After Joseph and Mary’s journey to the city of David to be registered, the time came for Mary to give birth, and she delivered there her firstborn Son, the baby Jesus. Shepherds were out in the fields, watching over their flocks by night. The Angel of the Lord appeared to them with the glory of the Lord, and they were terrified. The Angel declared, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger” (Luke 2.10-12). Suddenly, the angel was joined by a multitude of the heavenly host who praised God together, saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2.13-14).

On hearing the announcement of Jesus’s birth, the shepherds went to Bethlehem to see what the Lord had made known to them. There they found Mary and Joseph, and Jesus the baby lying in a manger, and later they testified of the angel’s saying concerning the child. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had seen and heard concerning the child, just as the angel told them. Good news to the world has come through the baby born to Mary that night, our Savior, Jesus the Lord.

Invocation: Our Prayer of Acclamation

Dearly beloved, today our Savior is born; let us rejoice. Sadness should have no place on the birthday of life. The fear of death has been swallowed up; life brings us joy with the promise of eternal happiness. No one is shut out from this joy; all share the same reason for rejoicing. Our Lord, victor over sin and death, finding no one free from sin, came to free us all.

~ Leo the Great. In J. Robert Wright. Readings for the Daily Office from the Early Church. New York: The Church Hymnal Corporation, 1991. p. 33.

Call to Worship
Blessed are you, O God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And blessed is your Kingdom, both now and forever, amen.

Te Deum Laudamus 
You are God: we praise you; you are the Lord; we acclaim you; you are the eternal Father: All creation worships you. To you all angels, all the powers of heaven, Cherubim and Seraphim, sing in endless praise: Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory.

The glorious company of apostles praise you. The noble fellowship of prophets praise you. The white-robed army of martyrs praise you. Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you; Father, of majesty unbounded, your true and only Son, worthy of all worship, and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.

You, Christ, are the king of glory, the eternal Son of the Father. When you became man to set us free you did not shun the Virgin’s womb. You overcame the sting of death and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers. You are seated at God’s right hand in glory. We believe that you will come and be our judge. Come then, Lord, and help your people, bought with the price of your own blood, and bring us with your saints to glory everlasting.

Praise and Thanksgiving (songs and prayers)

Gloria Patri
Glory be to the Father,
And to the Son and to the Holy Spirit:
As it was in the beginning,
Is now, and ever shall be,
World without end. Amen, amen.

The Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he arose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven and sits on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic* church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

*In the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds, the term catholic refers to the Church’s universality, through all ages and times, of all languages and peoples. It refers to no particular tradition or denominational expression (e.g., as in Roman Catholic).

Prayers of Confession
Let us now confess our sins to God and receive mercy and grace to help in our time of need.

Assurance of Pardon
Having faithfully confessed and renounced your sin, Christ also has been faithful to forgive your sins and to purify you from all unrighteousness. It is certain, that there is One who has spoken to the Father in your defense, Jesus Christ, the Righteous One who is the atoning sacrifice for our sins and for the sins of the whole world. His grace and peace are with you now. Amen.

Petitions and Supplications, Ending with The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

~ Matthew 6.9-13 (KJV)

Doxology (and/or closing song)
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him all creatures here below;
Praise Him above ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen.

Benediction 

May God Almighty, Who by the Incarnation of His only begotten Son drove away the darkness of the world, and by His glorious Birth enlightened this day, drive away from us the darkness of sins, and enlighten our hearts with the light of Christian graces. And may He who willed that the great day of His most holy Birth should be told to the shepherds by an angel, pour upon us the refreshing shower of His blessing, and guide us, Himself being our Shepherd, to the pastures of everlasting joy. And may He, Who through His Incarnation united earthly things with heavenly, fill us with the sweetness of inward peace and goodwill, and make us partakers with the heavenly host; for the glory of His great Name. Amen.

~ Treasury of Devotion, AD 1869. In Selina Fitzherbert Fox. A Chain of Prayer Across the Ages: Forty Centuries of Prayer from 2000 B.C.-A.D. 1916. New York, NY: E.P. Dutton, 1943. p. 213.

Pray without Ceasing – Flash Prayer for the Day
On this day, let us magnify the name of Jesus, our Savior, who has come. He is the only one who can save us from the tyranny and judgment of our sins.

“A theology of worship must consider key themes such as revelation, redemption, God’s covenant with Israel and the call for his people to live as a distinct and separate nation. Once the connection between worship and these themes is established and traced through to the New Testament, the distinctiveness of biblical teaching emerges. This becomes even clearer when biblical perspectives are compared with pagan thinking and practice in the ancient world.”

~ David G. Peterson, Engaging with God: A Biblical Theology of Worship. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1992. pp. 23-24.

Let God Arise! Seasonal Focus
Christ the Savior Is Born, Luke 2.8-20

Book Reading
Peterson, Engaging with God