Wellspring@Home         

DECEMBER 6th 2020
​Worship online
​for the second Sunday in Advent 

​Wellspring's 'worship-@-home'
​
Kevin Price (our minister) will take us through the
Advent season with a message each week and for today
​the service below has been put together by Jenny Few.


​W A I T I N G   I N   T H E   WILDERNESS

The nearest I’ve come to a wilderness experience is on holiday in Egypt. We went on a day trip to Jordan, and drove through mile after mile of scenery (like my photograph above), not far from the Israeli border. It
was barren and beautiful, seen from the comfort of an
air-conditioned coach. We were amazed to see the
occasional settlement with people and animals; we wondered how they survived. But mostly it was empty
and silent, and awesome. Now, I’m not a fan of ‘I’m a celebrity get me out of here’, especially the current
series in the wilds of Wales, but that’s a sort of
wilderness experience too! And think of John the
​Baptist, a genuine wild wilderness dweller, wearing
strange clothes and eating weird food (a life-long
bush-tucker challenge).

Spiritual Wilderness
But the wilderness is not only a physical place: it is a centuries-old way of describing the experience of feeling far away from God, spiritually dry and weary, lost and alone. For many people 2020 has been a wilderness year; we have been deprived of companionship, and most of our usual activities, and for some there has been the terrible loss of loved ones and frightening illness.

We may well echo the words of the psalmist:
O God, you are my God, I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you,my flesh faints for you
As in a dry and weary land where there is no water    Psalm 63 vs 1

Advent reminds us that God comes alongside us,
and is close to us, even in wilderness times.
He is close to the lonely, the hurting, the bereft
He is close to the worriers, and the doubters
He is close to the ones who have failed and need forgiveness.
He is close to the ones who grieve
He is close to the broken-hearted.
Allow God to come close to you……………
 
Advent hymn
MP 102   Come thou long expected Jesus


​Readings        Psalm 130    Mark 1 vs 1-8
 
Kevin’s Reflection
​'Waiting in the Wilderness' 

​
​Poem
When the darkness is deepest
Hope will be born
When the ending seems endless
Hope will be born
When the world is despairing
Hope will be born
When meaning is lost
Hope will be born
When winter is bleakest
Hope will be born
Because Love is eternal
Hope will be born

© Rev Jeannie Kendall 2020 used with permission
 
Prayer
‘My soul waits for the Lord.
More than the watchmen wait for the morning.
Yes, more than the watchmen wait for the morning’ 
(from psalm 130)
 
The psalmist repeats his yearning, so deep is his desire
for God! Lord, sometimes we want to pray the same
prayer over and over again, so deep is our longing and
our need.

Hear our prayers today...

...for all who are on our hearts
as we name them before you.

silence 

For all healthcare staff, doctors,
nurses, cleaners, porters, caterers….
For scientists and researchers,
analysts and decision-makers,

For teachers and all who work
in schools and colleges,
For children and young people,
in the run-up to Christmas,
For Christian ministers and leaders
in this very different Advent season.

For our community, neighbours,
local businesses, all who keep us going,
For all who have courage
to speak out against injustice,
For modern prophets and seekers after truth

Lord, hear the longings of our hearts, and
the desires we can’t put into words. 
Amen.
 
Advent song 
'Wait for the Lord'
copyright © Ateliers et Presses de Taizé, 71250 Taizé, France​


​Blessing
The blessing of the God who comes,born as one of us,
The blessing of the one who has come, saviour of humanity.
The blessing of the one who will come, King of kings and Lord of lords.
Be with us and all who we love, this day and for evermore. Amen ​​​

​'We shall meet'-  a 'song for Covid'.
​
We shall have this link every week for the next
few weeks at least.

Original words and music Hans Olav Mørk (Norway)
© Words: 2020 WGRG, c/o Iona Community, Glasgow, Scotland
© Music: John Bell, WGRG, c/o Iona Community, Glasgow, Scotland
CCLI Song Number: 7153725  Wellspring CCLI licence no. 571370

December Lectionary readings

Week 2 Dec 6th
Isaiah 40.1-11; Psalm 85.1-2,8-13; 2 Peter 3.8-15a; Mark 1.1-8

Week 3 Dec 13th
Isaiah 61.1-4,8-11; Psalm 126; Luke 1.46b-55 (Magnificat); 1 Thessalonians 5.16-24; John 1.6-8,19-28  

Week 2 Dec 6th
Isaiah 40.1-11; Psalm 85.1-2,8-13; 2 Peter 3.8-15a; Mark 1.1-8


Week 3 Dec 13th
Isaiah 61.1-4,8-11; Psalm 126; Luke 1.46b-55 (Magnificat); 1 Thessalonians 5.16-24; John 1.6-8,19-28  


Week 4 Dec 20th
2 Samuel 7.1-11,16; Luke 1.46b-55 (Magnificat); Psalm 89.1-4,19-26; Romans 16.25-27; Luke 1.26-38 
 
Week 5 Dec 27th
tbc
​
                     
S O N G S​

There are no lyrics available on this website
any more. It may be that a song booklet will
​be produced before Christmas...

​There will also be very few songs added for December, because we are all familiar with the carols of the season.

But there are a few more STORIES relevant to the Christmas and December...

​
Songs for August

​Additional songs for September


​Additional songs for October


​Additional songs for November

                     
S T O R I E S
​
You can find a brief description of what our stories are about by clicking here.
​
Stories for August

​Additional stories for September

Additional stories and readings for October

​Additional stories and readings for November

​Additional Stories for December
Christmas Card Star (14 mins)
A story from Hoy about a Christmas stranger
​​A story by Harry Berry
Miss Tait...  (5 mins)
The power of Christmas transformation in Rousay
​A story by George Mackay Brown
The box of fish  (6 mins)
Orkney December priorities for four old men and a boy...
​A story by George Mackay Brown
The Christmas Horse  (9 mins)
One peedie boy's Christmas - long ago.
​​A story by George Mackay Brown
The Fourth Wise Man  (3 mins)
An imaginary reminiscence from a Welsh writer