Cruden Parish Church

10.00am, Sunday 29 November 2020

‘Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign:
The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.’ (Isaiah 7:14)

Community Advent Reflection – The first Angel of Advent!

Welcome & Introduction

Lighting the first candle on the Advent Ring – the Candle of Hope

Prayer

In this time of waiting and weariness,
In this time of pandemic that causes frustration and panic
We watch, we wait, we dream, we pray

In the hushed and dormant hours of the night a young girl is awakened.
With her eyes opened to heaven’s reality comes a vison of magnificent.
God’s messenger Angel Gabriel in all his blazing glory.

With his message of hope, comes the first signs of new life stirring in young Mary’ womb. For God’s only son is to be born.

So, Lord we wait at the edge of Advent,
We watch, we wait, we dream, we pray
We yearn for the hope promised by the Angel.
Yearning for the hope of Jesus to fill our hearts, our lives, and our homes.

Come quickly, Lord Jesus. Enfold us with your presence. Let your peace surround us

Amen

The Advent Candle Song

Verse 1

A Candle is burning, a flame warm and bright,
a candle of hope in December's dark night.
While angels sing blessing from heaven's starry sky,
our hearts we prepare now for Jesus is nigh.

Blessing

May you trust in God’s promises to His people
Peace, hope, joy and love.
even when they are difficult to believe.

May you know that God’s news is good news,
Nourishing and true.

And in this season of Advent,
may the joy of the angels, the wonder of the shepherds
and the peace of the Christ Child,
fill yours hearts and homes. Amen.

Our Morning Service Continues

Hymn “Make way, make way, for Christ the King”

Make way, make way
For Christ the King
In splendour arrives
Fling wide the gates and welcome Him
Into your lives

Make way! Make way!
For the King of kings
Make way! Make way!
And let His kingdom in

He comes the broken hearts to heal
The prisoners to free
The deaf shall hear, the lame shall dance
The blind shall see

And those who mourn with heavy hearts
Who weep and sigh
With laughter, joy and royal crown
He'll beautify

We call you now to worship Him
As Lord of all
To have no gods before Him
Their thrones must fall!

Bible Readings

Isaiah 7:14
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

Luke 1: 26-38

The Birth of Jesus Foretold

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you.”

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favour with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.”

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

Sermon – The Angels of Advent – Gabriel and a young expectant mum!’

Church News

Prayers for others & Lord’s Prayer

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
you 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.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power
and the glory are yours
now and forever.
Amen

On the first Sunday of Advent, churches around the UK will sing together in solidarity with the world’s poorest, the Christian Aid carol written by Kathy Galloway.

Hymn: When out of poverty is born

When out of poverty is born
a dream that will not die
and landless, weary folk find strength
to stand with heads held high,
it’s then we learn from those who wait
to greet the promised day:
‘The Lord is coming; don’t lose heart.
Be blest: prepare the way!’

When people wander far from God,
forget to share their bread,
they find their wealth an empty thing,
their spirits are not fed.
For only just and tender love
the hungry soul will stay.
And so God’s prophets echo still:
‘Be blest: prepare the way!’

When God took flesh and came to earth,
the world turned upside down,
and in the strength of woman’s faith
the Word of Life was born.
She knew that God would raise the low,
it pleased her to obey.
Rejoice with Mary in the call,
‘Be blest: prepare the way!

Words: Kathy Galloway

Dismissal & Blessing

Lord Jesus,
Master of both the light and the darkness, send your Holy Spirit upon our preparations for Christmas.

We who have so much to do and seek quiet spaces to hear your voice each day,
We who are anxious over many things look forward to your coming among us.
We who are blessed in so many ways long for the complete joy of your kingdom.
We whose hearts are heavy seek the joy of your presence.

We are your people, walking in darkness, yet seeking the light.
To you we say, "Come Lord Jesus!'

Amen. (Henri J.M. Nouwen)

Now we take our worship out into the world

May the God of love fill Your heart with peace
and send You into the world to live it.
And the blessing of God Almighty,
our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer,
be with You and those You love,
this day and always. Amen

CHURCH NEWS

Pastoral Care
Please advise the minister or member of the pastoral care team if you know of anybody would appreciate a visit or phone call. Sean can be contacted on 07791 755976 or sswindells@churchofscotland.org.uk

Walking for Health and Well-being
Due to a funeral the group will not be meeting this Tuesday. Our next outing will be Tuesday 1st December at 10.30 am outside the St Olaf Hotel, Cruden Bay. Everybody welcome. (This is a permitted activity under the current Covid-19 rules and an officially recognised ‘Health Walk.’) Group members are requested to make use of the track and trace smartphone app. Sorry no canine companions

Worship
We meet every Sunday at 10.00 am. To provide a safe environment, we are strictly following the appropriate rules and guidance, including social distancing.
Facebook – our morning service will be broadcast live via the Church Facebook Page. To follow the service, you may have to reload the page just before the broadcast begins at 10.00 am.

Angels, angels everywhere! - Advent & Christmas @ Cruden Parish Church

Every Day
Daily Advent Calendar- During the Season of Advent will be offering a daily Bible Reading, Reflection and Prayer. Sean would welcome input from members and friends of the congregation. If you have any thoughts, stories, or memoires, that may be suitable, please contact Sean. Or why not write one of the daily reflections. (A max length of 500 words please!)

Every Sunday
Community Advent Reflection at 10.00 am to 10.15 am.
Each of the four Sunday’s of Advent & Christmas Day there will be a short family friendly reflection and the lightning of an candle on the Advent Ring. On Christmas Day we light the final candle – the Christ Candle. Copies of the template and instructions are available in church, Hatton Market and Cruden Bay Post Office.

10.00 am – In our morning worship we will be reflecting on the appearances of Angels in the Christmas story.

Christmas Eve
6.30 pm ‘Virtual’ Christingle Family Service for all the family.
Join us on Christmas Eve to make and light your very own Christingle and celebrate the story of Jesus birth. Christingle Kits containing everything required (except an orange or large satsuma) will shortly be available.

11.50 pm ‘Virtual’ Watchnight Reflection

Christmas Day
10.00 am – we light the final candle on the Advent Ring.