Mexborough Baptist Church Sunday 13th December 2020
Advent Week 3
We begin our service by lighting the Advent Candle and singing 'Love came down at Christmas' click on the first link here, and the second link, here.
Advent Family Corner
The children had great fun last week, making their salt dough decorations:
In the goody bags this week are the materials to make a garland of doves. Lisa reminds us that doves are symbols of peace and one of the names given to Jesus is Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).
Here's Lisa to show us how to make the garland. Click on the link
Many children are excitedly preparing for their school nativity plays and practising their Christmas songs. Here is a group of children singing 'Prince of Peace' click on the link
Lisa leads us in a family prayer...
Holy God, as the nights have drawn in and the darkness falls around us, we thank you that you are our Light. We know that you are with us every day and we rest peacefully in the promise that you will never leave us. In this time when the world tells us to stay apart from each other, we thank you that you are a part of us and that we can never be separated from you. When we feel alone, we can take refuge in your unchanging grace and know that your plans are greater than anything we can hope to imagine. Amen.
You may have guessed that our Advent reflections this year are based on phrases that we have become familiar with because of the coronavirus pandemic. We began with 'essential travel only' and continued last week with 'lockdown'. This week Merys shares with us her reflections based on the phrase 'breaching social distancing'. Thank you, Merys....
Breach - the broken relationship that led to an unimaginable distance. When used as a noun, 'breach' has two separate meanings. 'Breach' is used as a term meaning an act of breaking or failing to observe a law, agreement, or code of conduct or a breach of confidence. Other words used in this context are: contravention, violation, breaking, non-observance, infringement and transgression.
A second use of the word 'breach' can also mean a break in relations, a widening breach between two people or bodies. Again, other words are used that mean the same such as rift, chasm, division, estrangement, discord and separation, severance and parting of ways.
The birth of Christ was the only thing that could correct these two different meanings of the breach and heal our relationship with God. Jesus Christ, as our saviour, atoned for our breach of the laws God gave us in the Garden of Eden and the Ten Commandments by dying on the cross as a perfect sacrifice for our sin. His birth on Christmas Day allows us to call Him Immanuel, God amongst us. Christ came to heal the breach between us and God. God promised that the action of Adam and Eve would separate them from His presence. They were thrown out of the paradise He had created for them but He graciously provided them with clothing to protect them. This act shows that there was a way back and God would make it happen, Genesis 17:7. Following their release from Egypt, the new nation of Israel promised to keep their covenant to follow the Commandments given to them by their God and saviour. We then read in the books of the Old Testament of the recurring patterns of God’s people being faithful to Him and then turning their back on Him. This is an example of a wilful breach as a result of choice to ignore God's teaching and protection through non-observance and deliberate transgressions.
The birth of Christ was the only thing that could correct these two different meanings of the breach and heal our relationship with God. Jesus Christ, as our saviour, atoned for our breach of the laws God gave us in the Garden of Eden and the Ten Commandments by dying on the cross as a perfect sacrifice for our sin. His birth on Christmas Day allows us to call Him Immanuel, God amongst us. Christ came to heal the breach between us and God. God promised that the action of Adam and Eve would separate them from His presence. They were thrown out of the paradise He had created for them but He graciously provided them with clothing to protect them. This act shows that there was a way back and God would make it happen, Genesis 17:7. Following their release from Egypt, the new nation of Israel promised to keep their covenant to follow the Commandments given to them by their God and saviour. We then read in the books of the Old Testament of the recurring patterns of God’s people being faithful to Him and then turning their back on Him. This is an example of a wilful breach as a result of choice to ignore God's teaching and protection through non-observance and deliberate transgressions.
The second meaning of breach, that of separation between God and us, arose from our failure to adhere to the basis of our relationship. The nature of our relationship with God is our recognition of Him as our Sovereign Holy King and us as His beloved and precious subjects. The framework of our relationship is contained in the 10 Commandments. God is Holy and cannot abide that which is unholy. The 10 Commandments set out what we need to do to be pleasing to Him while at the same time keeping us safe and happy on this earth.
O come, Adonai, Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai's height,
In ancient times didst give the law
In cloud and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel!
Think about a time you felt the pain of separation. What did it feel like? What caused it? Has it been resolved? How was it resolved? Or why is it not yet resolved?
What has to happen to resolve a separation, a breach? Someone has to reach out. God, through His prophets, tried over and over to speak to His people. He instructed, corrected, encouraged, rejoiced and lamented and told them that they were His people. However the only way to reconcile us to His presence was through God the Son leaving His heavenly home, where He ruled in majesty, to come and live amongst us undeserving sinners. That is why we rejoice on Christmas morning - Immanuel, God is with us.
The wound mentioned in Lamentations 2:13 can only be healed by God’ s presence on earth in the form of His son Jesus Christ.
In Christ alone! - who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe.
The gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save.
God wants to heal the breach. He wants us to follow His laws and teachings so we are safe and happy and able to live in harmony with Him. He waits for us to want to accept Him. He is a loving presence at all times, although sometimes something happens to make us less aware of this. The Hebrews in exile in Babylon sang of missing their homeland; they also wept for their fall from the protection of their God. They were separated from their home but, more than that, they were separated from their Heavenly Father.
O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here,
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
Trevor said last week "For God revealed His great love for all of us in His gift of Jesus" 2 Corinthians 9 v 15, John 3 v 16 - 17.
O come, Thou Key of David, come
And open wide our heav'nly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
The birth of Jesus was the fruition of the promise from God that we would one day be restored to His presence. Jesus crossed the breach to live with us.
O come, Thou Dayspring, from on high,
And cheer us by Thy drawing nigh;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death's dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
God Himself repaired the breach from His side. He sent His son through the breach to live with us. What should our answer to that be? We become repairers of the breach as we restore the right way, beginning with ourselves. We may have no influence or control over what others do, but we do control what we do. When we repair our own personal breach with God, He has already come to meet us by sending His son on Christmas morning.
O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan's tyranny;
From depths of hell Thy people save,
And give them victory o'er the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
Let our response be, "He who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus." Revelation 22:20. And so we sing together "Love Divine" and "Advent Hymn"
We continue our wave of Advent Prayers....
Enid and Trevor
Eternal God, our loving heavenly Father, you have promised to always be among your people. Help us in our preparation for celebrating your coming this Christmas, help us in our worship and festivities and in ways that will make your presence real to the world around us and within our families. Lord God, the world we knew and had grown comfortable with has changed. It seems that, at this time of advent, we are having to learn all over again to walk by faith and not by sight. To have that greater trust in you even when the darkness is deepest, and to know that you will keep your promise that you are there for us. Light of the world, fill our cities and towns with your presence, for you are our hope. We pray for our immediate families and loved ones, our neighbours, those who live next door, or over the road and across the world, come Lord Jesus. Pause and pray.
So very many families have felt the pain of not seeing their loved ones except through glass windows. The pain of not being able to hold them, or feeling a cuddle, the pain of standing apart from them but smiling and telling them that soon it will be over, while we just want to cry at this awful intrusion that has changed so much of what we always took for granted. O Lord, we thank you for the blessings that our families bring to us and we ask for patience to wait and be strong and take courage in the faith we have in you.
Help us, Lord, as we pray for our church. Thank you Lord for your promise to be with us always. Amen.
Graham
Thanks be to Jesus our Saviour who is always with us through our problems. He is our strength. I am sure we'll get back to church soon. I'd like to share with you the words of a song:
Lord, help me walk another mile, just one more mile,
I'm tired of walking all alone.
Lord, help me smile another smile, just one more smile.
I never thought I needed help before.
With a humble heart, on bended knee
I'm begging You, please, help me.
With Jesus everything is possible. He is our hope, our peace. Real peace only comes from Jesus our Lord.
Lead me, guide me along the way
For if you lead me I cannot stray.
Lord, just open my eyes so I can see,
Lead me, oh Lord, won't you lead me?
Always let me thy servant be
Lead me, oh Lord, won't you lead me?
I am lost if you take your hand from me;
I'm blind without thy light to see.
Lead me, oh Lord, won't you lead me? Amen.
Angela
God of love, may those who grieve know your hope, peace and love with them now and always. Lord, as we think about this busy time and wrapping our presents, may we pause and meditate on your gift to us, arriving as a helpless baby that first Christmas. Help us all to see beyond our stress and worries of the season to the gift you gave to each and everyone of us, our salvation. What better gift could we be given! Amen!
As we wait for God's wonderful gift to us, we sing our closing hymn which tells us that 'Christ is surely coming' click on this link
Benediction
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! While we wait, fill us with your grace and peace. Teach us, train us and send us out to proclaim the wonderful good news that you heal the breach between God and mankind by your birth, death and resurrection. Come, Lord Jesus! Amen!
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