Calendar
Solemn Eucharist of the Nativity
Saturday, December 24, 2011
11:00pm - Saint Thomas Church
Collect:
Almighty God, who hast given us thy only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him and as at this time to be born of a pure virgin: Grant that we, being regenerate and made thy children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by thy Holy Spirit; through the same our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the same Spirit ever, one God, world without end. Amen.
About Christmas Eve seating:
More than ten years ago, Saint Thomas Church instituted a policy of distributing tickets (two in number) to people making pledges in support of the Every Member Canvass. Those who have made pledges in good faith to the 2012 canvass have received a pair of Christmas Eve tickets for the 2011 11pm Solemn Eucharist of the Nativity. These tickets are given in gratitude to our yearly supporters who help to make worship at Saint Thomas Church possible. This is the only service of the year for which tickets are issued.
People holding tickets line up on West 53rd Street for early entrance at 9:30pm. Those who do not have tickets line up on Fifth Avenue. The Fifth Avenue doors open at 10pm. We hope that every one who wants to worship with us will come.
If you are concerned about the crowds on Christmas Eve we invite you to come at 11am Christmas morning. Like the 11pm Christmas Eve service, the Christmas Day service is sung by the full choir of Men and Boys.
As another alternative, you might consider the Service of Lessons & Carols & The Blessing of the Creche at 4pm on Christmas Eve, especially if you have young children.
Service Details:
The Solemn Eucharist of the Nativity begins with the singing of O Come, All Ye Faithful in full procession, led by a thurifer with incense. The service includes readings, music, a sermon, and Holy Communion. The complete order of worship may be seen by accessing the leaflet below.►The Rector speaks of "the quiet of the twelve days of Christmas" in his weekly audio message. Even during the relative quiet, our church doors remain open every day of the Christmas season, only for a couple of hours surrounding the 12:10 mass on Monday, Dec 26 and Tuesday, Dec 27, but then for full days thereafter. See the worship calendar for the complete list of worship services during the Christmas season.
►If you are new to Saint Thomas and are interested in learning, consider emailing us at welcome@SaintThomasChurch.org. We'd be happy to meet with you in person, or answer any of your questions via email. Consider also attending the Rector's Christian Doctrine Class, which meets on Tuesday evenings beginning January 10, 2012.
| Celebrant: | Fr Mead |
| Preacher: | Fr Mead |
| Deacon: | Fr Austin |
| Subdeacon: | Fr Spurlock |
| Sung by: | The Saint Thomas Choir of Men and Boys |
| Prelude: | Prelude and Fugue in C Major, BWV 547, Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) |
| Prelude 2: | First Sonata for Trumpet, Giovanni Bonaventura Viviani (1638-1693) |
| Prelude 3: | Canonic Variations on ‘Vom Himmel hoch, da komm ich her’, BWV 769a, Johann Sebastian Bach |
| Prelude 4: | Concerto for Trumpet in E-flat, Johann Baptist Georg Neruda (c.1708-1780) |
| Service: | Mass of the Nativity, Richard Shephard (b. 1949) |
| Psalm: | 96:1-4; 11-12 Anglican Chant (Gray) |
| Anthem: | For unto us a child is born, George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) |
| Carols by: | David Willcocks, John Rutter and Darke |
| Voluntary: | Concerto in D, Giuseppe Torelli (1658-1709) |
Webcast
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Sermon:
Sermon Text |
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