O come, all you faithful,
joyful and triumphant!
Come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem!
Come and behold him,
born the King of angels:

O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord!

God of God,
Light of light,
Lo! he abhors not the virgin’s womb;
very God,
Begotten, not created:

O come, let us adore him…

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…

Yes, Lord, we greet you,
born for our salvation:
Jesus, to thee be glory given!
Word of the Father,
now in flesh appearing:

O come, let us adore him…

Once in royal David’s city
stood a lowly cattle shed,
where a mother laid her baby
in a manger for his bed:
Mary was that mother mild,
Jesus Christ, her little child.

He came down to earth from heaven
who is God and Lord of all;
and his shelter was a stable
and his cradle was a stall:
with the poor and meek and lowly
lived on earth our Saviour holy.

And through all his perfect childhood
day by day like us he grew;
he was little, weak and helpless;
tears and smiles like us he knew:
and he feels for all our sadness,
and he shares in all our gladness.

And our eyes at last shall see him,
through his own redeeming love;
for that child, so dear and gentle,
is our Lord in heaven above:
and he leads his children on
to the place where he is gone.

Not in that poor lowly stable
with the oxen standing by,
we shall see him, but in heaven,
set at God’s right hand on high:
there his children gather round,
bright like stars, with glory crowned. 

While shepherds watched their flocks by night
all seated on the ground,
the angel of the Lord came down
and glory shone around.

‘Fear not!’ said he – for mighty dread
had seized their troubled mind –
‘Glad tidings of great joy I bring
to you and all mankind.

‘To you in Bethlehem this day
is born of David’s line
a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord,
and this shall be the sign:

‘The heavenly babe you there shall find
to human view displayed,
all simply wrapped in swaddling clothes
and in a manger laid.’

Thus spoke the seraph, and at once
appeared a shining throng
of angels praising God, who thus
addressed their joyful song:

‘All glory be to God on high,
and to the earth be peace!
Goodwill henceforth from heaven to men
begin and never cease.’

See him lying on a bed of straw:
a draughty stable with an open door;

Mary cradling the babe she bore-
the Prince of glory is his name.

O now carry me to Bethlehem

to see the Lord of love again:

just as poor as was the stable then,

the Prince of glory when he came.

Star of silver, sweep across the skies,
show where Jesus in the manger lies;
shepherds, swiftly from your stupor rise
to see the Saviour of the world!

O now carry me to Bethlehem…

Angels, sing again the song you sang,
sing the glory of God’s gracious plan;
sing that Bethl’em’s little baby can
be the Saviour of us all.

O now carry me to Bethlehem…

 

Bible Reading – Bethany Campbell

18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

22 All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

Matthew 1:18–25

Away in a manger,
No crib for His bed
The little Lord Jesus
Laid down His sweet head
The stars in the bright sky
Looked down where He lay
The little Lord Jesus
Asleep on the hay.

The cattle are lowing
The baby awakes
But little Lord Jesus
No crying He makes
I love Thee, Lord Jesus
Look down from the sky
And stay by my side,
‘Til morning is nigh.

Be near me, Lord Jesus,
I ask Thee to stay
Close by me forever
And love me I pray
Bless all the dear children
In Thy tender care
And take us to heaven
To live with Thee there.

Joy to the world, the Lord has come!
Let earth receive her King,
let every heart prepare him room,
and heaven and nature sing,
and heaven and nature sing,
and heaven, and heaven and nature sing!

Joy to the earth, the Saviour reigns!
Your sweetest songs employ,
while fields and streams and hills and plains
repeat the sounding joy,
repeat the sounding joy,
repeat, repeat the sounding joy.

He rules the world with truth and grace
and makes the nations prove
the glories of his righteousness,
the wonders of his love,
the wonders of his love,
the wonders, wonders of his love.

 

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Get in touch if you have any questions:

ask@blenheimfreechurch.org.uk

01628 776873

www.blenheimfreechurch.org.uk