← Prayer Book
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,
forever and ever. Amen.
Morning Prayer
Friday, December 25, 2026 • The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas)
Opening
Lord, open my lips.
And my mouth will proclaim your praise.
O God, come to my assistance.
Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Hymn
O Come, All Faithful
O come, all faithful, joyful and triumphant,
O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord;
born this happy morning, O come and adore him,
O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.
O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord;
born this happy morning, O come and adore him,
O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.
God of God, Light of Light,
he abhors not the Virgin's womb;
very God, begotten not created:
O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.
he abhors not the Virgin's womb;
very God, begotten not created:
O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.
Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation,
sing, all you citizens of heaven above;
glory to God in the highest:
O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.
sing, all you citizens of heaven above;
glory to God in the highest:
O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.
Yea, Lord, we greet thee, born this happy morning;
Jesus, to thee be glory given;
word of the Father, now in flesh appearing:
O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.
Jesus, to thee be glory given;
word of the Father, now in flesh appearing:
O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.
Psalmody
Psalm 51Have Mercy on Me, O God
Ant. Today Christ is born for us; glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will.
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your great mercy.
And according to the multitude of your compassions, wipe away my iniquity.
Wash me yet more from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my iniquity, and my sin is always before me.
Against you alone have I sinned, and I have done evil before you.
And so you are justified in your words, and you will prevail when you are judged.
For behold, I was conceived in iniquities, and in sin my mother conceived me.
For behold, you have loved truth; the unknown and secret things of your wisdom you have made clear to me.
You will sprinkle me with hyssop, and I will be cleansed; you will wash me, and I will be made whiter than snow.
To my hearing you will give joy and gladness, and the humbled bones will rejoice.
Turn your face away from my sins, and wipe away all my iniquities.
Create a clean heart in me, O God, and renew a right spirit within my inmost being.
Cast me not away from your face, and take not your holy spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and strengthen me with a princely spirit.
I will teach the unjust your ways, and the impious will be converted to you.
Rescue me from blood, O God, the God of my salvation, and my tongue will extol your justice.
O Lord, you will open my lips, and my mouth will proclaim your praise.
For if you had wanted sacrifice, I would certainly have given it; but with burnt offerings you will not be delighted.
A sacrifice to God is a broken spirit; a contrite and humbled heart, O God, you will not despise.
Deal kindly, O Lord, in your good will with Zion, so that the walls of Jerusalem may be built up.
Then you will accept the sacrifice of justice, oblations and burnt offerings; then they will lay calves upon your altar.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Ant. Today Christ is born for us; glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will.
Psalm 147Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem (Part I)
Ant. Today Christ is born for us; glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will.
Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem; praise your God, O Zion.
For he has strengthened the bars of your gates; he has blessed your sons within you.
Who places your border as peace, and satisfies you with the fat of the grain.
Who sends his speech to the earth; his word runs swiftly.
Who gives snow like wool, scatters mist like ashes.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Ant. Today Christ is born for us; glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will.
Old Testament Canticle
Old Testament Canticle (Jeremiah 14:17–21)
Let my eyes shed tears night and day and let them not cease, for the virgin daughter of my people has been afflicted with a great affliction, with an exceedingly grievous stroke.
If I go forth into the fields, behold the slain with the sword; and if I enter into the city, behold those consumed with famine.
The prophet also and the priest have gone into a land which they knew not.
Have you utterly rejected Judah, or has your soul loathed Zion?
Why then have you struck us, so that there is no healing for us?
We have waited for peace, and there is no good; and for the time of healing, and behold trouble.
We have sinned against you, O Lord; we have done wrong; we have not kept your commandments.
Do not leave us, for your name's sake. Do not disgrace the throne of your glory; remember, break not your covenant with us.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Gospel Canticle: Benedictus (Luke 1:68-79)
The Canticle of Zechariah (Benedictus) (Luke 1:68–79)
Ant. Today Christ is born; today the Savior has appeared; today the angels are singing on earth.
Blessed is the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited and accomplished the redemption of his people.
And he has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of David his servant.
As he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets, those who have been from the beginning:
Salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us.
To show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant,
the oath which he swore to our father Abraham, that he would grant to us,
that being freed from the hand of our enemies, we might serve him without fear,
in holiness and justice before him, throughout all our days.
And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the face of the Lord, to prepare his ways.
To give knowledge of salvation to his people, for the remission of their sins,
through the compassionate mercy of our God, by which the Rising Sun has visited us from on high,
to illuminate those sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death, to direct our feet in the way of peace.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Ant. Today Christ is born; today the Savior has appeared; today the angels are singing on earth.
Short Reading
Titus 3:4–5
When the kindness and generous love of God our Savior appeared, not because of any righteous deeds we had done but because of his mercy, he saved us.
Responsory
V. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us,
R. and we have seen his glory.
V. Full of grace and truth,
R. we have seen his glory.
Intercessions
Rejoicing in the birth of Christ our Savior, let us offer our prayers, saying:
For peace in the world, that the Prince of Peace may reign in every heart and in every nation: we pray to you, O Lord.
Glory to God in the highest.
For children and families, especially those experiencing poverty, that they may know the warmth and security that the Holy Family sought: we pray to you, O Lord.
Glory to God in the highest.
For refugees and those far from home, that they may find welcome and shelter: we pray to you, O Lord.
Glory to God in the highest.
For our parish and our bishop, that the joy of Christmas may deepen our life together in faith: we pray to you, O Lord.
Glory to God in the highest.
For those for whom Christmas is a time of grief or loneliness, that your comfort may surround them: we pray to you, O Lord.
Glory to God in the highest.
For a spirit of generosity in this season, that we may share our gifts as God has shared the greatest gift: we pray to you, O Lord.
Glory to God in the highest.
The Lord's Prayer
Let us pray as the Lord himself has taught us:
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,
forever and ever. Amen.
Concluding Prayer
Lord, you who are the Word made flesh, fill our words with grace and our actions with love, so that in all things we may bear witness to your presence among us; who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
Dismissal
The Lord be with you.
And with your spirit.
May almighty God bless us: the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
Thanks be to God.