Table Liturgy for the Feast of Christmas
By Edward Hays “Prayers for the Domestic Church”
The family stands in prayerful silence around their table upon which there are two unlighted candles. After a few moments, the father of the family begins.
FATHER: Blessed are You, Lord our God,
who has gathered us together
at this our Christmas feasting table.
MOTHER: As we light our candles on this feast of light,
may the eternal light of God
that shines with splendor in the stars
shine upon our table and fill our home.
May the Spirit of God
that shown in the star of Bethlehem
surround our table
and fill our food and our hearts with its holy light.
The candles are lighted
FATHER: Let us, each,
on this great and holy feast of the birth of our Savior,
pause now and, in silence,
lift up our hearts to God in gratitude.
Pause for silent prayer
Mother or father: Lord of All Gifts,
our home is filled with joy and great beauty
on this feast of Christmas.
We each come to this our Christmas feast
with eagerness and a happy heart.
As a family,
we thank You for the gifts of food upon this table,
mindful that You, our God,
make every day of the year a Christmas
where we are gifted by You.
We thank You that we are together
to share the happiness of this ancient holy day.
*(We thank You for the presence of our guests, __________,
who, by their being present in our home,
have added to the brightness of our celebration.)
FATHER or MOTHER: Lord of All Gifts,
Holy Father of our Savior Jesus,
with fullness of heart
we now ask Your Holy Blessing upon our food,
and upon our family
*(and our honored guests
who have joined us for this great feast).
May Your blessing be upon us all,
in the name of the Father,
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen+
ALL TOAST: Merry Christmas or A Blessed Christmas