Advent 4: Sunday 19 December 2021

BURTON JOYCE 

COMMUNITY CHURCH

with Nottingham North East Circuit 

Advent 4 Sunday 19 December 2021

Prepared by Jan Davies, adapted for Burton Joyce by Phil Colbourn

Hymns from Songs of Fellowship (SoF)

Prayer of approach 

Lord and Father: We to live in a dark world today where evil seems to be in control. This year has been difficult. We join with your people throughout the ages who have cried out to you for deliverance. Give us patience as we wait for your final victory. Amen

Advent Candles: Today we light four candles 

Let’s sing SoF 1419 Light of the World (So here I am)

Prayer: Praise and worship (A Song of Christ’s Glory) 

Christ Jesus was in the form of God, but He did not cling to equality with God. He emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, and was born in our human likeness. Being found in human form, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even death on the cross. 

Therefore, God has highly exalted Him, & bestowed on Him the name above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth & under the earth; & every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Amen

Readings: Malachi 2:17- 3:4; Luke 3:1-6

Hymn SoF 150 Hail to the Lord’s anointed

Sermon: Prepare for Change

In Advent, we traditionally concentrate on the message of John the Baptist. There had been 400 years since there had been a prophet in Israel so, when John the Baptist came preaching in the desert just like an Old Testament prophet, the people knew that there was big change coming. The prophet Malachi was just such an example. 

The people of Judah and Jerusalem had been hauled off to Babylon as exiles. They had been there for approximately 60 years when Babylon was defeated by the Persian Empire and, in the upheaval, a Jewish patriot called Zerubbabel led a hundred families back to Jerusalem where they found everything in ruins. They set about rebuilding the Temple. However, everything was a mess and, to be honest, those who came back were still influenced by foreign gods. 

It was now that the prophets Malachi in Jerusalem and Ezekiel in Babylon preached about great changes to come. They both condemned those who tried to compromise their faith and Malachi warned about thinking that God didn’t care about sin – surely, they had learned that lesson when they were hauled off into exile! Malachi preaches that God is preparing to act in Israel. He has sent Malachi, to warn the people that it will be a time of judgement – they will be refined like gold or silver. Sorting things out will be painful. 

Not long after this, Ezra and Nehemiah lead more exiles to return. The corrupt practices are cleaned away. There is huge opposition and the returning Jews learn to rebuild with a shovel in one hand and a sword in the other. The reforms of Ezra and Nehemiah came as no great surprise, because the people had been warned by Malachi. 

But many Christian teachers see in these words a message for later generations – perhaps ours. Malachi talks about the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord. This is usually taken to mean the end of time when God will come in person and cleanse his people. But it is also seen as pointing to the coming of the Messiah who would be both saviour and judge. So, for us, these words look forward to the coming of Jesus as a vulnerable child and also forward to Christ’s second coming. 

We may want to ignore this but God has sent His prophets to prepare us – so we ignore it at our peril! If Christ were to return this week, it would be no good saying: ‘but we didn’t know that was coming’. 

For about 400 years, there were no more prophets, so it was quite a shock when suddenly a prophet, John, arose who said he was coming to prepare the way for the promised Messiah. Momentous changes were coming and people needed to be prepared. How? He preached repentance: only by completely changing our lives can we be ready for the coming of the Christ. They could never say ‘but we didn’t expect that – if we had known, we would have been ready’. 

Do we get any sense that God is moving again now? That He has a message for us? Or do we think that God has not spoken directly to us and so we carry on as though nothing will ever change and judgement is something that only the cranks talk about? 

This is Advent, the season of preparation. What are we preparing for? Each Advent I read an Advent book which takes me through the four weeks and then up to Twelfth Night. I find that this grounds me and it is good to just relax for half an hour and be reminded what all the fuss is about. But there is a second event which we are asked to prepare for – what the prophets called ‘the great and terrible Day of the Lord.’ 

Surely, we should prepare by doing the work God has called us to –Matthew 25: visit the sick, the prisoner, give food to the hungry and drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger. Simple to understand but hard to get on and do when there is so much call on our time and pockets. But when He comes, we can never say ‘we didn’t expect that – if we had known, we would have been prepared’. 

Meditation and confession: 

Here we are again Lord! It’s the middle of December and I still have a thousand things to do. I feel tired and harassed – I will never be ready. Sometimes, I wonder what it would be like, Lord, to forget it all, opt out, hire a cottage somewhere and sit it out until it’s all over.
But would I miss something important? I should be celebrating: You coming into the world is the greatest event since the creation.

I wonder if it’s worth all the hassle. Every year I say ‘this year it will be different’ but every year it’s the same. I spend too much, eat too much and I’m exhausted by Christmas day. How should we prepare for your coming? What do you think Lord? Forgive us Lord.

Lord, this is a time to celebrate. We, of all people know how much there is to be joyful about. Help us to resist the excesses. To care for the lonely, the homeless and refugee. To find time to stop, be still and worship you the King of Kings and to look forward to your Advent promise to come again in glory and establish your Kingdom of justice and peace forever. Then, we will get the celebrations right. Amen 

Prayers of Intercession: 

Lord of peace; bring peace where there is violence. We bring to you Lord, the people of Yemen, of Afghanistan and of those gathered on the borders of Belarus and Poland both civilians and soldiers. 

In the Darkness 

Let your light shine 

Lord of Justice; bring justice where people live in fear, governments and soldiers impose their will; for the peoples of the Holy Land. May all the communities find ways to live together with justice and peace. 

In the Darkness 

Let your light shine 

Lord of the poor and marginalised; in poverty, hunger, homelessness or suffering, move our hearts to share fairly; for refugees living in terrible conditions in camps; mercy, compassion and practical help. 

In the Darkness 

Let your light shine 

Lord of creation; forgive us for misusing your created world. Give courage to all who work to save the environment; people suffering because of climate change, because of violent floods or wild fires. 

In the Darkness 

Let your light shine 

Lord of healing and wholeness; we bring to you those who are known to us personally who need your healing power............
In the Darkness 

Let your light shine 

Lord of the Kingdom of God, who came, not to condemn but to save, give us courage & wisdom as we bring the message of your love and forgiveness to a needy world. Send us out with your Holy Spirit.
In the Darkness
Let your light shine. Amen 

Hymn SoF 154 Hark the glad sound! The Saviour comes 

Sending out prayer
Lord our God, keep your servants alert and watchful as we await the return of Christ your Son, so that, when He comes and knocks at the door, He may find us vigilant and in prayer. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

 

Sunday 10th October 2021

 BURTON JOYCE 

COMMUNITY CHURCH

with 

Nottingham North East Circuit

This short act of worship has been prepared for you by one of our local preachers, Jan Davies.

Theme: Encountering God on ‘Pilgrimage’

Introduction: Most people who go on a pilgrimage hope to encounter God and see more clearly the road ahead. You are invited to come on a pilgrimage of the imagination, there to encounter God. This is a meditation service – so no sermon. However, there are stories, a poem and prayers around a theme. Jesus told many stories but He did not often say what they meant. It was left up to us to interpret them. You will notice that there are times of quiet reflection when we can look at what these might mean for us. 

Prayers: Adoration and Praise
Blessed are you, Lord our God
Your word brought light and life from chaos Your light still shines in the darkness of an evil world, and has never been extinguished.
Praise be to you, Lord God. Blessed are you, mighty, creator God.
We glimpse some of your creative energy in the magnificence and wonder, the colour and beauty, of the created universe, or in the minute detail of the living cell or in a new born child.
Praise be to you, Creator God. Blessed are you, Lord Jesus Christ.
You welcomed the little children, Shared the pain of the suffering and marginalised, who touched the leper and healed the blind.

Praise be to you, Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed are you, Lord Jesus.
Your hands stretched out in love on a cross. Our lives are bound up for eternity in your resurrection life.
Praise be to you, Lord. Blessed are you, Spirit of the living God.
You inflame the hearts of those who love you. You inspire our worship and guide us in the path that leads to life.

Praise be to you Spirit of the Living God. AMEN

Hymn: SoF 1377: Jesus, be the Centre 

Part One: Unexpected Encounter 

Jeremiah 29:4-14 (A letter of Jeremiah to the exiles in Babylon)

Poem: by John Betjeman ‘The Sharp Conversion of St Paul’ 

Now is the time when we recall 

The sharp Conversion of St. Paul. 

Converted! Turned the wrong way round – 

A man who seemed till then quite sound, 

Keen on religion – very keen –
No-one, it seems, had ever been

So keen on persecuting those Who said that Christ was God and chose  To die for this absurd belief As Christ had died beside the thief.  Then in a sudden blinding light Paul knew that Christ was God all right –  And very promptly lost his sight.  Poor Paul! They led him by the hand He who had been so high and grand  A helpless blunderer, fasting, waiting,  Three days inside himself debating  In physical blindness: ‘As it’s true  That Christ is God and died for you,  Remember all the things you did

To keep His gospel message hid. Remember how you helped them even To throw the stones that murdered Stephen.  And do you think that you are strong  Enough to own that you were wrong?’  They must have been an awful time,  Those three long days repenting crime  Till Ananias came and Paul Received his sight, and more than all  His former strength, and was baptized.  Saint Paul is often criticized  By modern people who’re annoyed  At his conversion, saying Freud  Explains it all. But they omit The really vital point of it,  Which isn’t how it was achieved  But what it was that Paul believed.  He knew as certainly as we Know you are you and I am me That Christ was all He claimed to be.  What is conversion? Turning round  From chaos to a love profound.

And chaos too is an abyss In which the only life is this.  Such a belief is quite all right If you are sure like Mrs. Knight  And think morality will do For all the ills we’re subject to.  But raise your eyes and see with Paul  An explanation of it all. Injustice, cancer’s cruel pain,  All suffering that seems in vain, The vastness of the universe,  Creatures like centipedes and worse –  All part of an enormous plan Which mortal eyes can never scan  And out if it came God to man. Jesus is God and came to show The world we live in here below Is just an antechamber where We for His Father’s house prepare.  What is conversion? Not at all  For me the experience of St. Paul,  No blinding light, a fitful glow Is all the light of faith I know

Which sometimes goes completely out  And leaves me plunging round in doubt  Until I will myself to go And worship in God’s house below –  My parish Church – and even there  I find distractions everywhere.

Quiet Reflection

Part Two: Encounter By the lake
Peter’s Story of Encountering Jesus by the lake 

The morning sun has just risen above the Galilean hills. Long streaks of gold stream though the countryside and out onto the lake. This must be the most perfect spring morning. There is not a cloud in the sky. There’s a slight breeze ruffling the water of lake which glitters in the sunlight. And there is the smell of fish cooking on an open fire. Jesus is busily tending the fire seeming to give all His attention to it. We are all hungry after a night’s fishing. We hadn’t caught anything until the Master arrived. Then the catch was so great we could hardly pull in the net. Was He reminding me of the time three years ago when He called me away from the nets, “to catch people” he had said? In my confusion I had tried to go back to fishing. The truth is we can never go back. 

But as I sit here, I am very aware that this is the first time I have been alone with Jesus since He returned. The guilt I feel for leaving Him alone in the garden and then denying that I even knew Him – not once, but three times, is eating into my very soul and I am paralysed, unable to look Him in the face. Then Jesus speaks. He doesn’t look at me. He is busy tending the fire. “Do you love me more than these others do Peter?” 

I manage to find my voice, but just staring at my hands as I say “you know I love you Lord”. “Then feed my lambs”. He says it quietly. 

I am usually impetuous, always ready to speak – too ready some might say. I want to ask Him what He means but I am still weighed down by guilt. For a second time Jesus asks “Peter, do you love me?” Did He have to ask again? “Yes Lord, you know that I love you!” “Then look after my sheep” 

My face is burning red as He turns to look me full in the face, His eyes searching mine. “Peter, do you really love me?” My eyes fill with tears that run down my cheeks. How can He still doubt me? “Lord” I shout at Him, “you know everything. You know that I love you” Now He is smiling at me. He nods His head as He says “Yes Peter, feed my sheep” And now, suddenly, it is all clear. Others may condemn me for what I did but Jesus has forgiven me and that is all that matters. I will never return to the boats and fishing now. There is work to be done and a whole kingdom to win. He trusts me enough to put me in charge of His little flock. I have no idea what this is going to mean but just sitting here in the bright morning sunshine with him beside me, I think I can do anything. 

Prayer 

Can I ever go back Lord? When the confidence has gone, and I am unsure of my calling, when the road ahead is lost in the mist of confusion, can I go back? The familiar closes in around me, like a comfortable pair of slippers or the patched jacket I could never bring myself to throw away. I’m safe here. I can’t be buffeted by the stresses and strains of always trying to do the right thing. But you know Lord, that I am not safe here, not safe from you. Long ago Lord you put into my heart the longing for something more. You called me away from the familiar. You called me to an amazing adventure with you. You didn’t say it would be easy, but I accepted your challenge and didn’t you say that once we put our hand to the plough. There was no turning back. So, Lord, when I am confused, unsure of the way to go, stop me craving the safety of the familiar. My safety, although uncomfortable at times, is with you, my Lord. Amen

Reading: 1 John 1:1-4 

A time for quiet reflection 

Hymn: SoF 1030: The Lord’s my Shepherd 

Part Three: Encounter in the Garden
Voice of Mary Magdalene followed by prayer 

Have you ever reached that moment of calm emptiness when all the tears have been shed and the storm of emotion has passed, leaving only a tangled pain in your throat and chest but a merciful dullness in your mind? Well, that was how I felt early on that Sunday morning as we crept through the garden and out onto the hillside. The air held the promise of a beautiful day. The sky had changed from the inky blackness of night to the predawn grey of a new day. A spring mist hung over the valley below us. 

On Friday afternoon we had lifted Him gently from the cross; battered, bruised and bloody. For a moment I cradled Him in my arms and wiped away some of the blood. In spite of the battering His face had relaxed into the peace of death. For us there was no consolation except to know He would not be tipped with the others onto the rubbish heap in the Kedron Valley. Joseph had at last come out into the open and secured permission from the governor to give Him a decent burial. Perhaps Pilate felt some shame in the way he had been manipulated into this crucifixion. Whatever the reason, we could give the Master a proper burial. We only had time to get Him into the tomb and wipe away some of the dirt and blood before they dragged me away and sealed Him in. I couldn’t bear to think of Him lying cold and alone in the grave. His tomb was on a hillside, carved out of rock and surrounded by an olive grove. As we passed, the papery leaves rustled in the breeze of early dawn. The birds, first one and then others chuckled and twittered as though it was any other morning, as the first streaks of gold lit up the greyness of the sky. None of this touched the greyness inside for we had come to do Him one last service. Beyond that, there was no future for His light had gone out of our lives. 

But the great round stone - we had wondered how we were to move it - had been rolled to one side. We ducked our heads to peer into the gloom. All we could make out was that His body was gone and the grave clothes had been laid aside. How could they have stolen His body? Were they afraid of Him even in death? Couldn’t they leave us this one consolation? By the time I had stumbled out, the others had gone. Tears were again streaming from my eyes, already swollen with grief. The sun had risen and I was blinded by the light. 

That was when I saw Him standing in the shadow of the trees - a gardener perhaps. I shouted and He turned. “Where have you taken Him? Please! Please! Just show me!” I threw myself at His feet. Then He stepped from the shadow and whispered my name, “Mary”. I lifted my head from the ground. How could this be? Had I gone mad? I had seen Him die. But He is here, gloriously, magnificently alive. I flung myself at Him but He stepped back and smiled. “Don’t cling to me”. He was different. The Master that we knew was now revealed in all His glory. “Go and tell my brothers that I am alive”. I ran like the wind to find the others, to spread the news. But it was to me that He appeared first and I hug that knowledge to myself - it was to me. 

Prayer: 

No wonder every one found it difficult to believe. They saw you die, carried your broken body to the tomb. How was it possible for Mary to find you again? And why did you step away from her? Why didn’t you let her cling to you? Only a week later you allowed Thomas to handle you – prove you were real. But Mary didn’t need proof. She knew you were her Lord. Did she want to cling to the past – want everything to go back to the way things were – Rely on your physical presence? The Lord she knew was now released for all time So I can encounter you – You are no longer a distant preacher in Palestine but an ever-present Lord for all time. Thank you, Lord, for those who, like Mary, let you go. And thank you for the consolation she felt in knowing that she was loved and trusted. As I too meet with you, where I least expect it May I too learn not to cling to the past
But realise that I am loved and trusted too. 

Quiet Reflection: 

Prayers: Confession: 

I am so busy Lord 

I don’t have time 

Demands are made 

I don’t have time 

I am tired, weary so I put off praying again today
I don’t have time 

Maybe tomorrow 

I don’t have time 

I just want to get this finished 

I don’t have time 

Father, we wonder why you feel so far away, why we don’t experience your guidance, why we stumble and fall so often. If it is because we don’t give you the time, forgive us and lead us to those places where we can encounter you. Thank you, Lord that you have promised to forgive us when we recognise our sin. So, forgive us and help us to make another fresh start in our journey with you. Amen

The Lord’s Prayer 

Prayers of Intercession: 

We pray for places of violence and hunger, Afghanistan, Yemen. 

We pray for refugees who have fled their homes to seek a new life. 

We pray for those suffering wild fires – those who have lost homes.

We pray for those who have known flooding. 

We pray for the Church: for those who live with persecution.

We pray for all the local churches, staff and people. Amen

Hymn: SoF 174: He who would valiant be 

Blessing: 

The Lord who conquered darkness with light 

Grant us peace 

The Lord who conquered death with life 

Grant us peace 

The Lord who conquered loneliness with love 

Grant us peace 

And, may the Lord’s blessing go with us, this day and always Amen