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The Lord is here
His Spirit is with us.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSxocnIaN0A
Almighty God,
to whom all hearts are open,
all desires known,
and from whom no secrets are hidden:
cleanse the thoughts of our hearts
by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,
that we may perfectly love you,
and worthily magnify your holy name;
through Christ our Lord.
All Amen.
Our
Confession:
Father eternal, giver of light and grace,
we have sinned against you and against our
neighbour,
in what we have thought,
in what we have said and done,
through ignorance, through weakness,
through our own deliberate fault.
We have wounded your love,
and marred your image in us.
We are sorry and ashamed,
and repent of all our sins.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
who died for us,
forgive us all that is past;
and lead us out from darkness
to walk as children of light.
Amen.
Almighty God,
who forgives all who truly repent,
have mercy upon you,
pardon and deliver you from all
your sins,
confirm and strengthen you in all
goodness,
and keep you in life eternal;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
The
Collect
Almighty God
give us reverence for all
creation
and respect for every person,
that we may mirror your likeness
in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
The
Supremacy of the Son of God
15 The Son is the image of the invisible
God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all
things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible,
whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been
created through him and for him. 17 He
is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the
church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the
dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his
fullness dwell in him, 20 and
through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or
things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the
cross.
This
is the word of the Lord
Thanks
be to God
Psalm104:26-end
The African Project
www.youtube.com/watch?v=no0wGZRVF_s
The Gospel Reading: John 1:1-14
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus
Christ according to John
Glory to you, O Lord
The Word Became Flesh
1 In the beginning
was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He
was with God in the beginning. 3 Through
him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the
light of all mankind. 5 The
light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome[a] it.
6 There
was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He
came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him
all might believe. 8 He
himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
9 The true
light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He
was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did
not recognize him. 11 He
came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those
who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of
God— 13 children born not
of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
14 The Word
became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the
glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and
truth.
This is the Gospel of the Lord
Praise to you, O Christ
Hymn Jesus is Lord
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HHYt40whHQ
The Sermon
The whole of
Psalm 104 beautifully sung by the African project, reflects back on Genesis-
the very beginning of all life, and it talks about the wonders and glory of
creation- the part set for today talks about the wonders of the creatures of
the deep. It is a wonderous psalm which starts
“Bless the Lord, O my Soul”.
Our Gospel
reading is from John and the whole aim- the whole purpose of this Gospel is to
prove conclusively that Jesus is the Son of God.
In John 1 the
gospel reflects back on creation, as well, but in these deeply profound verses
John places the person of Christ, The Word made flesh, at the beginning of all
things.
“The Word was
with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning Through him all
things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made”.
Jesus is God in
human flesh. Fully human, fully divine. John’s gospel is not-like the other
gospels, a biography of Jesus’ life but more a thematic presentation of Jesus’
life.
There needed to
be a new understanding of the Word and this was the gospel that was the Good
News of Jesus Christ.
Along with this
passage from John 1 we have heard the passage from Paul’s letter to the
Colossians. Its’ opening is one of the most profound statements about the
divine nature of Christ. There is no wiggle room here. Not only is he equal to
God, he is God, he is the exact physical revelation of God. It is yet again an
allusion back to Genesis- the beginning of all things- back to creation.
The The church at Colossae came into existence from one of the massive movements of evangelism linked to Paul’s mission to Ephesus.
Influences from
the outside world were beginning to creep in- because these new Christian
churches were surrounded by other nations who worshipped pagan gods.
There was a
growing movement at the time in the belief that matter was evil. So if matter
was evil:
1. How would
God come to earth in human form.
2. How could
God create evil (world)
3. They claimed
Christ was not the unique Son of God but one of many intermediaries between God
and humanity
4. refused to
believe that Christ was source of salvation- insisting that God could only be
found through special and secret knowledge.
Paul’s response to this
The church at
Colossae came into existence from one of the massive movements of evangelism
linked to Paul’s mission to Ephesus.
Influences from
the outside world were beginning to creep in- because these new Christian
churches were surrounded by other nations who worshipped pagan gods.
There was a
growing movement at the time in the belief that matter was evil. So if matter
was evil:
1. How would
God come to earth in human form.
2. How could
God create evil (world)
3. They claimed
Christ was not the unique Son of God but one of many intermediaries between God
and humanity
4. refused to
believe that Christ was source of salvation- insisting that God could only be
found through special and secret knowledge.
Paul’s
response:
Paul’s response
to this ….(see slide and read the following)
1.
Everything was created by Christ which means
that all thrones and dominions are under him- both of this world and the
spiritual world. Christ has no equal- therefore Lord of all.
2.
In God everything is held together- not just
creator but sustainer too. Therefore Christ is the sustainer of all life, and
all life is dependant on him.
3.
By Christ’s resurrection he has conquered the
ultimate destroyer of this material world-death. All who trust in Christ will
receive eternal life through him- through his death he has been raised up and
exalted to the highest throne. This was to refute the Greek idea that Jesus
could not be human and divine at the same time. Christ was the embodiment of
God- the Word made flesh. When we have
Christ we have God in all his human form. Each equal- not one more than the other.
4.
Christ’s death on the cross gave us the
reconciliation for our relationship with the Father to be healed. We need to
trust in God to be saved. By accepting Christ we are reconciled with God.
Christ died in our place so we can have peace with God. Christ is the head of
the body- the church. And all members of the church have their own part to
play- their own calling in the service of Christ. Just as the head directs all
the other organs in the body, so Christ directs our actions too in the church
and in our community.
As a church we
have a responsibility to tell the Good news of the Gospel- to bring hope and
Christ’s light to those who seem to live in the shadows. And under this pandemic
we have seen many living in the shadows- the shadow of fear, of illness, of not
being able to see our loved ones-especially those living in continuing care
homes. But there has been light….
One such
example is Captain Sir Tom Moore…
As we move ever forward we know that we are church, and the real church is not a building, we are the family of God. A people of faith, love and commitment to each other and a people who will always serve one church, one faith and one Lord. Amen.
We
believe in God the Father,
from
whom every family
in
heaven and on earth is named.
We
believe in God the Son,
who
lives in our hearts through faith,
and
fills us with his love.
We
believe in God the Holy Spirit,
who
strengthens us
with
power from on high.
We
believe in one God;
Father,
Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Prayers
The
Peace
The peace of the Lord be always
with you
and also with you
The Peace
Let us offer one another a sign of
God’s peace.
Song- O Lord my God when I in awesome wonder
www.youtube.com/watch?v=USM71JqV30o
Holy Communion
The Lord is here.
His Spirit is with us.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our
God.
It is right to give thanks and
praise.
Therefore with all the angels of heaven
we lift our voices to proclaim the
glory of your name
and sing our joyful hymn of praise:
Holy, holy, holy Lord,
God of power and God of might,
heaven and earth are full of
your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the
name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest
Father of all, we give you thanks
for every gift that comes from
heaven.
To the darkness Jesus came as your
light.
With signs of faith and words of
hope
he touched untouchables with love
and washed the guilty clean.
This is his story.
This is our song:
Hosanna in the highest.
The crowds came out to see your
Son,
yet at the end they turned on him.
On the night he was betrayed
he came to table with his friends
to celebrate the freedom of your
people.
This is his story.
This is our song:
Hosanna in the highest.
Jesus blessed you, Father, for the
food;
he took bread, gave thanks, broke
it and said:
This is my body, given for you all.
Jesus then gave thanks for the
wine;
he took the cup, gave it and said:
This is my blood, shed for you all
for the forgiveness of sins.
Do this in remembrance of me.
This is our story.
This is our song:
Hosanna in the highest.
Therefore, Father, with this bread
and this cup
we celebrate the cross
on which he died to set us free.
Defying death he rose again
and is alive with you to plead for
us and all the world.
This is our story.
This is our song:
Hosanna in the highest.
Send your Spirit on us now
that by these gifts we may feed on
Christ
with opened eyes and hearts on
fire.
May we and all who share this food
offer ourselves to live for you
and be welcomed at your feast in
heaven
where all creation worships you,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit:
Blessing and honour and glory
and power
be yours for ever and ever.
Amen.
We continue
in the prayer that Jesus taught us… the Lord’s Prayer
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever.
Amen.
Though we are many we are one
body because we all share in one bread.
Jesus, Lamb of God
have mercy on us.
Jesus bearer of our sins,
have mercy on us.
Jesus, redeemer of the world,
grant us peace.
Draw near with faith.
Receive the body of our Lord Jesus Christ
which he gave for you,
and his blood which he shed for
you.
Eat and drink
in remembrance that he died for
you,
and feed on him in your hearts
by faith with thanksgiving.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vvfr_2euIFo
Prayer of Spiritual Communion
Thanks be to you, Lord Jesus Christ,
for all the benefits you have given me,
for all the pains and insults you have borne
for me.
Since I cannot now receive you sacramentally,
I ask you to come spiritually into my
heart.
O most merciful redeemer, friend and
brother,
may I know you more clearly,
love you more dearly,
and follow you more nearly, day by day. Amen
The
Blessing
The peace of God,
which passes all understanding,
keep your hearts and minds
in the knowledge and love of God,
and of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord;
and the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you always.
All Amen.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AThW9CVzAo
Notices for this week
Go in peace to love and serve the
Lord.
In the name of Christ. Amen.
Please join together in your homes
for
refreshments after the service