Collect, Readings & Prayers for Advent 4, 21st December 2025
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.
Readings
Isaiah 7 verses 10-16
Isaiah Gives Ahaz the Sign of Immanuel
10 Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, saying, 11 Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven. 12 But Ahaz said, I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test. 13 Then Isaiah said: ‘Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary mortals, that you weary my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel. 15 He shall eat curds and honey by the time he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. 16 For before the child knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land before whose two kings you are in dread will be deserted.
Romans 1:1-7
Salutation
1 Paul, a servant[a] of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, 3 the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit[b] of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name, 6 including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,
7 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.
Matthew 1:18-25
The Birth of Jesus the Messiah
18 Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah[a] 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. 19 Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. 20 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. 21 She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ 22 All this took place to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
23 ‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel’,
which means, ‘God is with us.’ 24 When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, 25 but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.
Prayers
At this season both of reflection and of anticipation, let us turn our hearts and minds to the Father, with confidence in his generous love and mercy.
- Almighty God, whose son was born
in the midst of political turmoil,
save us from the vanity and ambition of men.
As we celebrate the birth of our humble king
grant us leaders who follow that call to servanthood
and who pursue unity and peace. We pray for a spirit of reconciliation and healing in our world of conflict and at this time we pray especially for progress to be made in negotiations for a permanent end to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians in Gaza and a successful and fair outcome to the ongoing talks aimed at bringing to an end the war in Ukraine. Amen
- At Christmas the angels sang, “Peace to God’s people on earth”,
Yet our streets are often places of fear, especially for the young, and especially for women walking alone.
We pray for those who work to keep our communities safe and protect the vulnerable, give them wisdom and supply them with the resources which they need: shine your light on all the dark places. Amen
- Just as Mary & Joseph fled as refugees, carrying their infant son,
so we pray for all those who are refugees in our world,
May we be a nation moved by compassion and humanity.
In our plenty, may we give generously of what we have and may we work together to seek a fairer world. Amen
- Creator God, you have made us stewards of this good earth.
Save us from greed, selfishness and the pursuit of short-term profit that we might treasure this creation for the sake of all people and heaven and nature may sing of the coming Kingdom. Amen
- That first Christmas there was no room in the Inn.
We pray for all those who are homeless and vulnerable
May we be determined to address their immediate needs
and also to support the level of investment in the public services of our nation, which is necessary to resolve the problem and to provide places for all, which they can call home and where they are safe and secure. Amen
- In the darkness of mid-winter we pray for all those for whom this time of year is a struggle
Be near them we pray, may angels minister to them and may they see the bright morning star that leads to the dawn of hope. Amen
- The wise men left their palaces and comforts to seek your perfect light in a world of prejudice and division. In the light of the recent atrocity in Australia, we pray that we may have the courage to speak out against those who condemn others because of their colour, culture or creed and to pursue your way of love and acceptance of all peoples. Amen
- Almighty and ever-living God, as we look forward in faith to the feast of our Lord’s birth, grant that we may experience the happiness that our Saviour brings and joyfully celebrate his coming. Amen