The Third Sunday of
Advent
17 December 2017
The Gathering of
the Community
Gathering Music
Announcements
Entrance Hymn
‘Comfort , Comfort
Ye, My People’ Common Praise #100
The Greeting
Blessed be the
Lord, the God of Israel,
who has come to
set us free,
who has raised up for us a mighty Saviour,
Lighting of the Advent Wreath [ii]
Come, O Lord, and set us free.
Maranatha.
We have been waiting and longing for light,
watching for signs of the Lord.
“Promised of ages,” “Messiah to come,”
hear us, we beg you:
“Come, save!”
Come, O Lord, and set us free.
Maranatha.
Collect of the Day
Let us pray.
God of light,
who sent the Baptist to offer hope
and to face the world’s scorn:
open our ears to hear the cries from the margins,
exposing our fears, sharpening our vision
and calling us to faith;
through Jesus Christ, the one who is to come. Amen. [iii]
The Proclamation of
the Word
The First Reading:
Isaiah 61.1-4, 8-11
A reading from the
prophet Isaiah.
61.1 The spirit of the
Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to
bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim
liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; 2 to proclaim
the year of the Lord’s favour, and
the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; 3 to provide
for those who mourn in Zion — to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil
of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint
spirit. They will be called oaks of
righteousness, the planting of the Lord,
to display his glory. 4 They
shall build up the ancient ruins, they shall raise up the former devastations; they
shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations.
8 For I the Lord love justice, I hate robbery and
wrongdoing; I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an
everlasting covenant with them. 9
Their descendants shall be known among the nations, and their offspring among
the peoples; all who see them shall acknowledge that they are a people whom the
Lord has blessed. 10 I
will greatly rejoice in the Lord,
my whole being shall exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments
of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom
decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her
jewels. 11 For as the earth
brings forth its shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring
up, so the Lord God will cause
righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations.
Hear what the
Spirit is saying to the church.
Thanks be to God.
The Psalm: Psalm 126
from Songs for the Holy One
Refrain (sung twice): The Holy One does
wonderful things for us.
When the Holy One
restores Zion’s fortunes,
it will be like a
glorious dream.
Our mouths will be filled with laughter
and our tongues with joyful shouts.
Refrain: The Holy One does
wonderful things for us.
The nations will
exclaim,
“What wonderful
things God has done for them.”
The Holy One has indeed done wonders for us!
We will be filled
with ecstasy.
O Holy One, bring back our exiles
streaming through the southern desert.
Refrain: The Holy One does
wonderful things for us.
Those who sowed in
tears will harvest in great joy.
Those who carried the seed went forth in tears,
but will surely return carrying the sheaves of
harvest!
Refrain: The Holy One does
wonderful things for us.
The Second Reading:
1 Thessalonians 5.16-24
A reading from Paul’s
First Letter to the Thessalonians.
5.16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18
give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus
for you. 19 Do not quench the
Spirit. 20 Do not despise the
words of prophets, 21 but test everything; hold fast to what is
good; 22 abstain from every form of evil.
23 May the God of peace
himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept
sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is
faithful, and he will do this.
Hear what the
Spirit is saying to the church.
Thanks be to God.
Hymn before the Gospel
‘Prepare the
Way’ Common
Praise #107 (sung twice)
The Gospel: John
1.6-8, 19-28
The Lord be with
you.
And also with you.
The Gospel of our
Lord Jesus Christ according to John.
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
1.6 There was a man sent
from God, whose name was John. 7
He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through
him. 8 He himself was not the
light, but he came to testify to the light.
19 This is the testimony
given by John when the [Jewish authorities] sent priests and Levites from
Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20
He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, “I am not the Messiah.” 21 And they asked him, “What
then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the prophet?” He answered, “No.” 22 Then they said to him, “Who are
you? Let us have an answer for those who
sent us. What do you say about
yourself?”
23 He said, “I am the
voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’
” as the prophet Isaiah said.
24 Now they had been sent
from the Pharisees. 25 They
asked him, “Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor
Elijah, nor the prophet?” 26
John answered them, “I baptize with water.
Among you stands one whom you do not know, 27 the one who is
coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.” 28 This took place in Bethany
across the Jordan where John was baptizing.
The Gospel of
Christ.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Hymn after the
Gospel
‘Prepare the
Way’ Common
Praise #107 (sung once)
The Homily
The Apostles’
Creed
Let us confess the faith of our baptism.
I believe in God,
the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son,
our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Prayers of the
Community
Intercessions, Thanksgivings and Petitions
Confession and Absolution
Let us pray for
the forgiveness of our sins.
Have mercy upon
us, most merciful God;
in your compassion, forgive us our sins,
known and unknown,
things done and left undone;
and so uphold us by your Spirit
that we may live and serve you in newness of life,
to the honour and glory of your name;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
May the God of
love and power
forgive you and
free you from your sins,
heal and
strengthen you by the Holy Spirit
and raise you to
new life in Jesus Christ. Amen.
The Exchange of the Peace
May the peace of
Christ whose day draws near be with you.
And also with you.
The Holy Communion
Offertory Hymn
‘People, Look
East!’ The Time Is Near!’ Common
Praise #91
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. [iv]
The Great Thanksgiving
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 our thanks and praise.
It is indeed
right, our duty and our joy,
that we should at
all times and in all places
give thanks and
praise to you, almighty and merciful God,
through our
Saviour Jesus Christ.
You comforted your
people with the promise of the Redeemer,
through whom you
will also make all things new
in the day when he
comes to judge the world in righteousness.
And so, with all
the choirs of angels,
with the church on
earth and the hosts of heaven,
we praise your
name and join their unending hymn:
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.
Holy One, the
beginning and the end, the giver of life:
Blessed are you
for the birth of creation.
Blessed are in the
darkness and in the light.
Blessed are you
for your promise to your people.
Blessed are you in
the prophets’ hopes
and dreams.
Blessed are you for Mary’s
openness to your will.
Blessed are you for your Son Jesus,
the Word made flesh.
In the night in
which he was betrayed,
our Lord Jesus
took bread, and gave thanks;
broke it, and gave
it to his disciples, saying:
Take and eat; this
is my body, given for you.
Do this for the
remembrance of me.
Again, after
supper, he took the cup, gave thanks,
and gave it for
all to drink, saying:
This cup is the
new covenant in my blood,
shed for you and
for all people for the forgiveness of sin.
Do this for the
remembrance of me.
Let us proclaim
the mystery of faith:
Christ has died.
Christ is risen. Christ will come
again.
With this bread
and cup
we remember your
Word dwelling among us,
full of grace and
truth.
We remember our
new birth in his death and resurrection.
We look with hope
for his coming.
Come, Lord Jesus.
Holy God, we long
for your Spirit.
Come among
us. Bless this meal.
May your Word take
flesh in us.
Awaken your
people. Fill us with your light.
Bring the gift of
peace on earth.
Come, Holy Spirit.
All praise and
glory are yours, Holy One of
Israel,
Word of God incarnate, Power of the Most High,
one God, now and forever.
Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer (said)
Awaiting his coming in glory,
let us pray as our Saviour has taught us,
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.
The Breaking of the Bread
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.
The Communion
Hymn during Communion
‘Creator of the
Stars of Night’ Common Praise #96
The Sending Forth
of the Community
Prayer after Communion
Let us pray.
Merciful God,
may this eucharist free us from our sins,
fill us with unending joy,
and prepare us to celebrate the birth of our Saviour.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ,
who is Lord now and for ever. Amen. [vi]
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.
The Closing Hymn
‘There’s a Voice in the Wilderness’ Common
Praise #107
The Dismissal
Go forth in the name of Christ and proclaim good news to the
oppressed,
for the promises of God will be fulfilled.
Thanks be to
God.
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