Today's Service: 17 January
We continue to meet virtually, with services from our regular preachers.
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.
Call to Worship
We have come, apart yet still together, into the presence of our Lord.
So, let us quieten our hearts and minds, put aside our concerns and distractions.
Let us open ourselves to listen for God's voice, for the word God has for his people.
Hymn 292: When morning gilds the skies
tune: Laudes Domini, with long Intro.
1. When morning gilds the skies,
my heart awaking cries,
may Jesus Christ be praised:
alike at work and prayer
to Jesus I repair;
may Jesus Christ be praised.
2. When sleep her balm denies,
my silent spirit sighs,
may Jesus Christ be praised:
when evil thoughts molest,
with this I shield my breast,
may Jesus Christ be praised.
3. Does sadness fill my mind?
a solace here I find,
may Jesus Christ be praised:
or fades my earthly bliss?
my comfort still is this,
may Jesus Christ be praised.
4. Let earth's wide circle round
in joyful notes resound,
may Jesus Christ be praised:
let air, and sea, and sky,
from depth to height reply:
may Jesus Christ be praised.
5. Be this while life is mine,
my canticle divine,
may Jesus Christ be praised:
be this the eternal song
through ages all along,
may Jesus Christ be praised.
Nürnberg Gesangbuch (1828), Edward Caswall (1814-1878)
Opening Prayers
We come to you, Jesus,
who opens the way for us,
who speaks on our behalf,
and has made atonement for our sins.
We come in your name, acknowledging your majesty,
the suffering servant who is now glorified,
and in whom we find eternal life.
We come together again to rejoice in your love and to celebrate your goodness, for you have richly blessed us. We praise you for the constancy of your love, which is new every morning: we marvel at your handiwork in creation, in the miracle of life in its infinite variety and in the beauty and wonder of the world around us.
We praise you for all that you have done for us in Jesus Christ, your son, for opening through him a way for us to know you better, for revealing in him something of your greatness and goodness and for filling our lives to overflowing with your love poured out through him.
We thank you for the ways in which you have guided us across the years and for the assurance that you will continue to lead us every step of the way. We are grateful for the strength you have offered us in times of need, the encouragement gained in times of uncertainty and the joy which has arisen even in times of sorrow.
Although apart we continue to praise you in song and word we ask that you will be with us, unseen but part of our lives today and always.
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
John 1: 43 - 51
Jesus calls Philip and Nathaniel
43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, "Follow me."
44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote-Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."
46 "Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" Nathanael asked.
"Come and see," said Philip. 
47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, "Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit."
48 "How do you know me?" Nathanael asked.
Jesus answered, "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you."
49 Then Nathanael declared, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel."
50 Jesus said, "You believe[a] because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that." 51 He then added, "Very truly I tell you,[b] you[c] will see 'heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on'[d] the Son of Man."
Not only in words
Why do you want me to speak?
Is not my presence sufficient for you?
The kiss of my love in the sunlight,
Or the scent of my being on a flower?
Why do you want me to speak,
When I hug you in the embrace of a friend?
When I move you by the fall of a song?
When I show you the scars on my hands?
Why do you ask me to speak,
When I use other voices not mine?
For mine is the cry of the stranger,
The hungry, the prisoner, the poor.
Why do you ask me to speak,
When I've spoken so often before?
Heed my world, read my Word
Seek my Son and then you will hear me.
K. Gire, "Windows of the Soul: Hearing God in the Everyday Moments of Your Life"
Hymn: All I once held dear. (Mission Praise)
tune: Knowing You, with Intro.
1. All I once held dear,
Built my life upon,
All this world reveres,
And wars to own,
All I once thought gain
I have counted loss;
Spent and worthless now,
Compared to this.
Chorus:
Knowing You, Jesus,
knowing You,
there is no greater thing.
You're my all, You're the best,
You're my joy, my righteousness,
and I love You, Lord.
2. Now my heart's desire
is to know You more,
to be found in You
and known as Yours.
To possess by faith
what I could not earn,
all-surpassing gift
of righteousness.
Chorus
3. Oh, to know the power
of Your risen life,
and to know You in
Your sufferings.
to become like You
in Your death, my Lord,
so with You to live
and never die.
Chorus
Graham Kendrick (born 1950) ©1993 Make Way Music
Reflection
Have you ever been with a small child when they have suddenly seen something for the first time?
Snails might be commonplace to you and me but believe me when seen through the eyes of a child, it is fresh and exciting and they can't wait to show you: "Come and See! Come and See!"
There is no time to be lost! The snail might run away before we see it.
Maybe that is the way Philip approached Nathanael bursting with good news: he has found the Messiah! He would be bursting to tell him and he must have been disappointed when Nathanael brushed off his announcement contemptuously, but delighted all over again when Nathanael met Jesus for himself and experienced this complete change of heart. It's easy to be downhearted when people don't share our enthusiasm for Jesus. We might even wonder if we have made a mistake.
But it is not up to us to form someone else's relationship with Jesus. We can trust Jesus himself to do that, in his own time and with his own words, as he did for Nathanael. I am sure we have all invited someone to come to a church activity and been met with a lukewarm response and maybe we too have said, 'Come and see, you can't judge us and what we believe in, on what you might have heard, you need to see for yourself'.
How do we find out if something is true? We used to look up encyclopaedias, and if it was there we could trust it. If I want to check something biblical I usually go to one of Tom Wright's books and then of course nowadays there is always Google. But, even with fact-checking websites, can we trust the information we find there? What is reliable? What is fake? These new disciples wanted to find out more about Jesus. Were John's claims about him true? Was he really the Messiah? No hi-tech options for them. 'Come and see,' said Jesus, and they spent the day with him in conversation, sharing food, and enjoying each other's company. Simply being together with each other and with Jesus creates effective opportunities for checking out our feelings and intuitions, and trying to get the facts straight. Fellowship has always been at the heart of Christian life - Come and see!
The reasons may be justified, or it may be pure prejudice (or something in between), but it is common enough for people to regard certain places as 'the pits'. This is Nathanael's perception of Nazareth, but he is quickly proved wrong. Unexpected as it may seem to him, it is the home of the Messiah. It's easy to allow ourselves to be blinded by stereotypes of places or people, and to miss the wonder and the beauty waiting to be discovered. Sadly most of us sit in judgement on people and places. In normal circumstances there is a faith walk in Darlington and those who walk are welcomed into the different worship spaces. It does help to be able to visualise the ways different faiths worship instead of leaving it to the imagination.
Can you think of somewhere you might not expect people of faith to meet and do you judge it unfavourably? I hope the Northgate men will forgive me, but I have heard so much good that comes out of the men's meal that takes place once a month in a pub! I know of one young man who can't wait for the end of lockdown because it will mean he can meet and be supported by his friends at the men's meal. Sorry ladies it is just for men, but then we don't invite them to our birthday lunches do we?
We are all so longing for the day to come when we can say to each other, Come and see what is happening at Northgate now. We have missed the fellowship, we have missed seeing each other's faces, feeling another's arms round us in a hug, the sound of someone's laugh. Church has continued for us in weekly services, we are indebted to Zoe for her weekly praise service, we are spoilt for choice in services online when we can join people of different denominations if we choose. Nathanael mistakenly thought Jesus could only be found in certain places, we know he can be found everywhere. We may not be able to see each other face to face, but Praise God, even a Pandemic cannot come between our experiences of God through Jesus. Let us be like Philip saying excitedly to each other 'Come and See!' then we can sing together though apart. Knowing You Jesus, Knowing You, There is no greater thing. You're my all, you're the best you're my joy, my righteousness and I love you Lord.
May we Come and see God in everything we do and say today and always.
Amen.
Family Prayers (with thanks to Revd Ruth Crofton)
Lord our God, who was and is and is to come, we seek you.
You hold all wisdom: through your Spirit you bring clarity.
You hold all love: through your Son Jesus, you demonstrate the depth of that love.
In times when we are directionless, when there seem several good options
and several bad ones,
we ask that same wisdom to see the way forward,
to look beyond our own feet and see the right pathway ahead.
In times when we are uncertain, when what we believe and what others say is in conflict,
we ask that same wisdom to see the way forward.
In times when we are certain of our own rightness, when the future direction seems clear,
we ask that same wisdom and humility to make us pause and seek your calm before we act.
Lord, the times in which we live are full of uncertainty.
We ask the wisdom of the Holy Spirit for all in positions of leadership,
especially our own Government in their dealing with the Pandemic, Brexit and immigration.
We pray, too, for the Government of the United States of America in this time of crisis,
and for President-Elect Biden in the task that lies ahead for him and his administration.
Help them, we pray, to seek a true way forward that will bring healing to the nations,
and to act decisively in ways that will bring peace.
Lord, our churches are full of uncertainty, some fearful they will never reopen,
all aware that the future will not necessarily be easy.
We ask the love of Jesus to fill all, as we seek to share that love in new ways,
through the Internet, through phone calls and face time,
and as we share that love through our prayers. Keep us always faithful in prayer, Lord.
We pray for those who are ill, and for those who care for them -
for the NHS at this stressed and difficult time . . .
and for those who have to have hard decisions to make with finite resources . . .
we pray, too, for those in less developed nations where Covid has added to huge stresses . . .
where vaccinating people brings problems of cost and management . . .
we ask wisdom, we ask peace and a just sharing of resources.
Lord our God, who was and is and is to come, you hold us all in your love and wisdom.
Hear our prayer, we ask, in Jesus name. Amen
Hymn 265: I cannot tell
tune: Londonderry Air, with Intro.
1. I cannot tell why he, whom angels worship,
should set his love upon the human race,
or why, as Shepherd, he should seek the wanderers,
to bring them back within the fold of grace.
But this I know, that he was born of Mary,
when Bethlehem's manger was his only home,
and that he lived at Nazareth and laboured,
and so the Saviour, Saviour of the world, is come.
2. I cannot tell how silently he suffered,
as with his peace he graced this place of tears,
or how his heart upon the cross was broken,
the crown of pain to three-and-thirty years.
But this I know, he heals the broken-hearted,
and stays our sin, and calms our lurking fear,
and lifts the burden from the heavy-laden,
for yet the Saviour, Saviour of the world, is here.
3. I cannot tell how he will win the nations,
how he will claim his earthly heritage,
how satisfy the needs and aspirations
of east and west, of sinner and of sage.
But this I know, all flesh shall see his glory,
and he shall reap the harvest he has sown,
and some glad day his sun shall shine in splendour
when he the Saviour, Saviour of the world, is known.
4. I cannot tell how all the lands shall worship,
when, at his bidding, every storm is stilled,
or who can say how great the jubilation
when every human heart with love is filled.
But this I know, the skies will thrill with rapture,
and myriad, myriad human voices sing,
and earth to heaven, and heaven to earth, will answer,
at last the Saviour, Saviour of the world, is King!
William Young Fullerton (1857-1932)
The Blessing
Lord, what we have learned this day - help us remember.
Teach us to recognise your voice.
Teach us how to see you in our lives and encounters.
Help us to give others space so that they may hear you too.
And may the Blessing of the giver of all good gifts
Be upon you and all that you do, now and evermore.
Amen.
Next week, the service will be led by Eve Mortimer
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.