Morning Prayer: Wednesday 24 December 2025
This is the new revised order for Daily Prayer authorised for experimental use. You can find the 2006 Revised version here.
Christmas Eve
Festivals
Christmas Eve
O Lord, open our lips:
and our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
Glory be to God, Source of all Being, Eternal Word, and Holy Spirit;*
as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be for ever. Amen.
Amen.
PSALMODY
Antiphon: The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice:* let the multitude of the isles be glad. (Psalm 97.1)
Opening
Glory ...
or a suitable Hymn
(Or from Psalm 97)
1. You are the Lord, most high over all the earth;*
you are exalted far above all gods.
2. The Lord loves those who hate evil;*
preserving the lives of the saints and delivering them from the hand of the wicked.
3. Light has sprung up for the righteous,*
and joyful gladness for those who are truehearted.
4. Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous.*
and give thanks to the holy name of the Lord.
Glory ...
or a suitable hymn
and all the hardships he endured.
2. How he swore an oath to the Lord *
and vowed a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob.
3. “I will not come under the roof of my house, *
nor climb up into my bed;
4. I will not allow my eyes to sleep, *
nor let my eyelids slumber;
5. until I find a place for the Lord, *
a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
6. “The Ark! We heard it was in Ephratah; *
we found it in the fields of Jearim.
7. Let us go to the dwelling place of the Lord; *
let us fall upon our knees before the footstool of the Lord.”
8. Arise, O Lord, into your resting-place, *
you and the ark of your strength.
9. Let your priests be clothed with righteousness; *
let your faithful people sing with joy.
10. For your servant David’s sake, *
do not turn away the face of your anointed.
11. You, O Lord, have sworn an oath to David; in truth, you will not break it: *
“A son, the fruit of your body will I set upon your throne.
12. If your children keep my covenant and my testimonies that I shall teach them, *
their children will sit upon your throne for evermore.”
13. For you, O Lord, have chosen Zion, *
and have desired it for your habitation:
14. “This shall be my resting-place for ever; *
here will I dwell, for I delight in it.
15. I will surely bless its provisions, *
and satisfy its poor with bread.
16. I will clothe its priests with salvation, *
and its faithful people will rejoice and sing.
17. There will I make the horn of David flourish; *
I have prepared a lamp for my anointed.
18. As for his enemies, I will clothe them with shame; *
but as for him, his crown will shine.”
Glory ...
Psalm 133
1. Oh, how good and pleasant it is, *
when kindred live together in unity!
2. It is like fine oil upon the head that runs down upon the beard, *
upon the beard of Aaron, and runs down upon the collar of his robe.
3. It is like the dew of Hermon that falls upon the hills of Zion. *
For there the Lord has ordained the blessing: life for evermore
Conclusion
We praise you, O God - Te Deum
1. We praise you, O God, we acclaim you as Lord;*
all creation worships you, the Father everlasting
2. To you all angels, all the powers of heaven, *
the cherubim and seraphim, sing in endless praise:
3. Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,*
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
4. The glorious company of apostles*
praise you.
5. The noble fellowship of prophets*
praise you.
6. The white-robed army of martyrs*
praise you.
7. Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you:*
Father, of majesty unbounded.
8. Your true and only Son, worthy of all praise,*
the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.
9. You, Christ, are the king of glory,*
the eternal Son of the Father.
10. When you took our flesh to set us free*
you humbly chose the Virgin’s womb.
11. You overcame the sting of death,*
and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
12. You are seated at God’s right hand in glory.*
We believe that you will come to be our judge.
13. Come then, Lord, and help your people,*
bought with the price of your own blood.
14. And bring us with your saints*
to glory everlasting.
Glory ...
The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice:* let the multitude of the isles be glad.
READING(S)
Baruch 4.36-5.9
and see the joy that is coming to you from God.
Look, your children are coming, whom you sent away;
they are coming, gathered from east and west,
at the word of the Holy One,
rejoicing in the glory of God.
Take off the garment of your sorrow and affliction, O Jerusalem,
and put on for ever the beauty of the glory from God.
Put on the robe of the righteousness that comes from God;
put on your head the diadem of the glory of the Everlasting;
for God will show your splendour everywhere under heaven.
For God will give you evermore the name,
‘Righteous Peace, Godly Glory’.
Arise, O Jerusalem, stand upon the height;
look towards the east,
and see your children gathered from west and east
at the word of the Holy One,
rejoicing that God has remembered them.
For they went out from you on foot,
led away by their enemies;
but God will bring them back to you,
carried in glory, as on a royal throne.
For God has ordered that every high mountain and the everlasting hills be made low
and the valleys filled up, to make level ground,
so that Israel may walk safely in the glory of God.
The woods and every fragrant tree
have shaded Israel at God’s command.
For God will lead Israel with joy,
in the light of his glory,
with the mercy and righteousness that come from him.
Galatians 3.23-4.7
My point is this: heirs, as long as they are minors, are no better than slaves, though they are the owners of all the property; but they remain under guardians and trustees until the date set by the father. So with us; while we were minors, we were enslaved to the elemental spirits of the world. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’ So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.
Matthew 1.18-25
‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel’,
which means, ‘God is with us.’ When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.
Silence
Response (Psalm 89.1)
Your love, O Lord, for ever will I sing.
Your love, O Lord, for ever will I sing.
My mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness.
Throughout all generations.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit
Your love, O Lord, for ever will I sing.
SONG OF ZECHARIAH
Song of Zechariah Antiphon: You will guide us with your counsel, O God: * and, after, receive us with glory. Righteousness and justice* * are the foundation of your throne.
1 Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel,*
for he has come to his people and set them free.
2 He has raised up for us a mighty saviour,*
born of the house of his servant David.
3 Through his holy prophets he promised of old*
that he would save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all that hate us.
4 He promised to show mercy to our forebears,*
and to remember his holy covenant.
5 This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:*
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
6 free to worship him without fear,*
holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life.
7 You my child shall be called the prophet of the Most High,*
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
8 to give his people knowledge of salvation*
by the forgiveness of all their sins.
9 In the tender compassion of our God*
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
10 to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,*
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Song of Zechariah Antiphon: You will guide us with your counsel, O God: * and, after, receive us with glory. Righteousness and justice* * are the foundation of your throne.
PRAYERS
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Do not bring us to the time of trial,
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours,
now and for ever.
Amen
Collect of the Day
O God, you have made this most holy nightgrow radiant with the brilliance of the true Light:
grant that, as we have known the mystery of that Light on earth,
so we may delight in him in heaven;
through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end.
Amen
God most holy, we give you thanks for bringing us out of the shadow of night into the light of morning; and we ask you for the joy of spending this day in your service, so that when evening comes, we may once more give you thanks, through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord.
Amen
Let us bless the Lord:
Thanks be to God!
The Lord bless us and preserve us from all evil;
and bring us to life eternal.
Amen.
