Wellspring@Home         

NOVEMBER 29th 2020
​Worship online for ADVENT Sunday 

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​Wellspring's 'worship-@-home'
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Today we celebrate Advent Sunday, the end of the church year and the beginning of something new; it will also be something unexpected...

The liturgy follows below, with two songs contained within the sequence for which the words are on the song sheet made available earlier.

Kevin Price (our minister) will take us through the Advent season with a message each week. Today the service has been put together by Jenny Few.

Advent 1 - Waiting in the Dark
 
There’s no escaping the darkness now; it’s dark when
we wake up, it’s dark again by tea time.  How many of
us would pick winter as our favourite season? Not many!
Though I have a friend who thrives on cold dark days
and hates the summer; there’s no accounting for taste!
And bright, sharp, cold days are wonderful, like my
picture of Carsington in the snow above. But a lot of the time, winter is the season to get through, to be patient
in the dark days and wait for spring, and new life.
 
Waiting and darkness go together……..
what do we wait for now, in 2020?
- for things to get better
- for more good news about vaccines
- for the possibility of being with family at Christmas
- for the promise of a return to normality next year
- for something, anything, to happen to break the
- monotony, to bring hope
Think about the longings of your own heart……….
and bring them to God
 
Poem:   'Waiting'
There are different kinds of waiting.
There is the waiting for the fall
of the last leaf,
Heralding the stark cold of winter
With its onset of despair
That Spring may never come.
 
There is the waiting which feels
More an empty womb
of disappointed expectation:
Barren lost aspirations:
A waiting born of sad resignation
And tattered dreams.
 
But there is advent waiting:
A waiting where conception
May be unseen:
The formation of hope                                                                               
Yet unsighted
But the reality more compelling
Than anything yet glimpsed.
© Rev Jeannie Kendall 2020 used with permission

 
Advent - the beginning of the Christian year
the season of waiting for the promise of God to be
fulfilled in the birth of Jesus; the time when the people who
walk in darkness will see light…..(Isaiah 9 vs 2) the time when
we long for God’s kingdom to come on earth, as it is in heaven.
 
Advent song 1 : 
'Lo he comes with clouds descending'




Prayer
Lord, we don’t like the gloom and the dark and the cold, but……….
We know that even as the light fades and the days are short, light still shines.
We give thanks for the warmth and comfort of home,
food to eat and light to cheer us.
We know that even as the ground looks bare and dead,
new life is forming,
We give thanks for the hope of spring, of the earth renewed, of new birth
We know that light shines in darkness and darkness
will never overcome it.
We give thanks for your coming in Jesus, for the light
and life he brings. Amen
 
Bible readings
Isaiah 40 vs 1-11    Mark 13 vs 24-37
 
Kevin’s reflection
 
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Prayer
We pray today
For all who are ill with the virus,
For all who are recently bereaved
For all who are anxious or lonely in these days of lockdown,
We pray your comfort, oh Lord

Comfort, oh comfort my people, says your God
We pray for our nation:
For all politicians and leaders
For scientists and researchers,
For all NHS staff
We pray your wisdom, oh Lord
Comfort, oh comfort my people, says your God

We pray for our church:
For our continued fellowship in these difficult days
For our worship in all its different forms
For our annex project, hope for the future
We pray your continued guidance, oh Lord
Comfort, oh comfort my people, says your God 

We pray for ourselves:
For strength and resilience on difficult days
For good health and energy
For moments of laughter and joy
We pray your loving presence with us, oh Lord
Comfort, oh comfort my people, says your God 
Amen
 

Advent song 2 :
'O Come O Come Emmanuel' 




Benediction
Look forward in hope to the coming of your Saviour,
prepare the way for Christ your Lord;
welcome him with love and faith when he comes in glory.
And the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among us and remain with us always. Amen
 
‘The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness
​has never overcome it’  John I vs 5

November Lectionary readings

1st
Micah 3.5-12 Psalm 43 1 Thessalonians 2.9-13 Matthew 23.1-12

8th
Wisdom of Solomon 6.12-16 or Amos 5.18-24 Wisdom of Solomon 6.17-20 or Psalm 70 1 Thessalonians 4.13-18 Matthew 25.1-13

15th
Zephaniah 1.7,12-18 Psalm 90.1-8,(9-11),12 1 Thessalonians 5.1-11 Matthew 25.14-30

22nd
Ezekiel 34.11-16,20-24 Psalm 95.1-7a Ephesians 1.15-23 Matthew 25.31-46

29th (Advent Sunday)  Isaiah 64.1-9 Psalm 80.1-7,17-19 1 Corinthians 1.3-9 Mark 13.24-37
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​S O N G S​

Click here for the words to each month's songs. However they'll disappear from that page next week because copyright now does not permit lyrics on a website.
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It may be that a song booklet for Covid-19 will be produced before Christmas.
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​
Songs for August

​Additional songs for September


​Additional songs for October


​Additional songs for November

                     
S T O R I E S
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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