Sunday 17th January 2021 (2nd Sunday of Epiphany)
Some parts of this service are the same each week. The sermon, the Bible readings and the prayers are recorded for each new Sunday.
Before you begin, take a moment to pray. Ask your heavenly Father to show you the grace of Jesus, and to fill you afresh with his Holy Spirit. Think of a few other members of the church (if you are from St George’s) and pray also for them.
Start of Service
Let us begin by remembering the wonder of God’s grace! This recording from Songs of Praise was recorded in John Newton’s church in London.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
This is the day that the LORD has made.
Let us rejoice and be glad in it. [Psalm 118:24]
Praise the LORD, O all you nations;
all you peoples, sing his praise.
For his love is great towards us;
his commitment lasts always.
He is faithful now and ever.
Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! [Psalm 117 from Sing Psalms]
As you come to the Lord Jesus, the living Stone, you are like living stones being built into a temple of the Spirit, to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
We are a chosen people, a royal priesthood,
a holy nation, God’s special possession,
so that you may declare the praises of him
who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
Once we were not a people
but now you are God’s people.
Once we had not received mercy
but now you have received mercy.
Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. Live such good lives in this world that, even if you are accused of doing wrong, people may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. Amen. [1 Peter 2:4-5, 9-12]
We now turn to Almighty God to confess our sins. The song ‘The Steadfast Love’ has been incorporated into this next video.
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we claim we have not sinned, we make God out to be a liar and his word is not in us. Let us confess our sins to the God of life: [1 John 1:8,10]
Almighty God, our heavenly Father,
we have sinned against you and against our neighbour
in thought and word and deed,
through negligence, through weakness,
through our own deliberate fault.
We are truly sorry and repent of all our sins.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, who died for us,
forgive us all that is past
and grant that we may serve you in newness of life
to the glory of your name.
Amen.
If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father – Jesus Christ, the Righteous One – and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins. [1 John 1:9 & 2:1-2]
May God who loved the world so much that he sent his Son to be our Saviour forgive you your sins and make you holy to serve him in the world, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,
His mercies never come to an end;
They are new every morning, new every morning,
great is Thy faithfulness, O Lord,
great is Thy faithfulness. [Lamentations 3:22-23]
bible reading and sermon
We continue our sermon series based on 1 Corinthians; today’s sermon is based on 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 which is read before the sermon begins. The first video is our gospel reading John 12:20-33.
After the sermon, take time to respond to God’s Word to you. Whenever we hear from God a good practice is to think of TSP (“teaspoon”):
T for Thank You - what do you need to praise God for?
S for Sorry - what do you need to confess?
P for Please - what do you need to ask of God, for yourself and others?
As a specific response to this sermon from 1 Corinthians 1, take time to consider:
How do you see the “be true to yourself” idea around you in culture? How has it shaped your own thoughts and actions?
Jesus prayed “Not my will but yours be done”. What might that mean for you this week?
creed and prayers
Today the prayers are led by our Vicar. He reads “A liturgy for a time of widespread suffering” which you can find at this page (it is the first of the downloadable liturgies).
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those
who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power
and the glory are yours,
now and forever.
Amen.
blessing
commissioning
Father God, you have adopted us as your daughters and sons:
help us to live as children of light
bringing glory to your holy name.
Jesus Christ, you suffered and rose again for us:
teach us to seek first your kingdom
as we deny ourselves, take up the cross and follow you.
Holy Spirit, you stir us to love and good works:
strengthen us to fight against sin, the world, and the devil
so that your will, not ours, may be done.
Father, Son and Holy Spirit, you have saved us:
send us into the world to proclaim your gospel. Amen.
Final blessing
The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face towards you and give you peace. [Numbers 6:24-26]
The blessing of God Almighty,
the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you always. Amen.
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
In the name of Christ. Amen!
What is God saying to us during these times? This conversation with Paul Blackham (the man who taught our Vicar how the Bible is all about Jesus) was released this week. It is well worth setting aside some time to watch it and reflect on what Paul says.
If you are not a regular member of St George’s but want to connect with us, please please contact us via this page. We have Evening Prayer using Zoom every day (except Saturdays) at 5pm and you are welcome to join us. Contact us for details. Our Prayer page gives you Bible readings and reflections for each day and many of us are finding these such an encouragement.
Find out more about hope during the coronavirus pandemic.
Last year we saw many versions of ‘The Blessing’ from around the world. It was a joy to see brothers and sisters from many nations, united in a desire for God to bless the world. This video was released only two weeks ago.