Ray Anglesea shares an
Epiphany/Methodist Covenant Service liturgy for use in the LEP on the 4th
January 2015 with ecumenical friends from St Catherine’s Anglican Church, Crook.
Call to Worship
Arise
shine, Jerusalem, for your light has come and the glory of the Lord has risen
upon you. Isaiah 60 v1. God has
caused his light to shine in our hearts, the light which is the knowledge of
the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 4 v6
Presentation of gifts (gifts
brought to the communion table)
God of incense, we offer you our spoken and unspeakable
longings, our questioning of truth, our search for your mystery deep within
God of Myrhh, we cry out to you in our suffering,
the pain of all our rejections, our baffled despair at undeserved suffering and
we embrace you, God, with us, in our wealth, in our yearning, in our anger and
loss.
Hymn: STF 34 O worship the Lord in the
beauty of Holiness
Prayers
of Thanksgiving
Thank
you scandalous God for giving yourself to the world, not in the powerful and
extraordinary but in weakness and the familiar, in a baby, in bread and wine.
Thank
you for bringing us to Bethlehem, at journey’s end, a new beginning, a New Year,
for setting in a poverty of a stable, the richest jewel of your love, for revealing
in a particular place, your light for all nations.
Thank
you for bringing us to Bethlehem, House of Bread, where the empty are filled
and the filled are emptied, where the poor find riches and the rich recognize
their poverty, where all who journey and kneel and hold their hands are
unstintingly fed.
Here
at the beginning of this New Year we stand and stare into an uncertain and
difficult future. But as we look at your beauty and holiness, as wise men once
gazed upon an innocent and unknowing child, we are filled with gratitude and
praise that this wonderful thing has happened amongst us – God you are with us.
Loving
God, by your grace give us that beauty and holiness that is our true nature.
Look on us with love’s renewing gaze. Rise within us like a star and make us
restless till we journey forth to seek our rest in you. Amen
Psalm 72 v 1-7, 10-14 (set
in the context of some of the top 20 2014 photographs from the Guardian
Newspaper)
The True 12 days of Christmas (sung
acapella)
On the
first day of Christmas the angel said to me
Hallelujah
Jesus is born
On the
second day of Christmas the angel said to me
Glory in
the Highest
Third:
Peace on earth
Fourth:
His love will reign (STAND for....)
Five: He is the Lord
Six:
Faithful is his promise
Seven:
Freely give your worship
Eight: He
alone is worthy
Nine: Sing
to him your praises
Ten: He
has come to save us
Eleven:
Wise men will believe him
Twelve:
Tell the world the good news
Poem: Innocents Song: Charles Causley (1917-2003)
Who’s
that knocking on the window,
Who’s that standing at the door,
What are all those presents
Laying on the kitchen floor?
Who’s that standing at the door,
What are all those presents
Laying on the kitchen floor?
Who is
the smiling stranger
With hair as white as gin,
What is he doing with the children
And who could have let him in?
With hair as white as gin,
What is he doing with the children
And who could have let him in?
Why has
he rubies on his fingers,
A cold, cold crown on his head,
Why, when he caws his carol,
Does the salty snow run red?
A cold, cold crown on his head,
Why, when he caws his carol,
Does the salty snow run red?
Why does
he ferry my fireside
As a spider on a thread,
His fingers made of fuses
And his tongue of gingerbread?
As a spider on a thread,
His fingers made of fuses
And his tongue of gingerbread?
Why does
the world before him
Melt in a million suns,
Why do his yellow, yearning eyes
Burn like saffron buns?
Melt in a million suns,
Why do his yellow, yearning eyes
Burn like saffron buns?
Watch
where he comes walking
Out of the Christmas flame,
Dancing, double-talking:
Out of the Christmas flame,
Dancing, double-talking:
Herod is his name.
Music: Three kings from Persian lands of afar: Peter
Cornelius with Southwick Cathedral Choir
“He is going far away from the land where, in
the stable, he was born. May he remain his father’s and mother’s abiding love!
May he grow, may he prosper, and may he become a good father in his turn! If
ever, in the house of the idolater, he should come to know misfortune, let him
flee the unkind land and return to happiness among us. May the shepherd’s
poverty ever remain dear to his heart! Dear child, may God bless you! May God
bless you, happy parents: may you never feel the blows of injustice! May a good
angel forewarn you of the dangers hovering above you!” Hector Berlioz, L’Enfance
du Christ 1854 - based on the Holy
Family's flight
into Egypt
Offertory Hymn: STF 227 Brightest and Best are the sons of the
morning (Tune 595)
Response: Lord to whom shall
we go, you have the words of eternal life
Gospel: Matthew 2 v1-17
Response: Lord to whom shall we
go, you have the words of eternal life
The Sermon: “Jesus the Refugee – A Christian Response.”
With
the kind permission of the chapel elders/stewards we start today a series of monthly
sermons dealing with issues that will shape the debate and possibly the outcome
of the General Election, 7th May 2015.
Today’s
topic “Immigration.”
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| Nativity Scene in an Iraq Humanitarian Aid Camp, 2014 |
Prayers of Intercession: Revd Vince Fenton, priest, St.
Catherine’s Church, Crook
The Covenant Service (Page 285 The Methodist Worship Book)
Hymn: STF 549 Come, let us use the grace
divine
The Communion
Hymn: STF 470 Lord, for years your love has
kept and guided
Benediction:
Go now as a light to the nations. Honour the Lord; preach what you know
of the risen Christ, and fulfil all righteousness. And may God strengthen you
and bless you with peace; may Christ Jesus bring forth justice for you and
among you; and may the Holy Spirit alight on you and affirm you as God’s
beloved ones. We go in peace to love and serve the Lord, In the name of Christ. Amen.
