Christmas Morning from All Saints Fulham Christmas Day Eucharist

Good morning. Welcome to All Saints

Fulham and a very happy Christmas to

you. We are in west London on the

northside of the River Thames at

Bonnybridge and there has been a

church on this site for over 900

years. Today, are packed to the

rafters as we wait to welcome you to

our Eucharist for Christmas morning.

-- at Putney bridge.

Grace and peace from God our Father,

and the Lord Jesus

Christ be with you.

ALL:

And also with you.

A very warm welcome to all and those

at home watching us this morning. We

gather for worship on this very

special day with a goodly sprinkling

of young shepherds and angels and

even one King, to mark the moment

when the heaven came down to earth

and God revealed himself as a babe

in a manger, born in a stable far

from home. As the story of Love

incarnate unfolds, so we come to the

table where bread and wine is

blessed, broken and shared, in

remembrance of Christ, who brings

light, hope and friendship to all

who believe and trust in him. And so

now, in awe of the newborn Christ

child, we open our hearts in

penitence and faith.

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.

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.

Spirit of Love, your servant

Mary responded joyfully

to your call: forgive the

hardness of our hearts.

Lord, have mercy.

ALL:

Lord, have mercy.

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.

# Gloria in excelsis Deo

# Gloria in excelsis Deo

# Et in terra pax, pax hominibus

# Bonae voluntatis

# Laudamus te

# Benedicimus te

# Adoramus te

# Glorificamus te

# Gratias agimus tibi

# Propter magnam gloriam tuam

# Domine Deus, Rex coelestis

# Deus Pater omnipotens

# Domine fili unigenite,

# Jesu Christe

# Domine Deus, Agnus Dei,

# Filius Patris

# Qui tolis peccata mundi,

miserere nobis

# Qui tolis peccata mundi,

# Qui tolis peccata mundi,

# Suscipe deprecationem

nostram, miserere

# Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris,

# Miserere nobis

# Quoniam tu tolus sanctus

# Quoniam tu solus Dominus

# Quoniam tu solus

# Altissimus, Jesu Christe

# Cum Sancto Spiritu,

# In gloria Dei Patris

# Amen #.

# Amen .#

Let us pray.

Almighty God, you have given

us your only-begotten

Son to take our nature upon him

and as at this time to be born of

a pure virgin.

Grant that we, who

have been born again

and made your children by adoption

and grace,

may daily be renewed

by your Holy Spirit:

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 forever.

ALL:

Amen.

A reading from the Book of Isaiah.

The people who walked

in darkness have

seen a great light.

Those who lived in a

land of deep darkness,

on them light has shined.

For a child has been

born for us,

a son given to us.

Authority rests upon his

shoulders,

and he is named

wonderful Counsellor,

mighty God, everlasting

Father, Prince of Peace.

His authority shall

grow continually,

and there shall be endless

peace

for the throne

of David and his kingdom.

He will establish and

uphold it with justice

and with righteousness

from this time

onwards and for evermore.

The zeal of the Lord

of hosts will do this.

This is the word of the Lord.

ALL:

Thanks be to God.

# Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!

# Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!

Alleluia!

Alleluia!

We declare to you what

was from the beginning,

the Word who is life.

# Alleluia!

# Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!#

The Lord be with you.

ALL:

And also with you.

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus

Christ, according to Luke.

# Glory to you, O Lord.

In those days a decree went out from

Emperor Augustus that all the world

should be registered.

This was the first registration

and was taken while Quirinius

was governor of Syria.

All went to their own

towns to be registered.

Joseph also went from

the town of Nazareth

in Galilee to Judea,

to the city of David called

Bethlehem, because he

was descended from

the house and family

of David.

He went to be registered with Mary,

to whom he was engaged and who

was expecting a child.

While they were there,

the time came for

her to deliver her child.

And she gave birth to her firstborn

son and wrapped him in

bands of cloth, and

laid him in a manger,

because there was no place

for them in the inn.

In that region there

were shepherds living

in the fields, keeping

watch over their flock

by night.

Then an angel of the Lord

stood before them,

and the glory of the Lord shone

around them, and they

were terrified.

But the angel said to

them, Do not be afraid!

For see, I am bringing you good news

of great joy for all the people.

To you is born this day

in the city of David

a Saviour, who is

the Messiah, the Lord.

This will be a sign

for you: you will find a

child wrapped in bands

of cloth and lying

in a manger.

And suddenly there

was with the angel a

multitude of the heavenly

host, praising

God and saying, Glory to God

in the highest heaven,

and on earth peace among

those whom he favours!

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

# Praise to you, O Christ.

May I speak and may we hear, in the

name of the God of love that

creators, redeems us and sustains

us. Amen. Please sit down.

I'm not a parent myself. I have 12

wonderful godchildren. Not being a

parent I am also slightly filled

with trepidation when I take a

newborn baby in my arms. Trepidation

probably shared by the family will

hand the baby over to me. I wonder

how Ali is feeling now? Ali gave

birth to Theodora. And will, are

accurate, is the Father. Just a week

ago. And here she is sleeping

peacefully in her mother's arms. See

how long it lasts. Apparently there

is something hard-wired in our DNA

about learning how to protect a

child, particularly a newborn one.

Hold the head. For heaven's six,

don't drop them! But also, there

must be deeper questions that arise

in our hearts when we take on

parenting any kind. Are we grown up

enough to be responsible for this

new life? Are we selfless enough,

patient enough, resilient enough,

generous enough? Tireless enough? To

cope with the long sleepless nights

that will lie ahead of us. Perhaps

that is part of what God is

communicating to a us in the mystery

of Christmas. Perhaps it's an

invitation to be grown up enough, to

see a new way of loving, a new way

of receiving. It might be hard-wired

in our DNA to know how to protect a

child, but it's possibly also

hard-wired in us to look for the

most majestic, the most powerful,

the most mighty, and worship that.

And yet, what God says to us on

Christmas morning is, are you grown

up enough to be able to see me in

this, in all this vulnerable,

fragile and, oh yes, nappy filling

vulnerability? Not in the mighty,

not in the powerful, not in the

ground. But in all this tenderness,

this vulnerability, this crying,

hunger and need. Can you hold God in

your arms and on your heart? Because

that may be what we are being asked

in the Christmas mystery. And of

course vulnerability and need

doesn't just come in the form of a

human child. It comes in the form of

any in our society, the most

vulnerable and most are made. So

perhaps we are invited to refuse the

rhetoric of the publicly powerful

who might invite us to jaw up our

boundaries and barriers against

those we do not like or do not

trust. And instead to see a new kind

of loving, a new kind of loving

Sharon us in this vulnerable, holy

child. Because if we can see God in

this form, then we have to see God

in the form of every human life. And

particularly in the form of those

most in need and vulnerable. The

holy child of the stable 's birth

well, a few days after his birth,

have to take to the roads, fleeing

from Herod's murderous soldiers, to

find refuge in a foreign land. We're

trying to fulfil a bit of an

ambition at All Saints to sponsor a

refugee family from Syria in 2018.

Just one family. Part of the

government allocation of 5000

families. It's not much. But it's a

simple goal. How we make of a piece,

our worship and prayer week by week,

with action, to try and make God's

world a better place in some small

way. The child of the stables birth

turns the world upside down and

says, see God in this vulnerable

need, to hold and protect. So can

you see God in those vulnerable and

needy, who need our care and our

love? Whatever way you can find to

care and love today, tomorrow. To

hold them, nurture them and protect

them.

Amen. So we have a living family

here to celebrate. Many families.

But also, if you know anything about

the Spanish or Latin American

tradition of the Posada, a knitted

family of Mary and Joseph and the

donkey have been travelling around

our Paris, going from family to

family throughout Advent, spending a

night in houses, the family getting

the chance to be innkeepers. The

Carmels have been the last family to

receive the holy family of the

Posada. There are going to place

them in their grip on Christmas

morning.

Shall we stand and shall we go?

# In the bleak mid-winter

# Frosty wind made moan

# Earth stood hard as iron

# Water like a stone

# Snow had fallen, snow on snow

# Snow on snow

# In the bleak mid-winter

# Long ago

HARMONY:

# Our God, heav'n cannot hold Him

# Nor earth sustain

# Heav'n and earth shall flee away

# When He comes to reign

# In the bleak mid-winter

# A stable-place sufficed

# The Lord God Almighty

# Jesus Christ

ORGAN INTERLUDE

# Whom cherubim

worship night and day

TREBLES IN TWO PARTS, MEN HUM:

# What can I give Him

# Poor as I am?

HARMONY: # If I were a shepherd

# I would bring a lamb

# If I were a Wise Man

# I would do my part

# Yet what I can I give Him

# Give my heart

Please stand to make

the profession of

Christian faith into

which you were baptised

and in which you live and grow.

Do you believe and trust

in God the Father,

source of all being,

the one for whom we

exist?

ALL:

I believe and trust in him.

Do you believe and

trust in God the Son

who took our human

nature, died for us

and rose again?

ALL:

I believe and trust in him.

Do you believe and trust

in the Holy Spirit,

who gives life to

the people of God, and

makes Christ known to the world?

ALL:

I believe and trust in him.

This is the faith of the Church.

ALL:

This is our faith.

We believe and trust

in one God,

Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Let us pray.

Jesus, whose mother

was Mary: we pray

for all those who celebrate

your birth today.

Lord Jesus.

ALL: Hear our prayer.

Jesus, born in the hours

of darkness,

we pray for those who long

for light to dawn.

Lord Jesus.

ALL: Hear our prayer.

Jesus, cradled in

a manger: we pray for

any who have no home

to call their own.

Lord Jesus,

ALL: Hear our prayer.

Jesus, worshipped by

shepherds and kings:

we pray for those people

who are working today.

Lord Jesus.

ALL: Hear our prayer.

Jesus, our Emmanuel: we pray

for all whom we know

to be in need of your strength

and consolation.

For the sick and the

troubled, the lonely

and bereft, for those

who are oppressed or

imprisoned.

Lord Jesus.

ALL: Hear our prayer.

Merciful Father.

ALL: Accept these

prayers for the sake of

your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ.

Amen.

Unto us a child is born,

unto us a son is given, and his name

shall be called

the Prince of Peace.

The peace of the Lord

be always with you.

ALL:

And also with you.

Let us offer one another

a sign of peace.

The Lord be with you.

ALL:

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts.

ALL:

We lift them to the Lord.

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,

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.

# Sanctus, Sanctus

# Dominus Deus, Deus Sabbaoth

# Sanctus, Sanctus

# Dominus Deus, Deus Sabbaoth

# Dominus Deus, Deus Sabbaoth

# Pleni sunt coeli, coeli et terra

# Pleni sunt coeli, coeli et terra

# Gloria, gloria tua

# Hosanna in excelsis

# Hosanna in excelsis

# Hosanna in excelsis

# Hosanna in excelsis

# Hosanna in excelsis

# Hosanna in excelsis

Lord, you are holy indeed,

the source of all holiness.

Grant that by the power

of your Holy Spirit,

and according to your holy will,

these gifts of bread

and wine may be to us

the body and blood

of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Who, in the same night

that he was betrayed,

took bread, and gave you thanks.

He broke it, and gave it

to his disciples, saying:

Take, eat.

This is my body,

which is given for you.

Do this in remembrance of me.

In the same way,

after supper he took the

cup, and gave you thanks.

He gave it to them, saying:

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.

Great is the mystery of faith.

# Christ has died, Christ is risen,

# Christ will come again #.

And so, Father, calling

to mind his death

on the cross, his

perfect sacrifice

made once for the sins

of the whole world:

rejoicing in his mighty

resurrection

and glorious ascension,

and looking for his

coming in glory,

we celebrate this

memorial of our redemption.

As we offer you this

our sacrifice of praise

and thanksgiving,

we bring before you this

bread and this cup:

and we thank

you for counting us worthy

to stand in your

presence and serve you.

Send the Holy Spirit

on your people

all who

and gather into one in

your kingdom

all who share this one bread

and one cup: so that

we, in the company

of all the saints, may

praise and glorify you for ever:

through Jesus Christ

our Lord, by whom,

and with whom, and in

whom, in the unity

of the Holy Spirit,

all honour and glory be

yours, almighty Father,

for ever and ever.

ALL:

Amen.

Let us pray in confidence

as our Saviour taught us.

Our Father, who are 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.

We break this bread to share

in the body of Christ.

ALL:

Though we are many,

we are one body,

because we all share in one bread.

# Lord, I am not worthy

to receive you

# But only say the word

and I shall be healed

# Jesus is the Lamb of God

# Who takes away

the sins of the world

# But only say the word

and I shall be healed

# Happy are those who are

called to his supper #.

# Lord, I am not worthy

to receive you

# But only say the word

and I shall be healed

The gifts of God for

the people of God.

ALL:

Jesus Christ is holy,

Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

# Tomorrow shall be my dancing day,

# I would my true love did so chance

# To see the legend of my play,

# To call my true love to my dance

# Sing, oh, My love

# oh, My love

# This have I done for my true love

# Sing oh, My love

# Sing oh, My love

# Sing oh, My love

# Sing oh, My love

# Then was I born of a virgin pure,

# Of her I took fleshly substance

# Thus was I knit to man's nature

# To call my true love to my dance

# Sing, oh, My love,

# Oh, My love,

# This have I done for my true love

# Sing, oh, My love

# Sing, oh, My love

# Sing, oh, My love

# Sing, oh, My love

# Sing

# In a manger laid, and wrapped

# I was so very poor,

# This was my chance

# Between an ox and a silly poor ass

# To call my true love to my dance

# Sing, oh, My love,

# Oh, My love,

# This have I done for my true love

# Sing, oh, My love,

# Sing, oh, My love,

# Sing, oh, My love,

# Sing, oh, My love,

# Sing

# Tomorrow shall be my dancing day,

# I would my true love did so chance

# To see the legend of my play,

# To call my true love to my dance

# Sing, oh, My love,

# Oh, My love,

# Sing, oh, My love,

# Sing, oh, My love,

# Sing

# This have I done for my true love

# Sing, oh, My love

# Sing, oh, My love

# 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 forever

# And love me, I pray

# Bless all the dear children

# In Thy tender care

# And fit us for heaven

# To live with Thee there. #

Let us prey.

God our Father, whose

Word has come among us

in the Holy Child of Bethlehem:

may the light of faith

illumine our hearts and shine

in our words and deeds,

through him who is Christ the Lord.

ALL:

Amen.

Son of Mary, Son of God,

may we who have joined

the worship of the angels never lose

that heavenly vision.

May we who, like the shepherds,

have seen in your birth

a new kind of love, show that love

in our lives, to your

praise and glory forever and ever.

Amen.

May the joy of the angels,

the eagerness of the shepherds:

the perseverance of the wise men,

the obedience of Mary and Joseph,

and the peace of the Christ child,

be yours this Christmas:

and the blessing of God Almighty,

the Father, the Son,

and the Holy Spirit,

be among you, and remain

with you always.

ALL:

Amen.

Go in peace to love

and serve the Lord.

ALL:

In the name of Christ.

Amen.

MUSIC: Carillon-Sortie

by Henri Mulet.