Simple Sunday Service Advent 4: Prayers and Reading

The following prayers and Bible passage can be read as part of the Simple Service in the building, or can be used independently for your own personal time of prayer and reflection. God is with you. 

Gathering Prayer for Advent 4

God our Father,

the angel Gabriel told the Virgin Mary

that she was to be the mother of your Son.

Though Mary was afraid,

she responded to your call with joy.

Help us, whom you call to serve you,

to share like her in your great work

of bringing to our world your love and healing.

We ask this through Jesus Christ,

the light who is coming into the world.

Amen.

Confession

When the Lord comes,

he will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness,

and will disclose the purposes of the heart.

Therefore in the light of Christ let us confess our sins.

All   Almighty God, our heavenly Father,

we have sinned against you,

through our own fault,

in thought, and word, and deed,

and in what we have left undone.

We are heartily sorry,

and repent of all our sins.

For your Son our Lord Jesus Christ’s sake,

forgive us all that is past;

and grant that we may serve you in newness of life

to the glory of your name.

Amen.

May almighty God have mercy on us,

forgive us our sins,

and bring us to everlasting life,

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Declaration of Faith

All   We believe in God, the Father almighty,

creator of heaven and earth.

We believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

born of the Virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died, and was buried;

he descended to the dead.

On the third day he rose again;

he ascended into heaven,

he is seated at the right hand of the Father,

and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

We believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic Church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting. Amen.

Bible Reading: Luke 1:26-38

>span class="text">²⁶ In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, ²⁷ to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸ The angel went to her and said, ‘Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you.’

²⁹ Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. ³⁰ But the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favour with God. ³¹ You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. ³² He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, ³³ and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants for ever; his kingdom will never end.’

³⁴ ‘How will this be,’ Mary asked the angel, ‘since I am a virgin?’

³⁵ The angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called^a]">[a] the Son of God. ³⁶ Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. ³⁷ For no word from God will ever fail.’

³⁸ ‘I am the Lord’s servant,’ Mary answered. ‘May your word to me be fulfilled.’ Then the angel left her.

Reflection:

Can you trust God with your life, like Mary did?

Intercessions

Suggested focus for prayers:

• For those are facing a difficult Christmas, near and far
• For government and leaders needing to make decisions to lead us wisely into 2020

The Peace

Blessed are the peacemakers:

they shall be called children of God.

We meet in the name of Christ and share his peace.

The peace of the Lord be always with you

All   and also with you.

The Communion Prayer

The Lord is here.

All   His Spirit is with us.

Lift up your hearts.

All   We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

All   It is right to give thanks and praise.

And now we give you thanks because when he humbled himself to come among us in human flesh, he fulfilled the plan you formed long ago and opened for us the way of salvation. So now we watch for the day, knowing that the salvation promised us will be ours

when Christ our Lord will come again in glory.It is right to praise you,

Father, Lord of all creation;

in your love you made us for yourself.

When we turned away

you did not reject us,

but came to meet us in your Son.

All   You embraced us as your children

and welcomed us to sit and eat with you.

In Christ you shared our life

that we might live in him and he in us.

All   He opened his arms of love upon the cross

and made for all the perfect sacrifice for sin.

On the night he was betrayed,

at supper with his friends

he took bread, and gave you thanks;

he broke it and gave it to them, saying:

Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you;

do this in remembrance of me.

All   Father, we do this in remembrance of him:

his body is the bread of life.

At the end of supper, taking the cup of wine,

he gave you thanks, and said:

Drink this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant,

which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins;

do this in remembrance of me.

All   Father, we do this in remembrance of him:

his blood is shed for all.

As we proclaim his death and celebrate his rising in glory,

send your Holy Spirit that this bread and this wine

may be to us the body and blood of your dear Son.

All   As we eat and drink these holy gifts

make us one in Christ, our risen Lord.

With your whole Church throughout the world

we offer you this sacrifice of praise

and lift our voice to join the eternal song of heaven:

All   Holy, holy, holy Lord,

God of power and might,

Heaven and earth are full of your glory.

Hosanna in the highest.

As our Saviour taught us, so we pray

All   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.

Every time we eat this bread

and drink this cup,

All   we proclaim the Lord’s death

until he comes.

Draw near with faith.

Receive the body of our Lord Jesus Christ

which he gave for you,

and his blood which he shed for you.

Eat and drink

in remembrance that he died for you,

and feed on him in your hearts

by faith with thanksgiving.

Prayer After Communion

All   Almighty God,

we thank you for feeding us

with the body and blood of your Son Jesus Christ.

Through him we offer you our souls and bodies

to be a living sacrifice.

Send us out in the power of your Spirit

to live and work to your praise and glory.

Amen.

Sending Out

May God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

who is the source of all goodness and growth,

pour his blessing upon all things created,

and upon us his children,

that we may use his gifts to his glory and the welfare of all peoples;

and the blessing of God almighty,

the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,

be among us and remain with us always. Amen.

Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV® Copyright © 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica, Inc. TM Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Common Worship and New Patterns for Worship, material from which is included here, is copyright © The Archbishops' Council 2002 and published by Church House Publishing.