St Clement Church Community Advent 2 Service
Good morning to you all as we celebrate the 2nd Sunday of Advent.
We will be holding a Eucharist in our church building, this service is if you are unable to attend with us and will be worshipping at home.
Much love and prayers and may Christ’s love sustain you always.
God bless you all. Love Rev Di and family
Let us pray;
Almighty God, purify our hearts and minds, that when your Son Jesus Christ comes again as judge and saviour we may be ready to receive him, who is our Lord and our God. Amen.
Hymn: ‘Love Divine, all Loves Excelling.’
Our prayers of Penitence
Heavenly Father, you call us to repent of our sins: soften our proud and stubborn hearts.
Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy
Lord Jesus, you declared the forgiveness of God: teach us to forgive one another.
Christ have mercy. Christ have mercy
Holy Spirit, you search our hearts and show us the truth: direct us in your way of righteousness.
Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy
May our Almighty and merciful Lord grant us pardon and forgiveness of all our sins, time for amendment of life, and the grace and strength of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Let us pray our Collect for today
O Lord, raise up we pray, your power and come among us, and with great might succour us; that whereas, through our sins and wickedness we are grievously hindered in running the race that is set before us, your bountiful grace and mercy may speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord. Amen.
Readings:
Malachi 3.1-4
Philippians 1.3-11
Hymn; ‘Hills of the North, Rejoice’
Gospel Luke 3.1-6
(Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.)
Response: ‘Glory to you O Lord.’
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah,
‘The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
“Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight.
Every valley shall be filled,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall be made straight,
and the rough ways made smooth;
and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” ’
(This is the Gospel of the Lord. Response: ‘Praise to you, O, Christ’)
Reflection
In today’s Gospel, Luke tells of the beginning of the ministry of John the Baptist, heralding the coming of the long-awaited Messiah.
The message is just as relevant in this day and age at Advent, a time of waiting, as we prepare for the coming of our Lord, and the question we might ask ourselves is: in what ways might we be more aware of the coming of Jesus today?
What new experiences does God have in store for us where we would recognise his Kingdom? What new people would God have us to meet, what signs will he send us? as we wait for the coming of Jesus in this day and time.
Just as the Word of God came to John "…in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar …", so might God speak to us today … in our present time. It's not that far-fetched an idea, just as we celebrate the mighty acts of God back then, so we ought to be on the lookout for new and just-as-mighty acts of God in our own day.
We might think that if God were to come into our world in a new way, it would be somewhere like Westminster Abbey or one of the big cathedrals. For the Jews, it would be Jerusalem, for the Muslims, Mecca, for the Hindus, it would be the Ganges River.
Somehow, we have a hard time believing that if God were to reveal himself today to the world that it would be to ordinary folk of an ordinary community. We perhaps think that if God were to come, he'd make an entrance somewhere grand, to a figure of authority, perhaps someone deserving honour and respect.
But Luke says, "…the word of God came to John, the son of Zechariah, in the wilderness." That scripture tells us that God is likely to appear in the most unlikely places, to unlikely people, not famous, or wealthy, but ordinary folk like us.
Who was John? Truth to tell, he was an extremely radical individual, who lived in the wilderness, slept in caves, dressed in sackcloth and ate locusts and wild honey. As far as we know, he had little, if any, formal education or vocational training. He didn't work, he didn't support a family, and he didn't have credentials of any kind. As far as the Jewish leaders were concerned, he was a self-proclaimed prophet wandering in the wilderness blabbering on about repentance of sins, for the kingdom of God was at hand.
However you describe him, John the Baptist must have been unusual, yet, look again at the witness of scripture, God reveals himself to those people we would never have thought of.
Today we hear how God spoke to John, son of Zechariah.
We know the angel of the Lord spoke to Mary, a mere child of a poor family. In the Christmas story, the angel announces the glad tidings of the birth of Jesus to shepherds in the fields, and shepherds in those days were on the lower rung of the social ladder to say the least.
The point is: When God speaks and reveals himself to the world in a new way, we're just as likely to be the one God comes to, as anyone else. The problem is, we may miss his coming into our everyday life if we're not paying attention.
A few years ago now, I walked in on a situation where a dying man was being inadequately cared for by his family. He was in pain, dirty and thirsty, his bed was an old sofa, his bedding a thin old sleeping bag and a small, stained cushion. I sat beside him, holding his hand thinking; ‘My God, if ever I need you, it’s now, I’m totally helpless, please come.’ Ten minutes or so later, the doorbell rang, and I heard an authoritative voice demanding entrance, which was at first refused, but the person speaking was not taking ‘no’ for an answer.
She was literally an angel dressed in navy blue, a district nurse. We exchanged looks, she quickly administered pain relief, and then set about putting into place all that was needed. ‘Who rang you?’ the disgruntled family asked, ‘I just came’ she replied, and she promised me before I left that all would be sorted. ‘Thank you, Lord,’ was my prayer of response, and I couldn't thank her enough. She smiled and said, "It’s my calling."
Whether she knew or not, that woman was an angel in disguise.
That's the nature of God's coming into our everyday lives. I was told later that the nurse returned that afternoon with a hospital mattress, clean white sheets, bedding and pillows, and had organised round the clock care. The man passed away clean and comfortable the very next day.
So as we gather around the Lord's Table this morning, let us be thankful that, even now, God comes to unlikely folk like us, in the unlikely places and events of our lives. May our eyes be ever perceptive to his coming, and our hearts ever receptive of his gifts of grace and love. And may we be prepared to make straight the way of his paths, by answering his call in any way we can, whilst we watch and wait. Amen.
Hymn; On Jordan’s Bank the Baptists Cry’
Affirmation of our faith
Let us declare our faith in God.
We believe and trust in God the Father, source of all being and life, the one for whom we exist.
We believe and trust in God the Son, who took our human nature, died for us and rose again.
We believe and trust in God the Holy Spirit, who gives life to the people of God and makes Christ known in the world.
This is the faith of the Church. This is our faith.
We believe and trust in one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Our Intercessions this week are written by Helen Dunbar
As we gather in God’s presence, let us always remember that he is ever here for us and ready to hear our prayers. Let us be still and pray to him now.
Heavenly Father, we thank you for all those who remind us to be kind and loving in their words and example. We pray that as a Church we may get ready to welcome you and put right whatever blocks us from your love.
We pray for our congregation here at St Clement and all the people who live in our area. We ask your blessing on all church leaders and give thanks for our own Revd Diane, who is much loved and appreciated by us all and not forgetting her supportive husband Ken.
Give us now a sense of presence Lord, as we bring our prayers and requests to you, and enable us to open our hearts and minds to you and find a sense of peace with you.
We seek to put aside our busy rushing, and to sense that awe and wonder which comes from an awareness that we are in your presence. Dearest Lord, for us you humbled yourself and lived a human life. We know that you understand our worries and fears, and so we pray trusting in your willingness to share our concerns for ourselves, and others.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Lord Jesus, forgive us when we live our lives without trusting in your promise that you will come again. Help us to be watchful and prayerful, and living in such a sense of expectation that we use our time modelling our lives on your example. Help us to hear afresh the challenge of John the Baptist to make our lives ready for your coming. May we be filled with the expectancy, which causes us to make ourselves ready this Christmas for you to make your home with us.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We pray for all leaders of nations, that you may guide them when they have to make very complex decisions in our very troubled world, where wars are causing the displacement of many people and much hardship.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Bless and guide King Charles and Queen Camilla and all members of the Royal family, as they go about their duties.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We pray for all people suffering poverty and hardship, where ever they may be. Our hearts go out to all who suffer physical or mental ill health and also remember all who live their lives caring for others. We remember all those known to us and those who have no one to pray for them; we pray for: Ken and Reverend Diane, May, Susan, Jan, Lynda, Terry and Dot, Margaret, Maureen, Pam and David, Barrie and Sandra, Roger, Michael and Patricia, Rob and Alison, Stella, Jeremy, William, Jane, Anita and Stephen, Callum and Elaine, Andy, Anne, Sue and Martin, Margaret and John, Dave and Jeanette, Jane, Carrie and John Paul.
From the book at the back of the church we are asked to pray for Roger and Rita, as Roger finishes radiotherapy for prostate cancer.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We pray for those who have recently passed away, for all those whose anniversary falls at this time: for Jeremy Gimson, and Ruby Offord.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Rejoicing in the fellowship of St Clement, St Andrew and St Allen,
Merciful Father: accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen
Gathering our prayers and praises into one, let us pray with confidence as Jesus taught us;
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
Hymn; ‘Dear Lord and Father of Mankind’
The Peace
May the peace of Christ sanctify us: may he so strengthen our hearts in holiness that we may be blameless before him at the coming of our Lord Jesus with his saints. Amen.
Blessing
May God give us grace to follow his saints in faith, hope and love; and may the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among us, those whom we love, and remain with us always. Amen.