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The Readings.
Isaiah 2.1-5
The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
In days to come the mountain of the Lord’s house
shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills;
all the nations shall stream to it.
Many peoples shall come and say,
‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob;
that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.’
For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples;
they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!
Matthew 24.36-44
‘But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son,* but only the Father. For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day* your Lord is coming. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.
The Sermon
Prepared by The Revd Canon James Wilson.
The Prayers
Prepared by Kath.
God our Father, hear us when we pray to you in faith.
We give you thanks for the many gifts you give to us each and every day from the ordinary to the extraordinary. May we take time to realise what we have and to appreciate it with heartfelt gratitude.
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer
We pray for your church throughout the world, especially for our fellow believers who are not free to worship you freely. We ask God to keep them strong in their faith and protect them from those who would do them harm and we pray for better times when they too can worship freely.
We give thanks for all who give of their time, talents and resources to make St Mary’s, St Mark’s and St John’s the special places they are and we pray for their respective communities.
Father be with us all and help us to travel thoughtfully and prayerfully through the advent season and as we make our preparations for Christmas. With all that there is to do may we not lose sight of its true meaning.
We pray for Joe who was confirmed recently and welcome him anew into the Lord’s family.
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer
We pray for our world, for all peoples, communities and nations who face injustice and great distress through war, oppression, disaster or need. May true justice prevail rather than the abuse of power and extreme wealth that we so often see. Lord inspire and empower us all to stand against this in whatever ways we can rather than seeking our own best interests or leaving everything to others. Give us the courage and confidence to hope and work for a better and more just world for everyone.
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer
We pray for all who are ill or unwell at this time, especially those nearing the end of their lives and those dealing with difficult and painful diagnoses and treatments. May they be lovingly supported as they navigate the changes and challenges they face. We pray also for those who will be alongside them that they too will be supported and cared for. In a few moments of quiet we call to mind anyone known to us who is in particular need of our prayers
Let us also bring before God our own needs and concerns.
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer
We remember those who have died, some recently and some long ago. May they rest in peace and may all who mourn and miss them find their own peace and be comforted.
Especially we pray for all those killed in the terrible fires in a large apartment complex in Hong Kong and for Sarah Beckstrom, the young US National Guard soldier who had died after being shot while on duty. We pray for their families and loved ones so suddenly bereaved.
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer
Merciful Father,
accept these prayers
for the sake of your Son,
our Saviour, Jesus Christ,
Amen.
Common Worship: Times and Seasons, material from which is used here is copyright (c) 2010 The Archbishops' Council