‘Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long.’ (Psalm 25:4-5)Hymn: Hills of the North, rejoice...1 Thessalonians 3:9-13‘The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.’ John 1:9Let us confess our sins: Most merciful God, we acknowledge our failings. 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.May the God of love and power forgive us and free us from our sins, heal and strengthen us by his Spirit, and raise us to new life in Christ our Lord. Amen.Prayer for the day: 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. Amen.Luke 21: 25-36Please see the message from the minister.In joyful expectation of his being with us we pray to Jesus:Come to your Church as Lord. We pray for all to come to know your love, now and always.Come to your world as King of the nations. We pray for peace on Earth.Come to our community as a family member. We pray that our relationships will thrive.Come to the suffering as Saviour and comforter. We pray for those on our hearts and minds today. Break into our lives, where we struggle with sickness and distress, and set us free to serve you for ever.Come to us as shepherd and guardian of our souls. We remember those we have loved and lost. Come from heaven, Lord Jesus, with power and great glory. Lift us up to meet you, that with all of your saints and angels we may live and reign with you in your new creation.We join together in the words of the Lord’s prayer: 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.Hymn: Kum ba yah, my Lord, Kum ba yah...May God himself, the God of peace, make us perfect and holy, and keep us safe and blameless in spirit, soul and body, for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ; and may the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among us and remain with us always. Amen.As we await our coming Saviour, let us go in the peace of Christ. Thanks be to God.
For people born after the second part of the 20th century, the Collect and readings for the Feast of Christ the King can come as a bit of a surprise. Before that time, it didn`t exist in the church calendar, and you couldn`t find it in the Book of Common Prayer. Instead it was described as the Sunday next before Advent. It was commonly known as `Stir up Sunday` from the words of the collect: `Stir up, O Lord, the wills of your faithful people, that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruits of good works, may by you be plenteously rewarded.` It was the cue for stirring up the Christmas pudding, ready to be eaten on Christmas Day. In our Common Worship services the stir up collect is still there: you`ll hear it as our post-communion prayer so Christmas pudding stirrers haven`t been let off the hook. And the colour of the day goes from endless green for Trinity to sparkling white for today, mixed together then for Advent purple.But where did this celebration of a king come from? There is no king-making event which Christians can celebrate. To think of Christ as a King can be confusing: Jesus always resisted being given the title. After the feeding of the 5000, the crowd came to make Jesus king, and we read that he withdrew and went up the mountain alone. At the end of his life, the signs of his being a king were there in another way as Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey and at the Cross the soldiers mocked him with a purple robe and crown of thorns. In our Gospel, Pilate is confused. He needs to know whether this man Jesus is claiming to be a king, a king who will threaten Pilate`s own existence and that of his empire. Instead, Jesus speaks of bringing the truth.What should we make of the meaning of Christ the King as we finish our excursions through the Trinity Sundays and as we look forward to entering the season of Advent? This Sunday gives us pause for reflection before Advent and Christmas are here. Let`s take some passages from our readings to help us to think through what Christ the King means, with you and me as Christ`s followers.The Old Testament Reading: Daniel 7, verse 10 and 13-14:`A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.There before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshipped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.`The greatness and majesty of God. As we pray, do we have this picture? Or do we limit who he is and how he works not just in his world but in his universe?Are we praying in the context of the King of kings and within the everlasting rule of God? How great is our vision of God? The Epistle reading from Revelation chapter 1, verses 7-8: `Look, he is coming with the clouds and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all peoples on earth will mourn because of him. I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.` The King who will come for all people. We live in an age where belief is sneered at and devalued. One day the whole universe will see God as he is and Jesus coming to proclaim the dawn of a new age.The Christmas Gospel in John 1 calls us to look up and marvel at the greatness of the God who has come among us:`In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.`Our God is so much more than an object. He calls us into his service:-Hans Kung: `Jesus provoked a final decision, but not a yes or no to a particular title, to a particular dignity, a particular office, or even to a particular dogma, rite or law. His message and community raised the question of the aim and purpose to which a person will ultimately direct their life. Jesus demanded a final decision for God`s cause and man`s.`The Gospel reading from John 18, 37b:Here are the words of Jesus:`You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.`Jesus relies on us, his followers, to reflect who he is, to speak only the truth.Do we do that? Are we known as those who are truth-givers? Are we trustworthy as God`s children?The One whom we follow reminds us of the ministry of the patriarchs, the prophets, John the Baptist, the Virgin Mary and of Christ the King as we journey on. We celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Saviour of the world, and reaffirm our commitment to him. As we come to the Lord`s Table today, we bring all that we are to God, Alpha and Omega, the Way, the Truth and the Life.Let me end with a paraphrase of some words from the book of Revelation in the Fount Children`s Bible which speaks of our journey`s end, where Christ the King reigns:`The gates of the city stood open all day, and there was never any night. All the people who love God live here. Whatever they have suffered while they lived on earth is made up to them a thousand times over. There is no sickness or disease, no famine or war or death. No one tells lies or picks quarrels, or makes the lives of others a misery. It`s as though the life of Jesus has finally spread to everyone. As though his love and joy and peace were flowing through every heart and flooding every life.God save the King. Amen.(Revd) Pat Hopkins
Lord, direct our thoughts, and teach us to pray. Lift up our hearts to worship you in spirit and in truth, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.‘The Lord is king, he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed, he is girded with strength.He has established the world; it shall never be moved.’ (Psalm 93:1)Hymn: Crown him with many crowns...Daniel 7: 9-10, 13-14; Revelation 1: 4b-8Jesus said, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’ (Matt 4:17)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.May the God of love bring us back to himself, forgive us our sins, and assure us of his eternal love in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.Prayer for the day: God the Father, help us to hear the call of Christ the King and to follow in his service, whose kingdom has no end; for he reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, one glory. Amen.John 18: 33-37Please see the message from the minister.Let us join in prayer, asking for the loving presence of Christ the King to be known to everyone as we live day by day:We pray for the Church, that Christ will rule in all hearts;We pray for the world, for compassion and loving kindness to overpower conflict;We pray for our families and community as we share God’s love and build relationships;We pray for people who are sick or suffering, that they will know God’s healing presence;We pray for the departed, remembering all who mourn.Let us pray for the coming of God’s kingdom in the prayer that Jesus taught us:Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done; on earth as it is in 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.Hymn: Rejoice! The Lord is King! ...May the love of our Lord Jesus draw us to himself, the power of the Lord Jesus strengthen us in his service, the joy of the Lord Jesus fill our hearts: and may the blessing of God Almighty who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit rest upon us and remain with us always.Let us go in peace to love and serve the Lord, in the name of Christ. Amen.
Dear HeidiThank you for your message on this website. Sadly your email address is not working so we hope you will pick up this message.You and your partner are very welcome to come to our Nativity / Christingle service at 5pm on Christmas Eve. Simply turn up, we have lots of costumes if you want to join in or you may sit and watch the fun!We hope you will have a wonderful time in Sheringham.
