Sunday Service - 8 January 23

Welcome to our service - 8 January

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.

SERVICE

Opening

Alleluia, alleluia.

There is one body and one Spirit, one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.

Alleluia.

SING:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMCVNrz58yw

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!)

For the King of kings.

(For the King of kings.)

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!)

CONFESSION

Because God was merciful, he saved us through the water of rebirth and the renewing power of the Holy Spirit. But through sin we have fallen away from our baptism. Let us return to the Lord and renew our faith in his promises by confessing our sins in penitence.

God our Father,

long-suffering, full of grace and truth,

you create us from nothing and give us life.

You give your faithful people new life in the water

of baptism.

You do not turn your face from us,

nor cast us aside.

We confess that we have sinned

against you and our neighbour.

We have wounded your love and marred your image in us.

Restore us for the sake of your Son,

and bring us to heavenly joy,

in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

ABSOLUTION

Almighty God,

who in Jesus Christ has given us

a kingdom that cannot be destroyed,

forgive us our sins,

open our eyes to God’s truth,

strengthen us to do God’s will

and give us the joy of his kingdom,

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

COLLECT

Heavenly Father,

at the Jordan you revealed Jesus as your Son:

may we recognize him as our Lord

and know ourselves to be your beloved children;

through Jesus Christ our Saviour.

SING: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnWKehsOXu8

Blessed be your name

in the land that is plentiful,

Where your streams of abundance flow,

blessed be your name.

Blessed be your name

when I’m found in the desert place,

Though I walk through the wilderness,

blessed be your name.

Every blessing you pour out

I’ll turn back to praise.

When the darkness closes in,

Lord, still I will say,

‘Blessed be the name of the Lord,

blessed be your name.

Blessed be the name of the Lord,

blessed be your glorious name.’

Blessed be your name

when the sun’s shining down on me,

When the world’s ‘all as it should be,

blessed be your name.

Blessed be your name

on the road marked with suffering,

Though there’s pain in the offering,

blessed be your name.

Every blessing you pour out

I’ll turn back to praise.

When the darkness closes in,

Lord, still I will say,

‘Blessed be…………

You give and take away,

you give and take away.

My heart will choose to say,

‘Lord blessed be your name.’

‘Blessed be…………

READINGS

Deuteronomy 4.32-40

“Now search all of history, from the time God created people on the earth until now, and search from one end of the heavens to the other. Has anything as great as this ever been seen or heard before? Has any nation ever heard the voice of God speaking from fire—as you did—and survived? Has any other god dared to take a nation for himself out of another nation by means of trials, miraculous signs, wonders, war, a strong hand, a powerful arm, and terrifying acts? Yet that is what the LORD your God did for you in Egypt, right before your eyes

“He showed you these things so you would know that the LORD is God and there is no other. He let you hear his voice from heaven so he could instruct you. He let you see his great fire here on earth so he could speak to you from it. Because he loved your ancestors, he chose to bless their descendants, and he personally brought you out of Egypt with a great display of power. He drove out nations far greater than you, so he could bring you in and give you their land as your special possession, as it is today

“So remember this and keep it firmly in mind: The LORD is God both in heaven and on earth, and there is no other. If you obey all the decrees and commands I am giving you today, all will be well with you and your children. I am giving you these instructions so you will enjoy a long life in the land the LORD your God is giving you for all time.”

John 14.15-27

“If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognise him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you. Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Since I live, you also will live. When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”

Judas (not Judas Iscariot, but the other disciple with that name) said to him, “Lord, why are you going to reveal yourself only to us and not to the world at large?”

Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them. Anyone who doesn’t love me will not obey me. And remember, my words are not my own. What I am telling you is from the Father who sent me. I am telling you these things now while I am still with you. But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.

This the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

TALK by Alistair Stevenson – ‘Wellness – God’s way’.

This morning we start a new series in Deuteronomy. We are going to be exploring it from the perspective of ‘Wellness’. But as our series title implies – this is wellness ‘God’s way’. In a culture where we kind find so much information and advice about how to ‘live well’, can the book of Deuteronomy offer a radical understand of where we find our wellness? Will we allow ourselves to be transformed by this book through our desire to orientate ourselves around God?

As way of introduction, I would invite you to link on this link: https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/torah-deuteronomy/ to watch a short film produced as an overview of the book. I would really encourage you to watch this before you continue with the rest of my talk.

You can also access another visual overview of the book here: https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/deuteronomy/

A quick look on Amazon or in your local bookstore and you will find thousands of books and resources written on the subject of ‘Wellbeing’. Moreover, a huge industry has grown up in recent years seeking to offer ways to find wholeness and true life wellbeing. We all want to find out how to flourish in life and how to live life well. Wellness has become big business.

Over the next couple of months we are going to be exploring the book of Deuteronomy and, surprising as it might sound, we are going to suggest that Deuteronomy is a great place to start to find wellness. But wellness God’s way. This is a book that shows us God’s ways. How to live life and how to walk in faith.

The phrase ‘that it may go well with you’ repeats 10 times in Deuteronomy. Moses, through a series of sermons, is pointing God’s people towards a way of living for the future, so that it might go well for them. This book is all about learning to live life. But to do it well, God’s people must listen well and love well - to do so according to God’s ways and God’s instructions.

Jesus loved Deuteronomy and quoted it more than any other Old Testament book. Once, when he was asked what was the most important commandment, Jesus turned to Deuteronomy quoting chapter 6 v 4-5: “hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”

These verses really sum up the core or heartbeat of Deuteronomy - it is about reorienting our lives - our heart, our soul, our strength, the very fundamentals of who we are - around God.

While the themes of wellness and good living sit well in our culture, the theme of obedience is rarely seen in a positive light. While we might all agree that we need to obey the laws and regulations of our society, we might question them or may even disagree. Laws are useful in so much as they don’t restrict our liberty, rights and freedom. Our age tells us we need to be true to ourselves. We are encouraged to find our own way - our own path - and when we do so we will be truly happy and satisfied. Anything or anyone that restricts this pursuit must be avoided or even resisted.

As Chistians we can also all too easily be tempted to think that God is ultimately there to help us find true happiness and to help us find ourselves. The book of Deuteronomy resists this notion and asks us to instead reorientate our thinking and our lives.

For thousands of years people thought that the sun, in fact the whole universe, revolved around the earth. But in the 16th century Nicolaus Copernicus discovered that it was in fact the opposite - that the earth resolved around the sun. After Copernicus’ discovery, our whole understanding of the earth’s place in the universe changed.

Today, most people in our culture put themselves at the centre of their lives. I so easily fall into this trap and all too often think that life revolves around me. Deuteronomy asks us, like Copernicus, to make a radical discovery. It calls us to put God at the centre of our lives and to revolve our lives around Him and His ways. Moreover, Deuteronomy will start to point forward to the one in whom this will ultimately be possible. Like the earth, we must revolve ourselves around the Son.

Moses lays it out in our reading for today: ‘If you obey all the decrees and commands I am giving you today, all will be well with you and your children. I am giving you these instructions so you will enjoy a long life in the land the LORD your God is giving you for all time.’

Recent years have seen the huge growth of YouTube influencers. They have become celebrities, appearing as contestants on TV shows like Strictly Come Dancing. As social media influencers, their success is judged by their number of followers. The more followers, the more influence. Such is their influence that if you asked a classroom of primary school children what they want to be when they grow up, many would say ‘a YouTuber’. As an influencer their aim is to share about their life and ultimately encourage people to live life like they do. Their mantra is: ‘If you want to live like me, you have to do what I do - you have to follow my ways’.

Now it might be a bit of a stretch to compare Moses to a YouTube influencer, but in this series of sermons, Moses is laying out how to live life well. But, instead of pointing to himself, he points to God. In chapter 4 v. 5 Moses says: “Look, I now teach you these decrees and regulations just as the LORD my God commanded me, so that you may obey them in the land you are about to enter and occupy.’

As God commanded Moses - so he teaches God’s people the same. But, it is not presented as a choice. It’s not like an all you can eat buffet where you can pick and choose what you want until you are satisfied. No - it is commandment and God’s people were called to obey.

While our situation as New Testament believers is different and therefore not all the laws apply to us, the call to obedience remains the same. As we heard in our reading from John, Jesus said to his disciples: ‘If you love me, obey my commandments.’ As Christians living in the 21st century we are still called to obedience, but as Deuteronomy and Jesus show us, walking with God is never just obedience. It is so much more.

Another favourite phrase of Deuteronomy is ‘walk in God’s ways’ - repeated 8 times. Moses is saying, walk in the ways of God. Make God the key influence in your life. If you follow his ways and obey his commands your relationship with God will flourish and this will transform everything else. And the more we come to know God and walk in his ways the more we will reflect his character to the world around us. Walking in the ways of God doesn’t just transform our own lives, but it transforms the lives of those around us as we start to reflect God.

Over 3000 years since this was written, for us as Christians living in a very different culture, the details of how we walk in God’s ways will often be different. While some of the details might be different - particularly as we are no longer bound by the law - the heart remains the same.

Many of you will know that our family went to Norway last summer (don’t worry, I’ll stop using it as an illustration soon). And, for a Christmas present, Catherine produced a photo album of our trip. It was wonderful to sit down with the children and go through each page, looking at each picture and reminding ourselves of the trip. And we will continue to do so in the months and years to come. Deuteronomy not only looks forward to how God wants his people to live when they enter the promised land, but it also makes God’s people look back. It reminds them of all that God has done, who he is and his salvation work. He reminds them that their story is one of grace and salvation - of rescue and redemption.

As we read through this book it should ask us how we are going to move forward, living our lives increasingly influenced by God and walking in his ways. But it should also cause us to look back and remember his grace and salvation to us.

Moses seems to know that the people will get it wrong, that they will ultimately fall short of God’s ideals. He hints at this at the end of the book. But in looking back he wants to remind them that God will continue to pour out his grace and bring his salvation into the future, as he has done before. And all of this despite their failure. The dynamics of grace on those plains of Moab that Moses declares to the people are still the same today. We sit within the same redemptive story - the story of God who continues to love us despite our brokenness and failure. The story of grace and salvation.

And so, as we start this series I would invite you to join me on this journey - a journey of reorientation. How are we going to reorientate our lives to put God at the centre of everything? In this New Year what habits might we need to pick up or start again to make this possible?

Take some time to remember your journey of faith. How has God been at work? Give thanks for his guiding hand on your life.

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.

PRAYERS - written by Jo Chamberlain

Let us pray

Heavenly Father

Often, we can’t read the signs. We feel like we are wandering in the desert, we can’t tell if we are still on our way to the promised land. We have travelled a long way, but we have lost sight of the star. We see terrifying things happen and wonder where you are. But you are the Lord and there is no other, you are God in heaven and on earth, and so, with faith, we bring our prayers to you.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer

Heavenly Father

we pray for the world. We have not cared for your creation and each year the world becomes hotter, with devastating consequences for people and nature. We pray for those suffering the impact of climate change. Give them strength and resilience to clean up when disaster strikes, and courage and wisdom to adapt and change. We pray that the momentum to act to reduce emissions and restore nature will speed up, and we pray that governments, businesses and societies will be willing to act to make the changes we need to stop things getting worse.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer

Heavenly Father

we pray for those places in the world where there is conflict and war. Ukraine, Yemen, Ethiopia, Palestine, and other places that don’t hit the news. We pray for an end to hostilities, for an end to ego and greed, an end to oppression and clinging on to power. We pray for understanding between people, for aid to reach those in need. We pray for peace.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer

Heavenly Father

We pray for the turmoil that we are facing in this country at the moment. We pray for the foodbanks and other support helping those in need struggling with the cost of living. We pray about the strikes, and for wisdom and a willingness to listen and compromise from everyone involved. We pray for healing those who are ill and patience and strength for those who are working hard to look after them. Take a moment to name particularly those known to you who are unwell.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer

It is also the season of Epiphany, when the wise men finally reached Jesus and offered him their worship.

Heavenly Father

We offer our worship to you. As gifts, we offer ourselves. We do not know what lies ahead, instead, we put our trust in you. As we look ahead to what 2023 will bring, we pray for your blessing on us. Guide us and lead us, help us to follow you, and bring us your peace.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer. 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=ZJq3bhdgQoc

Longing for light, we wait in darkness.

Longing for truth, we turn to you.

Make us your own, your holy people,

light for the world to see.

Christ, be our light!

Shine in our hearts,

shine through the darkness.

Christ, be our light!

Shine in your church

gathered today.

Longing for peace, our world is troubled.

Longing for hope, many despair.

Your word alone has power to save us.

Make us your living voice.

Christ, be our light!

Longing for food, many are hungry.

Longing for water, many still thirst.

Make us your bread, broken for others,

shared until all are fed.

Christ, be our light!

Longing for shelter, many are homeless.

Longing for warmth, many are cold.

Make us your building, sheltering others,

walls made of living stone.

Christ, be our light!

Many the gifts, many the people,

many the hearts that yearn to belong.

Let us be servants to one another,

making your kingdom come.

Christ, be our light!

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=f5pUXm57wMA

O let the Son of God enfold you

with His Spirit and His love;

let Him fill your heart

and satisfy your soul.

O let Him have the things

that hold you,

and His Spirit, like a dove,

will descend upon your life

and make you whole.

Jesus, O Jesus,

come and fill Your lambs;

Jesus, O Jesus,

come and fill Your lambs.

O come and sing this song

with gladness,

as your hearts are filled with joy;

lift your hands in sweet surrender

to His name.

O give Him all your tears and sadness,

give Him all your years of pain,

and you'll enter into life in Jesus' name.

Jesus, O Jesus...

FINAL BLESSING:

May God, who in Christ gives us a spring of water

welling up to eternal life,

perfect in you the image of his glory;

and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,

be upon you and remain with you always.

Amen