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e-Service - 12 December 2021

Mexborough Baptist Church Sunday 12th December 2021 Third Sunday in Advent.

Welcome to our email service for the Third Sunday in Advent. Isn't it wonderful to see our towns and cities lit up at this time of year - the bright, flashing, twinkling lights on the Christmas trees, lampposts and in shop windows and, of course, on our own Christmas trees at home and the one in church, which our children decorated so well on Advent Sunday.
The Bible has lots to say about light; here are just 3 verses:
For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see lightPsalm 36:9
Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon youIsaiah 60:1
In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. John 1:4
The last verse refers specifically to our Lord Jesus and we come to worship him now as we sing together 'Light of the World (Here I am to Worship)click on the link 

A PRAYER FOR LIGHT
God, with you there is no darkness. Your character has no shadows, and you are pure and good. Yet in our broken world, we see so much darkness around us. Pain, sickness, and disease are in our community and in many of our homes.
Bring your light and restoring presence to the dark places in our lives. Bring your hope to hearts that feel defeated. Bring your love and compassion to those in pain.
Give us faith to say with the psalmist, “Lord, you light my lamp; my God illuminates my darkness.” May your light of hope shine in the darkness for families today. Show us glimpses of your presence with us and the comfort you bring.
In the busyness of today, help us to take a moment to be still and sit with you. To slow down, breathe deeply, and release our burdens to your strong hand. You are trustworthy, good, and true, and we thank you for caring for us so deeply and beautifully. Open our eyes to see you at work today. Give us your light. In Jesus name, Amen.
St Francis, Welwyn Garden City

The Bible reading today is Matthew 1:18-25 Joseph accepts Jesus as his son...
This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: his mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.’
All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ (which means ‘God with us’).
When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.  But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

Pause and think.  What do you think that experience was like for Joseph? Maybe it was something like this click on the link 


Joseph's ideas of religion and morality were challenged.  What made it more difficult was that they weren't just his ideas; his family, friends, neighbours all had the same ideas.  Joseph accepted the challenge, obeyed the angel, took Mary as his wife and had the joy of seeing the birth of Emmanuel.  Let us share in the wonder and joy of this miraculous, immaculate birth as we sing  'Away in a Mangerclick on the link  

If you have a candle, you may wish to light it now and allow it to burn for a while as we share in a Prayer for Joy click on the link 

'Joy to the World, the Lord is Come'  click on the link  

A Joyful Benediction
Be people of joy.
Let joy live in your heart and share the joy of Christ with all you meet.
Share joy by seeing the good in each other.
Share joy by remembering good times and hoping for good times to come.
Share joy by praying for our world.
In this Advent season, we need to see, feel, and share joy.
As you go out into the wonder of God’s creation, share joy, love, and hope with those you meet. Amen.

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