St. Albans and Welwyn Circuit Service for Sunday 1st January 2023
As we are worshiping together at Marlborough Road Methodist Church, St Albans this morning there will be no live stream of the service.
In the live streams place below is a copy of the Circuit Service prepared by Andrew for us this week which you may wish to follow instead.
Normal streaming will resume next week with the 9:00am Service prior to our Create and Celebrate at 10:00am
A Service prepared by the Rev Andrew Prout
Today we continue to reflect on the Christmas story as set out in the Gospel of Matthew where we read of the Holy Family’s flight into Egypt and the Massacre of the Infants. It is an uncomfortable turn of events but one that reminds us that faith, hope and love endure, and that light indeed shines even in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it.
Hymn STF 173 (Maggi Dawn b. 1959 / Tune: As Set)
Opening Prayers (Prayers written by Tim Annan-Hood from the Vine resource)
Resolution time.
Expectations for the year, Optimism: Full.
Optimism vs. War, Natural Disasters, Greed, Hate, Poverty.
Against this darkness what hope do we have to help build your kingdom here, Christ?
My hope is in you.
You share our sorrows, worries, weep with and love all.
Born in a manger. Taught peace, love and understanding. Crucified on that cross.
Kyrie eleison, Lord have mercy.
What can I change, I am only one person, yes?
Today, as I pray, help me to begin with loving friends.
Love one another. Love as a community.
Support each other.
Build your Kingdom here Lord.
Help me to love as you would each and every day.
Amen
The Collect
God of mercy and power, whose Son experienced persecution, hardship and poverty,
Grant us compassion for those who find themselves in similar circumstance
That at His appearing we may be counted among His true servants.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Gospel Reading: Matthew 2: 13-23 (NRSV)
The Flight into Egypt and Massacre of the Infants
Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.’ 14Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, 15and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, ‘Out of Egypt I have called my son.’
When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men. 17Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:
18 ‘A voice was heard in Ramah,
wailing and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be consoled, because they are no more.’
When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, 20‘Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child’s life are dead.’ 21Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. 22But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee. 23There he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, ‘He will be called a Nazorean.’
Hymn STF 218 (Percy Dearmer 1867-1936 / Tune: ‘Puer Nobis’ arr. Geoffrey Shaw)
| 1. Unto us a boy is born! King of all creation, came he to a world forlorn, the Lord of every nation. 2. Cradled in a stall was he 3. Herod then with fear was filled: |
4. Now may Mary’s son, who came so long ago to love us, lead us all with hearts aflame unto the joys above us. 5. 5. Omega and Alpha he! Percy Dearmer 1867-1936 Tune: ‘Puer Nobis’ arr. Geoffrey Shaw |
Address
The Methodist Church has promoted the theme over Christmas in 2022 ‘There is Room’, drawing inspiration from the Gospel record of the Birth of Christ. For although there was no room in the Inn for the Holy Family, and they had to do with a stable or under-croft for animals and a manger, there was room for humble Shepherds who came down from the hills leaving there flocks. There was equally room for Magi who travelled star led from the East, and for Mary and Joseph, a young couple who had little by way of means and struggled to make ends meet. There was room too for the Innkeeper who did all that he could in difficult and challenging circumstances, and later on in the infancy narrative, room for Anna and Simeon, an elderly widow and an old man nearing his final days. Who there was not room for and no invitation was Herod, a tyrant and despot capable of unspeakable violence.
The significance of all this does and should not go unnoticed as we reflect on modern parallels. There is no room in God’s kingdom for tyrants and bullies, for the likes of Vladimir Putin whose army has terrorised the Ukraine and its people for the last ten months, for the Taliban who afford women and girls no rights, or for the oppressive regime in Iran.
Who there is room for (as made clear in the Gospel story) is the poor, the broken, the humble, the oppressed and persecuted, the innocent, the adventurous, the refugee, the faithful, the courageous, the hopeful, the welcoming and the kind spirited. The words of Jesus as later recorded in the Gospel of Matthew, and which form part of the Sermon of the Mount hold particular resonance in this respect.
Blessed are the pure in heart.
They will see God (Matthew 5:8)
And they did see him, not in a palace or a mighty fortress, but wrapped in swaddling bands and in a manger, and then fleeing persecution and seeking refuge in Egypt, a stranger in a strange land. As John reminds us in the glorious opening of His Gospel, not only did the Word become flesh and make His dwelling among us, but ‘We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth’ (John 1:14).
This is Immanuel ’God with us’, and God demonstrating from the outset both whose side He is on and who can truly find and enter His Kingdom. The last thing to say in all of this is that there is room for you in the Kingdom, at the stable and at the cross. Whatever your story, whatever your hopes and fears as we enter this New Year, whatever your age, ethnicity, identity or gender; whatever your achievements or regrets … There is room for YOU, if you are but willing to make room in your heart and life for Him, whose tiny hands, for now holding tightly to his mother Mary’s, would one day be surrendered to nail and wood. And, in making room in your heart, as the Shepherds, the Magi, the Innkeeper, Simeon and Anna, Mary and Joseph, to allow yourself with them to be transformed by truth and grace.
I conclude with the words of the poignant and oft sung carol by Christina Rossetti ‘Born in the Night’…
What can I give him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd
I would bring a lamb;
if I were a wise man
I would do my part;
yet what I can I give him —
give my heart.
This is the invitation, and our means and gateway to the Kingdom, and what a glorious Kingdom it is.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
Hymn STF 224 (William Chatterton Dix 1837-1898 / Tune: Dix)
| 1. As with gladness men of old did the guiding star behold, as with joy they hailed its light, leading onward, beaming bright, so, most gracious Lord, may we evermore be led to thee. 2. As with joyful steps they sped, 3. As they offered gifts most rare |
4. Holy Jesus, every day keep us in the narrow way; and, when earthly things are past, bring our ransomed souls at last where they need no star to guide, where no clouds thy glory hide. 5. In the heavenly country bright
William Chatterton Dix 1837-1898 Tune: Dix |
Prayers of Intercession (Written by Jill Baker from the Vine Resource)
God of new beginnings, thank you for this New Year with all its opportunities and challenges. Draw close to us now we ask, as we bring our prayers for the world, knowing that you always listen:
We pray for the leaders of nations, for those whose jealousy and fear blind them to making good choices. We pray for those who seek to control and suppress, who refuse to listen to other voices or to collaborate with new ideas. Give courage to all who need to break out of old systems in this New Year.
We pray for all affected by violence, for those whose lives, or the lives of their children, are threatened by war and conflict, remembering especially the people of Ukraine, Russia, Sudan an Afghanistan at this time. We pray for decision-makers and strategists. Give humility to all who need to turn from old grievances in this New Year.
We pray for all who have experienced loss in the past year; especially those whose children have died at any stage of their lives and development. We pray they may find support and understanding in their need to lament and to weep. Give strength to all who are scarred by the old year, as they enter each day of this New Year.
We pray for all who are ill at this time, pausing to name in our hearts (or aloud) those for whom we particularly pray today… Give healing to all who are in pain in body, mind and spirit as they look with hope to this New Year.
We pray for the church, for this congregation and other Christians in this neighbourhood… As we give thanks for all your goodness to us over past years, lead us away from dead ends and guide us by your Spirit into this New Year.
We pray for ourselves, bringing before you the times of laughter and the times of lament which we have known in 2022… as you have acted throughout history to save and bless your people, so come to us today and save and bless us that we might receive hope and, in turn, offer life to all around in this New Year.
Silence
Finally, with thanksgiving for all who have gone before us and whose example and fortitude have inspired us, let us offer the prayer that Jesus taught us … Our Father who art in Heaven;
Hymn STF 460 (Charles Wesley 1707-1788 / Tune: Derby)
| 1. Come, let us anew our journey pursue, roll round with the year, and never stand still till the Master appear. 2. His adorable will 3. Our life is a dream, |
. 4. The arrow is flown, the moment is gone; the millennial year rushes on to our view, and eternity’s here. 5. O that each in the day 6. O that each from his Lord |
The Blessing (Written by Tim Baker from the Vine resource)
We are the people of Christmas, living the incarnation story in our day to day lives. We are guardians of the story of God come to be amongst us. As we step out into this New Year, God of the incarnation, show us how to be people who live that story, share that story, and make that story real for everyone. And the blessing of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit remain with us and all who we love now and forevermore. Amen.
Copyright Notices
Hymns
Hymn words where displayed are in the Public Domain.
Hymn organ recordings where used are from Small Church Music. Copyright notice: Rev. Clyde McLennan, performer in this collection, has assigned his performer rights in this collection to Hymnary.org. Non-commercial use of these recordings is permitted.
Other hymns are from YouTube and covered by YouTube copyright processes.
Bible Readings
Bible readings are from the New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Images
Images where used are from pixabay.com and free for commercial use no attribution required.
