This week, 27 November, is Advent Sunday and there is a joint benefice Advent Carol Service at St John the Baptist, Outwood at 11 am. And as always, there is an online service here, too, which this week is led by the Revd Nicholas Calver
To follow today’s online service just click on the arrow here and find the words below.
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 vict’ry o’er the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, thou Dayspring, come and cheer
Our spirits by our 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 heav’nly 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, thou Lord of might,
Who to thy tribes on Sinai’s height,
In ancient times didst give the law,
In cloud and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel.
Bidding and Introduction
As we enter into this solemn season of Advent, looking forward to the birth of the Christ child, let us renew in ourselves that vision of God’s perfect kingdom which is the end of all our strivings and the consummation of God’s loving purposes for us.
In prayer, praise and song do we give voice to the hope set forth in the Scriptures, that his kingdom shall come; and, as we prepare for that day to dawn upon us from on high, so we commend ourselves and the whole human family to his keeping. May he guide us into the way of peace, give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, and kindle in us the fire of his love.
Amen. Come Lord Jesus.
Advent Collect
Almighty God,
give us grace to cast away the works of darkness
and to put on the armour of light,
now in the time of this mortal life,
in which your Son Jesus Christ
came to us in great humility: so that on the last day,
when he shall come again in his glorious majesty
to judge the living and the dead,
we may rise to the life immortal;
through him who is alive and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit,
one God, world without end.
Amen
The choir sings: O Thou the Central Orb (Wood), recorded at St Mary the Virgin, Horne on Advent Sunday 2019
O Thou, the central orb of righteous love,
Pure beam of the most High, eternal Light
Of this our wintry world, Thy radiance bright
Awakes new joy in faith, hope soars above.
Come, quickly come, and let thy glory shine,
Gilding our darksome heaven with rays Divine.
Thy saints with holy lustre round Thee move,
As stars about thy throne, set in the height
Of God’s ordaining counsel, as Thy sight
Gives measured grace to each, Thy power to prove.
Let Thy bright beams disperse the gloom of sin,
Our nature all shall feel eternal day
In fellowship with thee, transforming day
To souls erewhile unclean, now pure within. Amen.
The readings
by David Spruce
The first reading is Isaiah 2: 1-5
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.
Glory to you, O Lord.
The Gospel reading is Matthew 24: 36-44
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
Talk
by the Revd Nicholas Calver
The intercessions
Lord Jesus, you came to gather the nations into the peace of your kingdom. Help us to live in the light of your coming and give us a longing for your rule.
Amen. Come Lord Jesus.
Lord Jesus, you come in word and sacrament to strengthen us in holiness. By your grace make us trustworthy and true, so that we may be found worthy of your praise.
Amen. Come Lord Jesus.
Lord Jesus, you will come in glory with salvation for your people. May we be ready to meet you with a joyful love and a firm faith.
Amen. Come Lord Jesus.
Finally, we remember all who have gone before us with the sign of faith, whose hope was in the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we offer up our prayers for the coming of his kingdom, in the words he himself has taught us, saying:
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.
The 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.
And may the Lord when he comes find us watching and waiting, now and at all times.
Amen.
Lo! He comes with clouds descending,
Once for mortal sinners slain;
Thousand thousand saints attending,
Swell the triumph of His train:
Alleluya!
God appears on earth to reign.
Every eye shall now behold Him
Robed in dreadful majesty;
Those who set at naught and sold Him,
Pierced and nailed Him to the tree,
Deeply wailing
Shall the true Messiah see.
Those dear tokens of His passion
Still His dazzling body bears;
Cause of endless exultation
To His ransomed worshippers;
With what rapture
Gaze we on those glorious scars!
Yea, Amen! let all adore Thee,
High on Thine eternal throne;
Saviour, take the power and glory,
Claim the kingdom for Thine own;
O come quickly!
Alleluya! Come, Lord, come!
Organist: Peter Nye
Hymn words reproduced under CCLI: 845257.
Common Worship: Services and Prayers for the Church of England (2000), material from which is included in this service, is copyright © The Archbishops’ Council 2000.
