This week’s Readings and Sermon for the fourth Sunday of Advent
The 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; 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, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen
The Collect for This Week
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
The Post Communion Prayer for this week
Psalm 80:1-7 & 16-18
1 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock! You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth 2 before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh. Stir up your might, and come to save us! 3 Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved. 4 O Lord God of hosts, how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers? 5 You have fed them with the bread of tears, and given them tears to drink in full measure. 6 You make us the scorn of our neighbours; our enemies laugh among themselves. 7 Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved.
16 They have burned it with fire, they have cut it down; may they perish at the rebuke of your countenance. 17 But let your hand be upon the one at your right hand, the one whom you made strong for yourself. 18 Then we will never turn back from you; give us life, and we will call on your name.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning is now and shall be forever. Amen
The Old Testament Reading for this Sunday is taken from the Book of the prophet Isaiah Chapter 7:10-16
10 Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, saying, 11 Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven. 12 But Ahaz said, I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test. 13 Then Isaiah said: ‘Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary mortals, that you weary my God also? 14 Therefore 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. 15 He shall eat curds and honey by the time he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. 16 For 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
The New Testament reading for this Sunday is taken from the Letter of St Paul to the Romans Chapter 1:1-7
1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, 3 the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name, 6 including 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.
This is the Word of the Lord Thanks be to God
The Gospel reading for this Sunday is taken from the Gospel of St Matthew, Chapter 1:18-25
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. 19 Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. 20 But 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. 21 She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ 22 All 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.’ 24 When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, 25 but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.
This is the Word of the Lord Thanks be to God
Note :All readings are shared from the Church of England Lectionary App and are subject to copyright . © The Archbishop’s Council
The sermon this week is delivered by Lorraine Ashworth
Who are you sitting with today? Is it a friend or family member? Or are you alone?
When you get home, or if you are on zoom, or reading this sermon from the notices, will you be with friends or family? Or will you be alone?
We often say that the church is our family, that the person on the opposite side is our sister or brother, a surrogate mum dad grandad or indeed grandma as Barbara was classed at her funeral.
But the readings today all say that we are never alone because as we look forward to celebrating the birth of Jesus, we remember that he didn't stay a baby very long, he grew up and as an adult he walked among the people, ate meals with them, healed them of diseases, gave food to the hungry and was absolutely and unconditionally not just the Son of God, but God himself, dwelling with the people.
And of course after his death, resurrection and ascension, He lives in the heart of everyone who believes and trusts in Him.
Emmanuel, God with us. So lets explore what each reading can tell us about Jesus as God with us.
The Psalm mentions two things that relate to other parts of the Bible. Firstly in verse 7 it says “Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved.” and we remember, at the Transfiguration the face of Jesus shone. We know that in one of the most famous verses in the Bible, John 3:16 it says “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
The second verse in the psalm that struck me was verse 17. “But let your hand be upon the one at your right hand, the one whom you made strong for yourself.” Our Creeds, , statements of what we believe, both the Apostle's Creed which we will say today and the Nicene Creed which we say at communion services, both have the line that says that Jesus “is seated at the right hand of the Father”.
I love finding these connections that no matter how often we read a passage, strike us anew on each occasion. That's why we say that the Bible is a living document. It speaks to us whenever we read it.
The Old Testament reading is a prophesy from Isaiah, that some people say was partially fulfilled in the historical setting. The kingdoms of Judah and Israel were at war and Israel had an alliance with the king of Syria. The prophecy said that within about 3 years of a young woman becoming pregnant, the alliance would be broken and it was. Judah was saved from destruction. God would be with them during the conflict, as the child was to be called Immanuel, to give them hope. However the prophecy ultimately is fulfilled in the birth of Jesus, God truly with us and this is used in the Gospel reading from Matthew.
The Gospel changes Immanuel to Emmanuel, Both mean God with us, but Immanuel (with an 'I') is closer to the original Hebrew as used by Isaiah, while Emmanuel (with an 'E') is the Greek/Latin form used in the New Testament. Matthew also changes “Young Woman” to “Virgin”. Again translations from Hebrew and Greek can be given as reasons for this discrepancy, but the focus should not be on the word used, but rather the fact that Mary was to give birth to a baby who would be called “Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
I really admire Joseph, firstly he did not publicly disown a pregnant Mary, he knew he couldn't be the father, they didn't live together so he was going to do it quietly, so that she wouldn't be disgraced. He then listened to the Angel who told him that “the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.” Joseph believed and instead of abandoning Mary, he married her. She was unmarried when she conceived but not when the baby was born. Still pretty scandalous.
I remember my mum being really ashamed of my older sister who 'had' to get married... The fact that my sister has stayed married to and in love with her husband for the last 55 years shows that there was no forcing required, and I'm pretty sure Mary and Joseph had a similar relationship.
So we come to the letter to the Romans. This passage mentions that the coming of Jesus was prophesied: that Jesus would be the Son of God through the Holy Spirit, that according to the law, because Mary was married to Joseph, He was descended from King David, and most importantly that we belong to Jesus Christ.
We belong to him, we have God with us, everywhere, all the time, in all circumstances. We are not alone even if we sit by ourselves. Let me say that again... We belong to Jesus, we have God with us, everywhere, all the time, in all circumstances. We are not alone even if we sit by ourselves.
This is the fourth Sunday of Advent. We have thought about the Patriarchs, the Prophets, John the Baptist and Mary the mother of Jesus as we lit the advent Candles. We think about Peace, Hope, Joy and Love which are the themes associated with Advent and we are eagerly awaiting Christmas when we remember the birth of Jesus. I want to finish with what I think is a perfect Advent song, written by Martin Smith. (I am typing the lyrics for those who can't be in church and the video can be found on Youtube)
Join in if you want to and lets all wait for the Lord Jesus and welcome him into our hearts this Advent, Christmas, Epiphany and every day throughout the year. Amen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8d80ok40TQ&list=RD-8d80ok40TQ&start_radio=1 (Martin Smith Version)
or
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UprKGW2UWBo&list=PLSZOoLDSAg76f_U-r5RNT-bATKtiS-k__&index=26 (Goodshaw Baptist version)
If faith can move the mountains,
Let the mountains move,
We come with expectation,
We're waiting here for you.
Waiting here for you
You're the Lord of all creation
And still you know my heart
The Author of Salvation
You've loved me from the start.
Waiting here for you
With our hands
Lifted high in praise
And it's You we adore
Singing Alleluia
You're everything You've promised
Your faithfulness is true
And we're desperate for your presence
All we need is You
Waiting here for you
With our hands
Lifted high in praise
And it's You we adore
Singing Alleluia
The Collect and Readings for Christmas Day
The Christmas Collect
Almighty God, you have given us your only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him and as at this time to be born of a pure virgin: grant that we, who have been born again and made your children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by your Holy Spirit; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen
The Post Communion Prayer for Christmas Day
God our Father, whose Word has come among us in the Holy Child of Bethlehem: may the light of faith illumine our hearts and shine in our words and deeds; through him who is Christ the Lord. Amen
Psalm 96
1 Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. 2 Sing to the Lord and bless his name; tell out his salvation from day to day. 3 Declare his glory among the nations and his wonders among all peoples. 4 For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised; he is more to be feared than all gods. 5 For all the gods of the nations are but idols; it is the Lord who made the heavens. 6 Honour and majesty are before him; power and splendour are in his sanctuary. 7 Ascribe to the Lord, you families of the peoples; ascribe to the Lord honour and strength. 8 Ascribe to the Lord the honour due to his name; bring offerings and come into his courts. 9 O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness; let the whole earth tremble before him. 10 Tell it out among the nations that the Lord is king. He has made the world so firm that it cannot be moved;
he will judge the peoples with equity. 11 Let the heavens rejoice and let the earth be glad; let the sea thunder and all that is in it; 12 Let the fields be joyful and all that is in them; let all the trees of the wood shout for joy before the Lord. 13 For he comes, he comes to judge the earth; with righteousness he will judge the world and the peoples with his truth.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning is now and shall be forever. Amen
The Old Testament reading for Christmas Day is taken from the Book of the prophet Isaiah, Chapter 9, verses 2 to 7
2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness—on them light has shined. 3 You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as people exult when dividing plunder. 4 For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. 5 For all the boots of the tramping warriors and all the garments rolled in blood shall be burned as fuel for the fire. 6 For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named
Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it
with justice and with righteousness from this time onwards and for evermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
The New Testament reading for Christmas Day is taken from the Letter of St Paul to Titus, Chapter 2 verses 11 to 14
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, 12 training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ. 14 He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.
This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
The Gospel reading for Christmas Day is taken from the Gospel according to St Luke, Chapter 2, verses 1 to 20
Hear the Gospel of our Lord, Jesus Christ, according to Luke Glory to You, o Lord
1 In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 All went to their own towns to be registered. 4 Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. 5 He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
8 In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: 11 to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.’ 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,
14 ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favours!’[
15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.’ 16 So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. 17 When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.]
This is the Gospel of the Lord Praise to You, o Christ