Sunday Worship 27th December

 Sunday Worship - the First Sunday after Christmas

Welcome to our Sunday worship on the first Sunday after Christmas. Reverend Christine Steel, Curate at St John's Church, Hey, will be preaching and presiding this morning. If you can't be with us in person, you'll find everything you need to worship from home here on this page.

Our first hymn this morning is " A Great and Mighty Wonder"

The Gospel -

John 1:1-18

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life wasthe light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth. (John testified to him and cried out, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.'") From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father's heart, who has made him known.

Reflection -

I am writing this 10 days before Christmas Day so that we can mail it out to everyone in plenty of time. Similarly, at the time of writing, I don’t even know what restrictions will be in place and what ‘tier’ we will be in.

I wonder how different Christmas will have been for everyone. Despite the fact that it will no doubt have seemed quieter and perhaps a little less busy for people, I truly hope there has been some joy for each and every one of you.

Hopefully, by the time this service takes place on December 27th, most of us will have had a relaxing Boxing Day (or St. Stephen’s Day if you prefer), to get over any over-indulgence and the left overs will have gone down considerably. Christmas will have been and gone. Or will it?

Ordinarily when we meet together in church on the Sunday after Christmas one of the first things we would ask each other might be, “Did you have a nice Christmas?” Despite the fact that for many that have jobs, they won’t return to work for at least a couple of days there is a sense that Christmas is over. For some it’s an anti-climax and for others a bit of a relief.

But Christmas is not just a point in time or a single event. In today’s Gospel passage John reminds us of the creation of all things by God and his omnipotent power. We and everything around us are all here by the ‘Will of God’. He also reminds us of the most important part of Christmas - “And the Word became flesh and lived among us.”

Jesus is sometimes referred to as Immanuel which translates as ‘God is with us’. It was God’s will to come amongst humanity so we could see his face and hear his voice. For us as humans, it is beyond our ability to fully comprehend God, but nonetheless he came amongst us that we may experience his love for us. God became like us so that we might know him directly. How fantastic is that!

But it doesn’t end there, because Jesus went about amongst us, and showed us how to love one another, and as we know he gave his life that we might all be redeemed. And Jesus is constantly with us, by our side, there for us whenever we turn to him. ‘From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.’

“And the Word became flesh and lived among us” and will always live amongst us. Every time we pray and speak to God, every time we live according to his word and love one another, we acknowledge anew that the Word became flesh and continues to live among us. … and we can receive that gift time and time again. Every day is Christmas Day.

Our prayers -

Heavenly Father, we worship Your holy name and Your gift of creation.

Thank You that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

We thank you that you sent Jesus, your only Son to be our saviour.

Who was born of human flesh and went about among us.

Who willingly suffered for us,

So that we may be redeemed by His precious blood.

Praise Your name and praise Jesus,

in Whose name we pray. 

Amen.

Today's final hymn is "See Amid the Winter's Snow"

Christmas Morning

 Christmas Morning Worship

Welcome to our Christmas Morning Worship! Our Parish Christmas Eucharist is at 10 am in St Thomas' Church, with our own Revd David preaching and presiding. We do have quite a lot of space to seat everyone safely in church, but if you can't be with us in person, you'll find everything you need to worship from home here on this page.

Our first Carol this morning is "Christians Awake, Salute the Happy Morn" - 

A Christmas message from Ruth -

There are several significant days, which we celebrate towards the end of December and the beginning of January. Of course, I am referring to the Christian celebration of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ on December 25th and, and then a New Year following on, which is often traditionally "welcomed in" on New Year's Eve, on the 31st December.

I have often wondered why the 25th December was chosen as the day to celebrate the coming into the world of our Saviour Jesus Christ. The Bible doesn't refer to it being a winter's night. However, there is a strong link to the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year on 21st December in the Northern Hemisphere.

After the 21st December, the days start to lengthen and the amount of daylight increases. In this, there is a reminder that Jesus, "The Light of the World" is born, and people respond to the hope of lighter and brighter days to come.

The "Letting In" of the New Year on 1st January always reminds me of the Roman god Janus, who was thought to be the "Guardian of Gateways"-- and how important it was in keeping the city safe by guarding who came in and who left.

Janus, who gives us the name of the first month of the year (January), is depicted as a god with two faces--one face looking back into the past year and the other looking to the coming year.

For us, it is sometimes acceptable to look back and examine the past, especially if it shows us a positive way forward, but we are strongly encouraged to focus more strongly on the future, 'though informed by past experience, if it also helps us to encourage others in "the hope which is set before us" through the light of Christ.

May I wish you all a Happy and healthy Christmas and a Bright and Hopeful New Year.

With love and prayers,

Ruth

A Message from David -

Think about the really beautiful words in Christina Rossetti’s beautiful carol, “In the bleak mid winter”

“What can I give him, poor as I am

If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb:

If I were a wise man, I would do my part

But what I can I give Him

Give ... my heart!”

There is a wonderfully simple yet challenging message to aspire to – don’t you think!

David

Here is a lovely performance of "In the Bleak Mid Winter"  by Ellie Knott, who has played at many Carol services in the past, and her friend Cameron -

A Reading from the New Testament -

Titus 3:4-7

When the goodness and loving kindness of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy, through the water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. This Spirit he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Saviour, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Carol - "Joy to the World" -

Gospel

Luke 2:(1-7) 8-20

[In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.]

In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for see-- I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,

"Glory to God in the highest heaven,

and on earth peace among those whom he favours!"

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us." So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Archdeacon Karen Lund has prepared this wonderful and inspiring reflection for Christmas Day -  

  

Carol - "Ding Dong Merrily on High" - 

Our Prayers for Christmas Day -

Father Almighty, 

We thank You and praise You today for the miracle of Your Son's birth. 

Thank You for bringing great JOY to the whole world! 

Thank You for giving us the assurance that because You came to us in the form of a human, 

we who believe in Jesus can know with certainty that we'll spend eternity with You.

O Lord Jesus Christ,

true God from true God,

you became a little child for us so the world you made would be saved.

Just as a child is born to us and a Son is given to us,

may we be born again through you

and always remain in the number

of God’s faithful children;

through your will, O blessed Saviour,

with the Father and the Holy Spirit

you live and reign,

one God,

now and forever.

Amen.

Our final carol for today is "O Come, All Ye Faithful" - 

Nine Lessons and Carols from Manchester Diocese

 Nine Lessons and Carols from Manchester Diocese

Manchester Diocese warmly invites you to their digital Carol Service -

  

Nine Lessons and Carols - Church of England with Christian Aid

 Nine Lessons and Carols - Church of England with Christian Aid

Nine Lessons & Carols

 Service of Nine Lessons and Carols

Introduction - Our service of Nine Lessons and Carols will take place at 6.30 pm on Sunday the 20th December at St Thomas' Church. You are welcome to join us -  we do have quite a lot of space to accommodate everyone safely. If you prefer to worship from home though, we have all you need here on this page, and you can worship at a time that suits you. 

The readings and prayers are all just the same as we will be using in church. The biggest difference is that we can't sing the carols in church, but we can at home! There are more carols, ranging from very traditional to modern, here than we will have in church, so you can choose your favourites to sing along with. All of the carols have the lyrics shown to make it easier to join in, or you may just want to enjoy the wonderful music.   

Carol: Midnight

Bishop Mark Ashcroft has made a video of his reflection, which will be used in the Diocesan digital Carol Service on Wednesday. We'll be sharing the full carol service when it's available, but in the meantime you can view the video here - 

Carol: Once in Royal David’s City

Bidding Prayer

Beloved in Christ, be it this Christmastide our care and delight to hear again the message of the angels, and in heart and mind to go even unto Bethlehem and see this thing which is come to pass, and the Babe lying in a manger.

Therefore let us read and mark in Holy Scripture the tale of the loving purposes of God from the first days of our disobedience unto the glorious redemption brought us by this Holy Child.

But first, let us pray for the needs of the whole world; for peace on earth and goodwill among all his people; for unity and brotherhood within the Church he came to build, and especially in this village of Lees and diocese of Manchester.

And because this of all things would rejoice his heart, let us remember, in his name, the poor and helpless, the cold, the hungry and the oppressed; the sick and them that mourn, the lonely and the unloved, the aged and the little children; all those who know not the Lord Jesus, or who love him not, or who by sin have grieved his heart of love.

Lastly, let us remember before God all those who rejoice with us, but upon another shore, and in a greater light, that multitude which no man can number, whose hope was in the Word made flesh, and with whom in the Lord Jesus we are for ever one.

These prayers and praises let us humbly offer up to the throne of heaven, in the words which Christ himself hath taught us:

Our Father, who art in heaven

hallowed be thy name;

thy kingdom come; thy will be done;

on earth as it is heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation;

but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory,

for ever and ever.

Amen

Carol: How Far is it to Bethlehem

 

1st Lesson: The story of our Fall in the Garden of Eden - Genesis 3: 8-15

Carol: Silent Night

Carol: It Was on a Starry Night

2nd Lesson: God promises to faithful Abraham that in his seed shall all the nations of the world be blessed - Genesis 22: 1-2, 9-18

Carol: Hark the Herald Angels Sing

Carol: Sing High with the Holly

3rd Lesson: The prophet foretells the coming of the saviour - Isaiah 9: 2, 6-7

Carol – Infant Holy, Infant Lowly

Carol - Long Ago, Prophets Knew

4th Lesson: The peace that Christ will bring is foreshown - Isaiah 11: 1-9

Carol: It came upon a midnight clear

Carol: Go Tell it on the Mountain

5th Lesson: The angel Gabriel salutes the Blessed Virgin Mary - Luke 1: 26-38

Carol: The Angel Gabriel from Heaven came

Carol: Angels from the Realms of Glory

6th Lesson: St Luke tells of the birth of Jesus - Luke 2: 1-7

Carol: O Little Town of Bethlehem

Carol: O Holy Night

7th Lesson: The shepherds go to the manger - Luke 2: 8-16

Carol: Away in a Manger

Carol:While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night

Carol: See Him Lying on a Bed of Straw

8th Lesson: The wise men are led by the star to Jesus - Matthew 2: 1-11

Carol: As with gladness men of old

Carol: In the Bleak Midwinter

9th Lesson: St John unfolds the great mystery of the Incarnation - John 1: 1-14

Carol: O come all ye faithful

Blessing

May the joy of the angels,

the eagerness of the shepherds,

the perseverance of the wise men,

the obedience of Joseph and Mary,

and the peace of the Christ-child

be yours this Christmas;

And the Blessing of God Almighty,

The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,

Be upon you and remain with you always.

Amen

Carol: We Wish you a Merry Christmas

Sunday Worship 20th December

 Sunday Worship - Advent 3

Welcome to our Sunday worship on the fourth and final Sunday of Advent. Reverend Canon Sharon Jones, Team Rector of the Saddleworth Churches, will be preaching and presiding this morning. If you can't be with us in person, you'll find everything you need to worship from home here on this page.

The first hymn this morning tells the story of the Annunciation - "The Angel Gabriel From Heaven Came"

This morning's Gospel reading -

Reflection -

Today’s Gospel is about the Annunciation - when God sent the Angel Gabriel to announce the good news to Mary that she is to be the mother of Jesus – the son of God. I am immediately reminded of one of Edith’s sermons when she asked us to imagine just how incredible this must all have been for a young teenage girl who most probably wasn’t even that well educated.

In this relatively short passage, we can see three distinct key phases that paint a fascinating insight into what Mary was going through at this important moment in history … fear and confusion, awe and wonder, then finally acceptance and compliance.

Firstly fear - it’s not every day that you sit down for quiet brew and an angel appears out of nowhere, let alone one bearing a message that you are highly favoured by God and about to bear his son. I think any one of us might go through a range of emotions from confusion and bewilderment through to fear. But when the angel Gabriel says “do not fear” it is clear that Mary does not panic or run away or even cry. You may see a parallel here with when the Angels appeared to the shepherds on the eve of the Lord’s birth.

Having listened to Gabriel’s message she starts to realise the awesome magnitude of what she has been told. As a naïve young girl, she is overcome with wonderment and awe and questions ‘how on earth can this happen?’. She was also no doubt worried about her reputation, Mary has never been intimate with a man – she is pure and a virgin. What will people say? she is betrothed to a descendant of Israel’s greatest King.

But her question, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” is not one of challenge and total disbelief, it is one of wonder, wanting to know how God will achieve this feat? This tells us much about the depth of Mary’s personal faith and belief in God - she doesn’t doubt that God can do all things – it is clear that through her faith she has moved on from ‘How on earth can this happen?’ to ‘How will God make this wonderful miracle come to pass?’

Finally, we see the humble submission and acceptance that Mary displays when she simply says ‘I am the Lord’s servant’. This sign of unquestioning compliance is in itself totally awesome. Her entire world has been turned upside down - this totally innocent teenage girl is likely to face scorn and rejection in her community and who knows how her fiancé will react?

It would surely have been wiser and easier to object and get on with the plans she had in store and the good life she had been hoping for. But yet her response is, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.”

Her decision was – ‘Will I take the easy way and avoid the hassle?’ or ‘Will I obey and make way for the coming of the Lord?’ Or to put it another way, ‘Is my allegiance to the Lord or my personal desires?’

There are and will be many times in our own lives where we are faced with taking the easy route - to turn a blind eye to injustice or the needs of others, or instead to make the choice and take the opportunity and do something about it. Will your response be one of faith and courage like Mary? Will you say, "I am the Lord's servant. May it be to me as you have said."

Today's second hymn is "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence" 

Our Prayers -

And today's final hymn is the joyous "Make Way!" -

News update 17th December

 Advent and Christmas News

Hello everybody, and welcome to our Advent and Christmas newsletter!

Last week was the third Sunday in Advent, and also the parish Toy Service. It was lovely to welcome Bishop Mark to preach and preside, and Annie lit the three Advent candles. The Christmas Tree display is now complete, and raised £200 for Church funds. Our Sunday schools continue to be busy through Advent – their own special version of Posada continues, with the children colouring in pictures of Mary and Joseph on their journey to Bethlehem and displaying them in their windows. They're also preparing to have their Nativity by Zoom on Christmas Eve - we can't wait to see the photos! To see more of what the Sunday schools are doing take a look at their facebook page - StThomas Leesfield Sunday School 

This week's Worship for all Generations at St Agnes' Church was about "The Advent Grinch", and you can watch a recording on our facebook page - Leesfield Parish

 

Our Sunday service details will be here at the weekend, and all of the Christmas services and events are shown on the poster below:-

Sunday Worship 13th December

 Sunday Worship - Advent 3

Welcome to our Sunday worship on the third Sunday of Advent. Today is also our Toy Service, as well as being known as "Rose Sunday" - when we light the rose-pink Advent candle. We're really pleased to welcome Bishop Mark to preside and preach this morning. If you can't be with us in person, you'll find everything you need to worship from home here on this page.

The third Sunday of Advent is also known as "Gaudete Sunday".  Gaudete is translated as "Rejoice" , and our first hymn for today (with the translation) is "Gaudete" - 

This morning's Gospel reading -

Reflection -

I am sure many of you are familiar with the opening verses form John’s Gospel – it’s the long reading we would normally hear by candlelight towards the end of our Christmas Eve midnight mass. Sadly, we won’t be able to hold that service in our church this year but thankfully we won’t need to miss out as there will be a live transmission on Radio 4 from Manchester Cathedral with Bishop David.

As you read this week’s Gospel you may have experienced a little bit of déjà vu – as there are some of the elements from last week’s Gospel reading, Mark 1: 1-8.

Mark tells us about John ‘the Baptist’ - the humble person who eats locusts and honey. However, in John’s Gospel he hardly refers to John as a baptiser, rather the focus is on the John who comes to testify to the coming of the light – the coming of our saviour Jesus Christ. God is sending his only son – a new presence of light to shine on us – and it is John’s destiny, this humble person, to point us to its presence – so we don’t miss it.

As we hear today, it is John’s role to straighten the path for Jesus and open our eyes to the presence of the light amongst us. To prepare the way!

The John we hear about today makes it abundantly clear that he is not the Messiah or Elijah. Although many at that time considered John to be first prophet for over 300 years, again he makes it clear he is not a prophet. When he says, “Among you stands one whom you do not know, the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.”, John is not trying to belittle himself but to open people’s eyes to understand the greatness of the one who is coming.

This year has been the most difficult year many of us can remember, with the spectre of COVID 19 pervading many aspects of our lives. Even if we are lucky not to become ill, there are still the knock-on effects of isolation, job insecurity, financial hardship and of course interruptions to public worship. Folk could argue that these are indeed dark times.

But we don’t have to look far to see signs of light infiltrating through the darkness. The love of those putting their lives at risk to help others across the world, the carers and medical practitioners, the person who bravely speaks out against tyranny and oppression and so many more. Despite how dark we may think things might be, if we look, we can see the light and we can be reassured that Jesus is with us and will be forever; “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness does not overcome it.”

John himself is not defined by his own greatness, importance or authority but by the nature of his connection with Jesus – the light in our midst.

So, as we prepare for Christmas, whether we have the stamina to stay up until midnight on Christmas Eve or not, we can still identify with Jesus with the same conviction as ‘John the Witness’. We in our own way can be witnesses like John and point toward the light in our midst – the light that shines in the darkness.

God is calling each of us to be a witness like John, to point to Jesus and say “Look - There goes the light, the lamb of God”.

Our second hymn this morning is a lovely version of " O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" from Enya -

Our Prayers -

And today's final hymn is "Hark, The Glad Sound, The Saviour Comes", written by Philip Doddridge in 1735 -

Mid-week Joy 9th December

 Mid-week Joy

Welcome to our mid-week celebration of the great things happening in Leesfield Parish and beyond. 

Worship for all Generations is back at St Agnes' Church this evening, but if you missed it you can watch on our facebook page from 6.30 pm tomorrow.

This Sunday is our Toy service, 10 am at St Thomas' Church, and we're pleased to be welcoming Bishop Mark to join us. If you can't be with us in person you'll find everything you need to worship from home here on this page at weekend.

The third Sunday in Advent is also known as "Gaudete Sunday", which gives me an excellent opportunity to share this link to an old Steeleye Span favourite!  

Last week our Sunday schools joined in a "Zoom" Christingle service, with the help of the Children's Society.. Here are just a few of the photos, and they're looking forward to lots more Christmas excitement soon.

The Church of England has launched a special campaign for Advent and Christmas. Please watch this short video to find out more about "Comfort and Joy" 

If you would like to receive regular updates about Comfort & Joy you can find a link to sign up by clicking here - https://www.churchofengland.org/

Our own service of Nine lessons & carols will be at 6.30 pm on Sunday the 20th December, but sadly we won't be able to sing this year. Watch these pages though, because we'll be sharing links to on-line services and Youtube carols so you can sing along at home.

And finally, as we write our Christmas cards we'll probably see lots of images of the Madonna and Child, who often are portrayed as looking "just like us".  Here is a collection of beautiful pictures from around the world - a timely reminder that Jesus came for all of us - no matter what we look like.

Sunday Worship 6th December

 Sunday Worship - Advent 2

Welcome to our Sunday worship on the second Sunday of Advent. We're really pleased to be back in St Thomas' Church today, with our own Revd David Halford presiding and preaching. If you can't be with us in person, you'll find everything you need to worship from home here on this page.

Our first hymn for today is "On Jordan's Bank The Baptist's Cry"

This morning's Gospel reading -

Reflection -

Usually, in the early weeks of November, I would be fortunate enough to be on holiday somewhere warm, avoiding the ever-shortening days - at least for a couple of weeks. So, I was somewhat struck by how early people have been putting up Christmas decorations - not just in the shops where they already seem to have been around for ages, but in people’s houses.

I thought perhaps I was maybe mis-remembering and that perhaps some people have always put up the bunting this early. Then I read a message on an online site where someone asked that same question – “Has anyone put up Christmas decorations yet?” There were many replies that suggested folk would not normally put them up until after 25th November or December 1st – However many expressed the sentiment that this year we all need something to look forward to and were going to start early. Is this a message that this year, more than ever before, we need to prepare for something better to come?

In the church, Advent is the beginning of our new liturgical year and a time when we prepare ourselves for the coming of Christ. Advent is paradoxical in that it is seen as a season of darkness and mystery whilst at the same time we prepare for the coming of the light of the world – Christ.

Unlike the other Gospels, Mark doesn’t begin with the nativity story, instead he throws us straight into the thick of it - His opening line is a clear proclamation of promise - “The Beginning of the Good News.”

For me the key word is ‘beginning’. Mark’s Gospel leaves us in no doubt that we are to prepare ourselves not just for the birth of Christ but his whole life – a life that continues each and every day, for we know that Christ’s death was not the end. We know that Christ continues to live through each and every one of us if we prepare for his second coming and the kingdom of God.

So where is John the Baptist in all of this? Despite his humble lifestyle John was arguably considered a celebrity of the era. That is nothing to do with the co-incidence that the reality TV show ‘I’m a Celebrity ….” is on our screen at this time of year – (although given his diet of locusts he would have probably felt at home). John was followed by thousands because he was deemed to be the first prophet for over 300 years. People of all status and background flocked to the wilderness to listen and be baptised by him. He was preparing for the coming of Christ by preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. For those whom John baptised, it marked their confession that they were sinners. When we admit we are sinners, we are laying aside our human pride and confessing the truth of what we really are. But we are not making that confession blindly. We are making it in the light of the revealed knowledge that God loves us immeasurably, and that he has made atonement for us in Jesus Christ.

In other words, because God has revealed to us that he is for us, we are free in Christ both to fearlessly acknowledge our sinfulness before God, and free to accept God’s gift of atonement and his new creation of us in Jesus Christ.

So, as we put up the tree and decorations, let us give thanks and prepare ourselves for his coming, safe in his love, knowing we can give over to him the crushing burdens of our darkest sins and fears.

Our Prayers -

And our final hymn for today is "Lo, He Comes With Clouds Descending" - written by Charles Wesley in 1758