Grace Episcopal Church
The Fourth Sunday of Advent
9AM Holy Eucharist
December 24, 2023
1314 Spring Street Saint Helena, CA 94574 (707) 963-4157
[email protected] / www.grace-episcopal.org
Prelude
Opening Hymn
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel v.1-2, 6-7 – 1982 Hymnal #52
Blessed are you, Holy and Living One.
You come to your people and set them free.
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 perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Kyrie
Lord, Have Mercy WLP #838
Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
The Collect of the Day
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray.
Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
The Word of the Lord
The Lessons
2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16
When the king was settled in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him, the king said to the prophet Nathan, “See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent.” Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that you have in mind; for the Lord is with you.”
But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan: Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the Lord: Are you the one to build me a house to live in? I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but
I have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle. Wherever I have moved about among all the people of Israel, did I ever speak a word with any of the tribal leaders of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?” Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the Lord of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel; and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever.
Reader The Word of the Lord.
People Thanks be to God
Canticle 15 The Song of Mary / Magnificat
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; *
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed: *
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him *
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm, *
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, *
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things, *
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel, *
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
The promise he made to our fathers, *
to Abraham and his children for ever.
Romans 16:25-27
A Reading from the letter to the Romans.
Now to God who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but is now disclosed, and through the prophetic writings is made known to all the Gentiles, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith– to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever! Amen.
Reader The Word of the Lord.
People Thanks be to God
Gospel Song
Canticle of the Turning Gather #622
The Gospel Luke 1:26-38
Gospeller The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, according to Luke.
People Glory to You, Lord Christ.
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
Gospeller The Gospel of the Lord.
People Praise to You, Lord Christ.
The Sermon
The Nicene Creed
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 salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he 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 again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and 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.
The Prayers of the People
Confession of Sin
Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.
Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins through the grace of Jesus Christ, strengthen you in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life. Amen
The Peace
Celebrant The peace of the Lord be always with you.
People And also with you.
Announcements, Birthdays, Anniversaries Offertory
Offertory Music
Doxology
Sung to the tune of All Creatures of Our God and King.
Praise God from whom all blessings flow; Praise him all creatures here below; Alleluia! Alleluia! Praise God above, ye heavenly host, Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; O praise him, O praise him, Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
The Holy Communion
Eucharistic Prayer B
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to God.
Let us give thanks to the Lord, our God of all of Creation
It is right to give God thanks and praise.
It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to you, Almighty God, Creator of heaven and earth.
Because you sent the holy child Jesus to redeem us from sin and death, and to make us heirs in him of everlasting life; that when he shall come again in power and great triumph to judge the world, we may without shame or fear rejoice to behold his appearing.
Therefore we praise you, joining our voices with Angels and Archangels and with all the company of heaven, who for ever sing this hymn to proclaim the glory of your Name:
Sanctus
Santo, santo, santo WLP #785
¡Santo, santo, santo, Holy, holy, holy,
mi corazón te adora! my heart, my heart adores you!
Mi corazón te sabe decir: My heart is glad to say the words,
santo eres Señor. you are holy, Lord
We give thanks to you, O God, for the goodness and love which you have made known to us in creation; in the calling of Israel to be your people; in your Word spoken through the prophets;
and above all in Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh. For in these last days you sent Jesus to be incarnate from the Virgin Mary, to be the Savior and Redeemer of the world. In Christ, you have delivered us from evil, and made us worthy to stand before you. In Christ, you have brought us out of error into truth, out of sin into righteousness, out of death into life.
On the night before he died for us, our Savior Jesus Christ took bread; and when he had given thanks to you, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, and said, “Take, eat: This is my Body, which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.”
After supper Jesus took the cup of wine; and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and said, “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. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me.”
Therefore, according to his command, O Father,
We remember Christ’s death,
We proclaim Christ’s resurrection,
We await Christ’s coming in glory;
And we offer our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to you, O Savior of all; presenting to you, from your creation, this bread and this wine. We pray you, gracious God, to send your Holy Spirit upon these gifts that they may be the Sacrament of the Body of Christ and his Blood of the new Covenant.
Unite us in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, through whom we are acceptable to you, being sanctified by the Holy Spirit. In the fullness of time, put all things in subjection under your Christ, and bring us to that heavenly country where, with the blessèd Virgin Mary, and all your saints, we may enter the everlasting heritage of your sons and daughters; through Jesus Christ our Savior, the firstborn of all creation, the head of the Church, and the author of our salvation.
By Christ, and with Christ, and in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit all honor and glory is yours, Almighty God, now and for ever. Amen.
And now, as our Savior Christ has taught us, we are bold to say, Our Father, who art 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 king- dom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
The Breaking of the Bread
Jesus, Lamb of God 1982 Hymnal #S164
Therefore, let us keep the feast. Alleluia! Alleluia!
Agnus Dei
Jesus, Lamb of God 1982 Hymnal #S164
Sung Through Three Times
Jesus, Lamb of God: Have mercy on us.
Jesus, bearer of our sins: Have mercy on us.
Jesus, redeemer of the world: Give us your peace.
The Gifts of God for the People of God. Take them in remembrance that Christ died for you, and feed on him in your hearts by faith, with thanksgiving.
Music At Communion
Communion Hymn
Prepare the Way, O Zion v.1-3 1982 Hymnal #65
Prayer for Spiritual Communion
(for those not receiving communion)
In union, O Lord, with your faithful people at every altar of your Church, where the Holy Eucharist is now being celebrated, I desire to offer to you praise and thanksgiving. I remember your death, Lord Christ; I proclaim your resurrection; I await your coming in glory. Since I cannot receive you today in the Sacrament of your Body and Blood, I beseech you to come spiritually into my heart. Cleanse and strengthen me with your grace, Lord Jesus, and let me never be separated from you. May I live in you, and you in me, in this life and in the life to come. Amen.
If you have special prayer requests, our Intercessors are available to pray for you at any time. You may send prayer requests to [email protected] or to [email protected]. Our intercessors are ready to pray with you for whatever needs you have in this time.
Post-Communion Prayer
Father of all, we give you thanks and praise, that when we were still far off you met us in your Son and broughtus home. Dying and living, he declared your love, gave us grace and opened the gate of glory. May we whoshare Christ’s body live his risen life; we who drink his cup bring life to others; we whom the Spirit lights give light to the world. Keep us firm in the hope you have set before us so we and all your children shall be freeand the whole earth live to praise your name, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Prayer for Eucharistic Visitors
In the name of this congregation, I send you forth bearing these holy gifts that those to whom you go may share with usin the com- munion of Christ’s body and blood. We who are many are one body; because we all share one bread, one cup.
Blessing
Closing Hymn
People Look East – Wonder, Love, and Praise #724
Dismissal
Alleluia! Alleluia! Go in peace to love
and serve the Lord.
Thanks be to God. Alleluia! Alleluia!
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