22ND DECEMBER 2019 THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT

‘St John’s Cathedral is a place of God’s grace, welcoming all, following Christ and changing lives in the heart of Hong Kong.’

8.00am Said Eucharist Celebrant and Preacher: The Revd Franklin Lee Reader: Jeanniee Chan

9.00am Worship for All with Sunday School Nativity Play (See insert)

Celebrant: The Revd Sharon Langbis Communion Setting: ‘Worship for All’ Setting Anthems: Ang puso ko’y’ nagpupuri (Eduardo Honitiveros) sung by the Filipino Fellowship Choir I sing of a maiden (Bryan Hesford) Voluntary: Conditor alme siderum (Jean Titelouze)

1.15pm Sung Eucharist (in Filipino) Celebrant: The Revd Canon Dwight dela Torre Preacher: The Revd Sharon Langbis

11.45am Responsorial Eucharist (See insert) Celebrant: The Revd Sharon Langbis Preacher: The Revd Franklin Lee Reader/Intercessor: Koon-G Chiu/Kevin She

10.30am Sung Eucharist (in Mandarin)

Celebrant: The Revd Canon Peter Koon Preacher: Ms Vivian Kuo

5.00pm Nine Lessons and Carols (See separate service book) Officiant: The Revd Will Newman Readers: Daniel Lo, Francois Lung, Martin Matsui, T Y Wong, Marques Ng, Cynthia Ca. Abdon Tellez, Vincent Ho, Doris Lye, The Revd Canon Dwight dela Torre

Welcome to all who worship here today. Visiting communicants, of whatever Christian tradition, are invited to receive communion here. Gluten-free communion wafers are available on request at all Eucharists in this Cathedral. Please enquire of the Sidesmen or Servers for directions to the distribution. No unauthorized photography, video filming or sound recording during the service.

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THIS WEEK AT ST JOHN’S CATHEDRAL

SUN 22nd 12.00noon Chinese Congregation Fellowship MON 23rd 8.00am Said Eucharist 12.30pm Meditation Group 1.00pm One o’clock Prayer TUE 24th 8.00am Said Eucharist Christmas Eve 1.00pm One o’clock Prayer 4.30pm Christingle Service 11.00pm Midnight Mass of the Nativity and Blessing of the Crib WED 25th 8.00am Said Eucharist Christmas Day 9.00am Sung Eucharist 10.30am Sung Eucharist (Mandarin) 11.45am Responsorial Eucharist with Carols 1.15pm Sung Eucharist (Filipino) (NO evening service) THU 26th 9.00am Said Eucharist (Public Holiday) FRI 27th 8.00am Said Eucharist 1.00pm One o’clock Prayer 3.00pm Friday Fellowship Group SAT 28th 8.30am Said Eucharist 12.00noon Said Eucharist (Filipino) 6.00pm Sung Eucharist (Cantonese) (Anticipated Sunday Service) SUN 29th December The First Sunday of Christmas Isaiah 63.7-9 8.00am Said Eucharist Psalm 148.7-end Celebrant and Preacher: The Revd Sharon Langbis Hebrews 2.10-end 9.00am Sung Eucharist Matthew 2.13-end Celebrant: The Dean Preacher: The Revd Sharon Langbis 10.30am Sung Eucharist (Mandarin) Celebrant: The Revd Franklin Lee Preacher: The Revd Wu Wai Ho 11.45am Responsorial Eucharist Celebrant: The Dean Preacher: The Revd Sharon Langbis 1.15pm Sung Eucharist (Filipino) Celebrant and Preacher: The Revd Canon Dwight dela Torre 5.00pm Evening Prayer in Taizé style Officiant: The Revd Franklin Lee Preacher: The Revd Wu Wai Ho

THEFT PREVENTION

As with any big city centre, please keep your valuables with you. If you feel unsafe at any time, please let a staff member or sidesman know.

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COLLECT

God our redeemer, who prepared the Blessed Virgin Mary to be the mother of your Son: grant that, as she looked for his coming as our saviour, so we may be ready to greet him when he comes again as our judge; who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

FIRST READING Romans 1.1-7

A reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans.

Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace

COLLECT AND READINGS

LIGHTING OF THE ADVENT WREATH

Voice one— On this fourth week of Advent we light the first three candles, remembering God’s promise to be with us, to comfort us, and to rejoice with us (lights two purple and one pink candle).

Voice two— We light the last candle to remind us of Mary’s courage and grace as she embraced God’s action in her life and in the world (lights last purple candle).

Voice one— This candle is a symbol of the love that frees us from captivity.

Voice two— This candle is also a symbol of the love that was born at Christmas and contin-ues to be born each day.

All O God, come journey with us through Advent.

Give us courage to spread love in the world. Amen.

and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name, including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,

To all God’s beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

This is the word of the Lord. All Thanks be to God.

GOSPEL READING Matthew 1.18-end

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew. All Glory to you, O Lord.

The birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: ‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel’, which means, ‘God is with us.’ When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.

This is the Gospel of the Lord. All Praise to you, O Christ.

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PRAYERS

PRAYER REQUESTS Please pray for those who are sick:

Therese Marie Gerarda Chan, Jennifer D. Ambatcan, Lila Szweda, Lene Bille Hoegh, Justin Ching, Luke Inkin, Annie Kwan, Kong Siu-Ming, Benjamin Ng, Elaine Cogan, Anthony Chan, Chow Pak Kwan, Geoff Walsh, Nie Shi Fa, Toung Ming, May Cheng, Chen Kuk Tye, Mike Chan, Shirley Nie, Margaret Pini, Tai Yu Hei, Marianne Felch, Catherine Chan, John McIntosh, Eunice Chan, Irene Lo Oi Lin, Roger Bebbington, John David, Christina Chan, Daisy Tai, Timothy Moreno, Leslie Henderson, Chong Yuk Lau, Jesher Yau, Andrew Wong, Donna Gail Willis, Caroline Yu, Ron Fast, Monica Cornelius, Phyllis Schmitz, Raymond Yuen, Meena Tsui, Kathryn Lewis, Richard Jones, Susan Westlake and Kathryn McCallen. Please pray for the recently departed: Nancy Lo Prayers will be offered for those named above during the weekday Eucharist. To include someone in this prayer list, please contact Elisa, Tel.: 2523 4157. REMARKS: Unless Elisa is contacted (deanssec@stjohnscathedral.org.hk ) with advice to the contrary, names will be removed from the Prayer Request list after one month.

POST COMMUNION PRAYER

Heavenly Father, who chose the Blessed Virgin Mary to be the mother of the promised saviour: fill us your servants with your grace, that in all things we may embrace your holy will and with her rejoice in your salvation; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A PRAYER FOR

HONG KONG

O Saviour Christ, in whose love lies the secret of all life and the hope of all people, we pray for quiet cour-age to match this hour. We did not choose to be born or live in such an age; but let its problems challenge us, its discoveries exhilarate us, its injustices anger us, its possibilities inspire us and its vigour renew us, for your Kingdom’s sake. Amen.

FOR YOUR PRAYERS THIS WEEK In the worldwide Anglican Communion we pray for Christians in other denominations and for the ecumenical movement; for His Holiness Pope Francis, Bishop of Rome, His All Holiness Archbishop Bartholomew of Constantinople, New Rome and Ecu-menical Patriarch; the Revd Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, General Secretary of the World Council of Churches, Bishop Ivan M Abrahams, General Secretary World Methodist Council, and the Revd Chris Ferguson, General Secretary of the World Communion of Reformed Churches.

We pray for the Province of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui (Anglican Province of Hong Kong & Macau); for the Most Revd Dr Paul Kwong, our archbishop and primate; and for all bishops, priests and deacons within our diocese and province.

We pray for our cathedral and the daughter churches, the Very Revd Matthias Der, the Revd Canon Dwight dela Torre, the Revd Canon Peter Koon, the Revd Franklin Lee, the Revd Mark Rogers, the Revd Sharon Langbis, the Revd Robert Martin, the Revd Will Newman, the Revd William Wu and the Revd Jenny Wong Nam; for the minis-tries of St John’s Cathedral; for our out-reach ministries: HELP for Domestic Workers, Mission for Migrant Workers, Life Enrichment Centre, Counselling Centre, Bookstore, Castaway Shop, poverty alleviation and prison ministry. We also pray for our link Diocese of Toungoo, Myanmar; for the Rt Revd Dr Saw Shee Sho, his priests, people and ministry.

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NOTICES

POVERTY ALLEVIATION PROGRAMME

Support St James’ Settlement People’s Food Bank!

Share the warmth, love and food to the needy

St John’s Cathedral CHRISTMASTIDE

FOOD DRIVE

Bring rice, noodles, canned food, instant oatmeal or biscuits

to the Cathedral office BEFORE 3rd January 2020

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE REVD WU WAI HO

The Archbishop has appointed the Revd Wu Wai Ho to be the vicar of the Church of Crown of Thorns, Tsuen Wan, effective 1st February, 2020. His last Sunday serving at St John’s Cathe-dral as chaplain will be 26th January.

The Revd Wu has served at the cathe-dral since his ordination in 2013. We appreciate his tremendous contribu-tion to the life of the cathedral, particu-larly in building up the Chinese con-gregations. He will be sorely missed.

Meanwhile, the Archbishop has ap-pointed the Revd Amos Poon, current-ly serving at St Paul’s Church, to serve at the Cathedral, effective also on 1st-

February. Let’s pray for the Revd Wu and the Revd Poon during this time of transition.

CHRISTMAS GREETINGS

The Dean and Clergy Team of St John’s Cathedral would like to

wish a Happy and Blessed Christmas to all our parishioners.

May the presence of

the Holy Child of Bethlehem fill your hearts and homes with joy

this festive season.

WELCOME

We welcome Bishop Humphrey South-ern in our midst this morning. Bishop Humphrey is currently the Principal of Cuddesdon College that provides Ordi-nation training and theological studies in the UK.

NEW CHOIR ALBUM ‘FAITH IN THE CITY’

As part of our 170th Anniversary, the Cathedral Choir has produced a new album called ‘Faith in the City’. The repertoire includes music that has connection with St John’s past and present. The album can be purchased from the Cathedral bookstore for HK$100 per copy. A fantastic idea for Christmas presents.

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NOTICES

‘FAITH BEGINS’

Wednesday evenings 5th February—16th May 2020

‘Faith Begins’ is a course for adult baptism and confirmation at St John's Cathedral. The course is for people who have been worshipping for at least three month in the cathe-dral parish.

The course explores the Christian faith in a relaxed atmosphere with a meal and informal discussion. ‘Faith Begins’ is rooted in the Anglican tradition which values the bible, tradition, and reason, and interprets them in the light of a modern under-standing about life and the world we live in. For further information please see the ‘Faith Begins’ leaflet.

How do I enrol? Just send your contact details to Revd Will Newman at newman@stjohnscathedral.org.hk Registration deadline: 15th January 2020

SJC BOOKSTORE

Opening Hours during the Festive Season:

22nd December 2019 (TODAY) The Fourth Sunday of Advent 10.00am - 5.00pm

24th December 2019 (Tue) Christmas Eve 9.00am - late in the evening

25th December 2019 (Wed) Christmas Day 9.00am - 2.00pm

26th December 2019 (Thu) Boxing Day 10.00am - 2.00pm

29th December 2019 (Sun) 9.00am - 3.30 pm

1st January 2020 (Wed) New Year's Day 10.00am - 2.00pm

2nd & 3rd January 2020 (Thu and Fri) Closed for Stock-Take

PARENTS AND TODDLERS

There will be no Parents and Toddlers meeting on 26th December 2019 and 2nd January 2020.

CHANGE OF SERVICE TIMES The worship schedule for Sunday services at St John’s Cathedral starting from 1st January 2020 will be:

8.00am Said Eucharist

9.00am Sung Eucharist

10.30am Eucharist in Mandarin

11.45am Responsorial Eucharist/ Choral Mattins

1.30pm Eucharist in Filipino

5.00pm Afternoon Service (service format according to rota)

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NOTICES

22nd December (TODAY)

The Fourth Sunday of Advent

8.00am Said Eucharist 9.00am Worship for All with Sunday School Nativity 10.30am Sung Eucharist (Mandarin) 11.45am Responsorial Eucharist 1.15pm Sung Eucharist (Filipino) 5.00pm Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols 24th December (Tue) Christmas Eve

4.30 pm Christingle Service 11.00 pm Midnight Mass of the Nativity and Blessing of the Crib 25th December (Wed) Christmas Day

8.00 am Said Eucharist 9.00 am Sung Eucharist 10.30 am Sung Eucharist (Mandarin) 11.45 am Responsorial Eucharist with Carols 1.15 pm Sung Eucharist (Filipino) (No evening service)

2019 ADVENT & CHRISTMAS SERVICES AT ST JOHN’S CATHEDRAL

TICKETS FOR CHRISTMAS EVE MIDNIGHT MASS 24th December (Tue) at 11.00pm Each Christmas Eve we welcome over 1300 people to our Midnight Mass of the Nativity and the numbers are growing. We will be issuing tickets again this year to ensure that there is a fair distribution to members of the Cathedral congregations and the wider community. Please note that all tickets for the Midnight Mass have now been issued. The remaining 100 tickets will be distributed at the main door at 9.00pm on the 24th December. PLEASE ALSO NOTE 1) On the night of 24th December,

ticket holders will be admitted from 10.00pm, using the North and South Transept doors of the Church.

2) All ticket holders are requested to be seated by 10.30pm when the Devotion before Midnight Mass begins.

3) At 10.45pm any unoccupied seats will be released to non-ticket holders under the supervision of the sidesmen.

4) Overflow provision will be prepared for worshippers in both the Li Hall and the North lawn.

*Due to the current situation in Hong Kong, the service schedule is

subject to change.

**If your plans change and you can-not join the Midnight Mass,

please kindly return the tickets to the Cathedral office. Thanks.

NEW YEAR’S EVE

Tuesday 31st December

11.00pm Watchnight Eucharist

A service to welcome the New Year

Celebrant: The Revd Canon Dwight dela Torre

Preacher: The Revd Robert Martin

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ST JOHN’S CATHEDRAL MINISTRY TEAM

Please complete this form and hand it to one of the Clergy, a Sidesman or the Welcome Table.

Surname: First Name:

______________________________________________________

Name of spouse (if applicable)

______________________________________________________

Names and ages of children (if applicable)

______________________________________________________ E-mail: __________________________ Phone: _________________ Please circle as appropriate:

I attend the 8.00am/9.00am/10.30am/11.45am/2.00pm/6.00pm service.

I am interested in finding out about: Sunday School / Cathedral Choir / CLARES / Baptism & Confirmation / Flower Guild / Sidesman / Servers Guild / Fellowship Group / Stewardship Scheme / Uniformed Group.

Other questions / information:

__________________________________________________

□ I do not agree to receive any promotional materials from St John’s Cathedral.

This information is collected in accordance with the Personal Data Privacy Statement as published on the St John’s Cathedral website at “www.stjohnscathedral.org.hk”.

Welcome to St John’s Cathedral!

Dean: The Very Revd Matthias Der Clergy Ministry Co-ordinators:

Community Building — The Revd Franklin Lee

Christian Education — The Revd Will Newman (Priest-In-Charge of St Stephen’s Chapel, Stanley)

Outreach Ministry — The Revd Mark Rogers (Priest-In-Charge of Discovery Bay Church)

Liturgy and Spirituality — The Revd Robert Martin (Priest-In-Charge of Emmanuel Church, Pokfulam)

Filipino Ministry — The Revd Canon Dwight dela Torre The Revd Sharon Langbis

Chinese Ministry — The Revd Canon Peter Koon The Revd Wu Wai Ho Honorary Chaplain:

The Revd Jenny Wong Nam

Serving the wider community:

SJC Counselling Service HELP for Domestic Workers Mission for Migrant Workers SJC Life Enrichment Centre Cathedral Bookstore CLARES/Castaways Prison Ministry

Executive Administrator:

Mrs Viola Ip

Information about St John’s Cathedral and its ministries can be found on the notice boards and on the website: www.stjohnscathedral.org.hk.

Clergy are here to listen and help. Please feel free to speak to one of them after the services, or make contact during the week: St John’s Cathedral, 4–8 Garden Road, Central Tel: 2523 4157