Preludes: Prelude and Fugue in D Major Boyvin/Bach; Prelude on ‘Veni Emmanuel’ Gordon Young
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,
be with you all.
And also with you.
Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly.
Source of all light, send your Son Jesus Christ to shine in our dark world. Help us to prepare our hearts to receive him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen.
Today we light the third candle of Advent; the candle of joy.
Dear God, we rejoice that you give us what we need. Fill our days with joy and help us to share that joy with others. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Let us pray,
God of power and mercy, you call us once again to celebrate the coming of your Son. Remove those things which hinder love of you, that when he comes, he may find us waiting in awe and wonder for him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
First Reading: Philippians 4:4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church
Thanks be to God.
Ring out your joy, for the Holy One is in your midst.
Therefore you shall draw water with rejoicing from the springs of salvation. And on that day you shall say, Give thanks to the Lord and call upon his name; make his deeds known among the peoples; see that they remember that his name is exalted.
Ring out your joy, for the Holy One is in your midst.
Sing the praises of the Lord, for he has done great things, and this is known in all the world. Cry aloud, inhabitants of Zion, ring out your joy, for the great one in the midst of you is the Holy One of Israel.
Ring out your joy, for the Holy One is in your midst.
And also with you.
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our ancestor'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." And the crowds asked him, "What then should we do?" In reply he said to them, "Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise." Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, "Teacher, what should we do?" He said to them, "Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you." Soldiers also asked him, "And we, what should we do?" He said to them, "Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages." As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire." So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.
The Gospel of Christ.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
In this Season of Advent, we pray for ourselves and the world, placing before you our hope, confident in your peace, mindful of your joy, basking in your love, saying, hear our prayer.
We pray that you will establish among the nations your rule of righteousness, come to the world and the church with peace. We pray for Anne our Primate, Sandra our Bishop. We pray for an end to racial discrimination, an end to gender-based violence, and for truth and reconciliation with Indigenous people. God of joy:
We pray that you will fill every heart with love and the desire to ensure justice for every human being. By sharing the good things of the earth, may we secure justice and equality for all people, an end to division, and a society built on love and peace. God of joy:
Hear our prayer.
We pray that we may seek Christ in holy scriptures, know him in the breaking of bread, and recognize him in one another. Break into our lives, where we struggle with sickness and pain, and set us free to serve you forever. God of joy:
We pray that all of us know that we are worthy of love and care and that no one deserves to live in fear or violence. May we work to dismantle the systems of power, control, and oppression that teach that some are worth less because of gender, race, age, or ability. May all people live with dignity. God of joy,
Hear our prayer.
We pray for those in any distress from floods, drought, fire, earthquakes and war. We pray for those in need as we approach the Christmas season, especially for our outreach efforts. God of joy:
We pray that you will bind up the brokenhearted and restore the sick. We pray for those we know who are ill at home or in the hospital, remembering especially…
… and others we may name out loud, or in our hearts…
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God of joy:
Hear our prayer.
We remember those who have died in your peace and whose faith is known to you alone, especially…
-
…and be with and strengthen those who mourn that, with all the saints in light, we may shine forth as lights for the world, God of joy:
Almighty God, as your blessed Son Jesus Christ first came to seek and to save the lost; so may he come again to find in us the completion of his redeeming work; for he is now alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen.
Let us confess our sins, confident in God’s forgiveness.
we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbours as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us, that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your name. Amen.
pardon and deliver you from all your sins,
confirm and strengthen you in all goodness,
and keep you in eternal life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
And also with you.
The Prayer over the Gifts
Let us pray,
God of hope, renew in us the joy of your salvation and make us a living sacrifice to you, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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 our thanks and praise.
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.
Christ has died,
Christ is risen,
Christ will come again.
As our Saviour taught us, let us pray,
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial, and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and for ever. Amen.
God of promise,
you prepare a banquet for us in your kingdom.
Happy are those who are called
to the supper of the Lamb.
The gifts of God for the People of God.
Thanks be to God.
Lamb of God you take away the sin of the world
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God you take away the sin of the world
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God you take away the sin of the world
grant us your peace.
HYMNs
60 I Come with Joy
PB 135 Gathered In His Name (repeated)
PB 135 Gathered In His Name
Let us pray,
Merciful God, may this eucharist free us from our sins, fill us with unending joy, and prepare us for the birthday of our Saviour. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, who is Lord now and for ever. Amen.
Glory to God,
whose power, working in us,
can do infinitely more
than we can ask or imagine.
Glory to God from generation to generation,
in the Church and in Christ Jesus,
for ever and ever. Amen.
Be steadfast in faith, joyful in hope,
and untiring in love all the days of your life;
and the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you always. Amen.
Go forth into the world,
rejoicing in the Joy of God the Creator.
Thanks be to God.
