The Eve of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ December 24, 2020

The Holy Eucharist at 8:00 pm

The Nativity Window, Grace Church

Grace Episcopal Church Asheville, North Carolina

THE FESTIVAL EUCHARIST

ORGAN VOLUNTARY

THE HYMN IN PROCESSION: O Come, All Ye Faithful

Celebrant Light looked down and saw darkness. People I will go there,” said Light. Celebrant Peace looked down and saw war. People “I will go there,” said Peace. Celebrant Love looked down and saw hatred. People “I will go there,” said Love. Celebrant So he, the Lord of Light, the Prince of Peace, the King of Love, came down and crept in beside us.

THE OPENING ACCLAMATION

Celebrant Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. People And blessed be his kingdom, now and for ever. Amen. Celebrant Gift-giving God, of angels and stars, magi and shepherds, promise and hope, journeys and longing; God who calls and sends, blesses and guards, hides and reveals, asks and waits, ancient love, that is always new; God of Christmas, God of our hearts; may we bear the Christ to all who need him, and allow his birth in us again. People Amen.

THE SONG OF PRAISE: Angels We Have Heard on High

THE LITURGY OF THE WORD

THE COLLECT FOR CHRISTMAS EVE

Celebrant Let us pray. O God, you have caused this holy night to shine with the brightness of the true Light: Grant that we, who have known the mystery of that Light on earth, may also enjoy him perfectly in heaven; where with you and the Holy Spirit he lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. People Amen.

THE LESSON: Isaiah 9:2-7

Lector A reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah.

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness on them light has shined. You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as people exult when dividing plunder. For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. For all the boots of the tramping warriors and all the garments rolled in blood shall be burned as fuel for the fire. For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.

The Word of the Lord. People Thanks be to God.

PSALM 96: 1 – 4, 11-13

Sing to the LORD a new song; * sing to the LORD, all the whole earth. Sing to the LORD and bless his Name; * proclaim the good news of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations * and his wonders among all peoples. For great is the LORD and greatly to be praised; * he is more to be feared than all gods. Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea thunder and all that is in it; * let the field be joyful and all that is therein. Then shall all the trees of the wood shout for joy before the LORD when he comes, * when he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness * and the peoples with his truth.

THE READING FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT: Titus 2: 11-14

Lector A reading from the Letter of Titus.

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.

The Word of the Lord. People Thanks be to God.

THE GOSPEL HYMN: Of the Father’s Love Begotten

THE HOLY GOSPEL: Luke 2:1-20

Celebrant The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke. People Glory to you, Lord Christ.

In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for see - I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!" When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us." So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

The Gospel of the Lord. People Praise to you, Lord Christ.

A CHRISTMAS HOMILY Rev. Milly

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

Intercessor Brothers and sisters, on this most holy night of our Lord’s birth, that we may find peace and joy in this holy season, let us pray for ourselves and all those in need of our prayers, saying: Lord, hear our prayer. For the church of Christ, that it may faithfully proclaim the good news of salvation and may care for the needs of God’s people in all corners of the world, we pray to You, O Lord. People Lord, hear our prayer.

Intercessor For peace in our troubled world, that the darkness of war and injustice may be replaced by the light of peace and love, we pray to You, O Lord. People Lord, hear our prayer. Intercessor For all those in need of our prayers: those who are homeless; those who are unemployed; those who are hungry; those who are hospitalized; those who are imprisoned in body or soul; and all those for whom this season is not one of joy but of trial and sadness, we pray to You, O Lord. People Lord, hear our prayer.

Intercessor For those who are sick, that their illnesses may be turned into health and their sorrow into rejoicing, we pray to You, O Lord. People Lord, hear our prayer.

Intercessor For those who labor this night on behalf of others: those on duty in hospitals, police officers and firefighters, bus and taxi drivers, and all those whose work prevents them from sharing this evening with those they love, especially the men and women serving in the armed forces, we pray to You, O Lord. People Lord, hear our prayer.

Intercessor In thanksgiving we remember the lives of those who have gone before us in faith. That we, like them, may remain faithful to the end and live forever in the light of Your eternal glory, we pray to You, O Lord. People Lord, hear our prayer.

Celebrant Almighty and eternal God, ruler of all things in heaven and earth: Mercifully accept the prayers of your people, and strengthen us to do your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

All Amen.

THE PEACE: The peace of the Lord be always with you. People And also with you.

THE HOLY COMMUNION

THE OFFERTORY HYMN Joy to the World

THE GREAT THANKSGIVING

Celebrant The Lord Be With You People And also with you. Celebrant Lift up your hearts. People We lift them to the Lord. Celebrant Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. People It is right to give him thanks and praise.

The Celebrant continues with the Eucharistic Prayer

It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to you, Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. Because you gave Jesus Christ, your only Son, to be born for us; who, by the mighty power of the Holy Spirit, was made perfect Man of the flesh of the Virgin Mary his mother; so that we might be delivered from the bondage of sin, and receive power to become your children. 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 Hurd, S 124

Holy, holy, holy, Lord, God of power and might Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna in the highest.

The Celebrant continues with the Eucharistic Prayer

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 the Word made flesh, Jesus, your Son. For in these last days you sent him to be incarnate from the Virgin Mary, to be the Savior and Redeemer of the world. In him, you have delivered us from evil, and made us worthy to stand before you. In him, 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 Lord 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 he 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,

All We remember his death, we proclaim his resurrection We await his coming in glory.

The Celebrant continues

And we offer our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to you, O Lord 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 to your Son in his sacrifice, that we may be acceptable through him, 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 Blessed Virgin Mary, the Holy Mother of God; St. John, our Patron, and all your saints, we may enter the everlasting heritage of your sons and daughters; through Jesus Christ our Lord, the firstborn of all creation, the head of the Church, and the author of our salvation.

By him and with him and in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit all honor and glory is yours, Almighty Father, now and for ever ...

All Amen, Amen, Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER (traditional)

Celebrant And now, as our Savior Christ has taught us, we are bold to say, All 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 kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

THE BREAKING OF THE BREAD

FRACTION ANTHEM: S 154 David Hurd

Celebrant Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us; All Therefore let us keep the feast.

THE INVITATION TO COMMUNION

Celebrant This is the Table of the Lord. It is made ready for those who love and for those who want to love more. So, come, you who have much faith and you who have little; you who have been here often and you who have not been here long; you who have tried to follow and you who have fallen short. Come, because it is the Risen Christ who invites you. It is the Risen Christ who wants to meet you here.

THE COMMUNION OF THE PEOPLE

THE POST COMMUNION HYMN

THE POST COMMUNION PRAYER

Celebrant Let us pray. All God our Father, in this night you have made known to us, again, the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: conﬁrm our faith, and ﬁx our eyes on him until the day dawns, and Christ, the Morning Star, rises in our hearts. To him be glory, both now and for ever. Amen.

THE CHRISTMAS BLESSING

Celebrant May Almighty God, who sent his Son to take our nature upon him, bless you in this holy season, scatter the darkness of sin, and brighten your heart with the light of his holiness. People Amen.

Celebrant May God, who sent his angels to proclaim the glad news of the Savior’s birth, fill you with joy, and make you heralds of the Gospel. People Amen.

Celebrant May God, who in the Word made flesh joined heaven to earth and earth to heaven, give you his peace and favor. People Amen.

Celebrant And the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be upon you and remain with you for ever. People Amen.

THE DISMISSAL

Deacon Let us go forth into the world, taking the light of Christ with us; alleluia, alleluia! People Thanks be to God, alleluia, alleluia!

THE HYMN IN PROCESSION Hark the Herald Angels Sing (next page)

ORGAN VOLUNTARY

The beautiful Christmas greens and flowers are given by the generous donors of Grace Parish.

Many thanks to all of Grace’s Liturgical Guilds for their dedication in crafting the many services of the Christmas season, and to all who participated in and prepared the space for worship.

We thank our Verger Lorie Tola, our reader Sonny Rawls, our song leader Elise Cassarino, violinist Beth Trower, and organist Cathy Adkins for their beautiful contributions during this evening’s service, and for their admirable dedication. We thank James Cassarino for his ongoing musical direction, and Reverend Milly Morrow for her dedication to all of us at Grace. We also thank our technical team, James Cannon, Elaine Potter and Ali Shaefer for their constant dedication to making the live streamed services available to us all.

Christmas 2020 at Grace

We invite you to imagine our beautiful sanctuary filled with all the members of Grace, as it normally would be as we celebrate Christmas. Let’s cherish and be grateful for our wonderful community, knowing that so many are tuning in from a distance this season.

We welcome all new members, and those who have been with us for some time,

both the spiritual seeker and the seasoned disciple, from many starting points who find their home in God with us.

The Clergy, Staff, and Vestry of Grace wish you, and your family and friends, a Blessed Christmas and a Hope-filled, Joyous New Year!

JOIN US FOR OUR NEXT TWO CHRISTMAS SERVICES December 25 ~ Christmas Day Holy Eucharist at 10 a.m. The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ Find the link for our services and bulletins at www.graceavl.com . December 27 ~ Sunday at 10:30 a.m. Festival of Lessons and Carols: During A Service of Christmas Lessons and Carols, we will hear again the story of creation, salvation, the birth of John and Jesus and the meaning of the incarnation. Then, we will sing favorite carols as a joyful response to those stories. 17

ANNOUNCEMENTS

HOLIDAY OFFICE HOURS: The church will be closed December 24 - 28 for Christmas and from noon December 31 - January 3 for the New Year.

WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT ACTIVITIES AT GRACE? Sign up for our All- Parish emails and notification of when our next monthly Grace TEAM Newsletter comes out at www.graceavl.com. You can also email your request to [email protected] or call the Grace Church Office at 282-254-1086 and leave us a message asking to be put on our mailing list. If you know someone who does not use technology and wants to stay informed, please let us know and we’ll send them a monthly Grace TEAM through the mail. We are often working from home during this time. Valerie’s regular office hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and you are welcome to call or text her on her cell during office hours at 828-230-9551. Also feel free to email our Rector Rev. Milly Morrow at [email protected] or call her between 7 am and 7 pm at 828.772.1429.

OUR PRAYER LIST

For Parishioners: Chris Carson; Randy and Martha Carson; Sally Coburn; Cuyler Dupree; Dorothy Engel; Eunice Ferguson; Kathleen Griffin; Doug Haldane; Dodie King; Don and Ann Lewis; Carole McClellan; Nancy Porter; Sonny Rawls; Laura & Tsz-yan Snyder; Rita Spragg; Sydnor Thompson; Greg Townsend; Abby, Robert and Lochlan Townsend; Mickey Trinite; Pat Walters; Katie Warren; Don Wills. For Homebound Parishioners and Those in Healthcare Facilities: Henny Caldwell; Bobbie Eblen; Ed Denison, Straudia Luedtke; Rita Lyda; Marion Mayfield-Johnson; Tom Paine; Deb Pegel; BobTurner. For Others (names will stay on the list for six weeks; call the office to keep names on the list for a longer time): Bruce Appeldoorn (friend of Kathleen Griffin); Becky Blaylock (friend of Kathleen Griffin); Deane Brown (brother of Barbara Wilcox); Kari and Dave Chadwell (niece and nephew of Pat and George Davis); Walt Deyton (father of Cheryl Deyton); Melinda Franks (sister of Becky Smith); Robin Fulk (niece of Charlotte & Travers Chiott); Veronica Litun (mother of Valerie Heavens); Sally Morrow (mother of Rev. Milly Morrow); Jenean (niece of Kathleen Griffin) Mary, Rebecca, Michael and Turtle (great nieces and great nephews of Kathleen Griffin); Patricia (friend of Kathleen Griffin). For Those Who Have Died and their Families: Tom Hatcher (friend of Nancy Clark); Forrest McCann (cousin of Kim Hayes).

For Those in Service to Our Country: Tommy & Danny Brown (grandsons of Ed & Marla Woeckener); Matthew George (son of Zoe Davis); Spencer & Erica High; Jason Marino (son of Lynda McCredie); Daniel Schultz (son of Judy Rhodes); Nancy Smith; Charlotte (daughter of Pam Stein); Sarah Jane Wilkey (daughter of Diane & Tony Wilkey); Gus Whitman (grandson of Jane Whitman). For Those in the Episcopal Church: Michael (our presiding Bishop); José (our Bishop); the clergy, vestry, staff, ministries, and people of this parish; Church of the Advocate. For our President Donald Trump, President-Elect Joe Biden, their Cabinets, Congress & our country; for victims of violence across the world; for local agencies & those who work for relief of the poor; for better stewardship of the environment; for resolution of crises throughout our world. For Protection from COVID-19: Protect all who have been or are being affected by this virus spreading around the world. Be with those who are sick and those who are caring for them. Be with those who have died. Be with those people who we often have ignored in the past, who are now proving to be our heroes: grocery store workers, baggers, cashiers, those who stock the shelves; pharmacy workers and pharmacists, truck drivers who ensure the goods and supplies we need are delivered. Be with our Healthcare workers, nurses, doctors, those who cook, clean and do the laundry. Be with the scientists and researchers who are working on a cure so that this virus may be eradicated. Please go to www.graceavl.com/spiritual-growth/prayer-ministries/ for more opportunities to request prayer. Please get permission from anyone you would like to add to this list and contact the office.

Grace Episcopal Church 871 Merrimon Ave., Asheville, NC 28804 828-254-1086 [email protected] www.graceavl.com www.facebook.com/graceasheville

The Right Reverend José McLoughlin, Bishop The Reverend Milly Morrow, Rector James Cassarino, Director of Music; Cathy Adkins, Organist Valerie Heavens, Office Manager; Angel Randy Stoudt, Sexton James Cannon, Elaine Potter and Ali Schaefer, Technology Directors

CCLI 1308653