Worship for Sunday 10th January 2021, by Rev. Joy Rulton

Call to worship:

Come, let us honour the powerful glory of our Creator God.
Let us worship God’s majesty in the splendour of holiness.
Amen.

Hymn:  When Jesus Came to Jordan (StF 233)

When Jesus came to Jordan

To be baptized by John,

He did not come for pardon,

But as his Father’s Son.

He came to share repentance

With all who mourn their sins,

To speak the vital sentence

With which good news begins.

 

He came to share temptation,

Our utmost woe and loss,

For us and our salvation

To die upon the cross.

So when the Dove descended

On him, the Son of Man,

The hidden years had ended,

The age of grace began.

 

Come, Holy Spirit, aid us

To keep the vows we make,

This very day invade us,

And every bondage break.

Come, give our lives direction,

The gift we covet most:

To share the resurrection

That leads to Pentecost.

Words © 1980 Hope Publishing Company

Prayers of adoration and confession:

Lord God, how awesome you are.

How majestic is your name. majestic.
Once, the earth was without shape,
dark and empty.
Then you spoke, awesome God and light shone.
You separated the light from the darkness.
The whole world changed.
You later sent your Son, Jesus to live and walk among us on the earth.
His ministry was heralded by John the Baptist
who baptized Jesus in the Jordan.
The sky split open
and your Holy Spirit came down like a dove.
Then you spoke, awesome God

and continue to speak today through your Holy Spirit.
All Majestic, awesome, all-powerful God,

we adore your holy name.

Lord, when you came into the world, things changed.

When we came into a relationship with you, things changed.

Life became filled with a new sense of purpose and peace.

But, Lord, sometimes we let you down by doing wrong things or failing to do right things.
We ask your forgiveness for the times when:

through pride, stubbornness or fear we build barriers and keep others at arm’s length – even you, Lord,

we give in to our weaknesses and temptations, failing to draw on your strength,

we are troubled by difficult situations and find it hard to trust you.

Help us to turn such things around and turn to you.

Help us to learn from the past and, drawing on your strength and peace, make a better future.
Amen.

Hymn:  God of forgiveness, your people you freed (StF 425)

God forgave my sin in Jesus’ name,
I’ve been born again in Jesus’ name,
and in Jesus’ name I come to you
to share his love as he told me to.
He said:
‘Freely, freely you have received;
freely, freely give.
Go in my name and because you believe,
others will know that I live.’

All power is given in Jesus’ name,
in earth and heaven in Jesus’ name,
and in Jesus’ name I come to you
to share his power as he told me to.

Readings:

Genesis 1:1-5

In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

Mark 1:4-11

John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

The Baptism of Jesus

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

Reflection:

At the beginning of a new year, we often look for a fresh start – a new beginning. And so we make our resolutions, knowing that we’re unlikely to be able to keep them. Every year I resolve to give up chocolate and jaffa cakes. You’d think it would be relatively easy, but I don’t think it’s ever going to happen.

There are some things we’d love to leave behind. I suspect we were all glad to leave 2020, with all its problems. It was a horrendous year for us all. Then there are the things we regret, mistakes that we have perhaps made, things we know we could have done better or that we should have done, but didn’t. But none of us is perfect. We may not be able to forget, but it would be great to feel we could leave some things behind us and begin again.

Scripture is full of new beginnings, right from the outset in Genesis. Mark begins his gospel with the words, “The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” In Mark’s Gospel there are no angels, no shepherds and no Magi. There’s no list of ancestors such as in Matthew’s Gospel. There’s no sense of glorious cosmic wonder, like the beginning of John’s Gospel. No. Jesus’ story begins at the river and John the Baptist.

John the Baptist is an interesting character. His father, Zechariah, was a priest in the temple. Surely John should have followed in his father’s footsteps and become a priest himself. But he leaves that life behind to become a radical preacher, calling people to repent and be baptized. To repent is not just to admit that you were wrong, but a change of heart, looking to a new way of doing things.

Jews were Jews by birth and John is telling them that, by itself, that was not enough. It should have been offensive, yet the crowds came. What were they seeking? A new beginning perhaps?

Then Mark says simply, “In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan…..Just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him.”

Look at Mark’s language – the heavens were torn apart, God breaks through. Though there is nothing for Jesus to repent of, this is a new beginning for him, too. Even before he had a chance to dry off, he found himself in the desert being tested.

Forty days and nights later he returns to begin his ministry, giving life and hope to all people. He tore apart people’s expectations of who they thought the Messiah was to be. He tore apart the barriers separating those who were accepted from those on the edge of society.

Just three years later, at the end of his life, Jesus hung on the cross between heaven and earth. As he breathed his last, the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Nothing would ever be the same again.

At his baptism, Jesus heard the words “A voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved with you I am well pleased.”

Jesus heard these words before he had begun his ministry. At this point there had been no miracles, no healing, no teaching, no parables, yet he is assured that he is God’s Son and loved.

He had the blessing of his Father and the Holy Spirit. He was baptized with us and for us. He had those words to hold on to as he went through the next three years. God was with him.

We are offered a new beginning too, not just at our baptism, but every day. We can do nothing to earn it. It is a gift of God’s love and grace. God is with us, too. When we know him, nothing can ever be the same for us. No matter what we go through, good and tough times, God is with us, to hold us, strengthen us, guide us and give us hope.

Reflective prayer:

The wonders of creation call out to us, Lord, and speak of the glory of your presence.

Even the seemingly simple fact of night changing to day proclaims the reality of how you provide for us. When we look at the world and our history, we see so many different examples of people who witness to the truth of your life shared with us.

There are radical, challenging people like John the Baptist who yank us out of our comfort zones to acknowledge your Lordship;

there are wise and inspiring teachers like Paul who draw us deeper into the truth of living with your life in us.

We bless and praise you, Lord, that in your providence you constantly reach out to speak to us. As this year proceeds, help us to listen more closely to the voice of your son Jesus, in the different ways he speaks to us, and help us to respond with deeper faith and trust to his call of love.
Amen.

Hymn:

I will never be the same again
I can never return, I’ve closed the door
I will walk the path, I’ll run the race
And I will never be the same again

I will never be the same again
I can never return, I’ve closed the door
I will walk the path, I’ll run the race
And I will never be the same again

Fall like fire, soak like rain
Flow like mighty waters, again and again
Sweep away the darkness, burn away the chaff
And let a flame burn to glorify Your name

There are higher heights, there are deeper seas
Whatever you need to do, Lord do in me
The Glory of God fills my life
And I will never be the same again

Fall like fire, soak like rain
Flow like mighty waters, again and again
Sweep always the darkness, burn away the chaff
And let a flame burn to glorify Your name

I will never be the same again
I can never return, I’ve closed the door
I will walk the path, I will run the race
And I will never be the same again
And I will never be the same again
And I will never be the same again

 

Prayers of intercession:

Called together as one family by the power of the Holy Spirit,
we pray to our Father God through Jesus,
the beloved Son,
for all our needs.

Jesus was confirmed in his mission
by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit;
help us to respond with confidence
to the gift of the Spirit in our lives.
Let us pray to the Lord:
Lord, hear our prayer.

We pray for those who govern our country
and especially for those who witness
to the value of human life.
May the truth prevail in public policy.
Let us pray to the Lord:
Lord, hear our prayer.

We pray for the children in our schools,
and for all who teach them

With all the uncertainty they face at this time.
May a new generation speak out
for the value of the unborn,
the disabled, the sick and the elderly.
Let us pray to the Lord:
Lord, hear our prayer.

we pray for all who are homeless or unemployed,

for those who cannot pay their mortgage

or rent,

for those who struggle to put food on the table.

Let us pray to the Lord:
Lord, hear our prayer.

We pray for all who suffer in the sadness of our world,

We pray for those who are fearful of what they may face this year,

Anxious for themselves and others,

those who feel isolated and alone,

those who are ill in body, mind or spirit,

or watching someone they love suffer,

and those who grieve.

Let us pray to the Lord:
Lord, hear our prayer.

Amen.

Hymn:

May the mind of Christ my Saviour
live in me from day to day,
by his love and power controlling
all I do and say.

May the word of God enrich me
with his truth, from hour to hour,
so that all may see I triumph
only through his power.

May the peace of God my Father
in my life for ever reign,
that I may be calm to comfort
those in grief and pain.

May the love of Jesus fill me
as the waters fill the sea;
him exalting, self abasing –
this is victory.

May his beauty rest upon me
as I seek to make him known;
so that all may look to Jesus,
seeing him alone.

May I run the race before me,
strong and brave to face the foe,
looking only unto Jesus,
as I onward go.

Blessing:

Lord, help us to be open to your prompting
as we seek to discover what you would have us be and do.
Remind as again and again that you have promised to be our
guide and companion on our journey.
Help us to look forward with renewed commitment,
and bless our thinking and speaking and doing.