Cruden Parish Church

Christmas Sunday 10.00am

Sunday 27th December 2020

‘The fullness of time’ (Galatians 4: 1)
 

Welcome & Call to Worship

In our looking into 2021
may the God of hope be with us.
In our lamenting the losses of 2020,
may the God of peace be with us.
In our celebrations of Christmas,
 may the God of joy be with us.
In our caring for the world,
may the God of love be with us.
 In our living of life in all its fullness,
may we know that God is with us.

Hymn 315 Once in Royal David’s city

  1. Once in Royal David’s city
    Stood a lowly cattle shed.
    Where a mother laid her baby
    In a manger for His bed.
    Mary was that mother mild,
    Jesus Christ that little child.

  2. He came down to earth from Heaven,
    Who is God and Lord of all.
    And his shelter was a stable,
    And his cradle was a stall.
    With the poor and mean and lowly,
    Lived on earth our Saviour Holy

  3. And our eyes at last shall see Him
    Through His own redeeming love,
    For that child so dear and gentle
    Is our Lord in Heaven above;
    And He leads His children on
    To the place where He is gone.

  4. Not in that poor, lowly stable,
    With the oxen standing by,
    We shall see Him; but in Heaven,
    Set at God’s right hand on high,
    When, like stars, His children crowned
    All in white, shall wait around.

Prayers of Approach

The 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

Bible Reading Matthew 2:1-18 - The Magi Visit the Messiah
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
    who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Galatian 4: 4-7
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.

Sermon ‘The fullness of time’

Church News

Prayers of Intercession

Hymn What child is this

  1. What child is this who laid to rest
    On Mary's lap is sleeping
    Whom angels greet with anthems sweet
    While shepherds watch are keeping
    This, this is Christ the king
    Whom shepherds guard and angels sing
    Haste, haste to bring him laud
    The babe, the son of Mary

  2. Why lies he in such mean estate
    Where ox and ass are feeding
    The end of fear for all who hear
    The silent Word is speaking
    This, this is Christ the king
    Whom shepherds guard and angels sing
    Haste, haste to bring him laud
    The babe, the son of Mary

  3. So bring him incense, gold and myrrh
    Come peasant king to love him;
    The king of kings salvation brings
    Let loving hearts enthrone him
    This, this is Christ the king
    Whom shepherds guard and angels sing
    Haste, haste to bring him praise
    The babe, the son of Mary

Dismissal & Blessing for the New Year

I hope for you in this new year of 2021

That the single, most significant dimension of life
is your relationship with Jesus - the Source of all Goodness
who never ceases to sing love songs to your soul

That you find meaning and purpose
In that you do

That you treasure the people around you

That you make choices
that reflect your truest self

That you look in the mirror at least once a day
and smile in happy amazement

That you will marvel at the wonders of creation

That you draw on the inner strength that comes from faith

That you carry peace within yourself,
allowing it to slip into the hearts of others

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
now and throughout the year ahead

Amen

CHURCH NEWS

 

 

On Boxing Day, we move into a level 4 lockdown. For Cruden Parish Church this means our capacity on Sunday morning is being significantly reduced to only twenty people.
If you wish to attend worship, you will need to pre book a place.  Please contact Mr Robert Esson: robertesson@btinternet.com

 

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
The Group has now ‘officially’ ended and will restart in January.  However, depending on the weather, we may organise a walk between Christmas & New Year. Please keep an eye on the group Facebook page!

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.