Today's Service: 14 February
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.
St Valentine's Day - a day to celebrate love. What greater love is there than God's love for each one of us.
We are ''wonderfully and fearfully made'' (Psalm 139 v14) and God's love for us is so great that ''He gave His only son to die for us'' (John 3 v16) and Psalm 136 tells us that God's love endures forever.
As we think of love this morning let us think of that Love divine that excels all loves, God's perfect love!
As we think of love this morning let us think of that Love divine that excels all loves, God's perfect love!
Hymn 663: Love Divine all loves excelling
tune: Hyfrydol, with Intro.
1. Love divine, all loves excelling,
Joy of Heav'n to earth come down;
Fix in us thy humble dwelling;
All thy faithful mercies crown!
Jesus, Thou art all compassion,
Pure unbounded love Thou art;
Visit us with Thy salvation,
Enter every trembling heart.
2. Come, Almighty to deliver,
Let us all Thy life receive;
Suddenly return, and never,
Nevermore Thy temples leave.
Thee we would be always blessing,
Serve Thee as Thy hosts above,
Pray and praise Thee without ceasing,
Glory in Thy perfect love.
3. Finish, then, Thy new creation;
Pure and spotless let us be;
Let us see Thy great salvation
Perfectly restored in Thee;
Changed from glory into glory,
Till in Heav'n we take our place,
Till we cast our crowns before Thee,
Lost in wonder, love, and praise.
Charles Wesley (1707 - 88)
Let us pray
Today is also Racial Justice Sunday and I am using a prayer from the URC Global and Intercultural Ministries resources for Racial Justice Sunday.
God’s love is for all, we are challenged to love as God loves.
Lord,
turn me inside out, so people can see the You in me with the same shape heart, the same colour of blood and one word in our flesh that makes us like you revealing the image of God in our coats of many colours.
Lord, I love from the inside what I see on the outside so may we love what we see and be loved for who we are; Brothers and sisters, united from inside out to turn the world upside down.
Amen
(Richard Becher)
Reading: John 4: 7 - 19
God's Love and Ours
7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
13 This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Saviour of the world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
19 We love because he first loved us. 20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.
Thoughts and challenges (Part 1)
How many Valentine cards did you get this year? Me - well I am not expecting any (but I can always hope!)
At this point in the service I would probably ask the Junior Church to come up and tell me what things represented love to them. I am guessing they would suggest hearts, kisses, flowers, chocolates, hugs - but with our Junior Church they may come up with absolutely anything. I would ask the question 'who was St Valentine and why do we celebrate St Valentine's day?' (and who knows what answers we might get)
Well there are actually many St Valentines with saint's days in January, February, several in July and November so why February the 14th ?
It appears that this St Valentine died on 14th February probably in AD269 (St Valentine of Rome). The then Emperor Claudius 2nd had banned marriage because he felt married men made bad soldiers. Valentine thought this was unfair and broke this rule by performing marriages in secret. Claudius found out and had him arrested. Legend has it that whilst in prison he fell in love with the jailer's daughter and when he was taken to his death on February the 14th he sent her a love letter signed 'from your Valentine'.
Traditionally mid-February was the time an ancient Roman Festival celebrated the beginning of spring. As with many of these ancient traditions the Church turned it into a religious festival and used it to remember St Valentine.
In 1375 a poem by Chaucer linked this to romantic love by stating that 14th February was the time the birds (and humans) started to look for a mate. And so if we put all these events together we end up with today's Valentine's Day a time to remember love and send letters "to our valentines" and to remember that true love will take risks (getting married when the Emperor forbids it is quite a risk.)
Are you prepared to take the risk? Accept God's love and its challenges?
Well I can assure you that through Jesus we have a gift of love from God. And His love is very wonderful.
As we sing this together, free free to join in with the actions. (I am sure Meg will be doing them)
Hymn: Jesus Love is very wonderful
tune of same name, sung 3X, with Intro.
Jesus Love is very wonderful,
Jesus love is very wonderful,
Jesus love is very wonderful,
Oh wonderful love.
It's too high - you can't get over it.
Too low - you can't get under it.
Too wide - you can't get round it.
Oh Wonderful Love
Prayers
As we bring our concerns before you,
we pray for all who feel marginalised, may they feel welcomed in God's love.
We pray for all who feel rejected, may they feel accepted in God's love.
We pray for all who feel their voice is not heard, may they find their voice in God's love.
We pray for all who struggle to feel a part of things, may they feel they belong in God's love.
Father we pray that we may be the channels of your love, help us to be welcoming, accepting, and unjudgmental.
Help us to make your church inclusive, caring, and accessible to all.
Amen. Our next hymn is set to the tune Ode to Joy. The words have been specially written for Racial Justice Sunday and are inspired by 1 Corinthians 13 vv4-7
taken from the URC Racial Justice Sunday Resources
Our next hymn is set to the tune Ode to Joy.
The words have been specially-written for racial Justice Sunday and are inspired by 1 Corinthians 13: 4 - 7
taken from the URC Racial Justice Sunday Resources
Christian love is not romantic
tune; Ode to Joy, with Intro.
1. Christian love is not romantic,
not soft-focussed, twee or sweet,
Christian love's not 'likes', nor dating,
far more real than text or tweet.
Christian love means life-long struggle;
lived-out kindness ev'rywhere.
Christian love must echo Jesus:
selfless, soulful, steeped in prayer.
(bridge in music)
2. Christian love respects the other,
seeks to understand, not judge;
takes delight in mutual learning
doesn't force and doesn't fudge.
Christian love's an arduous journey,
finding self by giving all;
serving, sharing, helping, caring;
full response to Jesus' call.
3. Christian love cries out for justice
wheresoever it's denied;
joins the struggle, makes the protest,
stays the course, eyes open wide.
Christian love rejects what's racist,
sexist, ageist, prejudiced,
turns against each nurtured bias,
learning daily to resist.
4. Christian love is learned from Jesus,
walks his way and bears his cross;
self-surrenders, like our Saviour;
gains much more than what is lost.
Christian love is so persistent,
it outlasts all other things;
by its hope, its faith, its struggle,
it's the song all heaven sings!
(words copyright John Campbell)
taken from the URC Racial Justice Sunday Resources
Thoughts and challenges (Part 2)
What is love?
There are 36 definitions of love according to the Urban Dictionary, love cannot easily be defined, or can it?
1 John 4 tells us that God is love, but for many this is difficult to grasp.
Love has many different facets:
Philia - affectionate love friends and family; Eros - romantic love; Pragma - enduring love;
Mania - obsessive love; Agape - selfless love. (To mention but a few.)
Jesus challenges us to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind and to love our neighbour as ourselves (Matthew 22 v 37 - 39)
Now I know that I love my friends and family and would do almost anything for them, but can I say the same for 'my neighbour'? It is not easy to say that of the ''stranger' 'the man with funny hair and smelly clothes', the person who comes into church and sits on 'our seat'; those who look different or act differently. Yet God call us to love them all. On this, Racial Justice Sunday, do we portray God's unconditional non- judgemental love through our words and actions to others. Do we unintentionally 'cut others off' because of their colour, gender, age, or social background? This is quite a challenge for St Valentine's day - a day to demonstrate love.
As with all challenges God gives us, He walks beside us and supports and encourages us, even when we get it wrong.
God's love is selfless. He gave His only son because He loved us so much.
What is love - well I believe the answer lies in those words of John (1 John 4) God is love! A true selfless love that endures for ever. My prayer for us all is that we experience that love and feel it envelop us. We are all experiencing isolation at the moment, but I pray that today - even if you did not receive a valentine's card you will receive God's love. In accepting God's love, we are then challenged to pass that on to our neighbour, whoever they may be.
The world lives divided and apart, You draw us together and we start in our friendships to see that in harmony we'll be turning the world upside down. I pray that Northgate may be part of turning the world upside down.
Hymn 90: O Lord, all the world belongs to you
tune of the same name, with full verse Intro.
1. O Lord, all the world belongs to you
and you are always making all things new.
What is wrong, you forgive,
and the new life you give
is what's turning the world upside down.
2. The world's only loving to its friends,
but your way of loving never ends,
loving enemies too;
and this loving with you
is what's turning the world upside down.
3. The world lives divided and apart,
you draw men together, and we start
in our friendship to see
that in harmony we
can be turning the world upside down.
4. The world wants the wealth to live in state,
but you show a new way to be great:
like a servant you came,
and if we do the same,
we'll be turning the world upside down.
5. O lord, all the world belongs to you
and you are always making all things new.
What is wrong, you forgive,
and the new life you give
is what's turning the world upside down.
Patrick Appleford (1925 - 2018) altd.
Blessing (taken from the Racial Justice Sunday Resource)
May God’s grace and love fill the earth and also our hearts.
May justice flow like a roaring, mighty river;
may peace descend like a dove upon quiet waters
And may we be mindful always
that in God’s Kingdom
all are loved to overflowing.
Amen.
Next week, the service will be led by Maranny Jones
This service will be published here as usual but would best be viewed on the Northgate URC YouTube channel as a recorded spoken & video service with hymns from Zöe.
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 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.