Today's Service: 13 December
Leader: Derek Jackson
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.
Call to Worship
The Lord is near, He is coming soon, Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice.
Hymn: Mission Praise 602: Sing we the king who is coming to reign,
tune: Glory Song, with Intro.
1 Sing we the King who is coming to reign,
Glory to Jesus, the Lamb that was slain;
Righteousness, peace then His empire shall bring,
Joy to the nations when Jesus is King.
Come let us sing: Praise to our King,
Jesus our King, Jesus our King:
This is our song, who to Jesus belong:
Glory to Jesus, to Jesus our King.
2 All men shall dwell in His marvelous light,
Races long severed His love shall unite,
Justice and truth from His scepter shall spring,
Wrong shall be ended when Jesus is King.
3 All shall be well in His kingdom of peace,
Freedom shall flourish and wisdom increase,
Foe shall be friend when His triumph we sing,
Sword shall be sickle when Jesus is King.
4 Knowledge and fear of the Lord then shall be
As the deep waters that cover the sea;
All things shall be in the splendor of spring
And all harmonious when Jesus is King.
5 Kingdom of Christ, for thy coming we pray,
Hasten, O Father, the dawn of the day
When this new song Thy creation shall sing,
Satan is vanquished and Jesus is King.
Prayer
Father it is with glad and grateful hearts that we come before you with prayers of praise and adoration. Words seem inadequate to express our love for you especially at this time of eager anticipation as we prepare to celebrate the amazing event of the birth of our Saviour. He came to us in the most humble of circumstances and surroundings being the greatest Christmas gift that we could ever receive and for this we give you thanks and praise. Forgive us we pray when what we profess and practice as Christians is not consistent with what we preach. By Your grace help us to fulfil the potential that you see in us. We are all different and there is no hiding from Your ability to see us as we really are. Convict us of those things for which we need to repent and lead us into Holy living. Lord thank you that you are faithful to your promises and that through our repentance and confession our forgiveness is assured as we offer our prayer in and through the name of The Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
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
Advent Candle Hymn: Hope is a candle
(tune: Galloway Tam, with Intro., played by Harry Marshall)
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.
Richard Leach © 1998
Reading: Isaiah 40: 1 - 11
1 Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.
2 Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her,
that her warfare is accomplished,
that her iniquity is pardoned:
for she hath received of the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.
3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness,
Prepare ye the way of the Lord,
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be exalted,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low:
and the crooked shall be made straight,
and the rough places plain:
5 and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together:
for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
6 The voice said, Cry.
And he said, What shall I cry?
All flesh is grass,
and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field:
7 the grass withereth, the flower fadeth:
because the spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it:
surely the people is grass.
8 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth:
but the word of our God shall stand for ever.
9 O Zion, that bringest good tidings,
get thee up into the high mountain;
O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings,
lift up thy voice with strength;
lift it up, be not afraid;
say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!
10 Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand,
and his arm shall rule for him:
behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.
11 He shall feed his flock like a shepherd:
he shall gather the lambs with his arm,
and carry them in his bosom,
and shall gently lead those that are with young.
Carol: The Holly and the Ivy
tune: The Holly and the Ivy, with Intro.
1. The holly and the ivy
when they are both full grown, 
of all the trees that are in the wood
the holly bears the crown.
Refrain:
The rising of the sun
and the running of the deer,
the playing of the merry organ,
sweet singing in the choir.
2. The holly bears a blossom,
white as the lily flower,
and Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ,
to be our sweet Saviour. [Refrain]
3. The holly bears a berry,
as red as any blood,
and Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
to do poor sinners good. [Refrain]
4. The holly bears a prickle,
as sharp as any thorn,
and Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
on Christmas day in the morn. [Refrain]
5. The holly bears a bark,
as bitter as any gall,
and Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
for to redeem us all. [Refrain]
6. The holly and the ivy,
when they are both full grown,
of all the trees that are in the wood
The holly bears the crown. [Refrain]
Traditional, coll. by Cecil Sharp.
This hymn reminds us of the advent message through the four Sundays in advent and takes us into Christmas day itself with the proclamation that Christ has indeed arrived. It begins with the hope brought to Gods people as they watch for his coming again and continues with the message of the prophets as they illuminate the way for Him and today we reflect upon the ministry of John The Baptist as he prepares the way as he was called to do.
Reading Mark 1: 1 - 8
1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; 2 as it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. 3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 4 John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. 5 And there went out unto him all the land of Judæa, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins. 6 And John was clothed with camel’s hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey; 7 and preached, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose. 8 I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.
Reflection
The promise made through the prophet Isaiah was fulfilled by the coming of John The Baptist the cousin of Jesus. It is encouraging for us to know that the God in whom Christians trust is in fact a God who can be trusted to keep His promises. If only people of our age and generation could be equally reliable what a difference that would make to the society in which we live.
Sometimes I do wonder if this remarkably courageous man John the Baptist is given appropriate credit for his character and fortitude in pursuing the will of God at considerable cost to his personal safety and well being. He certainly stirred up feelings of both support and animosity by simply his obedience and by fulfilling what had previously been prophesied to and for the benefit of the Jewish people and he stuck faithfully to the task to which he had been called. Christians can learn a great deal from the example of this man John. Not only was he courageous but clearly he was also a man of great humility. He lived frugally and his attitude towards his cousin was exemplary when despite his own popularity he was able to say of Jesus " He must increase but I must decrease" (John 3 vs.30)
There is no message of self-importance here and we would do well to emanate this characteristic in our own lives. Jesus is indeed the reason for the season and John was committed to preparing the way for the Saviour who was to follow. The message was simple "Repent and be baptised" which must have resonated with those who heard him because they came in droves to do just that. The message is no different today and the mantle of responsibility for proclaiming this truth has been passed on to those who profess allegiance to The Lord Jesus Christ. He is coming again, God has promised that this will be so and because we don't know when we are expected to remain in a constant state of readiness.
Are we really ready for Christmas?
Hymn 134: On Jordan’s bank the Baptist’s cry
tune: Solemnis haec festivitas, with Intro.
1 On Jordan’s bank the Baptist’s cry
Announces that the Lord is nigh;
Come then and hearken for he brings
Glad tidings from the King of kings.
2 Then cleansed be every breast from sin;
Make straight the way for God within;
And in each heart prepare a home
Where such a mighty guest may come.
3 For thou art our salvation, Lord,
Our refuge and our great reward;
Without thy grace we waste away
Like flowers that wither and decay.
4 To heal the sick stretch out thy hand,
And bid the fallen sinner stand;
Shine forth, and let thy light restore
Earth’s own true loveliness once more.
5 All praise, eternal Son, to thee
Whose advent sets thy people free,
Whom, with the Father, we adore,
And Spirit blest, for evermore.
Charles Coffin, tr. John Chandler
Prayer
Father thank you for answered prayer and the early development of vaccines to prevent the spread of the Corona Virus. Please help people to act sensibly in order to avoid further unnecessary loss of lives of those precious to family and friends and especially to you. We recognise that our celebrations this year are going to be quite different but ask that the significance of The Nativity will not be lost and The Lord Jesus Christ will be held at the centre of our thoughts and be honoured through our worship and prayers. You gave your son to be the Saviour of all people and we pray for the evangelisation of the whole world. Grant that people everywhere may receive the Good News of Jesus Christ. Teach us how to fashion a world of justice and freedom. Show us how in dependence of your Spirit we may each share our faith with others and become people who prepare the way for Jesus as we pass on this Gospel of Good News to this needy world. We pray for your blessing on the fellowship of our church and particularly ask that you will be close to any of our friends for which Christmas brings sad memories or for those who, in these difficult times, may feel lonely or isolated. Please bring your comfort, peace and assurance of your presence in the time of their need. We thank you for the privilege of prayer as we offer these our prayers in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Hymn 656: Lo, he comes with clouds descending
tune: Helmsley, with Intro.
1. Lo, he comes with clouds descending,
once for favoured sinners slain;
thousand, thousand saints attending
swell the triumph of his train:
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
God appears on earth to reign.
2. Every eye shall now behold him
robed in awesome majesty;
we who set at naught and sold him,
crucified him on the tree,
Lord, have mercy, Lord, have mercy, Lord, have mercy,
Let us all thine Advent see.
3. Those dear tokens of his passion
still his dazzling body bears,
cause of endless exultation
to his ransomed worshippers:
Sing hosanna! Sing hosanna! Sing hosanna!
see the risen Lord appears!
4. Yea, Amen, let all adore thee,
high on thine eternal throne;
Saviour, take the power and glory,
claim the kingdom for thine own:
O come quickly, O come quickly, O come quickly.
Alleluia! Come, Lord, come!
Charles Wesley (1707-1788), Martin Madan (1726-1790), John Cennick (1718-1755)
Benediction
Go out into the world and prepare a way for The Lord. Speak and act in loving ways as evidence of his presence and May God bless and guide you in the way of all truth and justice as you seek to serve Him. Amen
Next week, the service will be led by Meg Thomson
Don't forget the live streamed hymns on Sundays at 10:45 a.m. from Zöe (via Facebook)
These are available to view later as well. (via YouTube, for those without Facebook, and also Facebook)
The streamings are proving to be 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.