January 1, 2023
5 p.m.
We welcome you to Christ Church Cathedral. Since 1839, this Christian community has gathered for worship.
The Cathedral is equipped with a hearing loop for assisted listening via telecoil.
Welcome to Christ Church Cathedral! We have a socially distanced and masked seating section available. The south transept (to the right) is reserved for those who choose both to physically distance and wear masks. If you’re sitting in that designated section, you are expected to wear masks and sit socially distanced. For others who wish to mask, we have masks available at all welcome tables.
Christ Church Cathedral Houston, Texas
The Holy Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ
five o’clock in the evening
The Rev. Kathy Rock Pfister, Canon Vicar CelebrantLighting of Votive Candles
Worshipers are encouraged to sit in front of the alms basin. During the opening contemplative music, they are invited to observe prayerful quiet or to come forward to light a votive candle in acknowledgement of a prayer, concern, or in memory of a loved one.
Opening Music
Traditional Scottish and Welsh Tunes
At the sound of the bell, please stand. The poem is read by the Celebrant.
The Peace of Wild Things
When despair for the world grows in me and I wake in the night at the least sound in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be, I go and lie down where the wood drake rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds. I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief. I come into the presence of still water. And I feel above me the day-blind stars waiting with their light. For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
— Wendell BerryHymn 250 Sixth Night
The Word of God
The people remain standing. The Celebrant begins Celebrant Welcome to this holy place.
People Friend and stranger, saint and sinner, all who gather here. Celebrant Come all who hunger, all who thirst for life in all its fullness. Come with hope or hesitation; come with joy or yearning; come.
People Generous God and generous Savior, touch us through your Spirit.
Celebrant The Lord be with you.
People And also with you.
Celebrant Let us pray.
Stay with us, Lord, since the day is far spent and the night is coming; kindle our hearts on the Way, that we may recognize you in the scriptures, in the breaking of the bread, and in each other. Amen.
The people sit.
The First Reading Numbers 6:22-27 Reader A Reading from the Book of Numbers.
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the Israelites: You shall say to them, The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace. So they shall put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.
The reading ends without verbal response. After a pause, the people stand for the hymn.
O for a thousand tongues to sing
for speaks, a and thou list' sand ning
tongues to to his sing voice my new
œ œ
great life Re the deem dead er's re - --& # . ú
praise, ceive, the the
glo mourn ries ful of bro my ken
œ
God hearts and re King, joice, the the
œ
œ tri hum umphs ble of poor his be -- - - -& # . ú
grace! lieve. My Glo
gra ry cious to Mas God ter and
œ œ œ œ œ œ spread saints through be all low the and
and praise my and God, love as be
œ œ sist now me and to e pro ver - - --& # . ú œ œ claim. giv'n and by
. ú name. heav'n. -- -
earth saints a a broad bove, the the
œ hon Church ors in of earth thy and
STAR OF THE COUNTY DOWN; Trad. Irish Melody, arr. Keith Duke; This music arrangement © Copyright 2005 Kevin Mayhew Ltd. ~ Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. OneLicense.net #A-726591
The people sit.
The Holy Gospel Luke 2:15-21
Reader A reading from the Gospel according to Luke.
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.” So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. 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.
The reading ends without verbal response.
A minute of silence is observed.
The Reflection
John Dennis Prayers of the People (The people may stand or kneel for the prayers.)
The Leader begins
As evening falls and courage sometimes falters, let us turn our hearts to God in prayer.
Silence
We pray for those gathered here and all that lies heavy on our hearts. We pray that you would know our needs even before we recognize them. Grant us those good things for which we dare not, or in our blindness cannot, ask.
Silence
We pray for those in positions of leadership in the world, our nation, our state, and our city. Grant them the spirit of wisdom, charity, and justice, that they may promote the well-being of all people.
Silence
We pray for the sick, the bereaved, the oppressed, and the homeless, that they may be comforted by your Holy Spirit, who brings light to the darkest places.
Silence
We pray for the broken and torn fabric of the earth as it yearns for healing, trusting that you make all things new.
Silence
We pray for this and all communities of faith. We pray that you would open the hearts of your faithful to seek your truth and pursue it in love.
Silence
We pray that you would disturb us, Lord, when our dreams have come true because we have dreamed too little; when with the abundance of things we possess we have lost our thirst for the water of life. Push back, we pray, the horizons of our hopes, and move us into your future in strength, courage, hope, and love.
The Confession and Absolution
Celebrant Let us confess our sins.
The People may kneel or stand. Merciful God, we have sinned in what we have thought and said, in the wrong we have done and in the good we have not done. We have sinned in ignorance; we have sinned in weakness; we have sinned through our own deliberate fault. We are truly sorry. We repent and turn to you. Forgive us, for our Savior Christ’s sake, and renew our lives to the glory of your name. Amen.
Celebrant
Through the cross of Christ, God have mercy on you, pardon you, and set you free. Know that you are forgiven and be at peace. God strengthen you in all goodness and keep you in life eternal. Amen.
The people stand for the Peace.
The Peace
Celebrant The peace of the Lord be always with you. People And also with you.
The People greet one another in the name of the Lord.
The Holy Communion
The people may be seated for the offertory hymn.
Offertory Hymn
The cantor will sing the entire hymn once then the congregation will join in singing three more times through the hymn. & b . . œ
If œ œ
in your heart you
. œ J œ œ
œ œ make a man ger for his& b w birth
then . œ j œ
œ
œ gain be come a child on -& b . . 1 w earth.
The Great Thanksgiving
The people stand.
God will once a
Œ œ œ If
2 ú Ó earth.
Words: Angelus Silesius; Music: Ana Hernández ~ Copyright © Ana Hernandez BMI All Rights Reserved ~ Reprinted by permission. CCL # 11426131 and OneLicense.net #726591-A
Celebrant Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest. With friend, with stranger, with young and old, be among us tonight. People Come close to us that we may come close to you. Strengthen us that we may strengthen one another. Renew us that where we have failed, we may begin again.
If in your heart Use 'text' and not 'lyrics' in all instances for the 'Well'. 9pt AragonCondensedW01-regular Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. CCL # 11426131 and OneLicense.net #726591-A
The People kneel or stand. In the beginning God made the world. The world flowed from God and God shaped it, filling it with light and life. God knew the world, but we chose not to know God. We turned from God, and though God sought us through patriarchs, matriarchs, and prophets, still we strayed. Our rebellion imperiled the fullness God intends for us, and when the world could bear no more, God sent Jesus, his Son. Among friends, gathered round a table, Jesus took bread, and, having blessed it, he broke the bread and gave it to his disciples saying, “This is my body which is given for you.” In the same way he took wine, and, having given thanks for it, he poured it and gave the cup to his disciples saying, “This cup is the new covenant with God, sealed with my blood. Take this and share it.” Lord Jesus Christ, present with us now, as we do in this place what you did in an upstairs room, breathe your Spirit upon us and upon this bread and wine, that they may be heaven’s food and drink for us, renewing, sustaining, and making us whole, and that we may be your body on earth, loving and caring for the world. Through, with, and
for the love of Christ, we share this bread and cup in the unity of your Spirit, Father Almighty. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your Name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial, and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen.
The Breaking of the Bread
Celebrant Alleluia. Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us; People Therefore let us keep the feast. Alleluia.
The Invitation to Communion Celebrant
So, come to this table, you who have much faith, and you who would like to have more; you who have been to this sacrament often, and you who have not been for a long time. You who have tried to follow Jesus, and you who have fallen short. Come. It is Christ who invites you to meet him here. All are welcome and encouraged to receive Communion, whatever one’s Christian tradition.
Prayer after Communion (The people may stand or kneel.)
Celebrant and People
Eternal Light, shine in our hearts. Eternal Power, be our strength. Eternal Wisdom, guide us as we serve you. Eternal Goodness, you have drawn us to your heart and united us in the Sacrament of Christ’s Body and Blood. Now grant that with all our heart, mind, and strength, we may evermore seek your face in all those we meet in the world. Amen.
Sent Forth by God's Blessing
Sent Forth by God's Blessing
Omer E. Westendorf (1916-1997), alt.
Omer E. Westendorf (1916-1997), alt.
Sent Forth by God's Blessing
Welsh: setting: Leeland B. Sateren, b. 1913
Welsh: setting: Leeland B. Sateren, b. 1913
& b 4 3
& b 4 3 œ 1. Sent 2. With
& b 4 3
Omer E. Westendorf (1916-1997), alt.
Welsh: setting: Leeland B. Sateren, b. 1913
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& b
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1.Sent 2.With forth praise by and God's thanks bless giv ing, ing Our To true God faith ev con er - -
1.Sent 2.With forth praise by and God's thanks bless giv ing, ing Our To true God faith ev con er - -
œ œ œ œ œ peo tasks ple of of our
&
œ œ œ dwell life ing we take will - --
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& b ú œ leave. face. The Our
œ œ œ God ev from 'ry His day
œ œ œ œ Sup faith per e is ver
œ œ œ sha end ring, ed.O In
&
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& b
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œ œ œ ser chil vice dren in of
œ œ œ all each who tribe be and - -- -
œ œ œ œ œ seed Your of feast His You
œ œ œ tea feed ching, us, Re With
leave. face. The Our Sup faith per e is ver sha end ring, ed.O In now love be ev ex er - -- -& b car tend ing, ed.The Em fruits brac of ing this His ser chil vice dren in of all each who tribe be and - --& b lieve. race. The With seed Your of feast His You tea feed ching, us, Re With cep Your tive light souls now&
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b
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n God life and that for we --
œ œ œ œ œ blos nite som us in as
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reach lead ing, us; Shall U blos nite som us in as ac one tion in for this
œ œ œ ac one tion in for this
reach lead ing, us; Shall U blos nite som us in as ac one tion in for this
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œ œ œ œ grace may did all in the
& b
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all. share. His Then grace may did all in the vite liv us, ing His With love praise shall and u thanks --&
œ œ œ œ œ love praise shall and u thanks --& b œ œ œ nite giv us ing to Give
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œ œ œ œ œ work hon for or God's to
œ œ œ king Christand domand His
ú call. bear. -- -
nite giv us ing to Give work hon for or God's to king Christand domand His an name swer that His we call. bear. -- -
œ œ œ an name swer that His we
nite giv us ing to Give work hon for or God's to king Christand domand His an name swer that His we call. bear. -- -
Text ©1964 World Library Publications
Text ©1964 World Library Publications
Text ©1964 World Library Publications
Tune: THE ASH GROVE Public domain: setting: ©1972 Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship Lutheran Hy
Tune: THE ASH GROVE Public domain: setting: ©1972 Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship Lutheran Hymnal, No. 643
Lutheran Hymnal, No. 643; onelicense.net # 726591-A
The Dismissal
Celebrant Let us go forth in the name of Christ. People Thanks be to God.
Closing Music
Traditional Irish Tune
Becky Baxter, Music Coordinator and Harpist for The Well Dr. Kimberly Clark, flautist Sally Keller, cellist
The Book of Remembrance
This week we remember Donald McDonald.
The flowers at the World War I memorial are given to the glory of God in celebration of the marriage of Amy Ballanfant and Matt Matusek on December 31.
