Preparing for worship

 

You’ll need a table, set with a piece of bread and a glass of wine or juice.

A cross.

If you have an Advent wreath, put a white candle in the middle and light the other four

If you have a Christmas Crib, arrange it on the table if possible, or put a candle beside it ready to light.

 

 

 

We join, preferably at 9am or 10.30am, for worship

 

 

Though each in our homes, we are together with all our sisters and brothers in the faith,

as we worship and give thanks. In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

 

 

PRAYER OF PREPARATION

 

A Carol (suggestion: O Come all Ye Faithful)

 

See the love that the Father has given us,

in calling us children of God.

As many as received him, to them he gave power

to become the children of God.

See what love the Father has given us.

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

See the love that the Father has given us,

in calling us children of God.

 

                                    The white candle in the centre of your ring is lit

 

Jesus Christ is the Light of the world:

a light no darkness can quench.

 

If you have a crib scene, light the candle next to it with this prayer:

 

Father God, your son Jesus Christ came to us in great humility

was born of the Virgin Mary and was laid in a manger.

Bless this crib, prepared in celebration of his birth,

and in this year of hardship and confusion, strengthen our faith

In his redeeming love for us and all the world. Amen.

 

 

We say this Canticle – the Song of the Redeemer

 

All praise to the Father, who has delivered us from the dominion of darkness,

and welcomed us into the kingdom of his beloved Son;

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.

For in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible.

All things were created through him and for him,

he existed before all things, and in him all things hold together.

He is the head of the body, the Church, he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead.

In him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell;

and through him God delighted to reconcile all things to himself.

 

 

PRAYERS OF PENITENCE

 

Christ the light of the world has come among us to dispel the darkness and bring us to the light. In that light, let us confess our sins to God.

 

After a moment of quiet reflection, we confess our sins to God;

 

Father of all, the virgin Mary accepted your call to be the mother of Jesus.

Forgive our disobedience to your will

                         Lord have mercy.    

 

Lord Jesus, you were born in poverty in a manger.

Forgive our greed and lack of vision

Christ have mercy.    

 

Father, the shepherds hurried to Bethlehem to witness Jesus’ birth.

Forgive our reluctance to seek you.

                        Lord have mercy   

    

We say this assurance of God’s forgiving grace (from Isaiah 55)

 

“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, or expend your labour for what does not satisfy? Return to the Lord, and he will have mercy on you, to our God, who will freely pardon.”

 

                   Glory be to God in heaven, peace to those who love him well;

                    on the earth let all his people speak his grace, his wonders tell:

                   Lord, we praise you for your glory, Mighty Father, heaven’s King

                    hear our joyful adoration and accept the thanks we bring.… Read More

Some lines from Watching for the Kingfisher by Ann Lewin

…all you can do is

Be there where he is like to appear, and

Wait.

Often nothing much happens;

…no visible signs, only the

Knowledge that he’s been there

And may come again…

But when you’ve almost stopped

Expecting it, a flash of brightness

Gives encouragement

 

Put yourself more in the way of grace.

If you read last week’s reflection, you have every right to expect me now to tell you what I meant by those final words.

But I can’t.

At least, yes, I can tell you what I mean by putting myself more in the way of grace, but I can’t tell you what you mean. Because, for you, it won’t be the same thing at all.

Which is why I’ve quoted some of Ann Lewin’s poem above. You can guess that she is comparing watching for a kingfisher to waiting on God, and the idea that you “put yourself in the place where God is likely to be” is perhaps the most helpful definition of prayer there can be. But if I then say that the place where God is likely to be is a church, a garden, a cliff top … or even if I say it is in the Covid ward, or where a new well is being sunk, or where a vaccine trial proves effective … all I have done is to exclude an encounter with God from everywhere else. And in the process, made you feel inadequate and guilty when God doesn’t come in the sunset, the autumn leaves, the symphony…

So the question is not, “Where is God’s grace most likely to be found?” It’s, “Where is God’s grace most likely to be found for me?” Where can I put myself that I feel I am most likely to encounter that grace? Neither your priest nor anyone else can tell you what that is – only you know.

It starts with knowing the experiences of God that you have had, and understanding them. So you may have felt grace flooding over you when you were standing on top of a mountain. But it’s not that you have to go back to the mountain to experience grace again, it’s about understanding what opened up deep inside you when you were there, that allowed grace to flow. If you understand that, then you can spend Advent putting yourself more in the way of grace without leaving home. You can’t make it happen, but you can “be there, where God is like to appear, and wait,” as the poem says.

So being good or trying harder has nothing to do with the Advent message. It’s about recognising that the only barrier to God’s grace flowing in me – is me. I can be so entranced and absorbed in the material things of my life that the deep openness needed in me can be crowded out or lost entirely. I need to deliberately push those things aside to put myself in the way of grace.

That is why the Advent call to watch and be prepared is so crucial. To live in expectation of God’s grace flowing over us and through us is the right, the only way to live – because it keeps the channels open, keeps our material life in perspective, helps us to live by trust in God and prepares us for the life of the kingdom where amazing grace is all that matters.

 

 

 

 

Preparing for worship

You’ll need a table, set with a piece of bread and a glass of wine or juice.

A cross.

If possible, a ring of 4 candles unlit on the table or 1 if not.

 

We join, preferably at 9am or 10.30am, for worship

 

Though each in our homes, we are together with all our sisters and brothers in the faith,

as we worship and give thanks. In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

 

PRAYER OF PREPARATION

 

Hymn (said or sung) – hymn numbers are on the pewsheet for this week. To borrow a hymnbook, contact Rod

 

The glory of the Lord shall be revealed

and all flesh shall see it together.

The grace and peace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with us all

            and with all who look for the coming of God’s kingdom.

 

                                    The appropriate candles for the week in your ring are lit

 

People of God awake! The day is coming soon when you shall see God face to face.

God calls you out of darkness to walk in his marvellous light.

Lord, keep us watchful, keep us faithful as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of your kingdom.

 

            We say the Canticle, printed on the front of the pewsheet

 

PRAYERS OF PENITENCE

 

“Now is the time for us to wake out of sleep, for deliverance is nearer to us now than when first we believed. The night is far spent and the day is at hand, let us therefore cast off the deeds of darkness and put on the armour of light.”

 

After a moment of quiet reflection, we confess our sins to God with this prayer;

 

Most merciful God,

Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

we confess that we have sinned in thought word and deed.

 

We have not loved you with our whole heart.

We have not loved our neighbour as ourselves.

In your mercy, forgive what we have been,

help us amend what we are, and direct what we shall be;

that we may act justly, love mercy

and walk humbly with you our God.  Amen.

                

We say this assurance of God’s forgiving grace (from Isaiah 40)

 

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth,

He neither faints nor grows weary, his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, and strength to the powerless. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall stumble and fall, but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.

 

In place of the Gloria during Advent, we say “Jesus, Saviour of the World”

 

Jesus, Saviour of the world, come to us in your mercy: we look to you to save and help us. By your cross and your life laid down, you set your people free: we look to you to save and help us. When they were ready to perish, you saved your disciples: we look to you to come to our help. In the greatness of your mercy, loose us from our chains, forgive the sins of all your people. Make yourself known as our Saviour and mighty deliverer; save and help us that we may praise you. Come now and dwell with us, Lord Christ Jesus: hear our prayer and be with us always. And when you come in your glory: make us to be one with you and to share the life of your kingdom.

… Read More

Dear all,

Wonderful news that we can open for worship in church again from 6^th December! We’ll be back to our “Covid” format of 9am and 10.20am eucharists.

So this is the last mailing with a full set of worship material, reflection and pewsheet for home worship on Sunday. And I do hope it proves to be the last week ever when we can’t be together in church!

You are encouraged to make an advent ring of candles for your table – if you can find four (don’t worry about the colour!)

There is also an evening service for St Andrew’s Day, Monday, when we might all join at 6pm in our homes, or individually in church. Whether a fish supper follows is up to you!

Looking forward to Christmas, because we can’t hold our Christmas Eve Carol Service or Children’s Crib service this year, we’re planning a series of “Walk Through” Christmas carol events instead.

Between 4.30pm and 6pm each day, you’ll be invited to enter the church with your household or bubble and walk slowly along the guided route through the church, enjoying the decorations and flowers, whilst listening to carols played and sung by different musicians each night. You asked to keep moving and spend around 10 – 15 minutes inside, before exiting through the far door. The exception is Sunday, when there will be outdoor carol singing for everyone – safely distanced in the churchyard.

A different experience! But one that we will do our best to make very Christmassy for everyone!

 

Friday 18^th December – the church Christmas choir sings carols

Saturday 19^th               – Village Singers Christmas music

Sunday 20^th                 – outdoor carols for everyone in the churchyard

Monday 21^st                – “Winter wonderland” Christmas music on the organ

Tuesday 22^nd               – “Fran and Cressida” Christmas music with guitar and cello.

 

If there is a long queue at any point, you will be offered a “virtual queue” ticket for later on! There will be a collection as you leave for the Children’s Society or other charities we support at Christmas.

If you could help as a steward, please sign the list at the back of church.

Looking forward to seeing you all soon!

Rod

Opening Sentences

My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning,

            more than those who watch for the morning.

Out of the depths I have cried to You.

            O Lord, hear my voice.

            If you, Lord, should mark what we do wrong:
            Who could stand, O Lord? who could stand?

I will wait for you O Lord, my soul waits for you;

in your word is my hope.

 

HYMN (all hymns can be said or sung)

 Glory to thee, my God, this night for all the blessings of the light;
keep me, O keep me, King of kings, beneath thy own almighty wings.

Forgive me, Lord, for thy dear Son, the ill that I this day have done,
that with the world, myself, and thee, I, ere I sleep, at peace may be.

Teach me to live, that I may dread the grave as little as my bed;
teach me to die, that so I may rise glorious at the awful day.

O may my soul on thee repose, and may sweet sleep mine eyelids close,
sleep that may me more vigorous make to serve my God when I awake.

When in the night I sleepless lie, my soul with heavenly thoughts supply;
let no ill dreams disturb my rest, no powers of darkness me molest.

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow, praise him all creatures here below,
praise him above, angelic host, praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

 

PENITENCE

God invites us to reconciliation and holiness. Let us turn our minds, hearts and bodies to him, to receive his grace and forgiveness.

                                                                        

Silence

 

Lord, you created us in your own image.

Forgive us when we do not honour your image in us and in the world that you gave us.

Lord have mercy

 

Jesus, you invite us to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect.

Forgive us when we fail to be holy, to be people of integrity.

Christ have mercy

 

Spirit of God, you are Lord of life not of death, of peace not of war

of light not of darkness,

forgive us when we fail to build a community of love.

Lord have mercy

 

Merciful God, meet us and call us in this evening hour

as you met and called Andrew on the lake shore,

fill us with your grace and holiness, make us apostles of love wherever we go.

This we pray through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Psalm 30

I will exalt you, O Lord, because you have raised me up:
and have not let my foes triumph over me.

O Lord my God, I cried out to you: and you have healed me.

You brought me up, O Lord, from death:
you restored me to life from among those that go down to the Pit.

Sing to the Lord, you servants of his: give thanks to his holy name.

For his wrath endures but the twinkling of an eye, his favour for a lifetime:
Heaviness may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.

In my prosperity I said: ‘I shall never be moved.
You, Lord, of your goodness: have made my hill so strong.’

Then you hid your face from me and I was utterly dismayed:

To you, O Lord, I cried; to the Lord I made my supplication:

‘What profit is there in my blood, if I go down to the Pit?
Will the dust praise you or declare your faithfulness?

‘Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me: O Lord, be my helper.’

You have turned my mourning into dancing:
you have put off my sackcloth and girded me with gladness;

Therefore my heart sings to you without ceasing:
O Lord my God, I will give you thanks for ever.… Read More

Dear friends,

Be prepared! Stay awake! Be watchful! Be steadfast!

All of these could easily be the headlines of the government’s latest Coronavirus campaign. You only need to add, “Keep your distance and wear your mask!” and, in theory, you would know exactly what’s expected of you. But even so, we manage to get quite confused. How many people? Inside or outside? Am I in a bubble or caring for a needy person? And the rules for Christmas are looking likely to be even more confusing.

But if you apply those headlines to Advent, which is where they actually come from, it’s no easier at all.

Prepare for what? Why? And how?

What we are preparing for should be straightforward; the end of the world; Armageddon; the second coming.

But as soon as you say these words, you think of the old boy with a sandwich board, “The end of the world is nigh!” Time after time people have wrongly predicted when that will be. Some have claimed that Covid is one of the plagues of the Apocalypse. It isn’t. It’s a virus.

All that stuff is associated with a very unhealthy strand in Christian faith – indeed it’s more associated with mental illness – and yet we are called to “be prepared.” Jesus constantly illustrates this call, with parables and teaching about tough times to come. Paul seems to expect the conclusion of everything to be imminent.

So, have all the generations of Christians who have lived in the expectation of – and “been prepared” for – a second coming that didn’t arrive, wasted their time and effort?

That brings us to, “Why?” If the only reason for living in a state of preparedness is the (remote) possibility that the world might end in our generation, then, yes, we’ve wasted our time. But if that state of readiness and watchfulness is the right and most loving way to live out our lives in this mortal world, then being in an “Advent” state of mind makes complete sense. We might think of St Benedict who, when asked, “What would you do if you knew you we going to die tomorrow?” replied, “Plant an apple tree.” It’s a state of mind that sees things in a bigger perspective, where me and my needs are only a tiny part of the whole story.

Why be prepared for something that (probably!) won’t happen for billions of years? Because it helps us to live better.

And so we come to, “How?” It’s all very well saying, “Be prepared”, but we need to know what a state of preparedness is. Be alert because the world needs more lerts.

At this point, you might expect me to say, “be more good”, “do more kind things”, “say more prayers”, “try harder to overcome those bad habits”.

But it is none of that.

It’s this:

Put yourself more in the way of grace.

 

Why not take a week to think about that? and then we’ll chat some more.

 

God bless

 

Rod x

 

 

Preparing for worship

 You’ll need a table, set with a piece of bread and a glass of wine or juice.

A cross.

If possible, a ring of 4 candles (yes Brian!), unlit on the table or 1 if not.

We join, preferably at 10am, for worship for Advent Sunday

 

Though each in our homes, we are together with all our sisters and brothers in the faith,

as we worship and give thanks. In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

 

PRAYER OF PREPARATION

 Hymn (said or sung)

O come, O come, Immanuel,
and ransom captive Israel
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel.

 O come, O come, thou Lord of might,
who to the tribes on Sinai’s height
in ancient times did give the law
in cloud and majesty and awe.

 O come, O Bright and Morning Star,
and bring us comfort from afar!
Dispel the shadows of the night
and turn our darkness into light.

 

The glory of the Lord shall be revealed

             and all flesh shall see it together.

The grace and peace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with us all

            and with all who look for the coming of God’s kingdom.

 

                                    The first candle in your ring is lit

 

People of God awake! The day is coming soon when you shall see God face to face.

God calls you out of darkness to walk in his marvellous light.

Lord, keep us watchful, keep us faithful as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of your kingdom.

 

            We say the Song of the Redeemer of Israel (psalm 44), printed on the front of the pewsheet

 

PRAYERS OF PENITENCE

“Now is the time for us to wake out of sleep, for deliverance is nearer to us now than when first we believed. The night is far spent and the day is at hand, let us therefore cast off the deeds of darkness and put on the armour of light.”

 

After a moment of quiet reflection, we confess our sins to God with this prayer;

  Most merciful God,

Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

we confess that we have sinned in thought word and deed.

We have not loved you with our whole heart.

We have not loved our neighbour as ourselves.

In your mercy, forgive what we have been,

help us amend what we are, and direct what we shall be;

that we may act justly, love mercy

and walk humbly with you our God.  Amen.

                

We say this assurance of God’s forgiving grace (from Isaiah 40)

 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He neither faints nor grows weary, his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, and strength to the powerless. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall stumble and fall, but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.

 

In place of the Gloria during Advent, we say “Jesus, Saviour of the World”

 

Jesus, Saviour of the world, come to us in your mercy: we look to you to save and help us. By your cross and your life laid down, you set your people free: we look to you to save and help us. When they were ready to perish, you saved your disciples: we look to you to come to our help.

… Read More