Welcome to our service - 6 December
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
Opening
Jesus Christ is the light of the world;
Jesus is our Way.
With Jesus even dark places are light;
Jesus is the Truth.
In Jesus we shall live for ever;
Jesus is our Life.
SING:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=en0sv1jeDws
Lo! he comes with clouds descending,
once for favoured sinners slain:
thousand thousand saints attending,
swell the triumph of His train;
Hallelujah! hallelujah, hallelujah!
God appears on earth to reign.
2. Every eye shall now behold Him
robed in dreadful majesty;
those who set at nought and sold Him,
pierced, and nailed Him to the tree,
deeply wailing, deeply wailing, deeply wailing
shall the true Messiah see.
3. Now redemption, long expected,
see in solemn pomp appear!
All His saints, by man rejected,
now shall meet Him in the air.
Hallelujah! hallelujah, hallelujah!
see the day of God appear.
4. Yea, Amen! let all adore Thee
high on Thy eternal throne;
Saviour, take the power and glory,
claim the kingdom of Thine own
Hallelujah! hallelujah, hallelujah!
everlasting God come down!
Words: Charles Wesley (1707-1788)
Music: 18th C English melody
CONFESSION
We worship today to proclaim and receive in our hearts the good news of the coming of God’s kingdom, and so prepare ourselves to celebrate with confidence and joy the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. We pray that we may respond in penitence and faith to the glory of his kingdom, its works of justice and its promise of peace, its blessing and its hope.
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.
Lord of grace and truth,
we confess our unworthiness
to stand in your presence as your children.
We have sinned:
forgive and heal us.
The Virgin Mary accepted your call
to be the mother of Jesus.
Forgive our disobedience to your will.
We have sinned:
forgive and heal us.
Your Son our Saviour
was born in poverty in a manger.
Forgive our greed and rejection of your ways.
We have sinned:
forgive and heal us.
The shepherds left their flocks
to go to Bethlehem.
Forgive our self-interest and lack of vision.
We have sinned:
forgive and heal us.
The wise men followed the star
to find Jesus the King.
Forgive our reluctance to seek you.
We have sinned:
forgive and heal us.
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,
purify our hearts and minds,
that when your Son Jesus Christ comes again as
judge and saviour
we may be ready to receive him,
who is our Lord and our God.
SING:
These are the days of Elijah,
Declaring the word of the Lord;
And these are the days of your servant, Moses,
Righteousness being restored.
And though these are days of great trial,
Of famine and darkness and sword,
Still we are the voice in the desert crying,
‘Prepare ye the way of the Lord.’
Behold he comes
Riding on the clouds,
Shining like the sun
At the trumpet call;
Lift your voice
It’s the year of jubilee,
Out of Zion’s hill
Salvation comes.
These are the days of Ezekiel,
The dry bones becoming as flesh;
And these are the days of your servant, David,
Rebuilding a temple of praise.
These are the days of the harvest,
The fields are as white in the world,
And we are the labourers in your vineyard
Declaring the word of the Lord.
Behold he comes…
Father, Son and Holy Spirit (repeat ad lib)
Behold he comes…
© Robin Mark. 1995 Daybreak Music Ltd
READINGS
2 Peter 3:8-15 New International Version - UK
But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: with the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.
Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.
So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote to you with the wisdom that God gave him.
Mark 1:1-8 New International Version - UK
The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:
‘I will send my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way’ –
‘a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
“Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.”’
And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptised by him in the River Jordan. John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt round his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. And this was his message: ‘After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I baptise you with water, but he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit.’
TALK by Alistair Stevenson
Are you a patient person? How good are you at waiting for things? How are you at waiting for Christmas? Are you waiting and holding back putting up your decorations and Christmas tree until the last days or week before Christmas or maybe you have done it already?
As we have already touched on, waiting is very much at the heart of the season of Advent.
Last week Peter spoke to us about how knowing who we are as God’s people - our identity as children of the good, good father - will enable us to actively wait - to step into the work he has given us to do in this time of now and not yet. He encouraged us to have eyes open, looking for opportunities with our eyes fixed on Jesus.
And this morning we come to this passage in Peter and as we do so I want to challenge us to be a people who are actively patient.
You’ve probably heard the joke about the young priest who rushes into the pastor’s office and says “PASTOR! The Lord has been spotted walking up the aisle of the Church. What do we do?”
The pastor looks up with alarm and says: “For crying out loud lad… look busy!”
For many people, the idea of Jesus coming again any time soon is inconceivable and if he did come let's make sure we look busy when he arrives! It has been 2000 years since Jesus returned to heaven, so it is understandable if people have given up hope that God will ever return and put the earth right.
If you feel like that, you are not alone. Many of the first Christians lived with an eager expectation that Jesus would return in their lifetime, but after just a few years some of them began to lose hope.
Just before the passage we heard read this morning the apostle Peter describes scoffers who say: ‘Where is this “coming” he promised?
It’s a question asked by many outside the church and maybe even by some within. If Jesus is real why doesn’t just appear again, show himself and put everything right?
The apostle Peters response to these questions is this:
‘But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: with the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you.’
Let’s remember that God works way beyond our understanding of time. God is not slow, instead, he is patient.
God is patient in a way that is way beyond our understanding. And why - verse 9 continues - because he is ‘not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance’. God’s agenda is salvation. It is his plan and purpose for His creation that it should be redeemed and restored. He longs to see everyone come to repentance. As the prodigal father waited patiently for the return of his lost son, so our God is waiting patiently for his prodigals to return. He wants to give every chance for people to respond to his gift of forgiveness and restoration.
As God’s people we are called then to be patient. But Peter goes on to suggest that actually, as God’s people, we have a role in God’s salvation plan. We can be actively patient.
Have you ever thought that knowing what we are waiting for changes how you wait? The way you wait for an exam, or a deadline to finish a really important piece of work, will be very different from how you wait for a holiday or a birthday. A child waiting for a Christmas present has a different attitude to a child waiting for the dentist.
At first sight, verse 10 in our passage could have a big impact, possibly a negative impact, on what we are waiting for and therefore how we wait. As Peter says: ‘the heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare’ and verse ” That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.’
For various reasons this passage has been misunderstood to mean that God is going to destroy the earth. This has fed the mistaken idea that the Christian hope consists only of a spiritual heaven. That this earthly world will simply be destroyed so why should we care about it? But that idea ignores the wider biblical picture which Peter is drawing on. The new heavens and new earth that Peter describes draws from themes in Isaiah 65 and 66 and is picked up by John in Revelation 21. The important question is, what kind of “new” are these writers describing. There is a Greek word neo which means “new” in the sense that it didn’t exist before. But this isn’t the word used in these passages. Peter and Revelation both use the word kainos, which means having a new quality about it - being “renewed” or “remade”. It is the same word which describes our transformation as Christians in 2 Corinthians 5:17 - you are a new (kainos) creation. The old sinful, broken life has gone, the renewed holy, restored life has come.
God is not planning to put the earth in the bin and start again, he is planning to refine it, remake it and renew it.
The imagery of fire in verse 10 has strong biblical foundations in the idea of a refiners fire. Refining something until the purest elements remain. God will refine the earth until only what is pure and good is left. As I look out into our world, yes I see much hurt and brokenness and evil, but I also see much that is good and pure - that has the divine touch.
In one sense, individually we are a microcosm of that process taking place. God is at work now, refining us with His Holy fire. He has made us in His image. He sees the good and pure in us now, alongside the full potential of who we could become. It’s a process that will be made complete in the future but has started now.
So the picture Peter is painting here is of God’s final judgement burning up all that is unjust, impure, ungodly, laying bare the earth until the old “order” of things has been destroyed and the original intention of God has been restored.
But Peter says something really interesting. And I want us to notice this. If you’re resting your eyes - now's the moment to take note. He asks, with all this in mind, how should it change the way we live? His answer is that we ought to live holy and godly lives. But then he says something really interesting. The NIV translates it like this: ‘as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming’.
The Greek words Peter uses for looking forward and speed, give the sense of, on the one hand, awaiting and expecting something and on the other, hastening, to urge on, to desire earnestly.
If you have ever tried to encourage a toddler back home - up the hill after a long walk - I think you will have a sense of what Peter is encouraging us to grasp. We’re ushering, encouraging, even championing. The toddler sometimes struggles to imagine, firstly that getting home is actually possible and secondly what home will look like when they get there. It’s hard for them to set their focus on the yummy hot chocolate and biscuit that is waiting for them. But as a parent, you know it’s there and you urge and encourage your toddler to take those steps up the hill and to get home.
Is Peter suggesting then that we have a role to play in bringing about God’s salvation? That we actively wait - that we urge on and usher this salvation through our holy and godly lives?
Go back with me to that idea that what we wait for changes how we wait. Catherine and I are planning a trip to Norway next summer. We are doing lots of research, looking at travel guides, even starting to book some accommodation. And as we do this we are getting more and more excited. We are starting to imagine ourselves there - imagine ourselves seeing those amazing sights, seeing the beautiful landscape, experiencing the culture, eating the food. In the same way, we are called as God’s people to plan for, to prepare and to wait for the future kingdom. If we have a heavenly, Kingdom perspective it will change how we wait. But there is a difference here that is so important and is what I think Peter is hinting at. In preparing for our trip to Norway, what if we started to eat some of the food now. What if we even went to a Nordic spa here in Sheffield, met up with Norwegians here in the UK. We would be trying to bring that future experience here in the present.
I think that is what we Peter is saying here. We are called to reach forward to that future reality of God’s Kingdom and bring it into the present. Through God’s Holy Spirit we can experience it now. We can see the values and nature of the Kingdom now. We can show others a foretaste of what the future Kingdom will look like. This was John the Baptist roles as he prepared for the first coming of Jesus. He prepared the way for the Lord and made straight paths for him. As we heard in our passage from Mark. He pointed to another and gave a foretaste of what was to come.
And isn’t that what Jesus demonstrated while he was here on earth - a foretaste of a future reality? As we do this, we in one sense are hastening and urging on God’s kingdom coming in full. The new heavens and new earth increasingly become a reality here and now.
We are not waiting for an eternity sitting on clouds, or an endless church service, or an infinite sermon. We are waiting and in fact participating in the restoration of heaven and earth, with every good thing made new and abundant life for all. The future is hurried and hastened into the present when we live lives of holiness and purity.
We should live in ways which please God, which imitate Jesus, which work for the good of his creation, which build community and society, which seek justice and fairness. We should communicate the Kingdom of God in how we speak and live and so not only proclaim it, but even somehow “speed its coming”
Do we live life with a heavenly perspective – do we live in light of Jesus’ coming again. Jesus says in Matthew 24 that we must be like a faithful and wise servant who has been given responsibility by his master for care of the house: Jesus says: Blessed is that servant whom his master will find at work when he arrives.
May we be at work to bring the future reality of God’s Kingdom here in present. How are you going to do this? My invitation to you is to step today into God’s future for you, or (to use poet Wendell Berry’s phrase) to “practice resurrection” in the here and now. 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 Jo Chamberlain
Heavenly Father
We bring our prayers to you in faith that you love us, that you hear us and that you will answer us.
Sometimes it feels like we are like John the Baptist – in the wilderness. We pray for those in our family at St Gabriels who are struggling in the wilderness, whether that’s grief, disappointment, anxiety, fear, tiredness, sickness, loneliness, pain or loss, or some other practical or emotional or spiritual struggle. Help us to remember that you are with us even in the wilderness and to lean on your strength.
Come Lord Jesus
We pray for what’s going on in this country at the moment – it feels a little as if we have been in the wilderness for most of 2020. As we do our best to protect people from infection, we pray that support is available when the economy takes a hit, for those running businesses which can’t open. We ask that you will draw alongside and bring hope to all those who are set to lose their jobs at Debenhams, and the Arcadia businesses. We pray for careful and wise decision making from the government, dealing with Brexit negotiations as well as everything else.
Come Lord Jesus
We pray for places round the world also going through a season of wilderness. We pray about the tensions escalating in Ethiopia. We pray for help to get through those who have had to flee their homes, and we pray for calm on both sides and courageous leadership to find a solution. We pray for communities in Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua who have been made homeless by two recent hurricanes – we pray that basic supplies will get through to those in need, and for the rebuilding and recovery process to come.
Come Lord Jesus
John the Baptist had a job of preparation to do, and there is a lot of stuff to get ready for at the moment. We pray for all those who are preparing for the roll out of the vaccine. For the decisions to be made about storing, transporting and distributing it. We ask for energy and strength for the healthcare workers who will have extra hours at work to make the vaccine available to as many people as possible as quickly as possible, for the extra training, the extra shifts, the extra staff.
Come Lord Jesus
We pray for all that is going on here at St Gabriels to prepare for Christmas and Advent services. Inspire and encourage all those who will have a part in leading services or preaching in the next few weeks. Be with those who have to organise all the logistics – technical and hygienic – for the Advent meditations, the family craft afternoon, the Natingle and Christmas itself. And inspire those who see or hear about the services to come along and join in.
We pray for all our preparations at home, and the different ways we need to find to celebrate with loved ones. In the busy-ness help us to find time to remember what we are preparing for – an encounter with Jesus.
Come Lord Jesus. 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=1zqAxtZvOEU
JOY HAS DAWNED UPON THE WORLD,
Promised from creation:
God’s salvation now unfurled,
Hope for every nation.
Not with fanfares from above,
Not with scenes of glory,
But a humble gift of love:
Jesus born of Mary.
Sounds of wonder fill the sky
With the songs of angels,
As the mighty Prince of life
Shelters in a stable.
Hands that set each star in place,
Shaped the earth in darkness,
Cling now to a mother’s breast,
Vulnerable and helpless.
Shepherds bow before the Lamb,
Gazing at the glory;
Gifts of men from distant lands
Prophesy the story:
Gold, a King is born today;
Incense, God is with us;
Myrrh, His death will make a way,
And by His blood He’ll win us.
Son of Adam, Son of heaven,
Given as a ransom
Reconciling God and man,
Christ our mighty champion!
What a Saviour, what a friend,
What a glorious mystery:
Once a babe in Bethlehem,
Now the Lord of history.
Stuart Townend & Keith Getty
Copyright © 2004 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=zeBRYhG86x0
Hark the glad sound! the Saviour comes,
the Saviour promised long:
let every heart prepare a throne,
and every voice a song.
2. He comes, the prisoner to release
in Satan's bondage held;
The gates of brass before him burst,
The iron fetters yield.
3. He comes to free the captive mind,
where evil thoughts control;
and for the darkness of the blind,
gives light that makes them whole.
4. He comes, the broken heart to bind,
the wounded soul to cure,
and with the treasures of his grace
to enrich the humble poor.
5. Our glad Hosannas, Prince of Peace,
your welcome shall proclaim;
and heaven's eternal arches ring
with Your belovèd name.
P Doddridge (1702-1751)
Music Ravenscroft’s Psalter (1621)
Descant David Iliff
FINAL BLESSING:
May God the Father, judge all-merciful, make us worthy of a place in his kingdom
May God the Son, coming among us in power, reveal in our midst the promise of his glory.
May God the Holy Spirit make us steadfast in faith, joyful in hope and constant in love,
and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen.