1 Sunday 17th January Epiphany 2 Welcome to Church In this season of Epiphany, we celebrate and ponder all that is revealed and shown in Jesus. “O God, may your saving light and love shine in us and through us, to the world you love.” Update on services Although under the current government guidance communal worship is permitted, it has been decided that due to the level of COVID infection locally all services will be online only for now with a single Sunday service at 10am streamed from one of our churches. It was so good to be in such company last week, and to welcome newcomers and visitors from across the globe. This weekend: 10:00am Morning worship streamed from St Thomas’ by Zoom The Zoom link for the service is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82661277602?pwd=cHZiK2hNdFJsanl2WW5POUE yWUs4UT09 If you enter Zoom directly: Meeting ID: 826 6127 7602 and Passcode: 038739. For those who are not able to join us in church or by Zoom on Sunday morning it is our hope that you will be able to take time to stop, find a special place, switch off all distractions, light a candle perhaps, and join in spirit, and by God’s Spirit worship and be built up together.
Transcript
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Sunday 17th January Epiphany 2
Welcome to Church
In this season of Epiphany, we celebrate and ponder all that is revealed and shown in Jesus. “O God, may your saving light and love shine in us and through us, to the world you love.”
Update on services
Although under the current government
guidance communal worship is permitted, it
has been decided that due to the level of
COVID infection locally all services will be online only for now with a
single Sunday service at 10am streamed from one of our churches.
It was so good to be in such company last week, and to welcome
newcomers and visitors from across the globe.
This weekend:
10:00am Morning worship streamed from St Thomas’ by Zoom The Zoom link for the service is
Suggested wording for you to say: This is the day which the Lord has made….
We will rejoice and be glad in it.
The Lord is here, His Spirit is with us.
Lord Jesus, lead us as we come before you now.
The Collect
Almighty God, in Christ you make all things new: transform the poverty of our nature by the riches of your grace, and in the renewal of our lives make known your heavenly glory; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Psalm 139: 1-5, 12-18 1 O Lord, you have searched me out and known me; you know my sitting down and my rising up; you discern my thoughts from afar. 2 You mark out my journeys and my resting place and are acquainted with all my ways. 3 For there is not a word on my tongue, but you, O Lord, know it altogether. 4 You encompass me behind and before and lay your hand upon me. 5 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, so high that I cannot attain it. … 12 For you yourself created my inmost parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 13 I thank you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvellous are your works, my soul knows well. 14 My frame was not hidden from you,
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when I was made in secret and woven in the depths of the earth. 15 Your eyes beheld my form, as yet unfinished; already in your book were all my members written, 16 As day by day they were fashioned when as yet there was none of them. 17 How deep are your counsels to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! 18 If I count them, they are more in number than the sand, and at the end, I am still in your presence.
Readings Our readings today are 1 Sam. 3: 1-end, Psalm 139: 1-5, 12-18 and John 1: 43-end.
Ben has written a reflection on the reading from John:
What is the first thing Jesus says in John’s gospel?
This wonderful book, which most of us know the start of so well, read at carol
services, starts… “In the beginning was the Word….” But what are the first words
recorded of The Word?
Well, when John the Baptist has seen God’s Spirit descending on Jesus he
realises He is the Son of God, the one he has been pointing towards. John points
two of his own disciples towards Jesus and says “He is the Lamb of God”. As they
follow Jesus, Jesus turns and speaks:
“What do you seek?”
That is a brilliant question for all of us to face and to answer – now, at this New
Year, and now at, we hope, a turning point in the struggle with the virus.
What do you seek? It may be any number of things we desire, or aspire to:
freedom to shop, go on a train, go to Pick- a Flick, invite people to your house for
tea…..? All good things. But I suspect they will all leave us hungry again once we
have got used to them.
Andrew and Peter, Philip and Nathaniel were all wanting to know God, wanting to
find his way. Probably, because we are reading this, we do too.
Good old Andrew and Peter were perhaps deeper than us. They in turn ask
Jesus, as you might of any potential rabbi, “Where are you dwelling?” This is
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another great question. Effectively asking, where are you putting your foundations
down?
Jesus answered “Come and see.” His second phrase. I suspect both are
important.
I believe Jesus is a good companion to dwell and travel with, even to shop with,
share time and food with, and He will show us where he puts his roots. He
showed them a life, totally dwelling and in-tune with God in everything.
Later they asked him “Lord teach us to pray as you do”, and he taught them the
“Our Father”.
Can we honestly ask ourselves those questions, “What are you truly desiring?”
“Where do you dwell?”
And can we trust him enough to follow and in turn invite others to Come and See,
to invite them with us to explore praying, and learn together to dwell in God.
“The Prayer Course” with its social interaction and watching of short videos and
honest talking may be an opportunity to deepen your own resolve and dwelling in
God.
Please feel free to ask questions and “Come and See”.
Hymn O for a closer walk with God,
A calm and heavenly frame,
A light to shine upon the road
That leads me to the Lamb.
What peaceful hours I once enjoyed!
How sweet their memory still!
But they have left an aching void
The world can never fill.
Return, O holy Dove, return,
Sweet messenger of rest!
I hate the sins that made Thee mourn
And drove Thee from my breast.
The dearest idol I have known,
Whate’er that idol be,
Help me to tear it from Thy throne,
And worship only Thee!
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So shall my walk be close with God,
Calm and serene my frame;
So purer light shall mark the road
That leads me to the Lamb.
Prayers for this week Thank you to Sally Horton for this week’s prayers.
Let us pray to God,
who alone makes us dwell in safety:
For all who are affected by coronavirus,
through illness or isolation or anxiety,
that they may find relief and recovery:
Lord, hear us,
Lord, graciously hear us.
For those who are guiding our nation at this time,
and shaping national policies,
that they may make wise decisions:
Lord, hear us,
Lord, graciously hear us.
For doctors, nurses and medical researchers,
that through their skill and insights
many will be restored to health.
We give thanks for the arrival of vaccines,
that will ultimately alleviate the present situation:
Lord, hear us,
Lord, graciously hear us.
For the vulnerable and the fearful,
for the gravely ill and the dying,
that they may know your comfort and peace:
Lord, hear us,
Lord, graciously hear us.
We commend ourselves, and all for whom we pray,
to the mercy and protection of God.
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Merciful Father,
accept these prayers for the sake of your Son,
our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Amen.
How do we remain human? How do we foster the divine image in
us? We have some rich, full offerings for you for this winter-time and spring:
We invite you to join a fortnightly group who meet online / by smartphone for
an hour. Between meetings we will watch a 20 minute video on prayer and
the depths of the Lord’s Prayer, which we will discuss – talking, listening and
learning together.
This is going to replace our Lent Groups this year. Give it a go, sign up.
If you need help on the tech side we can talk you through step by step over
the phone or arrange for someone to come to you door and do it for you.
Homegroups: Starting in January 2021 What: The Prayer Course
