Lectionary 21/12/2025
- Fourth Sunday of Advent - Year A
Matthew 1:18-25
Let earth and heaven combine - A Christmas/New Year Meditation
Let earth and heaven combine - A Christmas/New Year Meditation
by Andrew Pratt
Let earth and heaven combine - A Christmas/New Year Meditation - Use these words to introduce the hymn or as part of a time of contemplation as Christmas becomes 'Christmas past' and we try to make sense of it as the year turns. Extract: Let earth and heaven combine - A Christmas…
God is with us Joseph heard it
God is with us Joseph heard it
by Andrew Pratt
Fourth Sunday in Advent Year A Matthew 1:18-25 Hymn: God is with us, Joseph heard it, God is with us, Joseph heard it, in a dream in deepest sleep: Mary’s child, they’d call him Jesus, now he had a vow to keep; bound together in God’s purpose, he and Mary made their way to the ce…
Christmas is a family time
Christmas is a family time
by Marjorie Dobson
Fourth Sunday of Advent Year A Matthew 1:18-25 Meditation: Christmas is a family time. Christmas is a family time. A time for the gathering of long-lost relatives and excited children. A time for cards and greetings and to celebrate together. Or is it? We recognise at this time t…
Lectionary Reflections Year A - The Fourth Sunday of Advent Year A
Lectionary Reflections Year A - The Fourth Sunday of Advent Year A
by SPCK - Jane Williams
The Fourth Sunday of Advent - Year A Isaiah 7:10–16 Romans 1:1–7 Matthew 1:18–25 Why won’t King Ahaz ask God for a sign? The reason he gives sounds like a good religious response, but the tone of the story makes it clear that it isn’t. What he says is ‘I will not put the Lord to …
Twelve Months of Sundays Year A - The Fourth Sunday of Advent Year A
Twelve Months of Sundays Year A - The Fourth Sunday of Advent Year A
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Fourth Sunday of Advent - Year A Isaiah 7: 10-16 Romans 1: 1-7 Matthew 1: 18-25 We were taught in college, and many repeat in the pulpit, that the word ’almah' in Isaiah 7.14 doesn’t mean ‘virgin’, but ‘young woman’. It’s not that easy, actually: the word is rare, and the oth…
Clouds and Glory Year A - The Fourth Sunday of Advent - Year A
Clouds and Glory Year A - The Fourth Sunday of Advent - Year A
by SPCK - David Adam
The Fourth Sunday of Advent Isaiah 7. 10-16 : Ps. 80. 1-7 [17-19] : Romans 1. 1-7: Matthew 1. 18-25 Opening Prayer, Prayer of Intercession, The Peace and The Blessing. In the church that looks for you, among the people who proclaim you, with all who seek to serve you, among all w…
Lent for Everyone Year A - Ash Wednesday
Lent for Everyone Year A - Ash Wednesday
by SPCK - N T Wright
ASH WEDNESDAY Matthew 1-2; focused on 1.18-25 We know very, very little about Joseph. Some legends make him an old man who died while Jesus was growing up, but we don’t know that for sure. We know he worked in the building trade, including what we call carpentry. We know he could…
Matthew for Everyone Part 1 - The Birth of Jesus
Matthew for Everyone Part 1 - The Birth of Jesus
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Birth of Jesus Matthew 1.18-25 One of the most memorable movies I have seen is the film of Charles Dickens’s novel Little Dorrit. It is actually two films, both very long. The two films don’t follow in sequence, telling the first and second halves of the story; instead, each …
Meditation - 4th sunday of Advent Year A
Meditation - 4th sunday of Advent Year A
by David Middleton
Meditation – 4th Sunday of Advent Year A Let me explain Matthew 1: 18-25 Dinner had been a tense, quiet, affair and Joseph could stand it no longer; Mary was definitely avoiding eye contact with him; something was wrong. ‘Mary. What’s the matter? Have I done something wrong? You …
LWPT Meditations - Fourth Sunday of Advent - Year A
LWPT Meditations - Fourth Sunday of Advent - Year A
by Susan Thorne
Meditation – Fourth Sunday of Advent Yr A Isaiah 7:10-16 Romans 1:1-7 Matthew 1:18-25 Matthew liked to refer to the prophets, and, although he had to stretch one or two prophecies in order to make them fit, he was zealous in proving that Jesus’ birth had long been foretold by th…
Times and Seasons - Full Service - Advent 4
Times and Seasons - Full Service - Advent 4
by Andrew Pratt and Marjorie Dobson
Full Service Advent 4 Order of Service contains: Opening Hymn Reading for two - Advent 4 - The Word of God Candle lighting Prayer Candle lighting Hymn Reading - Isaiah 7:10-16 Hymn Reading - Matthew 1:18-25 Sermon Idea Hymn Intercessions - Christmas is a family time Lord's Prayer…
Fresh Thoughts For Sunday - Fresh Thoughts For Sunday Issue 147