Services and Preachers in the Parish The Fourth Sunday of Advent 24 December 2017 - Christmas Eve All our churches are fitted with an induction loop. Those wearing a hearing aid should switch to “T” in order to benefit from it. A collection will be taken during the Offertory Hymn. If you are a UK tax payer, please use the white Gift Aid envelope in the pew, remembering to date it and print your details. If you give by standing order or the like please put a token in the offering in the offering bags as they go around as an act of worship and as a token of what you give in thanks to God. Children are welcome at every service. If your child becomes restless during the service, please feel free to go in and out. You are warmly invited to join us for coffee, tea and biscuits after the St Nicholas’ Church 10.30am Combined Communion Service Revd Canon Dennis Stamps (Rector) 3.00pm Christmas Crib Service 5.00pm Christmas Crib Service 11.00pm Midnight Mass with Carols Revd Canon Dennis Stamps To be a lively community connecng with God’s love in new and imaginave ways All Saints Church 9.00am Holy Communion Revd Linda Williams (Associate Vicar, All Saints) 10.30am Worship Service Revd Linda Williams 4.30pm Children’s Christmas Carol and Crib Service 11.30pm Midnight Communion with Carols We are an inclusive church, called to be caring, loving and welcoming to all. St Mary’s Church 9.30am Sung Eucharist Revd Sally Goodson (Associate Vicar, St Mary’s) with Holy Baptism of Stella Hayward 2.30pm Children’s Christmas Crib Service 4.30pm Children’s Christmas Crib Service 11.30pm Midnight Mass Revd Sally Goodson Please follow & interact with our Parish via twitter, facebook, pinterest or blog. You can also access them all through the church website: www.parishofharpenden.org If you have anything to go on our sites please email Rachel at: [email protected]
Transcript
Services and Preachers in the Parish
The Fourth Sunday of Advent
24 December 2017 - Christmas Eve
All our churches are fitted with an induction loop. Those wearing a hearing
aid should switch to “T” in order to benefit from it.
A collection will be taken during the Offertory Hymn. If you are a UK tax
payer, please use the white Gift Aid envelope in the pew, remembering to
date it and print your details.
If you give by standing order or the like please put a token in the offering in
the offering bags as they go around as an act of worship and as a token of
what you give in thanks to God.
Children are welcome at every service. If your child becomes restless during
the service, please feel free to go in and out.
You are warmly invited to join us for coffee, tea and biscuits after the
St Nicholas’ Church
10.30am Combined Communion Service Revd Canon Dennis Stamps (Rector)
3.00pm Christmas Crib Service
5.00pm Christmas Crib Service
11.00pm Midnight Mass with Carols Revd Canon Dennis Stamps
To be a lively community connecting with God’s love in new and imaginative ways
All Saints Church 9.00am Holy Communion Revd Linda Williams (Associate Vicar, All Saints)
10.30am Worship Service Revd Linda Williams
4.30pm Children’s Christmas Carol and Crib Service
11.30pm Midnight Communion with Carols
We are an inclusive church, called to be caring, loving and welcoming to all.
St Mary’s Church
9.30am Sung Eucharist Revd Sally Goodson (Associate Vicar, St Mary’s)
with Holy Baptism of Stella Hayward 2.30pm Children’s Christmas Crib Service
4.30pm Children’s Christmas Crib Service
11.30pm Midnight Mass Revd Sally Goodson
Please follow & interact with our Parish via twitter, facebook, pinterest or blog.
You can also access them all through the church website: www.parishofharpenden.org
If you have anything to go on our sites please email Rachel at:
God our redeemer, who prepared the Blessed Virgin Mary to be the mother of your Son:
grant that, as she looked for his coming as our saviour, so we may be ready to greet him
when he comes again as our judge; who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy
Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Or ADDITIONAL COLLECT
Eternal God, as Mary waited for the birth of your Son, so we wait for his coming in glory;
bring us through the birth pangs of this present age to see, with her, our great salvation in
Jesus Christ our Lord.
FIRST READING 2 Samuel 7.1–11, 16
Now when David, the king was settled in his house, and the LORD had given him rest from
all his enemies around him, the king said to the prophet Nathan, ‘See now, I am living in a
house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent.’ Nathan said to the king, ‘Go, do all that
you have in mind; for the LORD is with you.’ But that same night the word of the LORD
came to Nathan: Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the LORD: Are you the one to
build me a house to live in? I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the
people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent and a
tabernacle. Wherever I have moved about among all the people of Israel, did I ever speak a
word with any of the tribal leaders of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people
Israel, saying, ‘Why have you not built me a house of cedar?’ Now therefore you shall say to
my servant David: Thus says the LORD of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following
the sheep to be prince over my people Israel; and I have been with you wherever you went,
and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name,
like the name of the great ones of the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel
and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more;
and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges
over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover the Lord
declares to you, David, that the Lord will make you a house. Your house and your kingdom
shall be made sure for ever before me; your throne shall be established for ever.
SECOND READING Romans 16.25–27
To God who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation of
Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages
but is now disclosed, and through the prophetic writings is made known to all the Gentiles,
according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith – to
the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory for ever! Amen.
PSALM: Psalm 89.1-9
My song shall be alway of the loving-kindness ‘ of the ‘Lord : with my mouth will I ever be
shewing they truth from one gene’ration ‘ to an’other.
For I have said, Mercy shall be set ‘ up for ‘ ever : thy truth shalt thou ‘ stablish ‘ in the ‘
heavens.
I have made a covenant ‘ with my ‘ chosen : I have sworn ‘ unto ‘ David my ‘ servant;
Thy seed will I ‘ stablish for ‘ ever : and set up thy throne from one gene’ration ‘ to an’other.
O Lord the very heavens shall praise thy ‘ wondrous ‘ works : and thy truth in the
congre’gation ‘ of the ‘ saints.
For who is he a’mong the ‘ clouds : that shall be com’par-ed ‘ unto the ‘ Lord?
God is very greatly to be feared in the council ‘ of the ‘ saints : and to be had in reverence of
all ‘ them that are ‘ round a’bout him.
O Lord God of hosts, who is ‘ like unto ‘ thee : thy truth most mighty Lord ‘ is on ‘ every ‘ side.
GLORIA
GOSPEL Luke 1.26–38
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a
virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, f the house of David. The virgin’s name was
Mary. And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you.’ But she
was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The
angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And now, you
will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and
will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his
ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will
be no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ The angel said to her,
‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you;
therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative
Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was
said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.’ Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the
servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’ Then the angel departed from
her.
POST COMMUNION
Heavenly Father, who chose the Blessed Virgin Mary to be the mother of the promised
saviour: fill us your servants with your grace, that in all things we may embrace your holy will
and with her rejoice in your salvation; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Collect, Reading, Psalm and
Post-Communion Prayer
for 31 December morning services
COLLECT
Almighty God, who wonderfully created us in your own image and yet more wonderfully
restored us through your Son Jesus Christ: grant that, as he came to share in our humanity,
so we may share the life of his divinity; who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the
Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
ALTERNATIVE COLLECT
God in Trinity, eternal unity of perfect love: gather the nations to be one family, and draw
us into your holy life through the birth of Emmanuel, our Lord Jesus Christ.
FIRST READING ISAIAH 61.10-62.3
I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my whole being shall exult in my God; for he has clothed
me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her
jewels. For as the earth brings forth its shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to
spring up, so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the
nations. For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest,
until her vindication shines out like the dawn, and her salvation like a burning torch.
The nations shall see your vindication, and all the kings your glory; and you shall be called
by a new name that the mouth of the LORD will give. You shall be a crown of beauty in the
hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
SECOND READING GALATIANS 4.4-7
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under
the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive
adoption as children. And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into
our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’ So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then
also an heir, through God.
PSALM Psalm 148.7-13
Praise the Lord upon ‘ earth : ye ‘ dragons and ‘ all ‘ deeps;
Fire and hail ‘ snow and ‘ vapours : wind and ‘ storm ful’filling his word;
Mountains and ‘ all ‘ hills : fruitful ‘ trees and ‘ all ‘ cedars;
Beasts and ‘ all ‘ cattle: worms and feath’ered ‘ fowls;
Kings of the earth and ‘ all ‘ people : princes and all ‘ judges ‘ of the ‘ world;
Young men and maidens, old men and children, praise the ‘ Name of the ‘ Lord : for
his Name only is excellent, and his ‘ praise above ‘ heaven and ‘ earth.
2ND He shall exalt the horn of his people, all his ’ saints shall ‘ praise him : the
Part children of Israel, even the ‘ people that ‘ serveth ‘ him. GLORIA
PLEASE REMEMBER IN YOUR PRAYERS Parish Outreach: (24-30 Dec) Living God’s Love: Making New Disciples : Pilgrim,
Alpha and Emmaus Courses (new Alpha Course starting locally on 11 January)
(31 Dec-6 Jan) Living God’s Love: Transforming Communities : All who follow a Rule
of Life
The Sick: Jean Harris, Lesley, Jim, Jennifer Rodway, Gwen Banks, John Martin,
Katy, Ann Gurr, Tomas Fox, Stephen Gillett, Debra Shrine
The Recently Departed: Janet Tong, Isabel Edwards, Doris Hyde
First Anniversary of Death: (31 Dec -.6 Jan) Diana Leadbeater, June Moran
GOSPEL LUKE 2.15-21
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said
to one another, ‘Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which
the Lord has made known to us.’ So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and
the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them
about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But
Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned,
glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. After
eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name
given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
POST COMMUNION
Heavenly Father, whose blessed Son shared at Nazareth the life of an earthly home: help your
Church to live as one family, united in love and obedience, and bring us all at last to our home
in heaven; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Prayers & Parish Notices for all three churches
NEXT SUNDAY, 31 DECEMBER there will be a Parish Communion Service at St Nicholas at
10.30am. There will also be Holy Communion at 8am as usual, but no services at St Mary’s
or All Saints. Do come and enjoy worshipping as one people in the Christmas Season.
PRE NUMBERED ENVELOPES FOR 2018 are available to collect from the back of each church. If you regularly use the white Gift Aid envelopes laid out in the pews, now would be an opportune time to consider moving to the pre-numbered envelope scheme OR The Parish Giving Scheme. Note that you do not need to be a UK tax payer to use either scheme. For more details or if you have any queries/are unable to find your envelopes, please contact the Parish Giving Recorder, Claire Petevinos ([email protected] or tel 768721).
CHRISTMAS OFFERING: As per the agreed policy of the PCC in November, we will give 50% of our Christmas offering from Midnight ‘Mass’ and Christmas Day from all three churches. We will split this 50% equally between Noah Enterprises (offering hope and support to people struggling against homelessness and exclusion in Luton) and Azalea (helping women and men to be free from sexual exploitation). ST NICHOLAS SOUP & CAROLS ON THE RADIO! A recording of the 8 December Soup & Carols will be transmitted (barring technical hitches) today at 9pm and Christmas Day 11am and 2pm. You can listen via www.nickyradio.net THE PARISH OFFICE will be closed this week apart from Wednesday and Saturday mornings when it will be staffed by volunteers. We will re-open on Tuesday 2 January 2018. ADVENT GROUP AT 86 TUFFNELLS WAY: please note the change of date in January. We will
meet on Thursday 4 January at 7.30pm . A FRIENDLY TEA GROUP FOR THE BEREAVED: The next tea group will be 7 January at 2.30pm in St Nicholas Church Hall. All welcome. 2018. For more information contact the school 623620 or [email protected]
SCHOOL OPEN DAY on Tuesday 9 January at 9.30am. If your child was born between 1
September 2013 and 31 August 2014 you will need to apply for a Reception class place by
Monday 15 January ST NICHOLAS CE VA SCHOOL APPLICATIONS: Clergy reference forms will be signed by the Rector at 9.30am on Saturday 13 January at the Parish Office. Parents can collect forms from the school office in usual school hours.
If you would like a Home Visit or Home Communion, please contact
Parish Clergy or the Parish Office.
The Clergy, Readers, Wardens and all the Staff wish you and yours a very Happy Christmas and every blessing for the New Year.
ALL CHURCH SCHOOL APPLICATIONS All children intending to apply to St George's and St Nicholas Schools need to complete a Record
Of Attendance in order to assist with the preparation of clergy references. The Record of Attendance needs to be completed for the duration of the following periods prior to date of
application: 2 years for St George's and 1 year for St Nicholas. Please see the schools website for further details of the schools' admissions criteria including both the relevant period of attendance and frequency of attendance required by both St George's and St Nicholas schools. Any queries
regarding the admissions criteria should be directed to the schools' admissions officers.
SUPPER CLUB: The next meeting is on Monday 8 January. The speakers will be Mike
and Sue Trenchal, talking about Genealogy. Please will members let Brenda Elliott
(766526) know by Friday if they will not be attending.
A NEW ALPHA COURSE STARTS on 11 January, 8-9.45pm at High Street Methodist
Church. Begins with a meal. If you wish to attend go to website:
harpendenalpha.church or pick up a post-card at the back of any of our three
churches. Helpers for Alpha needed, see the rector or email:
CLEANER AVAILABLE: Joy Olesi, a mature student at Youth With A Mission in the Oval
in Harpenden, who attends St Nicholas church, is training for the next two years. In
order to help her pay for living expenses she is willing to offer cleaning services on
Wednesday afternoons, 2 to 5pm, £12 per hour. You can contact her on 07523749984. HARPENDEN INTERCHURCH QUIZ 2018 will take place on Saturday 20 January, 7.15pm
for a 7.30pm start, at Roundwood Park School. You may have been contacted directly if
you entered a team in previous years, but do ask the Parish Office to send you an entry
form if you haven’t access to one and would like to take part. It would be very helpful if
you are able to email [email protected] by Christmas letting him know that you
are hoping to enter a team (or more than one!)
BURNS SUPPER - Saturday 27 January 2018, St Nicholas Church Hall - please save the date for our annual celebration of the life and poetry of the poet Robert Burns. Do let Sue or Gordon Bentley know if you would like to reserve a table. Details to follow. FOOD BANK: The Salvation Army particularly needs at the moment food and toiletries
suitable for families with children such as: t-bags, washing detergent, nappies, wipes,
toothpaste, pasta, pasta sauce, ketchup, spaghetti and/or beans with and without
sausages, biscuits, rice pudding, custard, cereals, tinned meat/fish/veg/fruit and dried
fruit such as raisins, long-life milk, juice etc. Offerings can be left at the back of St
Nicholas church on the pew with the food bank sign above it. Many thanks for your
support. Please can you kindly make sure that the food is not out of date.
JUMP! - the team of volunteers from local churches teaching about Christianity in local primary schools, and funded by the Parish - now has a termly newsletter to enable people to keep in touch and find out more about what the team is doing, and to keep them in your prayers. Please contact Natalie at [email protected] if you would like to be added to the mailing list.
