A Nativity Eucharistic Prayer
The text of the Eucharistic prayer is found below; it was first used at our 2021 Christmas Eve service outside at Our Redeemer, Lexington, MA.
Celebrant: The Lord be with you.
People: And also with you.
Celebrant: Lift up your hearts!
People: We lift them up to the Lord!
Celebrant: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God!
People: It is right to give God thanks and praise!
It is right and it is good to praise you, God who reigns in Majesty. You are with us now as you have always been with us, and as you were before time began. You made us and everything that is, and you revealed the truth about Yourself to your chosen people. And as you had always planned to do, you sent Jesus, Your spoken Word made flesh, to dwell among us. Mary carried Jesus in her body, and on this holy night he was born, true God of true God, and fully human like us.
In awe of you and of this tiny Child who has come, we say with the singing hosts of heaven:
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.
In this great gift that reverberated forward and backward throughout time, you saved us, God, and you saved all of Your beloved creation. We gave you all of our humanity, and you gave us all of your divinity, so that we might become more like you.
Many many years later, on the night before he died for us, our Savior Jesus Christ took bread, and when he had given thanks to you, he broke it, and gave it to his friends, and said, “Take, eat: This is my Body, which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.” As supper was ending, Jesus took the cup of wine, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and said, “Drink this, all of you: This is my Blood of the new Covenant, which is poured out for you and for all for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me.”
Loving God, remembering now the suffering and death and proclaiming the resurrection and ascension of Jesus our Redeemer, we bring you these gifts. Sanctify them by your Holy Spirit to be for us, your people, the Body and Blood of Christ. And send your Holy Spirit to renew us, to assure us of the gifts of Jesus, and to draw us into life with you Three who are One, the Holy Trinity.
Through Christ and with Christ and in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all honor and glory is yours, Almighty God, now and forever. Amen!
Everyone: AMEN! Amen! Amen!
In 2021, because of the ongoing pandemic, we decided to hold our pageant Christmas Eve service outside. (This was before we understood the value of HEPA filters and had not yet been able to evaluate our indoor ventilation levels.) It was cold and snow lay on the ground—and we had a big crowd of more than 50 people—from children to grandparent-aged folks—huddle outdoors to celebrate the birth of Christ. Hallelujah!