The parish church of central Finchley
26 Hendon Lane, Finchley, London N3 1TR
Join us in church on Sundays at 8am & 10am, or online at 7pm
The parish church of central Finchley
26 Hendon Lane, Finchley, London N3 1TR
Join us in church on Sundays at 8am & 10am, or online at 7pm
The Gathering
Stand A hymn is sung as the choir, servers and clergy enter
Processional Hymn 358 O come, o come Emmanuel
O come, O come, Immanuel,
and ransom captive Israel
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear.
Refrain:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
shall come to you, O Israel.
O come, thou rod of Jesse free,
thine own from Satan’s tyranny;
from depths of hell your people save,
and give them victory o’er the grave.
O come, Thou Dayspring, come and cheer
our spirits by Thine advent here;
disperse the gloomy clouds of night
and death’s dark shadows put to flight
O come, O Key of David, come
and open wide our heavenly home.
Make safe the way that leads on high
and close the way to misery.
O come, O come, Thou Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s height
In ancient times didst give the law
In cloud, and majesty, and awe.
In the name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
The Greeting
The Lord be with you
and also with you.
The Advent Wreath
A Candle on the Advent Wreath is lit and a prayer said
God our Father,
the angel Gabriel told the Virgin Mary
that she was to be the mother of your Son.
Though Mary was afraid,
she responded to your call with joy.
Help us, whom you call to serve you,
to share like her in your great work
of bringing to our world your love and healing.
We ask this through Jesus Christ,
the light who is coming into the world.
Amen.
Kneel Prayers of Penitence
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.
O King enthroned on high,
filling the earth with your glory:
holy is your name,
Lord God almighty.
In our sinfulness we cry to you
to take our guilt away,
and to cleanse our lips to speak your word,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Almighty God,
who forgives all who truly repent,
have mercy upon you,
pardon and deliver you from all your sins,
confirm and strengthen you in all goodness,
and keep you in life et eternal;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Kyrie eleison
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
The Collect
The president introduces a period of silent prayer with the words
‘Let us pray’.
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 Liturgy of the Word
Readings
Sit
A reading from the prophet Isaiah (7.10-16)
Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, saying, Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test. Then Isaiah said: ‘Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary mortals, that you weary my God also? 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. He shall eat curds and honey by the time he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. 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.
A reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans (1.1-7)
Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 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, 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, including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,
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.
Gradual Hymn 65 Born in the night
Born in the night, Mary’s Child,
a long way from your home;
coming in need, Mary’s Child,
born in a borrowed room.
Clear shining light, Mary’s Child,
your face lights up our way;
light of the world, Mary’s Child,
dawn on our darkened day.
Truth of our life, Mary’s Child,
you tell us God is good;
prove it is true, Mary’s Child,
go to your cross of wood.
Hope of the world, Mary’s Child,
you’re coming soon to reign;
Saviour of all, Mary’s Child,
walk in our streets again.
Gospel Reading
The Lord be with you
And also with you
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew (1.18-end).
Glory to you, O Lord.
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. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. 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. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel’,
which means, ‘God is with us.’ When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
Sit Sermon
Deji Makanjuola
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty,
who was, and is, and is to come.
We believe in God the Father, who created all things: for by his will they were created and have their being.
We believe in God the Son, who was slain: for with his blood,
he purchased us for God, from every tribe and language, from every people and nation.
We believe in God the Holy Spirit: the Spirit and the Bride say, Come!’ Even so come, Lord Jesus! Amen.
Kneel Prayers of Intercession
The prayers may follow this sequence:
The Church of Christ
Creation, human society, the Sovereign and those in authority
The local community
Those who suffer
The communion of saints
These responses may be used
Lord, in your mercy (or) Lord, hear us.
hear our prayer. Lord, graciously hear us.
Merciful Father,
accept these prayers
for the sake of your Son,
our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
The Liturgy of the Sacrament
Stand 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 Lord be always with you
and also with you.
Let us offer one another a sign of peace.
All may exchange a sign of peace.
The Offertory
A Hymn is sung as the elements of bread and wine are brought to the altar and the gifts of the people are collected.
Offertory Hymn 98 Come, thou long-expected Jesus
Come, thou long expected Jesus,
born to set thy people free;
from our fears and sins release us,
let us find our rest in thee.
Israel’s strength and consolation,
hope of all the earth thou art;
dear desire of every nation,
joy of every longing heart.
Born thy people to deliver,
born a child and yet a King,
born to reign in us forever,
now thy gracious kingdom bring.
By thine own eternal spirit
rule in all our hearts alone;
by thine all sufficient merit,
raise us to thy glorious throne.
As the grain once scattered in the fields
and the grapes once dispersed on the hillside
are now reunited on this table in bread and wine,
so, Lord, may your whole Church soon be gathered together
from the corners of the earth
into your kingdom.
Amen.
Stand The Eucharistic Prayer (tune Ding dong)
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.
He is the one foretold by all the prophets,
whom the Virgin Mother bore with love beyond all telling.
John the Baptist was his herald
and made him known when at last he came.
In his love Christ fills us with joy
as we prepare to celebrate his birth,
so that when he comes again he may find us watching in prayer,
our hearts filled with wonder and praise.
And so, with angels and archangels,
and with all the company of heaven,
we proclaim your glory,
and join in their unending hymn of praise:
Holy, holy, holy Lord,
The God of all creation
Peace and joy the angels’ word
To each and every nation.
Gloria! Hosanna in excelsis!
Accept our praises, heavenly Father,
through your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ,
and as we follow his example and obey his command,
grant that by the power of your Holy Spirit
these gifts of bread and wine
may be to us his body and his blood;
who, in the same night that he was betrayed,
took bread and gave you thanks;
he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying:
Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you;
do this in remembrance of me.
In the same way, after supper
he took the cup and gave you thanks;
he gave it to them, saying:
Drink this, all of you;
this is my blood of the new covenant,
which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Do this, as often as you drink it,
in remembrance of me.
Therefore, heavenly Father,
we remember his offering of himself
made once for all upon the cross;
we proclaim his mighty resurrection and glorious ascension;
we look for the coming of your kingdom,
and with this bread and this cup
we make the memorial of Christ your Son our Lord.
Glory, glory to the king
The God of all creation
Heav’n and earth exultant sing
The song of their salvation.
Gloria! Hosanna in excelsis!
Accept through him, our great high priest,
this our sacrifice of thanks and praise,
and as we eat and drink these holy gifts
in the presence of your divine majesty,
renew us by your Spirit,
inspire us with your love
and unite us in the body of your Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Through him, and with him, and in him,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
with all who stand before you in earth and heaven,
we worship you, Father almighty,
in songs of everlasting praise:
Blessing and honour and glory and power
be yours for ever and ever.
Amen.
Lift your voices now to praise
The God of all creation
On this holiest of days,
The feast of Incarnation.
Gloria! Hosanna in excelsis!
Kneel The Lord’s Prayer
Awaiting his coming in glory,
let us pray with confidence as our as our Saviour has taught us
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.
Breaking of Bread
Every time we eat this bread
and drink this cup,
we proclaim the Lord’s death
until he comes.
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.
Giving of Communion
Jesus is the Lamb of God
who takes away the sin of the world.
Blessed are those who are called to his supper.
Lord, I am not worthy to receive you,
but only say the word, and I shall be healed.
Communicant members of all Christian Churches are welcome to receive Holy
Communion in this Church.
Anyone is welcome to come forward for to receive a blessing.
Communion hymn: 471 The angel Gabriel from heaven came
The angel Gabriel from heaven came,
his wings as drifted snow, his eyes as flame;
“All hail,” said he “thou lowly maiden Mary,
most highly favoured lady.” Gloria!
“For known a blessèd mother thou shalt be,
All generations laud and honour thee,
Thy Son shall be Emmanuel, by seers foretold,
Most highly favoured lady.” Gloria!
Then gentle Mary meekly bowed her head,
To me be as it pleaseth God, she said,
“My soul shall laud and magnify His holy name.”
Most highly favoured lady, Gloria!
Of her, Emmanuel, the Christ, was born
In Bethlehem, all on a Christmas morn,
And Christian folk throughout the world
“Will ever say: Most highly favoured lady.” Gloria!
Kneel Prayer after Communion
Silence is kept.
The Post Communion prayer is said.
Heavenly Father,
who chose the Blessed Virgin Mary
to be the mother of the promised saviour:
fill us your servants with your grace,
that in all things we may embrace your holy will
and with her rejoice in your salvation;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
We thank you, Lord,
that you have fed us in this sacrament,
united us with Christ,
and given us a foretaste of the heavenly banquet
prepared for all peoples.
Amen.
The Notices
Stand A hymn is sung
Post Communion Hymn 552 When our God came to earth
When our God came to earth,
Not for him noble birth
He affirmed human worth
from a humble manger
Just another stranger
(Refrain)
Let the poor rejoice!
Let the mute give voice
Love is shown, God is known
Christ is born of Mary
Not for kings was the word
which the poor shepherds heard;
Hope renewed, grace conferred,
and the hillside ringing,
with the angels’ singing
Bethlehem, humble town
where the babe wears the crown,
turns the world upside down:
God so unexpected
homeless and rejected.
Let us sing Mary’s song,
Bringing hope, righting wrong
heard with fear by the strong,
poor and humble raising,
God of justice praising.
The Dismissal
The Lord be with you
And also with you
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.
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
In the name of Christ. Amen.
The ministers and people depart.
Some material included in this service is copyright: © The Archbishops’ Council 2000
Third Edition 2005
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