Below is the service I ha



center0Below is the service I have created for this Sunday. I hope this is something you can use for personal/family worship. We are all worshiping together, no matter where we are. If you are joining us online for this service, then you may want to have this resource with you so you have the words to the responses and hymns at your fingertips in case you can’t see the screen.Rev. Mary-JaneThe words provided for the hymns are done with permission under One License # A-727596.00Below is the service I have created for this Sunday. I hope this is something you can use for personal/family worship. We are all worshiping together, no matter where we are. If you are joining us online for this service, then you may want to have this resource with you so you have the words to the responses and hymns at your fingertips in case you can’t see the screen.Rev. Mary-JaneThe words provided for the hymns are done with permission under One License # A-727596.NEWCASTLE UNITED CHURCHFebruary 7, 2021 10:30 a.m.The Season of Epiphany“As followers of Christ, we are called to be a worshipping and learning, receiving and giving community of faith, hope and love.” – Newcastle United Church Mission StatementSurely God is in this place. Help me notice.We Approach GodWelcome-19059779000Lighting the Christ Candle A Time of Centring – “Lord, Prepare Me” MV # 18(Words and music Copyright 1982 by Whole Armour & Full Armor Publishing Companies)Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary, pure and holy tried and true; with thanksgiving, I’ll be a living sanctuary for you. (sing twice)Call to Worship (Responsive) (inspired by Isaiah 40:21-31)Who is it that does the most wonderful things?Do you not know?Who is it that looks upon the smallest of creatures?Have you not heard?Who is it that gives guidance to rulers, great and small?Have you not been told from the very beginning?Who is it that renews our strength? Who is it that causes us to soar like eagles? Who is it that carries us through our lives?Do you not know? Have you not heard? Have you not been told from the very beginning? It is our God who does these wonderful things!Then come!We come and will worship our God!(Written by Richard Bott, Gathering L/E 2021, p. 46. Used with permission.)Hymn of Praise “Eternal, Unchanging”# 223(Words copyright 1988 Emmanuel College, Toronto)Eternal, Unchanging, we sing to your praise:your mercies are endless, and righteous your ways;your servants proclaim the renown of your namewho rules over all and is ever the same.39604951397000Again we rejoice in the world you have made, your mighty creation in beauty arrayed,we thank you for life, and we praise you for joy,for love and for hope that no power can destroy.We praise you for Jesus, our Master and Lord,the might of his Spirit, the truth of his word,his comfort in sorrow, his patience in pain,the faith sure and steadfast that Jesus shall reign.Prayer of Approach (Unison) God, we gather because we have seen, heard and been told about your great love for us. We come to return that love and to be filled anew so we might share that love with others. Within your Spirit, we worship and serve your world together. Amen.We Hear God’s WordHymn “Jesus’ Hands Were Kind Hands” # 570(Words copyright 1979 Stainer & Bell Ltd. Used by permission of Hope Publishing Company)Jesus' hands were kind hands, doing good to all,healing pain and sickness, blessing children small, 4198620-4445washing tired feet, and saving those who fall;Jesus' hands were kind hands, doing good to all.Take my hands, O Jesus, let them work for you,make them strong and gentle, kind in all I do;let me watch you, Jesus, till I'm gentle too,till my hands are kind hands, quick to work for you.A Time To Be Children-1905127000 Have you ever seen an eagle or hawk soaring in the sky? It’s an amazing thing to watch, isn’t it? This big, beautiful bird spreading out its’ wings and just letting the air take it where it will. They often just seem to glide and dip and be having all sorts of fun. Their wing span is huge and watching them I often think it seems like it takes very little effort to soar like that. Pretty sure it is more difficult than it seems. If I didn’t dislike heights so much, I might want to try soaring like that.Now, a hummingbird is a very different matter. I love watching them too. They are both beautiful birds, eagles and hummingbirds. One with its huge wings and the other so tiny. Have you ever stopped to think about how different it is for these two birds to fly? The hummingbird has to beat its’ wings very fast, so fast you almost can’t see them. While the eagle can flap much more slowly, and then not at all as it soars.Do you feel like an eagle or a hummingbird today? Are you flapping hard, or hardly flapping? There is a verse in our Isaiah reading that says: “…those who wait for the LORD hall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. (40:31)A question: Do eagles soar like they do by their own power? How do they stay up in the air gliding and circling like that without flapping their wings? It isn’t the eagle’s power, but the wind that keeps them up. I don’t understand all the science, maybe some of you do, but there are air currents that provide the ride up and down and around. That keeps them up there.When we are tired of doing the right thing, of being nice, obeying our parents, and aren’t sure we can keep doing what God wants us to do, we need to find the strength to keep going and doing all those things. How do we do that? Just like with the eagles and the wind, we get God’s spirit lifting us up, if we stop and ask for the help.When we are trying to do things all by ourselves, it is much more like the wildly flapping wings of a hummingbird. I always get exhausted watching them. But, when we ask God for help, we get the wind beneath our wings and things become much easier. We get the strength to keep going.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 that 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.Isaiah 40:21-31 Those who wait upon God will renew their strength. Psalm 147:1-11, 20c God heals the broken-hearted. # 869 Part 1Sung Response:Sing to God in great thanksgiving.7429574930How good it is to sing praises to God,how pleasant to laud the Most High.You are building Jerusalem, O God, and gathering the scattered exiles of Israel.You are healing the broken-hearted,and binding up their wounds.You count the number of the stars,and call them all by their names.Great are you, O God, and mighty your power;yes, and your wisdom is infinite.You raise up the lowly,and bring down the wicked to dust. RSing to God in thanksgiving;make music on the harp to our God,who covers the sky with clouds, who prepares rain for the earth, who makes the hills green with grass.You give the cattle their food,and the young ravens when they cry.You set no store by the power of a horse,nor by the strength of a warrior's thighs.But your delight is in those who revere you,in those who rely on your mercy. RMark 1:29-39 Jesus heals many. This is the Word of the Lord.Thanks be to God.Hymn “When Jesus The Healer” # 358 (v. 1, 5-7)(Words copyright 1978 Stainer & Bell Ltd. Music copyright 1978, 1979 Stainer & Bell Ltd and Methodist Church (UK). Used by permission of Hope Publishing Company)434149548895When Jesus the healer passed through Galilee,Heal us, heal us today! the deaf came to hear and the blind came to see.Heal us, *Lord Jesus!The lepers were healed and the demons cast out.Heal us, heal us today! A bent woman straightened to laugh and to shout.Heal us, Lord Jesus!The twelve were commissioned and sent out in twos,Heal us, heal us today!to make the sick whole and to spread the good news.Heal us, Lord Jesus!There's still so much sickness and suffering today.Heal us, heal us today!We gather together for healing and pray:Heal us, Lord Jesus!Message From all the scriptures we have for today one verse stands out for me. Perhaps that is because I often think about finding a chance to “get away” just before Lent starts, or perhaps it is because I need reminding as we head toward Lent and Easter. The one verse that stands out for me is: “In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed.” After all the healing and teaching he had done Jesus needed a break. We have all felt stressed out, wondered what we were doing; where our lives were going. More so now that ever for many.This picture of Jesus leaves us looking at his very human side. He is like us; he works and then he needs a break. It all seems very simple, very usual, but is it? Simon and the others with Jesus did not see this simple need. Simon came to look for Jesus; he seems somewhat exasperated that they have had to go looking for Jesus, to bring him back to do more healing. They think that unless Jesus is “doing” something he is wasting his time. Have you ever been part of a scene like this one?As a teenager, I could often be found sitting in a big armchair staring off into space. My mother or father would come along and ask me what I was doing, when they thought I should have been doing homework or the like. The answer, “just thinking”, never seemed to be good enough. I just needed time to rejuvenate myself, sort out my thoughts, get focused. I still do, only now I’m the one who is questioning myself about the lack of doing something. Sometimes, activity needs to be tempered with contemplation.I took a course in my final year at theological college called “Contemplation and Action.” The course looked at different people and how they have combined the active part of their lives with the quiet, contemplative, prayerful part. Very quickly the importance of having both in your life becomes apparent. Jesus knew this. So, he went to a deserted place, and he prayed.-190522860What did he pray? Mark doesn’t tell us specifically, but we can guess that he was trying to decide where or what he should “do” next. He has been rejuvenated by this quiet time of prayer and now he is ready to accept the mission he has been given and can move on.The darkness and loneliness of the time and place for prayer struck me as rather significant. In our lives it is often very difficult to find a quiet or private time. There is always something going on around us, some noise to break in on us, someone to ask us what we are doing. I find this to be exceptionally so during the pre-Christmas time. I may have told you about my experience living over a retail store during the holidays and the ever-lengthening time the music was blasted into the street. Getting a quiet time then during the Christmas rush, in fact it seems to happen again each year, was virtually impossible, at least until late at night. By then it is dark. My prayerful, quiet times came in the darkness and loneliness of the day. Now they come at or just before sunrise as I try to find a time when not just my household, but my neighbourhood is quiet.We all need that lonely time. It is often the time we are able to hear God best. Elijah heard a still, small voice; I have found God often speaks in that way, a way we can only hear when we are quiet, restful and listening.I have recently begun re-reading some books by a woman named Sheila Cassidy. I first discovered her in my Contemplation and Action class. She demonstrates in her books how she has come to balance the active and the contemplative in her life, and to find renewal of self in prayer. Sheila is a doctor and during the early 70’s she was working on a residency in plastic surgery in Chile. She was asked to treat a revolutionary after the coup in that country and because of this treatment found herself arrested, tortured and imprisoned. While she was imprisoned, she was given a poem that she found spoke to her about the presence of God; how it comes when you least expect it, when you are quiet.The poem goes like this:I built my house by the sea.Not on the sands, mind you, Not on the shifting sand.And I built it of rock.A strong house by a strong sea.And we got well acquainted, the sea and I.Good neighbours.Not that we spoke much.We met in silences, respectful, keeping our distance but looking our thoughts across the fence of sand.Always the fence of sand our barrier, always the sand between.And then one day(and I still don’t know how it happened).The sea came.Without warning.Without welcome even.Not sudden and swift, but a shifting across the sand like wine, less like the flow of water than the flow of blood.And I thought of flight, and I thought of drowning, and I thought of death.But while I thought the sea crept higher till it reached my door.And I knew that there was neither flight nor death nor drowning.That when the sea comes calling you stop being good neighbours,Well acquainted, friendly from a distance neighbours.And you give your house for a coral castleAnd you learn to breathe under water.Still, Sheila finds that this presence of God continues to be found through contemplation. She continues to work in hospice in England. She admits that “doing” makes it easier to continue to work in an environment of suffering and death, but that it can only go on so long before she is unable to continue. And so, she goes to a deserted place and she prays. Often,she finds this place in a monastery or convent, but she also finds this place in her own home, or at the hospice.More interesting, is she sees the healing of Jesus come to many of her patients in the lonely, very dark nights of their suffering. As Jesus was renewed after his time of prayer, so are her patients renewed after spending this time in contemplation and darkness. They often accept that there is a job for them to “do” now, before they die, in order to help others.As Jesus had a mission, so too do these patients. They suffer and die, Sheila sees, in a way similar to the suffering and dying of Jesus. Each have accepted, albeit at times reluctantly, the prophetic role they have. Jesus seems to have needed time to accept what his prophetic role was and how it would be fulfilled.We all worry when we have a down time, when we are unable to continually “do”. We do not accept that it is the rhythm of life. Jesus showed us this rhythm or work, rest and prayer. It becomes especially important when we feel overwhelmed. Jesus is said to have healed all of the people brought to him. When word of such a healer got out it is likely that this “all” would not have been a tiny group. He knew he could not continue until he had done something for himself, something to give him new life. To give life we need to have life. And so, he went to a deserted place, and there he prayed.As with the rest of life, we need to see in Jesus an example for many aspects of our life. As he showed us how to love and care for our neighbour, he shows us how to love and care for ourselves. “In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed.”Each of us needs to find our very dark, deserted place and there, to pray. Amen.We Respond To God’s WordOffering InvitationWe come with the work of our hands and hearts. We bring what we have. We bring our devotion, dedication and service. We celebrate what we have received, and we offer ourselves to God…The Offertory (#538) (words and music copyright 1991 Abingdon Press)For the gift of creation, the gift of your love,and the gift of the Spirit by which we live,we thank you and give you the fruit of our hands.May your grace be proclaimed by the gifts that we give. Dedication Prayer (Unison)Loving God, we come offering our whole selves to you. We make this offering full of your Spirit, which brings life in abundance. This abundance, which we share now, reminds us that we too are your children, ‘with whom you are well pleased.’ Amen.Prayers of the People 3474720353695Wonderful are your gifts, and infinitely more wonderful are you, God of Christ Jesus and our God. Each day declares your generosity and each night displays your glory.We thank you for the good earth beneath our feet, for the abundance that rises from its fertility, and for all the creatures that share its goodness.We thank you for streams and lakes, for great rivers and the mighty oceans, for the winds that sweep the earth and the air that maintains our life, breath by breath.We thank you for the skies above us, the incredible expanses of the universe and the billions of stars that tease our curiosity and help keep us humble.We thank you for all of us, the human race, in all its diversity and similarity, its great minds and its precious care givers, and with its potential to be far greater than we have yet known.We thank you for the special people who have helped shape our lives, family members and neighbours, friends and teachers, lovers and pastors, counsellors and little children.We thank you for the great leaders and prophets of the Bible. Most of all for Jesus of Nazareth?whose?Spirit still encourages us yet disconcerts us, gives us answers yet raises deep questions, saves us and entrusts us with a Gospel that belongs to the whole world.?-1905915035Most holy Friend, you sent us Jesus to mend that which is broken, to bridge that which is alienated, and to heal that which is diseased. In his name our troubled hearts speak to you, God, of those many people whose needs are great and whose comforts are few. We know that we have something to offer those around us, and we ask that our prayers be given wings in your Spirit to enhance your loving presence and embrace in places and needs we know little about, or maybe not at all. We simply offer our faith, in prayer, for all your creation. May our faith be enlarged by your steadfast love, O God.?We speak to you of our concern for places where there is conflict, violence, and misery: war ravaged countries, domestic cruelty, bullying in school grounds, workplace intimidation, gang warfare on streets, or terrorist attacks.We speak to you of our concern for all displaced people: in refugee camps, fugitives from oppression, those crowded on unseaworthy boats, those in detention?centres,?and for all separated families and traumatised children.We speak to you of our concern for neighbours, colleagues, or members of our own families who are struggling and finding life tough at the moment. We know that neighbour is not a description of only the people who live next door, but of all who share this planet. We pray for all this day, as we live together in a world struggling to become healthy, in so many ways. We speak to you of the unemployed and the disabled, some fighting terminal illness, others in despair from broken relationships, some grieving a death, many caught up in predicaments for which there seems no obvious answer.We speak to you of our concern for the church: with its flourishing or weak congregations, some living in comfort and others surviving under persecution, some filled with self doubts and some with over self-confidence, churches without priests and ministers or those where sadly there is conflict between clergy and laity.We speak to you of the prayers for others that lie upon our hearts this day…We speak to you now loving God of ourselves: Help us, in our own small way, to be more like your compassionate Christ. Shape our thoughts, sift our feelings, supervise our efforts, bless our abilities, that we may get the best out of each day and give the best to those around us.?Through the grace of Christ Jesus our Redeemer.?Amen.(Inspired by and adapted from Bruce Prewer. Used with permission.)Closing Hymn “We Are Pilgrims” # 595 (v. 1,3-5)(Words and music copyright 1977 Scripture in Song)340804526670We are pilgrims on a journey,fellow travellers on the road;we are here to help each otherwalk the mile and bear the load.I will hold the Christ-light for youin the night-time of your fear;I will hold my hand out to you,speak the peace you long to hear.I will weep when you are weeping,when you laugh I'll laugh with you;I will share your joy and sorrow,till we've seen this journey through.When we sing to God in heaven,we shall find such harmony,born of all we've known togetherof Christ's love and missioning and Benediction As we go, like those who came to Jesus, we have been healed and nurtured by God’s grace.We go to share the same with others.For we go knowing we are never alone, we are loved unconditionally and that God’s grace is ever flowing.And may the grace of Christ attend you, the love of God surround, the Holy Spirit keep each one of you now and always. Amen.Sung Blessing “Go Now In Peace” (Copyright 1988 by Harold Flammer Music, a Division of Shawnee Press, Inc.)6477011303000Go now in peace. Never be afraid. God will go with you each hour of every day. Go now in faith, steadfast, strong and true.Know God will guide you in all you do.Go now in love, and show you believe.Reach out to others so all the world can see.God will be there watching from above.Go now in peace, in faith, and in love.Amen, Amen, Amen.And online we end together (wait for folks to get their mics unmuted)And the people say:Hallelujah and Amen!Mission & Service Fund – Minute for MissionLakshmi, on the left, is safely returned to her family.Credit: Diocese of DurgapurLakshmi, a teenager from West Bengal, India, went missing from her family home just a few months ago. Struggling to survive, Lakshmi was trafficked by her aunt, who promised that she could earn money and become independent by “dancing.” Thankfully, Lakshmi’s parents contacted the Diocese of Durgapur, which runs an anti-human trafficking program supported by your Mission & Service gifts. The Diocese intervened, and on the threat of legal action, Lakshmi’s aunt returned her to her parents.Human trafficking is a burgeoning crisis in India, where non-government organizations estimate that 20?65 million people, especially women and girls, are exploited.Girls like Lakshmi are typically trafficked to be sexually exploited or forced into marriage. But they are also trafficked for labour and even for organ harvesting. Sometimes their own families traffic them. Other times, girls are taken by complete strangers, who often hunt for victims in places where it’s easy to poach them.Around the world, human trafficking is one of the fastest-growing criminal enterprises because it is relatively low risk and has a high profit potential. That’s because, unlike drugs, humans can be sold repeatedly.The pandemic has made the problem even worse, especially in parts of the world where the economy is suffering because of the COVID-19 crisis.“The pandemic has had many repercussions in India. Migrant labourers all over India have lost their jobs, and many have died trying to reach home for the lockdown. The economy took a hit with the largest drop in GDP of 23.9 percent. Every time India faces a crisis, there is a rise in trafficking in the country,” explains Raja Moses, a program coordinator with the Diocese of Durgapur.Your gifts through?Mission & Service?are making a difference. In partnership with the Diocese of Durgapur, your support helps the anti-trafficking unit find and free women and children who are being trafficked. Once they are freed, your gifts help victims seek justice for what they have been through and regain a sense of worth and acceptance. Your generosity is also preventative, helping provide the education that is needed to offer protection against predators.Our Life & WorkPlease note: Rev. Mary-Jane is based in her home office but available by email to either newcastleunitedchurch@bellnet.ca or revmj@hotmail.ca (her personal confidential email) and by phone at all times (905-244-8453).76206540500UCW – Donna Scott has offered to host a virtual UCW meeting. The meeting will be held via Zoom on Monday, February 8 at 1:30 pm. Please contact Donna at 905-983-5026 or scott3527@sympatico.ca or the church office if you would like the Zoom like to take part. Donna also has information regarding World Day of Prayer, for those who are interested.Annual Congregational Meeting – The Official Board, after much discussion, has decided that our Annual Meeting will be held by Zoom on February 28, 2021 at 2 pm. Everyone will be receiving the Annual Report booklet shortly by email with further information.Our church YouTube channel, is where you can find recordings of weekly worship services and Music to Wash Dishes By. Here is the link Study – 427672536576000Our weekly, Wednesday morning online Bible Study starts at 10 am on Zoom. If you would like to join in, please e-mail the church office and we will send you the link: newcastleunitedchurch@bellnet.caAsh Wednesday – a special service will be held via Zoom on Wednesday, February 17 at 7PM. The Zoom link will be sent prior to the service.During this time, and as you are able, your church offering can continue in these ways:Mail your donation to the church: 84 Mill St. South, Newcastle, ON L1B 1H2Envelope drop-off in the Emily Street entrance while Lorna is in the office Fridays 9-11AMPre-Authorized Remittance (PAR) – monthly donation debited from your bank account on or about the 20th of each month. Changes can be made at any time. Please e-mail Lorna: le.mcswan@ for the PAR authorization form.E-transfers can be made to: nucetransfer@. Security answer “Givings”.CanadaHelps: through this link or the link on our website: “Donate” page.Thank you to all who continue to support the work of our church, even though we are not able to be together in person.Newcastle United Church ................
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