Today's Service: 18 April
Leader: Harry Bunting
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.
Welcome to this mini service
Our opening words are from Matthew 28: 19 - 20
19 "Go, then, to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples: baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, 20 and teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And I will be with you always, to the end of the age."
Hymn 234: Alleluia, Alleluia, give thanks to the risen Lord
tune: Alleluia, with Intro.
Alleluia, Alleluia, give thanks to the risen Lord,
Alleluia, alleluia, give praise to His name.
Jesus is Lord of all the earth.
He is the King of creation.
Refrain
Spread the good news o'er all the earth.
Jesus has died and has risen.
Refrain
We have been crucified with Christ.
Now we shall live forever.
Refrain
Come, let us praise the living God,
Joyfully sing to our Saviour.
Refrain
Don Fishel (1950 - )
Opening Prayer
Jesus says, 'Come to me,
all you who are weary and burdened
and I will give you rest.'
In worship, let us come to the one who offers peace and rest.
Lord God, whose arms are always open to us,
we come before you today
with hearts and minds open to receive your teaching.
Lead us to understand who you are and what you have done,
and what you require of us as witnesses.
Lord God most merciful
We confess that we have sinned
Through our own fault
And in common with others
In thought word and deed
And through what we have left undone
We ask to be forgiven
By the power of your Spirit
Turn us from evil to good
Help us to forgive others
And keep us in your ways
Of righteousness and love.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord
who taught us when we pray to say:
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
Bible Reading: Luke 24: 36 - 48
36 While the two were telling them this, suddenly the Lord himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you."
37 They were terrified, thinking that they were seeing a ghost. 38 But he said to them, "Why are you alarmed? Why are these doubts coming up in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet, and see that it is I myself. Feel me, and you will know, for a ghost doesn't have flesh and bones, as you can see I have."
40 He said this and showed them his hands and his feet.[c] 41 They still could not believe, they were so full of joy and wonder; so he asked them, "Do you have anything here to eat?" 42 They gave him a piece of cooked fish, 43 which he took and ate in their presence.
44 Then he said to them, "These are the very things I told you about while I was still with you: everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the writings of the prophets, and the Psalms had to come true."
45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, "This is what is written: the Messiah must suffer and must rise from death three days later, 47 and in his name the message about repentance and the forgiveness of sins must be preached to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things.
Reflection
The disciples were in hiding. Scared for their lives and yet puzzled and wondering what was going on. They had heard the stories from the women and Peter and John about the empty tomb, and here was another story from the two men who had met Jesus on the road to Emmaus.
They were just trying to take it all in when Jesus himself appeared and 'stood among them'. Try to imagine their shock. At first they were terrified - well you would be wouldn't you? You would wonder what on earth was happening. Then Jesus showed them his wounds and they started to believe that this was really happening, but they still weren't sure. So Jesus asked them for something to eat and sat down and ate it with them. Then, in effect, he said 'I told you this was going to happen' and went over it again with them until they got the message. He finished with the words 'you are witness to these things'. Which they certainly were.
The chorus of this next hymn captures the wonder and the joy that those disciples must have felt:
Hymn 241: Led like a lamb to the slaughter
tune: You're Alive, sung by a lockdown choral group.
1. Led like a lamb to the slaughter in silence and shame
There on Your back You carried a world of violence and pain
Bleeding, dying, bleeding, dying
You're alive, You're alive
You have risen, Alleluia!
And the power and the glory is given
Alleluia, Jesus, to You
2. At break of dawn, poor Mary still weeping she came
When through her grief she heard Your voice now speaking her name
Mary, Master, Mary, Master!
You're alive, You're alive
You have risen, Alleluia!
And the power and the glory is given
Alleluia, Jesus, to You
3. At the right hand of the Father now seated on high
You have begun Your eternal reign of justice and joy
Glory, glory, glory, glory
You're alive, You're alive
You have risen, Alleluia!
And the power and the glory is given
Alleluia, Jesus, to You
Graham Kendrick (1950 - )
Bible Reading: Acts 3: 12 - 19
12 When Peter saw the people, he said to them, "Fellow Israelites, why are you surprised at this, and why do you stare at us? Do you think that it was by means of our own power or godliness that we made this man walk? 13 The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our ancestors, has given divine glory to his Servant Jesus. But you handed him over to the authorities, and you rejected him in Pilate's presence, even after Pilate had decided to set him free. 14 He was holy and good, but you rejected him, and instead you asked Pilate to do you the favour of turning loose a murderer. 15 You killed the one who leads to life, but God raised him from death-and we are witnesses to this. 16 It was the power of his name that gave strength to this lame man. What you see and know was done by faith in his name; it was faith in Jesus that has made him well, as you can all see.
Reflection
This passage takes place after Pentecost but is included in the lectionary to show the effect of the Resurrection on the disciples. In the early days the disciples still considered themselves as Jews, so Peter and John had come to the Temple to say their prayers as a good Jew should. On the way into the Temple they met a lame beggar who asked them for money. However instead of giving him money Peter healed him and the beggar followed them into the Temple jumping about and praising God. This of course attracted a crowd, which is where the passage starts.
Firstly Peter tells the crowd that it is not by his own power that the man was healed but by the power of Jesus and he repeats that in verse 16. To me, one of the most surprising things that has come out of the tributes to Prince Phillip is the number of people who have said that he always wanted to turn the spotlight away from himself onto the activities that were taking place.
It should be the same with us - we should always be seeking to point people to God and not ourselves.
Then he tells the crowd that they crucified Jesus. They crucified? You can almost hear them thinking. Yes you crucified, continues Peter, when you cried for Pilate to release Barabbas instead of Jesus.
Sometimes we take actions or say things that have unintended consequences. Hopefully we have not actually shouted for someone to be put to death, but we may have voted for something, or said something, which has caused pain and suffering which we didn't intend.
Peter carries on to tell his listeners the good news that God has raised Jesus from the dead and that the disciples are witnesses to that. The same words that Jesus used in our bible reading, 'you are witness to these things'.
Have you ever thought that you are witness to these things? Our friends and neighbours know that we 'go to church' and as such they judge our actions and words by a different criteria from that which they apply to everyone else. They do not expect us to swear, to tell lies, to indulge in idle gossip, or to do something or say something nasty. Which is a very sobering thought, because we know that, try as we might, we are fallible human beings and we make mistakes and do or say the wrong thing.
But the good news is that Peter told his listeners (and us) that, if we repent of our sins and say we are sorry, God will forgive us.
We are called, as our opening words say, to
"Go, then, to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples: baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, 20 and teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And I will be with you always, to the end of the age."
We are to be God's witnesses. Peter healed the lame man through the power of faith and we must harness that power of faith as we look to the future, both individually and as a church.
If the Pandemic has taught us anything, it is that nothing is certain. We can make as many plans as we like, but unless we ask God to guide us and follow that guidance we will not succeed.
God will guide us if we submit ourselves to his will. And our next hymn is a prayer of commitment to serve God and I suggest that you treat it as such.
Hymn 371: Take my life and let it be
tune: St Bees. with Intro.
1. Take my life and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in endless praise.
2. Take my hands and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love.
take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee.
3. Take my voice and let me sing,
Always, only for my King.
Take my lips and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee.
4. Take my silver and my gold,
Not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use
Every pow'r as Thou shalt choose.
5. Take my will and make it Thine,
It shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own,
It shall be Thy royal throne.
6. Take my love, my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee.
Frances Ridley Havergal (1836-79)
Prayers of Intercession
Dear Lord I come before you now with my prayers for the world and myself.
Be with the Royal Family as they mourn the loss of Prince Phillip and say their farewells this weekend.
In particular be with the Queen as she faces life without 'her rock.'
Be with all those other bereaved families for whom the media coverage of the death of Prince Phillip has re-kindled their own sense of loss.
In particular I pray for...............
Be with this country as we take the first tentative steps to some sort of normal life following the restrictions brought on by the Covid outbreak. Give the people in charge wisdom and courage to take the right decisions and may the general public act sensibly for the good of all.
In particular I pray for...............
Be with the staff of the NHS as they continue to treat their patients and show loving kindness all the time worrying that there might be another surge which they will have to brace themselves for once again.
In particular I pray for...............
Be with the staff and residents of Care Homes as they cautiously open their doors to receive visitors
In particular I pray for...............
I thank you for everyone involved in the delivery of the vaccination programme, for the efficient, professional yet caring way in which they have delivered the vaccinations to so many people.
In particular I pray for...............
Lord this virus has affected many other countries throughout the world and I pray that the world leaders are given wisdom to cope with it and in particular that the rich countries will help the poorer countries to overcome it.
In particular I pray for...............
Be with the sick in hospital and at home. Surround them with your peace and love and show me how I can help them. Be with those who are Isolating or are housebound and show me how I can help them as they cautiously come out of their isolation.
In particular I pray for...............
Be with those who have monetary worries especially those who have lost their jobs or who are finding it difficult to cope with a reduced income and show me how I can help them
In particular I pray for...............
Be with our church family as we miss being able to come together to worship you. Be present at our Zoom Church Meeting on Tuesday. Guide us as we face an uncertain future in all sorts of ways and show us how we can best serve you in the future
In particular I pray for .........
Finally Lord I pray for myself and bring before you my own concerns..............
Lord, in your mercy hear my prayers
Amen
Hymn 293: Ye servants of God
tune: Laudate Dominum, with Intro.
1.Ye servants of God, your Master proclaim,
and publish abroad his wonderful Name;
the Name all-victorious of Jesus extol:
his kingdom is glorious; he rules over all.
2. God ruleth on high, almighty to save;
and still he is nigh: his presence we have.
The great congregation his triumph shall sing,
ascribing salvation to Jesus our King.
3. Salvation to God who sits on the throne!
Let all cry aloud, and honour the Son.
The praises of Jesus the angels proclaim,
fall down on their faces, and worship the Lamb.
4. Then let us adore, and give him his right:
All glory and power, all wisdom and might,
all honour and blessing, with angels above,
and thanks never ceasing and infinite love.
C H H Parry (1848-1918)
Benediction
May the Blessing of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit be with us all, and all whom we love and pray, now and for 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 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.