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A Sung Communion Liturgy for Christmas Eve

A Sung Communion Liturgy for Christmas Eve
(Tune: GREENSLEEVES)

Lift up your hearts unto the Lord. Sing unto God your praises.
We gather on this holy night. We gather at this table.  
Lift, lift your hearts up high! Sing praise to God, and glorify!
Praise, praise, the Prince of Peace, the Babe, the Son of Mary.

God breathed in us the breath of life. God gave the gift of Eden.
We turned away and sin was born; We sought for greener gardens.
Lift, lift your hearts up high! Sing praise to God, and glorify!
Praise, praise, the Prince of Peace, the Babe, the Son of Mary.

God called to us from age to age through messengers and prophets,
When we would not our hearts give way, the Word-made-flesh God sent us.
This, this is Christ the King, whom shepherds guard and angels sing;
Haste, haste to bring him laud, the Babe, the Son of Mary.

O Holy God of power and might! Hosanna in excelsis!
Blessed be the one who in your name comes! Hosanna in the highest!
This, this is Christ the King, whom shepherds guard and angels sing;
Haste, haste to bring him laud, the Babe, the Son of Mary.

The Word-made-flesh, Emmanuel; God, come to live among us!
He preached good news: the kingdom come! A light shone in the darkness.
Nails, spear shall pierce Him through! The Cross be borne for me for you.
Hail! Hail, the Word made flesh; the Babe, the Son of Mary.

And on the night he was betrayed, Christ took the bread and broke it.
Thanking God, he shared this gift. “Remember, when you eat it!”
Nails, spear shall pierce Him through! The Cross be borne for me, for you.
Hail! Hail, the Word made flesh; the Babe, the Son of Mary.

He took the cup and raised it up. “My life I pour out for you.
From sin, set free! Remember me! We covenant anew.”
Nails, spear shall pierce Him through! The Cross be borne for me, for you.
Hail! Hail, the Word made flesh; the Babe, the Son of Mary.

Pour out your Spirit, Holy God, upon these gifts, and bless them.
Make them for us the Bread of Life, the Cup of our Salvation!
Raise, raise the song on high! The Virgin sings her lullaby:
Joy, joy, for Christ is born, the Babe, the Son of Mary!

Prayer after Communion:
Thank God for Holy Mystery; Body of Christ; the gift of life!
As we depart, let us take heart: God’s light will lead us always!
Raise, raise the song on high! The Virgin sings her lullaby:
Joy, joy, for Christ is born, the Babe, the Son of Mary!


Text: Beth Quick, 2013.
Refrain text, vs. 3-9: William C. Dix, 1865.

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A Sung Communion Liturgy for Christmas Eve by Rev. Beth Quick is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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