August services: catchup

August services: catchup 

 Well, that's odd. I thought I had loaded these up. Where did they go?

Apologies if you were looking for them. Here they are now. First, the service for 23rd August then, following on below, the service for 30th August 2020.

BURTON JOYCE COMMUNITY CHURCH

Sunday worship for 23rd August 2020

In fellowship with Nottingham North East Circuit of the Methodist Church 

Prepared by Rev’d Moses Agyam adapted by Phil Colbourn. Spend a few moments with God, knowing that other people are sharing this act of worship with you. 

WELCOME 

This week, we continue in the theme of time, with Mary and Martha in Luke’s gospel. Let us draw near to God with open heart and mind

DRAWING NEAR 

Yesterday, today and tomorrow: God is present with us

Here and now, in this precious time: Let us meet with God.

HYMN: Songs of Fellowship 108

Fill thou my life, O Lord my God, in every part with praise

PRAYERS OF APPROACH 

God of time and eternity, we praise you for the gift of your presence. In our activities we seek to serve you but sometimes we let you down. As we reflect on our failings, we ask forgiveness & for the chance to start again. 

Silence for personal confession. Thank you, Father, for your love. Amen. 

HYMN: Songs of Fellowship 79 Dear Lord and Father of mankind

THE WORD: 

Luke 10, 38-42. Mary & Martha

REFLECTION: The Gift of Time

Entertaining people in your own home can be enjoyable, but it can also be stressful especially if you are the cook! If you are not the cook, you probably wonder what all the fuss is about. But which is better: to spend time with people or wow them with your cuisine? People appreciate the time we spend with them; the gift of our attention. We can understand why Martha is distracted and annoyed with her sister! But equally, we can understand why Mary made the choice she did. It was her last opportunity for time with her Lord. Martha remained the poorer for fussing over the preparations. ‘Only one thing is needed [and] Mary has chosen what is better,’ says Jesus. Every day is God’s gift. Let’s cherish the time we spend with our families, friends, neighbours & colleagues. Such moments are precious, unrepeatable and it is in such times as these that we know God’s presence with us. 

Time to reflect 

on how we use our time  ·  on quality time and memorable occasions  

on missed opportunities  ·  on whether we are like Mary or Martha. 

HYMN: Dark is the night (Tune: Abide with me.) 

Moses writes: I came across this beautiful hymn written for Easter Eve this year by Anglican priest hymn writer Rev’d Ally Barrett and I really liked it. The words capture so well these dark times.

Dark is the night, the passing hours are long, 

Lone voices whisper sorrow’s silent song, 

Each faltering prayer will fear it’s made in vain. 

When will we sing the world to life again? 

Dark is the night; not all are blessed with sleep. 

Some wake and work, and some must watch and weep:
Angels disguised, they tend a world in pain, 

Off’ring the hope that there’ll be life again. 

Dark is the night, the silent hours are slow, 

Heav’n’s tears anoint the suffering earth below, 

Blessing with dew the secret springing grain, 

A pledge that the world will soon know life again. 

Words: ©2020 Ally Barrett Reproduced with permission. 

PRAYING FOR OTHERS AND OURSELVES 

Eternal God, we bring you our concerns for the world and for ourselves:

We pray for all suffering violence or oppression or domestic abuse 

We pray for all who have suffered the loss of hopes & dreams 

We pray for all who grieve & all who are in pain

We pray for all who long for freedom & forgiveness

In a time of stillness, we bring our personal prayers to God: Silence

Lord of eternity, we trust in you – today, tomorrow and always. Amen

In confidence, we unite our prayers, saying: Our Father, who art in heaven 

HYMN: Songs of Fellowship 415 O God, our help in ages past

CLOSING RESPONSES & BLESSING 

All time is in God’s hands. Lord, we have met with you this day

Into your hands we commit our lives. Bless us, O Lord God of life

Send us out in your name. Abide with us now and always, we pray.

May God bless, preserve and keep you, now and for evermore. Amen.

And now, the service for the last Sunday in August:

BURTON JOYCE COMMUNITY CHURCH

A short service for use at home: Sunday 30th August 2020 

Prepared for Nottingham North East Circuit of the Methodist Church by supernumerary minister Revd David Monkton and adapted for BJCC by Phil Colbourn. Spend a few moments with God knowing that others share in this time of worship with you. 

 

WELCOME

HYMN: Songs of Fellowship 411. O for a heart to praise my God

PRAYER OF ADORATION AND THANKSGIVING 

We begin our worship, O God, with a yearning to serve you better. Free our hearts to give thanks for all the good things we receive and for all people of goodwill, through Christ our Lord. Amen. 

CONFESSION

For our thoughtless use of your creation:   Lord, have mercy.
For our failure to care for others:                  Christ have mercy. 

For our selfishness in prayer:                         Lord have mercy. 

Here is good news. Jesus says, ‘your sins are forgiven.’

Amen. Thanks be to God 

READING: EXODUS 3:1-15 [v.14 a key thought]

God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” He said further, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”

REFLECTION

How did Moses come to take on this tremendously difficult job of leading the nation of Israel out from Egypt to a land of their own? Like many people in the world today, the Children of Israel were used as cheap labour, slaves. Midwives were ordered to kill Hebrew boys as they were born but we have the lovely story of the baby Moses hidden in the bulrushes and found by Pharaoh’s daughter. 

As a young man, Moses kills an Egyptian he sees cruelly mistreating a Hebrew slave. When this becomes public knowledge, he fears for his life and flees the country. Looking after his father-in-law’s sheep, he sees a bush on fire that is notitself burnt. God calls to him and tells him to take off his shoes because he is standing on holy ground. 

These are vital moments. Moses has been chosen to lead his people out of slavery to ‘The Promised Land’. If people ask his authority, he is to say “I AM has sent me”: The God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob. ‘I am’ and ‘I will be’: God says, I will be with you now and in the future. It is going to be hard, but God is with you all the way. 

Today, Jewish people celebrate Passover to remind them of the beginning of their journey of freedom and the hymn ‘Guide me, O thou great Jehovah’ reminds us we that we too are a pilgrim people. Jesus leads his people out to freedom for the whole of humankind. 

In the 60th anniversary of my ordination, I believe more strongly than ever that Jesus is central to our lives and we need to progress to a mature understanding of what this relationship is all about. If there is one thing we do know about God, it is that God is love. 

“For the love of God is broader than the measures of man’s mind and … the heart of the eternal is most wonderfully kind.” (Faber)

Life is full of surprises, and many jolting experiences, but we will find that God is love. Jesus leads us through the uncertainties of life so that we may know at last God’s everlasting love. Amen. 

HYMN: Songs of Fellowship 148. Guide me, O thou great Jehovah

INTERCESSORY PRAYERS 

For the church throughout the world, in these troubled times 

For those who care for others & supply our daily needs 

For the lonely, ill, bereaved and unemployed

For all who suffer cruelty, injustice and neglect 

Hear all our prayers, through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. 

The Lord’s Prayer: Our Father

HYMN: Songs of Fellowship 307. Jesus, the name high over all

CLOSING PRAYERS 

Redeemer God, you heard the cry of your people and sent Moses to lead them out of slavery. Free us from the tyranny of sin and death and, by your Spirit, lead us to your promised land.

And the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit be with us now and for evermore. Amen. 

 

Sunday service for 16th August 2020

Sunday service for 16th August 2020

BURTON JOYCE COMMUNITY CHURCH 

Sunday 16th August 2020

In fellowship with Nottingham North East Circuit of the METHODIST CHURCH 

Prepared by Revd Moses Agyam & adapted by Phil Colbourn. Spend time with God, knowing that other people are sharing in worship with you. 

Welcome to this time of worship! 

We often say that we don’t have enough time – even in retirement! However, one of the gifts of this dreadful pandemic has been the gift of time. We are having to learn to wait, and be patient, before we can meet again in worship & fellowship. 

Today (& next week), we explore the theme of time & patience, waiting on God. Let us draw near with an open heart.

DRAWING NEAR 

Time never stands still but our God is eternal

Yesterday, today and tomorrow God is still present

Here and now, in this precious time, may we meet with God. 

HYMN: Songs of Fellowship 405. 

Now thank we all our God 

PRAYER OF APPROACH 

God of day & night, sun’s setting & rising, you are God of time & eternity. In each moment of each day, you are in our midst. For your presence, we bless you. For your love, we thank you. For the promise of eternity, we worship you. Time never stands still but you are always active. We have sought to serve you in different ways but we have often let you and ourselves down. In a moment of quietness, we take time to reflect and ask for forgiveness & for the chance to begin again.Silence for personal confession. Lord, remind us of your unfailing love and grace, given for all time and eternity. Amen.

HYMN: Songs of Fellowship 41. 

Be still and know that I am God

THE WORD– Luke 2:25-35 

Simeon sees the child Jesus in the Temple

REFLECTION: Waiting Patiently 

One of the lessons we’re learning through this pandemic is patience and with it, the gift of waiting. There is a wonderful image of patience in old western movies: People are rocking their chairs on porches, waiting for whatever will come. Rocking & waiting. Waiting & rocking. We might picture Simeon as an old man rocking in his chair on the porch. He had been promised he would see God’s chosen one before he died, but he had to wait, until the day Jesus was brought to the temple. God promises us his love & faithfulness but we often fret with the direction our lives are taking. 

It is only when we look back that we see some sense of purpose. Times of trial can bring new things to fruition. Times of wilderness strengthen us for the journey. Times of loss restore our faith in friendship & fellowship. Like Simeon, we look to Christ, and one day we will see him. For now, we have the gifts of time & life to enjoy & use wisely. Adel Bestavros says: ‘Patience with others is love, patience with self is hope, patience with God is faith’. Faith, love and hope: these are the virtues we need for a time like this. May our waiting be a time of purpose & our lives become a testimony of faith. 

Time to reflect: 

• On what we are waiting for • On how patient we are with God and others • On times past that make greater sense now • On the example of Simeon. 

HYMN: Songs of Fellowship 1575. 

Wait for the Lord, whose day is near. (x3)

PRAYING FOR OTHERS AND OURSELVES 

Eternal, healing God. We pray for all people living under oppression or violence, or facing domestic abuse during isolation - that peace will reign. 

Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer 

We pray for everyone who knows the loss of hopes and dreams, or of love, and where grief and pain have become unwelcome companions. 

Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer 

We pray for all who have regrets & long for freedom through forgiveness and all who are fearful for the future or for whom this time is difficult. 

Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer 

In a time of stillness, we bring our own prayers to God, who has promised to hear us: [Silence]. Lord of eternity, we trust you now and always. Amen 

We gather our prayers in the words Jesus taught us: 

Our Father … 

HYMN: Songs of Fellowship 108. Fill thou my life 

CLOSING RESPONSES 

Lord, we have met with you this day. All time is in God’s hands

Into your hands we commit our lives. Bless us, O Lord God of life 

Send us out in your name. Go with us now, we pray.

BLESSING

May God bless, preserve and keep you, now and for evermore. Amen. 

 

August

August 

Where did August come from? 

What happened to the last three weeks?

Playing catchup: Three Sunday services for the price of one today.

We have been away, meeting up with distant family after months of lockdown.

It is all rather disorientating.

Disconcerting.

Neither here nor there.

Perhaps the reflections, the readings and the hymns in these three services can help us get back on an even keel. Thanks to Moses, Helen, Dinah and Phil for putting them together.

More online worship material is available on URC, Methodist and village CofE websites:

URC Facebook

Methodist Youtube

Village CofE Facebook (Revd Anna)

Sunday service for 9th August

 Sunday service for 9th August

BURTON JOYCE COMMUNITY CHURCH

Working with Nottingham North East Circuit of the Methodist Church 

Sunday 9 August 2020 

This short act of worship has been prepared by local preacher Phil Colbourn 

Loving God, we come to you here in our homes but together in spirit, and greet you with adoration and thanks for your love. Amen

Psalm 105 tells the story of the people of God & their escape from Egypt

Oh, give thanks to the Lord and call upon his name; 

make known his deeds among the peoples! Hallelujah!

We sing (Songs of Fellowship 895) Lord, I come to you

Prayers 

Lord, we come to you knowing our own frailty but also your glory

We grieve over the state of our world and our own shortcomings but we rejoice in your loving-kindness and your faithfulness and thank you for your love. We rejoice in your eternal goodness and once again we praise you: Creator, Almighty, Father, Lord of life. Amen

Confession 

Lord, when we see ourselves in the light of your love, we can see how much we lack that love ourselves. Forgive us. Renew us & remake us, so that we are kind &full of compassion. We are so gratefuil that you do not abandon us but search us out & lift us up & bring us home. Amen

Reading
Genesis 37, 1-4, 12-28

Joseph’s brothers sell him to Midianite traders who take him to Egypt.

Hymn (Songs of Fellowship 89) Faithful One

Reflection 

Joseph was a dream child. Rachel’s boy. Jacob’s favourite. Joseph was a dreamer and his father loved him: Joseph, and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat. But Joseph really got on people’s nerves. So annoying! Which view of Joseph is correct? Did the sun shine out of him or was he a pest?

Think about Jesus. He never puts a foot wrong. He knows better than anyone else, even his elders and betters; at the age of twelve! He must have been *so* annoying! He could even walk on water! 

But God says: “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” You can almost hear Jacob saying the same to Joseph. So, who is right? And if God is right, what is the matter with everybody else - Joseph’s brothers and the scribes & Pharisees, the High Priest & the rest who were annoyed by Jesus?

Perhaps, when all is said and done, God can be a very annoying person.

Perhaps we find it all too threatening? God can disturb our sense of who we think we are, undermine our basic assumptions, and challenge our rights & privileges. So, we say to God: “We are who we are. Don’t mess with us.” But God says to us: “I am who I am.”

Joseph comes to his brothers, wearing his coat, his head full of dreams and they get rid of him. Jesus comes, walking on water, stilling the storm. What do we do? Let’s leap out of the boat like Peter and go to Jesus, sink if we have to, but welcome Christ with open arms. He is Lord, the Lord Almighty. God comes to us trailing clouds of glory. God, this God, is our eternal home. 

Take time to be still for a moment 

We sing (Songs of Fellowship 1030) The Lord’s my shepherd

Intercession 

Annoying and Redeeming God, help us.

Your love is eternal, your joy all embracing.

Your peace is a healing touch.

Generous God, we pray for the exploited and powerless.

For good government and for people who care. 

For the sick and the bereaved. For families in difficult circumstances.

Finally, we pray for each other and our own needs. Amen. 

Together we pray the Lord’s Prayer 

(Songs of Fellowship 192) How lovely on the mountains (Our God reigns)

We bless one another 

God of Jacob and Joseph, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, go with us; comfort and strengthen us on the way, in trouble and in joy;

and may the blessing of God Almighty, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

be with us and remain with us now, today, and every day. Amen. 

Sunday service for 2nd August

Sunday service for 2nd August 

BURTON JOYCE COMMUNITY CHURCH

Service for Sunday 2^nd August 2020

This short act of worship has been prepared by Deacon Helen Snowball.  Spend a few moments with God, knowing that other people are sharing this act of worship with you

Our first hymn is from SoF 377 Love Divine, all loves excelling

Time for some prayers͙: Gracious and Loving God, We praise your name, for all your blessings to us, for your grace and mercy. The world is your creation, and all that is in it. For rushing streams, majestic mountains, and crashing seas, we give you thanks.  For all the creatures and birds, the flowers and trees, we give you thanks. For all the times you have guided us, loved us when we have not been worthy, nurtured us when we have been hurt, we give you thanks. When we fail, we let ourselves and you down. When we speak words that do not honour you, we are sorry. When we do not speak out against injustice, we are sorry.  When we do not put you at the centre of our lives, we are sorry.  Because of your love for us, we can be confident of your forgiveness.  We are loved and cherished by you, and we give you thanks that we are washed clean, and able to begin afresh. Thank you, for your gracious, pure and ceaseless love.  Amen.

Our reading is from the gospel of John 6, 1-15

Reflection: It’s not always good to share – if you‘ve got germs, keep them to yourself!  Bad news, about redundancy or closures is something we don’t want to share either!   Mostly, though, it is good to share, things like good news, sweets, chocolate - and the young boy that the disciple Andrew had found knew that. He saw a need.  He didn’t have much, but the very least he could do was share what he had with Jesus. Picture this: we know there are 5000 men here, but women and children are not counted. So we can probably double the figure to 10,000 at the very least. Imagine Jesus sitting quietly with his friends when this huge crowd of people comes towards him. Imagine that view coming towards you, like a wave of people – young men, old men, women and children, fishermen, bakers, carpenters.  Perhaps a few will be wealthy, but most will be poor.  Maybe some are ill and hoping for healing. There is now a small football stadium sized crowd of people approaching Jesus, but he doesn’t turn them away. As usual, he has compassion for them. 

There is a need for food, everyone is hungry, so Jesus tells the disciples:  feed them!  Philip is from the area, he knows that there isn’t a Sainsbury’s nearby, and anyway it would take six month’s wages to feed this crowd. He feels the situation is hopeless, thinking logically, thinking only of what he himself can do.  Andrew is a little more proactive. He comes across the youth somehow, and he takes him to Jesus. Andrew can’t fix it, but he knows a man who can!  Only the evangelist John mentions the boy, clearly like his using of the disciples names he felt it was a significant detail. This miracle could not have happened without Andrew and the boy.

Perhaps John thought the significance of the boy was the fact that he gave up all he had, or that Andrew introduced him to Christ. Without knowing what Jesus would do, the boy willingly goes with Andrew, with his lunch at the ready. We know that this large crowd has followed Jesus because of the miracles and healings they have seen, but I doubt anyone thought much could be done to feed this crowd with five loaves and two fish. Still, he goes to Jesus. Handing his food over, I wonder if he said “It’s not much, but you can have it, it’s all I have”.   How often do we say that to God?  It’s all that I have - giving everything we have over to him and trusting that we can do what is needed.  Perhaps we assume that, even with God, we are inadequate, we’re not enough. Do our feelings of inadequacy prevent us from acting?  Perhaps we don’t trust God enough to get us through difficult situations.  If God has asked us to do something, he must think we can actually do it.

We must never think that what we have is not enough for him to use.  Whatever we have, gifts, time, best intentions, give them to Christ - he’ll know how best to use them.  He’ll know how we can be used to help others to share his Good News and our resources. . God has always known what he wants from us - and he has always known what we can do.  He would never expect more from us than we can deliver.

Whatever little you may think you may have, hand it to Christ, and he will do remarkable things with it.  Amen.

Let’s sing number 72 from SoF, Come let us sing of a wonderful love

Prayers of Intercession:  

We pray for all those affected by Covid 19;  we pray for NHS and key workers.  

We pray for Governments and world leaders.

We pray for the sick and for the bereaved.  

We pray for our friends and our families, near and far.                     

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer

The Lord’s Prayer

Our final hymn is SoF 457  O worship the Lord

Blessing

May you always know the blessings of God in your life.   May you feel his loving presence surrounding you and yours.  May you always feel the light of Christ in your heart.    Amen             

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

 

Sunday service for 26th July

 Sunday service for 26th July

BURTON JOYCE COMMUNITY CHURCH 26th July 2020 

With the Nottingham North East Circuit of the Methodist Church

This short act of worship has been prepared by Revd Moses Agyam for you to use at home. Spend a few moments with God, knowing others are sharing this act of worship with you. 

         Image: ‘Hurting’ © Jake Lever

We gather before an image of pain and suffering: a blasted tree, echoing the battlefields of World War One. The image also suggests the cross. Out of suffering and hurt, God is able to bring healing & life. In our worship now, we seek to open ourselves to that gift of healing, offer ourselves as part of God’s response to our hurting & suffering world. 

Hymn: Songs of Fellowship 1412

Lead us, heavenly Father, lead us 

Compassionate God, you long to bring a healing touch. In our broken world, we pray for wholeness & restoration. May we find the path of healing in the footsteps of Jesus & the power of your life-giving & liberating Spirit. Amen. 

Psalm 34:4-8 

I sought the Lord, and he answered me, 

and delivered me from all my fears.

O taste and see the LORD is good; 

happy are those who takes refuge in him! 

Reading – Romans 8:1-17 

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free 

Meditate on the image above for a few minutes

Reflection: Already / Not yet

Paul often speaks about the Already / Not yet in the Christian life. We know God’s love but do not yet experience full freedom as children of God. Paul argues here that there are two solid bases for our new life as believers. The first is what God has done for us and the second is the Spirit’s work in us. 

At the heart of Paul’s message today is one of assurance: we belong to Christ in life & in death. As Methodists we know this was something John Wesley rediscovered when he had his ‘Aldersgate experience’: 

In the evening I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate Street, where one was reading Luther’s Preface to the Epistle to the Romans. About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. 

In our everyday lives, we may live with cancer or racial injustice but we long for what is ‘yet’ to come knowing whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s: 

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth… and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling of God is with men … he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more.  [Revelation 21, 1-5]

So, taking hold of what God has done & living in the Spirit, we struggle forward together, not in fear, but in hope, to our heavenly home. Amen. 

Hymn: Songs of Fellowship 194

How sweet the name of Jesus sounds

Prayers 

We recognise: 

•       places of suffering & pain in our world and our own lives
•       the tension of ‘already/not yet’ in our lives  
•       the choices we make that bring pain to others

Compassionate God, you long for our deepest well-being. Meet our need with your healing grace. When we make poor choices, draw us back to your way. Reach out, touch us and make us whole. Amen. 

The Spirit of the living God fill you, heal you and make you whole 

Our Father 

Hymn: Songs of Fellowship 297 

Jesus, lover of my soul,

Blessing

The blessing of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, be with us and our closest, now and for ever. Amen.