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Today
is: December 28th First Sunday of Christmas.
Refugee Day
First Reading: Isaiah 61.10-62.3.
A reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah.
10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my whole
being shall exult in my God; for he has clothed
me with the garments of salvation, he has covered
me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom
decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns
herself with her jewels. 11 For as the earth brings
forth its shoots, and as a garden causes what is
sown in it to spring up, so the Lord God will cause
righteousness and praise to spring up before all
the nations. 1 For Zion's sake I will not keep silent,
and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until
her vindication shines out like the dawn, and her
salvation like a burning torch. 2 The nations shall
see your vindication, and all the kings your glory;
and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth
of the Lord will give. 3 You shall be a crown of
beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem
in the hand of your God.
Psalm: 148.4-14
Praise
him, / heaven of / heavens:
and
you / waters a/bove the / heavens.
Let
them praise the / name of the / Lord:
for
he commanded / and they / were cre/ated.
He
made them fast for / ever and / ever:
he
gave them a law which / shall not / pass a/way.
Praise
the Lord / from the / earth:
you
sea / monsters and / all / deeps;
Fire
and hail, / snow and / mist:
tempestuous
/ wind, ful/filling his / word;
Mountains
and / all / hills:
fruit
/ trees and / all / cedars;
Wild
beasts and / all / cattle:
creeping
/ things and / birds on the / wing;
Kings
of the earth and / all / peoples:
princes
and all / rulers / of the / world;
Young
men and women, old and / young to/gether:
let
them / praise the / name of the / Lord.
For
his name only / is ex/alted:
his
splendour / above / earth and / heaven.
He
has raised up the horn of his people and praise
for all his / faithful / servants:
the
children of Israel, a people who are / near him.
/ Alle/luia.
Second Reading: Galatians 4.4-7
A reading from the letter of Paul to the Galatians.
4 But when the right time finally came, God
sent his own Son. He came as the son of a human
mother and lived under the Jewish Law, 5 to
redeem those who were under the Law, so that we
might become God's children. 6 To show that
you are his children, God sent the Spirit of his
Son into our hearts, the Spirit who cries out, "Father,
my Father." 7 So then, you are no longer
a slave but a child. And since you are his child,
God will give you all that he has for his children.
Gospel: Luke 2.15-21
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according
to Luke. 15 When the angels had left them and gone
into heaven, the shepherds said to one another,
'Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that
has taken place, which the Lord has made known to
us.' 16 So they went with haste and found Mary and
Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. 17 When
they saw this, they made known what had been told
them about this child; 18 and all who heard it were
amazed at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary
treasured all these words and pondered them in her
heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and
praising God for all they had heard and seen, as
it had been told them. 21 After eight days had passed,
it was time to circumcise the child; and he was
called Jesus, the name given by the angel before
he was conceived in the womb.
Post Communion Prayer: Heavenly Father, whose
blessed Son shared at Nazareth the life of an earthly
home: help your Church to live as one family, united
in love and obedience, and bring us all at last
to our home in heaven; through Jesus Christ our
Lord. Amen
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