.candles and put them out again. They have put up staging
:22:33. > :22:44.for a university concert, and listened to Hark
:22:45. > :22:52.the Herald nearly every day for a month and mopped up more
:22:53. > :22:55.mulled wine than you And this afternoon, they will close
:22:56. > :23:00.their eyes and dream of Lent. They know that Christmas
:23:01. > :23:02.arrives playing an organ They know it is busy and brash,
:23:03. > :23:07.lit with coloured lights Not just carol services,
:23:08. > :23:15.but the cooking, the ho-ho-hoing and the business
:23:16. > :23:17.of explaining to Uncle Phil that it really wasn't
:23:18. > :23:19.Colonel Mustard in the library, For some, Christmas is quiet,
:23:20. > :23:32.or even sad, but the big, bright Christmas
:23:33. > :23:33.we see in the adverts shouts out at us -
:23:34. > :23:35.it wants our attention. The Christmas story has always been
:23:36. > :23:41.full of bustle and bravado. The temptation at Christmas
:23:42. > :23:49.is to tell the wrong story. We have just heard Luke tell us,
:23:50. > :24:04."In those days a decree went out Now that sounds like a history
:24:05. > :24:08.lesson, a bit like "In 1066, Luke gives us a list
:24:09. > :24:13.of names and places - Augustus, Quirinius,
:24:14. > :24:18.Nazareth, Bethlehem. He does that to tell us that Jesus
:24:19. > :24:28.was born into a world the weak obeyed the strong
:24:29. > :24:32.and the strong feared the emperor. People talked about peace
:24:33. > :24:35.and managed not to notice that Augustus had annexed Egypt,
:24:36. > :24:36.invaded the Balkans, Before ever we get to Bethlehem,
:24:37. > :24:44.Luke makes us think about uniforms and swords, about plans
:24:45. > :24:49.and broken promises. Luke really wants us to notice that
:24:50. > :25:09.Jesus was born while everyone The Augustus story is one we know
:25:10. > :25:15.really well, power and politics, the noisy story we have been hearing all
:25:16. > :25:20.year. Plans and gestures, taking control, being great.
:25:21. > :25:22.It is the story that is always there.
:25:23. > :25:25.And while that happens, a couple travel south in a remote
:25:26. > :25:30.province and slip unnoticed into the streets of Bethlehem.
:25:31. > :25:37.We have got so good at Christmas, so good at spotting the baby
:25:38. > :25:54.men got lost and had to stop and ask, forgotten
:25:55. > :25:59.You see, Christmas is a different story, another way of looking
:26:00. > :26:02.at things, the whisper of God when the world is shouting
:26:03. > :26:07.Over there is the big story, the manifesto,
:26:08. > :26:16.That is what Luke is trying to get us to see, that we keep getting
:26:17. > :26:26.distracted by the noise and the drama.
:26:27. > :26:26.We set our hopes on the big solutions, we follow the flag.
:26:27. > :26:27.The noise gets worse and there is no room at the inn.
:26:28. > :26:29.My house will be full of people today.
:26:30. > :26:35.It will be noisy and I will enjoy that, but I must not get distracted.
:26:36. > :26:39.Christmas starts small, as small as human life can be.
:26:40. > :26:44.It is easily overlooked and it is surprisingly ordinary.
:26:45. > :26:49.Just a baby and his mother, a few strangers and a startling hope.
:26:50. > :26:56.That is what the presence and power of God looks like -
:26:57. > :27:02.a baby and his mother, a life of love and hope.
:27:03. > :27:06.The gracious lady taking her children to the supermarket talked
:27:07. > :27:10.about acts of kindness, about friends, family and strangers.
:27:11. > :27:15.It is the same commitment that is asked of all of us.
:27:16. > :27:22.God himself commits to the task of living life fully.
:27:23. > :27:33.We can look elsewhere, we can look to the platforms of power,
:27:34. > :28:11.Let us affirm our faith in God, who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
:28:12. > :28:15.ALL: We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty,
:28:16. > :29:53.maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen.
:29:54. > :29:56.Let us pray to the Father through his Son Jesus Christ
:29:57. > :30:08.Father of all, your Son Jesus Christ was born in a stable.
:30:09. > :30:12.As we celebrate his birth, give courage to all
:30:13. > :30:19.The infant Jesus and his family fled into Egypt.
:30:20. > :30:24.As we give thanks for our security, give comfort to all refugees
:30:25. > :30:28.and those who are held against their will.
:30:29. > :30:42.As a young man, Jesus fasted in the desert.
:30:43. > :30:46.As we eat and drink this Christmas, give relief to all who are starving,
:30:47. > :30:56.Give strength to all who suffer - those whom we hold in our hearts
:30:57. > :31:00.and those who have no-one to pray for them.
:31:01. > :31:13.Heavenly Father, as we celebrate this Christmas, we give thanks
:31:14. > :31:18.for those people we love and who love us, for our homes,
:31:19. > :31:25.our friends, our communities and all the good things we enjoy.
:31:26. > :31:36.Almighty God, that you might fill all things with your glory,
:31:37. > :31:44.you have united heaven and earth in your Son, Jesus Christ.
:31:45. > :31:48.Bring into your eternal kingdom of light and peace those who have
:31:49. > :31:53.died recently and all whom we love and see no more.
:31:54. > :32:05.Father, on this holy day angels and shepherds worshipped
:32:06. > :32:12.Receive the worship we offer in fellowship with Mary,
:32:13. > :32:16.Joseph and the saints through him who is your Word made flesh,
:32:17. > :32:32.Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given,
:32:33. > :32:36.and his name shall be called the Prince of Peace
:32:37. > :32:39.The peace of the Lord be always with you.
:32:40. > :36:30.Let us offer one another a sign of peace.
:36:31. > :36:34.Word made flesh, life of the world,
:36:35. > :36:37.in your incarnation you embraced our poverty -
:36:38. > :36:40.by your Spirit may we share in your riches.
:36:41. > :36:45.The Lord be with you. ALL: And also with you.
:36:46. > :36:49.Lift up your hearts. ALL: We lift them to the Lord.
:36:50. > :36:51.Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
:36:52. > :36:54.ALL: It is right to give thanks and praise.
:36:55. > :36:59.All glory and honour be yours always and everywhere,
:37:00. > :37:06.We give you thanks and praise for your Son,
:37:07. > :37:11.our Saviour Jesus Christ, who for love of our fallen
:37:12. > :37:14.race humbled himself, and was born of the Virgin Mary
:37:15. > :37:19.by the power of your Spirit, and lived as one of us.
:37:20. > :37:22.In this mystery of the Word made flesh
:37:23. > :37:26.you have caused his light to shine in our hearts,
:37:27. > :37:31.to give knowledge of your glory in the face of Jesus Christ.
:37:32. > :37:36.In him, we see our God made visible and so are caught up
:37:37. > :37:41.in the love of the God we cannot see.
:37:42. > :37:45.Therefore with all the angels of heaven
:37:46. > :37:48.we lift our voices to proclaim the glory of your name
:37:49. > :38:36.# Sanctus Pleni sunt caeli et terra gloria tua.
:38:37. > :39:23.# Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini.
:39:24. > :39:36.# Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini
:39:37. > :40:15.Lord, you are holy indeed, the source of all holiness.
:40:16. > :40:19.Grant that by the power of your Holy Spirit,
:40:20. > :40:24.and according to your holy will, these gifts of bread and wine
:40:25. > :40:29.may be to us the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ,
:40:30. > :40:31.who, in the same night that he was betrayed,
:40:32. > :40:38.He broke it and gave it to his disciples,
:40:39. > :40:47."Take, eat - this is my body which is given for you.
:40:48. > :41:01.In the same way, after supper he took the cup and gave you thanks.
:41:02. > :41:12."This is my blood of the new covenant,
:41:13. > :41:19."which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.
:41:20. > :41:29."Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me".
:41:30. > :41:36.ALL: Christ has died, Christ is risen,
:41:37. > :41:44.And so, Father, calling to mind his death on the cross,
:41:45. > :41:49.his perfect sacrifice made once for the sins of the whole
:41:50. > :41:55.world, rejoicing in his mighty resurrection and glorious ascension,
:41:56. > :41:58.and looking for his coming in glory, we celebrate this
:41:59. > :42:07.As we offer you this, our sacrifice of praise and
:42:08. > :42:11.thanksgiving, we bring before you this bread and this cup
:42:12. > :42:13.and we thank you for counting us worthy
:42:14. > :42:18.to stand in your presence and serve you.
:42:19. > :42:22.Send the Holy Spirit on your people and gather into one in your kingdom
:42:23. > :42:26.all who share this one bread and one cup,
:42:27. > :42:31.so that we, in the company of Mary, the Mother of the Lord,
:42:32. > :42:37.Joseph, Augustine, Jordan and all the angels and saints,
:42:38. > :42:42.may praise and glorify you for ever, through Jesus Christ our Lord,
:42:43. > :42:46.by whom, and with whom, and in whom, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
:42:47. > :42:49.all honour and glory be yours, almighty Father,
:42:50. > :43:07.Rejoicing in the presence of God here among us,
:43:08. > :43:48.let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us.
:43:49. > :47:06.We break this bread to share in the body of Christ.
:47:07. > :47:59.Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
:48:00. > :48:26.Blessed are those who are called to his supper.
:48:27. > :53:35.# Whom angels greet with anthems sweet
:53:36. > :54:26.God our Father, whose Word has come among us
:54:27. > :54:30.in the Holy Child of Bethlehem: may the light of faith
:54:31. > :54:35.illumine our hearts and shine in our words and deeds;
:54:36. > :54:56.Let us pray for God's blessing.
:54:57. > :54:59.Our help is in the name of the Lord
:55:00. > :55:04.Blessed be the name of the Lord
:55:05. > :55:10.May the humility of the shepherds
:55:11. > :55:16.the perseverance of the wise men the joy of the angels
:55:17. > :55:21.and the peace of the Christ Child be God's gift to us and to all people,
:55:22. > :55:28.And the blessing of God almighty,
:55:29. > :55:30.the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
:55:31. > :55:35.be among you and remain with you always.
:55:36. > :58:10.# Hail! the Sun of Righteousness
:58:11. > :58:12.# Light and life to all He brings
:58:13. > :58:14.# Risen with healing in His wings
:58:15. > :58:15.# Mild, He lays His glory by
:58:16. > :58:18.# Born that man no more may die
:58:19. > :58:23.# Born to raise the sons of earth
:58:24. > :58:29.# Born to give them second birth
:58:30. > :58:34.# Hark! the herald angels sing
:58:35. > :58:45.# Glory to the newborn King Glory to the newborn King!#