Second Sunday in Advent Year A, December 7th 2025

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Opening Hymn NEH 5 

Hark! A herald voice is calling:
‘Christ is nigh’ it seems to say;
‘cast away the dreams of darkness,
O ye children of the day!’
 

Startled at the solemn warning,
let the earth-bound soul arise;
Christ, her sun, all sloth dispelling,
shines upon the morning skies.
 

Lo! The Lamb, so long expected,
comes with pardon down from heaven;
let us haste, with tears of sorrow,
one and all to be forgiven.

So when next he comes with glory,
wrapping all the earth in fear,
may he then as our defender
on the clouds of heaven appear.
 

Honour, glory, virtue, merit,
to the Father and the Son,
with the co-eternal Spirit,
while unending ages run.

℣ In the name of the Father, and of the Son,✠and of the Holy Spirit.

℟  Amen.

℣ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and communion of the Holy Spirit be  with you all.

℟  And with your spirit.

The Advent Candle Hymn

The holly and the ivy

are dancing in a ring,

round the purple Advent candles,

and the white and shining King.

O, one is for God’s people,

in every age and day.

We are watching for his coming.

We believe and we obey. R. 

The Celebrant introduces the celebration.

℣  Lord have mercy/Kyrie eleison 

℟  Lord have mercy/Kyrie eleison .

℣  Christ have mercy/Kyrie eleison .

℟  Christ have mercy/Kyrie eleison 

℣  Lord have mercy/Kyrie eleison 

℟  Lord have mercy/Kyrie eleison 

℣ May Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our  sins and bring us to everlasting life.

℟ Amen.

The Collect

Almighty and merciful God,

may no earthly undertaking hinder those

who set out in haste to meet your Son,

but may our learning of heavenly wisdom

gain us admittance to his company.

Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit God, for ever and ever.

Amen

First Reading (Ref: Is 11:1-10)

‘With righteousness he shall judge the poor.’

A reading from the Prophet Isaiah

On that day: There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,

and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.

And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,

the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,

the Spirit of counsel and might,

the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.

He shall not judge by what his eyes see,

or decide disputes by what his ears hear,

but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,

and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;

and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,

and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.

Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,

and faithfulness the belt of his loins.

The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,

and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,

and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together;

and a little child shall lead them.

The cow and the bear shall graze;

their young shall lie down together;

and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra,

and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den.

They shall not hurt or destroy

in all my holy mountain;

for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

as the waters cover the sea.

In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples — of him shall the nations enquire, and his resting-place shall be glorious.

℣ The Word of the Lord. 

℟ Thanks be to God.   

R.  In his days justice shall flourish, 

and great peace forever.

O God, give your judgement to the king,

to a king’s son your justice,

that he may judge your people in justice,

and your poor in right judgement. R.  

In his days justice shall flourish,

and great peace till the moon is no more.

He shall rule from sea to sea,

from the River to the bounds of the earth. R.  

For he shall rescue the needy when they cry,

the poor who have no one to help.

He will have pity on the weak and the needy,

and save the lives of the needy. R.  

May his name endure for ever,

his name continue like the sun.

Every tribe shall be blest in him,

all nations shall call him blessed. R.  

Second Reading  (Ref: Rom 15:4-9)

Christ saves humanity.

A reading from the letter of S Paul to the Romans

Brothers and sisters: Whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, ‘Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name.’

℣ The Word of the Lord. 

℟ Thanks be to God. 

Please stand for the Gospel Acclamation

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia! Alleluia!

Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

All flesh shall see the salvation of God.

Alleluia! 

Gospel (Ref: Matt 3:1-12)

Theme: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

℣   The Lord be with you

℟  And with your spirit.

℣   A reading ✠ from the holy Gospel according to Matthew

℟ Glory to you, O Lord.

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.” ’

Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt round his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, and they were baptised by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our father”, for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

‘I baptise you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’

℣ The Gospel of the Lord.

℟ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Please sit for the Address and then stand for the Creed 

and Prayer of the Faithful

The Creed

I believe in one God,

the Father almighty,

maker of heaven and earth,

of all things visible and invisible.

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,

the Only Begotten Son of God,

born of the Father before all ages.

God from God, Light from Light,

true God from true God,

begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;

through him all things were made.

For us men and for our salvation

he came down from heaven,

and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, 

and became man.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,

he suffered death and was buried,

and rose again on the third day

in accordance with the Scriptures.

He ascended into heaven

and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again in glory

to judge the living and the dead

and his kingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,

who proceeds from the Father and the Son,

who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,

who has spoken through the prophets.

I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.

I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins

and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead

and the life of the world to come. Amen.  

The Prayer of the Faithful

V:  We pray to the Lord

R Thy kingdom come

Those in Need:

Fr Keith, Pete Boyes, Valerie Clarke, 

Elle Deveson, Denise Edmunds, Emily Glass, Sue Korth, 

Maureen Lawrence, Pete Mac, Jen and Jez McAteer, 

Jo Rees-Davies, Terry Roberts, Chris Swetman, Julie Swetman, Dorothy Valder, Alex, Amy, Christine, John, Rachel, Ray, 

Rita, Timothy, 

The Recent Departed:

John Smee

Diane Burrell

Year’s Mind:

(7) Catherine Tarrant, Sister Joan Michael (SSM), Ann Cromar

(8) Albert Valder, Amelia Brannan, Alfred White, Elinor Bunney, Hazel Hickman

(9) George Jackson, Joyce Ackerton, William Kaffes,  Beatrice Hedley, Julio Corté, Enid Medhurst, Lucy Head

(10) Susan Martin, Emma Bigg, Mabel Weller, Jeanne Brooker

(11) Lillian Ferrier, Vera Dray, Christine Chuter

(12) George Smith, Hilda Adams, Cyril Carter, Edna Wakeling

(13) Georgina Sparks, David Vickery (Pr), Dennis Alderton

Offertory Hymn 522  

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
and ransom captive Israel
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
shall come to you, O Israel.

O come, O Wisdom from on high,
who ordered all things mightily;
to us the path of knowledge show
and teach us in its ways to go. R

O come, O come, great Lord of might,
who to your tribes on Sinai's height
in ancient times did give the law
in cloud and majesty and awe. R

O come, O Key of David, come
and open wide our heavenly home.
Make safe for us the heavenward road
and bar the way to death's abode. R

O come, O King of nations, bind
in one the hearts of all mankind.
Bid all our sad divisions cease
and be yourself our King of Peace. R

℣ Pray, brothers and sisters, that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father.

℟ May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands for the praise and glory of his name, for our good and the good of all his holy Church.

The Prayer over the Gifts

℟ Amen

℣ The Lord be with you

℟. And with your spirit.

℣ Lift up your hearts

℟ We lift them up to the Lord

℣ Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

℟ It is right and just.

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of pow’r and God of might.

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of pow’r and God of might.

Heaven and earth are full of your glory.

Hosanna in the highest, hosanna in the highest.

Hosanna in the highest, hosanna in the highest.

Blessèd is he who comes in the name of the Lord. 

Hosanna in the highest, hosanna in the highest.

Hosanna in the highest, hosanna in the highest .

The Eucharistic Prayer

V:  The mystery of faith.

We proclaim your Death, O Lord,

and profess your Resurrection

until you come again.

or

When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup,

we proclaim your Death, O Lord,

until you come again.

or

Save us, Saviour of the world,

for by your Cross and Resurrection

you have set us free.

The Eucharistic Prayer

Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

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.

℣ Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil,

graciously grant peace in our days,

that, by the help of your mercy,

we may be always free from sin

and safe from all distress,

as we await the blessed hope

and the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

℟ For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever.

℣ Lord Jesus Christ,

who said to your Apostles:

Peace I leave you, my peace I give you,

look not on our sins,

but on the faith of your Church,

and graciously grant her peace and unity

in accordance with your will.

Who live and reign for ever and ever.. 

℟ Amen.

℣ The peace of the Lord be with you always.

℟ And with your spirit. 

℣ Let us offer each other the sign of peace.

The Agnus Dei

Jesus, wisdom and mighty Lord,  you take away the sins of the world: have mercy on us.
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, true branch of Jesse’s tree,  you take away the sins of the world: have mercy on us.
Have mercy on us.

Key of David and Day spring from on high,  you take away the sins of the World: have mercy on us.
Have mercy on us.

Desire of nations, our Emmanuel,  you take away the sins of the World: grant us peace.
Grant us peace.

Please be guided to Communion by the Stewards 

The Post Communion Prayer

Post Communion Hymn 255  

Hills of the North, rejoice,
river and mountain-spring,
hark to the advent voice;
valley and lowland, sing.
Christ comes in righteousness and love,
he brings salvation from above.

Isles of the Southern seas,
sing to the listening earth,
carry on every breeze
hope of a world's new birth:
In Christ shall all be made anew,
his word is sure, his promise true.

Lands of the East, arise,
he is your brightest morn,
greet him with joyous eyes,
praise shall his path adorn:
your seers have longed to know their Lord;
to you he comes, the final word.

Shores of the utmost West,
lands of the setting sun,
welcome the heavenly guest
in whom the dawn has come:
he brings a never-ending light
who triumphed o'er our darkest night.

Shout, as you journey home,
songs be in every mouth,
lo, from the North they come,
from East and West and South:
in Jesus all shall find their rest,
in him the universe be blest.
 

℣ The Lord be with you

℟ And with your spirit.

℣   And may the blessing of God Almighty, the  Father ✠ and of the Son and of the Holy   Spirit, come down upon you and remain with you for ever.  

℟ Amen

℣ Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord  

℟ Thanks be to God.

The Angelus

℣   The Angel of the Lord brought the tidings to Mary

℟  And she conceived by the Holy Ghost.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessèd art thou among women, 

and blessèd is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. 

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

℣  Behold the handmaid of the Lord.

℟  Be it unto me according to thy Word.

Hail Mary….

℣.  And the word was made flesh.

℟  And dwelt among us.

Hail Mary….

℣ Pray for us, Holy Mother of God.

℟ That we may be made worthy of the promises of  Christ.

Collect.