St Edburg's Church - Bicester

Collect of the Day

Holy and eternal God,
you are the Maker of heaven and earth,
you are the Word through whom all things were made,
and you are the Spirit, the giver of life:
draw us into the mystery of your love,
that with all creation we may proclaim your praise,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

First Reading

Isaiah 55.12–end

12 For you shall go out in joy,
  and be led back in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
  shall burst into song,
  and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
  instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;
and it shall be to the Lord for a memorial,
  for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off. 

 

Psalm

96

1  Sing to the Lord a new song; ♦︎
  sing to the Lord, all the earth.
2  Sing to the Lord and bless his name; ♦︎
  tell out his salvation from day to day.
3  Declare his glory among the nations ♦︎
  and his wonders among all peoples.
4  For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised; ♦︎
  he is more to be feared than all gods.
5  For all the gods of the nations are but idols; ♦︎
  it is the Lord who made the heavens.
6  Honour and majesty are before him; ♦︎
  power and splendour are in his sanctuary.
7  Ascribe to the Lord, you families of the peoples; ♦︎
  ascribe to the Lord honour and strength.
8  Ascribe to the Lord the honour due to his name; ♦︎
  bring offerings and come into his courts.
9  O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness; ♦︎
  let the whole earth tremble before him.
10  Tell it out among the nations that the Lord is king. ♦︎
  He has made the world so firm that it cannot be moved;
     he will judge the peoples with equity.
11  Let the heavens rejoice and let the earth be glad; ♦︎
  let the sea thunder and all that is in it;
12  Let the fields be joyful and all that is in them; ♦︎
  let all the trees of the wood shout for joy before the Lord.
13  For he comes, he comes to judge the earth; ♦︎
  with righteousness he will judge the world
     and the peoples with his truth.

 

Second Reading

Colossians 1.15–20

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; 16for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. 17He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together.18He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. 19For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.

 

Gospel

John 1.1–14

1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 4in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. 5The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. 8He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. 9The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. 11He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. 12But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, 13who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.

14 And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.

 

Post Communion Prayer
God our Creator,
by your gift the tree of life was set
at the heart of the earthly paradise,
and the bread of life at the heart of your Church:
may we who have been nourished at your table on earth
be transformed by the glory of the Saviour’s cross
and enjoy the delights of eternity;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. nrsvbibles.org. The Common Worship psalter is © The Archbishops’ Council of the Church