St John s Cathedral is a place of God s grace, welcoming all, following Christ, and changing lives in the heart of Hong Kong 18TH DECEMBER 2016 THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT 8.00am Said Eucharist Celebrant and Preacher: Reader: The Revd Catherine Graham Letty Awingan 9.00am Sung Eucharist (with Sunday School Pageant) Celebrant: The Revd Robert Martin Preacher: The Revd Catherine Graham Deacon: The Revd Dwight dela Torre Communion Setting: St Anne s Mass (James MacMillan) Hymns: 161, 18, 188ii (omit*) Anthem: Es ist ein Ros entsprungen (Jan Sandström/Michael Praetorius) 10.30am Sung Eucharist (in 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 (See separate service book) Officiant: The Revd Robert Martin Preacher: The Revd James Buxton Reader: Saki Tsoi 2.00pm Sung Eucharist (in Filipino) Celebrant and Preacher: The Revd Dwight dela Torre 6.00pm Nine Lessons and Carols (See separate service book) Officiant: The Revd Dwight dela Torre Readers: Elizabeth Daniel, Elisa Leung, Ronald Lye, Dennis Guo, James Choo, Jesalie Gamosa, Nicholas Lin, Andrew Ashley, The Revd Catherine Graham 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.
THIS WEEK AT ST JOHN S CATHEDRAL MON 19 th December 8.00am 12.30pm Said Eucharist Meditation Group TUE 20 th 8.00am Said Eucharist 1.00pm One o clock Prayer 7.00pm Bible Reading Fellowship WED 21 st 8.00am Said Eucharist 9.30am CLARES 1.00pm One o clock Prayer 1.15pm NO Lunchtime Recital 2.30pm Evergreen Fellowship (Chinese) (Harold Smyth Room) 6.00pm Said Eucharist THU 22 nd 8.30am Said Eucharist 1.00pm One o clock Prayer 1.15pm Said Eucharist 2.30pm Parents and Toddlers FRI 23 rd 8.00am Said Eucharist 1.00pm One o clock Prayer 3.00pm Friday Fellowship Group SAT 24 th Christmas 8.30am 12.30pm 3.00pm 5.00pm 11.00pm Eve Said Eucharist Said Eucharist (Filipino) Short Crib Service (30 minutes) Christingle Service Midnight Mass of the Nativity and Blessing of the Crib SUN 25 th December Christmas Day Isaiah 62.6-12 8.00am Said Eucharist Psalm 97 Celebrant and Preacher: The Very Revd Matthias Der Titus 3.4-7 9.00am Sung Eucharist Luke 2.8-20 Celebrant and Preacher: The Very Revd Matthias Der 10.30am Sung Eucharist (Mandarin) Celebrant: The Revd Canon Peter Koon Preacher: The Very Revd Matthias Der 11.45am Christmas All Age Worship Celebrant: The Revd Desmond Cox Preacher: The Very Revd Matthias Der 2.00pm Sung Eucharist (Filipino) Celebrant and Preacher: The Revd Dwight dela Torre 6.00pm NO SERVICE 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: www.stjohnscathedral.org.hk. 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: 2523 4157 2
COLLECT, POST COMMUNION PRAYER, READINGS AND MUSIC LIGHTING OF THE ADVENT WREATH Voice one On this fourth Sunday in Advent we light the candles of Hope, Peace, Joy again. (lights first two purple candles and one pink candle). Voice two Today, we light a fourth candle and name it Love. (lights last purple candle). Voice one This candle reminds us of Mary, Jesus mother. She was a person who had a lot of courage. This candle reminds us of a mother s love for her child, Jesus, who was God s own Son. Voice two This candle is a symbol of God s love that was born in baby Jesus on Christmas Day. It is a symbol of God s love that is alive in us each day too. All O God, come, travel with us through Advent. Give us courage to spread love in the world. Amen. COLLECT 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 savior, 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. FIRST READING (8.00am) Romans 1.1-7 A reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans. 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. All GOSPEL READING Matthew 11.2-11 All Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew. 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. 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
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 Kilmore, Elphin & Ardagh, Armagh, Ireland, and The Rt Revd Ferran Glenfield. We pray for the Province of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui; For the Most Revd Dr Paul Kwong, the Archbishop Emeritus Dr Peter Kwong, the Rt Revd Andrew Chan, the Rt Revd Timothy Kwok, the Bishop Emeritus Thomas Soo, the Bishop Emeritus Louis Tsui, all Provincial Clergy and laity of HKSKH;For the ministry of pastoral care, missionary and the long-term development of the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui; For the implementation of the Social Service Policy Paper, School Education Policy Paper and Church Policy Paper adopted by the General Synod of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui. 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 Pray for CLARES, Castaways and SJC Flower Guild. 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: Susan George, Daisy Tai, Jacky Yeung, Marianne Felch, Caius Schwartz, Victor Chan, Josephine Lam Lai Fong, Erick Tai, May Cheng, Toung Ming, Angel Ho, Betty Young, Bp Kenneth Mason, Burke McKinney, Ethel Yu, Shirley Nie Xiao Lian, Irene Lo Oi Lin, William Chen, Christine Chew, Yau Sau Chun, Susan Westlake, Joanna Tsang, Chow Lie Ying, Christian Limon Gasmen, 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, Graham Ashley, David Ward, 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: 2523 4157. Today is International Migrants Day. Please pray for all foreign domestic workers in Hong Kong and their employers. 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 4
NOTICES CLERGY This morning, the Dean is leading the worship at Emmanuel Church, Pokfulam. The Choir of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge at St John s CHORAL MATTINS TODAY at 11.45am Preacher: The Revd James Buxton, Dean of Chapel, Corpus Christi College CHRISTMAS CONCERT by Corpus Christi College Choir Monday 19 th December 2016 at 7.30pm TONIGHT! Sunday 18 th December Pre-Christmas Wine Sale in the Li Hall Sunday, 18 th December 2016 10.30am to 1.00pm Come to the Li Hall today and buy yourself a bottle or two of wine to help celebrate this Holiday Season. The sale features a selection of wines that have been donated to the Michaelmas Fair Wine and Beer Garden. The wine will be sold at low prices. All proceeds will go to the 2017 Michaelmas Fair to support the various ministries of the Cathedral. A SWEET THANK YOU Thanks to all donors who have generously supported the Love Chocolate Charity Sale at the Cathedral which generated HK$33,420. All proceeds will go to SKH St Christopher s Home. More donations are welcome. For enquiries, please call 2520 1056. DRAWING EXHIBITION 2016 jointly presented by KeenAble Creation and The Nest 6.00pm Nine Lessons & Carols A traditional service of readings and carols sung by the Cathedral Choir. You are cordially invited to join us after the service for mulled wine and mince pies in the North Garden. We present a series of creative drawings based on the Cathedral s new stainedglass windows created by KeenAble Creation artists and to be exhibited at The Nest for a month, starting from this Sunday, 18 th December. All are welcome. Please come and have a look! THANK YOU to all who contributed to last week s Food Drive. As we prepare for our Christmas celebrations it is important that we remember, and help, those who are less fortunate that ourselves. Thank you all for your generosity! 5
NOTICES ST JOHN S CATHEDRAL CHRISTMAS SERVICES 2016 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 (20mins) This crib service is designed to involve every age in a short service on Christmas Eve to hear the Nativity story. It is particularly suitable for families with toddlers and young children. During this 20 minute service as the story is told the crib characters will be brought to the stable, and placed ready for the birth of Jesus. Well known carols will be sung. As baby Jesus is placed in the crib, children will gather around the stable with their cuddly animals and sing Away in a manager. This simple service is to remind everyone of the real meaning of Christmas and for children to take part in a meaningful way. 5.00pm Christingle Service The custom of Christingle ( Christ Light ) began in the Moravian congregation at Mariebon, Germany on 20 th December 1747, at a children s service conducted by John de Watterville. Christingles were distributed; and the service ended with the prayer, Lord Jesus, kindle a flame in these dear children s hearts, that theirs like Thine become. A Christingle consists of four things. The orange represents God s world. The lighted candle represents Jesus, the Light of the World. The four sticks of raisins and sweets represent the fruits of the earth and God s bounty and goodness to us in providing them. The red ribbon represents Jesus death on the cross which shows us how much God loves us. The ribbon is circular and so unending which shows us that God s love never ends. 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 GARDEN OF REMEMBRANCE Did you know that the Celtic Cross outside the Cathedral is actually is a war memorial in memory of those who died in the two world wars? The garden itself, which contains the grave of Private Maxwell, is also an officially designated war grave. Access to the garden will now be restricted so that it can be kept as a place of remembrance and treated with the respect it deserves. We will remember them! 6
NOTICES 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. CONGRATULATIONS to the Revd Dr John Kater as he celebrates his 50 th anniversary of Ordination to the Priesthood. Fr John is regular visitor to Hong Kong and an old friend of St John s Cathedral. His extensive pastoral and teaching ministry has taken him around the world from parish ministry Poughkeepsie, NY - to the Episcopal Diocese of Panama to teaching theology at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkely, California. In recent years Fr John has also been a regular lecturer at Ming Hua Theological College here in Hong Kong and contributes greatly to priestly formation within our province. May God richly bless him in his continuing ministry. 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. TODAY S GUEST PREACHER. We warmly welcome the Revd James Buxton as our guest preacher at the 11.45am Choral Mattins this morning. He is the Dean of Chapel at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge whose Chapel Choir will sing this morning. Fr James trained for the priesthood at Westcott House in Cambridge. He served his curacy in the Parish Church of St Mary, Portsea, Portsmouth (1997-2001), and then went on to be Succentor of Southwark Cathedral and Chaplain of King's College, London at Guy's Campus (2001-2007). James's interests include walking in mountainous and wild regions, art, architecture and music, and the practice of pilgrimage. 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 www.stjohnscathedral.org.hk or call the office at 2523 4157. 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) E-mail: 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 www.stjohnscathedral.org.hk. 8