SUNDAY 30 November 2025 ADVENT 1 YEAR A
FIRST READING Isaiah 2.1–5
A reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah.
1 The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
2 In days to come the mountain of the Lord’s house
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
and shall be raised above the hills;
all the nations shall stream to it.
3 Many peoples shall come and say,
‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
to the house of the God of Jacob;
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths.’
For out of Zion shall go forth instruction,
and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
4 He shall judge between the nations,
and shall arbitrate for many peoples;
they shall beat their swords into ploughshares,
and their spears into pruning-hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more.
5 O house of Jacob, come,
let us walk in the light of the LORD!
PSALM Psalm 122
R I was glad when they said to me,
‘Let us go to God’s house’.
1 I was glad when they said to me,
‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’
2 Now our feet are standing
within your gates, O Jerusalem. R
3 Jerusalem is built as a city
that is at unity with itself.
4 To which the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord,
the assembly of Israel, to praise the name of the Lord.
5 For there are the thrones of judgement,
the thrones of the house of David. R
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
‘May they prosper who love you.
7 Peace be within your walls
and quietness within your towers. R
8 For my family and companions’ sake,
I pray for your prosperity.
9 Because of the house of the Lord our God,
I will seek to do you good.’ R
SECOND READING Romans 13.11–14
A reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans.
11 Brothers and sisters,
you know what time it is,
how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep.
For salvation is nearer to us now
than when we became believers;
12 the night is far gone, the day is near.
Let us then lay aside the works of darkness
and put on the armour of light;
13 let us live honourably as in the day,
not in revelling and drunkenness,
not in debauchery and licentiousness,
not in quarrelling and jealousy.
14 Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ,
and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
GOSPEL Matthew 24.36–44
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.
Jesus spoke to his disciples:
36 ‘About that day and hour no one knows,
neither the angels of heaven,
nor the Son, but only the Father.
37 For as the days of Noah were,
so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
38 For as in those days before the flood
they were eating and drinking,
marrying and giving in marriage,
until the day Noah entered the ark,
39 and they knew nothing
until the flood came and swept them all away,
so too will be the coming of the Son of Man.
40 Then two will be in the field;
one will be taken and one will be left.
41 Two women will be grinding meal together;
one will be taken and one will be left.
42 Keep awake, therefore,
for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.
43 But understand this:
if the owner of the house had known
in what part of the night the thief was coming,
he would have stayed awake
and would not have let his house be broken into.
44 Therefore you also must be ready,
for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.’
ADVENT 2 YEAR A 7 December 2025
FIRST READING Isaiah 11.1–10
A reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah.
1 A shoot shall come out from the stock of Jesse,
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
2 The spirit of the LORD shall rest on him,
the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
3 His delight shall be in the fear of the LORD.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide by what his ears hear;
4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
5 Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist,
and faithfulness the belt around his loins.
6 The wolf shall live with the lamb,
the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
the calf and the lion and the fatling together,
and a little child shall lead them.
7 The cow and the bear shall graze,
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,
and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.
9 They will not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain;
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD
as the waters cover the sea.
10 On that day the root of Jesse shall stand
as a signal to the peoples;
the nations shall inquire of him,
and his dwelling shall be glorious.
PSALM Psalm 72.1–7, 18–19
R In his time shall the righteous flourish,
[and peace till the moon shall be no more].
1 Give the king your justice, O God,
and your righteousness to the king’s son;
2 That he may rule your people righteously
and the poor with justice;
3 That the mountains may bring prosperity to the people,
and the little hills bring righteousness. R
4 He shall defend the needy among the people;
he shall rescue the poor and crush the oppressor.
5 He shall live as long as the sun and moon endure,
from one generation to another. R
6 He shall come down like rain upon the mown field,
like showers that water the earth.
7 In his time shall the righteous flourish;
there shall be abundance of peace
till the moon shall be no more. R
18 Blessèd be the Lord God, the God of Israel,
who alone does wondrous deeds!
19 And blessèd be his glorious name for ever!
and may all the earth be filled with his glory.
Amen. Amen. R
SECOND READING Romans 15.4–13
A reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans.
4 Whatever was written in former days
was written for our instruction,
so that by steadfastness
and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope.
5 May the God of steadfastness and encouragement
grant you to live in harmony with one another,
in accordance with Christ Jesus,
6 so that together you may with one voice
glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
7 Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.
8 For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of the truth of God
in order that he might confirm the promises given to the patriarchs,
9 and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy.
As it is written,
‘Therefore I will confess you among the Gentiles,
and sing praises to your name’;
10 and again he says,
‘Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people’;
11 and again,
‘Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles,
and let all the peoples praise him’;
12 and again Isaiah says,
‘The root of Jesse shall come,
the one who rises to rule the Gentiles;
in him the Gentiles shall hope.’
13 May the God of hope
fill you with all joy and peace in believing,
so that you may abound in hope
by the power of the Holy Spirit.
GOSPEL Matthew 3.1–12
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.
1 In those days John the Baptist
appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming,
2 ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’
3 This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke
when he said,
‘The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
“Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight.”’
4 Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair
with a leather belt around his waist,
and his food was locusts and wild honey.
5 Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea
were going out to him,
and all the region along the Jordan,
6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan,
confessing their sins.
7 But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism,
he said to them,
‘You brood of vipers!
Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
8 Bear fruit worthy of repentance.
9 Do not presume to say to yourselves,
“We have Abraham as our ancestor”;
for I tell you, God is able from these stones
to raise up children to Abraham.
10 Even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees;
every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit
is cut down and thrown into the fire.
11 I baptize you with water for repentance,
but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me;
I am not worthy to carry his sandals.
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
12 His winnowing-fork is in his hand,
and he will clear his threshing-floor
and will gather his wheat into the granary;
but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’
ADVENT 3 YEAR A Sunday 14 December 2025
FIRST READING Isaiah 35.1–10
A reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah.
1 The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad,
the desert shall rejoice and blossom;
like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly,
2 and rejoice with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the LORD,
the majesty of our God.
3 Strengthen the weak hands,
and make firm the feeble knees.
4 Say to those who are of a fearful heart,
‘Be strong, do not fear!
Here is your God.
He will come with vengeance,
with terrible recompense.
He will come and save you.’
5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
6 then the lame shall leap like a deer,
and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.
For waters shall break forth in the wilderness,
and streams in the desert;
7 the burning sand shall become a pool,
and the thirsty ground springs of water;
the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp,
the grass shall become reeds and rushes.
8 A highway shall be there,
and it shall be called the Holy Way;
the unclean shall not travel on it,
but it shall be for God’s people;
no traveller, not even fools, shall go astray.
9 No lion shall be there,
nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it;
they shall not be found there,
but the redeemed shall walk there.
10 And the ransomed of the LORD shall return,
and come to Zion with singing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
they shall obtain joy and gladness,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
PSALM OR CANTICLE
Either Psalm 146.4–9
R Happy are they
who have the God of Jacob for their help.
or
R Come, Lord, and save us.
4 Happy are they who have the God of Jacob for their help!
Whose hope is in the Lord their God;
5 Who made heaven and earth, the seas,
and all that is in them;
who keeps his promise for ever;
6 Who gives justice to those who are oppressed,
and food to those who hunger. R
7 The Lord sets the prisoners free;
the Lord opens the eyes of the blind;
the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
8 The Lord loves the righteous;
the Lord cares for the stranger;
he sustains the orphan and widow,
but frustrates the way of the wicked. R
9 The Lord shall reign for ever,
your God, O Zion, throughout all generations.
Alleluia! R
Or Luke 1.46b–55
R My spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
46 My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
47 My spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
48 For he has looked with favour on his lowly servant;
from this day all generations will call me blessèd.
49 The Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name. R
50 He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
51 He has shown the strength of his arm;
he has scattered the proud in their conceit. R
52 He has cast down the mighty from their thrones
and has lifted up the lowly.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things
and the rich he has sent away empty. R
54 He has come to the help of his servant, Israel,
for he has remembered his promise of mercy.
55 The promise he made to our forebears:
to Abraham and his children for ever. R
SECOND READING James 5.7–10
A reading from the letter of James.
7 Be patient, beloved, until the coming of the Lord.
The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth,
being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains.
8 You also must be patient.
Strengthen your hearts,
for the coming of the Lord is near.
9 Beloved, do not grumble against one another,
so that you may not be judged.
See, the Judge is standing at the doors!
10 As an example of suffering and patience, beloved,
take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
GOSPEL Matthew 11.2–11
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.
2 When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing,
he sent word by his disciples
3 and said to Jesus,
‘Are you the one who is to come,
or are we to wait for another?’
4 Jesus answered them,
‘Go and tell John what you hear and see:
5 the blind receive their sight,
the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed,
the deaf hear, the dead are raised,
and the poor have good news brought to them.
6 And blessed is anyone who takes no offence at me.’
7 As they went away,
Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John:
‘What did you go out into the wilderness to look at?
A reed shaken by the wind?
8 What then did you go out to see?
Someone dressed in soft robes?
Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces.
9 What then did you go out to see?
A prophet?
Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.
10 This is the one about whom it is written,
“See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way before you.”
11 Truly I tell you, among those born of women
no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist;
yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.’