WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION BY LIZ HANCOCK, CHIEF EXECUTIVE

CHOIR – JESUS IS COMING

POEM: ‘NEW JOURNEYS NOW BEGUN’ – BY TOM GORDON, READ BY LIZ HANCOCK

Without joy, there is no grief; Without hope, there is no belief;Without love, death is just a thief;Who steals nothing more than timeSo with love we remember them;

O COME ALL YE FAITHFULO Come All Ye FaithfulJoyful and triumphant,O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem.Come and behold Him,Born the King of Angels;

O come, let us adore Him,O come, let us adore Him,O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.

Sing, choirs of angels,Sing in exultation;O sing, all ye citizens of heaven above!Glory to God,Glory in the highest;

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 that happy morning;Jesus, to Thee be glory given;Word of the Father,Now in flesh appearing.

O come, let us adore Him,O come, let us adore Him,O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.

READING – THE BEGINNING OF LIFELUKE 1:39 – 45. NEW REVISED STANDARD VERSION (NRSV)READ BY BRIAN TOWNMary Visits Elizabeth39 In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country,  she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 42 and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43 And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? 44 For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be[a] a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”

O LITTLE TOWN OF BETHLEHEMO little town of BethlehemHow still we see thee lieAbove thy deep and dreamless sleepThe silent stars go by

Yet in thy dark streets shinethThe everlasting LightThe hopes and fears of all the yearsAre met in thee tonightFor Christ is born of MaryAnd gathered all aboveWhile mortals sleep, the angels keepTheir watch of wondering loveO morning stars togetherProclaim the holy birthAnd praises sing to God the KingAnd Peace to men on earth

NAMES…WE INVITE YOU AT THIS POINT IN THE SERVICE TO NAME THE PEOPLE YOU HAVE COME TO REMEMBER EITHER OUT LOUD OR QUIETLY IN THOUGHT AS THE HOSPICE TREE IS LIT…INTRODUCED BY CANON EDWARD POGMORE

CHOIR – CHRISTMAS PRAISE

READING: BC-ADFROM U.A. FANTHORPE’S ‘CHRISTMAS POEMS’

READ BY BRIAN TOWN

This was the moment when BeforeTurned into After, and the future’sUninvented timekeepers presented arms. This was the moment when nothingHappened. Only dull peaceSprawled boringly over the earth.This was the moment when even energetic RomansCould find nothing better to doThan counting heads in remote provinces.And this was the momentWhen a few farm workers and threeMembers of an obscure Persian sectWalked haphazardly by starlight straightInto the kingdom of heaven.

REFLECTION – BY CANON EDWARD POGMOREFOLLOWED BY A SHORT TIME OF SILENCE

IN THE BLEAK MIDWINTER

In the bleak mid-winterFrosty wind made moan;

Earth stood hard as iron,Water like a stone;Snow had fallen, snow on snow,Snow on snow,In the bleak mid-winterLong ago.

Our God, heaven cannot hold HimNor earth sustain,Heaven and earth shall flee awayWhen He comes to reign:In the bleak mid-winterA stable-place sufficedThe Lord God Almighty-Jesus Christ.

Enough for Him, whom CherubimWorship night and day,A breastful of milkAnd a mangerful of hay;Enough for Him, whom AngelsFall down before,The ox and ass and camelWhich adore.

Angels and ArchangelsMay have gathered there,Cherubim and seraphimThronged the air;

But only His MotherIn her maiden blissWorshipped the BelovedWith a kiss.

What can I give Him,Poor as I am?If I were a ShepherdI would bring a lamb;If I were a Wise ManI would do my part,Yet what I can I give Him,Give my heart.

BLESSING – FROM ‘WHIPSERS OF THE HEART’BY HILARY FAITH JONESREAD BY CANON EDWARD POGMORE

O God, be with us in our darkest times and hold us fastTransform our despair into joy and lead us into the next dawnEncourage us to live with hope as life is breathed into each new dayAnd the blessing of God Almighty,the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,be with you and remain with you always. Amen

HARK THE HERALD ANGELS SINGHark! the herald angels sing, "Glory to the new-born King! Peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled." Joyful, all ye nations, rise, Join the triumph of the skies; With th' angelic host proclaim, "Christ is born in Bethlehem." Hark! the herald angels sing, "Glory to the new-born King! 

Christ, by highest heaven adored: Christ, the everlasting Lord; Late in time behold him come, Offspring of the favoured one. Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see; Hail, th'incarnate Deity: Pleased, as man, with man to dwell, Jesus, our Emmanuel! Hark! the herald angels sing, "Glory to the new-born King! 

Hail! the heaven-born Prince of peace! Hail! the Son of Righteousness! 

Light and life to all he brings, Risen with healing in his wings Mild he lays his glory by, Born that man no more may die: Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth. Hark! the herald angels sing,"Glory to the new-born King !"

CHOIR – LOVE CHANGES EVERYTHING

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US FOR OUR LIGHT UP A LIGHT REMEMBRANCE SERVICE. WE WOULD LIKE TO INVITE YOU TO STAY FOR HOT DRINKS AND LIGHT REFRESHMENTS AFTER THE SERVICE.OUR LIGHT UP A LIFE CAMPAIGN IS HUGELY IMPORTANT TO US AT MARY ANN EVANS HOSPICE. OUR SERVICES IN PARTICULAR, THANKYOU FOR JOINING

US TO CHERISH THE MEMORIES OF YOUR LOVED ONES.