OUR CHURCHES
Our churches can only be opened under strict conditions in accordance with guidance from the government and the Diocese of Leeds.
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 test and trace. Do continue to find rhythms that include worship as we continue to navigate this pandemic.
It's clear the pandemic is currently at it's most severe, and numbers of infections locally are also rising rapidly. Once again the instruction is 'Stay home, save lives'.
Sadly, it seems we should now suspend physical services - and for the time being, fall back again on the phone and zoom provision. (There will be further updates as this is discussed by the PCCs in the benefice.)
The resources at Daily Hope continue to develop and grow - simply phone 0800 804 8044 and follow the options. It is an automated line of recorded resources. For the Daily Hope prayer phone line click here.
A healthy and happy new year to all!
Rev Tom Ringland
Zoom and phone services Sunday January 17th
This Sunday is the second in the season of Epiphany - the material is attached, along with the music,
and we have services by phone at 9:30 and zoom at 10:30.
For the phone, please ring 0333 0110 946 then enter room number 6133 7190# and PIN 7450#
For the Zoom service the link is
Sunday service - Jan 17, 2021 10:30 a.m.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82076179031?pwd=VStaVWI2elZzb3Mvd3NiaVkwRWVYUT09
Meeting ID: 820 7617 9031 Passcode: 511577
Sunday 17th January 2021 – The Second Sunday of Epiphany
with sermon
Opening Prayer
All: 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
Opening sentence
Declare his glory among the nations - and his wonders among all peoples.
Psalm 96.3
Introduction
O Lord, open our lips
All: and our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
Your light springs up for the righteous
All: and all the peoples have seen your glory.
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.
All: Amen.
Hymn
Alleluia! sing to Jesus (Music - YouTube )
1 Alleluia, sing to Jesus!
His the sceptre, his the throne;
alleluia, his the triumph,
his the victory alone:
hark, the songs of peaceful Sion
thunder like a mighty flood;
Jesus out of every nation
hath redeemed us by his blood.
2 Alleluia, not as orphans
are we left in sorrow now;
alleluia, he is near us,
faith believes, nor questions how:
though the cloud from sight received him,
when the forty days were o’er,
shall our hearts forget his promised,
‘I am with you evermore’?
3 Alleluia, bread of angels,
thou on earth our food, our stay;
alleluia, here the sinful
flee to thee from day to day:
Intercessor, Friend of sinners,
earth’s Redeemer, plead for me,
where the songs of all the sinless
sweep across the crystal sea.
4 Alleluia, King eternal,
thee the Lord of lords we own;
alleluia, born of Mary,
earth thy footstool, heaven thy throne,
thou within the veil hast entered,
robed in flesh, our great High Priest:
thou on earth both Priest and Victim
in the eucharistic feast.
William Chatterton Dix (1837-1898)
Invitation to Confession
By the mercies of God,
let us confess our sins and present our bodies as a living sacrifice,
holy and acceptable to him,
which is our spiritual worship. Romans 12.1
Confession
We confess to you our selfishness and lack of love:
fill us with your Spirit.
Lord, have mercy.
All: Lord, have mercy.
We confess to you our fear and failure in sharing our faith:
fill us with your Spirit.
Christ, have mercy.
All: Christ, have mercy.
We confess to you our stubbornness and lack of trust:
fill us with your Spirit.
Lord, have mercy.
All: Lord, have mercy.
God’s Forgiveness
The almighty and merciful Lord
grant you pardon and forgiveness of all your sins,
time for amendment of life,
and the grace and strength of the Holy Spirit.
All: Amen.
The Word of God
Revelation 5:1-10 New Revised Standard Version
The Scroll and the Lamb
Then I saw in the right hand of the one seated on the throne a scroll written on the inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals; 2 and I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, ‘Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?’ 3 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it. 4 And I began to weep bitterly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. 5 Then one of the elders said to me, ‘Do not weep. See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.’
6 Then I saw between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders a Lamb standing as if it had been slaughtered, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 He went and took the scroll from the right hand of the one who was seated on the throne. 8 When he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell before the Lamb, each holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 They sing a new song: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slaughtered and by your blood you ransomed for God saints from every tribe and language and people and nation;
10 you have made them to be a kingdom and priests serving our God,and they will reign on earth.’
John 1:43-end New Revised Standard Version
Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael
43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, ‘Follow me.’ 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.’ 46 Nathanael said to him, ‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ Philip said to him, ‘Come and see.’ 47 When Jesus saw Nathanael coming towards him, he said of him, ‘Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!’ 48 Nathanael asked him, ‘Where did you come to know me?’ Jesus answered, ‘I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.’ 49 Nathanael replied, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!’ 50 Jesus answered, ‘Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.’ 51 And he said to him, ‘Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.’
Sermon - Rev Penny Yeadon
Many of you will have experienced the joy of grandchildren, either of your own or of friends;
My granddaughter at the age of two and a half is developing her own character and ways.
Before her range of words developed, she used to take you by the hand and walk you to whatever it was she wanted to show you or needed.
As her words increased she used to take you by the hand and say “come!” now her words have definitely increased and the dragging of you by your hand is now accompanied by “come and see, or come and play!” {As well as few other words such as “My turn!” or “Stop it!” or “highland Moo!” a farmers granddaughter to be sure!}
But whatever it is that she wants you to see or experience it is based on her joy of the situation that she is encountering.
This morning’s Gospel story is of a similar vein –
It would seem from the narrative in this morning’s reading from John that Jesus did not call Nathanael directly to be one of the twelve, he called Philip.
Jesus actively sought Philip out, to invite him to become one of the inner circle of apostles, just as he had deliberately invited Andrew the previous day.
In the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus calls people from their work to follow him, but here in John’s Gospel, Jesus calls disciples of John the Baptist to change their religious allegiance in order to follow Jesus.
Andrew called his brother to ‘come and see’ Jesus for himself and in today’s reading Philip seeks out his friend Nathanael to ‘come and see’ that Jesus of Nazareth is the long awaited Messiah.
But Nathanael is highly sceptical and laughs in Philips face.
“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”
Nathanael, who comes from Cana, can’t believe that anything good would come out of a rival village, Nazareth, short distance up the hill. A cryptic word from Jesus, and suddenly he not only believes it’s possible; he gives Jesus the exalted title of Son of God! Jesus seems surprised, and amused, as we are in reading it.
As soon as Jesus spotted Nathanael he saw a young man who was straight and honest and upright, someone who might have outspoken views but who bore no malice and who would be a loyal and faithful supporter.
Perhaps it was Nathanael’s characteristic of open transparency which Jesus also saw in little children. When Jesus was teaching his friends about the kingdom of God, he told them that in order to enter the kingdom, they must receive it just like a little child (Mark 10:15)
And just as a little child is instantly trusting, so Nathanael immediately trusted and believed in Jesus, simply because Jesus told Nathanael that he saw him under the fig tree where Philip found him.
But Nathanael was instantly aware that this was much more than a clever clairvoyance. Nathanael was conscious that Jesus actually knew him through and through, even though they had never met before.
That was enough for Nathanael. He did not bother to ask questions or to hedge his response with a fallback position in case he was wrong; he gave himself wholly to Jesus and became exactly what Jesus foresaw, a loyal and faithful supporter.
Jesus’ response to Nathanael’s declaration of Jesus as the Son of God was firstly one of astonishment and then a promise to him and the other disciples that they will see a heaven opened, with angels of God going up and down – upon the Son of man.
Perhaps a reference to Jacob’s vision in the OT of a ladder with its foot on the ground and its top reaching heaven – showing Jacob that God was with him, amongst and present in his midst.
So perhaps, John included this narrative in verse 51 as a link to his prologue where he declares that “the word became flesh and lived among us”.
Just as Jesus declares to his disciples “if you follow me, you’ll be watching what it looks like when heaven and earth are open to each other. You won’t necessarily see angels themselves, but you’ll see things happening which show that they are there” just as last week when we reflected on Mark saying that if we ‘come and see’ we will discover in the story, the normally hidden heavenly dimension of God’s world.
(Nathanael is not mentioned in any other Gospel, but is thought to be Bartholomew of the other three Gospels and of Acts. It maybe that bar-Tholomew, son of Tholomew was a surname, much as Simon’s surname was bar-Jonah, son of Jonah.
Nathanael/Bartholomew went on to become a missionary, carrying the good news of Jesus to Syria and Asia Minor. He was eventually martyred in Great Armenia and, apparently, remains the patron saint of Armenia today.
Nathanael came to faith through his friend.
Philip did not urge him or cajole him into following Jesus, but merely shared his excitement and invited Nathanael to ‘come and see’ for himself.
Philip did no more; Jesus did all the rest. As soon as Nathanael met Jesus for himself, he believed.
As Christians, all we are required to do is to share our excitement about Jesus and invite friends, neighbours, work colleagues to ‘come and see’ with us.
Once they meet Jesus for themselves, they too may believe, for Jesus does all the rest.
Jesus can see the potential within every person and can bring that potential to fruition.
But he needs us to say ‘Come and see!’ Amen.
Anthem (music)
The Call – Richard Lloyd
sung by St Martin’s Voices
Come, my Way, my Truth, my Life:
such a way as gives us breath;
such a truth as ends all strife;
such a life as killeth death.
Come, my Light, my Feast, my Strength:
such a light as shows a feast;
such a feast as mends in length;
such a strength as makes his guest.
Come, my Joy, my Love, my Heart:
such a joy as none can move:
such a love as none can part;
such a heart as joys in love.
George Herbert (1593-1633)
Confession of Faith
Let us declare our faith in God.
All: We believe in God the Father,
from whom every family
in heaven and on earth is named.
We believe in God the Son,
who lives in our hearts through faith,
and fills us with his love.
We believe in God the Holy Spirit,
who strengthens us
with power from on high.
We believe in one God;
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Prayers of Intercession
To the bidding:
Lord, in your mercy
We respond:
Hear our prayer.
The Collect
Almighty God,
in Christ you make all things new:
transform the poverty of our nature by the riches of your grace,
and in the renewal of our lives
make known your heavenly glory;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
All: Amen
The Lord’s Prayer
Let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us:
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)
Will you come and follow me
sung by St Martin’s Voices
1 Will you come and follow me
if I but call your name?
Will you go where you don't know
and never be the same?
Will you let my love be shown,
will you let my name be known,
will you let my life be grown,
in you and you in me?
2 Will you leave yourself behind
if I but call your name?
Will you care for cruel and kind
and never be the same?
Will you risk the hostile stare
should your life attract or scare?
Will you let me answer prayer
in you and you in me?
3 Will you let the blinded see
if I but call your name?
Will you set the prisoners free
and never be the same?
Will you kiss the leper clean,
and do such as this unseen,
and admit to what I mean
in you and you in me?
4 Will you love the 'you' you hide
if I but call your name?
Will you quell the fear inside
and never be the same?
Will you use the faith you've found
to reshape the world around,
through my sight and touch and sound
in you and you in me?
5 Lord, your summons echoes true
when you but call my name.
Let me turn and follow you
and never be the same.
In your company I'll go
where your love and footsteps show.
Thus I'll move and live and grow
in you and you in me.
John L Bell (born 1949) and Graham Maule (1958-2019)
© 1987 WGRG, c/o Iona Community, 21 Carlton Court, Glasgow, G5 9JP, Scotland. www.wildgoose.scot
The Blessing
May God, who in Christ gives us a spring of water
welling up to eternal life,
perfect in you the image of his glory;
and the blessing of God Almighty,
the Father, Son and Holy Spirit
be with you now and always.
All: Amen