Dear Friends
Happy New Year! I suspect 2020 is a year many of us will be glad to see the end of, although the beginning of 2021 might be more of the same, so let’s not get complacent just yet. With that in mind Ansty Road Elders feel that it is prudent to stay at home this Sunday and to just operate on zoom. At the moment we will work on a week to week basis, so if you are unsure what we are doing please contact one of us. I’m sorry for those who feel excluded by not being able to come to church and being unable to make use of zoom. I will continue to write each week and hope that helps you to be involved, but we all know it’s not the same as being able to see one another. I will also continue to send these letters to St. Columba’s folk, but please tell me if you don’t want to receive these anymore and I will take you off the mailing list.
The other important thing to note is that we are changing the zoom link. The change in my role means that I will not be available to provide the zoom link every week and so we will move to a dedicated Ansty Road account that we can ensure is open every week. The new link can be found on the home page.
be blessed
Craig
Worship for 3rd January.
Adapted from URC Daily Devotions
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light,
for a child has been born for us, a son given to us!
Glory to God in the highest heaven!
Let us worship the Prince of Peace.
Hymn
Hail to the Lord’s anointed,
Great David’s greater Son!
Hail in the time appointed,
His reign on earth begun!
He comes to break oppression,
To set the captive free;
To take away transgression,
And rule in equity.
Kings shall fall down before Him,
And gold and incense bring;
All nations shall adore Him,
His praise all people sing;
For He shall have dominion
O’er river, sea and shore,
Far as the eagle’s pinion
Or dove’s light wing can soar.
James Montgomery
Prayers
Lord, we come to you today, in the darkest months of the year,
as people surrounded by light.
The light that shines from your son, Jesus Christ
We lift our hearts and voices in praise and worship
Hear our prayer
Forgive us when we stray into the darkness
At times it is hard for us to find your light,
As we stumble and fall
Allow us to be guided, as the Magi were,
out of the darkness and into your light.
Lord, hear our prayer
Allow us to follow the pathway of Christ
To not be blinded, but to be led in the teachings show to us
Let us be your example here on earth
For all to see, that they too may follow
Lord, hear our prayer
May we always be guided by your words
Should we be tempted to stray, as Herod was,
Let us be reminded of the leadership shown to us through Christ
Guiding us back onto the righteous path
Lord, hear our prayer
Forgive us when we place more importance on the gifts we bring
Than on the gifts given to us by the Holy Spirit
Settle our restless minds and provide us with patience
Filling our hearts with love and kindness
Lord, hear our prayer
Allow us time to contemplate the true meaning of epiphany
The realisation that Christ is your true son
The light to our dark world
Our guide and saviour
Matthew 2: 1-12
Magi – We Knew it Would be worth it
We knew it would be worth it the moment we saw the star, worth the hassle, worth the effort, worth the sacrifice. But there were times when we wondered, I can tell you! As we laboured over those dusty barren tracks, as we watched fearfully for bandits in the mountains, as the sun beat down without a break, and still no sign of an end to it, we wondered, all too often. We asked ourselves whether we’d got to wrong, misread the signs. We argued over whether we’d taken the wrong turning somewhere along the way. We questioned the wisdom of carrying on as the days dragged by. And when finally we got to Jerusalem only to find his own people had no idea what was going on, then we really became worried.
Quite astonishing – the biggest event in their history, and they didn’t even realise it was happening! Thankfully they looked it up, eventually, somewhere in one of their old prophets, and we knew where to go then. It was all there in writing if only they’d taken the trouble to look – God knows why they couldn’t see it!
Anyway we made it at last, tired, sore and hungry, but we made it. And it was worth it, more than we had ever imagined, for in that child was a different sort of king, a different sort of kingdom, from any we’d ever encountered before. As much our ruler as theirs, as much our kingdom as anyone’s. So we didn’t just present our gifts to him, we didn’t just make the customary gestures of acknowledgement. We fell down and worshipped him.
Can you imagine that? Grown men, respected, wealthy, important, kneeling before a toddler.Yet it seemed so natural, he most natural response we could make, the only response that would do!
Meditation of the Magi
Well, we made it at last. After all the setbacks, all the frustration, we finally found the one we were looking for – our journey over, the quest completed. And I can’t tell you how relieved we were. You see, we’d begun to fear we’d be too late, the time for celebration long since past by the time we eventually arrived.
It was that business in Jerusalem which caused the delay, all the waiting while Herod and his entourage rummaged around trying to discover what we were on about.
They were unsettled for some reason, taken aback, it seemed, by the news we brought, apparently unaware a king had been born among them. A rival claimant, they must have thought, and who could tell what trouble that might stir up? Anyway, they pointed us in the right direction if nothing else, but we’d wasted time there we could ill afford, and although the star reappeared to lead us again we were almost falling over ourselves with haste by the time we reached Bethlehem.
It was all quiet, just as we feared – no crowds, no family bustling around offering their congratulations, no throng of excited visitors, just an ordinary house – so ordinary we thought we’d gone to the wrong place. But we went in anyway, and the moment we saw the child, we knew he was the one – not just the King of the Jews, but a prince among princes, a ruler among rulers, a King of kings!
We were late, much later than intended, the journey far more difficult than we ever expected, but it was worth the effort, worth struggling on, for, like they say, ‘Better late than never!’
Magi – Do you know what we gave him?
Do you know what we gave him – that little boy in Bethlehem? Go on, have a guess! A rattle? A toy? A teddy bear? No, nothing like that! In fact, nothing you’d associate with a child at all, even if he was destined to be a king. Gold! That’s what I brought!
And my companions? Wait for it! Frankincense and myrrh! Yes, I thought you’d be surprised, for, to tell the truth we’re pretty amazed ourselves, looking back, unable to imagine what on earth possessed us to choose such exotic and unusual gifts. It wasn’t so much that they were costly, though they were, of course – to a family like his they were riches beyond their dreams. But we could more than afford it – little more than small change to men of our means.
No, it wasn’t the price that troubled us afterwards, but the associations, the possible meanings his parents might have read into our presents when we’d gone. Now the gold, there was a problem there – a gift fit for a king and designed to say as much, of course. But frankincense? Well, the main use his people have for that, as we learned later, is to sweeten their sacrifices, to pour out onto their burnt offerings so that the fragrance might be pleasing to their God. Hardly the most appropriate gift for a baby. But compared with myrrh! Don’t tell me you don’t know? It was a drug used to soothe pain, either for that or as a spice for embalming – more fitting for a funeral than a birth, having more to do with suffering and death than celebration!
So what were we thinking of? What possible significance could gifts like those have for a little child? Frankly, I have no idea. Yet at the time the choice seemed as obvious to us as following the star, as though each were all part of some greater purpose which would one day become clear to all. Were we right? Well, after all I’ve said, I hope not, for if this king was born to die, to be offered in sacrifice rather than enthroned in splendour, then his must be an unusual kingdom, very different from most we come across – in fact, you might almost say, not a kingdom of this world at all!
Meditations by Nick Fawcett from his Reflective Services for Advent and Christmas © Nick Fawcett. Published by Kevin Mayhew Ltd.
Hymn
O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!
Bow down before him, his glory proclaim;
with gold of obedience, and incense of lowliness,
kneel and adore him: the Lord is his Name!
Low at his feet lay thy burden of carefulness,
high on his heart he will bear it for thee,
and comfort thy sorrows, and answer thy prayerfulness,
guiding thy steps as may best for thee be.
Fear not to enter his courts in the slenderness
of the poor wealth thou wouldst reckon as thine;
for truth in its beauty, and love in its tenderness,
these are the offerings to lay on his shrine.
These, though we bring them in trembling and fearfulness,
he will accept for the Name that is dear;
mornings of joy give for evenings of tearfulness,
trust for our trembling and hope for our fear.
O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!
bow down before him, his glory proclaim;
with gold of obedience, and incense of lowliness,
kneel and adore him: the Lord is his Name!
J. S. B Monsell (1811 – 1875)
Intercessions
In this Season of Epiphany, shine your light upon us, into the recesses of our spirits,
into those places where we experience anxiety, depression, fear and despair.
We ask today, that you lift up in particular all among us who are struggling.
And in this time of silence, we bring those who we love into your light….
Shine your light upon us,
into those places of conflict and tension, within our families,
in our friendships, in our work and community relationships.
May your light be a healing balm,
bringing with it forgiveness and reconciliation.
Shine your light upon us,
Across the common human ties that bind all people together
Neighbour and stranger, friend and enemy alike.
In your light, remind us that we are all created
In your image, unique and beloved by you.
Shine your light upon our country and its leaders
That they may govern justly and wisely, showing empathy for all.
Taking into account the needs and concerns not just of the most wealthy and powerful,
But especially of those who are poor, those who struggle with physical and mental illness,
Those who are forgotten and forsaken.
Shine your light on all the places around this world
Where violence and war are found:
For all people who are living in daily fear for their lives.
With your light bring peace to those who languish
In fear, violence and despair.
We thank you for the light that shines
The light that we see in the glory and wonder of your creation, I
n the snowy mountain tops and cold frosty valleys.
Thank you for the light that shines through our community and its members,
young and old, who remind us of your presence in tears and laughter,
teaching and learning, order and disruption, work and play.
Shine your light upon us.
Around us,
And within us,
That we, too may be a light to the world.
Amen.
Hymn
We three kings of Orient are
Bearing gifts we traverse afar
Field and fountain, moor and mountain
Following yonder star
O Star of wonder, star of night
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to thy Perfect Light.
Born a King on Bethlehem’s plain
Gold I bring to crown Him again
King forever, ceasing never
Over us all to reign
O Star of wonder, star of night
Frankincense to offer have I
Incense owns a Deity
nigh Prayer and praising,
all folk raising
O Star of wonder, star of night
Myrrh is mine, its bitter perfume
Breathes of life of gathering gloom
Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying
Sealed in the stone-cold tomb
O Star of wonder, star of night
Glorious now behold Him arise
King and God and Sacrifice
Alleluia, Alleluia
Earth to heav’n replies
O Star of wonder, star of night
John Henry Hopkins Jr. (1820-1891)
Blessing
Fill us today with the light of Christ,
That we may feel his love and guidance
In our words and deeds throughout the coming week
So that we may shine his light for all to see.
May the illumination of God’s words fill our hearts,
May the light of Christ shine into our lives
And may the brilliance of the Holy Spirit guide us along our path.
