Today's Service: 7 November
Including Communion
Leader: Revd Val Towler
We continue with our services in paper-based, web-based and Facebook live streaming 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
In-person Services in Elm Ridge Hall soon!
Northgate URC services will be held in Elm Ridge Hall from 21st November
Click here for details
This is best viewed in Landscape orientation
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Call to Worship
We come again to worship separately yet together, of one heart and mind, one fellowship proclaiming one faith and one Lord. Hallelujah!
Psalm 127: 1 - 2:
Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labour in vain.
Unless the Lord guards the city, the guard keeps watch in vain.
It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives sleep to his beloved.
Hymn (CH4 705): It is God who holds the nations
Tune: Vision, with intro.
1. It is God who holds the nations in the hollow of his hand,
it is God whose light is shining in the darkness of the land;
it is God who builds the city on the Rock and not the sand:
may the living God be praised!
2. It is God whose purpose summons us to use the present hour;
who recalls us to our senses when a nation's life turns sour;
in the discipline of freedom we shall know his saving power;
may the living God be praised!
3. When a thankful nation, looking back, has cause to celebrate
those who win our admiration by their service to the state;
when self-giving is a measure of the greatness of the great:
may the living God be praised!
4. God reminds us every sunrise that the world is ours on lease -
for the sake of life tomorrow may our love for it increase;
may all peoples live together, share its riches, be at peace:
may the living God be praised!
Frederick Pratt Green (1903-2000)
Prayer and Lord's Prayer
O God, the source of our being and the goal of all our longing, we believe and trust in you. The whole earth is alive with your glory, and all life is sustained by you. We commit ourselves to cherish your world, and to seek your face.
O God, embodied in a human life, we believe and trust in you as you are in Christ our beloved, whose persistent care for us is painstaking and joyful; to whom we are free to cling without fear of refusal or loss of who we are. We commit ourselves to struggle against evil and to choose life.
O God, life-giving Spirit, Spirit of healing and comfort, of integrity and truth, we believe and trust in you. We commit ourselves to work with you and renew our world.
O God, you have searched us out and known us, and all that we are is open to you. We confess that we have sinned: we have used power to dominate and weakness to manipulate; we have evaded responsibility and failed to confront evil; we have denied dignity to ourselves and to each other, and have fallen into despair. Come to us and help us, take away our sins and failures, and let us start again, with steadfastness and purpose....
Hear what comfortable words our saviour Christ says to all who truly turn to God:
'Come to me, all you who labour and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.'
Our hearts are filled with thankful praise, and we worship you, O Lord.
Hear us now as we pray together in the words that Jesus taught us, saying:
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.
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.
Reading: Ruth 3:1 - 5, 4: 13 - 17
Naomi, her mother-in-law, said to Ruth, 'My daughter, I need to seek some security for you, so that it may be well with you. Now here is our kinsman Boaz, with whose young women you have been working. See, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. Now wash and anoint yourself and put on your best clothes and go down to the threshing floor, but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. When he lies down, observe the place where he lies; then, go and uncover his feet and lie down; and he will tell you what to do.'
She said to her, 'All that you tell me I will do'....
.... So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When they came together, the Lord made her conceive, and she bore a son. Then the women said to Naomi, 'Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without next-of-kin; and may his name be renowned in Israel! He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has borne him.'
Then Naomi took the child and laid him in her bosom, and became his nurse. The women of the neighbourhood gave him a name, saying, 'A son has been born to Naomi.'
They named him Obed; he became the father of Jesse, the father of David.
Comment
Naomi was having a really hard time. Her husband and both of her sons died, and she was left a childless widow in a foreign country, Moab. They had gone to Moab because there had been a famine in the land of Judah, where the family belonged. There were no such things as pensions for the elderly or widowed, so Naomi and her daughters-in-law, both Moabites, had nothing to live on.
Naomi decided she would have to go back to Judah, for she had heard that the Lord had relented and given his people food, and there would be relatives to help her out. Although Naomi urged her to return to her own people, Ruth went with Naomi, saying, 'Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God.' Ruth loved and trusted Naomi and she wanted to stay with her so that she could care for her.
They walked until they reached Bethlehem (which means 'the house of bread'), Naomi's home town, at the beginning of the barley harvest. I'm guessing that Naomi would have told Ruth the basics of Judaic law regarding the widowed and childless, which decreed that a near blood relative should take responsibility for them if possible. Now there was a rich man in Bethlehem, Boaz, who was a kinsman of Naomi's husband Elimelech, who happened to own many fields of barley, so Ruth went and begged to be allowed to glean in Boaz's fields after the reapers had done their job. She was hoping that one of the men might take a fancy to her, but anyway it would mean that she and Naomi could eat. In the event, she caught the eye of Boaz himself. Boaz loved Ruth and became her 'kinsman redeemer', and their son Obedhad the surname of Naomi's family, as the law allowed. It would seem that they all 'lived happily ever after'; in time Obed became the grandfather of King David, part of the lineage of Jesus, the Christ, kinsman redeemer of us all.
Hymn (CH4 250): Sent by the Lord am I
Tune: Sent by the Lord, with intro.
Sent by the Lord am I;
my hands are ready now
to make the earth a place
in which the Kingdom comes.
Sent by the Lord am I;
my hands are ready now
to make the earth a place
in which the kingdom comes.
The angels cannot change
a world of hurt and pain
into a world of love.
of justice and of peace.
The task is mine to do,
to set it really free.
Oh, help me to obey;
help me to do your will.
Jorge Maldonado (b. 1944), arr. John Bell (b. 1949)
Reading - Mark 12: 38 - 44
As Jesus taught, he said, 'Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honour at banquets. They devour widows' houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.'
He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury.
Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. Then he called his disciples, and said to them, 'Truly I tell you,this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.'
Reflection
Two stories then, about widows, faith and injustice. It seems appropriate to consider those who have lost spouses and children in the week before Remembrance Sunday, but that is not the only reason to think about them.
They often belong to and represent the poor and marginalised in society, and are used 
as illustrations of how we should not order our laws, rules and conventions. This is also the week when delegates to the COP 26 conference have been considering how to establish equal rights and opportunities in human societies around the world, as well as endeavouring to plan for a future for our planet.
Sometimes it appears that not much has changed since the time of Jesus. In the passage from Mark's gospel he pointed out the people who enjoyed a life of status and privilege that religion could confer - rich robes, rich food, rich homes and rich experiences. They seemed not to notice or care about the plight of those who were lesswell-off. Often the same could be said of those who have gained wealth and privilege outside the religious setting. In Jesus' time, the privileged religious leaders set the temple tax rate, and those who were unable to pay were ostracised and labelled 'sinners', unworthy to enter the temple or synagogues.
The poor widow so wanted to be right with God that she gave her all. She could have thought, 'I have two coins, so if I give one to God and keep one for myself, that will be fair.' Yet even though the tax itself was unfair, she gave both coins, everything she has to live on, in faith. As Jesus noted, the sums offered by the people who went to the treasury box were not in proportion to the assets each of them had. The rich gave from their abundance, whilst the widow gave her all.
The rich nations of the world have a hard time working out how they can continue to enjoy a privileged lifestyle and at the same time make things fairer for all peoples, whilst reducing the danger of causing the collapse of our planet, Earth. Could we trust in God to ensure our survival if we gave all our possessions and assets to the poor and the organisations working to preserve our world? I would like to think so, but at the same time I want to live in reasonable comfort, yet there may not be time now to find an easy way to change things.
We live in uncomfortable times, but at least we live fairly well at the moment - but the moment will pass and we need to be prepared to give our all.
Hymn: (CH4 253)Inspired by love and anger
Tune: Salley Gardens, with intro.
1. Inspired by love and anger,
disturbed by need and pain,
informed of God's own bias,
we ponder once again:
How long must some folk suffer?
How long can few folk mind?
How long can vain self-interest
turn prayer and pity blind?
2. From those for ever victims
of heartless human greed,
their cruel plight composes
a litany of need:
'Where are the fruits of justice?
Where are the signs of peace?
When is the day when prisoner
and dreams find their release?'
3. From those forever shackled
to what their wealth can buy,
the fear of lost advantage
provokes the bitter cry:
'Don't query our position!
Don't criticise our wealth!
Don't mention those exploited
by politics and stealth!'
4. To God, who through the prophets
proclaimed a different age,
we offer earth's indifference,
its agony and rage:
'When will the wrongs be righted?
When will the kingdom come?
When will the world be generous
to all instead of some?'
5. God asks, 'Who will go for me?
Who will extend my reach?
And who, when few will listen,
will prophesy and preach?
And who, when few bid welcome,
will offer all they know?
And who, when few dare follow,
will walk the road I show?'
6. Amused in someone's kitchen,
asleep in someone's boat,
attuned to what the ancients
exposed, proclaimed and wrote,
a saviour without safety,
a tradesman without tools
has come to tip the balance
with fishermen and fools.
John Bell (b. 1949) and Graham Maule (1958-2019
Prayers
O God of justice,
you have called your prophets throughout the ages to persist in proclamation in the face of callousness, and to be resilient in faith confronting stupidity:
we pray for those who have refused to be silent before injustice; who have been repeatedly turned away but are not discouraged; whose outrageous faith has caused the mighty to tremble; whose stubborn humour gives their allies heart....
We pray for those whose efforts in the cause of justice have left them damaged or bitter; those who are repudiated by those they struggled for; those who have lost all hope of remedy, and whose voice is not heard...
We pray for those who have the power to do good but will not; those who attend to no voice but their own; those who dismiss the causes of oppressionand climate change, and ignore the plight of the powerless.
We pray for the Church, which faces many trials and conflicts; for those we know who are in need of our prayers; and for ourselves, that we may be willing to work for the benefit of all in Jesus' name, Amen.
The Lord's Supper
As we prepare to remember the last meal that Jesus shared with his friends before he died, let us be still for a moment in the presence of God....
.... In this moment we draw closer together and closer to God - God who is farther away from us than the farthest star in the heavens, and as close to us as our breathing.
We remember Jesus, who on the night of his arrest and torture,
took bread,
blessed it,
broke it,
gave it to his disciples saying,
'Take, eat, this is my body, which is given for you.
Do this in remembrance of me.'
In the same way he took the cup after supper, saying,
'This is my blood of the New Covenant,
poured out for many, for the forgiveness of sins.
As often as you drink it,
do it in remembrance of me.'
As often as we eat this bread and drink the cup, we proclaim the Lord's death, until he comes.
We remember that Jesus died for us and we celebrate that he is alive again.
We look forward to the coming of his kingdom.
May the Holy Spirit come and bless the bread and the wine we have prepared, to make them special for us:
the body and the blood of Jesus, food for our spirits, nourishment for our souls.
Sharing the bread
We break our bread and remember that we are sharing in this feast, and that we are one with each other.
Sharing the Wine
We drink, remembering all that Jesus means to us, all that he has achieved in us and all that is still to come.
Communion Prayer
May the Lord give us his hand and lead us; let us be steadfast in love and thankfulness, and move towards where peace abides. Amen.
Hymn: (CH4 655) For your generous providing
Tune: Holy Manna, with intro.
1. For your generous providing
which sustains us all our days,
for your Spirit here residing,
we proclaim our heartfelt praise.
Through the depths of joy and sorrow,
though the road be smooth or rough,
fearless, we can face tomorrow
for your grace will be enough.
2. Hush our world's seductive noises
tempting us to stand alone;
save us from the siren voices
calling us to trust our own.
For those snared by earthly treasure,
lured by false security,
Jesus, true and only measure,
Spring the trap to set folk free.
3. Round your table, through your giving,
show us how to live and pray
till your kingdom's way of living
is the bread we share each day:
bread for us and for our neighbour,
bread for body, mind and soul,
bread of heaven and human labour -
broken bread that makes us whole.
Leith Fisher (1949-2009)
Blessing
We have shared this special time with Jesus and each other and we are ready to return to our usual lives, because we know that Jesus will stay with us. We will serve God together in the world through love of our neighbour and go on our way in peace.
Now may the blessing of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit rest upon you and remain with you always. Amen.
Next week, the Remembrance Day service will be led by Maranny Jones and a worship team.
The service will be available to view on our YouTube channel
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.