Sundays at All Hallows (December 7, 2025)

Welcome to Sundays at All Hallows

This Sunday is the second Sunday of Adventide and the first Sunday of the month. In a number of churches, the first Sunday of the month is customarily a Communion Sunday on which the congregation celebrates the Lord’s Supper and receives communion. This Sunday is also the third Sunday before the Feast of the Nativity, commonly called Christmas Day.

This Sunday’s service follows the structure of the service for a Service of the Word outlined in the Church of Ireland’s The Book of Common Prayer (2004), as did two previous Sunday’s services.

In this Sunday’ message we consider a series of question about how God uses believers and non-believers to make pathways for him into people’s lives and hearts.

GATHERED IN GOD’S NAME

Open this link to hear Jennifer Martin’s Advent instrumental meditation, “Light Breaking through Darkness.”

The Lord be with you.
The Lord bless you.

Through Christ, let us offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Hebrews 13:15

Open this link to hear Edward Caswall’s translation of the Latin hymn 'Vox Clara Ecce Intonat."

1 Hark! a thrilling voice is sounding.
"Christ is nigh," it seems to say;
"Cast away the works of darkness,
O ye children of the day."

2 Wakened by the solemn warning,
from earth's bondage let us rise;
Christ, our sun, all sloth dispelling,
shines upon the morning skies.

3 Lo! the Lamb, so long expected,
comes with pardon down from heaven;
let us haste, with tears of sorrow,
one and all to be forgiven;

4 so when next he comes with glory,
and the world is wrapped in fear,
may he with his mercy shield us,
and with words of love draw near.

5 Honor, glory, might, and blessing
to the Father and the Son,
with the everlasting Spirit,
while unending ages run.

Let us confess our sins to God our Father.

Silence

Heavenly Father,
we have sinned against you and against our neighbour
in thought and word and deed,
through negligence, through weakness,
through our own deliberate fault;
by what we have done
and by what we have failed to do.
We are truly sorry and repent of all our sins.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ who died for us,
forgive us all that is past;
and grant that we may serve you in newness of life
to the glory of your name. Amen.

Merciful Lord,
grant to your faithful people pardon and peace,
that we may be cleansed from all our sins,
and serve you with a quiet mind;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Open this link to hear Bruce E. Ford’s setting of “Holy God, Holy and Mighty” (Trisagion).

Holy God
holy and mighty
holy immortal one
have mercy upon us

Holy God
holy and mighty
holy immortal one
have mercy upon us

Holy God
holy and mighty
holy immortal one
have mercy upon us

Let us pray.

Silence

Father in heaven,
who sent your Son to redeem the world
and will send him again to be our judge:
Give us grace so to imitate him
in the humility and purity of his first coming
that when he comes again,
we may be ready to greet him with joyful love and firm faith;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Almighty God,
Give us grace to cast away the works of darkness
and to put on the armour of light
now in the time of this mortal life
in which your Son Jesus Christ came to us in great humility;
that on the last day
when he shall come again in his glorious majesty
to judge the living and the dead,
we may rise to the life immortal;
through him who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.

THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD

A reading from the Book of Isaiah.
Isaiah 11: 1-10

The royal line of David is like a tree that has been cut down; but just as new branches sprout from a stump, so a new king will arise from among David's descendants.

The spirit of the Lord will give him wisdom
and the knowledge and skill to rule his people.
He will know the Lord's will and honor him,
and find pleasure in obeying him.
He will not judge by appearance or hearsay;
he will judge the poor fairly
and defend the rights of the helpless.
At his command the people will be punished,
and evil persons will die.
He will rule his people with justice and integrity.

Wolves and sheep will live together in peace,
and leopards will lie down with young goats.
Calves and lion cubs will feed together,
and little children will take care of them.
Cows and bears will eat together,
and their calves and cubs will lie down in peace.
Lions will eat straw as cattle do.
Even a baby will not be harmed
if it plays near a poisonous snake.
On Zion, God's sacred hill,
there will be nothing harmful or evil.
The land will be as full of knowledge of the Lord
as the seas are full of water.

A day is coming when the new king from the royal line of David will be a symbol to the nations. They will gather in his royal city and give him honor.

Silence

Open this link to hear Marty Haugen’s setting of “Lord, Every Nation on Earth Will Adore You” (Psalm 72).

Lord, ev’ry nation on earth will adore you,
ev’ry nation on earth will adore you.

1 O God, give your judgment to the king,
to a kingʼs son your justice,
that he may judge your people in justice,
and your poor in right judgment.

Lord, ev’ry nation on earth will adore you,
ev’ry nation on earth will adore you.

2 In his days shall justice flourish,
and great peace till the moon is no more.
He shall rule from sea to sea,
from the River to the bounds of the earth.

Lord, ev’ry nation on earth will adore you,
ev’ry nation on earth will adore you.

3 The kings of Tarshish and the islands
shall pay him tribute.
The kings of Sheba and Seba
shall bring him gifts.
Before him all kings shall fall prostrate,
all nations shall serve him.

Lord, ev’ry nation on earth will adore you,
ev’ry nation on earth will adore you.

4 For he shall save the needy when they cry,
the poor, and those who are helpless.
He will have pity on the weak and the needy,
and save the lives of the needy.

Lord, ev’ry nation on earth will adore you,
ev’ry nation on earth will adore you.

A reading from Paul’s Letter to the Romans.
Romans 15: 4-13

Everything written in the Scriptures was written to teach us, in order that we might have hope through the patience and encouragement which the Scriptures give us. And may God, the source of patience and encouragement, enable you to have the same point of view among yourselves by following the example of Christ Jesus, so that all of you together may praise with one voice the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Accept one another, then, for the glory of God, as Christ has accepted you. For I tell you that Christ's life of service was on behalf of the Jews, to show that God is faithful, to make his promises to their ancestors come true, and to enable even the Gentiles to praise God for his mercy. As the scripture says,

“And so I will praise you among the Gentiles;
I will sing praises to you.”
Again it says,
“Rejoice, Gentiles, with God's people!”
And again,
“Praise the Lord, all Gentiles;
praise him, all peoples!”
And again, Isaiah says,
“A descendant of Jesse will appear;
he will come to rule the Gentiles,
and they will put their hope in him.”

May God, the source of hope, fill you with all joy and peace by means of your faith in him, so that your hope will continue to grow by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Silence

Open this link in a new tab to hear Johannes Olearius’ “Comfort, Comfort Ye My People.”

1 Comfort, comfort ye my people,
Speak ye peace, thus saith our God;
Comfort those who sit in darkness,
Mourning neath their sorrows' load;
Speak ye to Jerusalem
Of the peace that waits for them;
Tell her that her sins I cover,
And her warfare now is over.

2 Yea, her sins our God will pardon,
Blotting out each dark misdeed;
That which well deserved His anger
He will no more see or heed.
She hath suffered many a day,
Now her griefs have passed away,
God will change her pining sadness
Into ever springing gladness.

3 For the herald's voice is crying
In the desert far and near,
Bidding all men to repentance,
Since the kingdom now is here.
Oh, that warning cry obey!
Now prepare for God a way;
Let the valleys rise to meet Him,
And the hills bow down to greet Him.

4 Make ye straight what long was crooked,
Make the rougher places plain,
Let your hearts be true and humble,
As befits His holy reign;
For the glory of the Lord
Now o'er earth is shed abroad,
And all flesh shall see the token
That His Word is never broken.

A reading from the gospel according to Matthew.
Matthew 3: 1-12

At that time John the Baptist came to the desert of Judea and started preaching. “Turn away from your sins,” he said, “because the Kingdom of heaven is near!” John was the man the prophet Isaiah was talking about when he said,

“Someone is shouting in the desert,
‘Prepare a road for the Lord;
make a straight path for him to travel!’”

John's clothes were made of camel's hair; he wore a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. People came to him from Jerusalem, from the whole province of Judea, and from all over the country near the Jordan River. They confessed their sins, and he baptized them in the Jordan.

When John saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to him to be baptized, he said to them, “You snakes—who told you that you could escape from the punishment God is about to send? Do those things that will show that you have turned from your sins. And don't think you can escape punishment by saying that Abraham is your ancestor. I tell you that God can take these rocks and make descendants for Abraham! The ax is ready to cut down the trees at the roots; every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown in the fire. I baptize you with water to show that you have repented, but the one who will come after me will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. He is much greater than I am; and I am not good enough even to carry his sandals. He has his winnowing shovel with him to thresh out all the grain. He will gather his wheat into his barn, but he will burn the chaff in a fire that never goes out.”

Silence

Pathways for God

How does God use us to make pathways for him into people’s lives, into their hearts? This was the question I found myself asking after having read and reread the lessons appointed for this Sunday, the Second Sunday of Advent. While God directly draws people to himself, God also works through people like ourselves to draw them to himself.

Perhaps we can recall the different people in our own lives through whose words and actions God drew us into a closer relationship with him, who prepared a pathway for him into our lives, into our hearts. Parents. Grandparents. Relatives. Pastors. Teachers. Friends. Coworkers. Others.

What did they do and say? What didn’t they do and say?

What can you learn from them?

Perhaps someone else told you how others prepared a pathway for God into their lives and hearts. What did they tell you? What can you learn from what they told you?

How are you preparing a pathway for God into people’s lives and hearts? What else can you do?

Silence

Open this link in a new tab to hear Carl P. Daw, Jr.’s “O Day of Peace that Dimly Shines.”

1 O day of peace that dimly shines
Through all our hopes and prayers and dreams,
Guide us to justice, truth, and love,
Delivered from our selfish schemes.

2 May swords of hate fall from our hands,
Our hearts from envy find release,
Till by God's grace our warring world
Shall see Christ's promised reign of peace.

3 Then shall the wolf dwell with the lamb,
Nor shall the fierce devour the small;
As beasts and cattle calmly graze
A little child shall lead them all.

4 Then enemies shall learn to love,
All creatures find their true accord;
The hope of peace shall be fulfilled,
For all the earth shall know the Lord.

Let us confess our faith, as we say:

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

THE MINISTRY OF PRAYER

Let us pray for all people and for the Church throughout the world.

Almighty God, your Son Jesus Christ has promised that you
will hear us when we ask in faith: receive the prayers we offer.

We pray for the peace of the world and the welfare of your holy Church.

Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

We pray for our Bishop N, and for all the clergy and people.

Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

We pray for [Charles our King][…… our President], for the leaders of the nations, and for all in authority.

Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

[We pray for seasonable weather, and for an abundance
of the fruits of the earth.

Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.]

[We pray that we may share with justice the resources of
the earth, and live in trust and goodwill with one
another.

Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.]

We pray for the aged and the infirm, for widows and
orphans, and for the sick and suffering.

Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

We pray for the poor and oppressed, for prisoners and captives, and for all who care for them.

Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

We pray for ourselves and for each other.

Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

We praise you, Lord God, for the communion of saints, and
for the glorious hope of the resurrection to eternal life.

God of all peoples,
whose servant John came baptizing
and calling for repentance:
help us to hear his voice of judgement,
that we may also rejoice in the word of promise,
and be found pure and blameless in that glorious Day
when Christ comes to rule the earth as Prince of Peace;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

Accept our prayers through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who taught us to pray,

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be 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,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.

Open this link in a new tab to hear Charles P. Price and Frans Mikael Franzen’s “Prepare the Way, O Zion.”

1 Prepare the way, O Zion,
your Christ is drawing near!
Let every hill and valley
a level way appear.
Greet One who comes in glory,
foretold in sacred story.
Oh blest is Christ that came
in God's most holy name.

2 He brings God's rule, O Zion;
he comes from heaven above.
His rule is peace and freedom,
and justice, truth, and love.
Lift high your praise resounding,
for grace and joy abounding.
Oh blest is Christ that came
in God's most holy name.

3 Fling wide your gates, O Zion;
your Savior's rule embrace.
His tidings of salvation
proclaim in every place.
All lands will bow before him,
their voices will adore him.
Oh blest is Christ that came
in God's most holy name.

THE SENDING FORTH OF GOD’S PEOPLE

Eternal God and Father, by whose power we are created and
by whose love we are redeemed: guide and strengthen us by
your Spirit, that we may give ourselves to your service, and
live every day in love to one another and to you; through Jesus
Christ your Son our Lord. Amen.

[Let us go now in peace to love and serve the Lord.
In the name of Christ. Amen.]