Watchnight 31^st December 2021

Welcome to this act of worship for you to use at home. We suggest that you allow about 45 minutes from the time you begin which will take you to just before midnight. You may wish to have a candle ready to light. The material is also suitable for those who may wish to set aside a quiet time earlier in the evening or first thing in the morning on 1^st January.  

Call to Worship

Great and wonderful are the things the Lord our God has done for us. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.

Hymn 94

To God be the glory, great things he has done!

So loved he the world that he gave us his Son,

who yielded his life an atonement for sin,

and opened the life gate that all may go in:

Praise the Lord!  Praise the Lord!

Let the earth hear His voice!

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,

Let the people rejoice!

O come to the Father, through Jesus the Son,

and give him the glory - great things he has

done.

O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood,

to every believer the promise of God!

And every offender who truly believes,

that moment from Jesus a pardon receives:

Great things he has taught us, great things he

has done,

and great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son;

but purer, and higher, and greater will be

our wonder, our transport, when Jesus we                                                                       see.

Frances Jane van Alstyne (Fanny Crosby) (1820-1915)

Prayers

In silence and stillness think back over the past year. Take your time. Think about and offer to God:

those things you are thankful for

those things you are sorry about

those people who have played a part in your story this year

When you are ready, say the prayer below:

So this is it – a new year about to begin!

A beginning:

undreamt opportunities, unimaginable discoveries, healing for broken bodies, calm for anxious minds.

               Creating God:

               You make all things new.

So this is it – a a new year about to begin!

A remembering:

the past behind us, joy and sadness inter-mingled, memories of delight and pain, of births and deaths.

               Engaging God:

               You make all things new.

So this is it – a new year about to begin!

An exploration:

each present moment full of possibilities,

new generations joining us in pilgrimage.

               Promising God:

               You make all things new.

So this is it – a new year about to begin!

A commitment:

“let there be…”, our intention joined with God’s, lives filled with hope, expectancy and wonder.

               Loving God:

               You make all things new.

               Amen.

Reading: Matthew 25:31-46  

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” Then he will say to those at his left hand, “You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.” Then they also will answer, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?” Then he will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.” And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.’

Reflection

Our reading from Matthew’s gospel comes at the end of what is sometimes called the little apocalypse. Jesus has spoken to his disciples at length about the terrible times to come. He has alluded to signs of the end times and has taught in parables about unprepared bridesmaids and fig trees that put out new shoots and branches as summer comes near. He talks of the coming of the Son of Man who will appear in heaven in glory to judge God’s people, and now in this reading Jesus describes how sheep will be separated from goats and who is blessed and who is not.

Although this is a story of judgement it is not a story about grave cosmic events or earth shattering news stories. Rather it is a very intimate story. For in it, judgement becomes a matter of how we have treated Christ himself. The blessed will be those that gave Christ food when he was hungry, and the blessed are those who gave Christ something to drink when he was thirsty, and those who welcomed Christ when he appeared as a stranger and who clothed him when naked and visited him when sick. And those who are cursed say but, but, but….. but Jesus when did we see you hungry and naked and as a stranger. And Jesus of course replies that whenever the least in the kingdom is in need – it is Christ himself who comes to us.

So we judged not by the big, mega, beyond our understanding things, but by the intimate things, the small things, the little things. We might spend every free hour marching for causes of justice or promoting climate change action – but if we walk past the beggar on the street we will not be blessed. We might give thousands to charity but if we shut our door on the refugee we will not be blessed. We might spend every breath preaching the gospel but if we do not feed the hungry woman living on our street we will not be blessed. This is judgement.

And so, the signs of the end will be just like when Christ came the first time. Jesus was not one for big gestures and dramatic crowd drawing events. Those things were for politicians and kings and celebrities but Jesus never goes for grand gestures. He heals a forgotten nobody. He touches a leper. He forgives a notorious evil minded criminal. He invites himself to dinner with a corrupt tax official. He turns a few containers of water into wine at a very ordinary wedding ceremony.

And even his most amazing, God given sign of all, rising from death on the third day, was as undramatic as they come. Did he appear to Pilate, to the Temple authorities, the Pharisees? No. Just to a handful of his friends who had run away, denied him and fled at the first sign of danger.

So, my friends, as we look to the future with hope, let us be hopeful. For judgement is coming. And the end times will one day be upon us. But dear friends, we will not be judged by our grand gestures, or life changing actions. But simply by whether we fed the stranger, welcomed the neighbour, gave comfort to those who are sick. So let us step into 2022with hope in our hearts. For God doesn’t expect us to sort out the large and complicated problems of the world by ourselves. But rather, step by step, intimate action by intimate action, as we serve Christ in the here and now, will we be blessed, and will the world be blessed with hope of a better tomorrow. Amen. 

Prayers

A new start O Lord, my initiative or yours?

Me listening or me telling? My place or yours?

Help me to be still

And with you in the quiet of prayer,

Not fighting it with my agenda,

My words, my insecurities.

Journey with us Lord, as we set out on a new start.

Keep us open to your love in our lives – especially when the going gets messy.

Help us to have your dreams as our dreams

And follow them with boldness and conviction.

Here I am Lord of every new beginning!

I come to do your will, help me,

Today and all days. Amen.

An Act of thankfulness and intercession

Light your candle.

Remember those who you and your community have lost during 2021. Give thanks for them.

Pray for those who will need God’s help in 2022.

Pray for light in those places you can think of that need your prayers.

Pray for yourself and your loved ones.

Keep silence until midnight…..

Say the Lord’s prayer

Hymn 465

1 Guide me, O thou great Jehovah,

pilgrim through this barren land;

I am weak, but you are mighty;

hold me with your powerful hand.

Bread of heaven, bread of heaven,

feed me now and evermore,

feed me now and evermore.

2 Open thou the crystal fountain,

whence the healing stream shall flow.

Let the fire and cloudy pillar

lead me all my journey through.

Strong Deliverer, strong Deliverer,

Be thou still my strength and shield,

Be thou still my strength and shield.

3 When I tread the verge of Jordan,

bid my anxious fears subside.

Death of death, and hell's Destruction,

land me safe on Canaan's side.

Songs of praises, songs of praises

I will ever give to thee,

I will ever give to thee.

Blessing

Ever living God, at this new dawning

May we ring out the old –

And ring in the new –

Love, joy, gentleness, justice and peace.

And may we be enfolded in your loving Spirit,

Now and always.

And may the blessing of Almighty God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, be with us and remain with us, now and always. Amen.