A service for Sunday 31st January 2021
Prepared by Derek Grimshaw
“They were all amazed”
Opening Sentence
Our God set his people free and made an eternal covenant with them. Holy and mighty is our God! (Psalm 111 v.9)
Hymn: StF 48 Watch on Youtube
From the highest of heights to the depths of the sea,
creation’s revealing your majesty.
From the colours of fall to the fragrance of spring,
every creature unique in the song that it sings,
all exclaiming:
Indescribable, uncontainable,
you placed the stars in the sky and you know them by name.
You are amazing, God,
all powerful, untameable.
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim,
you are amazing, God.
Who has told every lightning bolt where it should go
or seen heavenly storehouses laden with snow?
Who imagined the sun and gives source to its light
yet conceals it to bring us the coolness of night?
None can fathom.
Indescribable, uncontainable,
you placed the stars in the sky and you know them by name.
You are amazing, God,
incomparable, unchangeable.
You see the depths of my heart and you love me the same;
you are amazing, God.
Laura Story and Jesse Reeves
Prayers.
Generous God we praise you, for the beauty and diversity of your creation – each of us placed here with a purpose – each of us called to love and care – each of us welcomed to share in your bountiful goodness. We thank you for each new day and the opportunities we have to worship, to learn and care, to serve and to witness – help us to know how to share the good news of Jesus with our families, our friends and our neighbours.
We confess that there have been times in the past week when we have not lived up to the challenge of being a disciple – may the assurance of your forgiveness give us the wisdom and strength to know the right words and actions to use to reflect your love out into the world for everyone to see. Amen.
Bible Reading Deuteronomy 18: 15-20
When I started to work as a circuit minister in 2005, I wrongly assumed that the Church depended on me, I was the one who would make or break the Church and having responsibility for three Churches, I felt wholly inadequate. Almost fifteen years on, this now sounds utterly ridiculous to me, for as soon as I started working in the Church, I learned that I was steward of three Churches led by very able people, who knew their community and worked well among the people. Over the years, I have come to understand that Church works at its best when the minister and the people of the Church work well together. God speaks through Moses and talks about raising up a prophet from among the people.
Consider
- What might such a prophet look like in your Church or community? What kinds of work might they do? How might they make sense of the Gospel for the people?
- Do you think that the skills required can all be fulfilled by one person? Or do you think that maybe a combination of people, each working to their own strengths might be more effective?
- How do you see your ministry in the Church as being part of that prophecy?
Hymn StF 161 Watch on Youtube
Speak, O Lord, as we come to You
To receive the food of Your Holy Word.
Take Your truth, plant it deep in us;
Shape and fashion us in Your likeness,
That the light of Christ might be seen today
In our acts of love and our deeds of faith.
Speak, O Lord, and fulfil in us
All Your purposes for Your glory.
Teach us, Lord, full obedience,
Holy reverence, true humility;
Test our thoughts and our attitudes
In the radiance of Your purity.
Cause our faith to rise; cause our eyes to see
Your majestic love and authority.
Words of pow’r that can never fail—
Let their truth prevail over unbelief.
Speak, O Lord, and renew our minds;
Help us grasp the heights of Your plans for us—
Truths unchanged from the dawn of time
That will echo down through eternity.
And by grace we’ll stand on Your promises,
And by faith we’ll walk as You walk with us.
Speak, O Lord, till Your church is built
And the earth is filled with Your glory.
Intercessions
We pray for the world and ask that we can better care for and share its riches so that all people and nature can flourish. We pray for all health workers, carers and everyone providing vital goods and services we depend upon. We pray for our leaders to have care for lives and livelihoods so that everyone is valued for who they are. I especially want to pray for ……
We pray for the Church to have the boldness to speak and act for peace and justice. Through Jesus Christ our Saviour and our Friend. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Bible Reading Mark 1: 21-28
Part of my escapism during January has been to watch some episodes of the Channel 4 series “The Dales and Lakes” a programme that looks at the lives of ordinary men and women living and working in the Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District. I am in awe of some of the stunning scenery, but I am equally in awe of ordinary people doing extraordinary things and living extraordinary lives. Maybe in this season of lockdown, it does us good to ponder on the things in life that inspire, excite, and take our breath away. St Mark tells us how the people are in Awe when they see what Jesus is doing and hear his words.
Consider.
- Think of times when you have just stood, or sat in utter amazement, maybe at the birth of a baby, maybe at the view when you have climbed a hill or a mountain, maybe when you look at the colours of each of the seasons, heard a piece of music, the voice of someone you love, tasted something divine, smelt an aroma that has taken you to a different place or time.
- How do you react when you are truly in awe? Do you thank God? Do you want to tell others? Do you simply take it for granted?
- Spend a couple of moments appreciating the times in your life like this and offer them to God in thanks and praise
Hymn StF 251 Watch on Youtube
Jesus Christ is waiting,
waiting in the streets;
no one is his neighbour,
all alone he eats.
Listen, Lord Jesus,
I am lonely too:
make me, friend or stranger,
fit to wait on you.
Jesus Christ is raging,
raging in the streets,
where injustice spirals
and real hope retreats.
Listen, Lord Jesus,
I am angry too:
in the Kingdom’s causes
let me rage with you.
Jesus Christ is healing,
healing in the streets,
curing those who suffer,
touching those he greets.
Listen, Lord Jesus,
I have pity too:
let my care be active,
healing, just like you.
Jesus Christ is dancing,
dancing in the streets,
where each sign of hatred
he, with love, defeats.
Listen, Lord Jesus,
I should triumph too:
where good conquers evil
let me dance with you.
Jesus Christ is calling,
calling in the streets,
‘Who will join my journey?
I will guide their feet.’
Listen, Lord Jesus,
let my fears be few:
walk one step before me;
I will follow you.
John L. Bell (b. 1949) and Graham Maule (b. 1958)
A prayer of blessing
May Jesus Christ, who by his birth brought together heaven and earth, fill our lives with light and joy and peace. Amen