The Fifth Sunday of Easter: May 2nd 2021

 BURTON JOYCE 

COMMUNITY CHURCH

Sunday 2 May 2021 

EASTER 5

Prepared this week by Phil Colbourn

Hymns from Songs of Fellowship (SoF)

Call to worship 

Psalm 22 v25-31 

All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord

Hymn: SoF:597 

When morning gilds the skies

Let's pray 

We come to you, O Lord. 

Meet us as we pray

Thank you for the sun & the rain. 

Your love is new every morning

We come to worship. 

You are beyond all we know or understand

Thank you that you came to the rescue 

when we were in need

We come in response to your call. 

Receive us in your love.

Forgive us, Lord. 

Hear us, Lord.

Jesus says:

“You are forgiven, go and sin no more.” 

Bible Reading: John 15 v1-8 

Jesus says: I am the vine

Hymn: SoF:629 

You are the vine

Reflection 

Making the connection 

It is the Last Supper and Jesus is trying to say everything that needs to be said before it’s too late and he hits upon this picture. It’s an old picture, familiar from Jewish Scriptures: the vine. 

But Jesus gives the story a new twist. He is the vine, he says, we are the branches. It is all about being connected and, these days, we are only too familiar with the problems and advantages of being connected. 

With Jesus,

1) How do we get connected? 

2) How does the connection work? 

How do we get connected? In the terms of the picture: How are we grafted onto the rootstock? Simply, by responding to the invitation. God says: Come! Jesus says: Follow me! The invitation is open to all and it is still valid today. 

God invites everyone everywhere to come. So, all we have to do is to say: “Yes”. Everything else follows. When we say “Yes”, the connection is established.

There will be things to sort out in our lives but all that comes later as a natural part of our daily relationship with God. If you are not used to talking to someone you cannot see, it may seem odd to start with but, if you think about it, it is no worse than talking on the phone. 

How does it work? With the vine, it is a two-way connection: the root supplies the branches with water and nutrition; the branches, leaves & buds give back what they have. 

So, we draw sustenance from Jesus and respond from out of our everyday experience in prayer. The Holy Spirit becomes the life-stream of our relationship with God.

When we tell God everything about our situation, God supplies what we, & others, need. 

Millions of people have found this to be true.

Hymn SoF:238 

In heavenly love abiding

Prayers of Intercession 

Thank you, Lord, for your love. We need your help 

Thank you for our world. Please help 

  world leaders, Covid19

  the planet

Thank you for our neighbourhood. Please help

  schools and colleges, hospitals and clinics

  the local elections candidates

Thank you for our church family and friends. Please help

  the lonely, sick and dying; the anxious 

  those joyful and full of celebration 

Thank you, Lord, for your love. 

We need your help 

In your mercy Lord: 

Hear the cries of our hearts 

The Lord’s Prayer 

Hymn: SoF:344 

Like a river glorious 

Blessing 

May we know the One who says “Come” and be filled with peace; 

live in the Living One and be filled with grace; 

be connected to the Source of Life and be filled with love, 

now & always. Amen.

Go in peace, to love & serve the Lord. Amen. 

The Sunday after Easter (catch-up)

  

BURTON JOYCE COMMUNITY CHURCH

In fellowship with

Nottingham North East Circuit The Methodist Church

Sunday 11th April 2021

Welcome to today’s act of worship, prepared by Deacon Jenny Jones. We continue to walk with the disciples as they discover that their Lord – our Lord - is alive. 

Sin and death have not won. 

Hymns from Songs of Fellowship (SoF)

Alleluia! Christ is risen! 

He is risen indeed! Alleluia! 

I hope you could say the Easter Cry out loud with enthusiasm. Hopefully, you even shouted it. I know reading it from this page is not the same as saying it together in church, but at least at home, you do not have to think about what the person sitting next to you is doing. Shout it out loud. Fill the words with passion. Say it boldly, with your heart and voice full of joy. 

With our hearts full of praise, let us sing together. 

SoF 469: Praise to the holiest in the height

Let us pray 

Eternal God, as we stop for a moment here in your presence, we get a glimpse of your eternity and we know our time on earth is in your hands. Only you know the hours, days and years. You were before time, you are here with us today, and you will be around long after everything has ceased to be. You are Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. And so, as we gather to worship you, open our hearts and senses to enter your reality, where our sorrows and tears, our wrongdoings and fears are taken from us in the name of your Son. Amen

Our bible reading comes from Luke 24: 13-35: The Walk to Emmaus 

Before we reflect on the encounter with Jesus on the Road to Emmaus, let us prayerfully sing about our journey with God. 

SoF 599: When we walk with the Lord

Today’s message 

I, like many of you, have now had my first Covid Vaccine. I wonder how many of you looked away when the needle was about to go into your arm. None of us likes pain. In 2011, the NHS spent £442 million on painkillers. How often do we just pop a pill because we feel a headache coming on? We don’t like to think of others in pain either. Let’s be honest, most of us are afraid of the answers a friend who is suffering extreme pain, might give to the question of how they are really feeling, and happily accept a bland, ‘I’m okay, all things considered’. 

As Christians, I think we have turned a blind eye to the pain Jesus endured for us during his arrest, trail and crucifixion. The beatings; carrying a cross across his torn flesh; nails holding him to the cross; hours in the heat of a Middle Eastern day exposed, dehydrated, lifting yourself on your tethered hands and feet to draw in one more breath, and then the next. Crucifixion was truly horrific. 

When Jesus appeared to the other disciples, we know that the wounds on his hands, feet and side were still there. I imagine that when Jesus appeared on the Road to Emmaus he was completely disfigured and unrecognisable. His voice too may have been affected by his injuries. Is it any wonder that two of his distraught, distracted and disillusioned friends did not recognise him? 

I find it comforting that Jesus didn’t immediately confront them with their lack of faith, but allowed them to express their hurt, ask questions and receive new insights. He gave them the opportunity to turn away from these events, but his presence drew them to offer him hospitality – food and rest. 

It was in the blessing and breaking of the bread that they finally recognised him. As his disciples they had probably seen him perform those actions hundreds of times and suddenly the connection was made. The women weren’t crazy. Jesus was alive. Everything might be completely illogical – but Jesus was alive. And as that realisation came upon them Jesus vanished from their sight. 

He vanished from their sight, but not from their hearts. They rushed back to Jerusalem to find that others had encountered the risen Jesus too. And from those exciting, extraordinary events, these men and women spread the Good News of Jesus Christ across the globe and two thousand years later, we and billions of others have loved and followed Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. 

Imagine we are walking home from Arnold. A stranger comes up and joins our conversation. How do we react? With caution? Find an excuse to stop, let the stranger carry on. We might listen inattentively and check our mobile phone. What encounters with God have we missed in this way? What insights have we lost? What adventures, because we were afraid of the unknown? 

We live in a disfigured, pain-filled, broken world and yet we encounter Jesus alongside us where we are. Jesus allows us to share our anguish; explore our doubts and questions; and tells us again the truths about himself, his father and divine love that saves us, surrounds us and heals us. Are we excited? Are our hearts burning that we have these experiences? Are we desperate to run seven miles back to tell our friends about the encounters we have had with Jesus? 

Maybe, today is the day when we open our eyes once again to the living Christ; to welcome him back into our lives and, in our joy, introduce him to those we know and love. Jesus’ sacrifice was genuine and horrific, but he faced it for us, and for our salvation. If we play down the cost of that pain and that sacrifice, we will miss the enormity of what Jesus overcame to save us – you and me. 

Hymn SoF 296: Jesus lives!

Our final prayers are a mixture of confession and prayers for ourselves. They are entitled, Perfectly Love, and were written by Walter Brueggermann. 

We pray, as often as we meet, that we might ‘perfectly love you.” Indeed, we have been commanded from the beginning to love you with all our hearts, and all our souls, and all our minds and all our strength. We have pledged to love, in our prayers and in our baptism, our confirmation, with our best resolve. But we confess ... we love you imperfectly; we love you with a divided heart, with a thousand other loves that are more compelling, with reservations and passion withheld and devotion impaired. We confess that we do not, as we are, love you perfectly; we do not keep your commands; we do not order our lives by your purpose; we do not tilt towards you as our deepest affection. But we would .... we would love you more perfectly, by embracing your passion for neighbours, your ways of justice and peace, by honouring the world you made, all creatures great and small, by self-care that knows you as our creator. 

Lead us past our shabby compromises and our cheap devotion; lead us into singleness of vision and purity of heart that we may answer back in love to your great love for us. Free us from idolatries and our habit of recalcitrance, tender our hearts, gentle our lips, open our hands, that we may turn towards you fully and towards your world unguardedly. Let us bask in your freedom to become fully yours and, so trusting, fully our own. We pray through the Lord Jesus who loved you singularly, perfectly, fully – to the end. Amen

Our final hymn reminds us that Jesus is alive and deserves our praise. 

SoF 220: I know not why God’s wondrous grace 

A Blessing 

May the God who is your delight and joy bless you with life and growth,
embrace you with shelter and protection, and dance with you along life’s way, now and through all your days. Amen. 

 

Burton Joyce Community Church 

Worshipping while the church building is closed

Opportunities for worship on radio and television 

Daily Service: Radio 4 at 9.45am only on LW / DAB / internet (NOT on FM)

Sunday worship: Radio 4 at 8.10am on Sunday morning on FM / DAB / internet

Choral evensong: Radio 3, Wednesday at 3.30pm, repeated Sunday at 3pm

Songs of Praise: BBC1 at 1.15pm* on Sunday afternoon (*times may vary)

Methodist Circuit 

On Facebook and website: Nottingham North East Circuit

Phone-in services: 0115 671 3715 (calls are free)

URC Synod

On Facebook: URC East Midlands Synod / The Dales URC

St Andrews with Castle Gate. https://standrewswithcastlegate.org.uk

St Helen’s, Burton Joyce, Reverend Anna Alls

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RevdAnna/videos/

Other online resources There are many excellent worship resources, e.g.:

All Souls, Langham Place: https://www.allsouls.org/

St Martins in the Field: https://stmartins.digital/

Central Hall, Westminster: https://methodist-central-hall.org.uk/

Sunday services for April 2021

Date in April	Gospel reading	Topic	Prepared by	Songs of Fellowship	One of the hymns from the service
4	John 20:1-18	Easter Sunday	Moses Agyam	2020	See, what a morning
11	Luke 24:13-35	The road to Emmaus	Jenny Jones	599	When we walk with the Lord
18	John 20:19-31	Thomas	Helen Snowball	6	Alleluia, Alleluia
25	John 21 v1-14	Peter	Yanyan Case	147	Great is thy faithfulness

 

Sunday 25th April 2021

 

BURTON JOYCE 

COMMUNITY CHURCH

Sunday 25 April 2021 

Led by Rev Yanyan Case and Carol Henderson, worship leader at Arnold Methodist Church, Nottingham North East Circuit (edited)

Call to worship. Psalm 95 v1-7 

Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD 

Response

Lord, help us to concentrate on you 

As we put aside the things that distract us 

As we leave behind the things that worry us 

As we forget about ourselves 

As we worship you with songs of praise 

As we hear your teaching

As we listen to stories from your Word 

Lord, help us to concentrate on you 

Hymn: SoF 935 

My Jesus My Saviour 

Let's pray 

My God, you are so wonderful. We cannot understand your glory, but we want to praise you and glorify your name. 

Thank you, Lord, that you care for each one of us. Help us to notice the small things and thank you for all our many blessings day by day. 

Thank you for walking with us daily through our lives and, through dark and difficult times, we are held safely in your arms. 

Lord Jesus we come aware of our need to be healed and restored. 

We pray for forgiveness for things, thought, word and deed, that are not pleasing or acceptable. 

We are often unaware, so we come now in the quiet to ponder in our hearts, the things you bring to our mind and to seek forgiveness. 

Hear the words of Jesus: 

“You are forgiven, go and sin no more.” 

Hymn: SoF 308 

Jesus, the very thought of thee

Bible Reading: John 21 v1-14 

The miraculous catch of fish 

Hymn: SoF 557 

Thou whose almighty word

Reflection “Come and dine with me!”

I loved to watch the TV program “Come and Dine with Me”. But the first episode of “Come and Dine with Me” is recorded here in the last chapter of John’s gospel. Jesus hosts a BBQ breakfast on the beach. He has seven guests. Six come in the boat and one, called Peter, rushes in with very wet shirt! 

This episode happened after the resurrection but before his ascension, also before Pentecost. After a fruitless night of fishing, they hear someone telling them to cast their net to the right side of the boat. When they catch a large school of fish, they recognise that it is Jesus and head for shore. Jesus already has breakfast underway and serves them a meal of bread and fish. 

First of all, I found it interesting that the disciples do not catch a single fish all night. Some of them were professional fishmen. How frustrating it must have been for them! Perhaps the nets speak of empty hearts. They thought they knew what they were doing but ended up with nothing. It’s like when they were following Jesus and thought Jesus was the Messiah who was going to defeat the Roman Empire. But now their efforts and expectations all seemed futile. 

But now, gazing on the resurrected Jesus, their thoughts are oceans’ deep: “Here he is again. He is not a ghost. He is alive. His promises come true. He calmed the storm, walked on water, turned water into wine, multiplied bread and fish to feed five thousand, was crucified. He created Lake Galilee; he created the fish. Everything. His breath is in the fire, the charcoal, the beach; sustains the very life of me...” 

At the crack of dawn, they heard a voice and followed it. They had nothing to lose. It’s just another random throw. However, this throw was like no other! They caught fish but most importantly, they recognised Jesus. “It is the Lord!” 

From scarcity, emptiness, futility, toils, exhaustion, darkness, fear and loss, now the disciples enter into a place of abundance, warmth, cordialness, provision, rest, love and overwhelming joy. Jesus served them, not out of obligation or duty, but out of true love, like a mother serving her children and providing all their needs. Not only did he meet the disciples’ physical needs, but also their spiritual needs. 

The disciples needed forgiveness for their abandonment, denial and failure. Jesus takes the initiative to find them and offer reconciliation and healing. 

Secondly, what Jesus said to the disciples, “throw your net to the right side of the boat and you will catch some”, is not a tentative suggestion, but a promise. He did not say “try over here and see whether you will find any”. He gave them a firm promise. Most commentators see these fish as symbolic of the missionary work of the disciples, similar to Jesus' original call, "Come, follow me . . . and I will make you fishers of men" in Matthew (4:19) and Mark (1:17). 

But the point for us is that we need to obey the words of the Lord for any labour to be fruitful. Jesus said “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). His words are not simply suggestions but promises for a true, blessed and abundant life. He is not simply pointing out the way for us, but he is the Way.

What if Jesus invited us today saying, “Come and have breakfast”? Imagine him serving us, not with bread and fish, but with a muffin and coffee! Consider how often we labour and toil in vain or with little result; how often we see ourselves drifting on a dark edgeless ocean without knowing what is lying ahead; how often we face scarcity of support and understanding, or barrenness of hope and inspiration; how often that we just need to keep going, one throw after another, because life is pressing in on us?

“Come and have breakfast with me.” Jesus is inviting us today. He knows our needs and hunger, physically, emotionally and spiritually. He knows our weaknesses, our fears and failures. Our very breath relies on him. He wants to come and have intimate communion with us. He wants to heal our deepest wounds. 

Thirdly, the resurrected Jesus did not change his character, divine and human, lord and servant. He instructed the disciples with divine guidance, but he also cooked and served them. Around the charcoal fire, there is the end of barrenness and futility, but the beginning of abundance, rest, promise and hope. 

Every morning when we get up, may we find the true Light dawning upon us. As we have breakfast, may we hear the resurrected Jesus inviting us by name, “Come and dine with me”. May we find time and space to be nourished by his words, and warmed by the fire of his unfailing love. 

Amen.

Hymn SoF 1120 

Will you come and follow me

Prayers of Intercession 

Lord, thank you for your word, we are in need of feeding and care.

Thank you that we can bring our prayers to you and know that you will act and move even when we are unaware of what you do. 

We bring to you our world and its difficulties: 

·  for world leaders making decisions; political unrest 

·  suffering caused by the treatment of the planet, famine & war

·  those suffering with Covid concerns and not seeing a way out.

In your mercy Lord- hear the cries of our hearts 

We bring you our neighbourhood: 

·  for teachers, TAs, admin, children, students and their parents

·  for doctors, nurses, porters, chaplains, all with care of patients

· for the local elections, honesty, truth and the good of all. 

In your mercy Lord- hear the cries of our hearts 

We bring you our church family and friends: 

·  for the lonely, afraid, depressed, sick, grieving, dying

·  for those anxious about finance and work

·  for those joyful and full of celebration 

In your mercy Lord- hear the cries of our hearts 

We pray for ourselves, for the strength to face the choices and temptations of the day and wisdom to discern your will and your way

In your mercy Lord- hear the cries of our hearts 

The Lord’s Prayer 

Let's sing a final hymn of God's faithfulness to each of us. 

Hymn: SoF 147 

Great is Thy Faithfulness 

Blessing 

O let the Son of God enfold you with His Spirit and His love, let Him fill your heart and satisfy your soul. O let Him have the things that hold you and His Spirit like a dove will descend and make you whole. 

Go in peace, to love & serve the Lord, in the name of Christ. Amen.

 

The Second Sunday after Easter

 

Burton Joyce Community Church

Sunday 18 April 2021 

With Nottingham North East Circuit of the Methodist Church

Prepared this week by Deacon Helen Snowball for use at home

Hymns in Songs of Fellowship

Opening Psalm 133 

Behold how good and pleasant it is when brothers and sisters dwell in unity. It is like vistas seen from atop the mountain or like the stillness of a sunset after a long day’s work. It is like a rainbow breaking through a summer rain. 

(Psalms for Praying. Nan C Merrill) 

Hymn: SoF 6 

Alleluia, Alleluia, give thanks to the risen Lord.

Let’s pray 

Loving God, for all your creation, we give you thanks. For the seas and the stars, the trees and the flowers. For the refreshing rain and the heat of the sun. For our family and friends, into whose lives you have placed us, we give you thanks. For the freedoms we have, in worship, in government, in speech, we give you thanks. 

It would be wrong, Lord, for us to say we have no doubts, for this world is trying to deny all we hold dear and is insistent in its cry. There are times when, like Thomas your dear friend, we need to reach out and touch your hand that has led us these long years, to see the place where spear and nails have made their mark. Forgive our doubts and, in times of temptation, be our confidence to see that, like Thomas we might joyfully declare ‘My Lord and my God.’ 

The love you show us is our inspiration. The light you give is our illumination along the path we walk with you this day. It is our witness to the world to be of one mind, heart and soul, a blessing to friend and stranger bringing your grace to those in need and good news to the lost and the seeker. For love, light and all the blessings of this life, we offer our grateful thanks. 

Amen.

First reading: 1 Peter 1:3-12 

Let’s sing again: SoF 1575 

Wait for the Lord

Second reading: John 20:19-31

Reflection

Years ago, I went to Turkey with work. I used to work for a property developer in Turkey and it was my first trip over there, and after a guided tour of our property developments, I was given another guided tour of some of the regional tourist and historical attractions. My guide was an employee of the company called Hassan, and he was incredibly patriotic and immensely proud of Turkey’s history. 

He told me about Mount Ararat, we talked about Troy & about the rich history of Ephesus – he knew all about St Paul & his journeys. 

I didn’t see Istanbul on that trip although I have been there since, but he told me about Constantinople, Hagia Sophia, the Byzantines and the beautiful Blue Mosque. Then on the road back to Didim from Gulluk, Hassan pulled the car over to show me a tree. It was a small road, only slightly bigger than a lane, lined on either side by huge ancient trees. Hassan pointed to one of the trees and told me that after the flood, this was the very tree from which the Dove plucked the twig to take back to Noah. 

Me being me, asked the questions that seemed completely obvious to me. ‘How do you know?’ It was clearly an ancient tree and a wonderful example of nature, of creation. But did Hassan really believe that the dove had told Noah which tree the twig came from? His parents had told him, their parents had told them. He had been told by people he trusted, why would they lie? 

Thomas had heard from people he trusted that they’d seen Jesus, and I just wonder if Thomas wasn’t in a bit of a huff. Jesus knew he was a Disciple, surely if he could come back from the dead, he could see which Disciples were present? Couldn’t he have waited? And anyway, who would believe that without seeing it – even of Jesus? But then, when Thomas does meet the Risen Christ, he utters the words no one else has ever said ‘My Lord and My God’. Thomas has connected Jesus directly to the person of God.

 

John Chapter 1 says this ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.’ Thomas finally saw that the Word is Jesus. That Jesus is God. Chapter 1 of his gospel has John trying to explain how Jesus came to be. John wants to get to the heart of the matter – Jesus – God, one and the same. The son of the father, here on earth for our salvation. And these few complex verses that John has tried to grapple with, are resolved neatly by Thomas, towards the end of the Gospel, by his simple declaration ‘My Lord and My God’. He’s gone from calling him Jesus, Lord, Son of God, to directly linking Lord and God together. 

Thomas had always been a loyal – if pessimistic – Disciple. He was the one who suggested they all go with Jesus when Lazarus died, even if it meant they would also die. He may have been the last Disciple to see and believe – but he was the first to acknowledge Jesus as God. 

There’s a famous painting, Caravaggio I think, that depicts the meeting between Jesus and Thomas &, behind Thomas, peering over his shoulder, two Disciples, keen to see what’s going on. 

Perhaps deep down, we all wonder - we all doubt a little. And there’s nothing wrong with that. God knows that we doubt, that’s why he appeared to Thomas in front of the others. Thomas was brave enough to say it. ‘I don’t believe, and I won’t until I see it for myself’. People don’t come back from the dead. I suspect there may have been other Disciples who felt the same, and that they were grateful to Thomas for showing his honest doubt. 

When Jesus appeared to the Disciples, he greeted them, ‘Shalom’, meaning Peace. And he breathed on them. The Greek word for breathed used here is the same word used in Genesis when God breathed life into Adam, and also in Ezekiel when God gave him the breath to raise the dry bones. So, this isn’t a general ‘breathed on’, like you might breathe on glass to remove a smudge. This is a specific ‘giving new life’ type of ‘breathed on’. Jesus was renewing them all. He was raised, but he still needed the Disciples to help with the mission, and so he renewed them too. 

Peter also knew about doubt. He followed Jesus sincerely, but he did display doubt. Jesus told him to cast his net on the other side of the boat. Peter said, ‘well I will because you say so, but it won’t work’. He doesn’t say, ‘yes of course and we’ll have a huge catch’. He attempted to walk on water but his brain overcame his faith and he sank into the water. But Peter learned his lesson and, in the reading, he mentions hope. The people he wrote to had not seen Christ. They had heard of his salvation and, from Peter, they heard more of the living hope, found only in the Living Christ. We are protected by God and we are guided by the Holy Spirit. 

Thomas’ doubt was ended when he saw the Risen Christ. Peter’s doubt was ended over the course of his experiences with the Risen Christ. So where does that leave us? We have not seen Jesus but we see his actions in our lives and feel his direction and strength. How do we know any of this is real? Only by faith. We see it in our lives and in the actions of others. We experience it in worship, in our prayer times and in our fellowship. But mostly, we banish doubt, gain hope & increase our faith as we grow in our relationship with Christ. As we do that, our lives are enriched by his presence, we grow in confidence of his presence, of his peace. 

Thomas, even though he may not have the greatest name in history, Doubting Thomas, has become a beacon for hope: he proves Jesus’ compassion and understanding. Jesus knows that sometimes some of us doubt, that sometimes we wonder if anyone is listening, but we know, that when we accept the peace of Christ, and thank God for his mercy and grace, we are able to mean it when we say, in the words of Thomas, My Lord and My God. 

Amen.

Prayers of intercession 

Pray for the world, countries in war, drought, flood or fire.
Pray for free speech, to speak without causing hurt to others.
Pray for our government, making big decisions that affect all of us.
Pray for the NHS, as it continues to work so hard for all of us. 

Pray for our families and friends, especially those who are struggling.

Lord’s Prayer 

Our final hymn: SoF 62 

Christ triumphant

Blessing 

May you be filled with surety of God, of his love & grace within you. 

May you know the love of the Son in your life every single day. 

May you feel the Holy Spirit, strengthening, nurturing, guiding. 

May you know the love & power of the Trinity every day of your life. Amen.