Category: worship

Minister: Rev. Matthew Bicket

Organist: Iain Mackinnon

Welcome and Intimations

Call to worship

God in this time of worship,

Open our minds, hearts and souls to your presence.

God in this time of worship,

Give us a sense of what it means to be salt and light, remind us of our call to enhance the world around us.

God at the end of this time of worship,

Send us back out to the world, as salt and light, ready to let Your light shine through us.

Hymn  120  God, we praise you, God we bless you

Prayer of Approach (ending with Lord’s Prayer said by all)

Hymn 559  There is a Redeemer

Scripture Readings: Reader: Reader Shirley Hopkins
Old Testament: Psalm 112: 1-9
New Testament: Matthew 5: 13-20

Sermon

Hymn 542  Lord, speak to me that I may speak

Spoken Doxology (all remain standing)

Sing to the Lord of heaven and earth,
whom angels serve and saints adore,
the Father, Son, and Spirit blest
to whom be praise for evermore.

Prayer of Dedication for the offering

Prayers for the World

Hymn 248  For my sake and the Gospel’s, go

Benediction and Threefold Amen

Closing Voluntary – Prelude in A minor.   Francesco Durante.   (1684-1755)

INTIMATIONS

Sunday Services: We are pleased to welcome Rev Matthew Bicket to lead our worship today.

Next Sunday, 12 February, Rev Ron Smith will conduct our service.

Sunday 19 February will be our next joint service at South Leith church at 11.00am. (NO service in North Leith church that day.)
On Sunday 26 February we will welcome Rev John Tait as our new Locum Minister to lead us in worship.

Leith Churches Together: The next LCT lunch-time service takes place this coming Thursday, 9th February, at 1pm in Ebenezer United Reform Church, Bangor Road.  Tea and coffee will be served but please bring your own lunch and stay and chat after worship.

Church Roll: For those who remember Ian Low of Dudley Gardens, we are sorry to report that Ian died on 29 January.

The funeral has been arranged for 10.30 am at Warriston Crematorium on Thursday 23 February.

Christmas Appeal: The total raised for the Red Cross Afghanistan Crisis Appeal was £953 (including income tax recovery).
Thank you to all who donated.

Minister: Rev. Dr Martin Scott
Organist: Iain Mackinnon

Welcome and Intimations

Opening Responses
The world belongs to God
THE EARTH AND ALL ITS PEOPLE
How good and how lovely it is
TO LIVE TOGETHER IN UNITY.
Love and faith come together
JUSTICE AND PEACE JOIN HANDS.
If God’s disciples keep silent
THESE STONES WOULD SHOUT ALOUD.
God, open our lips
AND OUR MOUTHS SHALL PROCLAIM YOUR PRAISE.

Hymn  510   Jesus calls us here to meet him

Prayer of Approach and Confession

Old Testament Reading:  Micah 6: 1-8 (Reader, Gerry O’Neil)

Hymn  600   Spirit of God, unseen as the wind

Gospel Reading:  Matthew 5: 1-12

Sermon

Hymn  362   Heaven shall not wait

The Communion

Words of Invitation

In the beginning, God made the world; made it and mothered it; shaped it and fathered it; filled it with seed and with signs of fertility; filled it with love and its people with ability. 

THE WORLD BELONGS TO GOD, THE EARTH AND ALL ITS PEOPLE ARE GOD’S!

. . . .  And when the time was right, God sent the Son. 

THE WORD WHO BECAME FLESH WAS ONE OF US: FLESH OF OUR FLESH. 

. . . He sets before us bread and wine and invites us to this table. 

THIS IS THE PLACE WHERE ALL WILL BE MADE WELL AGAIN. 

 . . . The peace of God be always with you

AND ALSO WITH YOU

Hymn  19   Ye gates, lift up your heads on high 

1 Ye gates, lift up your heads on high;
ye doors that last for aye,
be lifted up, that so the King of glory enter may.
But who of glory is the King? The mighty Lord is this:
even that same Lord that great in might and strong in battle is;
even that same Lord that great in might and strong in battle is.

2 Ye gates, lift up your heads; ye doors, doors that do last for aye,
be lifted up, that so the King of glory enter may.
But who is he that is the King, the King of glory? who is this?
The Lord of hosts, and none but he, the King of glory is.
The Lord of hosts, and none but he, the King of glory is.

Allelujah, allelujah,
allelujah, allelujah, allelujah,
Amen, amen, amen.

Now we pray in words which Jesus himself taught us, saying:

GOD IN HEAVEN,
YOUR NAME IS TO BE HONOURED.
MAY YOUR NEW COMMUNITY OF HOPE
BE REALISED ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN.
GIVE US TODAY THE ESSENTIALS OF LIFE,
RELEASE US FROM OUR WRONGDOING
AS WE ALSO RELEASE THOSE WHO WRONG US.
DO NOT TEST US BEYOND OUR MEANS,
SAVE US FROM ALL THAT IS EVIL;
FOR YOU EMBRACE JUSTICE, LOVE AND PEACE,
NOW AND TO THE END OF TIME, AMEN.

We come to this meal at your invitation, God, bringing nothing, expecting everything.  We are united with all your followers, women and men, down through the ages as with them we declare:

HOLY, HOLY, HOLY, GOD OF LOVE AND PEACE,
HEAVEN AND EARTH ARE FULL OF YOUR GLORY.
HOSANNA IN THE HIGHEST!
BLESSED IS THE ONE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF GOD. HOSANNA IN THE HIGHEST!

 . . . On the night when he was betrayed, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said:

‘THIS IS MY BODY WHICH IS FOR YOU: DO THIS AND LIVE OUT MY MEMORY’. 

In the same way he took the cup after supper, saying:

‘THIS CUP IS THE NEW COVENANT OF PEACE IN MY BLOOD: DO THIS AS OFTEN AS YOU DRINK IT IN MEMORY OF ME’.

(We Share the Bread and Wine)

Hymn  530   One more step along the world I go

Blessing
Threefold Amen.

Closing Voluntary        Et Resurrexit. WA Mozart (1756-1791)

Intimations

Sunday Services: We are pleased to welcome Rev Dr Martin Scott to lead our worship today.

Next Sunday, 5 February, Rev Matthew Bicket will conduct our service.

Christmas Appeal: The total raised for the Red Cross Afghanistan Crisis Appeal was £953 (including income tax recovery).
Thank you to all who donated.

Third Sunday after Epiphany

Minister: Rev. Stephen Manners

Organist: Graeme Brownlee

Call to Worship

God of our salvation:
God of glory:
God our rock:
God our refuge:
God of mercy:
God of loving kindness:
God of power:
God who calls ‘follow’
lead us where you would have us go.
Amen.

Hymn 540   I heard the voice of Jesus say

Prayer of Approach

Reading:  Matthew 4:  12-25      Reader:  Elsie Emanbi Njotu

Hymn 340   When Jesus saw the fishermen

Sermon

Hymn 533   Will you come and follow me

Doxology

To Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
the God whom we adore,
be glory, as it was, and is,
and shall be evermore.

Prayer of Dedication for the offering

Prayers of response

Hymn 644   O, Jesus, I have promised

Benediction and Threefold Amen

Closing Voluntary

Matthew 4.12-25 – taken from William Barclay’s commentary on Matthew

Jesus has moved to Capernaum after the news of John the Baptist’s imprisonment. For Jesus the time had come when he must go forth to his task. So Jesus was walking by the lakeside; and as he walked he called Peter and Andrew, James and John. It is not to be thought that this was the first time that he had seen them, or they him. As John tells the story, at least some of them were already disciples of John the Baptist (Jn.1:35). No doubt they had already talked with Jesus and had already listened to him, but in this moment there came to them the challenge once and for all to throw in their lot with him. Jesus, too, called on these fishermen to follow him, to walk with him. Teachers often taught their disciples while walking. So following him as their teacher would have involved walking together and learning on the way.

It is interesting to note what kind of men they were. They were not men of great scholarship, or influence, or wealth, or social background. They were not poor, they were simple working people with no great background, and certainly, anyone would have said, with no great future. It was these ordinary men whom Jesus chose. What Jesus needs is ordinary folk who will give him themselves. He can do anything with people like that.

It is where we work, rest or play that Jesus comes to find us. He is present in these places and at these times. Jesus finds us where we are and it is there that he: confronts us with the challenge to repent and to reflect and change our practices; invites us to ‘come and follow him’; shares the promise of good news; and offers us healing and the opportunity to move on from those things that challenge and threaten to overwhelm us. Jesus in Capernaum picks up the work of John the Baptist but already we see this work as quite different from what has gone before. A new reign of God is on the horizon and it is focussed at the centre of everyday human life.

When you are out for a walk this week imagine Jesus is

with you.

Talk to him as you walk and listen to what he has to say.

INTIMATIONS     

Sunday Services: We are pleased to welcome back Rev Stephen Manners to lead our worship today. We also welcome Graeme Brownlee at the organ.

Next Sunday Rev Dr Martin Scott will conduct our January communion service.

Christmas Appeal: Today is the last opportunity to contribute to the appeal for the Red Cross Afghanistan Crisis Appeal. The total raised so far is £410.
(For individual anonymous donations up to £30, tax can be claimed through the Gift Aid small donations scheme, if you are giving over £30 please use a gift aid envelope if you can.)

There will be no worship on 1st of January 2023