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This script cannot exactly reflect the transmission, as it was prepared before the service was broadcast. It may include editorial notes prepared by the producer, and minor spelling and other errors that were corrected before the radio broadcast.
It may contain gaps to be filled in at the time so that prayers may reflect the needs of the world, and changes may also be made at the last minute for timing reasons, or to reflect current events.

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1.听听听听听 CHOIR:听听听听听听听听听听 Hush My Dear (Jackson)

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2.听听听听听 JANET:听听听听听听听听听听听 Welcome to East Belfast.听 This morning the Chapel Choir of Methodist College has travelled to St Columba鈥檚 Parish Church to lead our worship. Methody 鈥� as it鈥檚 known locally - is a large, vibrant school of around 18 hundred pupils from many different religious, cultural and national backgrounds.

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In a world where many fear those who are different, the unity in diversity which we see within the school is a sign of hope鈥� and hope for the future is our theme for this, the fourth Sunday of Advent.听

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Our carol also declares hope for peace on earth and of a world where God and sinners can be reconciled鈥μ� It鈥檚 Hark, the Herald Angels Sing.

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3.听听听听听 CHOIR:听听听听听听听听听听 Hark the Herald Angels Sing (Mendelssohn arr Willcocks)

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4.听听听听听 JANET: 听听听听听听听听听 鈥淰eiled in flesh the Godhead see, Hail the incarnate Deity鈥�.

With these words, Charles Wesley speaks of the amazing truth which is at the very heart of the Christmas story: that in Christ Jesus, God took on flesh and lived among us. We are reminded of that truth in our first reading, from Philippians Chapter 2, which is read for us by our Principal, Scott Naismith.

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5.听听听听听 SCOTT:听听听听听听听听听听 Christ鈥檚 example of humility

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,听who, though he was in听the form of God, did not count equality with God听a thing to be grasped,听but听made himself nothing, taking the form of a听servant,听being born in the likeness of men.听And being found in human form, he humbled himself by听becoming obedient to the point of death,听even death on a cross.听Therefore听God has听highly exalted him and bestowed on him听the name that is above every name,听so that at the name of Jesus听every knee should bow,听in heaven and on earth and under the earth,听and听every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

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6.听听听听听 CHOIR:听听听听听听听听听听 Mid-Winter (Chilcott)

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7.听听听听听 JANET:听听听听听听听听听听听 Let us pray.听

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O God,

Through the birth of your son, you bring light instead of darkness and hope instead of despair.听

As we worship you today, may we know the light and hope of Christ in our hearts.

Forgive us for those times when we have allowed darkness to push out the light.听 Guide us by your spirit to hear your word of hope afresh.听

Strengthen us to share your light with those around us, so that we may be signs of your hope in the world.听 Amen.

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Unexpected news can evoke all sorts of emotions from distress to confusion to joy. When the Angel Gabriel tells Mary what her future would hold, her response moves from fear to wonder and then to hope in God鈥檚 promise.

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听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Rachel Doyle reads for us now from the first chapter of Luke鈥檚 Gospel.

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8.听听听听听 PUPIL:听听听听听听听听听听听 The Birth of Jesus is Foretold

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In the sixth month the angel听Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named听Nazareth,听to a virgin betrothed听to a man whose name was Joseph,听of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary.听听And he came to her and said, 鈥淕reetings,听O favoured one,听the Lord is with you!鈥� But听she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.听And the angel said to her, 鈥淒o not be afraid, Mary, for听you have found favour with God.听And behold,听you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and听you shall call his name Jesus.听听He will be great and will be called the Son of听the Most High. And the Lord God听will give to him the throne of听his father David,听听and he will reign over the house of Jacob听for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.鈥�

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And Mary said to the angel, 鈥淗ow will this be, since I am a virgin?`鈥櫶鼳nd the angel answered her,听鈥淭he Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of听the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born听will be called听holy鈥攖he Son of God.听听And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her听who was called barren. For听nothing will be impossible with God.鈥澨鼳nd Mary said, 鈥淏ehold, I am the servant听of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.鈥� And听the angel departed from her.

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9.听听听听听听听 JANET:听听听听听听听听听听听 And now we hear of that hope made real in the birth of Christ, as the Choir sings Away in a Manger. After this Carol, Canon John Auchmuty will lead our reflection.

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10.听 CHOIR:听听听听听听听听听听

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11. JOHN听听听听听听听听听听听听听 The day for the Nativity in a local primary school had finally arrived.听 The children were so looking forward to sharing the good news of the Christmas story with their families and the invited guests. They described in their own dramatic and enthusiastic way how Joseph and Mary trusted God as they waited for the birth of his son.

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Those children brought a sense of much needed freshness and focus to us of that first Christmas. They presented the Nativity story so effectively and just when we thought it was drawing to a close a number of the children who up until that point seemed simply oblivious to all that was going on around them came to the front of the stage and asked of each other: 鈥淗ave we missed something?鈥�

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It鈥檚 a good question; Have we missed something?听 With the unending round of ceaseless activity that marks this time of year for so many people it鈥檚 very easy to miss some of the many aspects of the richness of Christmas. Indeed we can often miss the very core of the message of Christmas this wonderful moment in history when God entered into the mess and pain of our world in the form of a baby, And we can miss the hope that his coming brings because we have been too busy working our way through yet another 鈥渢o do鈥� list.

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We鈥檝e been thinking in these Advent Sunday Worships about hope: hope in a world of violence and suffering where it is all too easy to give way to an overwhelming sense that everything is hopeless. But the coming of Christ brings hope for all irrespective of ours circumstance. But hope not only for this and the events of this present world, but also for the future. For as St Paul wrote to the Corinthians: If for this life only we have hope in Christ, then we are of all people most to be pitied.

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Hope for the future! In the past much thinking in Advent would have been devoted to what were called the 鈥淔our Last things鈥�: Death, Judgement, Heaven and Hell. Those things don鈥檛 seem to feature as much in Advent these days.听 Few of us have any degree of certainty as to what will happen when we die... But instead of precise timetables, the New Testament offers a series of clues or pictures; in many ways we do see through a glass darkly, but then we shall see face to face - we shall see God triumphant with evil defeated and banished.听 A new life of perfection and serenity where nothing will separate us from the love and friendship of God.

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Those of us who say the Apostles鈥� Creed affirm that Jesus ascended into heaven and is seated at the right-hand of the Father and he will come again to judge the living and the dead. 听The idea of judgement runs throughout the Bible. Sometimes when we think of judgment in this sense, we imagine some day in the future when the really bad people will get their comeuppance. But in his conversation with Nicodemus in the 3rd chapter of St John鈥檚 Gospel, Jesus makes it clear that judgement is not something simply for the future. He says: This is the judgement, that the light has come into the darkness and men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. This is the judgement. It engages our attention now and Advent point us to that.

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God sees us as we really are, unlike our judgement of others which can be prejudiced and unjustified 鈥� it鈥檚 all too easy to miss something about an individual because we were too busy to pay attention.

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God鈥檚 judgement will be somewhat different. It will be fair and just. As God is merciful, it matters how we live our lives, as that is how we will be judged. Can it be said of us that we have been faithful to God and to one another? Unlike our judgement of others God doesn鈥檛 miss anything about us as we are known unto him.

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The Bible uses many pictures- some of them hard to interpret and understand, of what it calls 鈥淭he Day of the Lord鈥� and what we describe as the Second Coming of Christ. It is far too easy simply to dismiss these and to miss the truth they point to because Advent Hope for the future also points us to a final consummation of all things in heaven and earth. We have no idea when and Jesus warns us against too much speculation.

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St Paul when he spoke about our having hope not simply for this life based that hope on the Resurrection of Jesus. For by that, Jesus defeated the powers of death and darkness. He gave us, according to St Peter 鈥淎 lively hope that is imperishable and unfading鈥�.

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Death is not the end. Sin and violence and hopelessness will not have the final word.

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In God鈥檚 own good time, there will be a new heaven and a new earth; there will come a reconciliation of all things with Jesus Christ as head, gathering up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

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And that hope is centred on Jesus- whose birth we celebrate tomorrow. Jesus born for us, living for us, dying for us鈥� but God, in the words of the Letter to the Philippians, raised him from the dead and bestowed on him the name that is above every name that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that he is Lord鈥�.听 This is our Advent Hope.

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It is in the Incarnation that hope finds its true roots amongst us.听 Emmanuel 鈥� God with us.

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May we be ready to receive with gratitude God鈥檚 gift to us of His son Jesus Christ, for our hope for the future depends on this baby in a manger, his life and ministry and how we respond.

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As the angel said to Mary in our reading, 鈥淒o not be afraid鈥� 鈥� neither should we, as Jesus is with us to guide and influence us for the good. Now that is good news and what鈥檚 more it鈥檚 full of hope and we shouldn鈥檛 miss it.

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12.听 CHOIR: 听听听听听听听听听听

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13. JANET:听听听听听听听听听听听 God who brought never-ending hope to the world through the birth of heaven鈥檚 child, hear us as we pray for hope in our world today.

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14.听 Reader 1: 听听听听听 We pray for our world:

For those in positions of authority that they may strive for justice for all.

For those who long for an end to violence because they have known too much of war;

For those who have had to flee from persecution and who fear what the future holds;

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May your hope come, O Lord,听

May your hope come.

15.听 Reader 2: 听听听听听 We pray for hope on our streets:

For those who long for the comfort of a home but only know the hopelessness of a shop doorway

For those who feel their voices go unheard and who have lost hope in this society

For those who live in fear of intimidation and discrimination

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May your hope come, O Lord,听

May your hope come.

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16.听 Reader 3:听听听听听听 We pray for hope in our hearts:

For those who long for healing as they live with sickness and disease;

For those who long for comfort as they live with the pain of grief;

For those who feel alone and forgotten;

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May your hope come, O Lord,听

May your hope come.

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17.听 JANET:听听 听听听听听听听听 God for whom we wait and watch,

As we prepare to celebrate again the birth of Christ,

May our hope be renewed and may we rejoice in the promise of your coming

These, and all our prayers, we offer in the name of Jesus, Christ our Lord

Who taught us to pray together -

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Our Father, who art in heaven,

Hallowed by 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

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18.听 CHOIR:听听 听听听听听听听听 Silent Night (trad arr Chilcott)

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19.听 JANET:听听听听听听听听听听听 As you prepare to celebrate the coming of Christ 鈥溾�� may the God of hope

fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope鈥� this day and for evermore. Amen

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20.听 CHOIR:听听听听听听听听听听听

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21.听 ORGAN:听听听 听听听听听 Von Himmel hoch, da komm鈥� ich her (J S Bach)

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Readings;听听听听听听听听听听

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Philippians 2: 5-11

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Luke 1: 26-38.<?xml:namespace prefix = "o" ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

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Music

Hark the Herald (Mendelssohn arr Willcocks)

Silent Night (arr Chilcott)

Hush my Dear (Jackson)

I am Changed (Todd)

Mid-Winter (Chilcott)

When Christ was Born (Archer)

Away in a Manger (arr Chilcott)