Burton Joyce Community Church

Thursday, 2 December 2021

Circuit Service: 5 December 2021

NOTTINGHAM NORTH EAST CIRCUIT

Sunday 5 December 2021
Advent 2

A service prepared by Phil Colbourn, a local preacher at Burton Joyce

Hymn numbers for Singing the Faith (StF)

Lighting the Advent Candle

· The second candle represents faith and is also called "The Bethlehem Candle." Micah foretells that the Messiah will be born in Bethlehem, the birthplace of King David. The second candle also symbolises preparation for the coming king.

CALL TO WORSHIP

Psalm 24, 1¹The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;
²for he founded it on the seas
and established it on the waters.

³Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?
    Who may stand in his holy place?
⁴The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,
    who does not trust in an idol
    or swear by a false god.

PRAYERS

Adoration

Father, great I Am, you met with Moses that day

in a bush blazing with all the colours of fire

so, we pray, meet with us today as we walk with you

and as you walk with us in the way

In Jesus name. Amen

Confession

Father, great I Am, we abuse your gifts. We dump our waste in the rivers, leave litter in the streets, fill the air with pollutants, destroy your peace with our noise, chase after shadows and avoid your light. Forgive us, Lord. Have mercy.

Thanksgiving

To all and each where regret is real, God pronounces pardon and peace, and grants to us the right to begin again. Thanks be to God. And so, as a forgiven people, we lift our faces to the light and walk together in faith.

Father, great I Am, we bless you

You bring forth bread from the earth and fruit for us to enjoy

You call us through the wilderness to a place of plenty.

For these and all your blessings we thank you, Lord. Amen

Hymn StF 171 Hark the glad sound

Hark, the glad sound! The Saviour comes,
the Saviour promised long;
let every heart prepare a throne,
and every voice a song.

He comes, the prisoners to release,
in Satan’s bondage held;
the gates of brass before him burst,
the iron fetters yield.

He comes the broken heart to bind,
the bleeding soul to cure,
and with the treasures of his grace
to enrich the humble poor.

Our glad hosannas, Prince of peace,
your welcome shall proclaim,
and Heaven’s eternal arches ring
with your belovèd Name.

Advent Calendar
Rowan Williams

He will come like last leaf’s fall.
One night when the November wind
has flayed the trees to the bone, and earth
wakes choking on the mould,
the soft shroud’s folding.

He will come like frost.
One morning when the shrinking earth
opens on mist, to find itself
arrested in the net
of alien, sword-set beauty.

He will come like dark.
One evening when the bursting red
December sun draws up the sheet
and penny-masks its eye to yield
the star-snowed fields of sky.

He will come, will come,
will come like crying in the night,
like blood, like breaking,
as the earth writhes to toss him free.
He will come like child.

Advent Litany

Father, great I Am, you created us in your image

Come to our longing, O God of our joy

Christ, great I Am, you are the image of God

Come to our longing, O God of our joy

Holy Spirit, giver of life, you are the joy of heaven

Come to our longing, O God of our joy

The Lord’s Prayer

INTRODUCTION

It’s the second Sunday in Advent and I have planted sweet pea seeds as an act of faith:

1) That spring will follow winter, and summer, too.

2) That the life hidden in the seed will sprout, grow, flower and bear fruit.

A month ago, in Glasgow at COP26, members of Christian Climate Action, alongside many others, staged protests with the group called Extinction Rebellion. They are so concerned about the state of the planet, worried about seedtime and harvest, that they feel they must act.

HYMN StF 92 Think of a world without any flowers

Think of a world without any flowers,
Think of a world without any trees,
Think of a sky without any sunshine,
Think of the air without any breeze.

We thank You, Lord, for flowers and trees and sunshine,
We thank You, Lord, and praise Your holy name.

Think of a world without any animals,
Think of a field without any herd,
Think of a stream without any fishes,
Think of a dawn without any bird.

We thank You, Lord, for all Your living creatures,
We thank You, Lord, and praise Your holy name.

Think of a world without any people,
Think of a street with no-one living there,
Think of a town without any houses,
No-one to love and nobody to care.

We thank You, Lord, for families and friendships,
We thank You, Lord, and praise Your holy name.

OFFERTORY PRAYER

All good gifts around us are sent from heaven above
So, thank the Lord, O thank the Lord, for all his love.

Creator God, great I Am, take and use our lives and our gifts
Establish and extend your kingdom among us. Amen

FIRST READING Malachi 3, 1-4

“I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty.

²But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. ³He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver.

Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, ⁴and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years.

SECOND READING Romans 8, 19-23

¹⁹For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. ²⁰For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope ²¹that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.

²²We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. ²³Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first-fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.

REFLECTION

It is exactly three years since I delivered a version of this sermon at Burton Joyce. We then started out on the road to becoming an Eco Church. It’s a long road and we haven’t got very far but one consequence of that sermon and a subsequent public meeting is that there is now a Climate Action and Biodiversity Group meeting regularly in the village, mostly by Zoom.

We live at a time of Climate Crisis. We need a new heaven and a new earth. This theme of a new heaven and a new earth runs all the way through scripture, from the very beginning to the very end. But hardly has creation been finished in Genesis, when things start to go wrong. I’ll skip all the intermediate stages but right at the end of the Bible, in Revelation 21, we see the new Jerusalem descending from heaven, the Bride of Christ, us, the church.

At last, we think, surely, this *must* be it: Creation perfected.

But, no. Paul, writing to the young church in Rome about AD 50, is not convinced that the earth is yet working as it should. He is waiting for a new software release, Creation X. And here we are, two thousand years later, in 2021, after 26 COPs, in a crisis of epic proportions: both environmental and ecological. In his letter, Paul takes a hike through the contradictions of life, through the forest of experience, wondering how we can understand the way things are. How does God’s great plan of redemption make sense? It is all very confusing and he can’t see the wood for the trees.

But then, in Romans 8, he struggles up the last steep slope and finds himself at the top of the mountain. There below him, the whole of salvation’s story is laid out, from the Garden of Eden to the allotments in Burton Joyce. Suddenly, he understands [Romans 8, 19]: “Creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed”.

Let the words drill down in your soul. Creation is waiting. For us to stand up and be counted

These verses can be difficult to understand and we often skip over them and go straight from one good bit to the next but, if we skip this bit, we miss the whole point. All the way from Genesis to Revelation, the founding principles of Creation have stayed the same:

* Creation is good. (It might not be perfect but it is good)

* It includes everything on earth (physical and biological)

* We are (in some way) responsible for the care of the earth

* We are answerable to God

And, first and finally

* God delights to walk with us in the garden

These principles, established in Genesis 1 & 2, lay upon us the duty to “serve and preserve” the natural world. It is our job and it is the principle that Jesus exemplifies in his role as the Servant King. As his followers, we are called to serve not just the human world but also the natural world; all of God’s creation. It is our responsibility to care for and conserve the Earth.

The earth is the Lord’s but the responsibility for its well-being is ours. AMEN

HYMN StF 663 I, the Lord of sea and sky

I, the Lord of sea and sky,
I have heard my people cry.
All who dwell in dark and sin
my hand will save.
I, who made the stars of night,
I will make their darkness bright.
Who will bear my light to them?
Whom shall I send?

            Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord?
            I have heard you calling in the night.
            I will go, Lord, if you lead me.
            I will hold your people in my heart.

I, the Lord of snow and rain,
I have borne my people’s pain.
I have wept for love of them.
They turn away.
I will break their hearts of stone,
give them hearts for love alone.
I will speak my words to them.
Whom shall I send?

Here I am, Lord. ......

I, the Lord of wind and flame,
I will send the poor and lame.
I will set a feast for them.
My hand will save.
Finest bread I will provide
till their hearts be satisfied.
I will give my life to them.
Whom shall I send?

Here I am, Lord. .....

INTERCESSIONS

For the Earth: the climate, the destruction of living things; that people do the right thing

For the people of the world: wars, drought, flood & wildfire; compassion for refugees

For ourselves, our family and friends: in a time of Covid, in the lead up to Christmas

For the church of Christ in every place: Come, Lord Jesus, come.

For all your mercies, we give you thanks, O Lord. Amen

FINAL HYMN StF 169 Come thou long expected Jesus

Come, Thou, long expected Jesus
Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in Thee.

Israel's strength and consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.

Born Thy people to deliver,
Born a child and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever,
Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.

By Thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By Thine all sufficient merit,
Raise us to Thy glorious throne.

Advent responses

With love and compassion: Come, Lord Jesus

In power and in glory: Come, Lord Jesus

He is coming, He is coming soon. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus

BLESSING

May the God of creation, of the spinning suns and the running waters, keep company with us on our journey and bring us at the last safe home. And the blessing of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, be with us and remain with us, and all we love, now and for ever. Amen

Sunday 5 December. Advent 2

BURTON JOYCE

COMMUNITY CHURCH

SUNDAY 5 DECEMBER 2021

Advent 2

We have only a short service outline this week because there is a service at the church. Hymns changed to Songs of Fellowship

From Louise Gee:

Hi All,

Please find below the Order of Service for this coming Sunday.

Looking forward, as always to sharing with you all at Burton Joyce Community Church.

Call to Worship

Songs of Fellowship 154; Hark the glad sound

Opening Prayer

Lord’s Prayer

Reading: Isaiah 40: 1-11

SoF 205; I cannot tell

Reading: Mark1: 1-8

Sermon:

SoF 347; Lo, he comes with clouds descending

Final Prayer & Blessing

Tuesday, 23 November 2021

Sunday 28 November 2021

BURTON JOYCE

COMMUNITY CHURCH

in association with

Sunday 28th November 2021

A service written by Rev Sue Edwards (chaplain at Queens and City Hospitals) for Women against Violence Sunday, adapted by Phil for BJCC. Hymns are from Songs of Fellowship (SoF)

On the brink of Advent, we are reminded of the nature of the one who is to come. We call him 'king' but his kingdom is very different from what people expect. The Gospel passage (John 18: 33-37) reminds us that God's kingdom is not one of power through violence (the model of kingship in Jesus' time); rather it is one where truth, life, and right relationships are valued. Elsewhere in John's Gospel, we learn that Christ has friends, not servants and so subverts the notion of status.

Call to Worship

Come to the God who, in Christ, welcomes all. Bring to God all you are and long to be. Entrust to God your burdens, hopes and fears.

Let us worship God with a hymn of his never-ending love for us all.

Hymn SoF 377: Love divine, all loves excelling

Opening Prayer

We worship you, the God of love:

You hold the world in tender embrace. You feel the hurt and sorrow we bear. You comfort the wounded heart.

We thank you, in Jesus Christ, that you held women in high esteem.

You understood their heartaches. You inspired their love and trust.

We praise you, Spirit of truth:

You uncover the lies and distortions. You name the violence in our hearts. You seek to transform the pain.

O God, reveal the persistent wrong in our lives, the reality we choose to ignore; the abuse we tolerate of other people. Change hearts and lives, that your image may grow in us and in those we love. Amen.

All: We believe that power should not be used against one another;
that, women and men should live in safety; that no-one should harm another; that, women and men should know the constancy of love;
that, women and men should feel secure; that no-one should have violence used against them; that, women and men should feel free to speak out; that no-one should constrain or deny the truth; that, women and men should grow towards wholeness; that no-one should restrict another’s growth. In the name of Christ, Amen.

We sing of the human and divine Jesus in our next hymn.

Hymn SoF 390: Meekness and Majesty

Today’s Readings:

Daniel 7:9-10 and 13-14

John 18: 33-37

Message

There is a story about the king of one of the monarchies in Europe. One Sunday, on a trip through his kingdom, he decided to attend worship at a small country church. He was all by himself and he sat down quietly and began to pray. A woman came and interrupted him, claimed that he was sitting in her seat and told him to move. So, he quietly moved to another pew and sat down again. At the end of the service, the minister announced the presence of the king and asked him to say a few words. What did that woman feel then!

This is the same question we as Christians face today:

Do we recognise our king?

The idea of Jesus as King is hard to take seriously. It is, for most of us, perhaps, an image that belongs in stories that begin: “Once upon a time, in a land far, far away...” Apart from Queen Elizabeth, most of us only know of Kings and Queens in history books.

In our Gospel story today, Pilate asks Jesus if he is the king of the Jews. Pilate only knew one kind of king, a king with power and authority. He served the most powerful king in the world, Caesar. To Pilate, Jesus did not look like a king. This bruised and beaten man that stood before him could not seriously be taken as a King. So, when Jesus says: “My kingdom is not from this world”, I imagine it really had Pilate thinking and maybe even worried.

In our world, there is so much corruption and greed. In the kingdom that Jesus is talking about, it is different. It is about serving, loving, forgiving, healing, giving and, for Jesus, sacrificing his life for others. His power is truth, faith, hope and love, life itself.

It wasn’t what people were expecting.

On the last Sunday of the church year, we celebrate Jesus as our King. He is the one who defies the kings of his day and who welcomes all people. It seems appropriate that this is also Women against Violence Sunday and I welcome the opportunity to say: “Haven’t we forgotten why Jesus came and the way he wanted us to live?”

We proclaim a kingdom where the first shall be last and the last shall be first. We speak of power in weakness, strength in loss, and life in giving it away. We recognise that Jesus is the one who offers us life. Contrary to what people might think, true power belongs to God and it is offered on behalf of the powerless and vulnerable.

So, let us determine to follow God’s way in a new kingdom, right here, right now, where all people will be as one. We claim Christ as King, the Servant King, now and forevermore. Amen.

Hymn SoF 120: From heaven you came (Servant King)

Meditation - Prayer of Confession and Intercession
If you wish, you can use: a candle and a cross or a cross drawn on paper; a stone and some quiet music. Otherwise, just read the words

Let us come to God in prayer, for ourselves and others.

Take hold of your stone in the palm of your hand.
This is you - your life - complete with good and bad things. Facing you are the positives: things you're happy for others to see and know. Facing down are the negatives: experiences, realities you hide away.

Pause

Find a rough part of the stone and feel the pain etched into your life, characteristics you'd rather not have, ways of life that are wrong.

Feel the outline of your stone to find a point or edge and recognize the hurt you cause others and the harm you do them.

In the quiet, let God reveal the conflict and sorrows in your heart.

Silence

When you are ready, lay your stone at the cross, asking forgiveness for all that mars the image of Christ in yourself and your loved ones

O God, who revealed in your Son that your kingdom is not from this world, take from us the addictions, power and violence, which so grievously wound you and our loved ones. Transform us in your love. We look to God to save us and heal us from all that tries to harm us.

As we pray for all who suffer harm, light a candle in solidarity with people everywhere who are abused in body, mind or spirit.

O God, who shows us in Jesus Christ how your kingdom will come in love and justice and peace, be present for all who are suffering abuse or are having to witness the suffering caused. May they know your supportive presence. We pray for your liberating kingdom to come in truth, hope and love. Amen.

Hymn SoF 533: The King of love my shepherd is

Blessing

Let us spread the hope of Christ's kingdom so that everyone we meet sees the Light of Christ in us. Amen

Closing words from Longing for Light by Bernadette Farrell:

Many the gift, many the people
Many the hearts that yearn to belong
Let us be servants to one another
Making Your kingdom come

Christ, be our light!
Shine in our hearts.
Shine through the darkness.
Christ, be our light!
Shine in Your church gathered today. AMEN

Sunday 21 November 2021

BURTON JOYCE

COMMUNITY CHURCH

in association with

Sunday 21 November 2021

Written by Local Preacher Susan Johnson, adapted for the Community Church by Phil Colbourn. Hymns from Songs of Fellowship (SoF)

Reflections on a season of Remembrance

Psalm 46

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble

Hymn SoF 40

Be still, for the presence of the Lord, the holy One, is here

Let us pray

O God of truth and life, during these unusual times – with the threat of infection and increased health concerns across the globe – help us to lift our eyes above the torment of this broken world and put our faith in you. You are the source of life and health and hope, now and for ever. Amen.

Gracious God, in this time of reflection draw us close to you, help us to lean on you and to hand over to you all our concerns. Your love reminds us that we are not alone, that we have your strength and guidance available to us all the time. And so, we ask that you would accept the worship of our hearts.

In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen

We say together the Lord’s prayer

Our gospel lesson for today

John 15:9-17

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you

Reflection by The Revd Paul Mellor (RAF chaplain)

I remember the Boys Brigade, the War Memorial in our South Yorkshire village on cold November mornings, thinking: “What am I doing here?”

In 2003, as a chaplain, I found myself huddled in a concrete air-raid shelter, in Kuwait, with 30 or 40 others. Again, I asked: “What am I doing here?”

More than 80 times, I stood on the tarmac with a family, waiting for the return of a loved one killed in conflict. I prayed: “Lord, what am I doing here?”

My answer was and is, hope: hope that we do not ever forget the cruelty of war and that we know that, in the worst of circumstances, we are not alone.

Let us pray

God of love, all people are members of your family. Help us reflect your love in all we do. Help us to build bridges across divides and become ministers of peace and reconciliation, letting your light shine in the darkest of places.

We pray for our broken world. Help us. Lord, help us

We remember, in the words of Desmond Tutu: Good is stronger than evil; love is stronger than hate; light is stronger than darkness; life is stronger than death. Victory is ours, through him who loves us. Amen

Hymn SoF 533

The King of love my shepherd is

What am I doing here?

I wonder if we need to ask this question about our lives in general.

As Christians, we live our lives in the service of others, as Jesus asked us to. To show the light of love. To be the friends Jesus has called us to be, to all we meet. And to remind people, as well as ourselves, that we are not alone.

Let us pray

We pray for all who suffer as a result of violence and conflict
God give peace.

For all who suffer the distress of grief and the sadness of loss

God give peace.

For all who work to relieve suffering and bring hope

God give peace.

For prophets and peace-makers, for singers and scientists

God give peace. Amen.

Hymn SoF 148

Guide me, O thou great redeemer

Blessing

May peace surround us.

May hope fill us.

May the way of love be ours as we go out into the world.

Amen

Acknowledgement: Methodist Forces Board. Resources for Remembrance 2021

Friday, 12 November 2021

In-person services at the church

For a trial period, we are meeting for a short service in the church at 3pm on the first Sunday of the month.

October 3rd 2021 - Harvest Thansgiving, Rev Louise Gee (URC)

November 7th 2021 - Remembrance, Rev Richard Byass (Methodist)

December 5th 2021 - Advent, Rev Louise Gee (URC)

We also hope to hold a short service on Christmas Eve:

December 24th 2021 - details to be announced, Rev Richard Byass (Methodist)

And in the New Year:

All services at 3pm

January 9th 2022 - Covenant Service in the Methodist tradition

February 6th 2022 - Rev Louise Gee

March 6th 2022

April 3rd 2022

May 1st 2022

Final service: May 29th at 3pm

Details to be confirmed

Sunday 14 November 2021

BURTON JOYCE

COMMUNITY CHURCH

with Nottingham North East Circuit, the Methodist Church

Sunday 14 November 2021

A service prepared by Jan Davies, adapted by Phil Colbourn

Hymns in Songs of Fellowship (SoF)

Theme: Times of Darkness & Light

Introduction Sometimes we may feel that God is not there as He used to be. Perhaps the trick is to hold on, sometimes by the finger tips, and wait until His light shines again. This is a meditation service: no sermon but a series of stories and meditations for us to consider.

Prayers of 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 it has never been extinguished.

Praise be to you, Lord God.

We see your creative energy in the wonder, colour and beauty of the universe, or in the minute detail of the living cell, or a new born child.

Praise be to you, Creator God.

You welcomed the little child, shared the pain of the suffering of the marginalised, touched the leper and healed the blind.

Praise be to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

You stretched out your hands in love on a cross; our lives are bound up for eternity with you in your resurrection life.

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, the Living God. Amen

We thank you, Lord God, that we are free to meet in your name, to worship you and to speak the name of Jesus without fear.

We thank you, Lord God, for those things we take for granted: our homes, food, friendship and fellowship.

We thank you, Lord God, for the wonder of creation; for eternal life secured for us in the death and resurrection of Jesus and for your Holy Spirit here with us now. Thanks be to you, Lord God, Amen

Hymn SoF 1067 To be in your presence

Reading: Lamentations 1 vv 1, 7 & 11-13

Living with Blackness

Winston Churchill called it his ‘Black Dog’. Anyone who has lived with depression will know just what he meant. The blackness is even more difficult to cope with because, as a Christian, surely, I shouldn’t feel this way? I am judged by those who don’t understand: If I am so fearful and isolated then I cannot be trusting in God, they say. And so, the depression is compounded by guilt.

Where is my loving Father God in all this? The truth is that He seems entirely absent. Perhaps we can understand why the people of Jerusalem in the reading from Lamentations felt so desolate and I wonder if this is what St John of the Cross meant, when he spoke of ‘The Dark Night of the Soul’? That’s what it feels like to me. Where is the shaft of light to penetrate the darkness when He who is the ‘Light of the World’ has left me to be overwhelmed by shadows?

Meditation

Will I ever feel normal again, Lord? Will I laugh again and love and feel something other than this black fear?

My blackness remains impenetrable until one day, someone I barely know reaches inside the bubble and says, “I understand what you are feeling. I’ve been there too”. Or a friend, who doesn’t understand but so much wants to help, puts his arms around my shoulders and hugs me saying: “It’s all right, you are quite safe!” The cup of tea. The practical help. The listening ear. The doctor’s medicine. Most of all, someone who understands.

And so, you come Lord, not in a blinding flash, not in visions and ecstasy, but in your people, through simple acts of kindness.

“Signs of Daybreak” (From Wisdom Stories by Margaret Silf.)

A rabbi once asked his students how they could tell when night had ended and day was on its way back. “Is it when you can see an animal in the distance, and can tell it is a sheep or a dog?” “No,” answered the rabbi. “Is it when you can look at a tree in the distance, and tell it is a fig tree or a peach tree?” “No,” answered the rabbi.

“Well,” the students demanded, “when is it?”

The rabbi said, “It is when you can look in the face of another human being, and see that he or she is your brother or your sister. Because if you cannot do that, then no matter what time it is, it is still night”.

Quiet Reflection: Living in a dark world.

Do you find this happens more as you get older or in illness?

How have you coped with it?

Hymn SoF 1419 Light of the world, you step down into darkness

Reading: John 1 vv1-5

“Seeing the Sunrise”

Some years ago, I lived in a village situated in a valley and early each morning I went for a walk because I thought it was good for me. I often started out grumpy but usually felt better at the end. The only way out of the village was up. I set out early one November morning and puffed my way up the hill before turning onto a footpath across the fields. This proved to be a bad choice: I put one foot onto what I thought was solid path but my foot sank, my foot came up but my boot didn’t, stuck fast in the mud. I stumbled and landed, hands first, with my nose in the quagmire. I was now beyond grumpy but, from the ground, I looked up and there in front of me was the most glorious sight. The sun had just risen, the clouds on the horizon had lifted and the scene before me was transformed, painted in red and gold. The underside of the clouds glowed in the crimson light and golden shafts of sunlight streaked across the sparkling fields. It didn’t last more than a few minutes, and I could so easily have missed it if I hadn’t looked up from the ground at that moment.

Meditation:

Too often, Lord, I concentrate on the darkness and fail to lift my eyes to the sunrise. When I do lift them to you, Lord, I see the light again. You step down into the darkness and light penetrates to the depths of my mind. Darkness is dispelled and I am filled with hope. Help me Lord to lift my eyes to the Light. Amen

“Making a Saint” (From Wisdom Stories by Margaret Silf)

Out shopping with his mother, Johnny happened to look up at the nearby cathedral. He wasn’t impressed. From outside, the windows looked dull and grimy. “Let’s go inside” she said.

Johnny was entranced by the magical coloured patterns on the stone floor of the ancient cathedral that seemed to dance in front of him as the light streamed in through the windows. “What is it Mum?”

“Well,” replied his mother, “it’s a saint. Look up there. The light is shining through her making her picture dance on the stone floor.”

Johnny stored this up in his heart and, a few days later in an RE lesson, when his teacher asked: “What do you think makes a saint?” Johnny’s hand shot up. “A saint is someone the sun shines through” he said, “and when that happens, the stones come to life.”

Quiet Reflection: Let your light shine

Does it help to just keep going until the darkness passes?

How can you continue to let Christ’s shine through you?

Hymn SoF 1377 Jesus Be the Centre

Prayers of Intercession