Morning Prayer
Christmas Season
Saturday, 25 December 2025
Christmas Day
Preparation
O Lord, open our lips
All and our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
You laid the foundation of the earth
All and the heavens are the work of your hands.
One or more of the following is said or sung:
this or another prayer of thanksgiving
Blessed are you, sovereign God,
creator of heaven and earth,
to you be praise and glory for ever.
As your living Word, eternal in heaven,
assumed the frailty of our mortal flesh,
may the light of your love be born in us
to fill our hearts with joy as we sing:
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
All Blessed be God for ever.
A Song of the Bride
1I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, ♦
my soul shall exult in my God;
2Who has clothed me with the garments of salvation, ♦
and has covered me with the cloak of integrity,
3As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, ♦
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
4For as the earth puts forth her blossom, ♦
and as seeds in the garden spring up,
5So shall God make righteousness and praise ♦
blossom before all the nations.
6For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, ♦
and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest
7Until her deliverance shines out like the dawn, ♦
and her salvation as a burning torch.
8The nations shall see your deliverance, ♦
and all rulers shall see your glory;
9Then you shall be called by a new name ♦
which the mouth of God will give.
10You shall be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, ♦
a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
Isaiah 61.10,11; 62.1-3
All Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.
This opening prayer may be said
The night has passed, and the day lies open before us;
let us pray with one heart and mind.
Silence is kept.
As we rejoice in the gift of this new day,
so may the light of your presence, O God,
set our hearts on fire with love for you;
now and for ever.
All Amen.
The Word of God
Psalmody
Psalm 97
The Glory of God’s Reign
1 The Lord is king! Let the earth rejoice;
let the many coastlands be glad!
2 Clouds and thick darkness are all around him;
righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
3 Fire goes before him,
and consumes his adversaries on every side.
4 His lightnings light up the world;
the earth sees and trembles.
5 The mountains melt like wax before the Lord,
before the Lord of all the earth.
6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness;
and all the peoples behold his glory.
7 All worshippers of images are put to shame,
those who make their boast in worthless idols;
all gods bow down before him.
8 Zion hears and is glad,
and the towns of Judah rejoice,
because of your judgements, O God.
9 For you, O Lord, are most high over all the earth;
you are exalted far above all gods.
10 The Lord loves those who hate evil;
he guards the lives of his faithful;
he rescues them from the hand of the wicked.
11 Light dawns for the righteous,
and joy for the upright in heart.
12 Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous,
and give thanks to his holy name!
All Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.
New Testament Reading
Isaiah 62:6-12
6 Upon your walls, O Jerusalem,
I have posted sentinels;
all day and all night
they shall never be silent.
You who remind the Lord,
take no rest,
7 and give him no rest
until he establishes Jerusalem
and makes it renowned throughout the earth.
8 The Lord has sworn by his right hand
and by his mighty arm:
I will not again give your grain
to be food for your enemies,
and foreigners shall not drink the wine
for which you have laboured;
9 but those who garner it shall eat it
and praise the Lord,
and those who gather it shall drink it
in my holy courts.
10 Go through, go through the gates,
prepare the way for the people;
build up, build up the highway,
clear it of stones,
lift up an ensign over the peoples.
11 The Lord has proclaimed
to the end of the earth:
Say to daughter Zion,
‘See, your salvation comes;
his reward is with him,
and his recompense before him.’
12 They shall be called, ‘The Holy People,
The Redeemed of the Lord’;
and you shall be called, ‘Sought Out,
A City Not Forsaken.’
Canticle
A Song of the Messiah
Refrain:
All To us a child is born,
to us a son is given.
1The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; ♦
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
upon them the light has dawned.
2You have increased their joy and given them great gladness; ♦
they rejoiced before you as with joy at the harvest.
3For you have shattered the yoke that burdened them; ♦
the collar that lay heavy on their shoulders.
4For to us a child is born and to us a son is given, ♦
and the government will be upon his shoulder.
5And his name will be called: Wonderful Counsellor;
the Mighty God; ♦
the Everlasting Father; the Prince of Peace.
6Of the increase of his government and of peace ♦
there will be no end,
7Upon the throne of David and over his kingdom, ♦
to establish and uphold it with justice and righteousness.
8From this time forth and for evermore; ♦
the zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
Isaiah 9.2, 3b, 4a, 6, 7
All Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.
All To us a child is born,
to us a son is given.
New Testament Reading
Titus 3:4-7
4 But when the goodness and loving-kindness of God our Saviour appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy, through the water[a] of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. 6 This Spirit he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Saviour, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Gospel Reading
Luke 2:1-20
The Birth of Jesus
2 In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 All went to their own towns to be registered. 4 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. 5 He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. 7 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.
The Shepherds and the Angels
8 In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 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: 11 to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah,[a] the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.’ 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host,[b] praising God and saying,
14 ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom he favours!’[c]
15 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.’ 16 So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. 17 When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
The Word of life which was from the beginning
All we proclaim to you.
The darkness is passing away
and the true light is already shining;
All the Word of life which was from the beginning.
That which we heard, which we saw with our eyes,
and touched with our hands,
All we proclaim to you.
For our fellowship is with the Father,
and with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
All The Word of life which was from the beginning
we proclaim to you.
from 1 John 1
Gospel Canticle
The Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah)
Refrain:
All To us is born a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord,
and all the heavenly hosts now sing,
Glory to God in the highest.
1Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel, ♦
who has come to his people and set them free.
2He has raised up for us a mighty Saviour, ♦
born of the house of his servant David.
3Through his holy prophets God promised of old ♦
to save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all that hate us,
4To show mercy to our ancestors, ♦
and to remember his holy covenant.
5This was the oath God swore to our father Abraham: ♦
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
6Free to worship him without fear, ♦
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.
7And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, ♦
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
8To give his people knowledge of salvation ♦
by the forgiveness of all their sins.
9In the tender compassion of our God ♦
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
10To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, ♦
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Luke 1.68-79
All Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.
Refrain:
All To us is born a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord,
and all the heavenly hosts now sing,
Glory to God in the highest.
Prayers
Intercessions are offered
for the day and its tasks
for the world and its needs
for the Church and her life
The Church, especially in places of conflict
The Holy Land, for peace with justice, and reconciliation
Refugees and asylum seekers
Homeless people
Families with young children
Lord, in your mercy
All hear our prayer
The Collect
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.
All Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Rejoicing in the presence of God here among us,
let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us
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,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
The Conclusion
May God, who has called us out of darkness
into his marvellous light,
bless us and fill us with peace.
All Amen.
Let us bless the Lord.
All Thanks be to God.
© The Archbishops' Council of the Church of England, 2000-2005