Sunday between 27 November and 3 December    

First Sunday of Advent (Year A)

First Reading - Isaiah 2.2-5

A reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah. The time will come when the mountain of the temple of the Lord will be established as the greatest of all mountains, high above the hills. People of all nations will say, ‘The teaching of the Lord comes from Mount Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. So let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, to learn there how to walk in the right path.’ Then the Lord will bring justice and peace to the nations. They will take their weapons of war, their swords and their spears, and they will re-work them into ploughs and pruning-hooks. No longer will nation lift up sword against nation; neither will they learn war any more. So come, O people of Jacob; let us walk in the light of the Lord. This is the word of the Lord.

Second Reading - Romans 13.11-14

A reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans. Now is the time to be fully awake, for our salvation is closer to us now than when we first became believers. The night is almost over - the day is near. So let us throw off the works of darkness, and put on the armour of light.

Let there be no drunkenness, indecency, quarrelling, or jealousy, or any other work of darkness. But let us live honourably, as in the day, in the light of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the word of the Lord.

Gospel - Matthew 24.36-44

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew. Jesus said: ‘About that day, and that hour, no one knows - not the angels in heaven, nor even the Son, but only the Father. In the days of Noah, before the flood, they were eating and drinking, at banquets and weddings, right up to the day that Noah entered the ark. They knew nothing until the flood came, and swept them away. So it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. On that day, two men will be working in a field; one will be taken, and one will be left. Two women will be grinding flour together; one will be taken, and one will be left. So stay alert, because you do not know on what day the Lord is coming. If you knew that a thief was coming in the night, you would stay awake, to protect your home. In the same way, be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.’ This is the Gospel of the Lord.