The Fourth Sunday of Advent 22nd December, 2019 Welcome On behalf of everyone at St. John’s, Toorak, a very warm welcome to this church and faith community. St. John’s welcomes everyone to all services and events, regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation, race or background. This is a wonderful and historic church, founded in 1859, and celebrating our 160th anniversary this year! We are part of the Anglican Church of Australia and a member of the global Anglican Communion, comprised of 80 million people. Regular services of worship are held each Sunday at 8am and 10am, and Wednesday at 7pm. All are welcome. Services are followed by times of fellowship over food and drinks to which everyone is also welcome. This church actively follows Jesus’ command to love God, love one’s neighbour and to care for all people. Our clergy and parishioners regularly visit the sick, home-bound, and the dying. We care for the poor and needy through service and charitable giving, through our Opportunity Shop run in partnership with the local Catholic and Uniting churches, and by supporting the work of Anglicare, The Brotherhood of St. Laurence and The Anglican Board of Mission. Our clergy regularly baptise new members of the church, preside at weddings and care for the grieving through our funeral ministry. If we can be of service to you or your family, please do not hesitate to get in touch. If you would like to give of your time and talents in the service of others, please also contact the church and we will gladly welcome your contribution. If you’re visiting for the first time please introduce yourself to a welcomer or member of the clergy, and fill out the blue ‘Welcome’ card found at the end of every pew so we can stay in touch with you. @stjohnstoorak ​ Cover Image Fra Angelico, Nativity (Cell 5)1440-41 ​ ​ Fresco, 193 x 164cm, Convento di San Marco, Florence 2 The 8am service begins with the Introductory Rite, below. The 10am service begins with the processional hymn 271. ​ INTRODUCTORY RITE The Fourth Candle on the Advent Wreath is lit, using the following prayer Blessed are you, sovereign Lord, merciful and gentle: to you be praise and glory for ever. Your light has shone in our darkened world through the child-bearing of blessed Mary; grant that we who have seen your glory may daily be renewed in your image and prepared like her for the coming of your Son, who is the Lord and Saviour of all. Amen. ​ The Lord be with you. And also with you. ​ Hymn 271 ‘The advent of our God’ At 8am only verses 1 & 2 are sung ​ ​ ​ The Collect for Purity said together ​ Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hidden: cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy name, through Christ our Lord. Amen. Kyrie eleison said at 8am and sung at 10am ​ Lord, have mercy, Lord, have mercy. ​ ​ Christ have mercy, Christ, have mercy. ​ ​ Lord, have mercy, Lord, have mercy. ​ ​ Confession The Lord comes, bringing to light things now hidden in darkness, and disclosing the purposes of the heart. Silence is kept Let us open our hearts and prepare for his coming, confessing our sins in penitence and faith. 3 Merciful God, our maker and our judge, we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, and in what we have failed to do: we have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbours as ourselves; we repent, and are sorry for all our sins. Father, forgive us. Strengthen us to love and obey you in newness of life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. ​ Absolution Here absolution is pronounced by the celebrant ​ The Collect for Fourth Sunday of Advent The celebrant prays the Collect, after which all are seated ​ The Children’s Address At the 10am service, any children present are invited to join together at the chancel step THE LITURGY OF THE WORD Old Testament Reading Isaiah 7.10-16 ​ Read at 8am by Cindy Kalai and at 10am read by Andrew Ankers 10 11 A​ gain the Lord spoke to Ahaz, saying, A​ sk a sign of the Lord your ​ 12 God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven. B​ ut Ahaz said, I will not 13 ​ ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test. T​ hen Isaiah said: ‘Hear then, ​ O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary mortals, that you weary 14 my God also? T​ herefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the ​ young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him 15 Immanuel. H​ e shall eat curds and honey by the time he knows how to ​ 16 refuse the evil and choose the good. F​ or before the child knows how to ​ refuse the evil and choose the good, the land before whose two kings you are in dread will be deserted. Hear the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. ​ Psalter Psalm 80.1-7, 17-19 said together at 8am, and sung by the choir at 10am 1 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Hear, O Shepherd of Israel, you that led Joseph like a flock: ​ you that are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine out in glory; 2 ​ Before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh: stir up your power, and come to save us. 3 ​ Restore us again, O Lord of hosts: show us the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved. 4 ​ O Lord God of hosts: how long will you be angry at your people’s prayer? 4 5 ​ You have fed them with the bread of tears: and given them tears to drink in good measure. 6 ​ You have made us the victim of our neighbours: and our enemies laugh us to scorn. 7 ​ Restore us again, O Lord of hosts: show us the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved. 17 ​ Let your power rest on the man at your right hand: on that son of man whom you made so strong for yourself. 18 ​ And so we shall not turn back from you: give us life, and we will call upon your name. 19 ​ Restore us again, O Lord of hosts: show us the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved. New Testament Reading Romans 1.1-7 ​ Read at 8am by Ted Mouritz and at 10am read by Barbara Brown 1 ​ P​ aul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the 2 gospel of God, w​ hich he promised beforehand through his prophets in ​ 3 the holy scriptures, t​ he gospel concerning his Son, who was descended ​ 4 from David according to the flesh a​ nd was declared to be Son of God ​ with power according to the spirit of holiness by resurrection from the 5 dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, t​ hrough whom we have received grace and ​ apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles 6 for the sake of his name, i​ ncluding yourselves who are called to belong to 7 ​ Jesus Christ, T​ o all God’s beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints: ​ Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Hear the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. ​ At the 10am service please stand for the Gradual Hymn Gradual Hymn (At 10am only) 277 ‘He, who by a mother’s love’ ​ ​ ​ At both services we stand and turn to face the Gospel as it is read The Gospel Matthew 1.18-25 ​ The Holy Gospel according to St Matthew, Chapter 1, commencing at verse eighteen. Glory to you Lord Jesus Christ 18 ​ N​ ow the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, 19 she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. H​ er husband ​ Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public 5 20 disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. B​ ut just when he had resolved ​ to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the 21 child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. S​ he will bear a son, and ​ you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ 22 A​ ll this took place to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through 23 the prophet: ‘​ Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they ​ 24 shall name him Emmanuel’,which means, ‘God is with us.’ W​ hen Joseph ​ awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he 25 took her as his wife, b​ ut had no marital relations with her until she had ​ borne a son; and he named him Jesus. For the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ. ​ The Sermon The Assistant Curate ​ Anthem (At 10am only) Ave Maria David MacIntyre (b. 1952) ​ ​ ​ ​ Nicene Creed said together, standing ​ We believe in one God, the Father, the almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being with the Father; through him all things were made.