Christmas Day

25 December 2020

Bible readings for today

Collects

Collects for Christmas Eve and/or Christmas Day

Proper 1 (Christmas Day at Dawn)
Emmanuel, God with us,

you came among us as a vulnerable child,
carrying the weight of humanity.
You trusted the Yes of Mary
and showed us that with you nothing is impossible.
Grant us the grace of Mary to carry your light into the darkness of the world.
For you are alive and reign with the Father,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.

Proper 2 (Christmas Day)
Holy God,
the Angels revealed your presence to shepherds
with light and wonder in the midst of the ordinary. Transform our hearts and minds
to recognize your ongoing presence in the world today, that we may be faithful agents of your story of love. Through Jesus Christ,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.

Proper 3
Holy God,
Word made flesh, present from the beginning of time,
revealed as light to a people lost in darkness;
shine that light before us as a symbol of hope,
that we might reflect that light in a world struggling to overcome the darkness. For you are alive and reign with the Father,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.

Christmas Day

Today we celebrate the birth of the Saviour of the world!

Printable Nativity

Christmas welcome packs

The printable nativity in Christmas on the Move is great to print out and give to families as at your christmas services. Encourage them to make their own at home, or give them a pack with pens to start making it in the service.
Head to the Christmas on the Move page on the Strandz website

Thinking about how to welcome children at your Christmas services this year? We put this Christmas activity booklet together to go in kids welcome packs for the Christmas weekend, along with some 'Christmas on the Move' nativity characters, a glowstick, candy cane and some other bits and pieces. You can print it out on 2 A4 pages, staple and fold to make a little booklet.

Connecting with families

Christmas is a wonderful opportunity to connect with families (and extended families) that you might not see throughout the year. Many non-church going community families will want to celebrate Christmas at church. You might even see families of some of your regular children's church children. Go the extra mile to welcome and include both parents and children that you don't usually see. Whatever celebration happens, commit to involving everyone. Christmas is one of only a few times a year where we have such a fantastic opportunity to reach out to others within the church.