Welcome to our service - 29 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. Even if you have never been to St Gabriel’s before we would love you to join you. Please get in touch with the vicar Alistair (vicar@saintgs.co.uk) and he will send you the Zoom details.
Due to the lockdown there will be no service in the church at 11:30 am. You are invited to come to church at the same time for private prayer between 11:30 - 12:30.
SERVICE
Opening
Alleluia, alleluia.
Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,
and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
Alleluia, alleluia.
SING:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRAFQCOkjgE
Come, Thou long-expected Jesus,
born to set Thy people free;
from our fears and sins release us;
let us find our rest in Thee.
2. Israel's strength and consolation,
hope of all the earth Thou art;
dear desire of every nation,
joy of every longing heart.
3. Born Thy people to deliver;
born a child, and yet a King;
born to reign in us for ever;
now Thy gracious kingdom bring.
4. By Thine own eternal Spirit
rule in all our hearts alone;
by Thine all-sufficient merit
raise us to Thy glorious throne.
Charles Wesley (1707-88)
CONFESSION
When the Lord comes, he will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness, and will disclose the purposes of the heart.
Therefore in the light of Christ let us confess our sins.
Turn to us again, O God our saviour,
and let your anger cease from us:
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Show us your compassion, O Lord,
and grant us your salvation:
Christ, have mercy
Christ, have mercy.
Your salvation is near for those that fear you,
that glory may dwell in our land:
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
ABSOLUTION
May the God of all healing and forgiveness
draw us to himself
and cleanse us from all our sins,
that we may behold the glory of his Son,
the Word made flesh,
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
COLLECT
Almighty God,
as your kingdom dawns,
turn us from the darkness of sin to the
light of holiness,
that we may be ready to meet you
in our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen
SING: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEtsHWFE6-w
CHANGE MY HEART, O GOD,
Make it ever true;
Change my heart, O God,
May I be like You.
You are the potter,
I am the clay;
Mould me and make me,
This is what I pray.
Eddie Espinosa.
Copyright © 1982 Mercy/Vineyard Publishing/ Adm. Song Solutions CopyCare
READINGS
Isaiah 64:1-9 New International Version - UK
Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down,
that the mountains would tremble before you!
As when fire sets twigs ablaze
and causes water to boil,
come down to make your name known to your enemies
and cause the nations to quake before you!
For when you did awesome things that we did not expect,
you came down, and the mountains trembled before you.
Since ancient times no one has heard,
no ear has perceived,
no eye has seen any God besides you,
who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.
You come to the help of those who gladly do right,
who remember your ways.
But when we continued to sin against them,
you were angry.
How then can we be saved?
All of us have become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf,
and like the wind our sins sweep us away.
No one calls on your name
or strives to lay hold of you;
for you have hidden your face from us
and have given us over to our sins.
Yet you, Lord, are our Father.
We are the clay, you are the potter;
we are all the work of your hand.
Do not be angry beyond measure, Lord;
do not remember our sins for ever.
Oh, look upon us we pray,
for we are all your people.
Mark 13:24-37 New International Version - UK
‘But in those days, following that distress,
‘“the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.”
‘At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.
‘Now learn this lesson from the fig-tree: as soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
‘But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. It’s like a man going away: he leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.
‘Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back – whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the cock crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: “Watch!”’
TALK by Peter Smithers
Pollution, global warming, pandemics, possibly even nuclear war… These days we are looking more and more at the possibility that the world as we know it could no longer be around for our children and grand-children. And even if we escape all that, the sun will one day turn into a red giant and swallow up the earth. It’s all very depressing.
In the words of Jesus that we’re looking at here we see frightening apocalyptic pictures: “the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light” (verse 24). Is that referring to volcanic clouds as from Krakatoa in 1883 and the Icelandic volcanoes ten years ago? Or the smoke from forest fires? I don’t know. “The stars will fall from the sky” (verse 25). Is that referring to something similar to the meteor that hit Siberia in 1908? Or satellites and space junk falling to earth? Again I don’t know.
But what is very clear from Jesus’ words here is that at some stage, when our world is in a mess, he’s going to be back here in person - and things are going to change. And we’ve got to be ready for it, because it could be tomorrow.
Here Jesus is talking to his disciples shortly before his death. They are at the beginning of this in-between time after the first Christmas (Jesus’ first coming) and the end of life as we know it (Jesus’ second coming). They are in what is sometimes called the ‘now and the not yet’. And we’re in that ‘now and not yet’ too. Jesus has come and the world is already being changed as a result. But the complete change is yet to come. We’ve got to wait for that. We who have put our trust in Jesus are God’s children. But the time when is yet to come when we experience the fullness of God’s love and when others can see us showing the character that, as his children, we should be able to display in everything we do and are. We live in this tension. We’re like children waiting for Christmas. We know it’s coming soon (though the days count down oh so slowly), but it’s not here yet. The tree’s up, there are presents under it with our names on them - we may have even found out what they feel like or whether they rattle when we shake them. They are ours, but not yet for us to experience fully yet.
The word that Jesus uses for us in this situation is ‘elect’. He uses it three times in this chapter (verses 20, 22, 27). That’s a word we’ve been hearing a lot in the news recently. Jo Biden is the president-elect of the United States. The voting’s done, he’s got the majority, he’s getting presidential security briefings, he’s planning for a strong response to Covid. But, until January 20th, he has to wait for the fulness of the presidential experience. That’s where we are. At the moment we know we’re loved by God - not because of anything we’ve achieved, but because he loved the world so much that he gave his son… and we’ve chosen to accept that gift. We seek to live for him, but we’re operating with limitations - we’re learning on the job, we’re slow to get things right, we’re living with our many weaknesses. But that won’t last forever.
In a picture that Jesus paints here we are also described as “his servants… each with their assigned task” (verse 34). We’re waiting, but we’re not here to twiddle out thumbs. God’s got jobs for us to do. Each of us have different jobs. They are specific to who we are. We’re not waiting for ‘pie in the sky when we die’, but experiencing now ‘purpose as we go here below’. What tasks has God set for us? Big or little, are we doing them? We don’t do these because of a carrot or a stick. We do them because of what we are: we are “his”. We belong to him - the most wonderful master that anyone can have. We are “his servants”. This is what defines who we are. When we serve God, we are not earning brownie points, we are not avoiding his wrath - we’re doing exactly what we individually are designed and destined for.
Another concept that appears repeatedly in Jesus’ words recorded here is that of watching:
keep watch (verses 34,35,37). The original word for this also means ‘keep awake’, ‘keep your eyes open’
be alert (verse 33). The Greek for this means ‘keep awake’ too
be on your guard (verses 23, 33). This also means ‘keep looking’
… a total of six references in about twenty sentences
Jesus gives us no permission to take it easy and go to sleep. We are to be alert to the situation around us. We are to look for opportunities to serve in whatever ways we can, to see what is happening around us and respond in the way that God would want us to. We are to guard against forgetting who we are - someone who is loved by Jesus and belongs to him - the one who’s going to transform us at the end of time and has started that transformation in the here and now.
A song that I have recently come to really appreciate says:
You’re a good, good father
It’s who you are, it’s who you are
And I’m loved by you
It’s who I am, it’s who I am
Let’s then “become who we are”,
elect - those privileged to be chosen by God,
God’s servants - uniquely equipped to do the work he has given us
watchers - always looking
Amen.
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 John Gough
Heavenly Father this first Sunday of Advent we pray and give thanks as we look forward to the celebration of the birth of our lord Jesus. He was born at a time of violence, oppression and slavery, poverty sickness and disease. How the world has changed since then with the the technological advancements that mankind has made yet we still see the same struggles of violence, oppression, slavery, poverty sickness and disease. We pray that you will pour out your spirit on our world and bring peace and healing.
Lord we continue to pray for our world and the struggle with the Covid Virus. We thank you for all the work that is being done by the scientists in the production of Vaccines. The latest news from America and here in Britain brings hope that the tide will turn soon with mass immunisation programs that will bring hope and healing. We ask that your hand be in the midst of all that is taking place and that the whole world can eventually be provided with vaccines. Let us care for one another and not seek to profit out of such adversity that has taken place throughout this year.
Lord we give thanks that change is finally taking place in America as the new administration begins to put things in place for the start of the new presidency in January. We hope and pray that treaties that have been walked away from can be looked at again and positive agreements be put in place again. We pray for peace and acceptance in America of the new administration and that the people are brought together and not split apart with hatred or violence.
Lord we pray for our country and especially all the preparations that will take place for Christmas. We ask that all the precautions of the tier systems will be followed and the days over Christmas when limited households can meet will be not be taken advantage of. It has been a difficult year for everyone and the chance for some people will be to let go of everything for the sake of a few days celebration, we hope and pray that the infection rates will not rise as high as is feared. Be close to us all lord and grant wisdom in all our decision making this Christmas time.
Lord we pray for our church here in Greystones. We are so grateful that we have the technology for the Zoom services to take place that has enabled us to continue worshiping you. We pray that other families in our parish will link up to zoom and from this they would want to know more about you and our church family here. We praise and thank you for all the work that has been done in preparation for our services through advent and Christmas, we pray for blessing on all of our worship especially Mission partnership, family adventure, the nativity trail and the Christmas day services.
We continue to pray for the sick, the house bound, all who have had bereavement and for all that are on our hearts at this time.
We ask that you will bless and heal them and surround them with your loving arms lord.
And in finishing I am using words of the late 19th early 20th century evangelist smith wigglesworth, with the beginning taken from 1 john 1: verse 7.
If we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. Look to the coming of the Lord. Be at peace, live in peace, forgive, and learn how to forgive. Never bear malice; don`t hold any grudge against anybody. Forgive everybody. It does not matter whether they forgive you or not, you must forgive them. Live in forgiveness; live in repentance; live wholeheartedly. Set you house in order, for God`s Son is coming to take what is in the house. 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=alCQ7fb0hEA
MAKE WAY, make way, for Christ the King
In splendour arrives.
Fling wide the gates and welcome Him
Into your lives.
Make way! (Make way!)
Make way! (Make way!)
For the King of kings.
(For the King of kings.)
Make way! (Make way!)
Make way! (Make way!)
And let His kingdom in.
He comes the broken hearts to heal,
The prisoners to free.
The deaf shall hear, the lame shall dance,
The blind shall see.
Make way! (Make way!)....
And those who mourn with heavy hearts,
Who weep and sigh;
With laughter, joy and royal crown
He’ll beautify.
Make way! (Make way!)....
We call you now to worship Him
As Lord of all.
To have no gods before Him,
Their thrones must fall!
Make way! (Make way!)....
Graham Kendrick.
Copyright © 1986 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=DXDGE_lRI0E
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
O my soul,
worship His holy name.
Sing like never before,
O my soul.
I'll worship Your holy name.
The sun comes up,
it's a new day dawning.
It's time to sing Your song again.
Whatever may pass,
and whatever lies before me,
let me be singing
when the evening comes.
Bless the Lord, O my soul….
You're rich in love,
and You're slow to anger,
your name is great,
and Your heart is kind.
For all Your goodness
I will keep on singing
ten thousand reasons
for my heart to find.
Bless the Lord, O my soul….
And on that day
when my strength is failing,
the end draws near
and my time has come,
still my soul will sing
your praise unending
ten thousand years
and then forevermore.
Bless the Lord, O my soul….
© Matt Redman & Jonas Myrin
FINAL BLESSING:
Christ the Sun of Righteousness shine upon you, scatter the darkness from before your path, and make you ready to meet him when he comes in glory;
And the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among us and remain with us always. Amen