28th December 2025 at 10.30am – The Feast of Holy Innocents – Eucharist

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The Readings.

Jeremiah 31.15-17

Thus says the Lord:
A voice is heard in Ramah,
lamentation and bitter weeping.
Rachel is weeping for her children;
she refuses to be comforted for her children,
because they are no more.
Thus says the Lord:
Keep your voice from weeping,
and your eyes from tears;
for there is a reward for your work,

says the Lord:
they shall come back from the land of the enemy;
there is hope for your future,

says the Lord:
your children shall come back to their own country.

Matthew 2.13-18

Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, “Out of Egypt I have called my son.”

When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah: “A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they are no more.”

Scripture quotations are from: New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org

The Sermon
The Revd Mike Gilbert.

The Prayers

In peace let us pray to the God of love.

Righteous God,
your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ dwelt among us
and shared our grief and our pain.

We pray for the children of our world,
that they may grow up knowing love and security.
Jesus, saviour,
Hear our prayer.

We pray for all children who suffer neglect or abuse.
Jesus, saviour,
Hear our prayer.

We pray for all communities in our world
who live with the memories of massacre and gross cruelty.
Jesus, saviour,
Hear our prayer.

We pray for all who are corrupted by power
and who regard human life as cheap.
Jesus, saviour,
Hear our prayer.

We pray for parents who have suffered the death of a child.
Jesus, saviour,
Hear our prayer.

We pray for parents and guardians,
that they may be given grace to care for the children entrusted to them.
Jesus, saviour,
Hear our prayer.

As we celebrate the coming of the Christ-child,
we rejoice in the fellowship of the Holy Innocents
and commit the children of this community,
our nation and our world to you,
our righteous God.
Merciful Father,
accept these prayers
for the sake of your Son,
our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

Common Worship: Times and Seasons, material from which is used here is copyright (c) 2010 The Archbishops' Council