Welcome to our online service - 20 November
This service sheet can be used individually or with households.
We would encourage you to say (or even sing) hymns and songs out loud.
Prayers, other liturgy or readings can be said out loud or silently, corporately or individually.
If you are able, we would also like invite you to join us for our main Sunday service, 10am, live on Zoom and in the church. Even if you have never been to St Gabriel’s before we would love you to join us. Please get in touch with the vicar Alistair (vicar@saintgs.co.uk) and he will send you the Zoom details.
Please join us for public worship in the church building this Sunday at 11:30am.
SERVICE
Opening
Alleluia, alleluia.
You, Christ, are the King of glory,
the eternal Son of the Father.
Alleluia.
SING: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7w-tDjlpgk
At the name of Jesus
every knee shall bow,
every tongue confess Him
King of glory now.
'Tis the Father's pleasure
we should call Him Lord,
who from the beginning
was the mighty Word.
2. Mighty and mysterious
in the highest height,
God from everlasting,
was Light of light.
In the Father's bosom,
with the Spirits blest,
love, in love eternal,
rest, in perfect rest.
3. Humbled for a season,
to receive a name
from the lips of sinners
unto whom he came;
faithfully he bore it
spotless to the last,
brought it back victorious
when from death he passed.
4. Brothers, this Lord Jesus
shall return again,
with his Father’s glory,
with his angel-train;
for all wreaths of empire
meet upon his brow,
and our hearts confess him
King of Glory now.
Caroline Noel (1817-77)
CONFESSION
Jesus says, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.’ So let us turn away from sin and turn to Christ, confessing our sins in penitence and faith.
[This morning we use the words of Psalm 130 to draws us to confession, forgiveness and absolution]
Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord;
Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy.
If you, Lord, kept a record of sins,
Lord, who could stand?
[Take a moment of silence to ask God to speak to your heart about anything you should ask forgiveness for.]
But with you there is forgiveness,
so that we can, with reverence, serve you.
I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,
and in his word I put my hope.
I wait for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.
[Take a moment of silence to receive God’s forgiveness.]
Israel, put your hope in the Lord,
for with the Lord is unfailing love
and with him is full redemption.
He himself will redeem Israel
from all their sins.
Amen
COLLECT
God the Father,
help us to hear the call of Christ the King
and to follow in his service,
whose kingdom has no end;
for he reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, one glory. Amen
SING: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejClBRsvkUM
COME AND SEE, come and see,
Come and see the King of love;
See the purple robe and crown of thorns He wears.
Soldiers mock, rulers sneer,
As He lifts the cruel cross;
Lone and friendless now He climbs towards the hill.
We worship at Your feet,
Where wrath and mercy meet,
And a guilty world is washed
By love’s pure stream.
For us He was made sin—
Oh, help me take it in.
Deep wounds of love cry out
‘Father, forgive.’
I worship, I worship,
The Lamb who was slain.
Come and weep, come and mourn
For your sin that pierced Him there;
So much deeper than the wounds of thorn and nail.
All our pride, all our greed,
All our fallenness and shame;
And the Lord has laid the punishment on Him.
We worship at Your feet...
Man of heaven, born to earth
To restore us to Your heaven,
Here we bow in awe beneath Your searching eyes.
From Your tears comes our joy,
From Your death our life shall spring;
By Your resurrection power we shall rise.
We worship at Your feet...
Graham Kendrick.
Copyright © 1989 Make Way Music.
Colossians 1: 11-20 New Living Translation
We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light. For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.
Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.
He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,
for through him God created everything
in the heavenly realms and on earth.
He made the things we can see
and the things we can’t see—
such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.
Everything was created through him and for him.
He existed before anything else,
and he holds all creation together.
Christ is also the head of the church,
which is his body.
He is the beginning,
supreme over all who rise from the dead.
So he is first in everything.
For God in all his fullness
was pleased to live in Christ,
and through him God reconciled
everything to himself.
He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth
by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.
Luke 23: 33-43 New Living Translation
When they came to a place called The Skull, they nailed him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified—one on his right and one on his left.
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice.
The crowd watched and the leaders scoffed. “He saved others,” they said, “let him save himself if he is really God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.” The soldiers mocked him, too, by offering him a drink of sour wine. They called out to him, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” A sign was fastened above him with these words: “This is the King of the Jews.”
One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!”
But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.”
And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
TALK by Catherine Stevenson
Today is the Sunday before Advent and I wonder whether you know that the church calendar is not the same as the one we commonly follow. In the church calendar, the new year begins at Advent, with the hope of the coming Messiah, and it ends with the Feast of Christ the King - a proclamation of Christ’s sovereign rule over all creation. So today - the Sunday before Advent, we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King.
Knowing that I was going to be speaking today, the idea of Kingship has been on my mind for a couple of weeks. This year, for the first time in 70 years, we have a King on the throne, instead of a Queen. The National Anthem once again says, ‘God save the King’.
Every now and then I try to get out for a walk in the Peaks by myself, just to spend some time with God, to pray and listen and just be with Him. Last week, as I was walking on Higger Tor the wind was blowing hard, and walking in straight line was a bit of a challenge. At times like that, I can’t help but think about how powerful God is, and how small and helpless I am by comparison. As I was walking, or perhaps more accurately stumbling on, I considered what kind of King Jesus is, and what it means to serve him. And those are the questions I’m going to explore this morning.
Firstly, what kind of King is Jesus?
Our passage this morning from Colossians 1 is part of a letter that the Apostle Paul and his co-worker Timothy wrote to the church at Colossae, a small city in modern day Turkey. Paul had not actually visited Colossae, but had received reports from Epaphras, the missionary who founded the church. Paul speaks positively of the Colossian Christians’ faith, love, and hope (1:4-5) and acknowledges that the Good News is bearing fruit and growing in them (1:6). However, Epaphras has apparently brought Paul news of serious problems at Colossae—problems with false teachings. So Paul writes to help the Colossians deal with those problems (see especially 2:4, 8, 13-16, 18; 3:5, 8, 18—4:1). While Paul addresses these problems one by one, he begins by grounding the Colossian Christians solidly in the basics of the faith, with Christ at the centre (1:15-20).
Paul’s strategy was to fill these Colossian Christians with true beliefs, so that untrue beliefs wouldn’t find a place in their hearts —in much the same way that a home-owner nurtures the growth of grass on their lawn to prevent weeds from finding a place to grow.
We might also use the North Star as a metaphor here. People who navigate by the stars find the North Star especially helpful. If they can get a “fix” on the North Star, that will help them to orient themselves so that they will know where they are and in what direction they are heading. They can use that knowledge to steer away from dangerous rocks, and to guide their ship to its destination. In this letter to the Colossians, Paul establishes Christ as their North Star—the fixed point in the sky by which they can navigate dependably—the truth who will help them to avoid the many falsehoods that threaten to lead them astray.
Paul’s encouragement for the Colossians speaks in the same way to us today. It is a call to grow in the knowledge and love of Jesus, and to put Jesus at the very centre of our lives - to make Him our North Star, our starting point, our constant guide, our light, our joy and our hope.
Verses 15-20 of our passage form a hymn or poem which is crammed with rich imagery taken from Genesis, Exodus, Psalms and Proverbs. In it Paul states twelve ways that Jesus Christ is superior to all created things. He writes that Christ is:
• The image of the invisible God (v. 15a).
• Supreme over all creation (v. 15b).
• The one by whom all things were created (v. 16).
• The one who is before all things (v. 17a).
• The one who holds all things together (v. 17b).
• The head of the body, the church (v. 18a)
• The beginning (v. 18b).
• Supreme over all who rise from the dead (v. 18c).
• First in everything (v. 18d).
• The one in whom all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell (v. 19).
• The one through whom God has chosen to reconcile all things (v. 20a).
• The one who has made peace through the blood of his cross (v. 20b).
These descriptions form two parallel ideas in which Jesus is shown to be the supreme over all creation (v15) and supreme over those who raise from the dead (v18). He is therefore the author-King of both the first creation, and of the new creation which began with him rising from the dead. He was not the first person in history to rise from the dead - after all he himself brought Jairus’s daughter and Lazarus back to life. But they would one day die again. In contrast to this, Jesus, when he rose from the dead, inhabited a body which would never die again. He’s alive, and always will be. He was therefore the first, the supreme one among this new creation which He is bringing into being. As Psalm 103 puts it, “The LORD has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.” Jesus is the King of Kings.
In Colossians 1, Paul took time to remind the church of the basics of their faith; a faith centred on the person on Jesus. So I’m going to follow his lead. Both the Old and New Testaments are laden with names, descriptions and metaphors for Jesus, which help us to understand who he is. Drawing from these passages, Dr S.M.Lockridge wrote an incredible poetical sermon on Christ as His King, which is incredibly powerful, and I’m going to share some of it with you now.
My King
The Bible says
He’s the King of the Jews
He’s the King of Israel
He’s the King of Righteousness
He’s the King of the Ages
He’s the King of Heaven
He’s the King of Glory
He’s the King of Kings
and He is the Lord of Lords
Now that’s my King!
David says:
The Heavens declare the glory of God
And the firmament showeth His handiwork
No means of measure can define His limitless love
No far seeing telescope can bring into visibility the coastline of His shoreless supply
No barriers can hinder Him from pouring out His blessing
He’s enduringly strong
He’s entirely sincere
He’s eternally steadfast
He’s immortally graceful
He’s imperially powerful
He’s impartially merciful
That’s my King!
Do you know Him today?
He’s God’s Son
He’s the sinners’ Saviour
He’s the centrepiece of civilisation
He stands alone in Himself
He’s august
He’s unique
He’s unparalleled
He’s unprecedented
He’s supreme
He’s pre-eminent
He’s the loftiest idea in literature
He’s the highest personality in philosophy
That’s my King!
He’s the miracle of the age
He’s the superlative of everything good that you choose to call Him
He’s the only one able to supply all of our needs simultaneously
He supplies strength for the weak
He’s available for the tempted and the tried
He sympathises and He saves
He guards and He guides
He heals the sick
He cleansed the lepers
He forgives sinners
He discharges debtors
He delivers the captives
He defends the feeble
He blesses the young
He serves the unfortunate
He regards the aged
He rewards the diligent
And He beautifies the meek
Do you know Him?
My King is the key of knowledge
He’s the wellspring of wisdom
He’s the doorway of deliverance
He’s the pathway of peace
He’s the roadway of righteousness
He’s the highway of holiness
He’s the gateway of glory
He’s the master of the mighty
He’s the captain of the conquerors
He’s the head of the heroes
He’s the leader of the legislators
He’s the overseer of the overcomers
He’s the governor of governors
He’s the prince of princes
He’s the King of Kings
And He’s the Lord of Lords
That’s my King!
Do you know Him?
His office is manifold
His promise is sure
His life is matchless
His goodness is limitless
His mercy is everlasting
His love never changes
His word is enough
His grace is sufficient
His reign is righteous
His yoke is easy
and His burden is light
I wish I could describe Him to you
He’s indescribable
He’s incomprehensible
He’s invincible
He’s irresistible
The heaven of heavens cannot contain Him
Let alone a man explain Him
You can’t get Him out of your mind
You can’t get Him off of your hands
You can’t outlive Him
And you can’t live without Him
The Pharisees couldn’t stand Him
but they found out they couldn’t stop Him
Pilate couldn’t find any fault in Him
The witnesses couldn’t get their testimonies to agree
Herod couldn’t kill Him
Death couldn’t handle Him
And the grave couldn’t hold Him
That’s my King!
He always has been
And He always will be
He had no predecessor
and He’ll have no successor
There was nobody before Him
and there’ll be nobody after Him
You can’t impeach Him
and He’s not going to resign
That’s my King!
Do you know Him?
Praise the Lord
That’s my King
Thine is the Kingdom
And the power
And the glory
For ever
And ever
And ever
And when you get through with all of the forevers
Then
Amen
Amen! What an incredible description of the King of Kings. I wonder whether you noticed that it was punctuated every now and then with a question:
‘Do you know Him?’
Perhaps the only thing more astounding than the person of Jesus, is that he is knowable. That Christ the King, the supreme one, the creator and sustainer of all things, can be known by us, and that He wants us to be in relationship with Him!
Like the man we heard about in Luke 23, who was crucified beside Jesus, all we need to do is see him for who he is, and accept his free offer of forgiveness and redemption. Whist that man was reconciled to God and invited into heaven, he was right at the very end of his life. We here today have the incredible opportunity to live our lives with Jesus, alongside Him, knowing Him. That doesn’t mean that our lives will be easy, but it will mean we are never alone, and that we have the creator of the universe, the King of Kings as our constant companion, sustainer and guide.
So how can we serve our King?
As Paul was urging the Colossian church, we must grow in the knowledge and love of Jesus. We can do this in many ways, but perhaps most importantly by dwelling on Scripture, praying with an open heart and asking the Holy Spirit to be at work in our lives. Lets ask ourselves, which of these things could we do more of?
On Thursday night I heard the story of a family who lived in quite a rural part of Canada, on the edge of a village in the mountains. At the bottom of their garden was a forest, and in the forest lived an old man who was a recluse. He rarely ventured out and over time rumours about him grew and some children were scared to go near the forest, as they’d heard the man would eat children under the age of ten.
Despite all the whispers and rumours, every year at Christmas, the dad of that family would take some bags of fresh groceries as a gift to the old man in the woods. But one year, the dad said to his boy, “son, the bags are too heavy for me this year, please can you come with me and to help deliver them.” Well, the boy was distraught! He thought ‘how could he ask me to go with him? Doesn’t he love me? Doesn’t he care that I’ll get eaten?’. But despite all these worries, he dutifully went with his dad.
That year snow had fallen on Christmas Eve, so they trudged through the snow, holding tightly to the bags as they went. When they got into the forest, they walked for nearly half an hour up a hill covered in trees before they saw smoke rising from a tiny cabin in a small clearing below. The boy’s heart started racing. This was it. Soon they reached the cabin and as his dad knocked on the door, the boy silently prayed that no one would answer. But moments later the door creaked open and they were invited in. The boy reluctantly followed his dad inside. His dad was smiling and wishing the man a Merry Christmas. He said, “We’ve brought you these gifts because we love you, and Christmas is a time for sharing”. The boy who had been staring hard at the floor, tentatively lifted his gaze and was shocked to see tears in the eyes of the old man. He laid a hand on the shoulder of the boy’s dad and said, “Thank you. You are a bearer of hope”.
What a wonderful thing to be to someone - a bearer of hope. Jesus came into the world as the ultimate bearer of hope; the one who would save humanity, restoring our relationship with God. We find ourselves living in a time of suffering and fear. Yet we know, there is hope in Jesus.
So how can we serve our King? By becoming bearers of hope.
Let me take you back to that picture of me on my walk at Higger Tor last week. As I was reflecting on the Kingship of Jesus, I thought of all the other Kings, Emperors, Presidents, Prime Ministers and world leaders of the past and present. Some have been good leaders, many have been bad. None have been perfect, bar one, the King who was crowned with thorns. If I could choose to serve under any King in all of history, it would be Jesus. How privileged am I, how privileged are we, that we can and do serve that King? There is no-one higher, there is no one greater, there is no one as good, no one so full of love, as our King Jesus.
What will you give today, this week, this year, in service of our King?
THE APOSTLES’ CREED
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth
I believe in Jesus Christ,
his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand
of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen
O LORD, HEAR MY PRAYER,
O Lord, hear my prayer:
When I call answer me.
O Lord, hear my prayer,
O Lord, hear my prayer:
Come and listen to me.
Jacques Berthier/Taizé.
Copyright © 1982 Ateliers et Presses de Taize (France).
PRAYERS - written by Jo Chamberlain
We’re nearly at Advent and the approach to Christmas. But not quite. Today is Christ the King, time to remember that Jesus really does have the whole world in his hands, where he reigns with peace and justice, mercy and love.
Sovereign Lord
We give thanks that you are king of all creation, this world, this universe, and that despite the many things that trouble us and are not right with this world, in you everything is held together. We bring to you now the troubles that are on our hearts. In this week where there has been a new budget, we are not reassured because we know that difficult times still lie ahead. Bring peace to anyone in our congregation who is worried, help them to find a way through and to reach out for the help they need. Help us to offer help to those who need it. We pray for organisations in Sheffield helping people through these tough times, such as the food banks, Baby Basics, Roundabout and other homeless services, and pray for all those who will be in need of their care this winter.
May your kingdom come ALL: Lord, hear our prayer
Sovereign Lord
We pray for all those who lead our church, for Alistair, for Rachel and the PCC, for our new focal ministers soon to be commissioned, Catherine, Linda and Peter. Give them wisdom and inspiration as they all seek to serve you, to fulfil their calling and lead St Gabriel’s into the future. We pray the same for those who lead in the diocese, Bishops Pete and Sophie, Archdeacons Malcolm and Javaid and all those who support the mission and ministry of Sheffield Diocese.
May your kingdom come ALL: Lord, hear our prayer
This weekend is the end of the climate conference, COP27
Sovereign Lord
We give thanks the world leaders have again given their attention to trying to solve the problems caused by climate change. We pray for safe return of all those taking part, and for them to return with a strong resolve to fulfil the promises made in the pages of the finally agreed text. We pray that governments will continue to be ambitious in reducing carbon emissions. We pray that well-off countries and businesses that have contributed the most to climate change will take responsibility and give money to countries and communities that are facing devastating impacts already. And we pray that all of us will not lose hope that we can keep 1.5 alive, that there is still time to make a difference
May your kingdom come ALL: Lord, hear our prayer
Today is also Safeguarding Sunday, and this is a special prayer for today
Dear God,
Help us to be a church that:
Loves, welcomes, protects.
Listens, learns, serves.
Repents, restores, transforms.
Values, cares, believes.
God of justice and compassion, hear our prayer.
Help us, heal us, guide us, we pray.
In Jesus name. Amen.
And finally a traditional prayer for us all, and a reminder to make your Christmas pud:
Stir up Sunday
Stir up, O Lord,
the wills of your faithful people,
that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works,
may by you be plenteously rewarded;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your Kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those
who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever.
Amen
SING: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jABSW-UuT1o
My Jesus, my Saviour,
Lord, there is none like you;
all of my days I want to praise
the wonders of your mighty love.
My comfort, my shelter,
tower of refuge and strength,
let every breath, all that I am
never cease to worship you.
Shout to the Lord all the earth,
let us sing power and majesty,
praise to the King;
mountains bow down and the seas will roar at the sound of your name.
I sing for joy at the work of your hands,
forever I'll love you, forever I'll stand;
nothing compares to the promise I have in you.
(C) 1996 Kingsway Thankyou Music
OFFERTORY - Take a moment to consider how you are going to continue to give to the life of the church and support other aid agencies and mission organisations.
Yours, Lord, is the greatness, the power,
the glory, the splendour, and the majesty;
for everything in heaven and on earth is yours.
All things come from you, and of your own do we give you.
SING: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGnpfYqwO8k
King of Kings, Majesty.
God of heaven living in me.
Gentle saviour, closest friend,
strong deliverer, beginning and end.
All within me falls at your throne.
Your Majesty, I can but bow,
I lay my all before you now.
In royal robes I don't deserve,
I live to serve your Majesty.
2. Earth and heaven worship you,
love eternal, faithful and true.
Who bought the nations, ransomed souls,
brought this sinner near to your throne.
All within me cries out in praise.
Your Majesty …………..
Jarrod Cooper © 1996 Sovereign Lifestyle Music
FINAL BLESSING:
God the Father,
who has given to his Son the name above every name,
strengthen you to proclaim Christ Jesus as Lord. Amen.
God the Son,
who is our great high priest passed into the heavens,
plead for you at the right hand of the Father. Amen.
God the Holy Spirit,
who pours out his abundant gifts upon the Church,
make you faithful servants of Christ our King. Amen.
And the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among us and remain with us always. Amen