Today's Service: 5 December
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.
Better still, view it on your Smart TV, if you can.
We continue with our services in paper-based and web-based formats whilst our church building is made safe to use.
Keep up-to-date and find out how you can help on: www.nurc.info
Until our own building in back in use, we will be worshipping in person in the Hall of Elm Ridge Methodist Church, Carmel Road.
Call to Worship:
Come, greet one another in the name of the Lord.
Come, bring all you have and be blessed.
Come, and worship the God of the great and the lowly,
and share your hopes and fears.
Come, young and old - for God is calling you.
Hymn: Hope is a Candle
tune: Galloway Tam
1. HOPE is a candle, once lit for the prophets,
never consumed, though it burns through the years;
dim in the daylight of power and privilege
when they are gone, HOPE will shine on.
2. PEACE is a candle to show us a pathway,
threatened by gusts from our rage and our greed.
Friend, feel no envy for those in the shadows
violence and force, their dead-end course.
3. LOVE is a candle whose light is a circle,
where every face is the face of a friend.
Widen the circle by sharing and giving
God's holy dare: LOVE everywhere.
4. JOY is a candle of mystery and laughter,
mystery of light that is born in the dark;
laughter at hearing the voice of an angel,
ever so near, casting out fear.
5. Christ is the light that the prophets awaited
Christ is the lion, the lamb and the child
Christ is the love and the mystery and laughter-
Candles make way! Christ is the day.
Richard Leach (b. 1953)
Prayers
As we begin our Advent journey of adventure, may we not be so eager to reach Bethlehem that we fail to see the fuller picture of a God who has been with us throughout history, and appears in the people we meet.
Living God, we come to you with our needs and our longings.
We come conscious of all the barriers that stand in our way,
- our own weakness and frailty, our lack of courage,
our rejection by others.
We praise you that in Jesus you meet us in our weakness,
give us new confidence and strength and welcome us whoever we are.
And so we come, trusting in your love, and knowing that in you our faith is restored and we are made whole.
Welcoming God,
we come to you with our prayers of confession, asking that you will change and renew us.
When we exclude others because of prejudice and fear,
God, forgive us,
When we value outward show
above genuine compassion, God, forgive us,
When we feast on your goodness and deny others a share in your riches
God, forgive us,
When we value our own thoughts and opinions above your truth and your word,
God, forgive us,
When we turn your gospel into rules and regulations instead of life-changing hope and promise,
God forgive us.
Welcoming God, forgive us; help us to be renewed by your grace
so that we may open ourselves to meet you in unexpected ways and find our lives transformed by your accepting love. Amen
Reflection
Little did we know that in March 2020 our lives were going to be turned upside down? A feeling of unreality gripped us and I don't know about you but that feeling still threatens to take me over, still all the familiar goalposts were knocked down and although some have being erected again, in a strong wind like last weekends they can be uprooted again.
We have been well served with written and online services but we have missed many of the things that bind us together like meeting in person to share communion. We are in the season of Advent again, normally last weekend we would have lit the first candle in our advent ring, sung advent hymns and begun our journey through Advent to Christmas Day, when all we hope for through Advent sees the fulfilment of our hope in the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem.
I know from talking to some of you that Communion has been sorely missed, so today there will be no sermon, the sermon is in the Advent hymns we sing, and the prayers we offer.
Our communion is the focus of our worship today. I am using a communion written by Rev Dr Carla Grosch-Miller, with permission. I hope it blesses you as it blessed me when I first heard it at an anniversary service in Thornaby.
Hymn 139: The Angel Gabriel
tune: Gabriel's Message
1. The Angel Gabriel from heaven came,
his wings as drifted snow, his eyes as flame.
'All hail,' said he, 'O lowly maiden Mary,
most highly favoured lady.' Gloria!
2. 'For known a blessèd mother you shall be,
and held in high esteem eternally.
Your son shall be Emmanuel, by seers foretold;
most highly favoured lady.' Gloria!
3. Then gentle Mary simply bowed her head,
'To me be as it pleases God,' she said.
'My soul shall praise and glorify his holy name.'
Most highly favoured lady! Gloria!
4. Of her, Emmanuel, the Christ, was born
in Bethlehem on that first Christmas morn;
and Christian folk throughout the world will ever say:
'Most highly favoured lady.' Gloria!
Basque carol, paraphr. Sabine Baring-Gould (1834-1924)
Reading: Mark 14: 12 - 16, 22 - 25
12 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb, Jesus' disciples asked him, "Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover?"
13 So he sent two of his disciples, telling them, "Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him. 14 Say to the owner of the house he enters, 'The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?' 15 He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there."
16 The disciples left, went into the city and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover.
22 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take it; this is my body."
23 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it.
24 "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many," he said to them. 25 "Truly I tell you, I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."
Prayers of Intercession
As we come to the Lord's Table, we bring our prayers for ourselves and our troubled world before God. Lord God, our thoughts turn now beyond our needs, beyond our pains to those of your children's, whose cries and anguish trouble and disturb us.
Lord we remember before you those who have died during the last year. Ann Confrey, Kath Hanson and Sheena Scott. We thank you for all they meant to this church family when they were with us and give thanks that they have now joined the ranks of the Saints in Glory. In a moment of quiet we each think of what they meant to us and how we miss them.
News seems to surround us piling one tragedy on top of another, the world seems a hard place and our tears are for those whose pain is etched deeply within their being, for those cast out of their own lands, cast adrift from family and friends, thrown into the arms of strangers, some of whom are caring and some who are not. We pray for those who trudge through strange lands looking for guidance with hope for a better future, straddling borders, hoping;
‡ for those who have nothing but what they stand in and walk with;
‡ for those who risk life and limb in fragile boats seeking escape from poverty and tragedy but so often finding both and left seeking safety, welcome, warmth and security.
Caring God we pray for the homeless nearer to home who have no walls to shelter them, no place to cocoon them, no safety to protect them, no warmth from the winter weather, no family to support them and little hope for a settled future;
‡ For those who live with hunger, not just of the spirit, but of the body;
‡ for those families who can't manage proper meals and nutrition, who eke out the pennies as best they can;
‡ for those who have the courage to seek foodbank help and for those who greet and meet them when they stretch out for the food that is given;
‡ for those who are cold and hungry, not just of body because they can't afford heating and food, but cold of friendship and the warmth of love.
Merciful, God we pray:
‡ For families impacted by Covid and all its ramifications;
‡ for those for whom the illness itself has deprived them of health and well-being, short and long term;
‡ for those who have seen family and friends lose their battles for life and who have not been near at the time of death and those who will have an empty seat at the Christmas table;
‡ for those who are separated by the miles, by country and continent, who have missed so much growing up and growing old;
‡ for those who are fearful of vaccines, those unable to have vaccines, those deprived of acces to them;
‡ For countries at war with others and with themselves, where peace is a distant memory and a very distant prospect;
‡ for those who keep the candle of hope burning believing that in the end peace will prevail.
Lord we pray for those who grieve at this time.
We pray for the family of Alex McPhee as they prepare for his funeral.
We bring before you all those we pray for regularly with our prayer letter. We may not know everyone's circumstances but Lord you do.
For those who have never heard the message of Advent hope, who have never encountered the presence of the Christ child, who have never felt their hearts moved by the Christmas story of Emmanuel, God with us.
May their lives be touched by those of us who meet them, whose lives touch ours and ours theirs.
Amen
Communion: 'The table of plenty'
by Revd Dr Carla Grosch-Miller
Great God, we praise you with all that we have;
With heart and strength and soul and mind.
We praise you for the good earth, bringing forth all we need to live and calling us to account.
We praise you for the goodness in people, planting the seeds of faith, love and hope, showing us how to live.
We praise you for the rich banquet of this day; food for body, mind and soul, equipping us for the adventure of togetherness and transformation.
We praise you for the past - the strong shoulders on which we stand;
For the present - the communities that strengthen us and sustain us;
And for the future - the hope that calls us towards the New Day and enables us to live joyfully in all circumstances.
Stand with is. Sing to us, Sing through us.
In Jesus name, we pray as he taught us:
Lord's Prayer
Our Father, which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come,
Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that 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
Invitation to Communion
Hey you! Hungry?
Come here; come join us.
There is plenty of room at this table. It not full until it's full of every kind of people.
Tall people and short people, round people and stick-like people, people with red cheeks and people with dark circles under their eyes, wrinkly-skinned people and new-skinned people.
Come on there's room for you. We've got the best food. Heart bread to fill your stomach, sweet wine to make you sing, living words to carry you Home. Come, join us. Listen and live!
Communion Narrative
People have been breaking bread in the name of the Holy for centuries. Our Jewish mothers and fathers blessed the bread and the wine and shared it. Families and friends have gathered around tables and mats in every clime to pass the loaf and lift the cup to Love. Kindly people have offered to share bread with strangers and wayfarers, the hungry and the homeless. Companions - bread-sharers - at the table are companions on the Way.
We remember how Jesus called together his closest friends around a table. There he took bread lifted it to heaven to thank the Source of its nourishment, broke it with a sound that echoed in his heart and said,
This is my body broken for you. Eat and remember.
And he took the cup of, sweet and bitter offering, held it in his hands and thanked his father saying:
This is the cup of mercy which is spilled all over the world for many. Drink and remember.
And they did, and we do, Let us, in prayer, give thanks;
Communion Prayer
Earth maker, barrier-breaker, peace awakener, Holy God of Heaven and of earth,
From the beginning, You
In the now, You,
'till time ends, You.
You knelt in the dust and lovingly fashioned us, praying that we would be a sign of your presence on the earth.
You gave us your breath and placed into our hands the power to create and to destroy, into our minds the power to imagine and into our hearts the power to love.
You gave us all we needed to live; food and drink, clean air and water for our bodies; dream time and wake time for our minds and souls - the light of law and the rod of prophets, the song of psalms and the hope of a new day.
Word became way, you took on flesh, and pitched your tent among us: walking, playing and eating, healing preaching and teaching, provoking and rebuking.
You shook the pillars of power and paid the price; the lash of a whip, crown of thorns, the cruel cross.
Death held you briefly. In three days you burst forth like a butterfly and the echo of the empty tomb rang round the world; Death where is thy sting? Love triumphs!
You call us into communities of faith seeking understanding, crucibles where we can learn the way of love. Your breath continues to stir us, informing, unforming, reforming, transforming.
We breathe deep and join our voices to the many in a hymn of praise:
Holy, Holy, Holy, Living Lord God, Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in highest heaven.
Infuse these gifts of the earth bread and wine and us with your love and power. May our eating in faith and expectation equip us to walk over all the earth, bringing the good news of peace. Amen
The peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
Sharing Grace
Let us share the grace with one another.
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
The bread and the wine
This bread, earth formed and heaven blessed, is for us the bread of life.
We shall eat the bread as it is served
When Jesus had given thanks he broke the bread and said, 'Take eat, this is my body broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me'
This cup, cradled by his hands in love and drunk in courage is for us the cup of salvation.
As a sign of our unity, we shall drink the wine together.
When Jesus had given thanks, he gave the cup to the disciples and said 'Drink this all of you
For this is the blood of the new covenant
Which is shed for you and for many
For the forgiveness of sins
Do this as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.
Thanksgiving
God our maker, we thank you for the nourishment of bread and wine, words and friends.
Jesus our brother, we thank you for the Way you walk with us, past comfort, toward connection.
Spirit, our breath, we thank you that you gather us together and send us out with courage and joy.
May our thanksgiving be not just on our lips, but in our living.
Amen
CH4 Hymn 273: O come O come Emmanuel
tune: Veni Emmanuel
1. O come, O come, Immanuel,
and ransom captive Israel,
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
shall come to you, O Israel.
2. O come, O come, O Lord of might
who to your tribes, on Sinai's height,
in ancient times did give the law
in cloud, and majesty, and awe:
Refrain
3. O come, O Rod of Jesse, free
your own from Satan's tyranny;
from depths of hell your people save,
and give them victory o'er the grave:
Refrain
4. O come, O Key of David, come,
and open wide our heavenly home;
make safe the way that leads on high,
and close the path to misery:
Refrain
5. O come, O Day-spring, come and cheer
our spirits by your advent here;
disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
and death's dark shadows put to flight.
Refrain
Latin, 18th century, based on the ancient Advent Antiphons translated by John M Neale (1818-1866)
Blessing
God, who blessed the earth with life and love,
thank you that you greet us in the person of Jesus,
and pour your blessings on us by the power of your Holy Spirit.
Empowered by the same Spirit,
send us out to be signs of greeting and blessing
to a world so in need of your peace,
and people in need of your love.
Help us serve and bless in your name,
and in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Next week, the service will be led by Eve Mortimer (circulated on paper/email and internet only, as Elm Ridge Hall becomes a stable, for their 'Journey to Bethlehem' experience.)
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.