Today's Service: 3 October
Leader: Dorothy Thomson
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.
We start worship this morning with wonderful words from Psalm 8:
O Lord , our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth.....
When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the angels and crowned him with glory......
O Lord, our Lord how majestic is your name in all the earth.
What is man that God is mindful of him - and yet God is mindful of each one of us and sent His son making him a little lower than the angels for our sake. Not only has God given us a wonderful planet to enjoy but also an enduring love, through the ultimate gift of Jesus, in which we can rest secure. Amen!
Our first hymn (not one I am overly familiar with) and yet the words fit so beautifully, linking last week's harvest, this week's opening words and a timely reminder of our responsibility in caring for the wonderful gift God has given us.
Hymn 85: God in His love for us lent us this planet
tune: Stewardship, with intro.
1. God in his love for us lent us this planet
Gave it a purpose in time and space:
Small as a spark from the fire of creation,
Cradle of life and the home of our race.
2. Thanks be to God for its bounty and beauty
Life that sustains us in body and mind:
Plenty for all, if we learn how to share it,
Riches undreamed of to fathom and find.
3. Long have our human wars ruined its harvest;
Long has earth bowed to the terror of force;
Long have we wasted what others have need of,
Poisoned the fountain of life at its source.
4. Earth is the Lord's: it is ours to enjoy it,
Ours, as His stewards, to farm and defend.
From its pollution, misuse and destruction,
Good Lord, deliver us, world without end!
F. Pratt Green (1903 -2000)
Reflection
I was amazed when I realised this is not a modern hymn but was actually written in 1973, and yet, still very appropriate 50 years on.
Now, talking about years on - had we been together this morning, we would have been welcoming the Catterick Rovers who have been worshipping with us on the first Sunday in October for 60 years (well actually last year would have been their 60th Year).
Sadly we are still not able to meet in our building, but we welcome the Rovers this morning and celebrate their years of friendship and commitment. (had we been in Church I might even have baked a cake in celebration - so if you have a cake or a biscuit handy enjoy it as we celebrate with them)
Sadly one of their number is no longer with us and we mourn her loss. Margaret grew up as the daughter of the Union Street Congregational Church Caretaker, she was a Brownie leader there, and married there in 1965 (she married one of the Rovers) Our love and prayers go to all her family and friends.
So a hymn that is 50 years old, a group of friends who have been friends for 60 years (or more) we are reminded of friendship, faithfulness, commitment, dedication and trust.
It is good to be reminded of these things and important to have ways of celebrating this - be it through words of a hymn, meeting together, sharing celebrations and keeping in touch with each other.
Let us pray
Father as meet together this morning, each in their own place yet joined through word (these written words), through technology (Facebook / YouTube), or meeting up in a hotel to celebrate years of friendship we give you thanks. We praise you for your everlasting love a love that ties us together wherever we are.
We praise you for your creation, the heavens, moon and stars your Majesty resounds throughout your creation and yet despite our resistance and disbelief you continue to love and care for us. Thank you. Forgive us when we doubt, forgive us when we get it wrong, guide us and lead us though the challenges of everyday life.
We lay our worship before you this morning and may it be a blessing to all partaking in whatever format. Amen.
Lord's Prayer
And now from our different homes, hotels, places of quiet, we say together the words of the Lord's prayer (in God's ears, despite the fact that we say them at different times in different places, He hears them as Northgate Church praying together)
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
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 60: God who spoke in the beginning
tune: 344 Rhuddlan, with intro.
1. God who spoke in the beginning
Forming rock and shaping spar
Set all life and growth in motion
earthly world and distant star
He who calls the earth to order
Is the ground of what we are.
2. God who spoke through people, nations,
And events long past and gone'
Showing still today his purpose,
Speaks supremely through his Son
He who calls the earth to order
Gives his word and it is done.
3. God whose speech becomes incarnate
- Christ is servant, Christ is Lord! -
Calls us to a life of service
Heart and will to action stirred
He who uses our obedience
Has the first and final word.
(Fred Kaan 1929-2009)
Reflection
OK - challenge time (you knew there would be a challenge of some sort!) - what have the following in common?
Cordless drill
Coffeemate
Ibuprofen
Sprite
101 Dalmations
John F Kennedy
Now I imagine some of our younger members might find this a little tricky (and I would have loved to have heard their suggestions) - I'm not sure they will all have heard of JFK, perhaps never seen coffeemate and most certainly never used a cordless power drill, although am sure they all know Sprite, probably all heard of ibuprofen and am sure will have seen a version of 101 Dalmatians - how about you? Can you work out what they have in common?
Yep all introduced in 1961 and JFK became President of USA in 1961 (60 years ago)
For some of our church family 60 years is a concept they cannot quite grasp - 60 years is outside their experience.
For some 60 years is a 'drop in the ocean' having experienced many more.
Our Friends the Catterick Rovers have been together for 60 years and our very own Aileen and Laurie celebrating 60 years of marriage last month - all good reasons to celebrate and remember (cake and tea for my preference) in the Old Testament God often encourages his people to remember events'
Joshua 4: 1 - 7: 12 stones to remind them of the parting of the waters of the river Jordan to allow the Israelites into the promised land.
Numbers 15: 37 - 41: tassels in the corner of garments to remind them of the commandments
Deuteronomy 16: 1 - 16: Festivals of Weeks, Tabernacles and the Passover to remind them of their past.
- to highlight just a few.
Memories are good, and it is valuable to commemorate important events, but we must not live in the past, the past is important otherwise God would not have encouraged his people to remember it, but we no longer live under the old covenant but under the new covenant through Jesus Christ.
Things of the earth will pass away - films move on (think there have been at least 3 remakes of 101 Dalmatians), Presidents die, (JFK was 35th, President Biden is the 46th President) and products change (believe it or not ibuprofen was first used as a cure for a hangover)
Even the Catterick Rovers cannot go on forever and yet - God is unchanging, He is faithful and will never let us down - God is the same yesterday and today and forever (Hebrews 13: 8). What a blessing to know and be loved by a constant God.
A God who will guide us and keep us cheer us on our, sometimes tricky, way (even when we don't feel He is God is there the same as he was in the Old Testament, the New Testament, the same yesterday, today and forever)
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 fire us,
Speaks to our hearts and sets our souls ablaze.
Teaches and trains us, 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 you,
Loveless in strength, and comfortless in pain,
Hungry and helpless, lost indeed without you;
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 (b. 1926)
Let us Pray
Lord for the years your love has kept and guided us we give you thanks. We thank you even though we 'go astray' you are constantly urging, inspiring, teaching, training but most importantly loving and caring for us.
We live in a world that is all too ready to disown you and doubt you, a world where many are oppressed by pleasure wealth and care and yet we see you love in the support of a friend, the smile of a stranger, the love of a partner.
Help us to be your hands here on earth.
We pray this morning for those experiencing challenging times be that physically, mentally, financially or spiritually - may they know your comfort and guidance.
We pray for those feeling lost or isolated - may they know your comfort
We pray for those in places of unrest - may they feel your love.
And as we come before you now to remember the love you have for us in giving us your only son may we feel refreshed and energised to go through the coming week trusting in your strength. Amen
Invitation to Communion
Jesus commanded us to do this is remembrance of Him - a traditional event for the Jews, the Passover reminding them of God's love in protecting them and rescuing them from Egypt now to be an event to remind us of God's love in the gift of His son at Calvary.
This gift of remembrance is open to all who believe in Christ, and I invite you to the table to partake of the elements:
Bread - to remind us of body of Christ and wine to remind us of blood of Christ
(before we start a few moments to go and get the necessary elements and pause in quiet to think about what God has done for you)
Everlasting One, You hold us in the palm of Your hand. You know us through and through and yet You continue to shower us with abundant blessings. In times of chaos and turmoil, we turn to You for support and comfort. Perhaps we are not always as You would have us be and perhaps, we do not always do as we should. For all these things we ask forgiveness in the confidence that through Jesus Christ we are forgiven, and that through Him we find strength, guidance, love, and hope.Amen.
Communion
On the night when Jesus was betrayed, He gathered His disciples together for supper. During the meal Jesus took bread; He gave thanks to God and then He broke the bread and gave it to them saying "This is my body which is broken for you; take and eat. Do this when you eat to remember me"; When they had eaten, He poured wine into a cup saying "This cup is the new covenant in my blood for the forgiving of sin. Take and drink each one of you and do this to remember me"
Whoever you are, whatever you have done, share the broken bread, symbol of Christ's broken body as he revealed God's forgiving grace.
However much you believe or however much you doubt; whatever struggles in faith and faithfulness you experience, share the poured-out wine, symbol of the life and love of God in Jesus to renew hope and restore confidence.
So now we offer you ourselves - our failures for your correction and our commitment for your enrichment, that our lives may reflect your glory and our service be the vehicle of the grace that you give. Amen
Hymn 106: Thy ceaseless, unexhausted love
tune: University, with intro.
1. Thy ceaseless, unexhausted love,
Unmerited and free,
Delights our evil to remove,
And help our misery.
2. Thou waitest to be gracious still,
Thou dost with sinners bear,
That, saved, we may thy goodness feel,
And all thy grace declare.
3. Thy goodness and thy truth to me,
To every soul abound,
A vast unfathomable sea,
Where all our thoughts are drowned.
4. It's streams the whole creation reach,
So plenteous is the store,
Enough for all, enough for each,
Enough for evermore.
5. Faithful, O Lord, thy mercies are,
A rock that cannot move;
A thousand promises declare
Thy constancy of love
6. Throughout the universe it reigns,
Unalterably sure;
And while the truth of God remains
The goodness must endure.
Charles Wesley (1707-88)
Blessing
May God's ceaseless and unexhausted love touch your lives today;
May His goodness fill your heart and soul;
And may His faithful mercies surround you and hold you firm
today and forever.
Next week, the service will be led by the Bible Study Group Team
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.