10.00 am Parish Sung Eucharist
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Doubting Joseph
We began Year A for readings on Advent Sunday. This means it’s Joseph rather than Mary who is the focus of the Gospel reading today, the Sunday when we light the candle on the Advent Crown traditionally associated with her not him.
Joseph too has clearly been selected by God, but it’s not made easy as doubt is sown initially about the probity of his fiancee. She had been unfaithful to him, as she was with child and the child wasn’t his, so he would have thought, quite reasonably too. However, the nativity is not about reason: it’s about love from the very beginning of the world.
After having been challenged by the initial knowledge that Mary was pregnant, clearly he passes that test and proves he is a decent man. Then the backfilling of the story begins.
Whichever account of we read how Jesus came to be born, I hope we can be drawn into the mystery and beauty, rather than distracted by the biology.
The mystery is epitomised in four words on Christmas Night, this time from St John:
The word became flesh
O come, let us adore him.
Fr A
Music before the service
Priere a Notre Dame Boellmann
Introit Hymn
Come, thou Redeemer of the earth,
and manifest thy virgin-birth:
let every age adoring fall;
such birth befits the God of all.
Begotten of no human will,
but of the Spirit, thou art still
the Word of God, in flesh arrayed,
the promised fruit to man now displayed.
All laud to God the Father be,
All praise, eternal son to thee,
All glory as is ever meet,
To God the Holy Paraclete.
Amen
St Ambrose of Milan
In the name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
The Greeting
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.
Invitation to Confession
When the Lord comes, he will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness, and will disclose the purposes of the heart.
Therefore in the light of Christ let us confess our sins
Most merciful God,
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
we confess that we have sinned
in thought, word and deed.
We have not loved you
with our whole heart.
We have not loved our neighbours
as ourselves.
In your mercy forgive what we have been,
help us to amend what we are,
and direct what we shall be;
that we may do justly, love mercy,
and walk humbly with you,
our God.
Amen.
Almighty God,
who forgives all who truly repent,
have mercy upon you,
pardon and deliver you from all your sins,
confirm and strengthen you in all
goodness, and keep you in life eternal;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
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.
Readings
Isaiah 7.10-16
10 Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz,
saying, 11Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven. 12But Ahaz said, I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test. 13Then Isaiah said: ‘Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary mortals, that you weary my God also? 14Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel. 15He shall eat curds and honey by the time he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. 16For before the child knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land before whose two kings you are in dread will be deserted.
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God
Romans 1.1-7
1Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, 3the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the
spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name, 6including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ, 7 To all God’s beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. who spoke in the name of the Lord.
This is the word of the Lord
Thanks be to God.
Gospel Reading
As you are able, please stand
Alleluia, alleluia.
Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,
and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
cf Isaiah 40.3–5
Alleluia.
The Lord be with you
And also with you
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ
according to Matthew
Glory to you, O Lord.
18 Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his
mother Mary had been engaged to
Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. 20But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord
appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ 22All this took place to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
23 ‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him
Emmanuel’, which means, ‘God is with us.’ 24When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, 25but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.
Matthew 1.18-25
After the Gospel
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
Sermon
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.
Cycle of Prayer
In joyful expectation of his coming to our aid we pray to Jesus. Come to your Church as Lord and judge.
Help us to live in the light of your coming
and give us a longing for your kingdom.
Maranatha:
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
Cycle of Prayer
Our bishops: David, Mark and Matthew
The Anglican Communion
The Anglican Church of Burundi
Porvoo Communion
Church of England: Diocese of Durham
Church of Norway: Diocese of Oslo
Schools and Colleges
All Saints; St Wilfrid’s; Briscoe Lane
Academy; Christ the King; Co-op Academy Broadhurst; Oldham Blue Coat; Trinity High School; Bowdoin College, Maine; Churchill College, Cambridge;
University of Coventry;
Edge Hill University; University of Leeds.
Parish
Assheton Road, Audax Walk, Averill Street, Ballentine Street, Baltimore Walk,
Bardsley Street.
Book of Remembrance
Margaret Bradley; Isabella Hadfield;
Ernest Booth; (Baby) Edward Farnell-Coleman; Elizabeth Burgess;
Samuel Revett; Margaret Briggs;
Tom Howard; Edith Corlett; Rita Flynn; George Potkin; Joe Farrell; John Palmer; John Hill; Val Hobson; Harry Booth;
May Hatch; Frances Yole.
THE LITURGY OF THE SACRAMENT
The Peace
In the tender mercy of our God,
the dayspring from on high shall break upon us, to give light to those who dwell in darkness and in the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
cf Luke 1.78,79
The peace of the Lord be always with you
and also with you.
Let us offer one another a sign of peace.
The Eucharistic Prayer
As the grain once scattered in the fields
and the grapes once dispersed on the hillside are now united on this table in bread and wine, so, Lord, may your whole Church soon be gathered together from the corners of the earth into your kingdom.
Amen.
The Lord be with you
and also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give thanks and praise.
The Preface continues until the invitation to say
Holy, holy, holy Lord,
God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the
name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
The Words of Institution follow as far as
Great is the mystery of faith
Christ has died:
Christ is risen:
Christ will come again.
The Eucharistic Prayer continues until the
Doxology which is sung
..by whom and with whom and in whom, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honour be unto you Almighty Father, world without end.
Amen
The Lord’s Prayer
Let us pray with confidence as our
Saviour has 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.
We break this bread
to share in the body of Christ.
Though we are many, we are one body, because we all share in one bread.
The Agnus Dei
Jesus, Lamb of God,
have mercy on us.
Jesus, bearer of our sins,
have mercy on us.
Jesus, redeemer of the world,
grant us peace.
Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
Lord I am not worthy to receive you,
but only say the word and I am healed
Hymn after Communion
Gabriel’s Message
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!
Traditional Basque carol
English translation, by Elizabeth Baring-Gould
Post Communion Prayer
Heavenly Father,
who chose the Blessed Virgin Mary
to be the mother of the
promised saviour:
fill us your servants with your grace,
that in all things we may embrace your holy will and with her rejoice in your salvation; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Almighty God,
we thank you for feeding us
with the body and blood of your
Son Jesus Christ.
Through him we offer you
our souls and bodies
to be a living sacrifice.
Send us out
In the power of your Spirit
to live and work
to your praise and glory.
Amen.
Parish news may be shared
Hymn
People look East. The time is near
Of the crowning of the year.
Make your house fair as you are able,
Trim the hearth and set the table.
People look East, today:
Love the Guest is on the way.
Furrows, be glad. Though earth is bare,
One more seed is planted there:
Give up your strength the seed to nourish,
That in course the flower may flourish.
People look East, today:
Love the Rose is on the way.
Stars, keep the watch. When night is dim
One more light the bowl shall brim,
Shining beyond the frosty weather,
Bright as sun and moon together.
People look East, today:
Love the Star is on the way.
Angels announce to man and beast
Him who cometh from the East.
Set every peak and valley humming
With the Word, the Lord is coming.
People look East, today:
Love the Lord is on the way
Words: Eleanor Farjeon.
Music: Besançon Carol, arranged
Blessing and Dismissal
May the God of peace,
who brought again from the dead
our Lord Jesus Christ,
that great shepherd of the sheep,
comfort and assure you of his love
in this world and the next;
and the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain
with you always.
Go in peace to love your neighbour.
Go in power to work for reconciliation.
Go in hope to proclaim the resurrection.
Amen
Voluntary
Chant de joie Langlais
3.30 pm Crib and Christingle Service
(with an opportunity to light a candle as a visual prayer for someone or something you miss this year)
Common Worship: Collects and Post Communions, material from which is included here, is copyright ©The Archbishops' Council and published by Church House Publishing.
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
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