As we gather, we recognize that we live, work, pray, and play
in the traditional lands
of the Cowichan Tribes and Coast Salish People. 
We continue to commit ourselves
to the work of reconciliation and relationship-building
with our First Nations neighbours.     

Call to Worship:  

  I bring you good news of a great joy
which will come to all the people;
for to you is born this day a Saviour,
Christ the Lord. 

Luke 2.10-11

O Come, Let Us Worship

Gathering
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.
And also with you. 

Collect for Purity
Almighty God,
to you all hearts are open, all desires known,
and from you no secrets are hidden.
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. 

Candle Lighting
As we light this Christ candle:

We honour Messiah with this Christ-candle flame,
Our Christmas Eve candles glad tidings proclaim;
O come all you faithful, rejoice on this night,
as God comes among us, Creation to light.

Collect for Today
Eternal God,
this holy night is radiant with the brilliance of your one true light.
As we have known the revelation of that light on earth,
bring us to see the splendour of your heavenly glory;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who is alive and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.     Amen. 

The Proclamation of the Gospel:

 Luke 2. 1-14 

Sermon:  The Ven.  Brian Evans

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of
our hearts be ever acceptable to you, O Lord.  Amen.

Room for A Little One: 

Written by:  Martin Waddell   
Illustrated by: Jason Cockcroft
https://youtu.be/FmQpHriXCtc

This is an alternative rendition of the Gospel, a,narrating of the birth of Christ; but it is a reminder of what the Gospel is all about. 

It is a sort of take-away from Archbishop Welby's Christmas message.

https://anglican.ink/2021/12/22/the-archbishop-of-canterburys-christmas-message/ 

In his message he said 'we can't do everything,
but we can do everything that God gave us the resources to do.'

Archbishop Welby high-lights issues that so many of us are facing, such as hunger, housing, military action being taken, oppression, to people being alone, to living out in the cold, as we heard in the book we just read.

But it is a reminder for all of us that there is room in the world for all of us, just as in the stable in the story we just read: room for the ox, the dog, the cat, the mouse, the tired donkey, and room for Mary and Joseph, and room for our Lord, Jesus Christ, the Baby in the manger.

That baby, that birth tells us, or illustrates the significance for us, of just what Archbishop Welby means when he says 'we can do every that God gave us resources to do'

First of all, God gave us his son, Jesus Christ, the greatest resource; |
for having our faith in Christ:  We Can Do.

We can do we more than we can imagine; we can do so much in the world, because we have a faith that gives us hope, gives us love, and gives us that sense of charity--Charity that is such a large word, that encompasses so much about our lives, and about the opportunity we have in life to share the good news of Jesus Christ.

Thanks be to God.  Amen.

Part of sharing that Good News, we share in 
The Apostles Creed  (the words of our baptismal faith)

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.  
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living 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.

Let Us Pray

We offer our prayers with a sense of joy and also a sense of humility,
as we pray to the creator of the universe,
saying, “Lord, grant us peace.”

By the good news of our salvation brought to Mary by the angel,
Hear us, O Lord.
Lord, grant us peace.

By the mystery of the Word made flesh,
Hear us, O Lord.
Lord, grant us peace.

By the birth in time of the timeless Son of God,
Hear us, O Lord.
Lord, grant us peace.

By the manifestation of the King of glory to the shepherds and magi,
Hear us, O Lord.
Lord, grant us peace.

By the submission of the maker of the world to Mary and Joseph of Nazareth,
Hear us, O Lord.
Lord, grant us peace.

By the baptism of the Son of God in the river Jordan,
Hear us, O Lord.
Lord, grant us peace.

Grant that the kingdoms of this world
may become the kingdom of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ
Hear us, O Lord.
Lord, grant us peace.

Confession and Absolution
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 neighbours 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 upon you,
pardon and deliver you from all your sins,
confirm and strengthen you in all goodness,
and keep you in eternal life;
through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Source of light and goodness...
accept all we offer you on this night;
accept all that we  offer you in the presence of ourselves, 
in the presence of our families and our neighbours.
Be with us in this joyful feast of Christmas;
be with us so that we may hear you,and we may rise to grow in you,
and that our lives may be united with you,
for you are Lord, now and forever.

Our Father,
who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name,
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as in heaven. 
Give us today our daily bread. 
Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who tresspass against us.
And lead us  not into temptation, but deliver us fom evil.  
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power and the glory,
forever and ever.  Amen.

One of my favourite hymns at Christmas is Silent Night.
I love the sense of it being a lullaby that you would sing to your children,
and in that anticipation of Christmas and the excitement around that,
that continues to give the world a sense of stopping to rest
and to await, and to be awakened by, the birth of Christ.
We are reminded that Christ's love is pure light,
that Christ's love, and the light of his love, is radiant in each and everyone of us;
and in each person that we encounter, be they rich or poor, or prince or pauper;
be they friend, or the person down the street.
Let us see that radiant glory, just as the shepherds saw that radiance
in the star in the east, as it shone so bright,
and led them to the stable that night 

The Blessing

May the God of infinite goodness scatter the darkness of sin,
and brighten your hearts with holiness;
and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Spirit, be among you, and remain with you, always.  Amen.