SUNDAY 18th DECEMBER

Lord Jesus, light of the world,
Blessed is Gabriel, who brought good news;
Blessed is Mary, your mother and ours.
Bless your Church preparing for Christmas;
And bless us your children, who long for your coming.
Amen.

                                          It'll be all right on the night!: the choir rehearse.


Come and join the celebration...

A day, a week, to remember Mary, the mother of Jesus...

How's your throat? Warm it up before you start carolling. Don't oversing*, particularly if you're doing so outside. There's a whole week of wassailing to come...you want to stay the distance!

*  To clarify: we mean, go and sing, of course we do, but if you're in the open air it's easy to sing too loudly and do bad things to your voice! We've all been there (croak! croak!)


Today:

Services at 8.00 and 10.00. Evensong at St. John's 15.45. Who cares about Kings College? Come and take part in our own  Lessons and Carols: 18.00. (Well, we all do care about Kings, but you can listen to that too - later in the week!)


Tomorrow:

Join us to sing some jolly carols around the parish. Meet at the church 17.30. Refreshments afterwards in the Hervey Room.

The church will be open in the morning after Morning Prayer ( 9.00 ) until noon, with a new Prayer Space coming soon (Tuesday).

Please pray for Tim and Carly who will be married at 13.00. With brass quintet!  Hence no Prayer Space tomorrow: it's a Brass Quintet Space pro tem!



A Magnificat...

My Soul spirals heavenwards to the Lord;
He has embraced me with his Word
My Spirit flies to my eternal Saviour;
I am lifted on wings of Almighty favour.
Henceforth shall people rate me blessed
For to greatness he has raised the least
His mercy is on those that tell his worth
The proud are scattered by the pangs of birth.
He has exalted the truly meek and humble
The castles of the haughty burn and crumble
He remembering his mercy has rescued Israel
As he promised our father Abraham full well.
Deo Gracias, Deo Gracias
Be it then to me, according to Thy will.

   from the 'Northampton Nativity': Vince Cross


Antiphon:

O Adonai, and leader of the House of Israel,
who appeared to Moses in the fire of the burning bush
and gave him the law on Sinai:
Come and redeem us with an outstretched arm.