THE THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT

Transcription

1 St John s Cathedral is a place of God s grace, welcoming all, following Christ, and changing lives in the heart of Hong Kong 11TH DECEMBER 2016 THE THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT 8.00am Said Eucharist Celebrant and Preacher: Reader: The Revd John Chynchen Dolores Dayao 9.00am Sung Eucharist (RTHK Broadcast) (See separate service book) Celebrant: The Very Revd Matthias Der Preacher: The Very Revd Prof Martyn Percy Deacon: The Revd Catherine Graham Communion Setting: St Anne s Mass (James MacMillan) Hymns: 8 (T.128ii), 6, 15, 287, 499 Anthem: How lovely are the messengers (Felix Mendelssohn) Reader/Intercessor: Mary Szeto/Kevin She 10.30am Sung Eucharist (in Mandarin) Celebrant and Preacher: The Revd Canon Peter Koon 11.45am Choral Mattins (See insert) Officiant: The Very Revd Matthias Der Preacher: The Revd Hugh Phillipson Reader: Aron Yuen 2.00pm Sung Eucharist (in Filipino) Celebrant and Preacher: The Revd Dwight dela Torre 6.00pm Blue Christmas Eucharist - A service for those mourning a loss this Christmas season (See separate service book) Celebrant: The Revd Desmond Cox Preacher: The Revd Catherine Graham Reader: William Cheng Welcome to all who worship here today. Visiting communicants, of whatever Christian tradition, are invited to receive communion here. Gluten-free communion wafers are available on request at all Eucharistic services in this Cathedral. Please enquire of the Sidesmen or Servers for directions to the distribution.

2 THIS WEEK AT ST JOHN S CATHEDRAL MON 12 th December 8.00am 12.30pm Said Eucharist Meditation Group TUE 13 th 8.00am Said Eucharist 7.00pm Bible Reading Fellowship WED 14 th 8.00am Said Eucharist 9.30am CLARES 1.15pm Lunchtime Recital Members of Ella Kiang Singers - Solo & Ensemble Christmas is Love Lunch time Concert 2.30pm Evergreen Fellowship (Chinese) (Harold Smyth Room) 6.00pm Said Eucharist THU 15 th 8.30am Morning Prayer 1.15pm Said Eucharist 2.30pm Parents and Toddlers FRI 16 th 8.00am Said Eucharist 3.00pm Friday Fellowship Group SAT 17 th 8.30am Said Eucharist 12.30pm Said Eucharist (Filipino) 4.00pm Andrew Fellowship (Cantonese) 4.15pm Youth Fellowship (Cantonese) 6.00pm Sung Eucharist (Cantonese)(Anticipated Sunday Service) SUN 18 th December The Fourth Sunday of Advent Isaiah am Said Eucharist Psalm Celebrant and Preacher: The Revd Catherine Graham Romans am Sung Eucharist Matthew 1.18-end Celebrant: The Revd Robert Martin Preacher: The Revd Catherine Graham 10.30am Sung Eucharist (Mandarin) Celebrant: The Revd Wu Wai Ho Preacher: The Revd Canon Peter Koon 11.45am Choral Mattins sung by the Choir of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge Officiant: The Revd Robert Martin Preacher: Fr James Buxton 2.00pm Sung Eucharist (Filipino) Celebrant and Preacher: The Revd Dwight dela Torre 6.00pm Nine Lessons and Carols Officiant: The Revd Dwight dela Torre Information about St John s Cathedral and its ministries can be found at the Welcoming Table after the 9.00 am service, on the notice boards and on the website: Clergy are here to listen and help - please feel free to speak to one of them after the services, or make contact during the week: St John s Cathedral, 4 8 Garden Road, Central. ( 花園道 4-8 號 ) Tel:

3 COLLECT, POST COMMUNION PRAYER, READINGS AND MUSIC LIGHTING OF THE ADVENT WREATH Voice one On this third week of Advent we light the first candle, a symbol of our anticipation and longing (lights one purple candle). Voice two We light the second candle again, remembering God s promise to be with us and to comfort us (lights another purple candle). Voice one We also light a third candle to remind us of God s call to rejoice, even in difficult circumstances (lights the pink candle). Voice two This candle is a symbol of the joy we experience because of God s presence in our lives and in the world. All O God, come journey with us through Advent. Give us courage to spread joy in the world. Amen. COLLECT O Lord Jesus Christ, who at your first coming sent your messenger to prepare your way before you: grant that the ministers and stewards of your mysteries may likewise so prepare and make ready your way by turning the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, that at your second coming to judge the world we may be found an acceptable people in your sight; for you are alive and reign with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. FIRST READING James A reading from the letter of James. Be patient, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. Beloved, do not grumble against one another, so that you may not be judged. See, the Judge is standing at the doors! As an example of suffering and patience, beloved, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. All GOSPEL READING Matthew All Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew. Glory to you, O Lord. When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another? Jesus answered them, Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offence at me. As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written, See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you. Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. All This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ. 3

4 PRAYERS POST COMMUNION PRAYER We give you thanks, O Lord, for these heavenly gifts; kindle in us the fire of your Spirit that when your Christ comes again we may shine as lights before his face; who is alive and reigns now and for ever. Amen. FOR YOUR PRAYERS THIS WEEK In the worldwide Anglican Communion we pray for the Diocese of Kericho, Kenya. We pray for the Province of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui (Anglican Province of Hong Kong & Macau); for Paul, our archbishop and primate; and for all bishops, priests and deacons within our diocese and province. We pray within the Diocese for the Revd Ip Kam Fai, the Revd Edith Sin and the Revd Ho Kam Tim of HKSKH St Stephen s Church; For the ministries in the University of Hong Kong, schools and kindergartens in the parish; For the parent ministry and group leaders training; For the Christmas carol services; For the mission and service program of Vineyard of the Deanery of Southern and Western Districts. Within the Cathedral Parish we pray for our daughter churches; Discovery Bay Church, St Stephen s Chapel, Stanley and Emmanuel Church, Pokfulam; and for their Priests in Charge. We also remember the Cathedral Bookstore, Filipino Fellowship and St John s Counselling Service. We also pray for our link Diocese of Toungoo, Myanmar; for Kun Ohn Taung Pine Parish (The Revd Sein Luke, priest in charge & The Revd Thee Soe, Assistant Priest); for Kun Ohn Kyauk Gyi a Parish ( Revd Israela, priest in charge & Revd Benjiman, assistant priest) All catechists serving in villages, specially the catechist gathering in the first week of December); for the Mission & Evangelism department (The Revd Saw Lo, coordinator & Saw D Yu Da, assistant) PRAYER REQUESTS Please pray for those who are sick: Jacky Yeung, Marianne Felch, Caius Schwartz, Victor Chan, Josephine Lam Lai Fong, Erick Tai, May Cheng, Toung Ming, Angel Ho, Betty Young, Burke McKinney, Ethel Yu, Shirley Nie Xiao Lian, William Chen, Christine Chew, Yau Sau Chun, Susan Westlake, Joanna Tsang, Irene Lo Oi Lin, Chow Lie Ying, Christian Limon Gasmen, Bp Kenneth Mason, Axel Ng, Margaret Pini, Chris and David Hayter, Mark and Helen Bishop, Brenda Bishop and Gerald Bishop, Tony and Edita Bishop. Please pray for those who have died Lyon Lee, Ida Au, Graham Ashley, David Ward and Prisca Bacagan Prayers will be offered for those named above during the weekday Eucharist. To include someone in this prayer list, please contact Elisa, Tel: THE IMPORTANCE OF LISTENING A course exploring the Art of Christian Listening run by Christian Listening Hong Kong Ltd Wednesday 14 th December 2o16 at Christ Church, Kowloon Tong, 132 Waterloo Road Speakers: Linda Lui & CLHK tutors ALL WELCOME For further enquiries please contact: Florence lindalui99@gmail.com 4

5 NOTICES TODAY S GUEST PREACHER The Very Revd Prof Martyn Percy is an Anglican priest and academic. He has been the Dean of Christ Church, Oxford, since October 2014 and was previously Principal of Ripon College Cuddesdon, Oxford. Martyn teaches in the Faculty of Theology and Religions, and is a Fellow of the Said Business School, University of Oxford. He is an old friend of the HKSKH and a frequent visitor to Hong Kong. We welcome him as our guest preacher at the 9.00am Sung Eucharist this morning. 2 nd Annual CHRISTMAS FOOD DRIVE (Poverty Alleviation Group) Help the Poor & Hungry at Christmas FLOWERS DONATE : Cans of Beans, Fish or Meat WHEN and WHERE : T O D A Y ALL SERVICES ST JOHN S CATHEDRAL ENTRANCES INFORMATION : reception@stjohnscathedral.org.hk THANK YOU to ALL for helping the HUNGRY. Thanks again to Ms. Joanna Chu for her continuous support to the St John s Cathedral Flower Guild. The Choir of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge at St John s CHORAL MATTINS Sunday 18 th December am CAROL CONCERT Monday 19 th December pm EXPLORING FAITH MATTERS - EDUCATION FOR MINISTRY (EfM) Are you interested in learning more about your faith, the Bible, Christian history, Christian thought? EfM may be the thing for you. It is a comprehensive course for adults over four years but students enrol on a year by year basis. Participants learn from their own experience, from other Christians and from the traditions of Christianity found in Scripture and in the history of the Church. Each week there are assigned readings and the group meets at the Cathedral to discuss what they have read. Groups are led by accredited Mentors. No specific qualifications are needed to join a group, beyond an ability to read English discerningly and make the necessary time commitment for the meetings and the weekly readings. The groups are friendly and supportive and we also meet socially for special events! The English-speaking Education for Ministry (EfM) group, which meets at 7.00pm on Monday evenings, is now recruiting new members for the 2017 year starting after Chinese New Year next year. Please contact John Davison on ejd@kly.com.hk or Evelyn Chan on chanevelyn@yahoo.com. More information is available on St John s Cathedral website, under Groups and Fellowships. 5

6 NOTICES ST JOHN S CATHEDRAL ADVENT & CHRISTMAS SERVICES 2016 Sunday 18 th December The Fourth Sunday of Advent (Sunday Services see main rota) 9.00am Sung Eucharist with Sunday School Pageant 11.45am Choral Mattins with the Choir of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge 6.00pm Service of Nine Lessons & Carols Monday 19 th December 7.30pm Carol Concert with the Choir of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge Saturday 24 th December Christmas Eve 3.00pm Short Crib Service (30mins) 5.00pm Christingle Service 11.00pm Midnight Mass of the Nativity and Blessing of the Crib Sunday 25 th December Christmas Day 8.00am Said Eucharist 9.00am Sung Eucharist 10.30am Sung Eucharis (Mandarin) 11.45am Christmas All Age Worship 2.00pm Sung Eucharist (Filipino) NO EVENING SERVICE ON CHRISTMAS DAY ST JOHN S MIDNIGHT MASS CHRISTMAS EVE AT 11.00PM Thursday 24 th December 2016 Each Christmas Eve St John s welcomes over 1300 people to our Midnight Mass of the Nativity and the numbers are growing. As this is such a popular service we will be issuing tickets again this year to ensure that there is a fair distribution to members of the cathedral congregations and the wider community. Please note that all tickets for the Midnight Mass have now been issued. Please do not ask at the Cathedral office as no more tickets are available! A remaining 100 tickets will be distributed at the main door at 9.00pm on the 24 th December. PLEASE ALSO NOTE 1) On the night (24 th December), ticket holders will be admitted from 10.00pm, using the two Transept doors of the church. 2) All ticket holders are requested to be seated by 10.30pm when the Devotion before Midnight Mass begins. 3) Any unoccupied seats will be released to non-ticket holders under the supervision of the sidesmen at 10.45pm 4) Overflow provision will be prepared for worshippers in both the Li Hall and the North lawn. CATHEDRAL BOOKSTORE If you are looking for that special Christmas gift for a friend and loved one, do visit our bookstore where you will find a large selection of devotional gifts. The store is now stocking a special collection of sterling silver jewelry, including Canterbury and Coventry Cross pendants. We also stock a wide selection of books, cards and church requisites. Please pay us a visit after church today! 6

7 ST JOHN S CATHEDRAL MINISTRY TEAM Dean: The Very Revd Matthias Der Clergy Ministry Co-ordinators: Fellowship & Community Building The Revd Desmond Cox Nurturing & Spirituality The Revd Will Newman Outreach Ministry The Revd Mark Rogers Pastoral Care The Revd Catherine Graham Liturgy and Worship The Revd Robert Martin Filipino Ministry The Revd Dwight dela Torre Chinese Ministry The Revd Canon Peter Koon & The Revd Wu Wai Ho Honorary Chaplains: The Revd John Chynchen The Revd Hugh Phillipson The Revd Jenny Wong Nam Executive Administrator: Viola Ip Outreach Ministries: Cathedral Bookstore CLARES/Castaways Helpers for Domestic Helpers HIV Education Centre Mission for Migrant Workers Prison Ministry SJC Counselling Centre For further information on the life and ministry of St John s Cathedral, please visit our website at or call the office at Please complete this form and hand it to one of the Clergy, a Sidesman or the Welcome Table. Surname: First Name: Name of spouse (if applicable) Names and ages of children (if applicable) Phone: Please circle as appropriate: I attend the 8.00am/9.00am/10.30am/11.45am/2.00pm/6.00pm service. I am interested in finding out about: Sunday School / Cathedral Choir / CLARES / Baptism & Confirmation / Flower Guild / Sidesman / Servers Guild / Fellowship Group / Stewardship Scheme / Uniformed Group. Other questions / information: Welcome to St John s Cathedral! I do not agree to receive any promotional materials from St John s Cathedral. This information is collected in accordance with the Personal Data Privacy Statement as published on the St John s Cathedral website at 7