Welcome to St John the Evangelist East Dulwich 11 December 2016 Third Sunday of Advent Vicar: Revd. Gill O Neill 07958 592425, vicar@stjohnseastdulwich.org Assistant Priests: Revd. Anne Clarke and Revd. Alistair McCulloch Parish Administrator: Rachel Smith 020 8693 3897, office@stjohnseastdulwich.org www.stjohnseastdulwich.org @StDulwich Loop System: T position Today our hangings and vestments are purple to mark the season of Advent, as we prepare for the coming of Christ at Christmas. 8am Said Mass 10am Sung Mass with Nativity Pageant Introit: The Advent Prose Opening Hymn: 186 Gradual Hymn Seek ye first, page 3 Offertory Hymn: 336 Anthems: Ave Maria - Giulio Cacci The holly and the ivy, English traditional carol, arr. JW Final Hymn: 9 Voluntary: Sinfonia to Cantata No. 29 ( Wir danken dir, BWV 29) J S Bach Organist: Marilyn Harper Collect God for whom we watch and wait, you sent John the Baptist to prepare the way of your Son: give us courage to speak the truth, to hunger for justice, and to suffer for the cause of right, with Jesus Christ our Lord who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen 6pm Advent Reflections GIFT AID YOUR DONATIONS: if you are a UK taxpayer why not donate using a yellow Gift Aid envelope so we can reclaim 25p for every 1 you give. Thank you.
Lighting of the Advent Wreath Deacon: All: God our Father, you gave to Zechariah and Elizabeth in their old age a son called John. He grew up strong in spirit, prepared the people for the coming of the Lord, and baptized them in the Jordan to wash away their sins. Help us, who have been baptized into Christ, to be ready to welcome him into our hearts, and to grow strong in faith by the power of the Spirit. We ask this through Jesus Christ, the Light who is coming into the world. Lord Jesus, Light of the world, John told the people to prepare, for you were very near. As Christmas grows closer day by day, Help us to be ready to welcome you now. A reading from the prophet Isaiah (35.1 10) The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God. Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are of a fearful heart, Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God. He will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense. He will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp, the grass shall become reeds and rushes. A highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Holy Way; the unclean shall not travel on it, but it shall be for God s people; no traveller, not even fools, shall go astray. This is the Word of the Lord. 2
8am Mass - Responsorial Psalm Magnificat R\: My spirit rejoices in God my Saviour. A reading from the letter of James (5.7 10) 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. This is the Word of the Lord. Gradual Hymn 1. Seek ye first the kingdom of God And His righteousness And all these things shall be added unto you Allelu, alleluia. 2. Ask and it shall be given unto you Seek and ye shall find Knock and the door shall be opened unto you Allelu, alleluia. 3. Man does not live by bread alone But by every word That proceeds from the mouth of God Allelu, alleluia. CCL Licence No. 7260 3
The Gospel Reading Deacon: The Lord be with you. All: and also with you. Deacon: All: Alleluia, alleluia. I am the light of the world says the Lord. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life. Alleluia. Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew (11.2 11) When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to Jesus, 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. This is the Gospel of the Lord. Nativity Pageant First Reading In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you. But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. Luke 1:26-31 4
Entry of Angel Gabriel and Star The angel Gabriel from heaven came, With wings as drifted snow, with eyes as flame; "All hail Said he, thou lowly maiden Mary, Most highly favoured lady," Gloria! For know a blessed mother thou shalt be, All generations laud and honour thee, Thy Son shall be Emmanuel, by seers foretold, Most highly favoured lady," Gloria! Second Reading In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. Luke 2:1, 3-4, 6-7 Entry of Mary and Joseph with a Donkey Little donkey, little donkey, On the dusty road, Got to keep on plodding onwards with your precious load. Been a long time, little donkey, Through the winter's night Don't give up now, little donkey, Bethlehem's in sight. Ring out those bells tonight Bethlehem, Bethlehem. Follow the star tonight Bethlehem, Bethlehem. 5
Little donkey, little donkey, Had a heavy day. Little donkey, carry Mary Safely on her way. Little donkey, carry Mary Safely on her way. Third Reading In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, Do not be afraid; for see I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger. Luke 2:8-12 Entry of Shepherds and animals While shepherds watched their flocks by night, all seated on the ground, an angel of the Lord came down, and glory shone around. Fear not said he for mighty dread Had seized their troubled mind glad tidings of great joy I bring to you and all mankind. All glory be to God on high, And to the earth be peace; to those on whom his favour rests goodwill shall never cease. 6
Fourth Reading And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favours! Luke 2:13-14 Entry of the Angels Hark! the herald angels sing, "Glory to the new-born King! peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!" Joyful, all ye nations, rise, join the triumph of the skies; With th' angelic host proclaim, "Christ is born in Bethlehem!" Hark! the herald angels sing, "Glory to the new-born King! Fifth Reading The Wise men set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure-chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Matthew 2:9-11 7
Entry of the wise men and camels We three kings of Orient are Bearing gifts, we traverse afar. Field and fountain, moor and mountain, Following yonder star. O star of wonder, star of night, Star with royal beauty bright, Westward leading, still proceeding, Guide us to thy Perfect Light. Once all children are seated around the altar Revd. Gill will do a short talk. We then all sing together Away in a manger, no crib for a bed, The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head. The stars in the bright sky looked down where he lay, The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay. The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes, But little Lord Jesus no crying he makes. I love thee, Lord Jesus! Look down from the sky, And stay by my bedside till morning is nigh. Be near me, Lord Jesus; I ask thee to stay Close by me for ever, and love me, I pray. Bless all the dear children in thy tender care, And fit us for heaven, to live with thee there. The service continues with the Intercessions and the Peace 8
Today in Church ADVENT REFLECTIONS This evening is the last of our advent reflections. Join us as we journey together and enter the deeper mystery of God and his presence in our lives. All are welcome. CHRISTMAS CUP CAKES & BISCUITS The young people at St Johns will be selling cakes and biscuits after the 10am service to raise funds for the Robes Project This week s Services & Groups Mon 12 December 8pm Women s Spirituality Group at 36 Court Lane contact Clare Brown on 020 8291 5295. Tue 13 December 7.30pm Said Mass 8pm PCC Thu 15 December 12pm Said Mass 12.30pm Goose Green Lunch Club 2pm Goose Green Primary School Carol Concert 8.15pm Choir Practice in the Vestry Sun 18 December Fourth Sunday of Advent 8am Said Mass 10am Sung Mass 4pm Choir Practice in the Church 6pm Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols followed by refreshments Christingle Christmas Eve Christmas Day Christmas at St John s Saturday 24 December at 3pm and at 4.30 pm Saturday 24 December at 11.30pm with carol singing from 11pm Sunday 25 December at 10am 9
Notices CHRISTMAS CARDS Many thanks to the helpers who have delivered Christmas cards this week. We still have a few bundles left so please check at the back of church and see if you can help deliver the last few to our Parish. CHRISTINGLE MAKING We need to prepare over 300 Christingles for two of our most popular Christmas services. No special skills needed. Come along on Saturday 24 December from 10am in the Goose Green Centre. All welcome. Don t worry if you cannot spare much time, even half an hour would be helpful. Contact Julie on 0778 668 6385 or julie.whitney@kcl.ac.uk PLANNED GIVING Back in November Revd. Gill wrote to us all, asking us to consider how we might play our part in the life of our church. Financial giving is one way to support and develop our work. Please consider your contribution to the life of St John s and complete one of the yellow Planned Giving leaflets and return it to Martin Howell. MINCE PIES We will be providing refreshments to the parish after our Carol Service on Sunday 18 December. Donations of mince pies would be greatly appreciated. CHRISTMAS DRINKS Join us for a few pre-christmas drinks from 8pm on Wed 21 December at the Flying Pig. All welcome. No need to confirm but if you would like to know more contact Julie on 0778 668 6385 or julie.whitney@kcl.ac.uk SPECIAL CAUSE COLLECTIONS 2017 Our Special Cause Collections are a good way to raise awareness and funds for deserving charities. If you would like to nominate a charity for 2017, for consideration by the PCC, speak to Jim Nurton, charities coordinator, on jimnurton@gmail.com. CHURCH FLOWERS AT CHRISTMAS Why not make a donation towards our Christmas flower decorations this year? Offer your gift in thanksgiving of a person or an event. Specially labelled gift aid envelopes and thanksgiving cards are available at the entrance. Thanksgiving Cards will be offered at the altar at Midnight Mass. If you have any queries speak to Sally Gross after the service. 10
PARISH OFFICE For information about banns, weddings, baptisms etc. please contact Rachel Smith, Parish Administrator on 020 8693 3897, office@stjohnseastdulwich.org. Normal office hours are 10am until 2pm on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. Please send notices to the Parish Office by Tuesday afternoon. Thank you. GOOSE GREEN CENTRE For bookings and enquiries please contact Gareth Mills, Centre Manager on 020 8299 6483, office@goosegreencentre.org. St John s Parish Office, Goose Green Centre, 62a East Dulwich Road, LONDON, SE22 9AT www.stjohnseastdulwich.org 11
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