Evening Prayer - December 24, 2025

Today's Readings

Psalm 46:1-11

Baruch 4:36-37,5:1-9

Galatians 3:23-29,4:1-7

Matthew 1:18-25

Christmas Eve
Behold, the dwelling of God is with mankind. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them, and be their God. Revelation 21:3

Confession of Sin
Most merciful God,
I confess that I have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what I have done, and by what I have left undone. I have not loved you with my whole heart; I have not loved my neighbors as myself. I am truly sorry and I humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on me and forgive me; that I may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.

Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life. Amen

The Invitatory and Psalter
Lord, open our lips. And our mouth shall proclaim your praise
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen Alleluia

Venite

ⓘ 'Venite' is Latin for 'O Come,' the opening word of Psalm 95: Venite exultemus Domino ('O Come, let us sing to the LORD').

Psalm 95:1 to 7
Come, let us sing to the Lord;
   let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving
   and raise a loud shout to him with psalms.

For the Lord is a great God,
   and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are the caverns of the earth,
   and the heights of the hills are his also.
The sea is his, for he made it,
   and his hands have molded the dry land.

Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee,
   and kneel before the Lord our Maker.
For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand.
    Oh, that today you would hearken to his voice!

The Antiphon:

ⓘ A short, reflective sentence recited alongside a psalm to deepen our understanding of the readings.

Alleluia. To us a child is born: O come, let us adore him. Alleluia.

The Lessons

Psalm 46

⁽¹⁾ God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.⁽²⁾ Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;⁽³⁾ Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah⁽⁴⁾ There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.

⁽⁵⁾ God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.⁽⁶⁾ The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted.⁽⁷⁾ The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah⁽⁸⁾ Come, behold the works of the LORD, Who has made desolations in the earth.

⁽⁹⁾ He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariot in the fire.⁽¹⁰⁾ Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!⁽¹¹⁾ The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Baruch Chapter 4

⁽³⁶⁾ Look to the east, Jerusalem, and see the joy that God is bringing to you.⁽³⁷⁾ Look, your children are coming home, the children that were taken from you. They have been gathered together from the east and from the west by the command of God, the Holy One. And now they are coming home, rejoicing in the glory of God.⁽¹⁾ Jerusalem, take off the clothes you have worn in your mourning and distress, and put on the eternal splendor of God's glory.⁽²⁾ Put around you the cloak of God's righteousness. Place on your head the crown of the glory of the Eternal God.⁽³⁾ God will show your splendor to every nation on earth.⁽⁴⁾ Forever he will say to you: 'Your security comes from your righteousness, and your splendor from your devotion to me.'

⁽⁵⁾ Get up, Jerusalem, stand on the mountaintop; see where God, the Holy One, is bringing your children together from the east and from the west. They are rejoicing that God has remembered them.⁽⁶⁾ Jerusalem, your children were led away by their enemies; they left you on foot, but God is bringing them back to you, carried in royal splendor.⁽⁷⁾ God has commanded that every high mountain and the everlasting hills shall be made low; he has commanded that the valleys shall be filled and the ground leveled, so that the people of Israel may come safely home in the glory of God.⁽⁸⁾ At the command of God, forests of fragrant trees will spring up to provide shade for the people of Israel.

⁽⁹⁾ God will lead Israel home. They will return with great joy, guided by his mercy and righteousness, surrounded by the light of his glorious presence.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Galatians Chapter 3

⁽²³⁾ But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed.⁽²⁴⁾ Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.⁽²⁵⁾ But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.⁽²⁶⁾ For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

⁽²⁷⁾ For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.⁽²⁸⁾ There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.⁽²⁹⁾ And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.⁽¹⁾ Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all,⁽²⁾ but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father.⁽³⁾ Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world.⁽⁴⁾ But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,

⁽⁵⁾ to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.⁽⁶⁾ And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, 'Abba, Father!'⁽⁷⁾ Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Matthew Chapter 1

⁽¹⁸⁾ Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.⁽¹⁹⁾ Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.⁽²⁰⁾ But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, 'Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.⁽²¹⁾ And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.'

⁽²²⁾ So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:⁽²³⁾ Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,' which is translated, 'God with us.'⁽²⁴⁾ Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife,⁽²⁵⁾ and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS.

The Gospel of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

The Apostles' Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

The Prayers

The Lord's Prayer

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.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
forever and ever. Amen.

Suffrages

ⓘ A simple prayer to God for help, mercy, or intercession, rooted in the Latin word for support.

Show us your mercy, O Lord;
And grant us your salvation.
Clothe your ministers with righteousness;
Let your people sing with joy.
Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;
For only in you can we live in safety.
Lord, keep this nation under your care;
And guide us in the way of justice and truth.
Let your way be known upon earth;
Your saving health among all nations.
Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten;
Nor the hope of the poor be taken away.
Create in us clean hearts, O God;
And sustain us by your Holy Spirit.

Seasonal Collect: The Nativity of Our Lord
O God, you make us glad by the yearly festival of the birth of your only Son Jesus Christ: Grant that we, who joyfully receive him as our Redeemer, may with sure confidence behold him when he comes to be our Judge; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

--or this--

O God, you have caused this holy night to shine with the brightness of the true Light: Grant that we, who have known the mystery of that Light on earth, may also enjoy him perfectly in heaven; where with you and the Holy Spirit he lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

--or this--

Almighty God, you have given your only begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and to be born [this day] of a pure virgin: Grant that we, who have been born again and made your children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by your Holy Spirit; through our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom with you and the same Spirit be honor and glory, now and forever. Amen.

Collect of the Day: Lord God, almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought us in safety to this new day: Preserve us with your mighty power, that we may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity; and in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Prayer for Mission: Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come within the reach of your saving embrace: So clothe us in your Spirit that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those who do not know you to the knowledge and love of you; for the honor of your Name. Amen.

Personal Prayers and Reflection

This is a time to pause, consider and listen. Pray for yourself and others.

Closing Prayers

Thanksgiving
Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all whom you have made. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory, and, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up ourselves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.

Conclude with the following
Let Us Bless the Lord, Thanks be to God

Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine: Glory to him from generation to generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20,21