Please join in saying the words and singing the hymns printed in bold type.

The church is served by a hearing loop. Users should turn their hearing aid to the setting marked T.

Photography, filming, and sound recording are not allowed in St Margaret's Church during services. Please ensure that mobile telephones and other electronic devices are silent.

Following the service, a collection will be taken; the money from today's services will be divided equally between Westminster House Youth Club and the work of the Abbey. Since 1888, Westminster House Youth Club has been supporting young people aged 8–18 to make positive life choices, by providing for them purposeful activities, both recreational and educational.

Order of Service

All stand as the clergy enter

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The president greets the congregation, to which all respond

and also with you.

All remain standing. The president introduces the Prayers of Penitence, after which all say

Most merciful God,
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
we confess that we have sinned
in thought, word, and deed.
We have not loved you with our whole heart.
We have not loved our neighbours as ourselves.
In your mercy
forgive what we have been,
help us to amend what we are,
and direct what we shall be;
that we may do justly,
love mercy,
and walk humbly with you, our God.
Amen.

The president gives the Absolution

Almighty God, who forgives all who truly repent, have mercy upon you, pardon and deliver you from all your sins, confirm and strengthen you in all goodness, and keep you in life eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Gloria in excelsis Deo is said

Glory to God in the highest,
and peace to his people on earth.

Lord God, heavenly King,
almighty God and Father,
we worship you, we give you thanks,
we praise you for your glory.

Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father,
Lord God, Lamb of God,
you take away the sin of the world:
have mercy on us;
you are seated at the right hand of the Father:
receive our prayer.

For you alone are the Holy One,
you alone are the Lord,
you alone are the Most High,
Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God the Father.
Amen.

Let us pray.

All remain standing. The president says the Collect

All sit for the Reading, Ephesians 1: 3–14

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and insight he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will, so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God's own people, to the praise of his glory.

This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

All stand for the Gospel, John 1: 10–18

The Lord be with you
and also with you.

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John.
Glory to you, O Lord.

The true light was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth. (John testified to him and cried out, 'This was he of whom I said, "He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me."') From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father's heart, who has made him known.

This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.

The Homily by The Reverend Robert Latham, Precentor

All kneel or remain seated for the Prayers of Intercession, during which the following response is used

Lord, in your mercy
hear our prayer.

All stand. The president introduces the Peace

Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to all in whom he delights.

The peace of the Lord be always with you
and also with you.

All may greet one another with the words Peace be with you.

All sing the Offertory Hymn

Lord, enthroned in heav'nly splendour,
   first-begotten from the dead,
thou alone, our strong defender,
   liftest up thy people's head.
      Alleluia!
   Jesu, true and living Bread.

Here our humblest homage pay we;
   here in loving rev'rence bow;
here for Faith's discernment pray we,
   lest we fail to know thee now.
      Alleluia!
   Thou art here, we ask not how.

Though the lowliest form doth veil thee
   as of old in Bethlehem,
here as there thine angels hail thee,
   Branch and Flow'r of Jesse's stem.
      Alleluia!
   We in worship join with them.

Paschal Lamb, thine Off'ring, finished
   once for all when thou wast slain,
in its fullness undiminished
   shall for evermore remain,
      Alleluia!
   Cleansing souls from every stain.

Life-imparting heav'nly Manna,
   stricken Rock with streaming side,
heav'n and earth with loud hosanna
   worship thee, the Lamb who died,
      Alleluia!
   Ris'n, ascended, glorified!

Words: George Hugh Bourne (1840–1925)
Tune: 'St Helen' 296i NEH, probably by George Martin (1844–1916)

All remain standing for the Eucharistic Prayer. The president says

The Lord be with you
and also with you.

Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give thanks and praise.

All glory and honour be yours always and everywhere, mighty creator, ever-living God. We give you thanks and praise for your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ, who for love of our fallen race humbled himself, and was born of the Virgin Mary by the power of your Spirit, and lived as one of us. In this mystery of the Word made flesh you have caused his light to shine in our hearts, to give knowledge of your glory in the face of Jesus Christ. In him we see our God made visible and so are caught up in the love of the God we cannot see. Therefore with all the angels of heaven we lift our voices to proclaim the glory of your name and sing our joyful hymn of praise:

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.

Lord, you are holy indeed, the source of all holiness; grant that by the power of your Holy Spirit, and according to your holy will, these gifts of bread and wine may be to us the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ;

who, in the same night that he was betrayed, took bread and gave you thanks; he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me.

In the same way, after supper he took the cup and gave you thanks; he gave it to them, saying: 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. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.

Great is the mystery of faith:
Christ has died:
Christ is risen:
Christ will come again.

And so, Father, calling to mind his death on the cross, his perfect sacrifice made once for the sins of the whole world; rejoicing in his mighty resurrection and glorious ascension, and looking for his coming in glory, we celebrate this memorial of our redemption. As we offer you this our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, we bring before you this bread and this cup and we thank you for counting us worthy to stand in your presence and serve you.

Send the Holy Spirit on your people and gather into one in your kingdom all who share this one bread and one cup, so that we, in the company of [N and] all the saints, may praise and glorify you for ever, through Jesus Christ our Lord; by whom, and with whom, and in whom, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all honour and glory be yours, almighty Father, for ever and ever. Amen.

The president introduces the Lord's Prayer

Rejoicing in the presence of God here among us, so we say, each in our own language, the prayer that Jesus Christ 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,
the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.

The president breaks the consecrated bread

We break this bread to share in the body of Christ.
Though we are many, we are one body,
because we all share in one bread.

Agnus Dei may be said

Lamb of God,
you take away the sin of the world,
have mercy on us.

Lamb of God,
you take away the sin of the world,
have mercy on us.

Lamb of God,
you take away the sin of the world,
grant us peace.

The president says the Invitation to Communion

Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Blessed are those who are called to his supper.
Lord, I am not worthy to receive you,
but only say the word, and I shall be healed.

The congregation is invited to sit as the president and other ministers begin the distribution of Holy Communion. Those wishing to receive come forward as directed by the Stewards. If you receive communion in your own church you are welcome to do so here. Gluten-free wafers are available. Please refrain from dipping bread in the chalice. Those who do not wish to receive communion are invited to come for a blessing; please bow your head as you approach. The minister says to each communicant

The body of Christ. Amen.

The blood of Christ. Amen.

When it is announced, all stand to sing the Hymn

Of the Father's heart begotten,
   ere the world from chaos rose,
he is Alpha: from that Fountain
   all that is and hath been flows;
he is Omega, of all things
   yet to come the mystic Close,
      evermore and evermore.

O how blest that wondrous birthday,
   when the Maid the curse retrieved,
brought to birth mankind's salvation,
   by the Holy Ghost conceived;
and the Babe, the world's Redeemer,
   in her loving arms received,
      evermore and evermore.

This is he, whom seer and sibyl
   sang in ages long gone by;
this is he of old revealèd
   in the page of prophecy;
lo! he comes, the promised Saviour;
   let the world his praises cry!
      evermore and evermore.

Let the storm and summer sunshine,
   gliding stream and sounding shore,
sea and forest, frost and zephyr,
   day and night their Lord adore;
let creation join to laud thee
   through the ages evermore,
      evermore and evermore.

Sing, ye heights of heaven, his praises;
   angels and archangels, sing!
Wheresoe'er ye be, ye faithful,
   let your joyous anthems ring,
every tongue his name confessing,
   countless voices answering,
      Evermore and evermore.

Words: 'Corde natus ex parentis' Prudentius (348–c 413) translated by Robert Davis (1866–1937)
Tune: 'Divinum mysterium' 33 NEH, in 'Piae Cantiones ecclesiasticae et scholasticae veterum episcoporum' complied by Jacobus Finno, 1582

The president says the Prayer after Communion

Let us pray.

All remain standing

All praise to you, almighty God and heavenly King, who sent your Son into the world to take our nature upon him and to be born of a pure virgin: grant that, as we are born again in him, so he may continually dwell in us and reign on earth as he reigns in heaven, now and for ever. Amen.

The following prayer may be said

Almighty God,
we thank you for feeding us
with the body and blood of your Son Jesus Christ.
Through him we offer you our souls and bodies
to be a living sacrifice.
Send us out
in the power of your Spirit
to live and work
to your praise and glory.
Amen.

The Lord be with you
and also with you.

The president pronounces the Blessing

May the joy of the angels, the eagerness of the shepherds, the perseverance of the wise men, the obedience of Joseph and Mary, and the peace of the Christ-child be yours this Christmas; and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen.

The Dismissal

Go in the peace of Christ.
Thanks be to God.

If you attend worship at the Abbey regularly, you may like to add this page to your home screen for easy access to our orders of service.

Hymns covered by Christian Copyright Licensing (International) Ltd are reproduced under CCL no 1040271 and MRL no 1040288. Common Worship (Church House Publishing, 2000), material from which is included in this service, is copyright © The Archbishops' Council. Scripture Readings are from the New Revised Standard Version.