03/12/2022
We look forward to welcoming you on Sunday , the second Sunday of Advent. Our services are at 8 and 10am , the latter is also on facebook live or Zoom. Please find below our order of service
27-12-04 Advent 2
Public Worship at Church & live streamed from Church.
Topic: Sunday Worship; Time: July 31st, 2022 10:00 London
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7495745021?pwd=Vy9qbktEeE1EeXNjVlNpNU1OVjRCQT09 Meeting ID: 749 574 5021; Passcode: ksj
(Your camera will be switched off and you will be muted – if there is no noise in church, because you joined early, you won’t hear anything! Please be patient)
Or by facebook: The URL is facebook.com/keswickstjohn and people should scroll down till they reach live video for that Sunday. You do not have to have a Facebook account.
We stand at the entry of the ministers
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Lord be with you and also with you
Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open,
all desires known and from whom no secrets are hidden:
cleanse the thoughts of our heart by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,
that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy name;
through Christ our Lord. Amen
The second Advent candle is lit
God our Father you spoke to the prophets of old
of a Saviour who would bring peace.
You helped them to spread the joyful message
of his coming kingdom.
Help us, as we prepare to celebrate his birth,
to share with those around us
the good news of your power and love.
We ask this through Jesus Christ,
the light who is coming into the world. Amen.
Opening hymn: Christ be our light
1. Longing for light, we wait in darkness
Longing for truth, we turn to You.
Make us Your own, Your holy people
Light for the world to see.
(Refrain) Christ, be our light!
Shine in our hearts.
Shine through the darkness.
Christ, be our light!
Shine in Your church gathered today.
2. Longing for peace, our world is troubled
Longing for hope, many despair.
Your word alone has pow'r to save us.
Make us your living voice.
(Refrain) Christ, be our light! …….
3. Longing for food, many are hungry
Longing for water, many still thirst.
Make us Your bread, broken for others
Shared until all are fed.
(Refrain) Christ, be our light!
4. Longing for shelter, many are homeless
Longing for warmth, many are cold.
Make us Your building, sheltering others
Walls made of living stone.
(Refrain) Christ, be our light!
5. Many the gift, many the people
Many the hearts that yearn to belong.
Let us be servants to one another
Making Your kingdom come.
(Refrain) Christ, be our light!
Confession & Absolution
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.
(Sung responses to the confession):
God, through Jesus Christ,
will judge the secret thoughts of all:
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy on us,
Hear our humble plea;
Lord, have mercy on us,
Set our spirits free.
Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’
will enter the kingdom of heaven:
Christ, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy on us,
Hear us as we pray:
Christ, have mercy on us,
Take our sin away.
Let anyone who has an ear
listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches:
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy on us,
Hear our humble plea;
Lord, have mercy on us,
Set our spirits free.
May the God of love and power
forgive us and free us from our sins,
heal and strengthen us by his Spirit,
and raise us to new life in Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Collect for today
O Lord, raise up, we pray, your power and come among us, and with great might succour us; that whereas, through our sins and wickedness we are grievously hindered in running the race that is set before us, your bountiful grace and mercy may speedily help and deliver us;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, to whom with you and the Holy Spirit,
be honour and glory, now and for ever. Amen.
A reading from the prophet Isaiah (11.1-10)
A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him –
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of power,
the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD –
and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;
but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
Righteousness will be his belt
and faithfulness the sash round his waist.
The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling together;
and a little child will lead them.
The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
The infant will play near the hole of the cobra,
and the young child put his hand into the viper’s nest.
They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD
as the waters cover the sea.
In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious.
This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Gradual hymn: On Jordan’s bank
1. On Jordan's bank the Baptist's cry
announces that the Lord is nigh;
awake and hearken, for he brings
glad tidings of the King of kings.
2. Then cleansed be every breast from sin;
make straight the way for God within;
prepare we in our hearts a home
where such a mighty guest may come.
3. For thou art our salvation, Lord,
our refuge and our great reward:
without thy grace, we waste away,
like flowers that wither and decay.
4. To heal the sick, stretch out thine hand,
and bid the fallen sinner stand;
shine forth and let thy light restore
earth's own true loveliness once more.
5. All praise, eternal Son, to thee,
whose advent sets thy people free,
whom, with the Father, we adore,
and Holy Ghost for evermore.
Alleluia, alleluia. Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,
and all flesh shall see the salvation of God. Alleluia.
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew (3.1-12)
Glory to you, O Lord.
1In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, 2‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 3This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said,
‘The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
“Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight.”’
4Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan, 6and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 7But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8Bear fruit worthy of repentance. 9Do not presume 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. 10Even now the axe 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. 11I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12His winnowing-fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing-floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’
This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.
Reflection / Sermon
Creed
Let us affirm our faith in Jesus Christ the Son of God.
Though he was divine,
he did not cling to equality with God,
but made himself nothing.
Taking the form of a slave,
he was born in human likeness.
He humbled himself
and was obedient to death,
even the death of the cross.
Therefore God has raised him on high,
and given him the name above every name:
that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow,
and every voice proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father. Amen.
We stand to sing: When Jesus came to Jordan
When Jesus came to Jordan
To be baptized by John,
He did not come for pardon,
But as his Father's Son.
He came to share repentance
With all who mourn their sins,
To speak the vital sentence
With which good news begins.
He came to share temptation,
Our utmost woe and loss,
For us and our salvation
To die upon the cross.
So when the Dove descended
On him, the Son of Man,
The hidden years had ended,
The age of grace began.
Come, Holy Spirit, aid us
To keep the vows we make,
This very day invade us,
And every bo***ge break.
Come, give our lives direction,
The gift we covet most:
To share the resurrection
That leads to Pentecost.
Prayers of Intercession
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.
The peace of the triune God be always with you and also with you.
The Eucharistic Prayer
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.
It is indeed right and good to give you thanks and praise,
almighty God and everlasting Father,
through Jesus Christ your Son.
For when he humbled himself to come among us in human flesh,
he fulfilled the plan you formed before the foundation of the world
to open for us the way of salvation.
Confident that your promise will be fulfilled,
we now watch for the day
when Christ our Lord will come again in glory.
And so we join our voices with angels and archangels
and with all the company of heaven
to proclaim your glory,
for ever praising you and singing:
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.
We thank you, loving Father,
because, when we turned away,
you sent Jesus, your Son.
He gave his life for us on the cross
and shows us the way to live.
Send your Holy Spirit
that these gifts of bread and wine
may be for us Christ’s body and his blood.
On the night before he died,
when darkness had fallen,
Jesus took bread.
He gave thanks, broke it,
and shared it with his disciples, saying:
‘This is my body, given for you.
Do this to remember me.’
After they had eaten, he took the cup of wine,
gave thanks, and shared it with his disciples, saying:
‘This is my blood, poured out for you and for many,
for the forgiveness of sins.’
Great is the mystery of faith:
Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.
Help us, Father, to love one another,
as we look forward to that day
when suffering is ended,
and all creation is gathered in your loving arms.
And now with [N and] all your saints
we give you glory, through Jesus Christ,
in the strength of the Spirit, today and for ever. Amen.
We sit or kneel
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
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.
The Distribution of the Holy Communion
Communion will be administered at the front of the church in both kinds. Please return to your seat via the side aisle
The choir sings the motet: A tender shoot – Otto Goldschmidt
(Words: A tender shoot hath started Up from a root of grace As ancient seers imparted From Jesse's holy race It blooms without a blight Blooms in the cold bleak winter Turning our darkness into light.
This shoot Isaiah taught us From Jesse's root should spring The Virgin Mary brought us the branch of which we sing Our God of endless might Gave her this child to save us Thus turning darkness into light.)
You are invited to join the choir in singing the hymn: Our God loves us
Our God loves us, his love will never end.
He rests within our hearts for our God loves us.
His gentle hand he stretches over us.
Though storm-clouds threaten the day he will set us free.
He comes to us in sharing bread and wine.
He brings us life that will reach past the end of time.
Our God loves us, his faithful love endures,
And we will live like his child held in love secure
The joys of love as off’rings now we bring.
The pains of love will be lost in the praise we sing.
Father in heaven, who sent your Son to redeem the world and will send him again to be our judge: give us grace so to imitate him in the humility and purity of his first coming that, when he comes again, we may be ready to greet him with joyful love and firm faith; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
The Lord’s Prayer
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.
Blessing
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. Amen
Notices
We sing: Hark! What a sound
1 Hark what a sound, and too divine for hearing,
stirs on the earth and trembles in the air!
Is it the thunder of the Lord's appearing?
Is it the music of his people's prayer?
2 Surely he cometh, and a thousand voices
shout to the saints, and to the deaf are dumb;
surely he cometh, and the earth rejoices,
glad in his coming who hath sworn: I come!
3 This hath he done, and shall we not adore him?
This shall he do, and can we still despair?
Come, let us quickly fling ourselves before him,
cast at his feet the burden of our care.
4 Through life and death, through sorrow and through sinning,
he shall suffice me, for he hath sufficed:
Christ is the end, for Christ was the beginning,
Christ the beginning, for the end is Christ.
Dismissal: Go in peace to love and serve the Lord In the name of Christ. Amen.
Organ voluntary: Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland – J.S.Bach
