January – Covenant Sunday
This short act of worship has been prepared for you. I invite you to share in a few moments with God knowing that other people within Paulton, Trinity and Chew Stoke Methodist Churches are sharing this act of worship with you.
Revd Martin Slocombe
THE GATHERING OF THE PEOPLE OF GOD
This Sunday marks the feast of the Epiphany, and so our opening hymn reminds us of the journey of the magi to visit the new-born King.
Hymn: As with gladness men of old www.youtube.com/watch?v=UB8rKNrlpDQ
1 As with gladness men of old
did the guiding star behold,
as with joy they hailed its light,
leading onward, beaming bright,
so, most gracious Lord, may we
evermore be led to thee.
2 As with joyful steps they sped,
Saviour, to thy lowly bed,
there to bend the knee before
thee, whom heaven and earth adore,
so may we with willing feet
ever seek thy mercy-seat.
3 As they offered gifts most rare
at thy cradle rude and bare,
so may we with holy joy,
pure, and free from sin’s alloy,
all our costliest treasures bring,
Christ, to thee, our heavenly King.
4 Holy Jesus, every day
keep us in the narrow way;
and, when earthly things are past,
bring our ransomed souls at last
where they need no star to guide,
where no clouds thy glory hide.
5 In the heavenly country bright
need they no created light;
thou its light, its joy, its crown,
thou its sun which goes not down;
there for ever may we sing
alleluias to our King.
William Chatterton Dix (1837–1898)
Prayer of Adoration
God of Love, you created us;
you continually preserve and sustain us;
you love us with an everlasting love
you give us the light of the knowledge of your glory in the face of Jesus Christ.
Glory to you, Lord Jesus,
You were rich, but became poor for our sake,
you were tempted as we are, yet without sin,
you preached the good news of the kingdom
and were obedient to death, even death on a cross.
You were raised from death and are alive forever.
You sit at God’s right hand in glory and will come again to judge us.
Glory to you, Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life.
By you we are born into the family of God
and made members of the body of Christ.
Your witness confirms us; your wisdom teaches us;
your power enables us.
You will do for us more than we can ask or think.
Amen.
The Collect
God of grace,
through the mediation of your Son,
you call us into a new Covenant.
Help us to draw near with faith and join ourselves in a perpetual covenant with you.
THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD
Readings
Isaiah 60: 1-6 - The Ingathering of the Dispersed
60Arise, shine; for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
2 For darkness shall cover the earth,
and thick darkness the peoples;
but the Lord will arise upon you,
and his glory will appear over you.
3 Nations shall come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
4 Lift up your eyes and look around;
they all gather together, they come to you;
your sons shall come from far away,
and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses’ arms.
5 Then you shall see and be radiant;
your heart shall thrill and rejoice,
because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you,
the wealth of the nations shall come to you.
6 A multitude of camels shall cover you,
the young camels of Midian and Ephah;
all those from Sheba shall come.
They shall bring gold and frankincense,
and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord.
Matthew 2: 1-12 - The Visit of the Wise Men
2In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2asking, ‘Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.’ 3When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 4and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:
6 “And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd my people Israel.” ’
7 Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, ‘Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.’ 9When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure-chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
Reflection
What did you have for Christmas? Was it what you wanted or needed?
No doubt many presents which have been hinted at for a while, or even explicitly asked for, were welcomed. But there are always some presents which are given in love, but not received quite so enthusiastically. It can be difficult to know what will be appreciated, and what might end up in the back of the cupboard.
I wonder what happened to the gifts that the wise men brought to Jesus? Gold, frankincense and myrrh had symbolic meaning, but were probably of little practical use to a carpenter and his young family. Did Mary and Joseph look at them and wonder, “what are we going to do with these?”, or did they treasure them?
Our reading today from the book of Isaiah comes from a time when the people have returned from exile and are starting to rebuild their lives in Israel. Many things have changed, and their restored faith in God has made a visible difference to them, and has started to attract people from other nations, and with them comes wealth. What are they to do? Reject these strangers, or welcome them? Isaiah encourages a welcome. The wealth they bring is not for the benefit of Israel, but for the glory of God, and should therefore be welcomed. The people had to work out how best to use these riches to honour God, rather than to amass them for themselves.
The gifts of the magi were also brought to honour Jesus. They were not meant to make him rich or to be practical. Traditionally, our understanding is that these three gifts were chosen for their special spiritual symbolism about Jesus himself—gold representing his kingship, frankincense a symbol of his priestly role, and myrrh a prefiguring of his death and embalming. The gifts are about honouring his majesty, even though he was a new born baby.
As we share in our covenant service this morning, we again have to face the challenge of being in a covenant relationship with God. We are reminded that this relationship demands that we should not amass riches for ourselves, but that we should use the gifts we have been given as God directs us, and for his honour and glory. But honouring God may bring dishonour to ourselves, following God’s direction may mean sacrificing our personal desires, putting God first may mean placing ourselves last. That is the reality of the covenant relationship we have entered into.
God has given us gifts in many differing ways, not for our own advancement and pleasure, but to be used for his glorification. May we recognise the love with which they were given, actively seek to find ways in which to use them, and give glory to the one who gave them to us. For in so doing, our hearts shall “thrill and rejoice”.
Amen
And so, we offer ourselves, and our gifts, again to God’s service, as we make our Covenant promise together.
THE COVENANT
God made a covenant with the people of Israel, calling them to be a holy nation and to obey his laws.
Our Lord Jesus, by his death and resurrection, has made a new covenant with all who trust in him.
In this covenant God promises us new life in Christ. For our part we promise to live no longer for ourselves but for God.
We meet today, as generations before us have done, to renew the covenant which bound them and binds us to God.
Let us, then, humbly seek forgiveness for the sin by which we have denied God’s claim on us.
Prayer of Confession
God of mercy, hear us as we confess our sins.
Your showed us how to live in the life of Jesus. We confess that we have been slow to learn from him, failed to follow him and showed our reluctance to carry the cross.
Lord have mercy.
Lord forgive.
We confess the poverty of our worship, our neglect of fellowship and the means of grace, our evasion of responsibilities in your service and our imperfect stewardship of your gifts.
Lord have mercy.
Lord forgive.
Have mercy upon us, O God, through your constant love. In the fulness of your mercy, blot out our offences. Wash away all our guilt and cleanse us from our sin.
Create in us a new heart and renew a right spirit within us.
Amen
If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just
and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Therefore to all who truly repent this is his gracious word:
“Your sins are forgiven.”
Amen
The Promise
Sisters and brothers in Christ,
let us again accept our place within this covenant which God has made with us and with all who are called to be Christ’s disciples.
This means that, by the help of the Holy Spirit, we accept God’s purpose for us, and the call to love and serve God in all our life and work.
Christ has many services to be done:
some are easy, others are difficult;
some bring honour, others bring reproach;
some are suitable to our natural inclinations and material interests,
others are contrary to both;
in some we may please Christ and please ourselves;
in others we cannot please Christ except by denying ourselves.
Yet the power to do all these things is given to us in Christ, who strengthens us.
Therefore let us make this covenant of God our own. Let us give ourselves to him, trusting in his promises and relying on his grace.
Eternal God, in your faithful and enduring love you call us to share in your gracious covenant in Jesus Christ.
In obedience we hear and accept your commands; in love we seek to do your perfect will; with joy we offer ourselves anew to you.
We are no longer our own but yours.
I am no longer my own but yours.
Your will, not mine, be done in all things,
wherever you may place me,
in all that I do and in all that I may endure;
when there is work for me and when there is none;
when I am troubled and when I am at peace.
Your will be done
when I am valued
and when I am disregarded;
when I find fulfilment
and when it is lacking;
when I have all things,
and when I have nothing.
I willingly offer all I have and am to serve you, as and where you choose.
Glorious and blessèd God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
you are mine and I am yours.
May it be so for ever.
Let this covenant now made on earth
be fulfilled in heaven. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power, and the glory
for ever and ever.
Amen.
Hymn: Here am I, Lord
www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjKjSBW13m4
Here am I, Lord,
I’ve come to do your will;
here am I, Lord,
in your presence I am still.
Northumbria Community
from Celtic Daily Prayer
THE LORD”S SUPPER
Lift up your hearts
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
All powerful and ever living God,
it is indeed right, it is our joy and our salvation
always and everywhere to give you thanks and praise through Jesus Christ our Lord.
You created all things and made us in your own image.
When we had fallen into sin, you gave your only son to be our Saviour.
He shared our human nature and died on the cross.
You raised him from death and exalted him to your right hand in glory where he lives forever to pray for us.
Through him you have sent your Holy Spirit
and made us your people, a royal priesthood,
to stand before you to proclaim your glory and celebrate your mighty acts.
We praise you, lord God, King of the Universe,
through our Lord Jesus Christ, who, on the night in which he was betrayed, took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, ‘Take this and eat it. This is my body given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’
In the same way, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the new covenant, poured out for you and for many, for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.’
Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ will come again.
As he has commanded us we do this in remembrance of him, and we ask you to accept our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving,
Grant that by the power of the Holy Spirit we who receive your gifts of bread and wine may share in the body and blood of Christ. Bring us, with those who have done your will in every age, into the light of your presence and the joy of your kingdom.
Through Christ, with Christ, in Christ,
in the power of the Holy Spirit,
we worship you in songs of everlasting praise.
Blessing and honour and glory and power
be yours for ever and ever. Amen.
The bread we break is a sharing in the body of Christ.
Though we are many, we are one body
because we all share in one loaf.
Jesus said: ‘I am the bread of life. Those who come to me shall not hunger and those who believe in me shall never thirst.’
Prayer
Faithful God,
with these holy gifts
you have fed and strengthened us
in Jesus Christ your Son.
Guide us on our way,
that with all your faithful people
we may come to share the feast
of your eternal kingdom;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Hymn: Take my life, and let it be
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Of4l5bTdZ8M
1 Take my life, and let it be
consecrated, Lord, to thee;
take my moments and my days,
let them flow in ceaseless praise.
2 Take my hands, and let them move
at the impulse of thy love;
take my feet, and let them be
swift and beautiful for thee.
3 Take my voice, and let me sing
always, only, for my King;
take my lips, and let them be
filled with messages from thee.
4 Take my silver and my gold,
not a mite would I withhold;
take my intellect, and use
every power as thou shalt choose.
5 Take my will, and make it thine;
it shall be no longer mine;
take my heart — it is thine own;
it shall be thy royal throne.
6 Take my love; my Lord, I pour
at thy feet its treasure-store;
take myself, and I will be
ever, only, all for thee.
Frances Ridley Havergal (1836–1879)
Blessing
The blessing of God,
the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,
be upon you and remain with you for ever.
Amen.
May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxUAeTDW3c0
CCLI Licence 354889