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ST COLUMBA’S, PONT STREET,
SUNDAY 7TH DECEMBER 2025 11.00 A.M.,
MORNING WORSHIP, BAPTISMS & SUNDAY SCHOOL
Organ Prelude
Welcome
Call to Worship
Hymn 48 His Large and Great Domination Shall (Effingham)
1 His large and great dominion shall
from sea to sea extend:
it from the river shall reach forth
unto earth’s utmost end.
2 The kings of Tarshish, and the isles,
to him shall presents bring;
and unto him shall offer gifts
Sheba’s and Seba’s king.
3 Yea, all the mighty kings on earth
before him down shall fall;
and all the nations of the world
do service to him shall.
4 His name for ever shall endure;
last like the sun it shall:
all shall be blest in him, and blest
all nations shall him call.
5 Now blessèd be the Lord our God,
the God of Israel,
for he alone doth wondrous works,
in glory that excel.
6 And blessèd be his glorious name
to all eternity:
the whole earth let his glory fill.
Amen, so let it be.
Call to Prayer
Prayers of Approach & Confession
Sacrament of Baptism: Laurie James Donald Nugent, Alexander Gordon George Stuart-Clark & Honor Catherine Karina Erskine
{Our young people are invited to join the minister at the front}
Hymn 796 Blessing (Sung by the congregation)
The Lord bless you, and keep you:
The Lord make his face to shine upon you,
and be gracious unto you:
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you,
and give you peace. Amen
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 debts,
as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power and the glory for ever, Amen.
Hymn 631 A Little Child the Saviour Game (Commandments)
1 A little child the Saviour came,
the mighty God was still his name,
and angels worshipped as he lay
the seeming infant of a day.
2 He who, a little child, began
to show the world God’s loving plan,
proclaims from heaven the message free,
‘Let little children come to me.’
3 We bring them, Lord, and with the sign
of sprinkled water name them thine:
their souls with saving grace endow;
baptize them with thy Spirit now.
4 O give thine angels charge, good Lord,
them safely in thy way to guard;
thy blessing on their lives command,
and write their names upon thy hand.
5 O thou, who by an infant’s tongue
dost hear thy perfect glory sung,
may these, with all the heavenly host,
praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 11: 1-10 {OT page 584}
A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch shall grow[a] 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 for the poor
and decide with equity for the oppressed 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 will feed[b] 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.
Return of the Remnant of Israel and Judah
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.
Anthem: Adam lay y-bounden Philip Ledger (1937-2012)
Adam lay y-bounden, Bounden in a bond;
Four thousand winter Thought he not too long.
Deo, Deo, Deo gracias.
And al was for an apple, An apple that he took,
As clerkès finden Written in their book.
Deo, Deo, Deo gracias.
Ne had the apple taken been, The apple taken been
Ne had never our Lady A-been heavene queen.
Blessed be the time That apple taken was.
Therefore we moun singen, Deo gracias.
Gospel Reading: Matthew 3: 1-12 (NT page 3)
3 In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea,proclaiming, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”[a] 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 Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region around the Jordan were going out to him, 6 and they were baptized by him in the River Jordan, confessing their sins.
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for his[b] baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Therefore, bear fruit worthy of repentance, 9 and 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 ax is lying at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
11 “I baptize you with[c] water for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is more powerful than I, and I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with[d] 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.”
Hymn 334 On Jordan’s Bank the Baptist’s Cry (Winchester New Crasselius)
1 On Jordan’s bank the Baptist’s cry
announces that the Lord is nigh;
awake and hearken for he brings
glad tidings of the King of kings.
2 Then cleansed be every heart from sin;
make straight the way for God within;
prepare we in our hearts a home,
where such a mighty Guest may come.
3 For you are our salvation, Lord,
our refuge and our great reward;
without your grace we waste away,
like flowers that wither and decay.
4 Stretch out your hand, to heal our sore,
and make us rise to fall no more;
once more upon your people shine,
and fill the world with love divine.
5 All praise to you, eternal Son,
whose advent has our freedom won,
whom with the Father we adore,
and Holy Spirit, evermore.
Sermon
Anthem: Canite tuba (Byrd) Guerrero (1528-99)
Canite tuba in Sion, quia prope est dies Domini.
Ecce venit ad salvandum nos: erunt prava in directa et asperas
In vias planas.
Veni, Domine, et noli tardare.
Blow up the trumpet in Sion, for the day of the Lord is near. See, he comes to save us: the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough places plain. Come, Lord, and do not tarry.
Dedication of our Offerings
(If able, please stand as the offering is brought forward and the congregation sings)
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
praise him, all creatures here below;
praise him above, ye heavenly host;
praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. (CH4 807, Old 100th)
Prayer of Dedication:
Minister: Father, Son, and Spirit Holy,
we give you thanks and praise:
Congregation: We dedicate to you
our thoughts, our words, our gifts, our deeds,
the working of our hands, the thinking of our minds,
the loving of our hearts. Amen.
Prayers of Thanksgiving and Intercession
Intimations
Hymn 642 Ye that know the Lord is gracious (Abbot’s Leigh)
1 Ye that know the Lord is gracious,
ye for whom a corner stone
stands, of God elect and precious,
laid that ye may build thereon,
see that on that sure foundation
ye a living temple raise,
towers that may tell forth salvation,
walls that may re-echo praise.
2 Living stones, by God appointed
each to an allotted place,
kings and priests, by God anointed,
shall ye not declare his grace?
Ye, a royal generation,
tell the tidings of your birth,
tidings of a new creation
to an old and weary earth.
3 Tell the praise of him who called you
out of darkness into light,
broke the fetters that enthralled you,
gave you freedom, peace and sight:
tell the tale of sins forgiven,
strength renewed and hope restored,
till the earth, in tune with heaven,
praise and magnify the Lord!
Benediction & Choral Amen
Organ Postlude: Prelude in C minor by Mendelssohn
This week Sunday 7th December 2025
11.00 a.m. Morning Service, Sunday School & Baptisms
Revd William McLaren
12.15 p.m. Coffee and Tea, Upper Hall {by donation}
12.15 p.m. Congregational Lunch, Lower Hall {£4}
5.00 p.m. Music and Readings for Advent
Revd William McLaren
