Happy New Year & welcome to our virtual service!
We’re really glad you can join us for this service. Everything you need for the service is on this webpage. Simply press the red play button on each of the videos as you come to them. You might like to print out the service sheet below and if you have children under the age of 14 with you – there are activities for them which you can also download below.
Today’s service sheet can be downloaded here
Today’s resources for E Kids can be found here
The thinking behind the song choices is explained in italics
WELCOME
Watch the video of Richard’s welcome.
SONG
In our opening song, we remind ourselves of how faithful God is.
BITESIZE
Bitesize gold!
BIBLE READING
Jude 20-25
20 But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.
22 Be merciful to those who doubt; 23 save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.
24 To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— 25 to the only God our Saviour be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.
In our next song, we thank Christ that He is always with us, no matter what we are going through.
SONG
PRAYERS
Loving heavenly Father,
At the beginning of this New Year, we commit ourselves afresh to you. We thank you for your incredible goodness to us which never fails. We thank you that even though we do not know what this year will hold, we know that you do. And we know that in all things you work for the good of those who love you. So please help us to trust you in all that lies ahead of us this year. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Lord Jesus Christ,
Thank you that in you, we are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Holy Spirit. We pray that it will soon be possible for all of us to meet together safely as your family. We long to be able to meet together, but in the meantime, please help us to make the most of virtual services and all of our different groups on Zoom. May they build us up and encourage us in our faith in you. Amen
Holy Spirit,
Please would you be at work in us. This year, may each of us grow in our relationship with you who lives within us, with Jesus, our Saviour, and with God, our Father. Please would you help us to resist all that is wrong, and to embrace everything that is good, so that God may be glorified through us. Amen.
Loving Lord,
We pray for our mission partner, Rachel Chard in her work reaching international students with the good news of Jesus. Thank you for the opportunities you have given her to train and encourage others in reaching the hardest to reach students. Thank you for the quality time you have given Rachel and her colleagues with some students and the opportunity to talk deeply about faith. We pray for fresh opportunities in January with international students arriving in the UK. And we pray that you will enable Rachel and her husband Andrew to walk closely with you each day and that you will guide them concerning Andrew’s long-term employment. Amen.
All-powerful Lord,
We pray for an end to coronavirus, not just for ourselves but for all countries of the world. We know that every person has been made by you and made in your image. We pray for those treating those most ill with coronavirus. Please would you strengthen them and help them in their work. And we pray that this pandemic may cause people right across the world to reach out to you and find you. We ask all our prayers in Jesus’ name. Amen.
And we say together the Lord’s Prayer
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 for ever.
Amen
In our next song we ask the Holy Spirit to be at work with us.
SONG
BIBLE READING and TALK by Richard Hopkins.
BIBLE READING – 1 Peter 1:22-2:3
22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, 23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; 24 for
“All flesh is like grass
and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
and the flower falls,
25 but the word of the Lord remains for ever.”
And this word is the good news that was preached to you.
1 So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
TALK OUTLINE
Know that God is good
Want more of God
Want to grow
In our closing song we tell Jesus that there is nothing greater than knowing Him.
SONG
CLOSING PRAYER from Richard Hopkins
Some material in this service is © Used by permission CCL Licence # 1102690. The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. New International Version® Anglicized, NIV® Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.