(All our songs this morning are from Hymns & Psalms (H&P) or Singing the Faith (StF) numbers will be given where available)
Welcome to our Sunday Service, today shared on paper across our circuit and with the congregation at Thornton Methodist Church led by Martin Bashforth one of our Circuit Local Preachers.
Click on the blue links to follow them for bible readings and associated links
Call to worship
I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year: ‘Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.’ And he replied: ‘Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God. That shall be to you better than a light and safer than a known way.’ So, I went forth, and finding the Hand of God, trod gladly into the night. And He led me towards the hills and the breaking of day in the lone East. Minnie L Haskins
Song – H&P 360 – Sing to the great Jehovah’s praise
Prayers
Dear Father God, we join together this morning to say “Thank you”. Thank you, for all that this Christmas season has meant to us. For our families. For the joyful worship of our Saviour, born in Bethlehem. For the joy felt by communities across the world, and not only by believers.
Thank you for bringing us safely through 2024. Things may not always have been easy, but we have known your presence with us, through all that we have maybe endured, or possibly achieved. For that certainty, we say Thank you.
Thank you for giving us our daily bread. We have not gone hungry. In fact, we have had more than enough and so we have been able to share our riches by supporting the foodbank and other charities. Thank you, Lord, for giving us that opportunity.
Thank you for being ready to forgive us, when we have allowed ourselves to be drawn by the temptations of this world, and done things which we now regret. Thank you for giving us a conscience, to pull us up sharply, when we have lapsed into bad habits. Thank you for allowing us a fresh start.
Lord, we are truly grateful that you have made yourself known to us as such a loving Father. We cannot say it enough, Lord: Thank you, thank you, thank you! In Jesus’ name. Amen
Song – H&P 109 – Let earth and heaven combine
Reading
Tomorrow is the feast of Epiphany, when we remember the arrival of the wise men. Although I have chosen not to make the wise men the theme of this service, It would be good to sing about their coming……..
Song – H&P 121 – As with gladness men of old
Intercessions
Gracious God, thank you for the life you have given us and for the love you have placed in our hearts. Grant us the help of your Holy Spirit, as we pray for the needs of the world.
God of peace, we hold before you all parts of the world, where people are suffering from violence. We pray for the situation in the Middle East, especially in Gaza and Lebanon. We pray again the people of Ukraine, who continue to suffer oppression and bombardment. Lord, please encourage the nations of the world to put pressure on the warring countries to seek political solutions, so that the suffering can be brought to an end.
We pray for people all around the world, who are suffering from the effects of extreme weather, caused by climate change. Most recently in the island of Mayotte. Lord, please open the eyes of the governments of the world, to see that we have it in our power to control and even reverse global warming, and that if we do nothing, this extreme weather will continue.
Lord, we pray for people in our own country who are anxious about the rising cost of living, and many who are struggling to pay for food and energy. Give to our Government wisdom and compassion to take measures which will help everyone to get through these trying times. We pray for the foodbanks, which are running out of food to pass on to people, that they may find ways to replenish their stocks.
And finally, Lord, we bring to mind friends and families of members of our church, and others, known to us, who have special needs at this time, and for whom we wish to pray. And so, in silence now, we can each offer our own prayers, for those about whom we are concerned. Let us pray together…..
SILENCE
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayers and deal graciously with them. Comfort those who suffer and those who mourn; and bring your healing to the sick.
We ask all our prayers, in and through the name of Jesus, our living Lord and Saviour, who taught us, when we pray together, to say…… Our Father, who art in heaven…….
Reading
What a message of confidence! Let us now sing a hymn which emphasises our confidence in the God who made us, who loves us, and who, as Paul says, has a plan for us.
Song – H&P 62 – Captain of Israel’s host
Sermon
Ephesians 1: 11, as it is written in the Good News Bible, and upon which I have centred my reflections today, reads as follows: “All things are done according to God’s plan and decision”
It would be easy, as we have looked at the cosy pictures on our Christmas cards, and watched cute children enacting the nativity, and heard again the almost fairy-tale story of the stable and the shepherds and the wise men, – it would be easy to forget that the incarnation was an event which actually took place on a particular day in history. Fairy tales usually begin “Once upon a time”. The gospel story begins (according to Luke) on a day “when Quirinius was Governor of Syria” and according to Matthew, “When Herod was King of Judea”. If time had been recorded then, as it is now, we could have put a date to it. It was an actual event, which took place in the real world and which changed the course of history. The God of eternity stepped into time. Became subject to the pattern of day and night, week on week, and year on year. And even though we don’t know the exact date on the calendar, at least we know roughly when it was, as ever since then, our calendar has been measured in terms of AD (Anno Domini) – the year of our Lord. It was round about 2,000 years ago that Jesus was born in Bethlehem. And he came to change the world.
However, believing that it is an event which actually took place, is not all that faith requires. It is just as important to understand and to believe that it happened for a purpose, and to know what that purpose was.
There is significance in the fact that, just a week after celebrating the birth of Jesus, we begin a New Year. Today’s readings help us to bring the two events together. For in his letter to the Ephesians, Paul is reflecting on God’s ultimate plan for the universe, and the incarnation is a central element of God’s plan. The turn of the year is an opportunity for us to take stock, and to contemplate the part God is calling us to play in his master plan.
When I was at Primary School, and I guess throughout all my schooldays, whenever I turned over to a new page in my exercise book, I was determined to create a page of perfect writing, with no blots, no crossings out and no spelling mistakes. I wanted to improve on the page I had just completed. Did you ever do that? I don’t think my books were ever a total mess, but at the same time, I don’t recall ever achieving the perfect page. There would always be something I wasn’t happy with. So, I welcomed the opportunity to start afresh – on a clean page – and my desire to do better never diminished. Perhaps it’s the same spirit which prompts people to make New Year resolutions. The desire to do better – if doing better means: not smoking, or eating less chocolates, or kicking the cat less often. The mere mention of New Year resolutions is usually a cue for smiles to break out, or for eyes to hit the ceiling. It seems we are all as hopeless as each other, when it comes to changing our habits, or adopting a new way of life. Why is it, do you think, that so few of us are any good at keeping resolutions for more than a day or two? Well – I think it’s quite simple. It’s because we don’t want to change badly enough – or else we would do. I know people who have stopped smoking – overnight, because they had the will to do it. My son-in-law Richard, who was quite a heavy smoker, decided, the moment he learnt that my daughter was pregnant with their first child, that he wasn’t going to be a smoking father. And he gave up that very day and he hasn’t smoked a cigarette since. And I know other people who have kicked the chocolate habit, because they realised how important it was for their health that they did so. But let’s face it: New Year resolutions, for the most part, are a joke, because we don’t take them seriously.
However, there will always be something worthwhile about New Year. Is it special for you? It is for me. It’s an annual milestone; a time for looking back and also for looking forward. Do you look back over 2024 with satisfaction, thinking it has been a good year? Are things any different in your life now, to how they were 12months ago? For some, change will have been thrust upon them. Maybe they have won the lottery. Or perhaps they have lost a loved one. Or family members have moved to live away. For some, life will never be the same again because there has been an addition to the family, with all the demands and hard work – and (thankfully) also the joy – which that brings. But setting aside the natural comings and goings of life, have you personally moved on during the last 12 months? Have your attitudes changed? Have you grown as a Christian? Is your relationship with God more developed now, than it was when the year began? It should be, because that is what God wants from us all.
God has a plan, as Paul made clear to the Ephesians, when he wrote: “This plan, which God will complete when the time is right, is to bring all creation together, everything in heaven and on earth, with Christ as head.”
The hope of the Christian Church is to look forward to that day – and no-one, except God, knows when it will be – when ‘at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord’. On a cosmic scale, that is where everything is leading. It was God’s plan before the world was even created, says Paul. And because God is in control of the whole universe, it will come about. It might be tomorrow; it might be in thousands of years’ time, but it WILL happen. Because it is God’s plan.
We don’t understand all the details of God’s plan. That’s not possible for human beings. Things happen, which may cause us to question how on earth they can be part of a plan: For instance, why did God let hundreds of thousands of people be killed in a few horrendous moments, as the Tsunami struck Southern Asia in 2006? Why did he not prevent the earthquakes from happening last year in Turkey and in Morocco, which killed thousands of people? What is the point of the devastating hurricanes which frequently sweep across the Caribbean and the southern United States? Such events don’t fit in with our notion of a God of love. It is, however, a fact that tragedy is invariably met with goodwill and good works, presenting opportunities for grace and mercy to touch people and call them to God.
The incarnation was a central part of God’s plan. Through his dealings with the patriarchs, Abraham, Moses, and Jacob, God had made clear to the nation of Israel, how he wanted his people to live, in relationship with himself. Through the prophets, he had scolded Israel, because they kept going against his will. And he had sought to draw them back to him. Finally, in sending Jesus to be born and live as a human being, he employed a new method to call people back to his will and his ways – leading people by example; winning salvation, through the sacrifice of Christ on the cross; and using grace and love to win people’s hearts and call them into his kingdom. Geographically, God’s plan has a global, even a cosmic, dimension. Chronologically, it is set in the context of eternity. So, it may be difficult to see how we, mere mortals, living in a specific time, in a specific place, relate to it, or even to see its relevance to our lives, in such a small corner of the globe.
The answer is: there is a sub-plot to the plan. A purpose which runs through the whole of our lives, to make each day meaningful, and to enable us mortals to make our contribution to eternity. The sub-plot is that we are to be co-workers with God in bringing about his kingdom. We have been chosen to be his children. The Gospel reading tells us that, to those who believe in his Son, Jesus Christ, God gives the right to become his children. Paul in his letter to the Ephesians, says that “all things are done according to God’s plan and decision; and God chose us to be his own people in union with Christ, because of his own purpose, based on what he had decided from the very beginning.” Unquote. We are made in the image of God, and we are made to be in relationship with him, as a Father with his children. This means that God’s plan is relevant: to our individual lives, and also to the church to which we belong.
If we want to know what God wills for our church, we can find out through prayer, by studying his Word, and by looking for the signs. For what other people would call ‘co-incidences’, but which we Christians know as ‘God-incidences’ or if you prefer it – ‘providence’. Looking at my own church, St Andrew’s, I am very aware of how God’s hand has been active in our life, during the past 12 months. Our Memorial garden has continued to be used by the community as a place for rest and reflection. We are once again contributing to the Government’s Warm Spaces initiative, by opening our doors to our neighbours each Tuesday and offering a free snack lunch.
On the second Saturday of December, we collaborated with Bradford Council – at their invitation – in a Winter Market, which drew several hundred local people into Peel Park. A true community gathering, at which we were there to explain to people the true meaning of Christmas, and to tell them of ways in which the church would be celebrating the incarnation. It may have been as a result of that contact, that some new people attended our Christingle service on Christmas Eve. Who knows? We don’t know what will be the long-term consequences of building links with the Council and the local community, but I believe that we are being guided by God down this route.
We read in Jeremiah chapter 29: that the Israelites were exiled in Babylon, in what seemed to them to be a really hopeless situation. This is what God, through Jeremiah, said to them: “I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for. Then you will call to me. You will come and pray to me and I will answer you. You will seek me and you will find me, because you will seek me with all your heart.” Oh, that our Bradford North circuit, and all our individual churches would heed those words. As a circuit, and as individual churches: let us seek God’s will, and covenant with him, to play our part in his great plan. Keep this in mind, when you have your annual Covenant Service.
And what, then, of God’s plan for each of us as individuals? There isn’t a one-plan-fits-all, which we can take off a shelf at the Christian bookshop, or have handed out at the Circuit Meeting. In a book he wrote called A Journey through Advent, Rob Frost talks about people’s vision, in much the same way as we are considering the plan for our lives, and this is what he says: “This kind of vision for our lives and our service for God doesn’t come as a programme which is dropped from the sky in a conveniently wrapped ready-to-use package. It is something which God grows in us, and builds from our previous life experience.” End of quote. Just as we are all at different stages in our Christian journey, and have all had different experiences along the way, so God’s plan for each of us is unique. Although there will inevitably be some overlapping; for instance, I am sure that he wants us all to grow in faith and commitment. Nevertheless, I am certain that he has brought each of us to where we are for a reason. And I am convinced that the body of Christ needs each individual to play his or her part fully, if his kingdom is to flourish and grow in Bradford, and in Thornton.
You will recall the parable Jesus told, of the master who left three servants in charge of different amounts of money, whilst he went away. With one servant, the master left 10,000 coins, with one 5,000 coins and with the third just 1,000. When the master came back, each servant was made to account for the way he had used what had been entrusted to him. The one given 10,000 coins had earned another 10,000. The one with 5,000 had doubled his money. But the one who had been given only 1,000 coins, had not been willing to take any risks, for fear he would lose even that which he had. He felt that he had not been trusted with much, and therefore it was not worth trying to gain anything on his master’s behalf. So, he buried it in a hole in the ground. And how angry the master was with him! Here is a lesson for us: The people we are today, and the experiences which have brought us to today, are God’s investment in us. We are not to think: I am unworthy, or I have nothing to offer. For we all have a contribution to make.
In summary, then, I would encourage you to seek God’s will for your own life. Begin 2025 as a fresh page in your life and try to make it the best ever. Get involved in what God is doing in your neighbourhood, and allow him to use you for his purposes. That way, you will always be moving forward, and growing, even and especially, when your faith is stretched. The New Year is a time for taking stock. We can reflect on our past and take pride in our heritage. We can learn from our mistakes and resolve to do better. We can look forward with hope and confidence, that wherever God leads us, he will go with us.
But remember this: it is only in the present time that we can act. That we can DO the will of God. 2024 has now gone. Good year that it may have been, we cannot add to or take from the work that was done during the year. We are now in 2025. What kind of a year it will be, will only become apparent as time passes. One thing is for certain – we will live it: one day at a time. Today is the only time we can influence. We are seeking to discern God’s plan for our church and circuit. Within his plan is a sub-plan for each of the individuals who make up the church. A Christian leader once said: “Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world.”
Let us today – respond to God’s call and seek to do his will. And together, we will make a difference to this part of the world in which he has placed us. Amen.
Song – StF 464 – God it was who said to Abraham
Benediction
Let us take God’s hand, as we walk into the unknown future,
Seeking his will at all times and strengthened by his Holy Spirit.
And may the blessing of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
be upon us and on those we love, now and for evermore. Amen
