Worshipping at Home 27th November 2022
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Advent Sunday - 27th November 2022 

The First Hymn
Welcome!

Advent Sunday marks the beginning of the Church’s year. We begin with the build up to Christmas. These days are usually busy and fun, but Advent invites us to pause and remember why we look forward to welcoming a Saviour on Christmas Day. A Saviour! To save us from what? To save us for what? As we find the answers, it is like a light slowly growing stronger in the darkness. 


Psalm 37: 1-9

Fret not because of evildoers; be not jealous of those who do wrong. For they shall soon wither like grass and like the green herb fade away. Trust in the Lord and be doing good; dwell in the land and be nourished with truth. Let your delight be in the Lord and he will give you your heart’s desire. Commit your way to the Lord and put your trust in him, and he will bring it to pass. He will make your righteousness as clear as the light and your just dealing as the noonday. Be still before the Lord and wait for him; do not fret over those that prosper as they follow their evil schemes.
Refrain from anger and abandon wrath; do not fret, lest you be moved to do evil. For evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait upon the Lord shall possess the land. 

Acclamation

Hail to the Lord’s anointed; Great David’s greater Son!
Hail, in the time appointed, His reign on earth begun!
He comes to break oppression, To set the captive free,
To take away transgressions, And rule in equity.

The Collect Prayer

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness 
and to put on the armour of light,
now in the time of this mortal life, in which your Son Jesus Christ 
came to us in great humility; 
that on the last day, when he shall come again 
in his glorious majesty to judge the living and the dead, 
we may rise to the life immortal; 
through him who is alive and reigns with you, 
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, 
one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Sharing the Peace

We are the Family of God;
In the one Spirit we were all baptised
into one body.
Let us then pursue all that makes for peace
and builds up our common life.

(At this point please think of others
and in your heart send them
the message: Peace be with you.)

Bible Reading

Matthew 24: 36-44 (Waiting for the Lord to draw near.)

 

As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. T


wo men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. ‘Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

Thought for the Day

The world has got it right, but the church has got a point too! Yes, it’s Advent, and the run up to Christmas gathers momentum. As far as the world is concerned this is a season to focus on good things such as hope, joy, celebration, happy gatherings, peace and goodwill. The commercial world has already started its Christmas campaign. Their tactics have worked because I bought a few things for Christmas…and I have already eaten them! 

The Christmas songs on the radio started a week ago, and it makes me wonder whether I will still be wanting to sing them come Christmas. And this is the point the church is making: hold back a bit, give yourself time to have a think and a prayer, remember the deep and wonderful message of Christmas and allow yourself a chance to get spiritually ready for it. This message is not a killjoy; rather it is wise counsel from those who have been organising feasts and festivals for thousands of years! 

The message reminds us that Advent has a beauty and a wonder all of its own that, if acted on, will enhance our Christmas celebrations. It may seem odd that Advent starts with some very difficult Bible readings that talk of doom and gloom, but darkness accentuates the light. The thought of danger helps us appreciate our security, contemplating what the world would have been like if Jesus hadn’t come to us helps us celebrate his arrival with greater relief. And so we stop, or at least slow down, in Advent and we pace ourselves as we head towards Christmas. This pacing is helped by the use of traditional Advent Calendars and Candles. Getting Advent right sets us up not only for Christmas but indeed for the next twelve months as we travel through all the seasons of the church’s year. It’s like carefully packing our bags before a journey. We go down our checklist. 

As in any journey, if we have forgotten something, we might be able to acquire them along the way, but it is much better to have everything packed and ready at the start. Advent is the start. Christmas is our first destination. Many more follow before we arrive, again, at Advent. Of course, the best preparation for any journey involves knowing who we will be travelling with, and that we get on well with each other. Meet Jesus. More than anyone else, he is the one we travel with.

Let us Pray

The Advent story of hope and mystery, anticipation, preparation, a kingdom of this world and the next, and a king appearing when we least expect. Heaven touching earth, the footsteps of the divine walking dusty roads as once they did in Eden, and a people, searching for a Saviour, and walking past the stable. Open eyes and hearts, that this might be an Advent of hope to the world. Amen.

God of hope, who brought love into this world, be the love that dwells between us. God of hope, who brought peace into this world, be the peace that dwells between us. God of hope, who brought joy into this world, be the joy that dwells between us. God of hope, the rock we stand upon, be the centre, the focus of our lives always, and particularly this Advent time. Amen.

God of the Advent journey, may you be both traveling companion and mountain guide on this, our daily walk; lest unprepared or ill-equipped our feet should stumble on uneven ground, or clouds obscure the destination that we so long to see. Amen.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and for ever. Amen.

(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.)
The Blessing

Christ the Sun of Righteousness shine upon you and scatter the darkness from before your path; and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you, and remain with you always.


Amen

 The Second Hymn

If you have any thoughts, questions or concerns, please contact us

Henley in Arden The incumbent/priest in charge John Ganjavi
telephone 01564 792570 or email Incumbent / Priest in charge

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