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Service of the Word for the 4th Sunday of Advent
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you and also with you.
Prayer of Preparation
Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hidden: cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Hymn: O come, O come, Emmanuel
O come, O come, Emmanuel,
and ransom captive Israel
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, thou Rod of Jesse, free
thine own from satan’s tyranny;
from depths of hell thy people save,
and give them victory o'er the grave:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, thou Dayspring, come and cheer
Our spirits by thine advent here;
disperse the gloomy clouds of night
and death’s dark shadows put to flight:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, thou Key of David, come
and open wide our heavenly home.
make safe the way that leads on high,
and close the path to misery:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, O come, great Lord of might,
who to your tribes on Sinai's height
in ancient times did give the law
in cloud and majesty and awe:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel.
Prayers of penitence
A voice cries out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord.’ So let us listen, and turn to the Lord in penitence and faith.
Heavenly Father, you call us to prepare for the coming of your Son: forgive us our unreadiness to receive him.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, you were proclaimed by John the Baptist: help us also to prepare your way.
Christ, have mercy. Christ, have mercy.
Holy Spirit, you speak through the prophets: make us attentive to hear your word.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
The 4th Advent Candle is lit
Blessed are you, sovereign Lord, merciful and gentle: to you be praise and glory for ever. Your light has shone in our darkened world through the child-bearing of blessed Mary; grant that we who have seen your glory may daily be renewed in your image and prepared like her for the coming of your Son, who is the Lord and Saviour of all.
Blessed be God for ever.
The Absolution
Almighty God, who in Jesus Christ has given us
a kingdom that cannot be destroyed, forgive you your sins,
open your eyes to God’s truth, strengthen you to do God’s will and give you the joy of his kingdom, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Gloria in Excelsis
Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth.
Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory. Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world: have mercy on us; you are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
Collect
God our redeemer, who prepared the Blessed Virgin Mary
to be the mother of your Son: grant that, as she looked for his coming as our saviour, so we may be ready to greet him when he comes again as our judge; who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Old Testament Reading: 2 Samuel 7.1-11,16
Now when the king was settled in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him, the king said to the prophet Nathan, ‘See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent.’ Nathan said to the king, ‘Go, do all that you have in mind; for the Lord is with you.’
But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan: Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the Lord: Are you the one to build me a house to live in? I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle. Wherever I have moved about among all the people of Israel, did I ever speak a word with any of the tribal leaders of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, ‘Why have you not built me a house of cedar?’ Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the Lord of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel; and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure for ever before me; your throne shall be established for ever.
Magnificat
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit
rejoices in God my Saviour; He has looked with favour on his lowly servant,
From this day all generations will call me blessed;
The Almighty has done great things for me and holy is his name.
He has mercy on those who fear him,
From generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm
and has scattered the proud in their conceit.
Casting down the mighty from their thrones
and lifting up the lowly,
He has filled the hungry with good things
and sent the rich empty away.
He has come to the aid of his servant Israel,
To remember his promise of mercy.
The promise made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and his children for ever.
Luke 1.46-55
Epistle Reading: Romans 16.25-end
Now to God who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but is now disclosed, and through the prophetic writings is made known to all the Gentiles, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory for ever! Amen.
Gospel Reading: Luke 1.26-38
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you.’ But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ The angel said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.’ Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’ Then the angel departed from her.
This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Reflection
Hymn: The angel Gabriel from heaven came
The Angel Gabriel from heaven came,
his wings as drifted snow, his eyes as flame;
‘All hail,’ said he, ‘thou lowly maiden Mary,
most highly favoured lady.’ Gloria!
‘For known a blessed Mother thou shalt be,
All generations laud and honour thee,
thy son shall be Emmanuel, by seers foretold,
‘Most highly favoured lady.’ Gloria!
Then gentle Mary meekly bowed her head.
‘To me be as it pleaseth God,’ she said.
‘My soul shall laud and magnify his holy name.’
most highly favoured lady. Gloria!
Of her, Emmanuel, the Christ, was born
in Bethlehem, all on a Christmas morn.
and Christian folk throughout the world will ever say:
‘Most highly favoured lady.’ Gloria!
The Creed
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth,of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God,eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father; through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven,
was incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.
Amen.
Intercessions
Response: Lord, in your mercy. Hear our prayer.
The Lord’s Prayer
Let us pray with confidence as our Saviour taught us,
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
Blessing
Christ the Sun of Righteousness shine upon you, scatter the darkness from before your path, and make you ready to meet him when he comes in glory; and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always.Amen.
Hymn: Sing we of the Blessed Mother
Sing we of the Blessed Mother
who received the angel’s word,
and obedient to his summons
bore in love the infant Lord;
sing we are of the joys of Mary
at whose breast that child was fed
who is the son of God eternal
and the everlasting Bread.
Sing we, too, of Mary’s sorrows,
of the sword that pierced her through,
when beneath the cross of Jesus
she his weight of suffering knew,
looked upon her Son and Saviour
reigning high on Calvary’s tree,
Saw the price of man’s redemption
paid to set the sinner free.
Sing again the joys of Mary
when she saw the risen Lord,
and in prayer with Christ’s apostles,
waited on his promised word:
from on high the blazing glory
of the Spirit’s presence came,
heavenly breath of God’s own being,
Manifest through wind and flame.
Sing the chiefest joy of Mary
when on earth her work was done,
and the Lord of all creation
brought her to his heavenly home:
Virgin Mother, Mary blessed,
raised on high and crowned with grace,
may your Son, the world’s redeemer,
grant us all to see his face.
Dismissal
As we await our coming Saviour, go in peace to love and serve the Lord. In the name of Christ. Amen.
Common Worship copyright © The Archbishops' Council 2002 and Times & Seasons copyright © The Archbishops' Council 2006, published by Church House Publishing.
Hymns from Hymns Ancient & Modern hymns & songs for refreshing worship: O come, O come, Emmanuel
- J.Mason Neale (1818-1866); The Angel Gabriel -Basque Carol paraphrased by Sabine Baring-Gould (1834-1924); Sing we of the Blessed Mother - G.B.Timms (1910-1997)
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