Westminster Abbey: The First Eucharist of Christmas

I'm in the south of Westminster Abbey and it's a place of private

prayer and where we say our morning prayers on the morning. It's

fundamental to the life of the Abbey and enables us to welcome so many

people here with a proper sense of the religious life at the heart and

to hold so many special services that it is the daily and yearly

round of worship that is fundamental to what we are. I welcome you

tonight to the first Eucharist of Christmas, where we begin to

celebrate the wonderful gift that God has given us in the Christ

child. The wonderful sense of his love for us, his engagement with us.

I welcome you to join in the congregation of 2,000 people from

the United Kingdom and from all over the world, who come here to worship.

Join with us in singing the hymns and in the prayers. And we shall

celebrate the Eucharist when we receive the bread and wine, but

above all, have a very happy Christmas.

We hope he may come to share his life in glory.

In 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 his 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 with us and the Holy Spirit, one God,

world without end. Amen. In the name of the Father, and of

the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Hear the words of the Angel

to Joseph: "for he will save his people from

their sins." As the Lord welcomes us into his

presence through Christ who is the Saviour of

the world. ALL: Almighty God,

Our heavenly Father, we have sinned against you

and against our neighbour Almighty God, who forgives all who

truly repent, pardon and deliver you from

all your sins confirm and strengthen you

in all goodness, to shine with the brightness

of your one true light, bring us, who have known the

revelation of that light on earth to see the radiance of your heavenly

glory, through Jesus Christ your Son

our Lord 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. You have multiplied the nation,

you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you

as with joy at the harvest, as people exult

when dividing plunder. For the yoke of their burden,

and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have

broken as on the day of Midian. For all the boots of the tramping

warriors and all the garments rolled in blood shall be

burned as fuel for the fire. 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. 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 forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts

will do this. The grace of God has appeared,

bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety

and worldly passions, and in the present age to live

lives that are self controlled, upright and godly, while we wait

for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our

great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ. He it is who gave himself for us

that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify

for himself a people of his own Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus

Christ according to St Luke. In those days a decree went

out from Emperor Augustus that all 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 While they were there, the time

came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth of 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 - "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!" A boy is born in Bethlehem;

thus we all rejoice. Familiar sights and sounds have the

power to transport us out of the present moment,

to bring back memories, to evoke particular feelings,

often to give us a sense of reassurance,

of comfort and peace. Favourite scents or

perfumes have the same power, the smell of a rose,

or perhaps of the farmyard, to transport us

to another place or time. We use incense here at the great

festivals, to transport us as it

were to heaven. For most of us St Luke's account

we have just heard of the first Christmas is one we have known

since childhood. The evocative

familiarity of the story, coupled with the joy

we have all experienced in the birth of a child, makes it

immensely attractive. It is no wonder that artists

through history have been drawn to paint images of the Nativity of

Christ and of the Virgin and Child. At the very East End of the Abbey

nearest the Palace of Westminster is a strikingly beautiful chapel

built 500 years ago by Henry VII, where his body rests with those of

some other British kings and queens. The chapel, described in 1545 as the

"wonder of the entire world", is dedicated to the Mother

of our Lord Jesus Christ, our Lady Mary,

and called the Lady Chapel. It contains images of the Madonna

and Child. One such image,

behind the Chapel's high altar, was painted by a Venetian artist,

Bartolomeo Vivarini, in about 1480. When I take services at that altar

I can stand for some time At first sight, the scene is

one of peaceful domesticity. The mother standing within a window

frame supports the child Jesus The holy Child, standing

on the window sill, looks back It feels like a silent night,

a holy night: But after a time

I came to see a strange feature, something for me strikingly odd,

even rather shocking. I noticed that the fingernails

of the image of the Mother of God were grimy, with dark dirt under the

nails and around the cuticles. And the bare feet of the image

of the Son of God are filthy. I came to recognise that behind the

images were artist s models And the model for the child had been

running around in the dirt They had neither the running

water nor the soap that we That thought took me

right back to the stable itself, and the birth of the baby Jesus,

whom we worship and adore as Lord, Son of God, the longed-for Christ

who fulfils the hopes of Isaiah, the "Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty

God, Everlasting Father, The Son of God was born into

human flesh as the Son of Mary, with all the limitations and deprivations

of life in that time and place. meant a great deal more than dirty

fingernails, however surprising After all, Mary and Joseph

in Bethlehem were homeless, without the benefit of family

and friends, seeking refuge in a stable,

not exactly enjoying the evocative smells of the farmyard,

laying the baby in a manger. We have almost forgotten

what a manger is. But the word comes from the French

word to eat. It means the food trough where the

animals, the ox and the ass, and any had been eating perhaps only minutes

before. Did Joseph find fresh hay to lay

on top of the straw the animals any more than a wooden cross would

look like a suitable royal throne. Born in a stable, laid in a manger,

Jesus Christ would grow up to have nowhere to lay his head,

to be beaten, to be nailed to a cross and to die there while most of

the people laughed and mocked him. Crowds of people had followed

the adult Jesus at first but they fell away when it

all seemed too difficult. Later in the service,

bread and wine will be offered Behind the altar is

a 19th century image in glass It shows Jesus surrounded

by his apostles, sharing with them the bread and wine which he declared

to be his Body and Blood. Most of

the apostles were to run away, Later, after the Resurrection

and the gift of the Holy Spirit, they lost all fear and proclaimed

him as Saviour and Son of God. when his friends arrived at the

Last Supper Jesus washed their feet. What had not been done for him

as a little child, he now did for others,

a mark of his generous love. On this holy night we celebrate

the amazing truth that God He comes to offer us his unfailing

love, not through the exercise of power

but through his passion, He comes to break down the barriers

between earth and heaven: sharing our life on earth,

he brings heaven to earth and prepares us

to share his life in heaven. Tonight in the banquet of His Body

and Blood that same Saviour and Lord offers us a foretaste

of his precious gift of New Life. A boy is born in Bethlehem; thus we

all rejoice. Alleluia! We believe in one God, the Father,

the Almighty, In the power of the Spirit

and in union with Christ, Creator of the world,

born into the world, God, with us in the grit

and hardships of this world. in the suffering we sometimes endure

within it, unveil again your hidden presence at the heart

of all things - to bring new faith, Redeemer of the world,

God working with us in the world in every

place of poverty and deprivation. In every place of conflict,

injustice and in every heart of sorrow

and fear, work again your costly

alchemy of redemption to bring healing, renewal, justice,

peace. God who brought heaven

and Earth together, once for all in a birth at Bethlehem

in Palestine, bring a taste of this

eternity to us here tonight wherever we are, and join us now

with all who have gone before us and with all the saints in praise,

and wonder at this eternal life of Christ

offered to us all again this night. 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

# Let us give thanks to the Lord our God

# It is right to give thanks and praise

# All glory and honour be yours always and ev'rywhere

# 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. #

Lord, you are holy indeed, the source of all holiness;

grant that by the power of your Holy Spirit

may be to us the body and blood of Lord Jesus Christ,

who in the same night that he was betrayed,

he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying,

"Take, eat, this is my body which is given for you.

"this is my blood of the new covenant

"which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.

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

as 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.

all who share this one bread and one cup,

so that we, in the company of St Peter and St Joseph and St Edward

# By whom, and with whom and in whom

# All honour and glory be yours almighty Father,

As we join our prayers with those of the Church Universal

the prayer that Jesus Christ has taught us.

who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name;

ALL: Though we are many we are one body

because we all share in one bread.

Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

Blessed are those who are called to his supper.

ALL: Lord I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word,

in this night you have made known to us again

May the Father, who has loved the eternal Son

from before the foundation of the world,

shed that love upon you his children.

gathered into one things earthly and heavenly

by whose overshadowing Mary became the God-bearer,

give you grace to carry the good news of Christ.

the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit,

be among you and remain with you always.