Prayers and Readings for Friday, December 25, 2009

Christmas Day

Divine Office

Order of service for Morning and Evening Prayer.

Opening Prayer

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 for ever.

First Reading

Isaiah 52.7-10
A reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah.

7 How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of the messenger who announces peace,
who brings good news,
who announces salvation,
who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’
8 Listen! Your sentinels lift up their voices,
together they sing for joy;
for in plain sight they see
the return of the LORD to Zion.
9 Break forth together into singing,
you ruins of Jerusalem;
for the LORD has comforted his people,
he has redeemed Jerusalem.
10 The LORD has bared his holy arm
before the eyes of all the nations;
and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 98
R All the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.

1 Sing to the Lord a new song,
for he has done marvellous things.
2 With his right hand and his holy arm
has he won for himself the victory. R
3 The Lord has made known his victory;
his righteousness has he openly shown
in the sight of the nations.
4 He remembers his mercy and faithfulness
to the house of Israel,
and all the ends of the earth have seen
the victory of our God. R
5 Shout with joy to the Lord, all you lands;
lift up your voice, rejoice and sing.
6 Sing to the Lord with the harp,
with the harp and the voice of song.
7 With trumpets and the sound of the horn
shout with joy before the King, the Lord. R
8 Let the sea make a noise and all that is in it,
the lands and those who dwell therein.
9 Let the rivers clap their hands,
and let the hills ring out with joy before the Lord,
when he comes to judge the earth.
10 In righteousness shall he judge the world,
and the peoples with equity. R

Second Reading

Hebrews 1.1-4
A reading from the letter to the Hebrews.

1 Long ago God spoke to our ancestors
in many and various ways by the prophets,
2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son,
whom he appointed heir of all things,
through whom he also created the worlds.
3 He is the reflection of God’s glory
and the exact imprint of God’s very being,
and he sustains all things by his powerful word.
When he had made purification for sins,
he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
4 having become as much superior to angels
as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

Acclamation

Alleluia! Alleluia! We declare to you what was from the beginning, the Word who is life. Alleluia!

Gospel

John 1.1-14
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John.

1 In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things came into being through him,
and without him not one thing came into being.
4 What has come into being in him was life,
and the life was the light of all people.
5 The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness did not overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 He came as a witness to testify to the light,
so that all might believe through him.
8 He himself was not the light,
but he came to testify to the light.
9 The true light, which enlightens everyone,
was coming into the world.
10 He was in the world,
and the world came into being through him;
yet the world did not know him.
11 He came to what was his own,
and his own people did not accept him.
12 But to all who received him,
who believed in his name,
he gave power to become children of God,
13 who were born, not of blood
or of the will of the flesh
or of the will of man
but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh and lived among us,
and we have seen his glory,
the glory as of a father’s only son,
full of grace and truth.

Closing Prayer

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.