ADVENT

THE INAUGURATION OF CHRISTMASTIDE

Let us praise our great God
For the birth of His blessed Son
Jesus Christ
The Word who was in the beginning
With God as God,
Who is the Creator of all things
And in Whom is the life
Which is the life of men
That shines forth in the darkness,
Who became flesh
And dwelt among men
Manifesting His glory
As the only begotten of God
Whom we have now received and believed
Becoming the children of God
By the grant of His power

Who is the radiance of God’s glory
The exact representation
Of His nature
Sustaining all things
By the power of His word
Who having made
Purification for sin
Is now seated at the right hand
Of the Majesty on High

Whose advent was announced by the archangel,
And fulfilled the promises of God
Spoken in the covenants and through the prophets,
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
Born of the Virgin Mary

Whose birth was
Proclaimed by the heavenly host
Adored by the shepherds
Worshipped by the wise men
Feared by Herod the King
And located in stable

Because the Son of God this day
Became the Son of Man, we
Can join the choir of the
Redeemed in heaven
And on earth
Singing:

Joy to the world! the Lord is come; Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And heaven and nature sing

Joy to the earth! the Savior reigns; Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy

No more let sins and sorrows grow, Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found

He rules the world with truth and grace, and makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness
And wonders of His love

The passages of Scriptures used in the collection of the Inauguration of Christmastide:
John 1:1-14; Hebrews 1:3; Luke 1:35; Luke 2:13-18; Matthew 2:1-12, 16; Luke 2:4