“Come, let us bow down in worship,
let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.”

“Though you have not seen him, you love him;
and even though you do not see him now,
you believe in him and are filled with
an inexpressible and glorious joy,
for you are receiving the end result of your faith,
the salvation of your souls.”

“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said,
‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’”

“This is love: not that we loved God,
but that he loved us and sent his Son
as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

“This is how God showed his love among us:
he sent his one and only Son into the world
so that we might have life through him.”

“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those
on whom his favour rests.”

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace
as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope
by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,
baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything
I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always,
to the very end of the age.”

“So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph,
and the baby, lying in the manger.”

“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod,
Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked,
‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?
We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.’”

“She will have a son; call him Jesus,
for he will rescue his people from sin.”

“Angels filled the sky, praising God
and proclaiming peace on earth.”

“The grace of God has appeared
and offers salvation to all people.”

“And again, when God sends his firstborn Son into the world,
he says, ‘Let all God’s angels worship him.’”

“When the angels had returned to heaven,
the shepherds said to one another,
‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened,
which the Lord has told us about.’
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph,
and the baby, lying in the manger.”

“Joseph travelled from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea,
to Bethlehem, David’s town, because he belonged to David’s family line.
He went there to be registered with Mary, who was engaged to him
and was expecting a baby.”

“That night, some shepherds were out in the fields nearby,
keeping watch over their sheep. Suddenly an angel of the Lord
stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them,
and they were filled with fear.”

“The Word became truly human and made his home among us.
We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son,
who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

“For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the rule will rest on his shoulders.
And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel”
(which means “God with us”).

“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth,
burst into jubilant song with music.”

“While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born,
and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son.
She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger,
because there was no guest room available for them.”

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”

“But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.’”