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SUNDAY 17 JANUARY 2021
WEEK OF PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY
Prelude
Canzona (1984) by Jack Hawes (1916-2004)
Lord, you know us and our world better than we know ourselves. With that understanding you have called us to be the Body of Christ. So, today we pray that you make us worthy of that calling, avid in our prayer and worship, loving, faithful and honest in our lives, so that that as a church we may display what You, Lord God, are like. Amen.
STF 443 (Tune - Wonderful Love :Frederick Luke Wiseman (1858-1944))
Come, let us sing of a wonderful love, tender
and true;
out of the heart of the Father above, streaming to me and to you:
wonderful love dwells in the heart of the Father above.
Jesus, the Saviour, this gospel to tell, joyfully came;
came with the helpless
and hopeless to dwell, sharing their sorrow and shame;
seeking the lost,
saving, redeeming at measureless cost.
Jesus is seeking the wanderers yet; why do they roam?
Love only waits to
forgive and forget; home, weary wanderer, home!
Wonderful love dwells in the
heart of the Father above.
Robert Walmsley (1831-1905)
Bible Reading
John 1: 43-51 (Revised English Bible)
Anthem
A Prayer of St Richard of Chichester : Choir of Lichfield Cathedral
Christ with Nathaniel and Phillip beneath the fig tree
(Victoria Road United Reformed Church, Newport)
Those who attended our Covenant Service might remember that we were thinking
about being called to be light to the nations. This might feel like a daunting
task. Well, our reading today gives us a manageable pattern to fulfil our
calling. Philip encounters Jesus, and answers Jesus’ invitation to follow him.
Having spent some time with Jesus, he heads off to tell his friend, Nathanael,
the exciting news, and invites him to meet Jesus himself.
This offers us an encouraging pattern. Firstly, Philip went to his friend. When
we think abut being ‘light to the nations’ we often imagine this means
approaching strangers, or knocking on their door and having to initiate a
conversation. Whilst this is the calling of some people, most of us are called
to go to those we know. The relationship has already begun and our calling is
just to make our faith a natural part of that relationship and conversation –
which is easier said than done!
If that thought still seems daunting, then Philip continues to encourage us.
When he came to Nathanael he said, ‘We have found him about whom Moses in the
law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.’ This is
hardly a profound statement of who Jesus is. In fact, at that point, Philip
wouldn’t have understood much about who Jesus is. Yet there is something about
his encounter with Jesus that makes him realise that he is someone special,
someone worth following, and someone he feels Nathanael should follow as well.
We may not feel we have the necessary words or thoughts to convince someone.
Yet our calling isn’t to have those answers. Our calling is to respond to our
encounter and experience with Jesus and believe it to be good enough news to
want to share it with those we are closest with.
But what if they don’t believe me? Nathanael was not overly excited by what he
heard – ‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ Philip didn’t try and
convince him with clever arguments. Instead, he simply replied, ‘Come and see.’
Our calling is not to convince or prove our faith. Our calling is to invite
others to come and see, to encounter Jesus for themselves and make up their own
minds. This is harder during these times, but the calling is no less real. We
can point them to our worship that we have online or on paper, invite them to
other acts of worship online, offer to pray with them, provide material for
them to read or videos to watch. If there are people you would like to invite
to something, do speak to me, as I would be delighted to organise something
particular people can be invited to.
The good news is our calling is not to convert people – that is God’s business.
Our calling is to seek deeper experiences of Jesus and his love for us, so that
we can’t help but invite others to encounter him also. When Jesus said to
Nathanael, ‘I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God
ascending and descending upon the Son of Man,’ the ‘you’ he uses is actually
plural – he is saying it to all of us. When we seek and follow Jesus we too can
see heaven opened. Through Jesus the divide between heaven and earth is
bridged.
So in these days of continued lockdown seek to know Jesus deeper and for his
love to fill you more fully. As you encounter Jesus more and witness the
bridging of heaven and earth, don’t hold the good news to yourself. Instead,
invite those you know and love to come and meet Jesus for themselves, and do it
all for the glory of God. Amen.
We give you thanks, O Lord, for you have called
us to know you and proclaim you. Make us worthy of our calling; may we be
faithful in our discipleship so that we may grow as people and grow closer to
you. We pray that each in their calling may seek to do your will; that your
church may be attentive to your word, and that we may share in the mission and
saving work of Christ our Lord. Draw us closer: closer to the heart of God.
We pray for all who are seeking to answer and live up to their calling, for all who are striving to keep the ideals that they see. We remember all whose work has been frustrated, by maliciousness or by accident. We pray for the underprivileged, the unemployed, for the work weary and for the exploited. Draw us closer: closer to the heart of God.
Lord make us aware that you are ever calling us to new ventures, new visions:
you call us to extend ourselves and to be open. We pray for the communities in
which we belong and in which we have an active share. May we see our daily work
as part of our discipleship and discipline. Draw us closer: closer to the heart of God.
We pray for all who feel they have laboured in vain, for all who have toiled
hard and feel they have achieved nothing, for those whose world has collapsed
around them. We remember all who have been recently made homeless, those who
have lost loved ones or possessions, whether they be close at home or abroad.
We pray for all who through illness are unable to fulfil themselves, for all
who are frustrated with life, all who feel like giving up. There are many who
need you and who need to be reminded that they are loved and not alone, but we
especially pray for…………………...Draw us closer: closer to the heart of God.
We give thanks for all who have been faithful disciples, who have heeded your
call and followed your commands as best they could. We pray for those who now
serve you with the saints in glory. Draw us closer: closer to the heart of God.
… 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.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
for the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours,
now and for ever.
Amen
Let us give thanks for all that points us towards the beauty of God’s love, and draws us closer to God, so that we may answer our own callings. And the blessing of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, be with you and those whom you love, living and departed, this day and for ever more. Amen.
We invite you to share in singing our Vesper
Postlude
Ricercare by Jacob Fogliano (1473-1548)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Video editing : Rod
Scripture quotations taken from the Revised English Bible, copyright © Cambridge University Press and Oxford University Press 1989. All rights reserved. Read by Lynn
Panoramic photographs : Christina
Anthem : "The Prayer of St Richard of Chichester" (YouTube)
Prelude, Hymn accompaniment and Postlude : Phillip Vesper : Richard
Page, website design and Website Editor : Keith
This Worship Service is © Haywards Heath Methodist Church
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