Below is the service I ha - Newcastle United Church



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 CHURCHJanuary 10, 2021 10:30 a.m.Baptism of the Lord“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 GodWelcomeLighting the Christ Candle 50101501333500A Time of Centring – “A Light Is Gleaming” # 82 (chorus)(Words and music Copyright 1992 Borealis Music)A light is gleaming, spreading its arms throughout the night, living in the e share its gladness, God’s radiant love is burning bright, living in the light.Call to Worship (Responsive) (Genesis 1:1-5)In 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.Let us worship the God of creation.Hymn of Praise “God, Whose Almighty Word”# 313left-2984500God, whose almighty wordchaos and darkness heard, and took their flight, hear us, we humbly pray, and where the gospel daysheds not its glorious ray, let there be light.Jesus, who came to bringon your redeeming wing, healing and sight,health to the troubled mind, sight to the Spirit-blind,O now to humankind let there be light.Spirit of truth and love,lifegiving, holy dove, speed forth your flight;move on the water's face, bearing the lamp of grace,and in earth's darkest place let there be light.Blessed and holy three,glorious trinity, wisdom, love, might,boundless as ocean's tide rolling in fullest pride,through the world far and wide, let there be light.Prayer of Approach (Unison) Creator of Light and Love, we come to connect with you once again. From you we receive all we need to live love in the world. You are the source that lights our way and your Spirit guides our feet. Be with us now as we worship that we might then carry your light into the world. Amen.We Hear God’s WordHymn “Creating God, Your Fingers Trace” # 265 (Words copyright 1979 The Hymn Society. Use by permission of Hope Publishing Company)355028514795500Creating God, your fingers tracethe bold designs of farthest space;let sun and moon and stars and lightand what lies hidden praise your might.Sustaining God, your hands upholdearth's mysteries known or yet untold;let waters fragile blend with air,enabling life, proclaim your care.Redeeming God, your arms embraceall now despised for creed or race;let peace, descending like a dove,make known on earth your healing love.Indwelling God, your gospel claimsone family with a billion names;let every life be touched by graceuntil we praise you face to face.A Time To Be ChildrenHave you ever tried to talk to birds? No, just me? Try it sometime and see if they will sing back to you. I am not able to imitate bird songs, but I know people who can. Can you do it? I am told, that if you sing to a cardinal, it will sing back as if talking to you. Other birds will do this as well. left000Around my house there are many birds since we have some big maple trees in our yard. But by far the birds I hear the most are the mourning doves. Do you know what they sound like? Their song is a coo-coo-coo type of song. It sounds very sad. That’s why they are called mourning doves.4112260141732000I think the most famous dove we hear about is the dove Noah sent out of the ark to help determine if it was safe to open the doors and leave the ark. When Noah first sent the dove out it came back because everything was still covered with water and it could find no place to land. The second time Noah sent it out, it came back with an olive branch. This meant the dove had found dry ground. Noah sent it out again and the dove did not come back. It must have found a place to nest. It was time to start preparing to leave the ark and start life on land again. Since this time, the dove with an olive branch has been a symbol of peace.In today’s scripture reading we hear of another important dove. This dove appears right after John the Baptist baptizes Jesus in the Jordan River. The heavens open up when Jesus comes up out of the water and it is said that the Spirit of God descends looking like a dove. The dove, the Spirit, touches Jesus and fills him with God’s Spirit. The Spirit fills us too when we commit ourselves to living God’s way of love.We know that God is all around us. When we puzzle over difficult things, trying to figure them out, God’s Spirit, like the dove, hovers over us. The dove delivered the news of peace to Noah and the dove brought peace to surround Jesus at his baptism. The dove, the Spirit, surrounds us with peace and love.Listen for the dove singing. Try calling back. Maybe it will answer you. Look for the Spirit hovering over you. Feel it. Open your heart to the Spirit, and you will be surrounded by peace and love too.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.Ministry of Music – “Shine, Jesus Shine” (Trio – Moe & Shirley Schroter & Brian Reid)Acts 9:1-7 Paul baptizes and the Spirit is felt. Psalm 29 God’s voice over the waters. # 756Sung Response:Glory, glory, glory to our God!Ascribe to God, you powers of the heaven,ascribe to God all glory and strength!838200Ascribe due honour to God's holy name,and worship in the beauty of holiness. RGod's voice is over the waters -God's glory thundering across the great waters.God's voice is power, God's voice is full of majesty.God's voice shatters the cedars,splinters the cedars of Lebanon.God's voice makes Lebanon skip like a calf,Mount Hermon stampede like a wild young bull.God's voice forks into tongues of fire,God's voice shakes the wilderness,sets trembling the wilderness of Kadesh.God's voice causes the oaks to whirl,stripping the forest bare;and in the temple all cry: Glory! RGod sits enthroned above the waters,God is enthroned as sovereign forever.You give strength to your people, O God.Now give to your people the blessing of peace. RMark 1:4-11 Jesus is baptized. This is the Word of the Lord.Thanks be to God.Hymn “Crashing Waters” # 449(Words copyright 1994 G.I.A. Publications, Inc. Music copyright 1994 William A. Cross)Crashing waters at creation,39890701079500ordered by the Spirit's breath,first to witness day's beginningfrom the brightness of night's death. Parting water stood and trembledas the captives passed on through,washing off the chains of bondage -channel to a life made new.Cleansing water once at Jordanclosed around the one foretold,opened to reveal the gloryever new and ever old.Living water, never ending,quench the thirst and flood the soul.Wellspring, Source of life eternal,drench our dryness, make us whole.Message The lights won't come on if the power is off. That's a fact, but sometimes our actions seem to ignore that fact. We humans are creatures of habit. We do a lot of things without thinking about it. Most of the time we are operating on automatic pilot.-1905-3810For instance, have you ever walked into a dark room and flicked the light switch, even though you knew that the power was off? Everyone knows that the lights won't come on without electricity. But we try to turn them on anyway. And even after we realize that the power is off, we keep flicking the light switch anyway to no avail.4951095434340This seems to be a universal truth that applies to more than just electricity. It also applies to our spiritual lives. We can't shine spiritually if the power is off. We can't find meaning and proclaim truth if we are not plugged in to the main source of power. That is a truth that most of us would affirm yet many Christians try to shine the light of Christ while the main breaker is in the OFF position.The lights won't come on if the power is off. This is a universal truth that can be seen in creation itself. In Genesis it says that the universe was a vast dark chaos before God began creating. It says that "darkness covered the face of the deep." But before God can start making something of this vast darkness it says the wind or spirit of God swept over the face of the deep. Then, God said, "Let there be light!"Before God could turn the lights on, the universe had to be plugged into a power source. And that power source is the Spirit, or presence, of God. Without the Spirit of God, the universe would still be a dark place. You or I could flick the switch all day and it would still be dark.Since this is a universal principle, that the lights won't come on without the power on, it also applies to each of us. After all we are part of this creation. If the universe cannot run without a power source, then neither can we. Makes sense, right?Perhaps we can see this principle at work in Jesus' own life. The writer of the Gospel of Mark writes, "In those days Jesus came from Nazareth to Galilee and was baptized by John." For most of his first 30 years Jesus lived in Nazareth. We know very little about his life there. -19052540He was probably a carpenter: a pretty peaceful and ordinary existence. In those days, Jesus left that life and began a new life. He left the comfort and security of Nazareth to begin traveling to teach and heal. Instead of his bed in Nazareth, Jesus slept on the ground or in borrowed accommodation. He gave up the security of a carpentry shop for the hazards of the open road. He left a peaceful existence for a life destined to end on the cross.In those same days, we are told, John the Baptist was baptizing in the Jordan River. People flocked to John because they were looking for something missing in their lives. They had turned from God and desperately needed and wanted to turn back. They could feel something was off with how they lived. They wanted to turn from their old lives of selfishness and hate. They wanted to find a way to turn to a new life of loving God and their neighbour. So, they repented, and John baptized them to demonstrate God's forgiveness and their choice of turning to live a new way. And Jesus, who was among them, came to be baptized as well.But Jesus didn't need to repent. We believe that Jesus, unlike all other humans, had never turned from God. He was sinless. He had nothing to repent of. But like them, Jesus was leaving his old life behind. And like them, Jesus was being obedient to God. He was surrendering to God's will for his life. So, despite John's objections (which Mark’s Gospel doesn’t share with us as other Gospels do), Jesus was baptized.Right after Jesus was baptized something important happened: the heavens were torn open. I remember a time I was at my grandparents’ apartment in Toronto. They were on the 32nd floor and faced Lake Ontario. One afternoon I looked out. It was overcast but the clouds were starting to break up. And the sun was shining through in a few places. And I could see the rays of light shining through the clouds. And way out in the lake one part of the water was illuminated and it seemed to glow against the backdrop of the darkness around it. It was as if heaven had broken through and the glory of God was shining through for all to see. That is how I imagine it looked to Jesus.45319959525It is important to note that the heavens were torn open, because the Spirit that descended on Jesus was the Spirit of God. The power of the Holy Spirit sent from God was descending on and filling the Son. And God said, "You are my Son, the Beloved, with you I am well pleased."This incident is important because it demonstrates the principle I am preaching about. It shows us that Jesus' power was from above; from God. Without the power of God, Jesus could not have done the things that he did. He could not have healed the sick or cast out demons. He could not have multiplied the loaves or calmed the sea. He could not have forgiven his disciples for deserting him. He could not have willingly died for the very men who nailed him to the cross. He could not have been the Lamb of God slain for the sin of the world. He was God with us. The Word made the flesh. He didn't need an infusion of power to work miracles. He was that power incarnate. But for our benefit God demonstrated that truth.The lights won't come on if the power is off. Jesus was able to live as he did because he was full -1905172085of the spiritual power of God. He was able to shine a light in the darkness because the power was on. And the only real source of spiritual power in this universe is the Spirit of God. Jesus was, and is, that spiritual power.Too many Christians try to live a Christian life without being filled with that power. They try to shine the light when the power is off. They think that they can find meaning in life without prayer, without reading the Bible, without gathering with other Christians. They try to live for Christ without looking to Christ. They are like someone standing in the dark flicking a light switch while the main breaker is reading "Off."We can't live a truly Christ following life on our own. The only way to live a Christ follower’s life is to empty ourselves and be filled with spiritual power from above. Do you want the strength to face the troubles of life? Do you want to be able to forgive and put the past behind you? Do you want to see miracles happen in your life? Then surrender to Christ. Put the past behind you. Turn from sin and turn to God. Let power from heaven fill you. These are the things both John the Baptist and Jesus the Christ offer the people who come to them.The lights won't come on if the power is off. This is a universal principle. The problem is, it is contrary to what our society believes. Our society believes in independence and self reliance. "Get a hold of yourself" - "Pull yourself up by your bootstraps." That is what the world tells us.But that is not how it works. You can go out and buy a portable generator so that if the power goes down you can still turn on the lights in your house. But there is no such thing as a portable spiritual generator. You can't generate your own spiritual power you have to get it from God.Yet people try to be their own source of spiritual energy - their own God. They try to live on their own. They think because they once turned to God in the past, they don't need God anymore. And they drop out of connecting with other faithful Christ followers, they stop looking to scripture and forget to pray. They basically unplug themselves and then when things get dark, they wonder why the light won't come on.The lights won't come on if the power is off. God is the only power source for abundant life. Turn from your self reliance and turn to God in faith and devotion. Surrender to God’s will, just as Jesus surrendered and was obedient unto death on a cross. Let God fill you with the spirit and work in you. Then stand back and watch the lights come on in your life. We Respond To God’s WordMinistry of Music – “I Am The Light Of The World” (Trio – Moe & Shirley Schroter & Brian Reid)Offering InvitationWe come with the work of our hands and hearts. We may not bring gold, frankincense or myrrh as the first gift givers did, but we bring 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 right8890We come to stand on the banks of the river with Jesus this day, O God. We see all the people who are gathered there. They have come to accept the gift of baptism that comes when they make the decision to change their lives. Did the people standing with Jesus truly understand what they were saying? Were they sure they would be up to the challenge of living a life of faith in you? We too face that challenge each and every day. We ask that you send your Spirit upon us to fill us with the light and life we need to live faithfully.As we gather at this river with Jesus and others, generous Creator and Friend, please receive our thanks for the remarkable gift of water, without which this earth would be as barren as the moon. Water is all around us, a symbol of life. We hear the downpours and feel the gentle mist, we see oceans, lakes, rivers and streams, ponds and puddles. All this allows us to live in a land with green trees, blooming flowers and gardens that feed us. This water cleans and refreshes, us and the earth. We thank and praise you for this special gift of water, and we pray that we may be good stewards of such bounty, maintaining its purity and availability for generations that are to come.?Most loving God, thank you for the many things, great and small, that enlighten us beyond our common way of seeing things. We give thanks for the Holy One who came to the waters of the Jordan for Baptism.?For the heavens opening, the Spirit?alighting,?and the Word clearly sounding. We thank you, loving?God, that although we may not always be very wise or faithful, we have come to that same watering place, and follow that same beloved Son from the Jordan.left5905500?Most Holy Friend, please teach us to pray for others, with our feelings and well as our minds, with our actions and well as our words. We know that as morals, we struggle to pray sometimes when events and situations challenge us. We know this day, that is the case in many places, including the United States, and for many people. You, God, are the source of power, light and love. Be with us as we pray, as we are able.Teach us to pray for those who believe the heavens are forever empty and devoid of any divine purpose or compassion. Teach us to pray for any who fear that their wrongdoing has closed the heavens forever against them. Teach us to pray for the people who think they are too unimportant for God to notice, or their worries to trivial to mention. Teach us to pray for some whose loss of work, or broken marriages, or poverty and homelessness, makes them feel forsaken. ?Teach us to pray for the victims of emotional or mental illness, especially those who fear that God has?completely?left them. ?Teach us to pray for some who been too arrogant to believe in?God,?and now in desperate need are too stubborn to contemplate faith. ?Teach us to pray for those with whom we do not agree, but who are your children and need to know your presence and peace as much as we.Teach us to pray for each other in this church, not thinking that some have a faith too strong to need our prayers, or others too shallow to deserve them. And now hear the prayers of our hearts and minds…?Holy Friend, please keep us close to the beloved Son, in whom you are well pleased, that through him and with him, we may celebrate the joys of an open heaven and a redeemed earth.?Through Christ Jesus our Saviour. Amen.(Inspired by and adapted from Bruce Prewer. Used with permission.)Closing Hymn “Spirit, Spirit Of Gentleness” # 375(Words and music copyright 1978 James K. Manley)4472305762000 Spirit, Spirit of gentleness,blow thro' the wilderness calling and free,Spirit, Spirit of restlessness,stir me from placidness,Wind, Wind on the sea.You moved on the waters, you called to the deep,then you coaxed up the mountains from thevalleys of sleep;and over the eons you called to each thing:wake from your slumbers and rise on your wings. RYou swept thro' the desert, you stung with the sand,and you goaded your people with a law and a land;and when they were blinded with their idols and lies,then you spoke thro' your prophets to open their eyes. RYou sang in a stable, you cried from a hill,then you whispered in silence when the whole worldwas still;and down in the city you called once again,when you blew through your people on the rushof the wind. RYou call from tomorrow, you break ancient schemes,from the bondage of sorrow the captives dream dreams,our women see visions, our men clear their eyes,with bold new decisions your people arise. RCommissioning and Benediction We too, are God’s beloved children.God created a world for us to call home.Through the Spirit God brought light and love to the world.May we go and do likewise.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.(written by George Allen, Gathering A/C/E 2020-21, p. 42. Used with permission.)Sung Blessing “Go Now In Peace” (Copyright 1988 by Harold Flammer Music, a Division of Shawnee Press, Inc.)left12890500Go 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.And online we end together (wait for folks to get their mics unmuted)And the people say:Hallelujah and Amen!Mission & Service & Outreach2293620109855A grandmother who is raising her grandchildren after her children died of AIDS tells her story.Credit: World Council of Churches Ecumenical HIV and AIDS Initiatives and AdvocacyIn Kenya, 1.5 million people live with HIV. In the Rift Valley of Kenya, 7 percent of the people who live there are HIV positive. That’s roughly 892,707 people. Sadly, the grandmothers whose children have died of AIDS are often left alone to care for their grandchildren. To add insult to injury, their church community condemns them.Why? Because some pastors who don’t know the facts about HIV believe and teach that faithful Christians cannot contract the disease. They think HIV is a result of sexual sin and that it’s a judgment from God for sexual immorality—a disease for sinners.“The pastors had little information about HIV and AIDS; to them, and others in the community, it was a strange disease. Their theological interpretation of the disease was based on the way they read about the incurable diseases mentioned in the Old Testament. The pastors said that they had believed and taught that a believer in Christ cannot contract HIV—that HIV is a disease for sinners. HIV was a result of sexual sin and was a judgement from God for the sexually immoral,” write Esther Mombo, regional coordinator of the World Council of Churches Ecumenical HIV and AIDS Initiatives and Advocacy, and Pauline Wanjuru, lecturer in the faculty of theology and director of partnerships and alumni relations at St. Paul’s University in Limuru, Kenya.With support from your Mission & Service gifts, Mombo and Wanjuru led a series of workshops in one Rift Valley community that has been hit especially hard by HIV/AIDS. The workshops invited grandmothers and pastors to meet and discuss the nature of the disease and the stigma around it.One grandmother who attended the workshops was 70 years old. She had lost both her daughter and her son and was left to raise three grandchildren on her own. Instead of stepping up to help, her neighbours refused to visit her because they said her daughter and son had been sexually immoral. Her pastor wouldn’t even attend her children’s funerals because he didn’t want to be seen associating with her family. When she went to church, the pastor preached about the punishment for sexual immorality.At the workshops, this woman bravely told her story to the pastors who attended. She also shared with them how it felt to be shamed for loving her children and grandchildren. Another grandmother explained that her grandchildren were born with the virus and thus couldn’t have been involved in any sexual immorality. Yet another spoke of God’s love for everyone.As the grandmothers told their stories, they felt more and more confident in their knowledge and experience. The pastors learned more about the disease and made a commitment to extend compassion and offer pastoral care to the grandmothers. For these pastors, the experience was a true epiphany.Beliefs inform actions. How we think affects what we do. All of us know from our own life experience that when we know better, we do better.Your?Mission & Service?gifts support people around the world in speaking their truth so Christ’s light of love can shine in all we think, say, and do. Thank you for your faithful support.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).left16891000 Thank you to all who have been assisting with our worship services. All those who have taken the time to come to record music or readings, and those who have taken on leadership roles when requested. And Thank you to all of the congregation for your patience as we have been experiencing increasing issues with the technology, especially sound. We are presently working to address the issues. It is frustrating for all of us at times, but your patience is appreciated as we work to improve.5076825-4254500Our church YouTube channel, is where you can find recordings of weekly worship services and Music to Wash Dishes By. Here is the link - Study – Our 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.ca52959001270000From the Stewards:2021 Church Envelopes – we’re doing things a little differently just now. If you did not have envelopes in 2020 and would like a set for 2021, please contact me (below). If you are in Newcastle, I can drop off OR if you wish to pick up, I am in the office Friday mornings from 9AM-11AM and can leave your box for you to pick up from the Emily St. entrance. Please e-mail me: le.mcswan@ if you want to pick up. – Thanks, Lornaleft17653000Annual Report – with apologies because we just entered a new year - would the chairs of each committee please prepare and submit your 2020 report to Lorna not later than Friday, January 22, 2021. Please send to: le.mcswan@. Thank you.J Kirk Richards “The Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist”Newcastle United Church ................
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