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THE COLLECT FOR THE FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT
Almighty God,
give us grace to cast away the works of darkness
and to put on the armour of light,
now in the time of this mortal life,
in which your Son Jesus Christ came to us in great humility;
that on the last day,
when he shall come again in his glorious majesty
to judge the living and the dead,
we may rise to the life immortal;
through him who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Monday, 1st December – ANDREW THE APOSTLE
Tuesday, 2nd December – Feria
Wednesday, 3rd December – Francis Xavier, Missionary, Apostle of he Indies, 1552
Thursday, 4th December – John of Damascus, Monk, Teacher, c.749; Nicholas Ferrar, Deacon, Founder of the Little Gidding Community, 1637
Friday, 5th December – Feria
Saturday, 6th December – Nicholas of Myra, c. 326
Sunday, 7th December – THE SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT
Monday, 8th December- The Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Tuesday, 9th December – Feria
Wednesday, 10th December – Ember Day
Thursday, 11th December – Feria
Friday, 12th December – Ember Day
Saturday, 13th December – Lucy, Martyr at Syracuse, 304; Ember Day; Samuel Johnson, Moralist, 1784
Sunday, 14th December – THE THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT
Monday, 15th December – Feria
Tuesday, 16th December – Feria
Wednesday, 17th December – Eglantine Jebb, Social Reformer, Founder of “Save the Children”, 1928
Thursday, 18th December – Feria
Friday, 19th December – Feria
Saturday, 20th December – Feria
Sunday, 21st December – THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT
Monday, 22nd December – Feria
Tuesday, 23rd December – Feria
Wednesday, 24th December – Christmas Eve
Thursday, 25th December – CHRISTMAS DAY
Friday, 26th December – STEPHEN, DEACON, FIRST MARTYR
Saturday, 27th December – JOHN, APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST
Sunday, 28th November – THE HOLY INNOCENTS
Monday, 29th December – Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, Martyr, 1170
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Tuesday, 30th December – Feria
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Wednesday, 31st December – John Wyclif, Reformer, 1384
www.excitingholiness.org/first-edition is an excellent online resource containing short biographies of the saints, as well as prayers and readings for their day.
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Holy Communion for the The First Sunday of Advent, 2020, celebrated at St Mary’s, Steeple Ashton
Prayers of Intercession for Advent
… and some favourite hymns for this day …
Awake, awake: fling off the night
Come, thou long-expected Jesus
Hark! A herald voice is calling
Lo, he comes with clouds descending
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Welcome to our website !
Our services for the month of December are as follows:
Sunday, 7th December, ST NICHOLAS, BISHOP OF MYRA (transferred from 6th December); THE SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT 9.30 am Patronal Festival Holy Communion (Common Worship, Order One – modern language), with sermon, at St Nicholas’, North Bradley. 11 am Christingle Service, at St Thomas’, Southwick. 11 am Holy Communion (Common Worship, Order One – modern language), with sermon, at St Mary’s Steeple Ashton. Sunday, 14th December, THE THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT 9.30 am Said Holy Communion (Common Worship, Order One – modern language), at St Thomas’, Southwick. 10.30 am Family Service, at St Mary’s, Steeple Ashton. Sunday, 21st December, THE FOURTH SUNDAY BEFORE ADVENT 9.30 am Holy Communion (Common Worship, Order One – modern language), with sermon, at St Nicholas’, North Bradley. 4 pm Carol Service, at St Nicholas’, North Bradley. 6.30 pm Carol Service, at St Mary’s, Steeple Ashton. Wednesday, 24th December, Christmas Eve 4 pm Crib Service, at St Nicholas’, North Bradley. 4 pm Crib Service, at St Thomas’, Southwick. 10 pm Christmas Communion (Common Worship, Order One – modern language), with sermon, at St Mary’s, Steeple Ashton. 11.30 pm Midnight Mass (Common Worship, Order One – modern language), with sermon, at St Nicholas’, North Bradley. Thursday, 25th December, CHRISTMAS DAY 10 am Holy Communion (Common Worship, Order One – modern language), with sermon, at St Thomas’, Southwick. 10.30 am Family Communion, at St Mary’s, Steeple Ashton. Sunday, 28th December, THE FIRST SUNDAY OF CHRISTMAS 8 am Holy Communion (Common Worship, Order Two – “BCP”), with sermon at St Mary’s, Steeple Ashton. 9.30 am Holy Communion (Common Worship, Order One – modern language), with sermon, at St Nicholas’, North Bradley. 10 am Family Service at St Thomas’, Southwick.
Individual Prayer in our churches: St Nicholas’, North Bradley is open in certain days of the week (see current Pew News for details) or by prior arrangement; St Thomas’, Southwick is open by prior arrangement only. St Mary’s, Steeple Ashton, is open during daylight hours throughout the week. |
Morning Prayer is said at St Nicholas’, North Bradley at 10 am every Thursday.If you have a smartphone do consider downloading and using the free Daily Prayer App (Aimer), where you can now also find a recording of each of the three daily offices – Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer and Night Prayer. |
| “We lift up in prayer the people of our Benefice each morning; please let us know if you would like us to include in our prayers any particular person or cause.” |
| Worship at home An excellent range of resources can be found at: www.churchofengland.org/more/media-centre/church-online |
| From our own Diocese, you can find at www.salisburycathedral.org.uk daily reflections and much streamed material, including, on Sundays, a Service of Words and Music (often on the Cathedral YouTube channel). |
| Daily HOPE The Church of England has launched a free national phone line as a simple new way to bring worship and prayer into people’s homes while our church buildings are closed. … |
| Dial in to listen to daily services of prayers and reflections. The service is available 24 hours a day. |
