Advent Sunday
24 Nov 2022 • General news
Advent Wreath
The First Sunday of Advent:Hope
Leader: Today is the first Sunday of Advent, the Sunday of Hope.
Our hope is in God, and in his son Jesus Christ. He is the one appointed by God to be judge of all things.
He is the one through whom God has promised to save and redeem his people.
We light this candle today to remind us that he is our hope and the hope of the world.
We thank God for the promises he has made to us and for the light he has
brought into the world.
The first candle is lit.
All: O God of Hope, Emmanuel, God with Us. We pray you to send your light into our hearts at this time.
Help us to be ready for the day and the hour of Christ’s final appearing. Live in us and help us to live
in you. By the power of the Holy Spirit, transform us so that our worship, our celebration, our time of
preparation, may be pleasing to you - both now - and for evermore.Amen
This Week’s Readings
Isaiah 2. 1-5
1The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
2In days to come
the mountain of the LORD’s house
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
and shall be raised above the hills;
all the nations shall stream to it.
3Many peoples shall come and say,
‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
to the house of the God of Jacob;
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths.’
For out of Zion shall go forth instruction,
and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
4He shall judge between the nations,
and shall arbitrate for many peoples;
they shall beat their swords into ploughshares,
and their spears into pruning-hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more.
5O house of Jacob,
come, let us walk
in the light of the LORD!
Romans 13. 11-end
11Brothers and sisters, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; 12the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armour of light; 13let us live honourably as in the day, not in revelling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarrelling and jealousy. 14Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires
Matthew 24. 36-44
Jesus spoke to his disciples: 36‘About that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, 39and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. 41Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. 42Keep awake, therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.’
Those who are sick or in need of our prayers
Iain Rees
Ken Fisher
Ron Abbott
Eden Brown
David Wall
Eileen Bees
Edna Robinson
Ken Sharman
Margaret Davoll
Roger Carradine
Kathryn Raven
Nicola Harwood
Sue Parkins
Peter Hughes
Coral Carson
News
Family Area
A new area has now been created in church at the back of the North aisle for families with small children.
New Envelopes
If you give through the weekly envelope scheme the new ones which start on the 4th December are on the table by the door into church for you to pick up.
Junior Church
Junior Church meets this Sunday the 27th November when they will be rehearsing this years Nativity which they will perform on the 18th December. We are still in need of more Junior Church leaders, so if you think that you might be able to help, please see Revd Tom or Stephen Baker.
Church Christmas Card
We will be producing a card which will be distributed to all in the congregation for Christmas which raises funds for a charity and saves lots of individual cards. In the church centre there is a basket with slips of paper for you to write your message and leave a donation, suggested minimum £2.00.
Toy Service
On the 4th December we shall be holding a Toy Service at which we collect new toys, which this year are to be donated to Coventry City Mission.
Christmas Church and Community Choir
It is not too late to join this choir which aims to bring people from across the community together around the joy of singing Christmas carols. It meets every Sunday from 4.00pm until 6.00pm at St Mary’s and you don’t have to be able to read music, just enjoy singing. If you want to know more, have a word with Tom.
Walsgrave Baptist Church
Open Door - a warm space, with a welcome and hot drink is offered at the Baptist Church from Monday to Thursday from 10.00am until 12.00pm. On Friday there is an invitation to join them at their Open House.
Christmas Lunch – on Christmas Day a lunch
Christmas Services
The following services are to be held:
18th December 10.00am – Holy Communion and Nativity
20th December 6.00pm – Carols by Candlelight
22nd December 6.00pm – Nine Lessons and Carols
24th December 3.00pm – Christingle joint service with the Baptist Church
24th December 11.00pm – Midnight Mass
25th December 10.00am – Holy Communion
Coffee Club
Christmas Services Postcard
The postcard showing our services which we produce in conjunction with Walsgrave Baptist Church has now been printed and is ready for distribution. They are in the church centre and have been divided up into roads, could you please help by delivering some, even if it’s just the ones around where you live. Thank you in anticipation of your help.
Books for Grace Academy
Recently I have had the joy of visiting Grace Academy and meeting many from the senior leadership team. The Head Teacher told me that they really need help with having enough books to give to students. The school has a passion for helping young people fall in love with reading. But to do this they need books!
We are going to start collecting books for Grace Academy. So if you see a book in a charity shop you think might be good for someone between then age of 11-16 (or even younger) then please get it and bring it in! This is a wonderful way of engaging with our young people in the community and supporting a local school. Please put you donations on the blue table by the sign.
I want to thank you in advance for all your help with this book collection.
Revd Tom
Celebrating YOUR story at St Mary's
We want to hear about your stories of St. Mary's
What sort of stories do you want?
We want to learn about what your story is that involves St. Mary's. Did you get married here? Do you picnic in the grounds? Perhaps you have been a members at St. Mary's and can tell us about exciting things that have happened in the past. We want to hear them all.
How do I submit my story?
The best way to submit your story is by email. If you cannot send emails then you could type it up and give us a physical copy of you story. Or, if you would be willing we could film you telling your story.
Would you film it?
We want to help tell peoples stories. One of the best ways to do this is to film people telling their stories. So, if you would be willing to let us film your story then please let Revd Tom know.
When will we hear all these stories?
We are planning a celebration of St. Mary's and all the stories on Sunday 29th January, 2023. We will be doing this with a party! There will be a bring and share lunch following the celebration service. Sharing our stories over food is a great way for us to get know each other more.
For more details and to keep up to date please go to www.stmaryscoventry.org/story