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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.

THE FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT

Sunday, 1st December – THE FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT


Monday, 2nd December – Feria


Tuesday, 3rd December – Francis Xavier, Missionary, Apostle of the Indies, 1552


Wednesday, 4th December – John of Damascus, Monk, Teacher, c.749; Nicholas Ferrar, Deacon, Founder of the Little Gidding Community, 1637


Thursday, 5th December – Feria


Friday, 6th December – Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, c. 326


Saturday, 7th December – Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, Teacher, 397


Sunday, 8th December – THE SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT


Monday, 9th December – Feria


Tuesday, 10th December – Feria


Wednesday, 11th December – Ember Day


Thursday, 12th December – Feria


Friday, 13th DecemberLucy, Martyr at Syracuse, 304 Ember Day


Saturday, 14th December – John of the Cross, Poet, Teacher, 1591 Ember Day


Sunday, 15th DecemberTHE THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT


Monday, 16th December – Feria


Tuesday, 17th December – O Sapientia Eglantine Jebb, Social Reformer, Founder of “Save the Children”, 1928


Wednesday, 18th December – Feria


Thursday, 19th December – Feria


Friday, 20th December – Feria


Saturday, 21st December – Feria


Sunday, 22nd DecemberTHE FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT


Monday, 23rd December – Feria


Tuesday, 24th December – CHRISTMAS EVE


Wednesday, 25th December – CHRISTMAS DAY


Thursday, 26th December STEPHEN, DEACON, FIRST MARTYR


Friday, 27th December – JOHN, APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST


Saturday, 28th DecemberTHE HOLY INNOCENTS


Sunday, 29th December THE FIRST SUNDAY OF CHRISTMAS

Monday, 30th December – Feria

Tuesday, 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

Hills of the north, rejoice

Lo, he comes with clouds descending

O come, O come, Emmanuel










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Welcome to our website !


Our services for the month of December are as follows:

Sunday, 1st December, THE FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT 

11 am  Christingle Service, St Thomas’  Southwick.

11 am  Holy Communion (Common Worship, Order One – modern language), with sermon, at St Mary’s, Steeple Ashton. 

Sunday, 8th November, THE SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT 

9.15 am Holy Communion (Common Worship, Order One – modern language), with sermon, at St Nicholas’, North Bradley.

10.30 am Family Service, at St Mary’s, Steeple Ashton.

Sunday, 15th December, THE THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT 

11 am  Holy Communion (Common Worship, Order One – modern language), with sermon, at St Thomas’, Southwick.

11 am  Morning Worship, at St Mary’s, Steeple Ashton.

Sunday, 22nd December, THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT 

8 am  Holy Communion (Common Worship, Order Two – “BCP”), with sermon, at St Mary’s, Steeple Ashton.

10 am Crib Service, at St Nicholas’, North Bradley

6.30 pm  Carol Service, at St Mary’s, Steeple Ashton.

Tuesday, 24th December, CHRISTMAS EVE 

10 am Crib Service, at St Thomas’, Southwick

10 pm Christmas Holy Communion (Common Worship, Order One – modern language), with sermon, at St Mary’s, Steeple Ashton.

Wednesday, 25th December, CHRISTMAS DAY 

10 am  Christmas Holy Communion (Common Worship, Order One – modern language), with sermon, at St Nicholas’, North Bradley.

Sunday, 29th December, THE FIRST SUNDAY OF CHRISTMAS

11 am  Benefice Holy Communion (Common Worship, Order One – modern language), with sermon, at St Thomas’, Southwick.

6.30 pm  Holy Communion with sermon, at St Mary’s, Steeple Ashton.

 

Coronavirus (COVID-19) The wearing of face coverings in church by all who attend worship and, in general, by all those who attend church when there may be others present is recommended, though no longer mandatory. 

Individual Prayer in our churches:

St Nicholas’, North Bradley and St Thomas’, Southwick are 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.
 
 
 
Daily Hope is just a phone call away