Christmas

01-08

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
All:                  Amen.

Penitential Rite
Leader:          Lord Jesus you came to us once in history. Lord have mercy.
All:                  Lord have mercy
Leader:          Lord Jesus you come to us in mystery in the Eucharist. Christ have mercy.
All:                  Christ have mercy
Leader:          Lord Jesus you will come again in glory.  Lord have mercy.
All:                  Lord have mercy.
Leader:          May almighty God have mercy on us forgive us our sins and bring us to everlasting life.
All:                  Amen
 
Opening Prayer
Leader:          Let us pray
O God,  who gladden us year by year as we wait in hope for our redemption, grant that, just as we joyfully welcome your Only Begotten Son as our Redeemer, we may also merit to face him confidently when he comes again as our Judge.  Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever.
All:                  Amen
 
Scripture Readings
First Reading. Is 9:1-6
Reader:         A Reading from the book of the Prophet Isaiah:
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone. You have brought them abundant joy and great rejoicing, as they rejoice before you as at the harvest, as people make merry when dividing spoils. For the yoke that burdened them, the pole on their shoulder, and the rod of their taskmaster you have smashed, as on the day of Midian. For every boot that tramped in battle, every cloak rolled in blood, will be burned as fuel for flames. For a child is born to us, a son is given us; upon his shoulder dominion rests. They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace. His dominion is vast and forever peaceful, from David's throne, and over his kingdom, which he confirms and sustains by judgment and justice, both now and forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this! The Word of the Lord.
All:                  Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm. Ps. Ps 98:1, 2-3, 3-4, 5-6
R. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.

Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done wondrous deeds; his right hand has won victory for him, his holy arm. R.
 
The LORD has made his salvation known: in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice. He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness toward the house of Israel. R.
 
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation by our God. Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands; break into song; sing praise. R.
 
Sing praise to the LORD with the harp, with the harp and melodious song. With trumpets and the sound of the horn sing joyfully before the King, the LORD. R.
 
Gospel. Lk 2:1-14
Leader:          A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke
All:                  All glory to you Lord!
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria. So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town. And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. While they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock. The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear. The angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests." The Gospel of the Lord
All:      Praise to You Lord Jesus Christ!
 
Prayers of the Faithful & Our Father
When the Nativity figure is named in the petition place him/her/they into the Nativity Set.
Reader:         We prepare your way, Lord Jesus Christ! Let us hold you in our hearts, as did Mary, your mother did.
All:                  Come Lord Jesus Come!

 Reader:        We prepare your way, Lord Jesus Christ, Let us care for your children in the world as St. Joseph cared for you.
All:                  Come Lord Jesus Come!
 
 Reader:        We prepare your way, Lord Jesus Christ, Let us sing joyfully of your glory as did you angels in Bethlehem .
All:                  Come Lord Jesus Come!

Reader:         We prepare your way, Lord Jesus Christ, May we kneel in adoration before you as did the lowly shepherds.
All:                  Come Lord Jesus Come!
 
 Reader:        We prepare your way, Lord Jesus Christ, You guided the magi to find you, please guide us still.
All:                  Come Lord Jesus Come!
 
Reader:         We prepare your way, Lord Jesus Christ, Word made flesh help us to make our hearts a fitting home for you.  Come Lord Jesus.
All:                  Amen
 
Leader:          Let us pray that pray that Jesus taught us.
All                   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.
 
Blessing of the Nativity Set
You may wish to sprinkle some holy water from Church onto the Nativity set as this prayer is said.
Leader:          God of every nation and people, from the very beginning of creation you have made manifest your love: when our need for a Savior was great you sent your Son to be born of the Virgin Mary. To our lives he brings joy and peace, justice, mercy, and love.  Lord, bless all who look upon this manger; may it remind us of the humble birth of Jesus, and raise up our thoughts to him, who is God-with-us and Savior of all, and who lives and reigns forever and ever.
All:                  Amen.
 
Leader:          May Christ (+) our God enlighten our hearts and minds, now and forever.
All:                  Amen
Leader:          Go in the Peace of Christ
All:                  Thanks be to God

This section was developed at the request of some people and is based on a Christmas homily. The idea of the homily was to explain some of the symbolism behind the different holiday decorations we see at Christmas time and then to challenge everyone to look for God presence in other parts of their life.

Symbol	Reason
	Santa Claus Santa Claus is really not in competition with the true meaning of Christmas but rather is a perfect example of what it means to be a Christian. Inspired by the ultimate gift from God (Jesus Christ) Santa gives gifts to all no matter what their race, ethnicity, creed, or social/economic standing maybe and all without counting the cost.
	Presents/Gifts The gifts that we receive at Christmas remind us of the ultimate gift of God. We place value upon the gift not by the cost but by the thought and sacrifice that goes into it. We therefore are reminded of the ultimate gift of salvation given to us through the Christ child
	Christmas Wreath The roundness of the wreath talks to us about the fact that God is eternal without beginning or end. The green represents life and the red bows, ribbons, berries; remind us of the blood that the Christ sheds for us so that we may have eternal life.
	Candy Canes The shape of the cane represents a shepherd's staff. It is a reminder to us that Jesus is the Good Shepherd and of the shepherds who were the first to fine the Christ child. The white remind us of Christ's sinless nature and of His birth by a young virgin. The red reminds us of the blood that He would shed for us. The hardness reminds us that the Church is set upon solid rock and that Christ is a firm foundation and the sweet taste reminds us of heaven.
	Angels Angels are God's messengers and tell us of God's good news. An interesting story is that the reason why Lucifer revolted was because he had a glimpse of the Incarnation and refused to worship the "God made man". So in a sense when we do not worship Jesus or follow His teaching we find ourselves repeating Lucifer's mistake. We are called though to imitate the good angels and proclaim Christ's presence to the world.
	Christmas Tree The Christmas Tree finds its origin in the story of Adam and Eve. Within the Garden there was not only the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil but there was also the Tree of Life. Catholics have always seen the imagery of the Tree of Life as pointing toward the Cross of Jesus. So at Christmas we celebrate the beginning of Jesus' salvific ministry. The first Christmas trees were called "Jesse Trees" and were decorated with different symbols from salvation history for example an apple for Adam and Eve, a boat for Noah, and maybe a lion for Daniel the prophet.
	Christmas Bell In the middle ages metal was scarce and so when your town was going to go to war against another town you would take your Church bell and melt it down and turn it into a cannon, therefore the sound of the Church bell became a sign of peace. At Christmas we celebrate that God did not leave us to our own destruction but rather came to show us the way to true peace.
	Candles & Christmas Lights St. John tells us: "A man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world." (John 1:6-9) We celebrate the fact that Jesus is the Light of the World and we proclaim that we too are be lights in a world of darkness.
	The Baby Jesus/Nativity Sets The Christ child shows us the true meaning of Christmas as we see even then Jesus drawing all sorts of people to him. We see Men and women; Jews and Greeks; Rich and Poor all coming to Him.

The tradition of the Christmas Tree can be traced back to this ancient tradition of the Jesse Tree. The idea comes from the Prophet Isaiah (11:1-3): A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORD—and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.

The belief was that this passage was a promise that God would give Israel a new ruler from the family tree of David (Jesse was David's father). We believe that Jesus is the fulfillment of this promise. The Jesse tree therefore was used to remind us of God's promise and of different points of Salvation History leading up to the moment of Christ's birth and of his being revealed to the nations by the visit of the Magi.

The following are different suggestions of ornaments one may make for your family Jesse Tree (a lot of people will use a poster of a tree instead of using a real tree now days).

Image	Meaning
	APPLE The apple reminds everyone of course of Adam and Eve and of their failure to keep God's commandments. While this is a sad moment in human history it is also the moment that God promises us a redeemer.
	NOAH'S ARK Noah's ark reminds us of how sin destroys all it touches but yet God is creative and even re-creative. Sin will not frustrate God's plan.
	RAINBOW The rainbow reminds us of God's first promise that He would not destroy the earth by water ever again. Rainbow reminds us of God's faithfulness to us despite our sinfulness
	MAP A map reminds us of Abraham and Sarah and how they trusted in God by leaving their home in Ur and following God where He might lead them. In a way Abraham and Sarah show us that following God while not easy is always the best way. We are reminded also of God's faithfulness to Abraham and Sarah as he fulfilled His promises to them.
	STICKS A pile of sticks remind us of Abraham's test when Abraham was told by God to sacrifice his son Isaac. On the way to the place to make the sacrifice Abraham placed the sticks for the fire on Isaac's shoulders much like God would place the cross on His Son's shoulders. God though prevents Abraham from sacrificing Isaac and instead promises to provide a sacrifice of His own. Once again we believe that this is a reference to Jesus.
	LADDER Jacob, Isaac's son and Abraham's grandson, has a dream in which he sees a ladder reaching into heaven and angels coming down and going up the ladder. Later he would have another dream in which he wrestles with God/an angel and afterwards his name is changed to Israel. Israel (Jacob) would be the father of the Israelite nation.
	MULTI-COLOR COAT The multi-color coat reminds us of Jacob's favorite son Joseph. Joseph would be sold into slavery by his brothers and everyone would assume that he was dead. Joseph though was eventually elevated to a place of great honor in the Egyptian government by providing people with enough food to eat. When he had a chance to get even with his brothers he did not but instead forgave them much like Jesus would do in the upper room when he appeared to the disciples after his resurrection
	LAMB The lamb reminds us of Israel's time in slavery and the meal that they ate before going through the Red Sea. The red blood of the lamb when placed on their door post saved them from the angel of death. Every year Jewish people celebrate the Passover by sacrificing a lamb and having a special meal. The Passover lamb reminds us of Jesus the Lamb of God and of the Eucharist.
	TEN COMMANDMENTS The Ten Commandments were an essential part of the Old Testament Covenant. They told of how God wanted the people to act and behave. The Ten Commandments were not burdens but rather a gift from God to help people grow in love.
	TRUMPET The trumpet reminds us of Joshua and his victory over the city of Jericho. Joshua and the Israelites could have only won the battle with God's help and God did help them by knocking down the walls of the city when Joshua blew his horn.
	CROWN The crown reminds us of King David and of his devotion to God. A devotion that was not always perfect but one in which God never abandoned him. It was believed that the Messiah would be an ancestor of King David (who by the way was from the small town of Bethlehem).
	SCROLL The scroll reminds us of the prophets and their constant urgings to remain faithful to God through prayer and taking care of the poor. The prophets continually pointed out that when people did things God's way then good things happened but when they rejected God bad things happened.
	ANGEL God's messengers play an important role in Scripture by telling of God's plan. Gabriel of course is the one who announces to Mary that God wishes her to be the mother of Jesus. Angels also announced Jesus' birth to the shepherds
	WATER Water reminds us of John the Baptist who was Jesus' cousin and the prophet that God sent before Him to prepare the way.
	LILY A lily reminds us of the purity of the Blessed Virgin Mary who by her "yes" to God help bring about Salvation thus undoing Adam and Eve's "no" to God.
	HAMMER A hammer reminds us of St. Joseph. St. Joseph in many ways shows us who God is. He chose to accept and care for Jesus as his own child despite not having too. God chooses to love and care for us even though God does not have to.
	STAR A star reminds us that Jesus is the light that came into the darkness of sin.
	BABY JESUS Shows us in a very real way the love of God by showing us just how far God would go in order to save us and just how vulnerable God makes himself for our sake.
	GOLD, FRANKINCENSE, &MYRRH The gifts of the magi tell us who Jesus is in a special way. Gold = Kingship Frankincense = DivinityMyrrh = humanity& death

Heavenly Father, we come before you today in great joy.

We rejoice in the gift of Your only Son to us.

May these candy canes be a constant reminder to us of Your goodness.

By the white color, we are reminded of Your sinless nature and of Your birth to a young virgin;

By the red stripes, we are reminded of the scourging Your Son endured for our sins – of the blood
He shed to redeem us;

By the solid hardness, we are reminded that Your Church is built on a solid rock and that You are a firm foundation;

By the shape, we are reminded of the staff of the shepherds – the first  people to see Your Son laying in a manger;

By the sweet taste, we are reminded of Your constant love for us.

We ask You now to bless + these candy canes.

May they be for those who taste them yet another way to experience your joy in their hearts.

We ask this in the name of the Father, the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

R. Amen

If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows, strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls, but do not show love to my family, I’m just another decorator.

I f I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies, preparing gourmet meals and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime, but do not show love to my family, I’m just another cook.

I f I work at the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home and give all that I have to charity, but do not show love to my family, it profits me nothing.

I f I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties and sing in the choir’s cantata but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.

L ove stops the cooking to hug the child. Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the husband. Love is kind, though harried and tired. Love doesn’t envy another’s home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens.

L ove doesn’t yell at the kids to get out of the way, but is thankful they are there to be in the way. Love doesn’t give only to those who are able to give in return but rejoices in giving to those who can’t.

L ove bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, golf clubs will rust, but giving the gift of love will endure.

Heavenly Father of every nation and people, From the very beginning of creation you have made manifest your love: When our need for a savior was great, you sent your son to be born of the Virgin Mary. To our lives, He brings joy and peace, justice, mercy and love. Father, bless all who look upon these images of your son Jesus as an infant. May it remind us of His humble birth, and raise our thoughts to Him. Bless these children and their families, that their hearts would be always ready to receive Him with the joy and excitement of children. May Almighty God bless these images of the Baby Jesus, and all who look upon them during the Christmas Season, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

"The following item appeared in a church newsletter and contains some good advice that will help us keep selfishness in check this Christmas:

1. You shall not leave ‘Christ’ out of Christmas, making it ‘Xmas.’ To some, ‘X’ is unknown
2. You shall prepare your soul for Christmas. Spend not so much on gifts that your soul is forgotten.
3. You shall not let Santa Claus replace Christ, thus robbing the day of its spiritual reality.
4. You shall not burden the shop girl, the mailman, and the merchant with complaints and demands.
5. You shall give yourself with your gift. This will increase its value a hundred fold, and the one who receives it shall treasure it forever.
6. You shall not value gifts received by their cost. Even the least expensive may signify love, and that is more priceless than silver and gold.
7. You shall not neglect the needy. Share your blessings with many who will go hungry and cold if you are generous.
8. You shall not neglect your church. Its services highlight the true meaning of the season.
9. You shall be as a little child. Not until you become in spirit as a little one are you ready to enter into the kingdom of Heaven.
10. You shall give your heart to Christ. Let Him be at the top of your Christmas list.

Anyone keeping these commandments is sure to have a blessed Christmas."

I believe that Christmas is more than a time for parties and ornaments; it is a time for remembering Christ and the incarnation of God’s love in human flesh.

I believe there are gifts more important than the ones under the Christmas tree, the things we teach our children, the way we share ourselves with friends, and the industry with which we set about reshaping the world in our time.

I believe that the finest carols are often sung by the poorest voices; from hearts made warm by the wonder of the season.

I believe in the angel’s message that we should not be afraid—that the Child of Bethlehem is able to overcome all anxieties and insecurities.

I believe in prayer and quietness as a way of appropriating Christmas—that if I wait in silence I will experience the presence of the one born in the manger, for he lives today as surely as he lived then.

I believe in going away from Christmas as the wise men went: "another way." I want to be different when these days are past—more centered, more thoughtful, more caring.

And I believe God will help me. Amen