Advent Season | Wednesday 03 Dec 2025
+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen
Opening prayer:
Almighty God, give us grace
to cast away the works of darkness,
and put on the armor of light,
now in the time of this mortal life in which
your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us
in great humility;
that in the last day, when he shall come again
in his glorious majesty
to judge both the living and the dead,
we may rise to the life immortal;
through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
“And they will see the Son of Man
coming on the clouds of heaven
with power and great glory.”
(Matthew 24:31)
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From the Psalms: Psalm 124 – Poor Bishop Hooper
if it had not been the lord who was on our side
if it had not been the lord who was on our side
let israel say
if it had not been the lord who was on our side
if it had not been the lord who was on our side
if it had not been the lord who was on our side
they would have swallowed us alive
if it had not been the lord who was on our side
when the people rose against us they would have swallowed us alive
when men in burning anger we would have been swept by the water’s rise
if it had not been the lord who was on our side
if it had not been the lord who was on our side
o lord blessed be who has not given us to their teeth
we’ve escaped like a bird from a trap the snare is broken and we are free
if it had not been the lord who was on our side
if it had not been the lord who was on our side
if it had not been the lord who was on our side
if it had not been the lord who was on our side
let israel say
if it had not been the lord who was on our side
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OT Reading: Isaiah 54:1-10 (NLT)
Future Glory for Jerusalem
54:1 “Sing, O childless woman,
you who have never given birth!
Break into loud and joyful song, O Jerusalem,
you who have never been in labor.
For the desolate woman now has more children
than the woman who lives with her husband,”
says the Lord.
+ “Enlarge your house; build an addition.
Spread out your home, and spare no expense!
+ For you will soon be bursting at the seams.
Your descendants will occupy other nations
and resettle the ruined cities.
54:4 “Fear not; you will no longer live in shame.
Don’t be afraid; there is no more disgrace for you.
You will no longer remember the shame of your youth
and the sorrows of widowhood.
+ For your Creator will be your husband;
the Lord of Heaven’s Armies is his name!
He is your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel,
the God of all the earth.
+ For the Lord has called you back from your grief—
as though you were a young wife abandoned by her husband,”
says your God.
+ “For a brief moment I abandoned you,
but with great compassion I will take you back.
+ In a burst of anger I turned my face away for a little while.
But with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,”
says the Lord, your Redeemer.
54:9 “Just as I swore in the time of Noah
that I would never again let a flood cover the earth,
so now I swear
that I will never again be angry and punish you.
+ For the mountains may move
and the hills disappear,
but even then my faithful love for you will remain.
My covenant of blessing will never be broken,”
says the Lord, who has mercy on you.
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The Blessing (Live From Bath, UK, 2024) – Kari Jobe, Cody Carnes
__________
NT Reading: Matthew 24:23-35 (NLT)
24:23 “Then if anyone tells you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah,’ or ‘There he is,’ don’t believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones. See, I have warned you about this ahead of time.
24:26 “So if someone tells you, ‘Look, the Messiah is out in the desert,’ don’t bother to go and look. Or, ‘Look, he is hiding here,’ don’t believe it! For as the lightning flashes in the east and shines to the west, so it will be when the Son of Man comes. Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near.
24:29 “Immediately after the anguish of those days,
the sun will be darkened,
the moon will give no light,
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
24:30 And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world—from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.
24:32 “Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see all these things, you can know his return is very near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the scene until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.
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Days of Elijah – Robin Mark / Gospel Music Lyrics
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Hasten, O Father, the coming of your kingdom; and grant that we your servants, who now live by faith, may with joy behold your Son at his coming in glorious majesty; even Jesus Christ, our only Mediator and Advocate. Amen.
Gracious and holy Father, please give us intellect to understand you, reason to discern you, diligence to seek you, wisdom to find you, a spirit to know you, hearts to meditate upon you, ears to hear you, eyes to see you, tongues to proclaim you, ways of life pleasing to you, patience to wait for you, and perseverance to look for you. Grant us a perfect end, your holy presence, a blessed resurrection, and life everlasting. Amen. | Benedict of Nursia
Almighty God, we pray for the peace of Jerusalem: Protect your people from the machinations of the evil one; and grant Israel’s leaders your heavenly wisdom, and the courage to do what’s right in your sight. Unite all your people around the common goal of restoration and peace, that they might return to you – the one true God – through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Closing: FaithandWorship.com | John Birch
May the Lord, when he comes,
find us watching and waiting.
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Peanut Gallery 