Welcome to the Parish Church of St Mark
Serving the people of Broomhill & Broomhall
Living Thinking Faith
THE PARISH EUCHARIST
A Service of Holy Communion
sharing Christian Hospitality
Second Sunday of Christmas
Sunday 1January 2017 at 10.00 am
Welcome and Happy New Year!
A warm welcome to everyone gathered here this morning,
especially if this is your first visit to St Mark’s.
Our celebration is richer for your part in it.
Thank you for being here.
Before this service begins,
we share together in a time of quiet.
With thanks to our organist today Julian Gunn
Preparing for worship
Jesus is the light of the world,
a light that darkness cannot overcome.
Carry his light into the world,
into the dark places where fighting, discord and division
impede our united witness.
May Christ´s light effect reconciliation
in our thoughts, words and deeds.
(Churches Together in Britain and Ireland)
/ To use the Induction Loop, please select the T setting on your hearing aid.Please silence or switch off mobile phones and pagers before the service begins. Thank you.
ALLERGY ADVICE: we use gluten and dairy free bread at Communion and our wine contains alcohol. An alternative cup with alcohol-free wine is available, please ask for this at the rail. /
Gathering
Organ Voluntary -Christmas Chorale Preludes JS Bach
Welcome
Hymn
1. Lord, for the yearsyour love has kept and guided,
urged and inspired us,
cheered us on our way,
sought us and saved us,
pardoned and provided,
Lord of the years,
we bring our thanks today. / 2. Lord, for that word,
the word of life which fires us,
speaks to our hearts
and sets our souls ablaze,
teaches and trains,
rebukes us and inspires us,
Lord of the word,
receive your people's praise.
3. Lord, for our land,
in this our generation,
spirits oppressed by pleasure,
wealth and care:
for young and old,
for commonwealth and nation,
Lord of our land,
be pleased to hear our prayer. / 4. Lord, for our world;
when we disown and doubt him,
loveless in strength,
and comfortless in pain;
hungry and helpless,
lost indeed without him:
Lord of the world,
we pray that Christ may reign.
5. Lord, for ourselves;
in living pow'r remake us,
self on the cross
and Christ upon the throne;
past put behind us,
for the future take us,
Lord of our lives,
to live for Christ alone.
Timothy Dudley-Smith (b. 1926)
Tune: Lord of the Years
Prayers of Approach
(We stand until after the Collect,
May God be with youplease sit if you prefer)
and also with you.
light eternal,
you bring to light things hidden in darkness
and know the shadows of our hearts:
cleanse and renew us by your Spirit,
that we may walk in the light
and glorify your name;
through Jesus Christ, the Light of the world. Amen.
Christ, the Light of the world,
has come to dispel the darkness of our hearts.
In his light, we become aware of our own shortcomings
and also God’s potential hidden deep within us.
Pause for reflection
You were born through Mary’s labour;
but we look for answers that cost us nothing.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
You were greeted by shepherds and angels;
but we close our doors on those outside.
Christ, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
You share our humanity and delight in your creation;
but we make your love too small and take your gift for granted.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
May the God of forgiveness
heal you of all that harms you
and keep you in life eternal. Amen.
Gloria
Joy to the world!The Lord is come;
let earth receive her King;
let ev'ry heart
prepare him room,
and heav'n and nature sing,
and heav'n and nature sing,
and heav'n and heav'n and nature sing. / Joy to the earth!
The Saviour reigns;
let us our songs employ;
while fields and floods,
rocks, hills and plains
repeat the sounding joy,
repeat the sounding joy,
repeat, repeat the sounding joy.
He rules the world
with truth and grace,
and makes the nations prove
the glories of
his righteousness,
and wonders of his love,
and wonders of his love,
and wonders, and wonders of his love.
Isaac Watts (1674-1748) based on Psalm 98, alt.
Tune: Antioch
Collect
Let us pray.
Loving God,
source of all light and love,
shine clearly in our lives.
Break down the barriers that divide us;
renew our vision of a world
in which all know their true value;
and shine through us
that we may be lights of hope in the world.
Through Jesus Christ, our gateway to liberation.
Amen
Attending
Reading –Ephesians 2:11-22 Read byArthur Button
So then, remember that at one time you Gentiles by birth,* called ‘the uncircumcision’ by those who are called ‘the circumcision’—a physical circumcision made in the flesh by human hands— 12remember that you were at that time without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
14For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. 15He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, so that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, 16and might reconcile both groups to God in one body* through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it.*17So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; 18for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father.
19So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, 20built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.*21In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; 22in whom you also are built together spiritually* into a dwelling-place for God.
How is this God’s word of life for us today?
We share a time of quiet
Song (led by Simon Ennals)
Let peace come down this Christmas
Upon a broken land.
Let peace come down this Christmas time
And let’s all take a stand.
Angel voices singing
on that Holy night
To lead us out of darkness
Into the path of light
The path of light
Chorus
Upon these Shepherds’ Fields
Peace flowing down like rain
Broken hearts were mended
Healing out of pain
Out of pain
Chorus
He walked among the lonely
And the poorest of the poor
Showed a way of peace
To bring an end to war
And end to war
Chorus
Garth Hewitt
Gospel – Matthew 2.13-end(We remain standing)
The good news is proclaimed from the heart of the worshipping community.
The Word became flesh and dwelt among us,
and we have seen his glory.
Alleluia.
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.
Glory to you, O Lord.
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.’
16When 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.’
19When 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.’
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
SermonRevd Michael Bayley
followed by a time of quiet
Responding
Prayers of Solidarity and Concern, led by Pat Lane
Let us pray
The following bidding and response is used after each petition.
Light of the world.
Bring healing, bring peace.
At the end:
Christ, Light of the world.
May your healing peace
bring hope to our troubled world;
be born in us, we pray. Amen.
Greeting of Peace
Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given:
and his name is called the Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace
there shall be no end.Isaiah 9.6.
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
And also with you.
We share Christ’s peace with those around us,
remembering also those from whom we are estranged.
Offertory Hymn
A collection is taken for the mission and ministry of St Mark’s.
If you are a taxpayer, please place your gift in one of the yellow envelopes provided, writing your name and address on the front. If you leave the envelope blank, we are unable to reclaim tax under the ‘Gift Aid’ scheme. Thank you.
O Christ the same, through all our story's pages,
our loves and hopes, our failures and our fears;
eternal Lord, the King of all the ages,
unchanging still, amid the passing years:
O living Word, the source of all creation,
who spread the skies, and set the stars ablaze,
O Christ the same, who wrought our whole salvation,
we bring our thanks for all our yesterdays.
O Christ the same, the friend of sinners, sharing
our inmost thoughts, the secrets none can hide,
still as of old upon your body bearing
the marks of love, in triumph glorified:
O Son of Man, who stooped for us from heaven,
O Prince of life, in all your saving power,
O Christ the same, to whom our hearts are given,
we bring our thanks for this the present hour.
O Christ the same, secure within whose keeping
our lives and loves, our days and years remain,
our work and rest, our waking and our sleeping,
our calm and storm, our pleasure and our pain:
O Lord of love, for all our joys and sorrows,
for all our hopes, when earth shall fade and flee,
O Christ the same, beyond our brief tomorrows,
we bring our thanks for all that is to be.
Timothy Dudley-Smith (b 1926)
Tune: Londonderry
Abiding
Preparation
Bread and wine, and the collection, tokens of our response to God, are offered.
We bring to this table our daily lives:
Bread to sustain us,
wine to gladden the hearts,
money, the fruit of our labours.
As shepherds and sages worshipped the Prince of Peace.
These are our offerings of thanksgiving and praise.
The Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
Let us pray(We sit or kneel)
May God be with you
and also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to God.
Let us give thanks to our gracious God:
It is right to give thanks and praise.
We thank you, loving God,
for you did not abandon us or stand far off
but came in awful nearness with the urgency of love.
In creation’s dawn, you gave birth to all that is;
to the people of Israel you revealed yourself a Father
and shared the human story.
Now we praise you for the Word made flesh
born of Mary’s body, nurtured in her womb,
cradled in her arms, greeted by her song.
The fullness of God dwells in his flesh,
a touch of welcome for the one thrown aside,
good news of bread for the hungry and poor,
a shepherd to find those who are lost.
Now we are caught up,
body and soul resound
with the glory of music divine,
echoing through the hallowed earth:Steven Shakespeare
Holy, holy, holy Lord,
God of truth and love,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessèd is he, O blessèd is he,
who comes in the name of the Lord.Setting from ‘St Anne’s Mass,’
Hosanna in the highest.by James Macmillan (b 1959)
On the night he was betrayed,
at supper with his friends
he took bread, and gave you thanks;
he broke it and gave it to them, saying:
Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you;
do this in remembrance of me.
We do this in remembrance of him.
At the end of supper, taking the cup of wine,
he gave you thanks, and said:
Drink this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant,
which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins;
do this in remembrance of me.
We do this in remembrance of him.
As we proclaim his death and celebrate his rising in glory,
send your Holy Spirit that this bread and this wine
may be to us the body and blood of your dear Son.
As we eat and drink these holy gifts
make us one in Christ, our risen Lord.
Amen.
Lord’s Prayer & Communion
Rejoicing in God’s presence among us,
we pray as Jesus taught us.
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.
The bread is broken.
We break this bread to share in the body of Christ.
Though we are many, we are one body,
because we all share in one bread.
Words of invitation follow.
Draw near to Bethlehem, House of Bread,
where hungry hearts are satisfied,
seeking souls find wisdom,
and failing faith is kindled back to life.
Today, God has turned the world upside-down
and restored the dignity of all people. Alleluia!
Everyone is invited to share in the communion through receiving the bread and wine or if preferred, a prayer of blessing. Please approach the altar rail with those around you. Our bread is all gluten and dairy-free and an alcohol free cup is available, please ask at the rail.
During administration, we sing together:
In the Lord I’ll be ever thankful,
in the Lord I will rejoice!
Look to God, do not be afraid;
lift up your voices: the Lord is near,
lift up your voices: the Lord is near.Taizé.
At the conclusion, silence is shared.
Venturing
Prayers of Commitment
Let us pray.
God of life
you reveal your glory
in the humility of our humanity,
and through ordinary things made holy.
As we accompany those who walk in darkness
and rejoice with those who have seen great light;
may Christ be found among us
and his beauty transfigure the world. Amen.
Announcements
Blessing
May the joy of the angels,
the eagerness of the shepherds,
the perseverance of the sages,
the openness of Joseph and Mary,
and the peace of the Christchild
be yours this Christmas;
and the blessing of God,
Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer
rest upon you and all those you love,
this Christmas, and forever.
Amen
Hymn
All my hope on God is founded;
she doth still my trust renew.
Me through change and chance she guideth,
only good and only true.
God unknown, she alone
calls my heart to be her own.
Human pride and earthly glory,
sword and crown betray her trust;
what with care and toil she buildeth,
tow'r and temple, fall to dust.
But God's pow'r, hour by hour,
is my temple and my tow'r.
God's great goodness aye endureth,
deep her wisdom, passing thought:
splendour, light and life attend her,
beauty springeth out of naught.
Evermore, from her store,
new-born worlds rise and adore.
Still from earth to God eternal
sacrifice of praise be done,
high above all praises praising
for the gift of Christ her Son.
Christ doth call one and all:
ye who follow shall not fall.
Robert Bridges (1844-1930) adapted
based on the German of J Neander (1650-80)
Tune: Michael
Please turn to face the back of church for the Commission
Commission (please face the back of church)