OUR CHURCHES
Our churches can only be opened under strict condition in accordance with guidance from the government and the Diocese of Leeds. For details about what can be done regarding funerals, emergency baptisms etc scroll down to March 21 on the News/Events page. See that page also for information about when there are services at our churches, which ones are open each week for times of prayer, and some excerpts from the latest Penhill Beacon.
Face coverings must be worn in church, along with social distancing and the use of sanitiser. Sanitiser is available immediately inside the churches as well as the means to provide details confidentially for track and trace.
Church services from October
From October we move to a new pattern where, in addition to phone and 'zoom' services, services in church will be held as follows:-
1st and 3rd Sundays 9.30 at St Mary Redmire and 11:00 at St Andrew Aysgarth
2nd and 4th Sundays 9.30 at St Margaret Preston-u-Scar and 11.00 at St Bartholomew West Witton
Special Services
Sunday November 1st: A service of Commemoration and Thanksgiving for those who have died. If you have been unable to join with friends and family for a funeral service - or wish to light a candle in memory of someone special, please join us for this quiet, reflective memorial service. Please email penhill.benefice@btconnect.com or phone 01969 624542 if attending, as space is limited. You may also indiciate names to be commemorated.
Sunday November 8th: Remembrance Servces
there will not be services by phone or Zoom on 8th November. Please follow the national broadcast, or access other services streamed online
Sunday 25th October
To join the phone-in service on Sunday at 9.30, please dial 0333 0110 946.
When prompted, key in the Room Number - 61337190#
and PIN 7450#
advance notice:- there will not be services by phone or Zoom on 8th November. Please follow the national broadcast, or access other services streamed online
Zoom link for 10.30 morning service, 25th October
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84421830363?pwd=Z3VTN3BxVS9RK25MZmJNR2JickFzZz09
(Zoom link for Prayer Fellowship, on Monday at 7.30pm for an hour
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89761842174?pwd=SVBFSzBIeDd5VkxsTlhxeDlIT0pBQT09)
Sunday 25th October is Bible Sunday
We have the gift of our Bibles to strengthen the solid foundation of our faith in an ever turbulent world.
How can we make better use of this gift?
There are many helps including apps like ‘daily prayer’ or resources like “word live” from Scripture Union available to help us…
Come, Holy Spirit,
fill the hearts of your faithful people,
and kindle in us the fire of your love;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
Amen
You are near O LORD,
and all Your commandments are true.
Psalm 119:151
Introduction
O Lord, open our lips.
All and our mouth shall
proclaim your praise
All Eternal God, source of all blessing,
help us to worship you now
with all our heart
and mind and strength;
for you alone are God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
The night has passed
and the day lies open before us;
Let us pray with one heart and mind.
As we rejoice in the gift of this new day,
so may the light of Your presence, O God,
set our hearts on fire with love for You;
now and for ever. Amen.
Hymn (music)
Tell out my soul
sung by St Martin’s Voices
1 Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord!
Unnumbered blessings, give my spirit voice;
tender to me the promise of his word;
in God my Saviour shall my heart rejoice.
2 Tell out, my soul, the greatness of his Name!
Make known his might, the deeds his arm has done;
his mercy sure, from age to age the same;
his holy Name, the Lord, the Mighty One.
3 Tell out, my soul, the greatness of his might!
Powers and dominions lay their glory by.
Proud hearts and stubborn wills are put to flight,
the hungry fed, the humble lifted high.
4 Tell out, my soul, the glories of his word!
Firm is his promise, and his mercy sure.
Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord
to children's children and for evermore!
Timothy Dudley-Smith (born 1926) from Luke 1 vs46-55
© administered by Oxford University Press in Europe (including UK and Ireland) and Africa, and by Hope Publishing Company in all other territories (including USA)
Invitation to Confession
We come to God as one from whom no secrets are hidden,
to ask for His forgiveness, restoration and peace.
We trust in His promise:
“If at times we are faithless,
He will remain faithful,
for He cannot disown Himself”.
(cf 2 Tim. 2: 13)
Confession
Let us come to the Father, trusting in His faithfulness:
We have not always worshipped you with all our heart;
All Father, forgive us
We have often failed to take you at Your word;
All Father, forgive us
We have walked by our own light,
rather than the light of Your word;
All Father, forgive us
and make Your word to be for us
a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. Amen
cf. Ps 119:105
Absolution
May the Father of all mercies
who rescues us from the dominion of darkness
and brings us into the kingdom of the Son He loves
granting us redemption through His Blood
forgive us our sins
and cleanse us from all unrighteousness
through the merits of His only Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Readings
Nehemiah 8:1-4a, 8-12 (New Revised Standard Version)
1 all the people gathered together into the square before the Water Gate. They told the scribe Ezra to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had given to Israel. 2 Accordingly, the priest Ezra brought the law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could hear with understanding. This was on the first day of the seventh month. 3 He read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the law. 4 The scribe Ezra stood on a wooden platform that had been made for the purpose;
[and beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right hand; and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hash-baddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam on his left hand. 5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up. 6 Then Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, ‘Amen, Amen’, lifting up their hands. Then they bowed their heads and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground. 7 Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, the Levites,[a] helped the people to understand the law, while the people remained in their places.]
8 So they read from the book, from the law of God, with interpretation. They gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.
9 And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, ‘This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.’ For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law. 10 Then he said to them, ‘Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions of them to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our Lord; and do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’ 11 So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, ‘Be quiet, for this day is holy; do not be grieved.’ 12 And all the people went their way to eat and drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them.
Matthew 24:30-35 (New Revised Standard Version)
30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see “the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven” with power and great glory. 31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
32 ‘From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So also, when you see all these things, you know that he[g] is near, at the very gates. 34 Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
Sermon –
from the nationwide virtual service by
The Rt. Rev Dr Emma Ineson, The Bishop of Penrith
Today is Bible Sunday, when we give thanks for the Bible in the life of Christian
faith. We commit 'to read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest’ the Scriptures, we
pray for those who don’t have access to the Bible in their own language, or for
whom owning and reading a Bible is an offence under the laws of the land in
which they live.
The Bible. The most read book in the whole of Christian history,
deliberately excluded from the bestseller lists because it would skew the results.
Actually a collection of 66 different books written over 1500 years, but with an
incredible coherence from start to finish. Translated, so far, into 700 languages;
5.6 billion people have access to a Bible in their own language.
And here I have a few Bibles that are special to me. This one is my family Welsh
Bible. This one was given to me by the Archbishop of York on my consecration
as a bishop. This one was given to me by the Gideons at school as a teenager. I
wonder what the Bible means to you? For some watching this today maybe not
very much. Perhaps, a few nice words at Christmas? A really interesting piece
of text? An important part of our cultural heritage, the inspiration for some of
our great works of art and literature; Milton’s Paradise Lost, Leonardo’s Last
Supper.
For many of us, the Bible is that, but is so much more than that. It’s the source
and bedrock for all we believe and the means by which we come to know most
clearly the saving love of God in Christ Jesus. Truly the Word of life.
Now, I love words. Before I was ordained, I studied language and linguistics, and
in one job I worked for a company that wrote dictionaries (I know I really am
that interesting). But when we’re talking about the Bible we are talking about
words, of course, because that’s what the Bible is, a collection of words. But
we’re talking about so much more than words on a page. The Word of God in
the Bible, points to the Living Word of God, Jesus Christ, who we come to know
through its pages.
And every Sunday and on other days too, throughout the world, whether in
church buildings or online, the Word of God is preached, broken open, bringing
to life the words on the page to fire and inspire the life of faith.
So when we read the words of Paul to the Colossians, “Let the word of
Christ dwell in you richly”, that’s an encouragement to us to focus on, to
ponder, to dwell upon the Good News of Jesus Christ, and for that to influence
everything we do and everything we say. Let the word of Christ make its home
in you. Make sure you’re well-stocked with the treasures of God’s word. Make
sure the riches of the word of Christ take up residence in your life. At times of
great turbulence and uncertainty throughout the history of humankind, the
Bible has provided a source of comfort, assurance and hope.
Her Majesty the Queen once said in a speech, “To what greater inspiration and
counsel can we turn, than to the imperishable truth to be found in this treasure
house, the Bible?”.
It’s something Jesus pointed out to his own first followers, when he was telling
them about a time of great turbulence to come, when the Temple in Jerusalem
would be destroyed, that even when everything around us is crumbling, even
though, “Heaven and earth will pass away, my words will not pass away”, says
Jesus. God’s word will continue throughout famine, war, pestilence, plague and
pandemic.
And I wonder if this is something we particularly need to hear today? So much
of what we thought we knew and the things that we trusted to be there always
have been upended or taken away by COVID.
Hope is something that is in short supply at the moment. We’d hoped that we
would be through this by Christmas, we had hoped that we might have a
vaccine by now. We’d hoped that our lives might be getting back to normal.
We’d hoped that the rates of infection would be falling and fewer people would
be suffering physically, emotionally, or economically. And even in these difficult
times, especially in these difficult times, the Bible gives us hope, because it
shows us that God’s big story and his ultimate plans for good are there for the
whole created order.
It gives us hope because we read in its pages that what we see and experience
here and now, is not all there is, and that God and his love and His goodness
will ultimately prevail. As the Evangelist Billy Graham once said, “I’ve read the
last page of the Bible, and it’s going to turn out alright.”
So this Bible Sunday can I encourage you, wherever you start from with the
Bible, to consider taking it the next step? If you’ve never read it before, consider
starting. One of the Gospels is a good place to start. If you’re sceptical about the
Bible, give it another chance. If you’re troubled by the way that the Bible has
been used to oppress, continue to wrestle the truth from it. If you know and
love the Bible and you follow the God you find revealed in its pages, most
especially in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, keep reading, keep
studying, keep loving it, keep letting it dwell with all its riches in your life day by
day with its transforming, hope-giving, life-affirming power, and if we all did
that, wouldn’t every Sunday be Bible Sunday?
Confession of Faith
Do you believe and trust in God the Father,
source of all being and life,
the one for whom we exist?
All We believe and trust in him.
Do you believe and trust in God the Son,
who took our human nature,
died for us and rose again?
All We believe and trust in him.
Do you believe and trust in God the Holy Spirit,
who gives life to the people of God
and makes Christ known in the world?
All We believe and trust in him.
This is the faith of the Church.
All This is our faith.
We believe and trust in one God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Prayers of Intercession
also see ‘Prayers for use during the coronavirus outbreak’
Remember the free C of E phone line “Daily Hope” ...0800 804 8044.
The Collect
Blessed Lord,
who caused all Holy Scriptures to be written for our learning;
help us so to hear them
read, mark, learn and inwardly digest them, that,
through patience and the comfort of your Holy Word,
we may embrace and for ever hold fast
the hope of everlasting life
which You have given us
in our Saviour, Jesus Christ,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
All 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.
Hymn (music )
Lord, thy word abideth
sung by St Martin’s Voices
1 Lord, thy word abideth,
and our footsteps guideth;
who its truth believeth
light and joy receiveth.
2 When our foes are near us,
then thy word doth cheer us,
word of consolation,
message of salvation.
3 When the storms are o'er us,
and dark clouds before us,
then its light directeth,
and our way protecteth.
4 Who can tell the pleasure,
who recount the treasure,
by thy word imparted
to the simple-hearted?
5 Word of mercy, giving
succour to the living;
word of life, supplying
comfort to the dying.
6 O that we discerning
its most holy learning,
Lord, may love and fear thee,
evermore be near thee.
Henry Williams Baker (1821-1877)
Blessing
The God of all grace,
who, as the Word made flesh,
shines His light into our darkness,
to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God,
enfold us in His love,
nourish us with His truth
and empower us with His Spirit
and may the blessing… Amen