APC 27th Jan 2021     “Stories Jesus told…The Mustard Seed”
Welcome and Introduction          
Good morning everyone and welcome to our Midweek worship.  Today we continue looking at some of the greatest stories Jesus ever told.  The title of today’s story is, “The Mustard Seed”.  But before we hear it and discover what lessons we can learn, let’s take a moment to talk to God, let’s pray…
Opening Prayer
Gracious God, we thank you for the great gift of sight, and for all there is in this wonderful world of ours to see.  We thank you that we can look around and feast our eyes on so much that is good, fascinating, memorable and beautiful.  Gracious God, open our eyes.
We thank you that besides this there are other kinds of sight – foresight, hindsight, insight, each enabling us to see behind outer appearances to a deeper reality within.  Gracious God, open our eyes.
Forgive us for so often failing to see beneath the surface, for overlooking the ways you are at work in our lives, for being blind to all that you would reveal to us.  Gracious God, open our eyes and help us to see! In the name of Christ we pray…
Let us join together in the words of the Lord’s Prayer…
Our Father, which 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.
Bible Reading         The Parable of the Mustard Seed
 
Luke 13 v 18-19    
18 Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? 19 It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds perched in its branches.”
Matthew 13 v 31-32
31 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”
 
Stories Jesus Told – ‘The Mustard Seed’
Intro:
When I was in my early teens and twenties I had dreams of doing great things.  I wanted to be a professional cricketer.  The school rock band I played drums in were going to make it big someday!  My life as a Christian was often equally as ambitious.  I often hoped that one day I would be a famous missionary like the people I had read about- I could be the next CT Studd, travelling to China.  I could be the reason that thousands of people would turn to Jesus!
But it wasn’t long before I was struggling to make the first eleven.  The lads in the band finished their leaving certs and we all went off to different universities.  I ended up teaching a Sunday school of about 8 children.
It’s good to have a vision.  It’s good to be ambitious.  But the older I get, the more I appreciate the value of the simple things in life as well as the big events.  I’m satisfied with knowing that my children are emotionally happy no matter what else they achieve in life.  I’m grateful for every opportunity to share my faith no matter how many views I get.  I’ve learned to find as much joy in a coastal walk and a spice bag, as a foreign holiday and a gourmet steak.
In his parable of the mustard seed, Jesus reminds us of this very important lesson.  The small things in life are really important.
He says that God’s Kingdom coming to earth is a bit like the growth of a mustard seed.  A mustard seed is a very small seed.  But eventually it can grow into a tree that can be over twelve feet tall.  You’ll often see these trees full of birds because they love to eat the tiny little black mustard seeds.  In the Old Testament, great ruling empires are often described as a ‘Big Tree’.  The nations who are subject to and have to obey that great Ruling Empire are pictured as birds nesting in the branches of that ‘Big Tree’.
Jesus first told this story to his disciples.  They were just a small group of people like us.  The world in which they lived was so great.  The opposition they faced at times was intense.  I’m sure there were times they felt like quitting.  I’m sure there were times when they felt- “What can we ever achieve for God?”
I’m pretty sure one of the reasons Jesus told them this parable was to encourage them.  It was his way of saying,
“Don’t be discouraged, don’t give up!  Even though you are just a small bunch of people, even though the good things you are trying to do for others may seem insignificant, God will use them.  He will use them to grow His Kingdom in the lives of other people and in this world.  Eventually, when God returns to transform this world into the New heaven and earth, you will discover that billions of people from every tribe and every nation will have become a part of that Kingdom because of the work you and many others have done.”
I want to encourage you to focus on the small things this week and to remember that God will use them to build His Kingdom. 
It could be phoning a relative or friend to see how they’re doing.  Giving your child a hug and telling them how much you love them.  Unpacking the dishwasher or making your spouse a surprise cup of coffee.  Saying ‘Thank you’ and ‘you do a great job’ to a shop assistant.  Letting someone out of a junction or picking up a piece of litter on the beach.  Liking an online reflection or sharing it with a friend.  Dropping your own agenda to help a colleague at work.  Saying a thirty second prayer with your grandchild before you drop them at the school gate.  Life is full of mustard seeds, words and actions, so small, we barely notice them.  But each one forever remembered by the recipients.
You may never know how God will use all the little things that you do and say this week to build his Kingdom in the lives of your family, friends and colleagues.  But I can assure you, that even when you can’t see it, God is present and He is working, often mysteriously, in our lives and in the lives of everyone we meet.
So my encouragement to you this week is- take delight in doing the small things, knowing that God will use them to build His Kingdom slowly but surely in the lives of those around us.  That way when God does ask us to do the thing that gets the limelight, we will be humble enough to do it for the right reasons so that He will get all the glory.
And don’t always look to see God working in a dramatic way.  Remember He is always working, often quietly and slowly in the lives of people around us and often in places where we would least expect!
But through every little thing we do, God will be building His Kingdom and on the great day when that Kingdom comes in all its fullness we’ll never know just how many people will run up to us and say, “Hey aren’t you the person who…?”
Prayer                 
Loving God, we pray today for those who are denied access to what we might consider ‘little things’ or at least the things we take for granted – food and clothing, work, a basic education, proper housing, mobility, health, companionship, love, human rights, liberty, freedom of speech, justice, peace.  Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Prosper the efforts of all who fight for these rights, all who labour to give people help and hope.
Loving God, we pray for those who feel themselves denied access to you, separated by guilt, doubts, past mistakes or lack of faith.  Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
May all who seek your presence, all who ask for your forgiveness, and all who long for your love find in Jesus Christ the Way, the truth and the life.  Lord in your mercy hear our prayer.
Take a moment now to remember a few people or circumstances to pray for…
All these we ask in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
Closing Words
It’s been a joy and privilege to share with you again today. Thanks again for logging on.  I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s reflection.  Please do spend some time in quiet over the next couple of days reflecting on the parable of the mustard seed. 
 
Let me encourage you to tune in again on Sunday when the churches of the Dublin and Munster Presbytery will host the service as a symbol of our togetherness in Christ.  Our speaker will be the Rev John Woodside and his theme will be “Practicing faith in times of isolation”.  There will also be prayers, songs, scripture readings and a children’s talk led by representatives from all of the churches in our Presbytery.  So log on at our normal time of 10am to worship together with our wider Presbyterian family.
 
To close, let me lead you in a Benediction after which I invite you as always, to say the grace together…
 
Benediction
We may not be able to confront politicians or challenge presidents.  We may not have the capacity to divert resources or uplift communities.  We may not have the voice to silence the noise of war or the words to negotiate peace between armies.  But as we follow you, O Christ, we are able to do something.  And so we pray that you would inspire us to commit to and act on the small difference we can make; May we bring peace through small acts of gentleness and reconciliation; May we bring wealth through small contributions and collaborations: May we bring health and safety through small acts of consideration and acceptance; May we bring wholeness through small acts of care and service.      
And…
 
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all now and for evermore, Amen.”  
 

APC 24th Jan 2021         ‘Preaching, Teaching and Healing’
 
PART 1
Welcome and Introduction          
Good morning everyone and welcome to our Sunday morning worship.  Today we will be thinking a little more about the ministry of Jesus and what it can teach us.  In these troubling times it’s a huge comfort to know that God is our rock who cannot be moved, the one in whom we can shelter from the storm.  So let’s worship Him together as we listen to the song, ‘Faithful One so unchanging…’
(End Part 1)
 
Opening Song                “Faithful One, so unchanging”
 
PART 2
Opening Prayer
Living God, we thank you for our world full of so many wonderful sounds – the sound of children laughing, babies crying and people talking, the sound of birds singing or an orchestra playing, the sound of wind blowing in the trees and waves crashing on the seashore, the sound of everyday life in a busy street and the sound of silence.
Lord of all, teach us to listen.
In all kinds of ways you speak to us, but so often we fail to listen to what you are saying.  We come to you in prayer, but we do not wait to hear your answer.  We give ear to a multitude of voices clamoring for attention, but we do not hear the still small voice within.
Lord of all, teach us to listen.
Forgive us that we close our minds to what we don’t want to hear, or that we are sometimes too busy to hear, or that we hear only with our ears and not with our souls.
Lord of all, teach us to listen.
Lord we thank you for speaking to us.  Teach us to listen, in Christ’s name, we pray…
Join me as we say the Lord’s Prayer thoughtfully and sincerely together…
 
Our Father, which 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.
 
Introduction to Kids Video
So if your kids aren’t beside you right now, why not pause the recording, and call them in to watch…And at the end of this video I’ve a few words to say to the children so don’t let them rush away.
(END Part 2)
 
Kid’s Video             ‘Jesus Heals a Paralysed Man’    
https://sermons4kids.com/jesus-paralytic-colorpg.htm
 
PART 3
 
Kid’s Talk Summary
Hey boys and girls.  Hope you’ve enjoyed today.  When Jesus was on earth he spent a lot of his time helping people.  Because He is God is able to do anything.  He was able to make sick people well just by saying a prayer and also to forgive people for the wrong things they do.  He did both these things for the man in the video who couldn’t walk.  Jesus is the same today. He will still forgive you for the wrong things you do when you say sorry to Him and mean it.  He can also make sick people well again.  He can do this through the help of doctors and nurses and also when we pray and ask Him.  At times though, despite our prayers and despite the help of doctors, some people don’t get totally better.  When people get very old eventually they die.  But the good news is that if we follow Jesus even when we are very old and die that won’t be the end.  God will take us to be with Him in heaven forever.  Heaven is a place with no sickness or pain or tears.  People are happy there all the time.  I hope you talk to Jesus.  I hope like Him you try to be kind and helpful to other people.  Hope you have a good week.  Don’t forget to tune in again next Sunday.  Bye for now…
 
Colouring Sheet Link
https://sermons4kids.com/jesus-paralytic-colorpg.htm
 
Introduction to Bible Reading
 
In many areas of life it’s good to have a plan and a few key goals.  Today in the 4th chapter of his gospel, Matthew will tell us how Jesus spent most of his time.  See if you can spot his 3 main activities as Erika Ravenscroft reads it for us…
 
(End Part 3)
 
Bible Reading Video               Matthew 4 v 12-25           Erika       
 
PART 4
Reflection                       Preaching, teaching and healing
When I was at teacher training college we received lots of good advice.  Often they gave us little anecdotes or acronyms to help us remember the key points.
Two that I will never forget are ‘KISS’ which is short for ‘Keep it Simple Stupid’ and the phrase, ‘The Main thing, is to keep the Main thing, the main thing.’
In my life I haven’t always practised these basic principles and each time it has been to my detriment.  Whether it’s in church life, in our work or family lives, it’s often when we try to overcomplicate things or try to do too many things half-heartedly that life for us and those around us becomes more chaotic and less enjoyable.
When we look at the ministry of Jesus, He seems to have been very good at keeping His strategy simple but effective and not allowing Himself to be distracted from His priorities.
That’s what I want us to consider for a few moments this morning and to reflect on what lessons we can learn.
To begin with, when Matthew tells us that Jesus began his ministry in Galilee this is not just a passing comment.  It reveals much to us about the wisdom of Christ.  Galilee was highly populated.  As a port and gateway to many places it was a centre for international trade.  It was teeming with people from many different regions.  As such, its people were renowned for being open to discussion and interested in new ideas.  There was no better place to start a new religious movement.
Once He’d identified the launch place for His ministry, Jesus kept His priorities simple.  He would preach, teach and heal.
 
Preaching
In many senses, preaching and teaching are two sides of the same coin, but there are slight variations.  The word for preaching is the Greek word ‘Kerussein’ which was a word used to describe the proclamation of a herald bringing an important message from the King.
The main message that Jesus preached was “Repent for the Kingdom of heaven is Near!
What did this mean and why was it described as Good News?
Well, God has always been King over nature and history.  But throughout the Old Testament the prophets promised that God would one day establish a more intimate Kingdom.  A Kingdom where people would know their King personally, when His Spirit would abide with them forever.  God’s Messiah would bring this to pass.  This new Kingdom would be characterised by right living and peace.  It would spread throughout the world and last forever.  At some point in the future everything in this New Kingdom would be perfect and there would be no more suffering or sorrow. 
As we battle physically and emotionally with the effects of Covid 19 and so many other things in life, we can feel the real hope that this promise brings.  When Jesus entered this world, God’s plan to bring about this dramatic change to our universe took a huge leap forward.  The Kingdom of heaven came near.  God’s Kingdom is now a present reality in our world.
The amazing thing is you and I can be part of it.  We can enter into the courts of this Kingdom by repenting.  This means being willing to turn from all we know to be wrong and to go God’s way instead.  It also means to believe that Jesus is the Son of God, to believe that He died on the cross to take our judgement and that He rose again and is alive in heaven forever more.  It means to be willing to commit ourselves completely to following Him as the King of Kings.
To preach means to announce this message from the King.  To tell people that Christ is God’s Son, that Christ died, He is risen, He reigns forever and He is coming back to set up this perfect Kingdom.
To preach also means to tell people that if they want to share in this Kingdom they need to commit to following Jesus the King. 
You know we could do many things as a church community but one of our priorities that we must aim to do well is to preach the Good News.  Whether that involves special services, kids clubs, running courses like Alpha, having literature for people to freely take, or just sharing this message over a cup of coffee with our spouse or a colleague at work, as Ambassadors of the King, it is our responsibility to share this Good News.
So to practice what I preach, can I ask you, “Are you in God’s Kingdom?  Are you certain?”
 
Teaching
As well as preaching, Jesus spent much time teaching.  To do this effectively he strategically utilised the Jewish Synagogues.  There were many of these in Galilee.  Unlike the Temple which was solely for sacrifice, the Synagogue was the place for religious teaching.  During the week the synagogue acted as a school.  On the Sabbath, the people would gather to sing, to pray, to hear the Scriptures read and then to listen to some teaching.  Synagogue leaders were administrators whose job it was to invite visiting Rabbis to address the congregation each week.  This gave Jesus many opportunities to teach people who were already interested in God.  The emphasis of teaching was more fine- tuned than preaching.  It provided people with the meaning and significance of things.  Even if people know certain truths it is easy to draw the wrong conclusions.  Teaching helps people to interpret and explain things correctly.
You know, God gives us all different gifts.  Some of us have the gift of teaching.  In one sense it doesn’t matter whether you use that talent in leading a bible study, teaching children at club or the Sunday school or preaching a sermon in church.  What is important is that if we have the gift of teaching that we use it.  It’s also important that when we use it, we do all we can to do it as best we can.  That means making time to pray, to read the bible for ourselves and to prepare well so that what we teach is accurate as well as interesting and relevant.  In one of his letters, Paul says that not many of us should assume to be teachers because God will judge us more strongly.  So it’s something that we should take seriously but at the same time not shy away from if we know it’s what God is calling us to.  As parents it’s also important to remember that the primary responsibility for teaching our faith to our children lies with us.  That can be as simple as reading a short bible story with them when they are younger, praying with them for a few seconds  before dropping them to school, giving thanks at mealtimes or just sprinkling our conversation at times with references to God and doing what we can to encourage them to be involved in church activities.
And since teaching was a priority for Jesus it should be a priority for us as a church.  That’s why I spend much of my week reading, reflecting, praying, writing and recording, so that at least twice a week you can receive good food for your souls that will help you to grow in your faith.
Its why when church reopens we will have bibles studies you can attend during the week in addition to our Sunday service.  If you want to grow as a Christian then you must make these things a priority in your life.  You must guard it with your life.  So let me encourage you to keep logging on every Wednesday and Sunday.  Let me encourage you to come to church as often as you can when we reopen.  To encourage your children to come to Sunday school and Youth group when these things can restart.  Let me encourage you to buy yourself a Study bible so that as you read the scriptures for yourself at home you can learn lessons from the bible more accurately.
 
Healing
On one occasion early in His ministry, Jesus stood up in a synagogue and famously quoted the words of the Prophet Isaiah to teach his listeners why He had come.  This is what He said,
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
All of this could be summarized in one word, “Healing”.  In addition to preaching and teaching this was Jesus’ third priority in His ministry.  In the passage that we read today we see Jesus practicing what he preached.  We read that he went throughout Galilee healing every disease and sickness among the people.  This ministry was so successful that people came from all over Syria to ask for healing for all sorts of illness including chronic pain, seizures, paralysis and demon possession.
There is so much that I could say about this morning.  Entire books have been written on this one subject alone.  But let me leave you with a few guiding principles.  The first thing to say is that since God’s Creation is inherently good, sickness is no part of God’s intention.  In fact we read in Revelation 21 that when Jesus returns and sets up the New Heaven and earth all sickness and suffering will be eradicated forever.
That means that disease and death are alien intrusions into God’s world.  They originate from the Fall that we read about in Genesis and are part of this broken world that we presently inhabit.
Since they are not part of God’s plan, it is wholly right for us as Christian people to wage war against all sickness and death and suffering.  That includes giving a child some Calpol to ease the pain of teething, formulating new vaccines to prevent the spread of Covid, operating to remove a cancerous tumor, providing physio to bring relief from pain, burying someone with dignity and providing pastoral care for the grieving family, praying for a miracle and so many things beside.
All healing is Divine!  In fact, God Himself has put within the human body some remarkable therapeutic processes.  As soon as infection enters our body it triggers the production of antibodies.  As soon as our skin is cut, messages are communicated throughout the bloodstream to cause blood cells to join together to form a scab.
That’s why the words of Ambrose Pare, the great Hugenot Physician  are written on the wall of the School of Medicine in Paris, “I dressed the wound but God healed it.”
But when we think of Jesus’ healing, it was of a completely different order.  Each of His healings were powerful demonstrations of the Kingdom of God.  He turned water into wine, made a small boys lunch feed thousands, He healed the paralysed man and the woman who had been haemorrhaging for 12 years.  These were all miracles which were instant and brought complete restoration.
From all of these considerations and having prayed for hundreds of people in my own ministry so far, I think it is important to avoid 2 extremes.  One is to say that miracles don’t or can’t happen anymore today.  My polite answer to that is to say “God is God”.  Nothing is impossible for Him.  If He wants to heal or help someone in a miraculous way it is absolutely no problem for Him. 
For example I know one man who was diagnosed with terminal cancer in his mid-twenties just 6 months after he was married.  He asked his Christian friends to pray for him.  One morning he was sitting in his church during a regular service in a very traditional Presbyterian church.  During the service he felt a little strange but thought nothing else about the matter.  Until the next time he was with his consultant who looked him straight in the eye and said, “I can’t explain this but it’s gone!  It’s all gone!”  That was over 50 years ago and that man is still following the Lord today.  I have absolutely no doubt that God can and does heal miraculously today.  Do you believe that?  Let me encourage us to allow our faith to move us to pray for people and to ask the Lord to help them even in ways that we cannot explain.
Maybe you are listening today and there is something that you or a member of your family long to be healed of.  It may be a physical problem, it may be emotional.  Then let me encourage you not to be embarrassed or afraid but to reach out to Jesus in faith knowing that His power and mercy has the potential to bring healing to your body, soul and spirit.  Let me encourage you to talk to Him, to tell Him everything about your circumstances.  Ask Him to make you well again.  Get in touch with me and as we are encouraged in the book of James we can arrange for myself and a few elders to anoint you with oil and pray with you.  If it is God’s will, He can help you just as He healed people when He was on earth.  God can and does bring healing to millions of people today.  It could be you if only you will have the faith to trust Him.  So we must guard against the extreme of not believing and not praying to God.
But a second extreme is to believe that God will always choose to heal us and that this is somehow our right now that we are Christians.  Again, we all know from experience that this is simply not true.  To give you an example, the same man that I just told you about also shared with me the very difficult story of his daughter.  She was a very fine Christian lady who served God faithfully most of her life.  Around her mid-twenties she developed Chrohn’s disease which is an inflammatory bowel condition.  She battled prayerfully with that disease for the next twenty years until eventually after many operations she did not have enough bowel left to sustain her life and she passed away in her mid-forties.
Why did God choose to miraculously heal this man and not to miraculously heal his daughter?  I have no idea!  It wasn’t because of a lack of faith or because of unconfessed sin or anything else.  For reasons that are beyond our understanding, God chose to heal him and not to heal his daughter.
Yes we should have the faith to know that God can do anything.  That faith should encourage us to pray for miracles.  But as we pray, we must humbly remember that God is God and we are not.  We must never forget that His ways are not our ways.  We cannot demand that He does what we ask.  We must be willing to say as Jesus said, “Yet not my will but yours be done!”  It also means that if we pray or are prayed for by others and God decides for whatever reason not to heal us, that we must learn to trust Him and not blame ourselves, blame other people or blame God.  We must continue to trust in God’s love and in the knowledge that His overall purpose to make us more like Christ even through our struggles, is good.
So in summary, just as healing was a priority of Jesus it should be a priority for us as His followers and for our church.  Bringing help and healing to people will involve many things including providing every possible practical, financial and social support and encouraging people to avail of all medical treatment.  It will also include praying for people and their circumstances.
There are many good things as individuals and as a church that we could be involved in.  But let us learn today from Jesus by ensuring that we prioritize preaching, teaching and bringing help and healing to as many people as we possibly can.  We thank God for His word, Amen.
 
Introduction to Song
Seeing Jesus helping and healing so many people it’s no surprise that He was known as the Good Shepherd.  So too, He is our Shepherd.  So let’s praise Him and allow Him to lift us in His arms as we listen to the words of the song, Shepherd…
(End Part 4)
 
Song of Response                 “Shepherd”
 
PART 5
Prayers for others
 
Loving God, we bring before you the sick and suffering of our world, all those wrestling with illness in body, mind or spirit. 
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We pray for those afflicted in body – enduring physical pain, overwhelmed by disabling disease, waiting for an operation or further treatment and fearful of what the future might hold, or living with the knowledge of terminal illness.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We pray for those disturbed or troubled in mind – those whose confidence has broken down, those unable to cope with the pressures of daily life, those oppressed by false terrors of the imagination, those facing the dark despair of clinical depression.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We pray for those afflicted in spirit – those who feel their lives to be empty, or whose beliefs are threatened or who have lost their faith, or who worship gods of their own making with no power to satisfy, or whose hearts have become bitter and twisted, and their minds dark.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Living God we thank you for all who work to bring help, wholeness and healing to the sick – doctors and nurses, surgeons and medical staff, psychiatrists, counselors, clergy and therapists.  Support and strengthen all who share in the world of healing, all who strive to bring relief, all who minister to others.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Grant them your wisdom and guidance, your care and compassion, your strength and support.  Equip them in all they do and bring wholeness through them.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Finally we pray for your church in the healing ministry you have called it to exercise, an inner healing of body mind and soul which only you can offer.  Grant that your people everywhere may be so filled with your Holy Spirit, and so touched by the grace of Christ, that they may share effectively in the wider work of healing, through their life and witness bringing wholeness to broken people and a broken world.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Take a few moments now to bring your own prayers to God especially for those who are sick or grieving…
All this we ask in the name of the Great Physician, Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
 
CLOSING WORDS
 
It’s been a joy and privilege to share with you again today. Thanks again for logging on.  I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s reflection.  Please do spend some time in quiet over the next couple of days reflecting on Jesus’ ministry of preaching, teaching and healing and what that means to you.  Do spend some time praying for those who need His healing touch.  For now let me lead you in a Benediction after which I invite you to share the grace together…
Benediction   
Gracious God, send us back into the world with your eyes rather than ours.  Help us to see not only the bad but the good, not just the ugly but the beautiful, not just the worst but the best.  Help us to see around us the seeds of your Kingdom and to nurture them lovingly until that day comes when your will is finally done and you are all in all.  And
 
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all now and for evermore, Amen.”  
 
 
 

APC 20th Jan 2021           “Stories Jesus told…The Lost things”
 
Welcome   and Introduction                 
Good morning everyone and welcome to our Midweek worship.  Over the next few weeks we’re going to listen to some of the greatest short stories containing some of the most important life lessons.  All of them written by our Lord Jesus Christ.  The title of today’s story is, “Lost Things”.  But before we hear it, let’s take a moment to talk to God, let’s pray…
Opening Prayer
Almighty God, we thank you for your great gift of love – the love that we are able to share with those around us, which gives us a sense of self-worth and belonging, which enriches our lives in so many ways.  You have opened your heart to us - help us to do the same to you.
We thank you for your love which defies all expression, constant, total, inexhaustible, flowing out to us like a never-ending stream.  You have opened your heart to us - help us to do the same to you.
Almighty God, we thank you for loving us before we ever loved you and for continuing to love us even when we fail to love you in return.  Forgive us when we have proudly felt we are somehow better than other people.  Forgive us when we have not loved other people and when we have refused to forgive them.  Lord, You have opened your heart to us - help us to do the same to other people.
Deepen our love for you and for one another.  Help us to be faithful and true in all our relationships, and most especially in our relationship with you.  You have opened your heart to us - help us to do the same to you.
Let us join together in the words of the Lord’s Prayer…
Our Father, which 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.
 
 
Stories Jesus Told... “The Lost Things”
 
Intro
 
 
All of us wear masks at times.  We pretend or portray an image that we think people will like.  We do our best to hide who we really are, what we really think or how we’re actually feeling.  Sometimes this can be a necessary, protective mechanism.  But it can also put us under a lot of internal pressure which can affect us physically and emotionally.
 
We often do the same in our relationship with God.  We may think of God as an angry Spirit, watching and waiting for us to make a mistake.  We may view Him as a merciless judge ready to punish us for failing to reach his impossible standards.  As a result, we often try to hide what we’re really like from Him.  We’re afraid to talk to him with sheer honesty because we think He will condemn and reject us rather than welcome and love us.
 
This is one of the reasons why the stories Jesus told are so important because, in them, we get a better understanding of what God is really like.  In them we find out how God actually feels about us.
 
In the stories of the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son, Jesus tries to show the religious leaders of his day that their view of God is distorted and as a result their attitude towards other people needs to change.
 
To their credit the Pharisees had many positive qualities.  Many of them had a sincere faith and wanted to live in ways that were perfectly pleasing to God.  The problem was that in their desire to be perfect, they had made up an endless list of rules and regulations which went far beyond the ten guiding principles of living that God had advised in His Commandments.  Religion for the Pharisees had become a complicated system of nit-picking regulations rather than a life of joyful freedom within the boundaries of a few guiding principles.  Over time this harsh system must have left many of these men feeling guilty.  I’m sure it also caused some of them to view God as a ‘Big Brother’ figure, scrutinising everything they said and did, ready to punish them for every minor offence or evict them from His house altogether. 
 
Sadly this belief system also seems to have created in the Pharisees an attitude of self-righteousness.  As a result, they despised anything or anyone that might in any way cause them to become contaminated.  For example, the Pharisees called people who did not keep the law, ‘People of the Land.’  They also made up laws to maintain complete separation from these people.  Listen to some of these laws:  “When a man is one of the people of the land, entrust no money to him, take no testimony from him, trust him with no secret, do not appoint him guardian of an orphan, do not make him the custodian of charitable funds, do not accompany him on a journey.”
 
A Pharisee was forbidden to be a guest of such a person or to have them as his guest.  The Pharisees deliberately tried to avoid any contact with people who did not keep the petty details of the law.  That’s why they were so shocked to see Jesus eating, drinking, talking and joking with people who were not only rank outsiders but the worst of sinners!  Their attitude was not, “There will be joy in heaven over one sinner who repents” but “there will be joy in heaven over one sinner who is obliterated before God.” 
 
To help change their mind set and attitude to others, Jesus told the Pharisees 3 stories about things that were lost…the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son.  Let’s listen to them know as described in Luke Chapter 15.
 
Bible Reading               Luke 15 v 1-24
 
The Parable of the Lost Sheep
15 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
The Parable of the Lost Coin
8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins[a] and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
 
 
The Parable of the Lost Son
11 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.
13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father.
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
 
In each of these stories, Jesus paints a picture of how God sees people, all people.  Because at the end of the day we’re all the same- we’re all sinners.  We all have a tendency to wander off like the sheep rather than listening to the advice of God.  We all have a capacity like the coin to end up lost in life, away from the God who made us and to whom we belong.  We all have an ability like the son to demand our rights, make foolish choices, squander opportunities and end up having to go back and apologise.
But the amazing thing in these stories, is not the fact that God sees us all as sinners.  No, the amazing thing in these stories is how God responds to sinners.
 
In contrast to the Pharisees, Jesus’ stories capture an image of God who goes out of His way to bring the lost sheep back to the fold.  A God who never gives up searching until He is reunited with the coin that he’s lost.  A God who forgives without any strings attached and treats the sorry child as if they’d never done anything wrong.  In all of these pictures, God is revealed as someone with a heart that is bursting with love for every person that He has made.
 
That’s how God sees us this morning.  Sure he knows that we are sinners.  Sure our disobedience grieves His heart like a child’s disobedience grieves the heart of any parent.  But overshadowing all of this is the deep sense that God loves us, not because of anything we do or don’t do, but simply because He made us and we are the most precious things He owns.
 
As we read these stories we also get the feeling that because God loves us and knows what is best for us, His heart bursts with pleasure when we are close to Him and walking in His ways.  You see, the finding of the sheep, the discovery of the coin and the return of the lost son are all pictures of repentance - They are all pictures of our need to change the attitudes of our minds and heart so that we are going God’s way. 
These internal changes will eventually show themselves in different outward behaviours towards ourselves, towards God and towards other people. 
 
The truth is, we begin the Christian life by stepping through the door of repentance but as we enter into the world of God’s Kingdom we are surrounded by a series of different mirrors.  As we walk with God along life’s path, from time to time he invites us to stop and gaze in these mirrors.  Each one reveals something else about us that God wants to help us to change.  It might be a renewed commitment to our wives or children.  A fresh endeavor to care about our physical health.  Letting go of a grudge or the bitterness that has consumed us for so long.  Viewing someone or a section of society in a different light and changing our behavior towards them.  Becoming less judgmental and growing in compassion.  That’s a picture of repentance, that’s a picture of our journey of faith.  It is a life of continual adaptation, a life of continual change.  Each of the lost stories that Jesus told was a reminder to the Pharisees and to us that following God is about a life of repentance, a life of change.
 
But what is the greatest motivation for this change?  Is it, as the Pharisees seemed to see it, the fear that God is looking down on us and is ready to punish us for every mistake?  Is it the feeling that we are separated from God and from God’s people and that any association with ‘non believers’ would make us unclean?
 
No, the greatest motivation for change in these stories is the understanding that no matter what, we are deeply and infinitely loved by God.  It is the love of the shepherd that causes him to risk his life to find his sheep.  It is the love that the woman has for her wedding coin that causes her to keep sweeping and searching until she finds it.  It is the love of the Father for his wayward son that causes him to forgive him instantly and restore him to his rightful place in the family.  All these restorations are pictures of repentance and each of them is motivated not by law but by love.
 
That’s a lesson for us all- God’s love for the world, demonstrated in the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ, is the greatest motivation for wanting to change.  That’s what the Christian life is all about.  It’s not about frantically trying to be perfect, all the time fearing that somehow we don’t measure up and that in the end the hammer of God’s wrath will come down on us!  It’s about realising that the wrath of God’s hammer has already come down- on Himself, through the person of Christ.  And because of that, God loves us more than we can ever fully grasp.  Understanding that we are deeply, deeply loved by our father in heaven is what motivates us to live a life of change - not as a way of making ourselves acceptable to God- but as a way of saying ‘thank you’ for His immeasurable love.
 
The greatest motivation for change is the knowledge that we are loved and loved by God.  Let’s apply that to every aspect of our lives.  Our attitudes towards ourselves.  Our attitudes towards our spouses and family.  Our attitudes towards our children.  Our attitudes towards people who view life through a different lens.  Our attitude towards people whom we view as sinners.
 
Reflect      
 
What’s your image of God?   How do the lost stories of the coin, sheep and the wealthy farmer’s son represent Him?
How does that make you feel?
 
May God help us to see Him as He sees us and to view other people as he views them, Amen.  Let us pray…
 
 
Prayer                 
God of love, we pray for the many people in our world who have been deprived of love, who feel unloved, or for whom love has been painful.  Touch their hearts with the love of Christ.
We pray for those for whom love has involved pain- those who have faced the trauma of breakdown in their marriage, or experienced the collapse of friendships or romantic engagements; those who have come from broken homes, or who have been estranged from family or friends, those whose children have moved away to begin new lives of their own, or whose parents have become frail, confused and infirm; those whose loved ones have been taken from them by death, or those who have been forced to leave those they count most dear.  May the knowledge of your unending love be a constant source of comfort and inspiration.  Touch their hearts with the love of Christ.
We pray for those who find it hard to love – those whose love has been betrayed, those who are scarred by bitter and painful experience, those who have been subjected to abuse, those afraid of showing their true feelings, those oppressed by mental illness.  Touch their hearts with the love of Christ.
Loving God we bring before you the complex world of human relationships, capable of bringing much joy but such sorrow, so much pleasure yet also so much pain.  We thank you for your gift of love and all the love that surrounds us, but help us never to forget those who have lost love or been hurt through it.  Restore their faith in what love can do and help them both to find love and share it.  Touch their hearts with the love of Christ.
Take a moment now to remember a few people or circumstances to pray for…
Grant to us all the knowledge that your love will never fail and never let us go.  Thanks be to God, in Jesus name, Amen.
 
 
Closing Words
It’s been a joy and privilege to share with you again today. Thanks again for logging on.  I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s reflection.  Please do spend some time in quiet over the next couple of days reflecting on the parable of the lost things. 
 
Let me encourage you to tune in again on Sunday as we continue our journey following the ministry of Jesus.  This weekend we’ll reflect on how Jesus spent most of His time – preaching, teaching and healing. 
 
If you are feeling particularly low, then please do reach out and let me know.  I’ll be more than happy to meet and pray with you in a safe way.  Let’s keep a special eye out for each other by picking up the phone to see how someone is, maybe arranging a zoom coffee with a few friends and keep one another in your prayers.
 
To close, let me lead you in a Benediction after which I invite you as always, to say the grace together…
 
Benediction       
To God who is always forgiving, always loving, always offering a new beginning, be honour and glory, praise and thanks, today and always. And…
 
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all now and for evermore, Amen.”        
 
 

APC 17th January 2021          “Domino Discipleship.”
 
PART 1
Welcome and Introduction          
Good morning everyone and welcome to our Sunday morning worship.  Today we continue our journey to Easter following Jesus through some of the main events during His life and ministry.  Last week we looked at Jesus’ Baptism and today we consider the domino effect of discipleship.  Jesus calls people to follow Him.  They in turn tell their friends.  The ripple effect is that the good news spreads and the church begins to grow.  But why would fishermen and tax collectors leave their nets and books to follow Christ?  Why do people today sacrifice much to follow Him?  Well our opening song gives us the answer…Our worth is not in what we own.  Knowing Christ is the greatest treasure…
(End Part 1)
 
Opening Song                “My worth is not in what I own”
 
Part 2
 
Let’s take a moment to talk to our heavenly Father, let’s pray…
 
Opening Prayer
God of all, we come to proclaim your greatness, to sing of your might, to declare your Majesty and to rejoice in all that you have done.  You are a God of love and mercy and we praise you.
 
We come to hear again of your great acts across history, your wonderful deeds among your people, all that you have accomplished in Christ.
You are a God of love and mercy and we praise you.
 
We come to lift up our hearts, to lift up our voices and to celebrate again the Gospel.
You are a God of love and mercy and we praise you.
 
But as we bring our praise so also we bring our confession.  Confession that too often our praise has been hollow, our worship restricted to a Sunday, to even this short time online.
That when the chance has come to speak for you we have kept silent, and when the opportunity has arisen to serve you we have held back.  That when we have known what we should do we have failed to do it, and when we have known what not to do we have gone ahead and done it.
That we have forgotten that you are always ready to forgive us and renew us, and consequently have burdened ourselves with feelings of guilt and despair.
You are a God of love and mercy and we praise you.
 
Merciful God, forgive us now for failing to practice what we preach, for denying what we proclaim by the way we live, for letting you down in so many ways through our half-heartedness.
You are a God of love and mercy and we praise you.
 
Help us to live in such a way that our words and actions may be one and our faith seen to be real.  And so may all we say, all we do, and all we are, witness to you and the wonder of your love shown through Jesus Christ our Lord.
You are a God of love and mercy and we praise you.
In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
 
Join me as we say the Lord’s Prayer thoughtfully and sincerely together…
 
Our Father, which 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.
 
Introduction to Kids Video
We come to the part of the service which is especially for the younger members of our church family.  So if your kids aren’t beside you right now, why not pause the recording, and call them in to watch a short animation about…..  And at the end of this video I’ve a few words to say to the children so don’t let them rush away.
(END Part 2)
 
Kid’s Video             ‘Jesus Calls Peter and Andrew’
Link         https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhIwTU9RbxY
 
PART 3
 
Kid’s Talk Summary
Hey boys and girls.  I hope you’ve had a fun week getting used to your online schooling again.  I hope you’ve enjoyed the little video about Jesus calling Andrew and Peter to follow Him.  You know, even though you might be young, Jesus also calls you to follow Him.  You are following Him by making time to watch this video and by listening to me today.  You can follow Him by talking to Him or by reading your bible story book.  You can follow Him by being kind and helpful to other people like He was.  You know Jesus is God, the one who made the whole world and who made us.  Isn’t it amazing that we can follow Him and that we can have God as our best friend?  I’ve been following Jesus for about 30 years now and He has never let me down.  He is my best friend.  I hope that you keep on following Jesus because He deserves it and also because He will always be there for you.  If you ask your mam or dad they can go onto the church website or the Facebook page and find the link to a colouring sheet of Jesus and Peter in the boat fishing.  Don’t forget to tune in again next Sunday.  Bye for now and I hope your online schoolwork this week is still fun.
 
Colouring Sheet Link             “Follow Me!”
https://www.cbcgb.org/files/public/children/resources/Really%20Big%20Book%20of%20Bible%20Story%20Coloring%20Pages/pp175-176.pdf
 
Bible Reading         John 1 v 35-51
35 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”
37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38 Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?”
They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”
39 “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.”
So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.
40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus.
Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter).
43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”
44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.
“Come and see,” said Philip.
47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”
48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.
Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”
49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”
50 Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 51 He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.”
 
Reflection                       Domino Discipleship
Over the next few months I want to bring you on a journey following the lectionary readings for 2021 as we shadow Jesus in His ministry and share something of his highs and lows including His death and resurrection.  All the time we will be asking, “What can I learn from this?” Last week we stood by the shores of the Jordan River and watched as our Lord was baptised by his cousin John.  Today we pick up the story…
I’m sure the conversations had continued long into the night… “Did you see the heavens open?  What about the dove?  Wasn’t that amazing the way it just came down at that exact moment and landed on him?  And did you hear the voice?  ‘This is my Son, whom I love.  I am so pleased with Him.’  Do you think that was God speaking?”
It’s no surprise then that soon after this event we find at least two of John’s disciples coming to their guru and saying, “Who is this man Jesus?  What does this mean for us?”
Without any hint of jealousy, graciously John points them to Jesus and says, “He is the one we’ve been waiting for.  He is the Lamb of God, the Messiah, God’s anointed King.  Now go, follow Him, not me!”
Like two university students leaving their parents, these two disciples, Andrew and John, excitedly but fearfully leave the apron strings of John the Baptist and go in search of Jesus.  When they find him they approach him respectfully saying, “Rabbi or teacher.”
 
He turns to them and says, “What is it that you are looking for?”  As always, Jesus is looking for honesty.  Were they simply wanting to trip him up like the Pharisees?  Were they power seekers like the Sadducees? Were they Nationalists expecting him to bring political and military freedom?  Or were they humble men of prayer seeking answers to life’s greatest questions and forgiveness for their sins?
 
Their reply is equally interesting, “Where are you staying?” they ask him.  It was not mere curiosity which made them ask that question.  What they meant was that they did not wish only to speak to Jesus on the road, in passing, as chance acquaintances might stop and exchange a few words.  They wished to enter in and linger long with Him and talk out their problems and their troubles.  They wished to learn from Him and follow His teaching.
 
What about us?  Why have we logged on this morning?
 
My earnest hope is that you’re listening in today because just like John and Andrew you are keen to be a disciple or apprentice of Jesus.  The Word used in the NT is the word ‘Mathetes’ which literally means ‘a Learner’.  Today by logging on we have chosen to sit at Jesus’ feet, to listen to His teaching, to see how he treated people and to learn from His example. 
 
You know if I was to ask you, “What is your main goal in life?” what would you answer?  Many people’s aim in life is to be secure.  To have enough not to have to worry for themselves or their family.  That’s a good thing but for an ultimate goal it’s insufficient because no matter how hard we work or how much we provide, life is uncertain, unpredictable as these last 12 months have shown us.
 
Many people’s main aim in life is to be successful and happy.  Again, both of these are good things, especially when they emphasise serving others.  But they too are insufficient goals to be the primary purpose of our lives because they are limited by time and this world.
 
Ultimately the only goal which will bring us true fulfilment and contentment both now and forever is to seek our maker, to know Him and to allow ourselves to be led and guided by Him each day.
 
It is my earnest prayer that like Andrew and John we will all commit ourselves to Christ completely and make the main goal in our lives to know our Creator and become more and more like Jesus in all our attitudes and actions.  This is what it means to be a real Christian.
 
But why would we do this?  Why put Jesus first?  Again the experience of these first followers gives us the answer.  They called Him many things.  Rabbi which literally means ‘my great one.’ Messiah or Christ which means ‘God’s Anointed King’.   The Lamb of God, a reference explained by His death for our sins.  The Son of God.  A term which at the time pointed to Jesus being God’s promised King.  The one who would come to restore God’s Kingdom.  The Son of Man.  A reference to a heavenly figure in the book of Daniel.  One who would come in greatness and authority to bring judgement and restore righteousness on earth.
 
Then there were the impressions left by their interactions with him.  Nathanael’s is perhaps the most impressive of all.  When told by his brother Philip that he had found the messiah, a man from Nazareth, Nathanael arrogantly refused to believe.  “That can’t be true!” he laughed.  Nothing good could ever come out of Nazareth.”  As in much of Ireland neighbouring towns and villages in Ancient Israel were fiercely competitive.  Nazarites had a reputation for being loose in their morals and religious practices.
 
But Nathanael changed his tune when miraculously Jesus told him things about himself that no one could ever have naturally known.  “How do you know all about me?”  Nathanael asked indignantly.  “Before Philip called you, you were sitting under a fig tree.” Jesus replied.  It’s clear from Nathanael’s apologetic response that this was more than just a coincidence or the result of good private investigation.  Nathanael knew that what Jesus understood about Him had been supernaturally given to him by God.  And in case you’re thinking this is all just a story let me tell you that this sort of thing still happens today.  Some people are given the gift of prophecy today.  Part of this involves God giving them the ability to supernaturally relay information to another person for their encouragement and help which they will know is definitely from God.
 
I know a chaplain who was exploring this whole concept and who decided to do an experiment.  One day while visiting people he’d never met before in hospital he explained to each patient that he would pray and ask God to speak into their situation.  Then he would simply wait in quiet and whatever came into his mind he would share with them.  A picture of a tractor came into his mind when visiting the first man.  When he shared it the man was open-mouthed.  His favourite hobby was restoring vintage tractors.  A picture of some knitting needles came to mind when visiting the next lady.  When he shared this, the lady again looked shocked but pleasantly surprised.  “Is that significant for you?” the chaplain asked.  “Well I love to knit” the lady said “and I was planning to do lots of knitting to help me recuperate once I get out of hospital.”  The Chaplain wasn’t sure what these incidents meant.  But when he later read the story of Jesus and Nathanael he realised it was probably God’s way of showing these two individuals without a shadow of a doubt that He was real, that He knew all about them and loved them.
 
It is clear from all the names that they gave Him, that having witnessed his baptism, having interacted with Him and watched how He lived, these earliest disciples were convinced that Jesus Christ was who He said He was, God’s promised King. 
 
There are equally many evidences today both natural and supernatural, if we are willing to see them that can enable us to be certain that in Jesus Christ we too have found the greatest treasure.
 
So we’ve looked at what the word disciple means and why we would wish to be a disciple of Jesus.  The final question I want to consider is what will this mean for us?
 
Well the long answer is, it will mean many things and it will involve the journey of a lifetime.  The truth is, in following Jesus, you never get your L plates down.  But in terms of what our passage for today shows us, here are a few reminders to reflect on…
 
From Andrew we learn that following Jesus will often involve being willing to play second fiddle and to be content just to serve without being in the limelight.  Andrew was the very first disciple of Christ, yet he was always known as the brother of Peter and he wasn’t one of the inner circle who made it to the healing of Jairus’ daughter or on the Mount of Transfiguration.
 
From Peter and Nathanael we learn that following Jesus will often require us to change.  For Peter it involved a change of name and a change of occupation from fisherman to clergyman.  For Nathanael it meant a change of attitude from arrogance to humility, from unbelief to faith.  In various ways at various times Jesus Christ will call us to change too…
 
From Andrew and Philip we learn that being a disciple is supposed to have a domino effect.  The first thing Philip did when he realised who Jesus was, was to go and tell his brother Nathanael.  Andrew only comes to the foreground 3 times in the whole of the gospels.  But each time we find him leading someone else to Christ. Here in John 1 he brings his brother Peter, in John 6 he brings a boy with a small lunchbox and in John 12 he brings some Greek enquirers to Jesus.
 
You know that’s our job too.  Each of us are the only bible that most people will ever read.  That means you are a missionary just as much as me.  Through all of life whatever you do you can do it for God and as you do the people around you will be watching.  That doesn’t mean that you have to be perfect but it does mean that over time they should see a difference that is positive.  As you get close to people as you treat them kindly eventually opportunities will arise when they will ask you about what you believe.  When that happens you just tell them simply and in your own words what Jesus means to you.  You might even have the courage to pray for them, to give them some literature or to invite them to one of our services or point them online.
 
Let me encourage you not to hog the good news for yourself but to have the courage to always be ready to share it.  That’s what it means to be a domino disciple.  As each of us live for Him and share our story, in time many more people will fall at His feet in worship.
 
 
Introduction to Song of Response
 
Just like those first followers, Jesus says to us “Come and see”.  Let’s do that now through the words of a beautiful song, “Jesus strong and kind.”
 
 (End Part 3)
 
 
Song       “Jesus strong and kind”
 
Part 4
 
Prayers for others
 
Living God, we thank you for the great message of your coming to our world through your Son Jesus Christ.  May that message inspire us all in the Year ahead.  Speak your word of love and move in the hearts of all who hear it.
 
We thank you that the good news of Christ has challenged people across the ages, and that it continues to be news for us and news for all – able still to speak to individuals across the world and change their lives.  Speak your word of love and move in the hearts of all who hear it.
 
So now we pray for those who have been specially called to proclaim the good news – ministers, preachers, evangelists, teachers – all those with the special gift and responsibility of communicating your word.  Grant them wisdom, dedication, inspiration and courage that they may faithfully witness to you in the power of the Holy Spirit.  We pray especially that in your mercy that our Holiday Bible Club might be able to happen this summer.  Speak your word of love and move in the hearts of all who hear it.
 
We pray too for each of us and ask that you will help us to accept the challenge to be your witnesses in our families, our work places, our clubs and societies and in our community.  Help us to live in a way that will attract people to Christ.  Give us the courage to share our faith when the opportunity arises.
 
We pray also for those who hear the good news, responding in different ways – those who have closed their minds to what you would say to them – may your love break through the barriers they erect; those who have heard but failed to understand – may their hearts be opened to the truth; those who have yet to grasp that the gospel is good news for them – may the experience of meeting Christ transform their lives; those who have responded and come to faith – may their knowledge of you continue to grow.  Speak your word of love and move in the hearts of all who hear it.
 
We pray for those who long for good news, who cry out for glad tidings – the poor, starving, sick and lonely, the oppressed, persecuted, unloved, bereaved – so many people across the world who despair of ever seeing hope rekindled.  May the message of the gospel mean good news for them.  Speak your word of love and move in the hearts of all who hear it.
 
Living God,  come again to your world in these difficult days through your word, your Spirit, your people and the living presence of Christ, and so may the message of the gospel truly be good news for all people.
 
Take a moment now to pray for all the people who are sick, for those who have died and for everyone who is really struggling in these days…
 
Take a moment to pray for government leaders across the world…
 
Pray for your family, friends and colleagues and ask that God will help you to be a good witness to them and that they may come to know Christ.
 
Pray that in mercy God will eradicate this virus and bring its devastating consequences to an end…
 
All this we ask in the name of Jesus, our Great High Priest who can empathise completely with our humanity and frailty, Amen.
 
CLOSING WORDS
 
It’s been a joy and privilege to share with you again today. Thanks again for logging on.  I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s reflection.  Please do spend some time in quiet over the next couple of days reflecting on why Christ is worth following, what it means to follow Him and praying that God will give us opportunities to share our faith. 
 
Let me encourage you to tune in again on Wednesday as we consider another of the stories Jesus told. 
 
Normally at this time of year I would be inviting anyone from 6th Class upwards to attend Communicant or Confirmation classes.  But I have decided to postpone these until we are able to meet again in person.  These classes contain the most important spiritual teachings which would be very difficult to properly communicate over Zoom.
 
If you are feeling particularly low, then please do reach out and let me know.  I’ll be more than happy to meet and pray with you in a safe and socially distanced way.  Do keep in touch with your elder and let’s keep a special eye out for each other and keep praying for one another.
 
But for now, let me lead you in a Benediction after which I invite you as always, to say the grace together…
 
Benediction   
As you have come to worship, so go now to serve, showing the truth in your lives of what you have declared with your lips. And…
 
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all now and for evermore, Amen.”   

​APC 10th Jan 2021          “Stories Jesus told…Seeds and Weeds”
 
Welcome   and Introduction                 
Good morning everyone and welcome to our Midweek worship.  Over the next few weeks we’re going to curl up with a good book.  It’s a book of short stories written by none other than our Lord Jesus Christ Himself.  Though full of people and circumstances we will find familiar, these parables will sneak up on us, catching us off guard.  At times they will take a sudden and unexpected twist and always we will find our secret thoughts exposed in the author’s healing light.  But before we open this book and listen to the first story let us take a moment to invite the writer of this book to give us eyes to see and ears to hear.  Let us pray…
 
Opening Prayer – Barren Soil
Almighty and loving God, we thank you for all the ways you have sown the seed of your word in our lives- through the living relationship we share with Christ, through the movement of the Holy Spirit within our hearts, through the preaching and the reading of the scriptures, through the fellowship of the church and our online reflections, through the daily experience of your love in the world around us.
Forgive us for all those times when your word has failed to take root.  Forgive us for the shallowness of our faith and our unwillingness to dig deeper.  Forgive our failure to prepare ourselves for worship, our carelessness in making time for you, our laziness in discipleship, our preoccupation with all that distracts us from our true calling.
Loving God, forgive us that our lives have been barren when they should have borne lasting fruit.  Sow afresh your word in our hearts and nurture it within us, so that we may grow in grace and yield a rich harvest of your spirit, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
Let us join together in the words of the Lord’s Prayer…
Our Father, which 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.
 
 
 “Stories Jesus told… Seeds and Weeds.”
 
As you know, last July sadly my mum lost her battle with cancer.  We miss her terribly but we do take great comfort in the knowledge that she had such an amazing love for God and that she is now safely with him in heaven.  We look forward to seeing her again someday soon.
One of the things I remember about mum most was her love for gardening.  Mum’s idea of heaven was to spend a whole day in the garden.  She could make any little slip grow and her garden was always filled to the brim with beautiful flowers, shrubs and bushes.  I’ve honestly never seen anything in her garden that wasn’t in the picture of health.  You could have cut anything and sold it in any flower shop in the country. 
But none of this happened by accident.  Mum was constantly listening to gardening programs on the radio.  She was always reading gardening books.  She never missed an episode of Gardener’s world and was very fond of Monty Don.  She planned everything she did meticulously before she ever put root to soil.  She would consider the aspect of the garden, the condition of the soil and she would spend many hours preparing the soil with manure and grit, digging the right depth of hole and choosing the right plant before planting anything.  She would feed, water, prune and tie back meticulously and at just the right times of year.  No insect or disease was safe from her laser vision.  Nothing was left to chance.   The results were always spectacular.
Of all the stories Jesus told, mum would have loved the parable of the sower.  She knew from experience that for healthy growth, nothing could be taken for granted and constant vigilance and hard work was the only recipe for success.
In this story, Jesus compares our Christian lives to the cultivation of plants from seeds.  He reminds us that if we are careful, we will grow up to be real Christians who love God and whose lives are full of good fruit like kindness, generosity and love.
But he also warns us that if we aren’t careful, there are many things that can stop us from growing as a Christian.  In fact He says that if we don’t look after the seed of our Christian faith very carefully then it can wither and die and we can eventually stop following Jesus altogether.  Jesus entitled this story, ‘the parable of the sower’.  Let’s listen to that story now as recorded for us by Matthew in Chapter 13 of his gospel…
 
MATTHEW 13 v 1-23
“That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. 2 Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. 3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.”
10 The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”
11 He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 12 Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables:
“Though seeing, they do not see;
    though hearing, they do not hear or understand.
14 In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:
“‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
    you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
15 For this people’s heart has become calloused;
    they hardly hear with their ears,
    and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
    hear with their ears,
    understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’
16 But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. 17 For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.
18 “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19 When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20 The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 22 The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. 23 But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
 
In this story there are four types of soil.  In 3 soils the seeds don’t grow but in one soil they flourish.  Let’s think about each of these soils for a minute and see what we can learn about how we can grow in our love for Jesus.
 
1       THE PATH
The first soil is actually a hard path.  When the seed falls there it gets eaten by birds and trampled on by people walking along the path.  Jesus says that our hearts can be like this when we read the bible or when we come to church or listen to something online and we don’t understand it!  That’s because learning lessons from God is not like learning Geometry or how to swing a golf club.  It’s not like understanding Spanish or learning to play the piano or violin.  That’s because the lessons God wants to teach us are spiritual lessons.  Only God can help us understand the spiritual lessons that He wants to teach us.  These are lessons that don’t just stay in our head but that make their way deep down into the recesses of our souls.  There they work on us from the inside out changing the way we think and act and speak.
So let me ask you a question…
If only God can help us understand and accept the spiritual lessons He wants to teach us, what should we pray to God before we step into church or open our bibles or log on to a spiritual reflection?
 
2       ROCKY SOIL
The second soil is full of stones.  These stones stop the seeds from getting their roots down deep into the soil.  That means they can’t reach any water so when the sun comes up the little green shoots get too hot and they dry up and die.
Jesus says that if we are not careful our Christian faith can be like this seed that falls on the rocky soil.  Let me tell you two stories to give you an example of how this can happen.  I’ve simply made up names in each case.
Michael was a young man who was about 15.  He had grown up in church.  When he was little he loved to go to Sunday school and youth club and summer camp.  He loved to sing songs about Jesus and say his prayers at night.  When he was a bit older he went to the church youth group and just last year he attended special classes led by the minister.  After these classes they had a special service in church and he along with some other young people were welcomed as full members of the church.  He really enjoyed being accepted like the adults and it was a wonderful feeling to be able to take the communion bread and wine.  Then some of his friends in school and on the rugby team heard that he went to church.  They started to tease him and say things like, “Surely you don’t believe in the bible!  Nobody believes that anymore.  Christianity just stops people having fun in life!  Sure evolution proves that God does not exist!”  Very few of his friends went to church and often they would phone him and say, “We’re going down the park to kick the ball around on Sunday morning.  Would you like to come?”
Eventually the pressure became so strong that Michael told his parents that he didn’t want to go to church anymore.  It wasn’t long before Michael said he didn’t believe in God anymore.
Then there’s Janet, for years she and her husband had tried to conceive.  When she eventually fell pregnant they were overjoyed and so grateful to God for His miraculous answer to their prayers.  But all their hopes and faith were shattered when the baby died during childbirth.  Well-meaning friends tried to say that God was in control and that somehow even in this, God had a plan and purpose.  All Janet heard from that message was “God killed my baby.”
Jesus said we need to be very careful because pressure from others and the deepest hurts of life can not only leave us reeling with anger and unanswered questions, they can cause us to give up on God altogether.  So let me ask you,
What are the things that have happened and who are the people who might cause you to stop following Jesus?  Where can you turn to for help?
 
3       THORNY SOIL
The third type of soil Jesus tells us about is soil that has a lot of weeds growing in it.  As the seeds grow up they look healthy but slowly over time the weeds begin to grow up around the seedlings.  They stop the seedlings getting enough light and they take a lot of the water and food from the soil.  They wrap around the seedlings and stop them from getting tall.  All this happens very slowly and gradually until eventually the seedling stops growing and dies.
Jesus says that if we are not careful we can be like this.  We can look like healthy Christians, but over weeks and months and years there are lots of things that can be like weeds in our lives.  These things can take our minds away from God.  They can stop us from making time to pray or read the bible.  They can prevent us from coming to church regularly until eventually without us even realising it we have stopped loving Jesus and stopped wanting to worship God or obey Him in our lives.  Jesus describes 3 different types if weeds that we need to look out for and weed out of our lives.  He calls them the concerns of life, the love of money and the love of pleasures.
How can anxieties, money or pleasures be like weeds and damage your
growth in Jesus?
 
4       GOOD SOIL
The last type of soil Jesus tells us about is Good soil.  Here I have a tray of bad soil.  It is bad because it contains a lot of things in it that would stop seeds growing.  It also needs some other things put into it to help the seeds to grow.  Jesus says that if we are to keep on growing and following Him then we need to have hearts that are like good soil.  For the soil of our hearts to be good we need to take the bad things out of it and put good things into it.  So let me ask you this question…
What changes might you need to make in your life to improve the spiritual soil in your heart so that God can produce good fruit in your life?  What might you have to take away or do less of and what might you have to put in or start doing more?
Let us pray…
 
Prayer                  For those fearful of the future
Living God we pray for those who face the future with uncertainty and anxiety- those who fear it, who despair of it or who feel they have no future.
We pray for those in the troubled places of our world – those who long for peace, an end to conflict and a time of harmony, but who in their hearts have given up hoping.
We pray for those who face trauma and upheaval in their lives – what seemed secure swept from under them, what they had hoped for denied them, what they had trusted in proven false.
We pray for those who doubt their ability to cope with what life may bring – those overwhelmed by pressures, paralysed by fears, crushed by sorrows…
We take a moment in silence to especially remember all those working in our hospitals and healthcare facilities and especially those who face very difficult decisions about how we might cope with the increasing admissions to hospitals and ICU beds…
We pray for all those faced with difficult decisions- circumstances beyond their control, unexpected dangers, awkward choices.
Living God reach out to all for whom the future seems uncertain or unwelcome and bring the assurance that even in the darkest moments, the greatest challenges, the most worrying times, you are there, able to give wisdom, courage and strength, to bring light out of darkness, hope out of despair, joy out of sorrow and good out of evil.
Lord grant the confidence that there is nothing in heaven or on earth, in life or death, in the present or the future that is finally able to separate us from your love. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
 
Closing Words
It’s been a joy and privilege to share with you again today. Thanks again for logging on.  I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s reflection.  Please do spend some time in quiet over the next couple of days reflecting on the parable of the sower. 
 
Unfortunately, but understandably, for the foreseeable future church services will only be allowed online.  The good news is I will be providing online services on Wednesday and Sunday mornings until church reopens.  So let me encourage you to tune in again on Sunday as we continue our journey following the ministry of Jesus.  This weekend we’ll reflect on the amazing domino effect of discipleship.  As Jesus calls people to follow Him and they in turn invite their friends very soon the good news spreads.
 
As the challenges of Covid continue I’m conscious that this is a very difficult time for us all.  If you are feeling particularly low, then please do reach out and let me know.  I’ll be more than happy to meet and pray with you in a safe and socially distanced way.  And let’s keep a special eye out for each other by picking up the phone and seeing how someone is.
 
But for now, let me lead you in a Benediction after which I invite you as always, to say the grace together…
 
Benediction       
Loving God, lead us out into the world, renewed in vigour, in hope, in faith and in purpose.  Send us back to live and work for you, sharing your love and living your life.  And…
 
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all now and for evermore, Amen.”        
 

​APC 10th January 2021          “The Baptism of Jesus.”
 
PART 1
Welcome and Introduction          
Good morning everyone and welcome to our Sunday morning worship.  Today we begin our journey to Easter following Jesus through some of the main events during His life and ministry.  As we enter a New Year, it’s a huge concern and disappointment that the number of Covid infections has been rapidly increasing and we are back to full lockdown.  But let us remember that in all of this, God is still the same.  He is faithful and His mercies and help are new every day.  So let us approach God as we worship Him through the words of the beautiful hymn, “Great is Thy faithfulness”.
(End Part 1)
 
Opening Song                “Great is Thy Faithfulness”
 
 
Part 2
 
Let’s take a moment to talk to our heavenly Father, let’s pray…
 
Opening Prayer
Gracious God, we thank you that you are always with us, in the bad times as well as the good, the difficult as well as the easy, the sad as well as the happy.
Lord of all hopefulness, hear our prayer.
We thank you that though we have sometimes been unsure of the way ahead, you have always been there to guide us, though we have felt discouraged, you have offered us fresh inspiration, though we have been in despair, you have given us hope.
Lord of all hopefulness, hear our prayer.
We thank you for the assurance this brings us that your steadfast love never ceases, that your mercies are new every morning, that great is your faithfulness.
Lord of all hopefulness, hear our prayer.
May that conviction give us confidence in the days ahead, so that whatever problems we face, whatever disappointments we experience, whatever sorrows may befall us, we will still find reason to look forward, reason to believe in the future and reason to hope.
Lord of all hopefulness, hear our prayer.
In Jesus name we ask it, Amen.
Join me as we say the Lord’s Prayer thoughtfully and sincerely together…
 
 
Our Father, which 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.
 
 
 
Introduction to Kids Video
We come to the part of the service which is especially for the younger members of our church family.  So if your kids aren’t beside you right now, why not pause the recording, and call them in to watch a short animation about the baptism of Jesus.  And at the end of this video I’ve a few words to say to the children so don’t let them rush away.
(END Part 2)
 
Kid’s Video             The Baptism of Jesus
 
PART 3
 
Kid’s Talk Summary
Happy New Year boys and girls.  I hope you’ve enjoyed the little video about Jesus’ baptism today.  It’s hard to understand exactly why Jesus was baptised because He never did anything wrong so He didn’t need forgiven and He didn’t need His sins washed clean.  Most people think He did it to identify with us, to really understand what it’s like for us to need to say sorry to God and stuff like that.  That’s one of the great things about Jesus - as well as being completely God he was also totally human.  He understands everything we go through.  So if you’re finding it hard again not being able to be in school, talk to Jesus about it because He understands and He will help you when you pray.  If you ask your mam or dad they can go onto the church website scroll through and find a link to a colouring sheet of John the Baptist Baptising Jesus.  Don’t forget to tune in again next Sunday.  Bye for now and I hope your online schoolwork is still fun.
Colouring Sheet Link

www.kidssundayschool.com/preschool/coloring-pages/john-the-baptist
 
Bible Reading         Matthew 3 v 1-17
In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 3 This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:
“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
    make straight paths for him.’”[a]
4 John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. 5 People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. 6 Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
11 “I baptize you with[b] water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with[c] the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”  13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”
15 Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.
16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
Reflection                       Why was Jesus Baptised?
Over the next few months I want to bring you on a journey following the lectionary readings for 2021.  Along the road we will stop off at various moments in the life of our Lord Jesus and prayerfully reflect.  We will walk with Him as he teaches and heals, as He rides into Jerusalem on a donkey.  We will see Him cruelly betrayed and nailed to a cross.  We will marvel at His resurrection and reflect on His ascension.  We will consider the outpouring of His Spirit and the impact this had on the earliest believers.  All the time we will be asking, “What does this mean for us?”
Today we begin at His ordination for public ministry.  Picture the scene- Joshua, a local carpenter, the son of Joseph and Mary, makes his way through a crowd of people gathered beside the banks of the Jordan River.  His cousin John is standing in the water as one by one, people from the crowd step forward and allow themselves to be ceremonially washed.  It’s a strange scene.  Controversial in fact.  Jewish people didn’t get baptised.  Circumcision was their sign of identity.  Baptism was only for people who weren’t Jews but who wanted to convert.
Something new was happening, a spiritual awakening among the Israelites.  The movement was led by John, nicknamed ‘the Baptist’.  He was an eccentric chap, living out in the desert, wearing clothes made from camel skins and dining on nothing but locusts and wild honey.  But he was also deeply spiritual, a man of prayer.
It was this closeness to God that made His message so powerful even if it was difficult to hear.
Here’s a snapshot of his sermon-
“Do you remember Elijah and Isaiah, Ezekiel and Hosea?  Well, just like them, God has told me to give you a really important message.  He says, “You need to turn around!”  “God’s special King is about to hit the scene and you need to get ready!” 
“Don’t think because you’re Jewish that will be enough!  Don’t think just saying ‘sorry’ will be sufficient either!  God is perfect.  If you want to be ready to stand in His Royal presence then you’ve got to change your ways!  You’ve gotta show that you’re sorry by the way that you live.  If you’re a tax collector that’ll mean no more greedy fiddling of the books.  If you’re a soldier it’ll mean treating people fairly and not grumbling about your pay.  If you know someone’s in need it’ll mean helping them out by sharing what you have.
If you do this God will bless you and invite you to be part of this new era.  But if you don’t, he’ll come down on you like a tonne of bricks.
If you want to be part of this, then come down into the water and show God you’re serious by confessing your sins and allowing me to baptise you with water as a sign of God’s forgiveness and cleansing.”
John’s message was powerful stuff.  Despite its gravity it attracted hundreds of Jewish people.  In fact, there was such a crowd it had the Scribes and Pharisees worried.  So they had gathered to listen to the message and to see what was going on.  But none of them were joining the crowds stepping down into the water and confessing their sins.
Knowing their resolve to keep the Jewish faith and to guard it against any form of heresy, it’s not surprising that none of the religious leaders responded publicly to John’s message.  But what is surprising is that also lining up, was Jesus.  It wouldn’t have been surprising to the crowds.  To those who did know Him, he was just Joshua the local carpenter, Mary and Joseph’s son.  But when he reached the front of the queue His cousin John nearly fell over – He knew, that Jesus was the promised Messiah.
In a whisper he said, “Josh, what are you doing?  You’ve no sins to confess.  You don’t need forgiveness or baptism.  In fact, why don’t we just swap places?”
Jesus looked up and replied, “I’ll explain later, for now just go ahead and baptise me.  I need to do this to fulfil all righteousness.”
You know as I began to study this passage this week I felt very much like John.  I was asking myself, “Why on earth would Jesus bring himself to be baptised when he had never sinned and didn’t need to be forgiven or cleansed?”
What did Jesus mean in his answer to John, “This is to fulfil all righteousness?”
Having studied several commentaries and read several more online articles, to be honest with you, I don’t think anyone can say for sure what Jesus meant by this phrase or why exactly he got baptised.
It may be that since this was the time for Jesus to begin His public ministry this was the best way of announcing Himself to as many people as possible.
Jesus’ mission was to introduce a new covenant, a new agreement, a new way of being part of God’s family.  He, in fact, would be that way, through His death and resurrection.  This new way would not depend on your gender, ethnicity, social standing, education or religious affiliation.  It would be based on your trust in Him and on your willingness to turn away from all that is wrong and to live God’s way.
It made sense for Him therefore to align Himself with the message that John was preaching because this is what His own Kingdom message would be like in the days to come.  But in addition to aligning Himself to the message, I think Jesus allowed Himself to be baptised in order to identify Himself with the people who He had come to save.  What exactly this identification was, or how it fulfilled all righteousness, we cannot be certain.  What we can be sure of is that His baptism was an act of humility.  Perhaps like Nehemiah and other leaders of the past, as he was baptised, Jesus may have represented the people by confessing the sins of the nation before God. 
What we can also be sure of is that to be our perfect human representative, Jesus had to live a perfect human life.  Therefore, I think that somehow even this moment of submission and humility enabled Him to experience what it would mean for a human being to bow their head and heart before God.  I think this was just another piece of the mysterious jigsaw that would allow Christ who is completely God to also live a perfect human life in order to be fully righteous and provide a perfect sacrifice for human sin.
You know when I spent time in Africa, we ate food that I would never normally choose to eat simply because we did not want to offend the people who had so kindly killed and cooked one of their most prized and costly possessions.  How could we have expected our hosts to listen to our message about Jesus if we had not willingly eaten the goat’s head and goat’s intestine stew that we were served?  It may be the fact that he had gone through the same religious right of baptism, that would enable Jesus later on to call people to follow Him.  Certainly no- one could say to Him, “Well if this is what you believe and what you want us to do, why didn’t we see you down at the Jordan when John was baptising?”
It may even be that Jesus asked John to baptize Him simply as an act of obedience to God's purposes. You see in v 33 of John Chapter 1 we discover that God had given John the promise of a coming Messiah and had told him that “the man on whom you see the spirit of God come down and remain – He is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.”  By being baptized, Jesus fulfilled that promise. His baptism was simply the right thing at the right time: the last act of His private life.
In addition to identifying Himself with all humanity in obedience to God, many believe that Jesus’ baptism also provided a very public opportunity for God to officially ordain His Son into the Priesthood and to reveal His identity to a watching world.
You see in the Old Testament before someone could become a Priest they had to be ceremonially washed or anointed for the ministry to which they had been called.  Jesus, is our Great High Priest and so many see His baptism by John as an ordination into His High Priestly ministry to fulfil all righteousness. 
There is no doubt that as Jesus was baptised He was in some way ordained and commissioned by God the Father for His ministry to the world.  That is one reason why as soon as he was baptised, the heavens opened, the spirit of God descended upon Him like a dove and the voice of God was audibly heard saying, “This is my Son whom I love, with Him I am well pleased.”
We don’t have time to look at all the details of this amazing incident this morning, but let me just bring your attention to one or two things.
The Dove and the voice from the heavens would have been very familiar to the gathered crowd.  God’s spirit was often depicted as a dove in the Old Testament and on many occasions God spoke directly to His people as He did with Moses on Mount Sinai.
These miraculous signs would have informed the crowd that this man who had just been baptised was special and that God was speaking.
What they heard God saying was, “This is my Son who I love.  I am well pleased with Him.”
Again, to those well versed in Old Testament scriptures, these two phrases would have been familiar.  The first is a direct quote from Psalm 2.  There David is described as the Son of God.  But it is also mentioned that a King would come who would be even greater than David.  One to whom even he would bow.  From this, the people listening would have been left with the sense that this carpenter, Joshua, was somehow also a very special King, even God’s promised King, one greater than David.
The second phrase is a direct quote from Isaiah 42.  There Isaiah talks about how God would send a suffering servant.  This suffering servant is more fully described in Isaiah 53 as one who would be despised and rejected and who would die, bearing the judgement for the sins of God’s people, sheep who had gone astray.  Somehow, mysteriously through that death, His suffering would bring healing and peace to God’s people.  From this, the people watching would have been left with the sense that this cousin of John was a special servant of God who would experience much suffering.  Somehow that suffering would bring them healing and peace.
I can imagine the conversations went on long into the night.  I’m sure many a jar of wine was consumed that evening.
Like those first century followers of John, we too are left wondering at the baptism of Jesus.  How exactly did he identify with all humanity when He went into the water?  How does their understanding of His Sonship contrast with ours all these years later?  What was happening when Jesus suffered on the cross?  How do I feel about being a son or daughter of the King?  How do I feel about being loved so much by God?  And how can the suffering of Jesus help me in mine?
We thank God for His word, Amen.
 
Introduction to Song of Response
 
It’s amazing to think that Jesus identified with us completely, not only at His baptism but through every experience of life.  Let’s respond to that by listening to a song that reminds us of the amazing Hope that Jesus understands everything we go through for all our ways are known to Him…
(End Part 3)
 
 
Song       “All my ways are known to you”
 
 
Part 4
 
Prayers for others
 
Heavenly Father, we thank you that you love us and that your Son identified Himself completely with us.  Lord, you understand our disappointment and our fears with the increasing numbers of Covid 19 infections and the restrictions that we are facing because of the new lockdown.
So Lord we look to you for the help and strength to go through another period of uncertainty.
 
We remember especially all those working in hospitals and in care facilities.  Father, give to each one protection, energy, wisdom and patience.  Grant your peace to those who are anxious and afraid.
 
We pray for all who are working to administer vaccines.  Give them wisdom, strength and perseverance.  May this process go as smoothly and successfully as possible.  Grant that over the next number of weeks that many countries around the world will develop an overriding immunity to this disease that will enable life to return to normal.
 
We pray for all those who are currently sick and whose own treatment is facing delay because of the Pandemic.  We remember too all those who have died in this past year and the people who continue to grieve their loss.  Grant each one your comfort, your help and your healing.
 
We pray for our children and young people.  Help them to readjust to online schooling.  Thank you for all the work of their teachers in hugely difficult circumstances.  Give them energy and wisdom to know how best to deliver their teaching online and help each student to engage with the work as enthusiastically as possible.  We ask that you might calm the fears of those who are due to sit important exams this year.  Help them to trust that you are in control and that you have a plan for them that is good.  We think especially of Pre School teachers as they provide care for the children of Frontline workers.  Grant them courage and help in their planning for reopening and health and safety in the days ahead.
 
We remember those at college, especially those who are finding this lockdown particularly isolating and lonely.  Give them and their friends and family wisdom to know how best to receive the support that they need in these days.
 
We pray again for our government and ask that you will continue to give them wisdom, resilience and clarity in their decisions.  Help us all to be patient with each other and to do all we can to support one another in these days.
 
We think also of the ongoing discussions between Britain and Europe over Brexit.  Father may the relationships and the discussions of all concerned be positive and ultimately result in agreements which will be helpful to everyone concerned and enable smooth and peaceful working relationships to continue in the future.
 
We pray for all church leaders in these difficult days and ask that you will guide them and give them energy and creativity to keep pastoral contacts alive and to provide opportunities for worship that will be helpful ad meaningful to their congregations.
 
Take a moment now to pray for one or two people you know who need God’s help at this time….
 
All this we ask in the name of Jesus, our Great High Priest who can empathise completely with our humanity and frailty, Amen.
 
 
CLOSING WORDS
 
It’s been a joy and privilege to share with you again today. Thanks again for logging on.  I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s reflection.  Please do spend some time in quiet over the next couple of days reflecting on Jesus baptism and the wonder of how much He identifies with us in every way.  
 
As I said on Wednesday I want to thank you for all your support and encouragement throughout 2020.  There has been a great sense of togetherness and mutual support in our congregation despite the difficulties we have faced.  You have also shown a great spirit of generosity in contributing towards the needs of many charitable causes.  Just recently, I received a very nice thank you letter from Springboard for your donation of Euros 640.  So thank you to everyone who contributed to that. 
 
As is our tradition, on Christmas Day we had a special collection for the poorest and most vulnerable in our world who have been especially affected by the Covid 19 pandemic.  The money that is raised through this Moderator’s Appeal will be channeled directly through our Partner Agencies ‘Tear Fund’ and ‘Christian Aid’.  If you weren’t able to make it on Christmas day then you can still contribute to our Moderator’s Appeal. You can donate online using the Church bank details on our website, just mark your donation for the Moderator’s Christmas Appeal.  You can also contact our treasurer Aleida Van der Flier to pay using a mechanism that is more suitable for you.
 
I’d like to thank Aleida for leading our service online on Sunday 27th and to thank our Moderator for leading us last Sunday.  I think you’ll agree they both did an excellent job.
 
Unfortunately, but understandably, for the foreseeable future church services will only be allowed online.  The good news is I will be providing online services on Wednesday and Sunday mornings until church reopens.  So let me encourage you to tune in again on Wednesday to help keep the embers of your faith aglow.  As the challenges of Covid continue I’m conscious that this is a very difficult time for us all.  If you are feeling particularly low, then please do reach out and let me know.  I’ll be more than happy to meet and pray with you in a safe and socially distanced way.  And let’s keep a special eye out for each other whether that means just picking up the phones and seeing how someone is.
 
But for now, let me lead you in a Benediction after which I invite you as always, to say the grace together…
 
Benediction   
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
And…
 
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all now and for evermore, Amen.”  
 

​APC 6th Jan 2021   Epiphany – “A Light to the nations”
 
Welcome and Introduction          
Good morning everyone and welcome to our Midweek worship.  May I begin by wishing you and all your loved ones a very happy and healthy New Year.
It’s been lovely to have a week off and to enjoy some quality time with the family.  But it’s also great to be back with you today to worship our God together.  Today, in Ireland, the 6th of January, is Nollaig na mBan known as “Little Christmas” or “Women’s Christmas.”  It was a day traditionally when the men took over the cooking and housework to give women a rest after all their work especially over the busy Christmas period.  It’s a tradition that is seeing a revival and hopefully when we have greater freedoms of movement next year, our ladies can enjoy a well-deserved night out together.
Today, throughout the world, in the Christian church is called Epiphany, and officially marks the end of Christmas.  It’s a day when historically the church has reflected on the wise men and on the baptism of Jesus.  We’ll be exploring why Jesus needed to be baptized on Sunday, but today I want to spend a few moments reflecting on the story of the wise men.  But let me begin by calling us to worship through the words of Psalm 8….
 
Call to Worship              Psalm 8
O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!  You have set your glory in the heavens.  Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?  You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honour.  You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet: all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild, the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.  O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
Let us pray…
 
Opening Prayer – An Epiphany Petition
God of love, we remember today on this Epiphany Sunday, how wise men from the East came seeking the new born King, how finally they reached the end of their journey, and how they knelt in worship before the infant Jesus.  Help us to learn from their example. 
Guide our footsteps, and lead us closer to Christ.
Teach us to continue faithfully on the path you set before us, remembering that true faith involves a journey of discovery as well as arrival at a destination.
Guide our footsteps, and lead us closer to Christ.
Teach us to seek your will resolutely, even when the way ahead is not clear.
Guide our footsteps, and lead us closer to Christ.
Teach us to look at the world around us, and to recognise the signs through which you might be speaking to us.
Guide our footsteps, and lead us closer to Christ.
Teach us to keep on trusting in your purpose even when the responses of others may give us cause for doubt.
Guide our footsteps, and lead us closer to Christ.
Teach us to offer to Jesus our wholehearted devotion- not simply our gifts but our whole lives, given to Him in joyful worship and grateful praise.
Guide our footsteps, and lead us closer to Christ.
 
Let us join together in the words of the Lord’s Prayer…
Our Father, which 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.
 
 
Bible Readings
 
Isaiah 60 v 1-6
 
“Arise, shine, for your light has come,
    and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.
2 See, darkness covers the earth
    and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you
    and his glory appears over you.
3 Nations will come to your light,
    and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
4 “Lift up your eyes and look about you:
    All assemble and come to you;
your sons come from afar,
    and your daughters are carried on the hip.
5 Then you will look and be radiant,
    your heart will throb and swell with joy;
the wealth on the seas will be brought to you,
    to you the riches of the nations will come.
6 Herds of camels will cover your land,
    young camels of Midian and Ephah.
And all from Sheba will come,
    bearing gold and incense
    and proclaiming the praise of the Lord.
 
Matthew 2 v 1-12
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
    who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
 
Reflection               Epiphany – “A Light to the nations”
Epiphany, or Three Kings' Day, is the 12th day of Christmas, with today, January 6, marking the official end to the festive season for many Christians and the day that they will take down their Christmas tree.
In the West, Christians began celebrating Epiphany in the 4th Century. It was used to celebrate both the visit of the wise men to Jesus shortly after his birth and also Jesus' baptism by John the Baptist.  In fact right up until the 19th century, Epiphany was considered more important than Christmas Day,
According to the Gospel of Matthew, the wise men followed the star of Bethlehem across the desert to meet the baby Jesus in Bethlehem, offering gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
The gifts were symbolic of the importance of Jesus' birth.  The gold representing his royal standing; frankincense his Priestly Role as the mediator between God and humanity; and myrrh, an embalming spice, reminding us that Christ died to take the judgement for our sins.
The word 'Epiphany' comes from Greek and means 'manifestation'. It celebrates 'the revelation of God in his Son as human in Jesus Christ'. The six Sundays which follow Epiphany are known as the time of manifestation.
For many churches, the season of Epiphany extends from January 6 until Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent. The last Sunday of the Epiphany is celebrated as Transfiguration Sunday.
Festivities for this ancient Christian Day of Celebration vary around the world.
Hundreds of years ago, roast lamb was traditionally served at Epiphany in honour of Christ and the three Kings' visit.
In Spain/Mexico whoever finds the small statue of a baby Jesus hidden inside their slice of the Rosca de reyes throws a party on Candlemas in February.
In some European countries, children leave their shoes out the night before to be filled with gifts, while others leave straw for the three Kings' horses.
In Bulgaria, Eastern Orthodox priests throw a cross in the sea and the men dive in - competing to get to it first.
In Prague, there is a traditional Three Kings swim to commemorate Epiphany Day at the Vltava River.
In New York, thousands take part in an annual procession featuring camels, colourful puppets and floats.
As we begin our journey over the next few months following the birth, ministry, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus, today I thought it might be helpful to reflect on what the wise men, can teach us about what it really means to worship Jesus Christ, the King of Kings…
From the writings of Herodotus, the ancient Greek historian, we discover that these Magi came from a tribe called the Medes.  Having failed in an attempt to overthrow the Persians, the Magi substituted ambitions for power and prestige to become the priests of Persia.  They became men of holiness and wisdom skilled in philosophy, medicine and natural science.  They were interpreters of dreams and experts in astrology who could foretell the future by looking at the stars.  They were used to recognising significant changes in patterns in the night sky. 
In those days on the first day of the Egyptian month Mesori, the dog star, Sirius, rose at sunrise and shone with extraordinary brilliance.  The name Mesori means ‘the birth of a prince’.  We can’t be certain if this was the star they followed.  What we can be sure of is that something in the night sky spoke to these experts saying – “A King is born!”  This would not have surprised them because historically at that time there was an air of expectation throughout the world that a great King was about to arrive on the scene.  In those days the Roman Emperor Augustus was being hailed as “Saviour of the world” and the Roman poet Virgil was writing his fourth Eclogue known as the ‘Messianic Eclogue’ describing the golden days that were to come.  So we can have confidence that the story of the Epiphany is no legend or fairy tale.  Matthew gives an accurate historical account of something that happened in the ancient world.  Men were waiting for a new King, even God, to come to bring in this golden age for which they longed.  The Magi saw something in the night sky that told them this King had been born, so they travelled thousands of miles to Bethlehem to bow at His feet in worship.  It is obvious from all of these details that the wise men went to worship Jesus for who He was.  Herod, in contrast, only wanted to discover this new King’s whereabouts so he could have him killed because Jesus was a threat to his throne.
From this we are reminded about the nature of true worship.  The word worship means ‘giving God His worth’.  That involves respecting and obeying God simply because of who He is and not because of what we can get from Him.  The wise men sought to worship Him simply because He was King.  Herod sought to find him simply to secure his own future.
You know all of life can be worship.  Whatever we do, we can do it in a way that respects that God is our King, that He is our first love.  We can live each moment with an attitude of thanks for all He has given us and with a desire to represent Him well among our friends and family.  We can come to church to hear from God, to thank Him for His kindness, to say sorry for ways that we have ignored Him and to seek His help and guidance.  But equally, we can live life for ourselves, without any real thought of God, without spending much time talking to Him or reading the bible, without any real consideration for how we are representing Him, without much gratitude for all that he has given us.  We can even come to church for many reasons other than to give God the praise and thanks and honour and respect that he deserves.
As we begin a new year, the wise men cause us to reflect and ask - Do we genuinely love Jesus?  Do we really live our lives with the constant thought that He is the King of Kings, our King, our true boss?  Do we regularly thank Him for dying for us, and for giving us His Spirit to live in us?  Do we give Him the credit for the gifts, talents and intellectual abilities we possess and the things we have achieved?  Do we really come to church each week longing to learn more about what He is like and how we can live to please Him?    Are we willing to give Him what is valuable to us whether that be time, talent or money so that others may be helped and many may be encouraged to worship Him too?  Are we happy to get involved in church life, to play our part, welcome and care for each other in response to God’s love to us?  Are we willing to lay the deep hurts and questions we have about life at His feet, bowing to His greater wisdom and knowing that one day he will right every wrong and wipe every tear?
Let me encourage you to be a wise man or woman in 2019.  Follow Jesus.  His ways are best.  Like the wise ones of old you may find that means your life may have to take a different direction.  A life that is responsive and obedient to the King of Kings.  Sure that will involve risk, it may make you unpopular with the Herod’s of this world who have no thought for God or His Christ.  It will mean sacrifice. It will involve battling temptation.  It will leave you with unanswered questions and wrestling with doubts.  But it will be worth it.  For as we follow the star of Bethlehem, we will discover something amazing.  When we seek Him for the right reasons and worship Him simply for who He is and what he has done for us, unexpectedly, we will find that He will respond by showering us with His blessings, treasures of far greater worth than anything we can find anywhere else – a deep sense of joy and peace and meaning and destiny that is almost impossible to put into words.  May God grant us all a fresh epiphany to see in Jesus the greatest treasure in life.  And in light of that may He show us what it means to truly worship Him….
 
 
Prayers for Others – Epiphany Intercession
 
Lord of Light, we have remembered today the journey of the wise men- how, inspired by  what they took to be a sign, they set off in search of a new born King, a King who would change not simply their lives, not merely the life of His people, but the life of the world.
 
Come again now and may light shine in the darkness.
 
We remember how they persevered in their quest, travelling in faith, even though they had no clear idea of where they were heading, or any certainty of what they would find when they reached their destination.
 
Come again now and may light shine in the darkness.
 
We remember how they refused to be discouraged, despite their reception in Jerusalem, despite the fact that no one seemed to have any idea that anew King had been born.
 
Come again now and may light shine in the darkness.
 
We remember how they kept going, single minded in their pursuit of their goal, until at last their determination was rewarded and they came face to face with the infant Jesus.
 
Come again now and may light shine in the darkness.
 
Living God we pray for all who seek today, all those who are looking for a sense of purpose in their lives, all who are searching for spiritual fulfilment, all who long to find you for themselves.
 
Come again now and may light shine in the darkness.
 
Help them to keep looking, even when the journey is demanding and no end seems in sight; to keep believing even when others seem oblivious to their quest or scornful of it; to keep on trusting even when those they look to for guidance seem as confused and as lost as they are.
 
Come again now and may light shine in the darkness.
 
Living God, you have promised through Jesus Christ that those who seek shall find.  May the experience of the wise men inspire all who seek for truth to keep on searching, in the assurance that they too, come what may, will one day complete their quest, and discover you for themselves.
 
Come again now and may light shine in the darkness.
 
Take a few moments in silence now to pray for one or two people or one or two situations…
 
All these prayers we offer in the name of the King of Kings, Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
 
 
Closing Words
It’s been a joy and privilege to share with you again today. Thanks again for logging on.  I do hope you found this morning’s service an encouragement.
 
I want to thank you for all your support and encouragement throughout 2020.  There has been a great sense of togetherness and mutual support in our congregation despite the difficulties we have faced.  You have also shown a great spirit of generosity in contributing towards the needs of many charitable causes.  Just recently, I received a very nice thank you letter from Springboard for your donation of Euros 640.  So thank you to everyone who contributed to that. 
 
As is our tradition, on Christmas Day we had a special collection for the poorest and most vulnerable in our world who have been especially affected by the Covid 19 pandemic.  The money that is raised through this Moderator’s Appeal will be channeled directly through our Partner Agencies ‘Tear Fund’ and ‘Christian Aid’.  If you weren’t able to make it on Christmas day then you can still contribute to our Moderator’s Appeal. You can donate online using the Church bank details on our website, just mark your donation for the Moderator’s Christmas Appeal.  You can also contact our treasurer Aleida Van der Flier to pay using a mechanism that is more suitable for you.
 
I’d like to thank Aleida for leading our service online on Sunday 27th and to thank our Moderator for leading us last Sunday.  I think you’ll agree they both did an excellent job.
 
Unfortunately, but understandably, for the foreseeable future church services will only be allowed online.  The good news is I will be providing online services on Wednesday and Sunday mornings until church reopens.  So let me encourage you to tune in as often as you can to keep your faith alive.  Let me also encourage you to phone around each other and keep encouraging one another and to pray for one another.  This Sunday we will begin our journey following Jesus through snapshots of his teaching and ministry until eventually at the end of March we will come to Holy week and Easter when we will reflect on his final week, death and resurrection.  So there’s lots to look forward to.  But for now let me close by leading you in a Benediction after which I will invite you as always, to say the grace together…
 
 
Benediction
Go out into the world to share the many gifts that have been given to you.  Do not let them go to waste; share them through the power of the Spirit.  And as you do so, may the grace and peace of God abide with you along the way.  And…
May the Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the
fellowship of the Holy Spirit; be with us all now and for evermore,
Amen.