United Benefice of Altham and Clayton-le-Moors

 

Greeting

 

The Lord be with you
All        And also with you.

 

Blessing of the Advent wreath

 

Lord our God, we praise you for your Son, Jesus Christ:
He is Emmanuel, the hope of the peoples,
He is the Wisdom that teaches and guides us,
He is the Saviour of every nation.
Lord God, let your blessing come upon us
as we light the candles of this wreath.
May the wreath and its light
be a sign of Christ’s promise to bring us salvation.
May he come quickly and not delay.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

 

 

Hymn

Lo! he comes with clouds descending,
Once for mortal sinners slain;
Thousand thousand saints attending
Swell the triumph of his train:
Alleluya! Alleluya! Alleluya!
Christ appears, on earth to reign.

Every eye shall now behold him
Robed in dreadful majesty;
We who set at nought and sold him,
Pierced and nailed him to the tree,
Deeply grieving
Deeply grieving
Deeply grieving
Shall the true Messiah see.

Those dear tokens of his passion
still his dazzling body bears,
cause of endless exultation
to his ransomed worshippers:
with what rapture,
with what rapture,
with what rapture,
gaze we on those glorious scars!

Yea, Amen! let all adore thee,
High on thine eternal throne;
Saviour, take the power and glory:
Claim the kingdom for thine own:
O come quickly!
O come quickly!
O come quickly!
Thou shalt reign, and thou alone!

 

Prayers of penitence

All       Most merciful God,

Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

we confess that we have sinned

in thought, word and deed.

We have not loved you with our whole heart.

We have not loved our neighbours as ourselves.

In your mercy

forgive what we have been,

help us to amend what we are,

and direct what we shall be;

that we may do justly,

love mercy,

and walk humbly with you, our God.

Amen.

 

Almighty God, who forgives all who truly repent,

Have mercy upon you, pardon and deliver you from all your sins,

confirm and strengthen you in all goodness

and keep you in life eternal, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

 

First Reading
Isaiah 64:1-9

Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down,
that the mountains would tremble before you!
As when fire sets twigs ablaze
and causes water to boil,
come down to make your name known to your enemies
and cause the nations to quake before you!
For when you did awesome things that we did not expect,
you came down, and the mountains trembled before you.
Since ancient times no one has heard,
no ear has perceived,
no eye has seen any God besides you,
who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.
You come to the help of those who gladly do right,
who remember your ways.
But when we continued to sin against them,
you were angry.
How then can we be saved?
All of us have become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf,
and like the wind our sins sweep us away.
No one calls on your name
or strives to lay hold of you;
for you have hidden your face from us
and have given us over to our sins.

Yet you, Lord, are our Father.
We are the clay, you are the potter;
we are all the work of your hand.
Do not be angry beyond measure, Lord;
do not remember our sins for ever.
Oh, look upon us we pray,
for we are all your people.

This is the word of the Lord

All        Thanks be to God

 

Second reading
Mark 13:24-end

‘But in those days, following that distress,

‘“the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.”

‘At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.

‘Now learn this lesson from the fig-tree: as soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

‘But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. It’s like a man going away: he leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.

‘Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back – whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the cock crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: “Watch!”’

This is the word of the Lord

All        Thanks be to God

 

Sermon

 

Affirmation of faith

All   I believe in God, the Father almighty,

creator of heaven and earth.

 

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

born of the Virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died, and was buried;

he descended to the dead.

On the third day he rose again;

he ascended into heaven,

he is seated at the right hand of the Father,

and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

 

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic Church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting.

Amen.

 

Hymn

Creator of the starry height,
thy people’s everlasting light,
Jesus, Redeemer of us all,
hear thou thy servants when they call.

Thou, grieving at the helpless cry
of all creation doomed to die,
didst save our fallen race
by healing gifts of heavenly grace.

When earth was near its evening hour,
thou didst, in love’s redeeming power,
like bridegroom from his chamber, come
forth from a Virgin-mother’s womb.

At thy great Name, exalted now,
all knees in lowly homage bow;
al things in heaven and earth adore,
and own thee King for evermore.

To thee, O Holy One, we pray,
our Judge in that tremendous day,
ward off, while yet we dwell below,
the weapons of our crafty foe.

To God the Father, God the Son,
and God the Spirit, Three in One,
laud, honor, might and glory be
from age to age eternally.

 

Prayers of intercession

Lord as we come before you today

On this first Sunday of Advent

We ask you to prepare us for your coming.

You promised through your Son Jesus Christ

To hear us when we pray in faith

And we bring before you today

The needs of the Church and the world

O God, keep us awake to you:

All        And alive to your call

Holy God, just as we are we come to you,

And ask for your kingdom to come in us

And in this place

Increase our faith and love for you,

So that we may become the lights in the darkness

That we are called to be.

We pray for your church today

Gathering all around the world

In tiny churches and great cathedrals

Or indeed remotely as we are

To praise you and to hear your holy word.

Give us a sense of expectation as we come

And inspiration as we go

O God, keep us awake to you:

All        And alive to your call

Holy God, the signs in our world

Of hate, distrust and greed

Are shown to us clearly every day.

May we see with your eyes

The signs of hope and victory

The opportunities for loving service

For encouragement, reassurance and thanksgiving

Drive away despair from our politics,

Revive our dreams of justice and truth

Restore our passion for what is good and right

O God, keep us awake to you:

All        And alive to your call

Holy God, bless us in all our relationships

Whether we are the parent or the befriender

Increase our love for one another

Give us humility

To accept guidance and warnings, lovingly given

And the courage to uphold one another in faith

Help us never to forget the supremacy of love

 

May love motivate us to care for one another

May love heal social ills and

May we always remember that we are members of one another

And that we can never live to ourselves alone.

O God, keep us awake to you:

All        And alive to your call

Holy God, we bring to you in love

Those who are weary with ongoing pain and weakness

those who are frail with age and all who are vulnerable

Pour your loving strength into their lives

And protect them from all that is harmful

We pray for the homeless and the destitute

And for refugees seeking a better life

We ask you to help us all

To use our gifts and talents for the greater good of all

Challenge us to drive away complacency and apathy

When we know in our hearts

That we can do more to help and sustain those in need

O God, keep us awake to you:

All        And alive to your call

Holy God, we pray for all

Who have come to the end of their earthly life,

And for those whose lives feel empty without them.

Give comfort to the bereaved,

And everlasting peace to all who rest in your love

O God, keep us awake to you:

All        And alive to your call

Holy God, your faithful care

Has brought us safely to this moment

We thank you for your constant love, forgiveness

Strength and protection

God of Love

Your Son, Jesus, is your greatest gift to us.

He is a sign of your love.

Help us walk in that love during the weeks of Advent,

As we wait and prepare for his coming.

We pray in the name of Jesus, our Saviour.

Merciful Father,

accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.

A moment of silent prayer

 

Collect

Almighty God,

as your kingdom dawns,

turn us from the darkness of sin to the

light of holiness,

that we may be ready to meet you

in our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

All       Amen.

 

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father in heaven…

 

Hymn

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 own sufficient merit
Raise us to thy glorious throne.

 

Final prayer

Almighty God,

give us grace to cast away the works of darkness

and to put on the armour of light,

now in the time of this mortal life,

in which your Son Jesus Christ came to us in great humility;

that on the last day,

when he shall come again in his glorious majesty

to judge the living and the dead,

we may rise to the life immortal;

through him who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

Amen.

 

Blessing

Christ the Sun of Righteousness shine upon you,

scatter the darkness from before your path,

and make you ready to meet him when he comes in glory;

and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son

and the Holy Spirit, be amongst you and remain with you always.

 

All        Amen!

 

 

Copyright

Common Worship is (c) Copyright Archbishops Council of the Church of England

Biblical texts are from the Holy Bible New International Version Anglicised (NIV-UK) is (c) Copyright Biblica, Inc

Copyright songs reproduced under CCL licence 206171 and streamed under CCL licence 71318

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Month of prayer

As you will see from the archbishops letter, they have called us to make November in particular a month of concerted prayer.  6pm is identified as a moment when we can all pause for a moment of prayer together wherever we may be.  (Also see Revd Toby’s Newsletter  to find out what more we can do.)

The suggested focus for each day of the week is as follows –

Sunday – family, friends and loved ones

Monday – schools and colleges, children and young people

Tuesday – the elderly, isolated and vulnerable

Wednesday – businesses, the workplace and economic wellbeing

Thursday – the NHS and other keyworkers

Friday – national and local government

And attached here is a leaflet of  some suggested prayers for each day, as recommended by the archbishops.

 

Benefice of Altham and Clayton-le-Moors

Revd Toby Webber, The Vicarage, Church Street, Clayton-le-Moors, BB5 5HT
tobywebber@btinternet.com   (01254) 384321

 

November 2020

Dear friends

I write as we enter another ‘national lockdown’.  It is not as intense, and is designed not to be as lengthy, as that which marked our spring and early summer.  But it comes at a time when many of us are ‘fed up with the whole thing’ and just wish it away – and in a season of the year which is less hopeful and more melancholic.  We are conscious that this time around our region is the worst affected with our local hospitals already caring for many patients with severe Covid infections.  You may have seen the CNN news report from the Royal Blackburn(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jj6xddWmKpo) – it makes for very powerful viewing.  There are things to be thankful for, though, particularly the improvements in therapy for Covid patients, and initiatives like the virtual Covid ward reaching out to patients in the community, preventing deterioration and helping them recover.  We must do all that we each can to make the lockdown, with all its pains, as effective as it can be in reducing the transmission of the virus.  We want to keep our own loved ones and community safe, and to help those working so incredibly hard in our hospitals.  Hospital Chaplain Revd David Anderson writes on the ELHT website, ‘Many of us have not recovered from what we went through last time and sometimes knowing what is to come can make it worse. One senior doctor said to me, “The virus is just as strong, but right now I feel weaker.”’

Amongst the pains of the lockdown will be the closure once again of our church buildings for public worship.  As before – and indeed as has continued throughout – we will do what we can to join together through the help of modern technology.  You will be able to view our Sunday services and our Friday Praise each week – either live or on catch up.  And we are continuing to offer Night Prayer daily (except Fridays) at 9:30pm.  Many people have found this to be a helpful moment for quiet reflection, intercession and focus on God at the end of the day.  Don’t forget, you can access all this without needing a Facebook account – just head to www.facebook.com/allsaintsclayton .  And if you’re not on-line why not try ringing the Daily Hope freephone number on 0800 804 8044?

Month of prayer

As you will see from the attached letter, our archbishops have called us to make November in particular a month of concerted prayer.  6pm is identified as a moment when we can all pause for a moment of prayer together wherever we may be.  And Thursdays are identified as a day which we can dedicate as a day of focussed prayer for our NHS and carers.  One ancient and biblical discipline of the church is to fast as a way of devoting ourselves and our prayer more deeply to God.  We are encouraged to fast in some way on these Thursdays – perhaps we can give up one meal, or our snacks, or give up meat and dairy.  Or perhaps give up something different – tv and social media.  Not for its own sake, but to help us to focus on what really matters.  I hope that the people of All Saints’ and St James’ will be wholehearted in making this lockdown month a time of prayer.  For we know how much our community, our nation and our world need our prayers at this time.

There is a suggested focus for our prayers each day (for more details seewww.churchofengland.org/more/media-centre/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-churches/call-prayer-nation:

Sunday – family, friends and loved ones

Monday – schools and colleges, children and young people

Tuesday – the elderly, isolated and vulnerable

Wednesday – businesses, the workplace and economic wellbeing

Thursday – the NHS and other keyworkers

Friday – national and local government

Saturday – all who are grieving, and all suffering with physical and mental ill-health

Looking to December

As we approach December we will respond to whatever ‘happens next’ in terms of regulations and guidance.  Hopefully it will be possible to have church services taking place during Advent and Christmas.  The decision has in any case been taken to have the busiest and most song based services on-line.  Christingle will be shared on zoom on Friday 18^th December at 6:30pm.  The carol service will be premiered on Facebook on the afternoon of Sunday 20^th December.  And the crib service, including contributions from All Saints’ School, will premiere on Facebook on Christmas Eve at 4pm.  We hope to be able to distribute CDs of the carol service to those unable to access the internet.  Look out, too, for the Advent Calendar Windows which will light up around the community during December.  One will be unveiled/lit up each day and you will be able to go and find them, or view them on Facebook.  More details on all this will follow in due course.

The food bank was very grateful for everything collected as part of our harvest celebrations through church and school.  In this time of high demand, please don’t forget that this is a very practical way of helping those in urgent need.  If you can, please continue to drop off food or other items at the Baptist Church on Sparth Road, or the collecting points including the Co-Op and Champs.

The church remains very grateful, too, to those who are continuing to support our work, and towards meeting our ongoing costs.  If you would like to give by standing order or a one-off bank transfer during these times, we can happily let you have the details. However one easy way to continue supporting the work of our church (especially during lockdown) is to give through this easy to use online giving page. Everyone’s support is appreciated as it still costs almost as much to maintain the ministry and the building as normal, yet our church income is reduced.

I write this as we prepare for Remembrance Day and just after we have celebrated All Saints’ Day.  This time of year always reminds us of both the preciousness and the fragility of human life.  It also reminds us that with God’s help people have endured much before and have shown great courage and resilience.  May we, like them, keep the faith.  May we, like them, be good comrades, looking out for each other, and especially the vulnerable.  May we, like them put our trust in ‘God our help in ages past, our hope for years to come, our shelter in the stormy blast and our eternal home.’

Yours in Christ ,

Toby

 

For those who have died

Almighty and eternal God,
from whose love in Christ we cannot be parted,
either by death or life:
hear our prayers and thanksgivings
for all whom we remember this day;
fulfil in them the purpose of your love;
and bring us all, with them, to your eternal joy;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.