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CHRISTMASChoral Christmas Eve EucharistFriday, December 24, 20217:00 PMAlso Live Streaming athttps://www.facebook.com/stgregoryslongbeach/

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Per Los Angeles County requirements, all persons over two years of age, regardless ofvaccination status, are required to wear masks inside the church.THE LITURGY OF THE WORDPRELUDECarol of the Bells / I Heard the Bells on Christmas DayPresiderPeoplearr. David Feit‐PretzerThe Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.O come, let us adore him.OPENING HYMN“O Come All Ye Faithful” (Verses 1 – 3, 6)PresiderPeopleBulletin Page 15Blessed be God, Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.And blessed be his kingdom, now and for ever. Amen.Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid:cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectlylove you, and worthily magnify your Holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.GLORIA3

COLLECT OF THE DAYCelebrantPeopleCelebrantThe Lord be with you.And also with you.Let us pray.O God, you make us glad by the yearly festival of the birth of your only Son Jesus Christ: Grantthat we, who joyfully receive him as our Redeemer, may with sure confidence behold him whenhe comes to be our Judge; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now andfor ever. Amen.FIRST READINGLectorIsaiah 9.2‐7A Reading from IsaiahThe people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deepdarkness—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. Forthe yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, youhave broken as on the day of Midian. For all the boots of the tramping warriors and all thegarments 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 Counselor,Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His authority shall grow continually, and thereshall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold itwith justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of theLORD of hosts will do this.LectorPeopleThe Word of the Lord.Thanks be to God.PSALM 96Sing to the LORD a new song; *sing to the LORD, all the whole earth.Sing to the LORD and bless his Name; *proclaim the good news of his salvation from day to day.Declare his glory among the nations *and his wonders among all peoples.For great is the LORD and greatly to be praised; *he is more to be feared than all gods.As for all the gods of the nations, they are but idols; *but it is the LORD who made the heavens.Oh, the majesty and magnificence of his presence! *Oh, the power and the splendor of his sanctuary!4

Ascribe to the LORD, you families of the peoples; *ascribe to the LORD honor and power.Ascribe to the LORD the honor due his Name; *bring offerings and come into his courts.Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness; *let the whole earth tremble before him.Tell it out among the nations: "The LORD is King! *he has made the world so firm that it cannot be moved;he will judge the peoples with equity."Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;let the sea thunder and all that is in it; *let the field be joyful and all that is therein.Then shall all the trees of the wood shout for joybefore the LORD when he comes, *when he comes to judge the earth.He will judge the world with righteousness *and the peoples with his truth.SECOND READINGLectorTitus 2.11‐14A Reading from Paul’s Letter to TitusFor the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impietyand worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self‐controlled, upright, andgodly, while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great Godand Savior, Jesus Christ. He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from alliniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.LectorPeopleThe Word of the Lord.Thanks be to God.(People stand)SEQUENCE HYMN“Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”Bulletin Page 165

HOLY GOSPELPresiderPeopleLuke 2.1‐20The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ According to Luke.Glory to you, Lord Christ.In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should beregistered. 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 inGalilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from thehouse and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged andwho 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 amanger, because there was no place for them in the inn.GOSPEL HYMN 1“Away in a Manger” (Verses 1 & 2)Bulletin Page 17In 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 bringingyou good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David aSavior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped inbands of cloth and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of theheavenly host, praising God and saying,"Glory to God in the highest heaven,and on earth peace among those whom he favors!"GOSPEL HYMN 2“Angels, from the Realms of Glory” (Verses 1 & 2)Bulletin Page 18When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Letus go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has madeknown to us." So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in themanger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; andall who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all thesewords and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God forall they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.PresiderPeopleThe Gospel of the Lord.Praise to you, Lord Christ.6

GOSPEL HYMN 3“O Little Town of Bethlehem” (Verses 1 – 3)Bulletin Page 19SERMONThe Rev. Michael K. Fincher(Silence)NICENE CREED (Please stand)We believe in one God,the Father, the Almighty,maker of heaven and earth,of all that is, seen and unseen.We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,the only Son of God,eternally begotten of the Father,God from God, Light from Light,true God from true God,begotten, not made,of one Being with the Father.Through him all things were made.For us and for our salvationhe came down from heaven:by the power of the Holy Spirithe became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,and was made man.For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;he suffered death and was buried.On the third day he rose againin accordance with the Scriptures;he ascended into heavenand is seated at the right hand of the Father.He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,and his kingdom will have no end.We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,who proceeds from the Father and the Son.With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.He has spoken through the Prophets.We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.7

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLECome let us adore Christ, the Lord. Let us pray, “Glorious Lord, grant us your peace.”Christ the Lord, we humbly adore you: Make joyful our hearts. Strengthen your Church withhumility and faith that we might triumph over the power of evil.Glorious Lord,Grant us your peace.Christ the Lord, we humbly adore you: you abhor neither the simple nor the lowly. Shine yourlight on all the world that the nations may look upon your truth and find their salvation.Glorious Lord,Grant us your peace.Christ the Lord, we humbly adore you: May all of creation burst forth in songs of praise. May allthe works of your hand glorify you.Glorious Lord,Grant us your peace.Christ the Lord, we humbly adore you: Summon the people of the city to yourself. May all ofthe distractions and heartache of our lives fade away in the joy of your presence.Glorious Lord,Grant us your peace.Christ the Lord, we humbly adore you: You love us so dearly. Grant your healing grace tosinners, to the poor, to those in need of love. Open your arms to the sick and the lonely. Wepray especially for those we mention now, silently, aloud, or in the comment section.(Pause)Glorious Lord,Grant us your peace.Christ the Lord, we humbly adore you: All glory be given to you. You blessed our earthly bodieswith your birth; and you promise to raise us to new life by your death and resurrection. Wepray especially for those we mention now, silently, aloud, or in the comment section.(Pause)Glorious Lord,Grant us your peace.PresiderLoving God, the joyful message of the angels fills us with gladness as wecelebrate the coming of the Christ child to live among us in vulnerable humility:Let your divine light so dwell within us, that we may treasure your words, ponderthem in our hearts, and continue the work of Christ’s incarnation in our day,through Jesus our Savior, to whom with you and the Holy Spirit be honor andglory, now and forever. Amen.8

THE PEACEPresiderPeopleThe peace of the Lord be always with you.And also with you.(Then the Ministers and People may greet one another in the name of the Risen Lord.)THE HOLY COMMUNIONOFFERTORY ANTHEM“No Candle Was There and No Fire”Jordan Tickner, soloistGostling / LehmannPRESENTATION OF THE GIFTS“Once in Royal David’s City”Bulletin page 20Verses 1, 2 & 5 are sungTHE GREAT THANKSGIVINGIt is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and every‐where to give thanks to you, FatherAlmighty, Creator of heaven and earth. Because you gave Jesus Christ, your only Son, to be bornfor us; who, by the mighty power of the Holy Spirit, was made perfect Man of the flesh of theVirgin Mary his mother; so that we might be delivered from the bondage of sin, and receivepower to become your children. Therefore we praise you, joining our voices with Angels andArchangels and with all the company of heaven, who for ever sing this hymn to proclaim theglory of your Name:9