Today's Service: 2 May
Leader: Maranny Jones
This is best viewed in Landscape orientation
You will appreciate the sound better if you use earphones or an external loudspeaker, whatever type of device you view on.
Today's Service is available to view on our YouTube site
Call to Worship:
Come apart from your busy-ness.
Leave your stresses at the door.
Come and reconnect with God.
Remain in him and grow.
Grow closer, grow deeper.
Grow and be fruitful.
Come and glorify God!
Hymn 657: Rejoice the Lord is King
tune: Gopsal, with Intro.
1. Rejoice, the Lord is King!
Your Lord and King adore;
mortals, give thanks and sing,
and triumph evermore.
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
rejoice, again I say, rejoice.
2. Jesus the Saviour reigns,
the God of truth and love;
when he had purged our stains,
he took his seat above.
rejoice, again I say, rejoice.
3. His kingdom cannot fail;
he rules o'er earth and heav'n;
the keys of death and hell
are to our Jesus giv'n.
rejoice, again I say, rejoice.
4. He sits at God's right hand
till all his foes submit,
and bow to his command,
and fall beneath his feet.
rejoice, again I say, rejoice.
Charles Wesley (1707-88)
Prayers
True God, true vine,
strength of all our being,
giver of all good gifts,
healer of all that is broken:
we worship you;
we glorify you;
we rejoice in you,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Creator God,
in you we are all we need to be;
through you we grow into all that we long to be;
with you we bear fruits that can be used and shared and multiplied;
because of you our lives are rich and blessed and fruitful:
so we praise you in song and silence, today and every day.
Prayer of Confession
Almighty and most merciful Father,
we confess before you that we have sinned.
We have been greedy for gain,
and sometimes have not shared our bread with others.
We have been eager for power,
and sometimes have not looked beyond it
to ways we can help our neighbour.
We have wanted your protection,
yet have not hidden in you as our dwelling.
We have yielded to temptation and forgotten your word.
We have not resisted evil in the power of your Spirit.
Yet you are the God of perfect forgiveness,
and you give us peace through the blood of Christ, shed for us.
For his sake, grant us forgiveness and cleansing,
time for amendment of life,
and the grace and comfort of your Holy Spirit.
In repentance and in faith, receive the promise of grace and the assurance of pardon
Here are words you may trust, words that merit full acceptance.
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners
To all who turn to him, he says "Your sins are forgiven"
He also says, "Follow me" Thanks be to God. Amen
Reading: John 15: 1 - 8
15 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
Hymn 243: Now the green blade rises
tune: Noël Nouvelet, with Intro.
1. Now the green blade rises from the buried grain,
Wheat that in the dark earth many days has lain;
Love lives again, that with the dead has been:
Love is come again, like wheat that springs up green.
2. In the grave they laid him, Love whom men had slain,
Thinking that he never would awake again,
Laid in the earth like grain that sleeps unseen:
Chorus
3. Forth he came at Easter, like the risen grain,
He that for the three days in the grave had lain,
Quick from the dead my risen Lord is seen:
Chorus
4. When our hearts are wintry, grieving, or in pain,
Then your touch can call us back to life again,
Fields of our hearts that dead and bare have been:
Chorus
J M C Crum (1872-1958)
Family Prayers
As Living stones let us pray for the building up of God's Church and for the world God loves.
Living God, our life is in your hands
And we offer all that we are to you
All that our past has made us and all we may become
Build us up by the power of your spirit
Into a Spiritual temple
Where you are glorified day after day
In all our praise and worship and in our love for one another
We bring to you now our concerns for our church family here. We ask for your loving care on all who are sick, facing tests and in pain. We sometimes feel so helpless, but in you the great physician we can leave our worries, because you know the prayers of our hearts even before we ask them. We pray for all who are anxious about a relative or friend, especially when they are far away.
Caring God, we pray for those who are anxious about the future of our churches here in Northern Synod. We pray for all who are in talks about their future and are worried about new ways of being church as we have to adapt to the fact that church is changing.
Lord may we be confident that you are there beside us especially in times of change.
Lord as we begin to see restrictions lifted, we pray for those who are fearful and may we be aware where support and encouragement are needed. The pandemic is not ended, we pray for care and caution as we adapt to a new normal
Lord we pray for the dying and those who have recently died, commending them to the joy and safe keeping of your love. We pray that those now gone from us have entered into the fullness of eternal life and that they share with your saints in glory.
In Jesus name
Amen
Reflection: Staying Connected
When I saw the suggested title of this week's lectionary passages I had to smile. Because over the last year, life has become dependent on whether or not we have a good connection. In fact I know I have prayed before an important Zoom meeting, "please let me have a good connection".
Praise God it isn't so difficult to stay connected to God through Jesus.
The illustration of the vine and the branches prompted me to do some remedial work on an African Violet and a Busy Lizzie plant.
Last year I split the African Violet into two, and succeeded. A few weeks later I discovered an extra plant growing alongside the Violet. It turned out to be a busy Lizzie; where it came from no one knows but both grew happily together and the Busy Lizzie has flowered from August and is still in flower now. But it has become spindly so today I split them again. Now I have two Violets and Lizzies. Not exactly pruning but if I hadn't given them some help I might have lost them all. I have to admit I am always wary of pruning but I know it is for the plants good and if it is done properly the plant will grow stronger and reach for the light once more.
As a Church Fellowship we could never have imagined that we could stay strong and connected to God and to each other if we didn't meet together at Northgate but this time last year, we were in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. We were encouraged, urged, for a time required, to stay at home. How do we 'stay home' (abide, remain) with God? The purpose last year was to 'protect the NHS' and 'save lives'. Jesus' aim is that we might grow and 'bear fruit', and he says this is not possible unless we remain connected with him and each other, like branches on a vine. During last year's lockdown, people found new ways to stay connected to one another (e.g. by using technology in new ways). Churches found new ways to be and to worship together, new ways to stay home with God. What have we learnt from those experiences? Are there yet more new ways of connecting to explore?
We are still meeting remotely but the connections are strong and reach places we never imagined last year. Zoe reaches not only our members but other fellowships and other countries. How exciting it is to see Australia coming up often, and to have new friends throughout the country The Tenebrae service led by the Roots Bible study group had one member participating all the way from Exeter. We have been pruned but we continue to grow and there will be more pruning I expect if we are connected to the true vine. The picture of the Vine isn't just a clever illustration from gardening. It is about who Jesus and his people really are and what is going to happen to us as a result. If we remain in the true vine we will live and bear fruit. That is what Jesus holds out to his followers, to all of us.
How do we do it, you might ask what does it look like in practice? Firstly, we must remain in the community that knows and loves him and celebrates him as its Lord. Tom Wright, former Bishop of Durham believes there is no such thing as a solitary Christian. We can't go it alone.
But we must also remain as people of prayer and worshiping in our own intimate private lives. We must make sure to be in touch, in tune with Jesus, knowing him and being known by him.
The most extraordinary promises about prayer, verse 7 says: "If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want it will happen for you"; but we must heed the warning in verse 6: "If people don't remain in me they are thrown out and they wither."
We must be ready for the Fathers pruning knife even though we know it will hurt. God is glorified and so will we be by bearing good quality fruit and lots of it. For that to happen there will be extra growth that needs cutting away. That too is an intimate process. The vine dresser is never closer to the Vine taking more thought over its long term health and productivity than when he has the knife in his hand
The future may look uncertain, but we must trust and keep hold of Jesus words that we can ask for whatever we want and it will happen. If we put ourselves, our church and our building into Jesus hands we can trust our future to him. Amen
Hymn: Come and Find the Quiet Centre
tune: Lewis Folk Melody, with Intro
1. Come and find the quiet centre
in the crowded life we lead,
find the room for hope to enter,
find the frame where we are freed:
clear the chaos and the clutter,
clear our eyes, that we can see
all the things that really matter,
be at peace, and simply be.
2. Silence is a friend who claims us,
cools the heat and slows the pace,
God it is who speaks and names us,
knows our being, touches base,
making space within our thinking,
lifting shades to show the sun,
raising courage when we're shrinking,
finding scope for faith begun.
3. In the Spirit let us travel,
open to each other's pain,
let our loves and fears unravel,
celebrate the space we gain:
there's a place for deepest dreaming,
there's a time for heart to care,
in the Spirit's lively scheming
there is always room to spare!
Shirley Erena Murray (1931-2020)
The Communion
Come, not because of any goodness of your own but because you need mercy and help.
Come, because you love the Lord a little, and would like to love him more.
Come, because he loves you and gave himself for you.
Invitation
This is the Lord's Table
The Lord Jesus invites us to share this joyful feast.
From east and west, from north and south, people will come and take their place
At the banquet in the Kingdom of God St Luke 13: 29
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
Invitation
This is the Lord's Table
The Lord Jesus invites us to share this joyful feast.
From east and west, from north and south, people will come and take their place
At the banquet in the Kingdom of God St Luke 13: 29
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
Taking of the bread and wine
As the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread, I take these elements of bread and wine, to be set apart from all common uses to this holy use and mystery.
And as he gave thanks and blessed let us draw near to God and offer him our prayer.
Prayer
Gracious God, we give you glory, thanks and praise
For the dying and undying love
Of our saviour Jesus Christ
In your great goodness,
You have brought us communion with him
And all who love him,
And made us heirs of your everlasting kingdom.
By your grace we continue in this holy fellowship
And live to the glory of your name:
Through Jesus Christ our Lord
Amen
Breaking of bread
According to the holy institution example
And command of our Lord Jesus Christ
And as a memorial to him
We do this,
Who on the night he was betrayed took bread
And when he had given thanks he broke it
And said "This is my body
Which is broken for you:
Do this in remembrance of me"
In the same way he took the cup
Saying "This cup is the new covenant
Sealed by my blood.
Whenever you drink, do it in memory of me"
Take eat, this is the body of Christ
which is broken for you.
Do this remembering him.
This cup is the new covenant
sealed by Christ's blood,
which was shed that the sins of many
might be forgiven.
Drink from it, all of you.
Let us pray.
Gracious God,
we thank you for the love
which brings us as food from heaven
the life of your dear Son
and assures us that we belong
to the company of all his faithful people
in heaven and on earth.
Grant that strengthened by this fellowship
and by the power of his Holy Spirit
we may continue his work in the world
until we come.
to the glory of your eternal kingdom
through the same Jesus Christ,
Your son, our Lord.
Amen
We bring all our prayers together as we say Our Father . . .
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 603: Lord for the years
tune: Lord of the years, with Intro.
1. Lord, for the years your love has kept and guided,
urged and inspired us, cheered us on our way,
sought us and saved us, pardoned and provided,
Lord of the years, we bring our thanks today.
2. Lord, for that word, the word of life which fires us,
speaks to our hearts and sets our souls ablaze,
teaches and trains, rebukes us and inspires us,
Lord of the word, receive your people's praise.
3. Lord, for our land, in this our generation,
spirits oppressed by pleasure, wealth and care;
for young and old, for commonwealth and nation,
Lord of our land, be pleased to hear our prayer.
4. Lord, for our world; when we disown and doubt him,
loveless in strength, and comfortless in pain;
hungry and helpless, lost indeed without him,
Lord of the world, we pray that Christ may reign.
5. Lord, for ourselves; in living power remake us,
self on the cross and Christ upon the throne;
past put behind us, for the future take us,
Lord of our lives, to live for Christ alone.
Timothy Dudley-Smith (1926 -)
The Blessing
The blessing of God be yours,
The blessing of the beloved son be yours
The blessing of the perfect Spirit be yours
The blessing of the three
Be poured out upon you
Serenely and generously
Today and for ever.
Amen
Next week, the service will be led by Derek Jackson
Don't forget the live streamed hymns on Sundays at 10:45 a.m. from Zöe (via the 'Northgate URC Darlington' Facebook page)
These are available to view later as well. (via YouTube, for those without Facebook, and also Facebook)
The streamings are a great success - well done, Zöe!
The recorded streamings are now, thanks to Harry Marshall, available to all on YouTube - search for 'Northgate URC Darlington'.
Ask Harry to invite you to the Northgate Facebook Group 
and you will get a notification of the live stream.
- Or you can just search for 'Northgate URC Darlington' in Facebook.
The URC denominational church audio Services (podcasts) at https://devotions.urc.org.uk/ are excellent, with well-delivered prayers and readings using a selection of voices and well-presented hymns.
Do give these a try - they are excellent.
(Just start the sound playing and scroll down to the written words)
Why not put the time aside for Zoe at 10:45, our preacher's service after that and follow up with the podcast - you will feel as if you had been IN church, as well as WITH church.