Young or old, from near or far you are all
Welcome!
Newton Heath
All Saints’ Parish Church
With St Wilfrid’s, St Ann and St Cuthbert’s
Sunday 22nd December 2024
The Fourth Sunday of Advent
Crossing the threshold
The image above is ‘contemporary’ even though it is at least 25 years old. It could be any town, and that’s the point. It’s ordinary. Ordinary until you remember the significance of the names of the women depicted: Mary and Elizabeth. The younger of the two women is about to cross the threshold of the house of the older woman, who is clearly fairly advanced in her pregnancy.
It’s hard to tell whether the younger woman is pregnant or not. However, she is carrying something into the house. It doesn’t take much lateral thinking to work out that if the older woman is Elizabeth, who conceived six months before Mary, then the younger woman is Mary, who may not be ‘showing’ yet, but she is bringing something (ie someone) in.
This image is about Mary’s obedience, duty and celebration: cue The Magnificat. It’s also about potential. We are nearly through with our Advent obedience, ready as it says in that carol “where meek souls will receive him still, the dear Christ enters in.” Christ crosses the threshold of our doubts and fears, to bring knowledge and joy.
Fr A.
Image: from Mary greets Elizabeth Dinah Roe Kendall.
Music before the service
Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme BWV 645 J.S. Bach
(Wake up, the voice calls us)
Introit Hymn
Come, thou long expected Jesus,
born to set thy people free;
from our fears and sins release us,
let us find our rest in thee.
Israel's strength and consolation,
hope of all the earth thou art;
dear desire of every nation,
joy of every longing heart.
Born thy people to deliver,
born a child and yet a King,
born to reign in us forever,
now thy gracious kingdom bring.
By thine own eternal spirit
rule in all our hearts alone;
by thine all sufficient merit,
raise us to thy glorious throne.
Charles Wesley
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.
The celebrant introduces the service.
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.
cf 1 Corinthians 4.5
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.
The president says
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.
Amen
Readings
Micah. 5.2-5a
The Ruler from Bethlehem
2 But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah,
who are one of the little clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to rule in Israel,
whose origin is from of old,
from ancient days.
3 Therefore he shall give them up until the time
when she who is in labour has brought forth;
then the rest of his kindred shall return
to the people of Israel.
4 And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great
to the ends of the earth;
5 and he shall be the one of peace.
If the Assyrians come into our land
and tread upon our soil,
we will raise against them seven shepherds
and eight installed as rulers.
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Hebrews. 10.5-10
5Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said,
‘Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,
but a body you have prepared for me;
6 in burnt-offerings and sin-offerings
you have taken no pleasure.
7 Then I said, “See, God, I have come to do your will, O God”
(in the scroll of the book it is written of me).’
8When he said above, ‘You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt-offerings and sin-offerings’ (these are offered according to the law), 9then he added, ‘See, I have come to do your will.’ He abolishes the first in order to establish the second. 10And it is by God’s will that we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Gradual Hymn
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 blessèd mother thou shalt be,
all generations laud and honour thee,
thy son shall be Immanuel, 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, Immanuel, 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!
Birjina gastettobat zegoen
Basque Carol, Charles Bordes (Collector) (1863-1909), Sabine Baring-Gould (1834-1924)
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
The Gospel is announced
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ
according to Luke
Glory to you, O Lord.
39 In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, 40where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 42and exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? 44For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leapt for joy. 45And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.’
46 And Mary said,
‘My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
48 for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
50 His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
52 He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
53 he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
55 according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’
Luke 1.39-55
At the end
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.
Intercessions
Watchful at all times,
let us pray for strength
to stand with confidence
before our Maker and Redeemer.
That God may bring in his kingdom
with justice and mercy,
let us pray to the Lord:
Cycle of Prayer
Our bishops:
David, Mark, and Matthew
The Anglican Communion
The Church of the Province of Uganda
Porvoo Communion
Church of Norway: Diocese of Oslo;
Church of England: Diocese of Durham
Schools and Colleges
All Saints; St Wilfrid’s;
Briscoe Lane Academy; Christ the King;
Co-op Academy Broadhurst; Oldham Blue Coat; Trinity High School; Hopwood Hall College;
St Ambrose College; Loreto College.
Parish
Schools, Residential and Care Homes,
Care Workers, Factories, Shops, Supermarkets, Undertakers, Security Services, Sports Facilities.
Book of Remembrance
Isabella Hadfield; Ernest Booth;
(Baby) Edward Farnell-Coleman; Betty Burgess; Samuel Revett; Margaret Briggs; Tom Howard; Edith Corlett; Rita Flynn; George Potkin;
Joe Farrell; John Palmer; John Hill; Val Hobson; Harry Booth.
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.
Prayers at the Preparation of the Table
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 Eucharistic Prayer
The president says
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 president praises God for his mighty acts ending with the words ‘and evermore praising you and singing/saying’ to which and all respond
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 president recalls the Last Supper,
and one of these four acclamations may be used
[Great is the mystery of faith:]
Christ has died:
Christ is risen:
Christ will come again.
The Prayer continues and leads into the
doxology, to which all respond boldly
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.
Breaking of the Bread
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.
Giving of Communion
Music after the Distribution of Communion
A Hymn to the Virgin Benjamin Britten
sung by The Marian Consort
Of one that is so fair and bright,
velut maris stella, (like a star of the sea)
Brighter than the day is light,
parens et puella. (mother and maiden)
I cry to thee, thou see to me,
Lady, pray thy Son for me,
Tam pia, (such a virtuous one)
That I may come to thee.
Maria! (Mary)
All this world was forlorn
Eva peccatrice, (through Eve, the sinner)
Till our Lord was y-born
de te genetrice. (of thee, the mother)
With ave it went away darkest night,
and comes the day salutis: (of salvation)
The well springeth out of thee
virtutis. (of virtue)
Lady, flow'r of everything,
rosa sine spina, (rose without thorn)
Thou bare Jesu, heaven's King,
gratia divina: (by divine grace)
Of all that bear'st the prize,
Lady, queen of paradise,
Electa: (chosen one)
Maid mild, mother
es effecta. (you are made)
C14 Anonymous
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.
Notices may be given
Hymn
Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord!
Unnumbered blessings, give my spirit voice;
tender to me the promise of his word;
in God my Saviour shall my heart rejoice.
Tell out, my soul, the greatness of his Name!
Make known his might, the deeds his arm has done;
his mercy sure, from age to age the same;
his holy Name, the Lord, the Mighty One.
Tell out, my soul, the greatness of his might!
Powers and dominions lay their glory by.
Proud hearts and stubborn wills are put to flight,
the hungry fed, the humble lifted high.
Tell out, my soul, the glories of his word!
Firm is his promise, and his mercy sure.
Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord
to children's children and for evermore!
Timothy Dudley-Smith (born 1926) from Luke 1 vs46-55
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Blessing and Dismissal
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.
Voluntary
In dulci jubilo BWV 729 J S Bach
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