Shipley Church Self-Service

Sunday 24th January 2021

Thought for the Week – Getting to know you, getting to know all about you!

The song “Getting to know you” from the Rogers & Hammerstein musical “The King and I” concludes with … “haven’t you noticed? Suddenly I’m bright and breezy, because of all the beautiful and new, things I’m learning about you, day by day”. The coming of Jesus into human history introduced something new and dynamic, that the old ways of thinking were not capable of grasping. To the amazement of the disciples, Jesus turned a large quantity of water into wine, at a wedding feast in the Galilean village of Cana. There were suddenly “new” things to see and understand as Jesus’ ministry gathered momentum with the first of his miraculous signs. (John 2: 1-11)

People find in Jesus a reason for living, a firm stronghold in times of despair, and joy and confidence in what they find so compelling about him – even without fully understanding who he is - that they choose to follow him. The incident that took place at Cana catapulted forward the process of working out Jesus’ identity. Might what once was inconceivable have actually happened? And, if so, who was it that the disciples had chosen to follow?

Hymn for today

Lead us, heavenly Father, lead us

O’er the world’s tempestuous sea;

Guard us, guide us, keep us, feed us,

For we have no help but thee;

Yet possessing every blessing

If our God our Father be.

Prayer for Today

We pray that God will give skill, wisdom and gentleness to all who minister to the sick. We pray that he will continue his work of healing amongst us, and regard with tender compassion the anxious and bereaved. Help us also to know who he is, and what he wants us to be.

Note: The Gospel and Readings set for today can be downloaded from the top right corner of this page.