Worship at Home
Worship for the Week Beginning 30th January 2022
To listen to the sermon and a hymn dial
01604 266000.
Sunday 30th January
Local Preacher Jenny Brooks has prepared this week’s message
This short act of worship is for use from home. Please use this service whenever you like during the week.
Pause to settle yourself in God’s presence, knowing that other people are sharing in worship with you.
Download other Resources
© ROOTS for Churches Ltd www.rootsontheweb.com. Reproduced with permission.
Introductory Music: The Porters Gate - Simeon’s song
Call to worship
Psalm 48, verses 9-11
9 Within your temple, O God,
we meditate on your unfailing love.
10 Like your name, O God,
your praise reaches to the ends of the earth;
your right hand is filled with righteousness.
11 Mount Zion rejoices,
the villages of Judah are glad
because of your judgments.
StF 272 The Servant King (From Heaven You Came)
From heaven you came, helpless babe,
entered our world, your glory veiled,
not to be served but to serve,
and give Your life that we might live.
This is our God, the Servant King –
he calls us now to follow Him,
to bring our lives as a daily offering
of worship to the Servant King.
There in the garden of tears
my heavy load he chose to bear;
his heart with sorrow was torn,
‘yet not my will but yours, he said.
Come see his hand and his feet,
the scars that speak of sacrifice,
hands that flung stars into space
to cruel nails surrendered.
So let us learn how to serve
and in our lives enthrone him,
each other’s needs to prefer
for it is Christ we’re serving.
Prayers of Adoration:
Gracious God, remind us again as we worship you, how much you love us and how much you are willing to do for our sakes, help us to appreciate the full extent of your devotion and to respond by devoting our lives to you. Lead us out of darkness and into your marvellous light. Shine upon us, within us and through us.
Prayer of confession:
O God, we confess our part in the world’s sin. We lay before you all the suffering we see and hear on the news and the part we play in maintaining the gap between rich and poor. We lay before you all our personal regrets.
We ask your forgiveness and the empowerment to change for the better.
Amen
The Lord's Prayer
Please use the version that you prefer
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
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.
Save us from the time of trial
And deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power
and the glory are yours
Now and for ever.
Amen.
Bible Readings
Jesus presented in the temple
22 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, ‘Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord’), 24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: ‘a pair of doves or two young pigeons’.
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
29 ‘Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and the glory of your people Israel.’
33 The child’s father and mother marvelled at what was said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: ‘This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.’
36 There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshipped night and day, fasting and praying. 38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.
39 When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.
13 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Holy Bible, New International Version® Anglicized, NIV® Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
StF 362 Meekness and Majesty
Meekness and majesty, manhood and deity.
In perfect harmony – the Man who is God.
Lord of eternity, dwells in humanity,
Kneels in humility and washes our feet.
Oh what a mystery – meekness and majesty:
bow down and worship, for this is your God,
this is your God
Father’s pure radiance, perfect in innocence,
yet learns obedience to death on a cross:
suffering to give us life,
conquering through sacrifice – and as they crucify, prays, “Father forgive”.
Oh what a mystery – meekness and majesty:
bow down and worship, for this is your God,
this is your God
Wisdom unsearchable, God the invisible,
love indestructible in frailty appears:
Lord of infinity, stooping so tenderly,
lifts our humanity to the heights of his throne.
Oh what a mystery – meekness and majesty:
bow down and worship, for this is your God,
this is your God.
Reflection Incarnation and Love
This Lectionary Year is focused on the Gospel of Luke and we, therefore, have the opportunity to think about why Luke is the only writer to include the story of Anna and Simeon. We have no certainty about who Luke was, some people think he was not a Jew, but he knew enough about Jewish tradition that presenting your first- born son in the temple at Jerusalem was important to Mary and Joseph.
Simeon and Anna both lived and worked in the temple, which seems strange to us,
but clearly something that was accepted at that time. Both Simeon and Anna want to hold the baby and acknowledge his spiritual importance. Simeon’s words are about his feelings that his work is done, because he has seen God. Anna’s words are not recorded, but her actions are- she tells others in the temple about Jesus being God.
It was clearly a strong impetus for both of these people to be as close as possible to Jesus. This is a key understanding that I want us to reflect on. Jesus, the Incarnate God, came to be close to people. His purpose is to live a fully human life, whilst remaining God.
The Hebrew scripture tell us about the hundreds of years, during which God has inspired prophets to talk about how God wants people to live, what is important to Him and how He wants humans to be. But it hasn’t worked… people remain selfish, neglectful and harsh.
Sending Jesus -God as a human – to live is a bit like a teacher trying a practical demonstration when word descriptions have not helped the class to understand
God came to be close to us and we need to find a way to be close to God. This is where Paul’s letter to the Corinthians comes in. At first it might be difficult to see the connection, but the idea about how to get close to God is the link.
The Corinthians were mostly Greeks and proud of their intellectual tradition and learning. Paul reminds them of the importance of feelings, of emotions – not everything is intellectual. We all need to acknowledge that love is an important element both in human relationships and in our spiritual relationship with God.
The people whom we love, we talk with them about our closeness, the power of our emotional bond. This is also true in our relationship with God.
Acknowledging the power of His love for us and for all humans, is amazing, overwhelming sometimes. Helping others to welcome and embrace the love of God for themselves is an important part of our own faith journey. Anna found herself telling everyone around, it sounds like she couldn’t help herself. We might need to cultivate that enthusiasm and practice. The Love of God is for everyone and we are part of Gods plan for everyone to know that Love.
StF 443 Come let us sing of a wonderful love
Come let us sing of a wonderful love,
tender and true;
out of the heart of the Father above,
streaming to me and to you:
wonderful love
dwells in the heart of the Father above.
Jesus, the Saviour, this gospel to tell,
joyfully came;
came with the helpless and hopeless to dwell,
sharing their sorrow and shame;
seeking the lost,
saving, redeeming at measureless cost.
Jesus is seeking the wanderers yet;
why do they roam?
Love only waits to forgive and forget;
home! Weary wanderer, home!
Wonderful love
dwells in the heart of the Father above.
Come to my heart, O thou wonderful love,
come and abide,
lifting my life till it rises above
envy and falsehood and pride:
seeking to be
lowly and humble, a learner of thee.
Prayers of Intercession
Lord Jesus Christ, you came to this world as light to darkness, you came out of love, bringing hope and forgiveness. You came to save, not condemn, not to judge but to show mercy. You came willingly enduring darkness for our sake, the darkness of suffering and death. Your love has redeemed us, freed us from sin and shown us a new way. We pray for all who need your love, whatever their situation; help us to be sensitive to the needs of others and ready to step forward in love.
Blessing – May the God of Love surround you and enable you to live your life to His Glory.
Amen.
Service prepared by Jenny Brooks
Webpage: Paul Deakin