The lighting of the Advent Wreath
Gathering Hymn 119 Cross of Jesus
The Greeting
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Lord be with you!
And also with you.
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.
Call to Penitence
God so loved the world that he gave his only Son Jesus Christ, to save us from our sins, to
intercede for us in heaven, and to bring us to eternal life. Let us then confess our sins in
penitence and faith, firmly resolved to keep God’s commandments and to live in love and
peace.
Penitential Kyries
Turn to us again, O God our Saviour, and let your anger cease from us.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Show us your mercy, O Lord, and grant us your salvation.
Christ, have mercy Christ, have mercy.
Your salvation is near for those that fear you, that glory may dwell in our land.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Absolution
Almighty God,
who forgives all who truly repent, have mercy on you,
pardon and deliver you from all your sins,
confirm and strengthen you in all goodness,
and keep you in eternal life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Collect
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 and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Proclaiming and Receiving the Word
A reading from the book of the Prophet Isaiah.
The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
In 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.
Many 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.
He 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.
O house of Jacob,
come, let us walk
in the light of the Lord!
This is the Word of the Lord. Isaiah 2: 1-5
Thanks be to God.
Psalm, Laetatus sum (122) Chant, Robinson in D (236) on a separate sheet
1 I was glad when they said to me, •
‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’
2 And now our feet are standing •
within your gates, O Jerusalem;
3 Jerusalem, built as a city •
that is at unity in itself.
4 Thither the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, •
as is decreed for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the Lord.
5 For there are set the thrones of judgement, •
the thrones of the house of David.
6 O pray for the peace of Jerusalem: •
‘May they prosper who love you.
7 ‘Peace be within your walls •
and tranquillity within your palaces.’
8 For my kindred and companions’ sake, •
I will pray that peace be with you.
9 For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, •
I will seek to do you good.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.
A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Romans.
Besides this, 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; the night is far
gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armour of
light; let us live honourably as in the day, not in revelling and drunkenness, not in
debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarrelling and jealousy. Instead, put on the Lord
Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God. Romans 13:11-14
The Gradual Hymn 145 Day of Praise
Hear the Gospel of our Saviour Christ, according to St Matthew.
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus said ‘But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor
the Son, but only the Father. For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the
Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying
and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until
the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of
Man. Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women
will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. Keep awake
therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But 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. Therefore you
also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.
This is the Gospel of the Lord. Matthew 24:36-44
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
The Sermon
The Nicene Creed
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.
For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven,
was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures;
He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son
is worshipped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Prayers of Intercession
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Merciful Father,
accept these our prayers
for the sake of your Son,
our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.
The Peace (please stand)
In the tender mercy of our God,
the dayspring from on high shall break upon us,
to give light to those who dwell in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace. Luke 1: 78-79
The peace of the Lord be always with you!
And also with you.
The Offertory Hymn (and collection) 140 St Stephen
The Taking of the Bread and Wine
Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us.
therefore let us celebrate the feast.
The Great Thanksgiving
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
Father, almighty and everliving God, at all times and in all places it is right to give you
thanks and praise; salvation is your gift through the coming of your Son our Saviour Jesus
Christ, and by him you will make all things new when he returns in glory to judge the
world: and so with all your people, with angels and archangels, and with all the company
of heaven, we proclaim your great and glorious name, for ever praising you and saying;
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest!
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest!
Blessed are you, Father, the creator and sustainer of all things; you made us in your own
image; male and female you created us; even when we turned away from you, you never
ceased to care for us, but in your love and mercy you freed us from the slavery of sin,
giving your only begotten Son to become man and suffer death on the cross to redeem us;
he made there the one complete and all-sufficient sacrifice for the sins of the whole world:
he instituted and in his holy Gospel commanded us to continue, a perpetual memory of his
precious death until he comes again.
On the night that he was betrayed he took bread; and when he had given thanks to you, he
broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, Take, eat, this is my body which is given for
you. Do this in remembrance of me.
In the same way, after supper he took the cup; and when he had given thanks to you, he
gave it to them, saying, Drink this, all of you, for this is my blood of the new covenant
which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, as often as you
drink it, in remembrance of me.
Therefore, Father, with this bread and this cup
we do as Christ your Son commanded:
we remember his passion and death,
we celebrate his resurrection and ascension,
and we look for the coming of his kingdom.
Accept through him, our great high priest, this our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving;
and as we eat and drink these holy gifts, grant by the power of the life-giving Spirit that
we may be made one in your holy Church and partakers of the body and blood of your
Son, that he may dwell in us and we in him;
Through the same Jesus Christ our Lord,
by whom, and with whom,
and in whom, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all honour and glory are yours, Almighty Father,
for ever and ever. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer (sit or kneel to pray)
Our Father, who art in heaven:
hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory
for ever and ever. Amen.
The Breaking of the Bread
The bread which we break
is a sharing in the body of Christ.
We being many are one body,
for we all share in the one bread.
Agnus Dei
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world, have mercy on us;
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world, have mercy on us;
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world, grant us peace.
The Invitation
Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God,
who has taken away the sins of the world.
Happy are those who are called to his supper.
Lord, I am not worthy to receive you,
but only say the word and I shall be healed.
The bread and the wine are laid out where people can approach
and receive them independently.
Many people like to dip the wafer in the wine.
The Post Communion Prayer
God our deliverer, awaken our hearts to prepare the way for the advent of your Son, that,
with minds purified by the grace of his coming, we may serve you faithfully all our days;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Prayer of Thanksgiving
Almighty God, we thank you for feeding us with the spiritual food of the body and
blood of your Son Jesus Christ. Through him we offer you our souls and bodies to be
a living sacrifice. Send us out in the power of your Spirit to live and work to your
praise and glory. Amen.
The Blessing & Dismissal
Christ the sun of righteousness shine upon you, gladden your hearts and scatter the
darkness from before you: and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son and the
Holy Spirit, be with you and remain with you always. Amen.
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord!
In the name of Christ. Amen.
Thanksgiving Hymn 124 Bristol
Saint Audoen’s Church
St. Audoen (or Ouen), Bishop of Rouen, flourished in the 7th century, and a Church was
dedicated to him in Dublin by the Anglo-Normans after they had seized control of the
city; erected, in 1190, on the site of an older Church dedicated to St. Columcille. Once one
of the most prosperous Parishes within the city, the Church was attended by the Lord
Mayor and Corporation. It is said that the last Catholic and the first Protestant Lord
Mayors of Dublin are buried under the old stone floor. The last surviving city gate stands
close by.
At the Reformation the Parish Church became officially reformed, while most of the
people remained Catholic. The Parish declined towards the end of the 18th century, when
many of the wealthy residents moved out, a process hastened by the Act of Union of 1800.
GN Wright reported in 1825 that much of the Church was in a ruinous state, and “very
few Protestants” remained in the Parish.
Towards the end of the 20th century St. Anne’s Chapel was re-roofed as a visitors’ centre
in the care of the Office of Public Works (as it is now called), like the unroofed parts of
the Church, given into the care of the Board of Works (as it was then called) at the
disestablishment of the Church in 1870. The Chapel dates from Henry VI, who in 1430
granted the erection of a Chantry, dedicated to St. Anne. Its founders and their successors
formed the Guild of St. Anne which survived the Reformation by many years.
In the Church porch is preserved an early Celtic gravestone which has been kept here or
nearby since before 1309. It was first mentioned when Jon LeDecer, Mayor of Dublin,
erected a marble cistern for water in Cornmarket and placed this stone against it. In 1826
it disappeared, until found many years later in front of the newly-erected Catholic Church
of St Audoen, its noble portico graced with statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary, her
mother St Ann and St Audoen, with his Bishop’s crozier.
In the porch below the tower lies the 15th century monument of Sir Roland Fitz-Eustace,
Earl Portlester, who died in 1496, and his wife, Margaret, buried at Cotlandstown, County
Kildare. A Purbeck marble effigy of an unknown ecclesiastic is preserved close by, one of
a number surviving in the vicinity of the city of Dublin.
Among those buried in the church were Sir Thomas Molyneux and his son Capel, and
Edward Parry, Bishop of Killaloe (who died of the plague in 1650) and his descendants,
and Lady Frances Brudenell. The Parry monument can be seen in the clergy vestry,
defaced by the followers of the dictator Oliver Cromwell, with its more recent counterpart.
The tower houses six bells, three of which are among the oldest in Ireland, dating from
- They were unringable between 1898 and 1983, but after being re-tuned and re-hung
are now rung every week. The Bürk electric clock in the Churchwarden’s vestry and some
memorial brasses in the Church came from St. Peter’s Church Aungier Street, closed in
1975 and lamentably demolished. On its site stands the YMCA building, in which the east
window from St Luke’s Church, the Coombe, now hangs. The First World War Memorial
from St Matthias’ Church Adelaide Road, also closed (despite public protest) and then
demolished, for many years preserved in Christ Church Leeson Park, by kind permission
of its surviving Church of Ireland congregation, has since been erected in St Audoen’s.