"Midnight" Campfire Communion
Welcome! Here are some helpful things to know beforehandWhat you need to bring
- Suitable clothing for the weather - wrap up warm!
- [Optional] A mobile phone with this page open for the words - we will also have print outs available
Where, when, and how
- Please arrive for a prompt 11.40pm start, ensuring we share communion not long after Christmas Eve has tipped into Christmas Day
- Our service will last between 30 and 45 minutes
- We will gather out the FRONT of The Pathfinder CofE Primary School (unless extreme weather moves us into the school hall)
- Please let us know in advance if you need gluten free bread, or need a chair provided.
Today’s liturgy is from the Church of England, but this Table is shared by those from many traditions. As an ecumenical partnership in Northstowe we seek to honour the range of practices held precious by our partners. Many traditions share communion among those who have been baptised. Some may save eating the bread and wine until after they’ve made a public faith commitment (“believers baptism” or perhaps “confirmation”), others have been receiving since they were children. Some traditions have an ‘open table’ Tonight, we offer hot mulled wine. If you would rather not receive wine, be assured that the Church has always taught that we receive the fullness of God’s Grace even if we only take one element. If you would rather simply receive a blessing – let us know. PARENTS – we will follow your lead on whether your children are in the habit of receive: talk to us if you need guidance: we are happy to help prepare anyone (of all ages) for their first communion..
Holy Communion as Christmas Eve tips into Christmas Day
Gathering and preparing to Worship God
Welcome
Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with youAll and also with you.
After some opening words, we take a few seconds of silence to notice how we are feeling: to name this before the God who tangibly understands our humanity
Call To Worship: Christmas Eve
On this night,God lies waiting,
curled in light,
ready for the quickening:
The Word made flesh.
“Word” is a gathering sound,
practicing the feel of it,
the reverberation of hope,
the resonance of love,
the tenor of peace,
a note unfamiliar in the world.
Good News,
hesitates,
willing the world,
in its brokenness,
to imagine in this moment,
the headlines we could write tomorrow.
The promise gathers,
as God shifts into skin,
let us gather too,
as promise becomes tangible,
and let the word,
move from a sound in us,
to a child born in us.
Come Immanuel,
we wait for you,
tonight.
[Published in Spill the Beans, 2024]
SING: O come O come Immanuel
O come, O come, Immanuel,
and ransom captive Israel
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, O Bright and Morning Star,
and bring us comfort from afar!
Dispel the shadows of the night
and turn our darkness into light.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel.
and ransom captive Israel
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, O Bright and Morning Star,
and bring us comfort from afar!
Dispel the shadows of the night
and turn our darkness into light.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel.
A reading to set the scene: Romans 13:11-12
A reading from the new testament Letter to the Early Church in Rome:11 And now consider this. You know well the times you are living in. It is time for you to wake up and see what is right before your eyes: for salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12 The darkness of night is dissolving as dawn’s light draws near, so walk out on your old dark life and put on the armour of light.
Reflection: You Know What time It is
You know what time it is,time beyond sleep or slumber,
time beyond fear or wonder,
time between what was and what is and what might be,
time between heaven and earth,
time before the alarm sounds,
time before the bells chime.
You know what time it is,
time when presents await,
time when plans are fulfilled,
time when anticipation turns to exhilaration,
time when breath is held,
time when carols beg to be sung,
time when candles are lit.
You know what time it is,
time for an exhausted mother to welcome her child,
time for an exasperated father to prepare for birthing,
time for God’s incarnate love,
time for angelic choirs,
time for shepherds and kings,
time for Immanuel, God with us.
You know what time it is,
it is time, now,
pay attention,
be ready,
for God is coming.
Awaken your heart and soul,
to receive the eternal gift of love.
Words of confession and forgiveness
Christ the light of the world comes to dispel the darkness of our hearts.Let us turn to the light and [in silence] confess our sins
silence
You were born for our salvation: Lord, have mercy.
All: Lord, have mercy.
You came as Saviour to bring wholeness and peace: Christ, have mercy.
All: Christ, have mercy.
You come to bring light into the darkness of our lives: Lord, have mercy.
All: Lord, have mercy.
The minister prays for absolution
Listening and responding to the word of God
The Gospel Bible reading – Matthew’s account of the birth of Jesus
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to MatthewAll Glory to you, O Lord.
18 So here, finally, is the story of the birth of Jesus the Anointed[a] (it is quite a remarkable story):
Mary was engaged to marry Joseph, son of David. They hadn’t married. And yet, some time well before their wedding date, Mary learned that she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, because he was kind and upstanding and honourable, wanted to spare Mary shame. He did not wish to cause her more embarrassment than necessary.
20 Now when Joseph had decided to act on his instincts, a messenger of the Lord came to him in a dream.
Messenger of the Lord: Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to wed Mary and bring her into your home and family as your wife. She did not sneak off and sleep with someone else—rather, she conceived the baby she now carries through the miraculous wonderworking of the Holy Spirit. 21 She will have a son, and you will name Him Jesus, which means “the Lord saves,” because this Jesus is the person who will save all of His people from sin.
24 Joseph woke up from his dream and did exactly what the messenger had told him to do: he married Mary and brought her into his home as his wife 25 (though he did not consummate their marriage until after her son was born). And when the baby was born, Joseph named Him Jesus, Savior.[b]
22 Years and years ago, Isaiah, a prophet of Israel, foretold the story of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus:
23 A virgin will conceive and bear a Son,
and His name will be Immanuel
(which is a Hebrew name that means “God with us”).[c]
At the end:
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
All Praise to you, O Christ.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, has been translated with a focus on keeping the dramatic flow of the original. Italics indicate editorial glosses to aid contemporary understanding of that original text. Footnotes 1:18 “Christ” and “Messiah” are translated as “Anointed” or “the Anointed One.”; 1:25 Verses 24 and 25 have been moved before verse 22 to help the reader understand the continuity of the passage.; 1:23 Isaiah 7:14
As the fire crackles, we will take a few seconds to reflect in silence on what it means that God is With Us, the Word made flesh” before we respond by reading the prompts around the circle – and all responding. If you don’t want to read, simply look to your left.
Responding:
We take it in turns around our circle to read the prompt, after which we all respond “God is with us”- In our worship,
- In our story…
- In our community…
- In our world…
- In our hoping…
- In our conflicts…
- In our peace-making…
- In our celebrating…
- In our wonder…
- In our imagination..
- In our troubles…
- In our denying…
- In our caring…
- In our believing…
Published in Spill the Beans 2024
Affirming our shared faith (with words from the Athanasian Creed):
God is with us as God has been with generations before us. So let us proclaim our shared faith this Christmas night, using words drawn from the Athanasian CreedWe proclaim the Church’s faith in Jesus Christ.
All: We believe and declare that our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Son of God, is both divine and human.
The Word became flesh and lived among us;
we have seen his glory,
the glory of the only Son from the Father,
full of grace and truth.
The Church’s prayer for tonight (The “collect”)
Eternal God, in the stillness of this night you sent your almighty Wordto pierce the world's darkness with the light of salvation:
give to the earth the peace that we long for
and fill our hearts with the joy of heaven
through our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen
Prayer Approaching Midnight
As we approach midnight, let us build up the fire, as the anticipation builds. We will alternate reading a verse of the prayer with adding kindling, taking turns around the circle. If you do not wish to read or add to the fire, simply look left to pass.In the waiting,
as you, O God,
catch your first breath,
we long for the word,
spoken of old,
to become flesh tonight.
Add more kindling to the fire…
In the waiting,
as you, O God,
wrestle with skin,
we long for the promise,
delivered in ancient times,
to be fulfilled in our time.
Add more kindling to the fire…
In the waiting,
as you, O God,
come to grips with the feel of humanity,
we long for the moment,
whispered down the ages,
of God found as one of us.
Add more kindling to the fire…
And for that moment,
we wait,
daring to believe,
that moment,
will soon be this moment,
and it will change us.
Add more kindling to the fire…
Shift the world,
light a light,
that can take on the darkness,
of this midnight hour,
and we can find our way again.
Add more kindling to the fire…
In the waiting,
as you, O God,
can wait no longer,
we listen for the cry,
from the edge of the world.
That Christ is here,
light is born,
the word is alive.
Add more kindling to the fire…
So be it.
All: Amen.
We wait in silence as the fire crackles
Lighting the Christ Candle on the Advent Wreath
The final candle is litTime has run out,
the moment is now,
flesh is now,
God is now.
Darkness is fading,
light is now,
hope is now,
spirit is now.
Fear is withering away,
love is now,
incarnation is now,
Jesus is now.
Do not be afraid, said the angel,
I have news of great joy for the world,
a saviour has been born in David’s town.
You will find a child wrapped in a blanket
and lying in a manger.
Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and peace on earth to all people everywhere.
The light is here,
it is Christmas Day.
Luke 2.14
Preparing to Encounter God in Bread and Wine
Sharing Peace
The peace of the Lord be always with youAll and also with you.
We exchange Christmas greetings and words of peace
The Great Thanksgiving (“Eucharistic”) Prayer
The Lord is hereAll: His Spirit is with us.
Lift up your hearts.
All: We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
All: It is right to give thanks and praise.
Praise is offered, concluding with…
Therefore with all the angels of heaven
we lift our voices to proclaim
the glory of your name and sing our joyful hymn of praise:
We sing:
O come let us adore him,
O come let us adore him,
O come let us adore him,
Christ The Lord!
O come let us adore him,
O come let us adore him,
Christ The Lord!
The Story is told, and then…
We break the bread of life,
and that life is the light of the world.
All: God here among us,
light in the midst of us,
bring us to light and life.
We pass the bread around the circle, offering it to each other with the words “The body of Christ”, and responding “Amen” before eating
We pass the tray of cups around the circle, offering wine to each other with the words “The blood of Christ”, and responding “Amen” before drinking
Words of celebration are shared, then…
We proclaim the Great Mystery of our faith:
All: Christ has died:
Christ is risen:
Christ will come again.
The minister concludes the Eucharistic Prayers with traditional words
WE SING: Come all ye Faithful
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord!
Yea, Lord, we greet thee,
born this happy morning;
Jesus, to thee be glory given!
Word of the Father now in flesh appearing.
O come . . .
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord!
Yea, Lord, we greet thee,
born this happy morning;
Jesus, to thee be glory given!
Word of the Father now in flesh appearing.
O come . . .
after J F Wade, F Oakeley and others
Prayers after communion
God our Father, in this night you have made known to us again
the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:confirm our faith and fix our eyes on him until the day dawns
and Christ the Morning Star rises in our hearts.
All To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
Rejoicing in the presence of God here among us,
as our Saviour taught us, so we pray
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,
the power, and the glory
for ever and ever.
Amen.
Being sent out to live in such a time of this, confident of God With Us
On this day of days. go out with joyhaving met the Christ Child: God with us
Celebrate, tear open the parcels, eat the turkey, flake out on the couch
and then when the dust settles the work of Christmas begins.
But know that God is with you,
the Christ Child loves you
and the Holy Spirit will guide you,
this day and every day.
Happy Christmas!
Go in the peace of Christ, and celebrate his birth among us.
All: Glory, thanks and praise to God
______________
Includes material adapted from ‘; ’Cloth for the Cradle’ 1997 ©Wild Goose Worship Publications . Winter © 2016 Ruth Burgess Common Worship: Times and Seasons © 2006, Archbishop’s Council; with Eucharistic Prayer A © Archbishops’ Council 2000. Other poetic reflections and the prayers are adapted from Spill the Beans (2023 and 2024)
Pathfinder Church, Little Explorers, and the Compline Communion are part of the Northstowe Church Network, an ecumenical partnership of the Baptist Union, Church of England, and United Reformed Church. Read more at www.northstowe.church
