New Year Church Service; Mother Mary and Son Jesus

NEW YEAR CHURCH SERVICE

MOTHER MARY AND SON JESUS


If you are unable to attend a Church Service, why not follow the service below in prayer and make spiritual Communion with Our Lord Jesus Christ? Perhaps you have been working in essential services, are caregiver at home or ill in bed. All of your intentions have been held before the Lord.

The New Year Church Service;

Celebrant; 'The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all."
Congregation; 'Amen.'

Beginning hymn; Mary, did you Know? 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfpK6cNPF7Y&feature=related 

Lyrics;
 'Mary did you know that your baby boy will one day walk on water?
Mary did you know that your baby boy will save our sons and daughters?
Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new?
This child that you've delivered, will soon deliver you.

Mary did you know that your baby boy will make a blind man see?
Mary did you know that your baby boy will calm a storm with his hand?
Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod?
And when you kiss your little baby, you have kissed the face of God.

The blind will see, the deaf will hear and the dead will live again.
The lame will leap, the mute will speak, the praises of the lamb.

Mary did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation?
Mary did you know that your baby boy will one day rule the nations?
Did you know that your baby boy is heaven's perfect Lamb?
This sleeping child you're holding is the great I am.'

Celebrant; "Let us pray.
Great and wonderful are the things
The Lord our God has done for us.
He chose a maiden in Nazareth
who agreed to His Holy Will.
And, as a result,
The people who walked in darkness
Have seen a great light.
Let us thank God our Father
For choosing Mary as Jesus' Mother
As we join in prayer this Holy Night."

Invitation to Confession;
Celebrant; 'In the silence and stillness
Let us open our hearts and lives to God,
That we may be prepared for His coming,
As Light and Word, as Bread and Wine.'

Here follows a few moments of silence. Reach out to God with your heart, and think of any area in your life where you can improve as a person. If there is an area in your life on which you need to work, silently communicate with God and commit to addressing this area.

Celebrant; 'Loving God, You have searched us and known us,
Our difficulties and failings.
In sorrow we confess our shortcomings.
Lord have mercy.'
Congregation; 'Lord, have mercy.'

Celebrant; 'Jesus our Saviour, 
You were born of a holy mother 
Who had been foretold by Isaiah.
She brought You to us as
Our True Light.
We pray for Your mercy for our shortcomings.'
Congregation; 'Christ, have mercy.'

Celebrant; 'Spirit of Love, 
Your servant Mary responded joyfully to Your Call.
Forgive us when our hearts are hard.'
Congregation; 'Lord have mercy.'

Celebrant; May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to life eternal.'
Congregation; 'Amen.' 

Celebrant; 'The True Light that gives light to everyone,
Has come into the world.
To all who receive Him,
He gives power to become children of God.
This is Christ's gracious Word:
"Your sins are forgiven."  '
Congregation; 'Amen. Thanks be to God.' 

Congregation;
'Glory to God in the highest; And peace to all of goodwill.
We praise You, we bless you, we adore You, we glorify You.
We give You thanks for Your Great Glory.
Lord God, Heavenly King, God the Almighty Father.
Lord Jesus Christ, only Begotten Son of the Father.
Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father.
You Who take away the sins of the world,
Have mercy on us. You are seated at the Right Hand of The Father, 
Have mercy on us.
For You alone are Holy, You alone are Lord.
You alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ.
With the Holy Spirit in the Glory of God the Father. Amen.'

Readings;
First Reading from the Gospel of St Luke, 1;26-38
'26 'Six months after Elizabeth had become pregnant, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a city in Galilee. 27 The angel went to a virgin promised in marriage to a descendant of David named Joseph. The virgin’s name was Mary.

28 When the angel entered her home, he greeted her and said, “You are favored by the LORD! The LORD is with you.”

29 She was startled by what the angel said and tried to figure out what this greeting meant.

30 The angel told her,

“Don’t be afraid, Mary. You have found favor[a] with God.
31 You will become pregnant, give birth to a son,
    and name him Jesus.
32 He will be a great man
    and will be called the Son of the Most High.
The LORD God will give him
    the throne of his ancestor David.
33 Your son will be king of Jacob’s people forever,
    and his kingdom will never end.”

34 Mary asked the angel, “How can this be? I’m a virgin.”

35 The angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come to you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the holy child developing inside you will be called the Son of God.

36 “Elizabeth, your relative, is six months pregnant with a son in her old age. People said she couldn’t have a child. 37 But nothing is impossible for God.”

38 Mary answered, “I am the LORD'S servant. Let everything you’ve said happen to me.”

Then the angel left her.'

Responsorial Psalm; A Song of the Incarnation 
Response; 'The grace of God has dawned upon the world, born of a maiden mother'
The grace of God has dawned upon the world, 
With healing for all.
The people who walked in darkness
Have seen a great Light.'

R. 'The grace of God has dawned upon the world, born of a maiden mother'
For a Child has been born for us,
A Son given to us.
God is love; and His Love was disclosed to us in this;
That He sent His only Son into the world to bring us life. 

R. 'The grace of God has dawned upon the world, born of a maiden mother'
We know how generous our Lord Jesus Christ has been:
He was rich, yet for our sake He became poor,
So that through His poverty we might become rich.

R. 'The grace of God has dawned upon the world, born of a maiden mother'
 God has spoken to us in the Son,
Whom He has made heir to the whole universe.
The Word became Flesh and came to dwell among us.
We saw His Glory,
Such Glory as befits the Father's only Son,
Full of Grace and Truth.

R. 'The grace of God has dawned upon the world, born of a maiden mother'

Second Reading from Matthew 2;13
 "13 Now after they had gone away, behold, an angel of the LORD appeared in a dream to Joseph, saying, “Get up, take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. For Herod is about to seek the child to destroy him.”  

Gospel Acclamation:
"Alleluia, Alleluia.
Christ comes to the wise and powerful, star-led to Bethlehem, seeking a king,
He comes, Child of Mary; crowned with meekness, worthy of every gift.
Alleluia, Alleluia." 

Celebrant; Gospel; Isaiah 7;14
"Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel."

Celebrant; 'This is the gospel of Christ.'
Congregation; 'Glory to Christ our Saviour.'

Word of Encouragement;
Celebrant; 'Many often ask whether Mary should be given honour. In the words of one person who spoke to me, 'Mary didn't do very much.' Thought provoking statements indeed. All I could think of in answer to the statement that Mary didn't do very much, was that the person who had made the remark would not have been sitting discussing about Jesus Christ that day if Mary hadn't said yes to God. Her yes made it possible for God to send His Son. 

God could just have sent His Son without asking her. But what would have happened if the exquisitely courteous King of Heaven and Emperor of the Universe had not asked her consent? He would have treated her like a slave with no rights, instead of the human with rights Mary is. Also, if Mary had not cared for Jesus within her womb, well He would not have lived to have seen the day of His Birth. A mother needs to be careful and protect the child within her womb; Mary did both.

So; the person who made the remark did not realise that without Mary's acceptance, caring, birthing, breastfeeding, nappy changing, nurturing, flight as refugee to Egypt, training, teaching to walk and talk, worship, and discern His Nature as the Saviour, Jesus would not have made it to adulthood. 
If He had not made it safely to adulthood, He would not have ministered and died to save us. 
If He had not died to save us, He would not have been able to rise again in His earthly form as witness to us of His power over life and death. 
If He had not existed, we as followers of Christ would not have been called to follow Him. 
If we had not been called to follow Him, the person who considered Mary of little consequence and I would not have been in that particular place, on that particular day, at that particular time musing on the work of Jesus Christ.

So Mary, by her Yes to God and Her Life's Work of assisting in the human formation of the Messiah, led directly to the maker of the remark being at a seminar discussing Jesus the Christ that very day.
Mary's yes centuries before led directly to the maker of the remark being in that seat that day so many centuries later.
I think this proves this wonderful Lady did a lot - to the point of affecting people's lives centuries later.
As this prophetess of the LORD said, 'From now on all generations shall call me blessed. [Luke 1;48]
You may spend some time in quiet reflection if you so wish.

Prayers of Intercession;
Celebrant; 'Let us pray to Jesus our Saviour.
Emptying Himself of all but love,
He was born of Mary,
Shared our human nature and died on the cross.'
Congregation; 'Jesus, Saviour,
hear our prayer.'

Celebrant; 'Loving God, we pray for the leaders of the world.
Guide them with Your Light to the true wisdom of justice and peace,
of freedom and respect for every  human life.
Lord, come to Your people.'
Congregation; 'LORD,
hear our prayer.'

Celebrant;'Loving God, we pray for our community . . .
In the midst of our everyday lives, surprise us with glimpses of the glorious, humble love at the heart of existence.'
Congregation; 'LORD,
hear our prayer'
.
Celebrant; 'Loving God, we pray for the Church in all the world . . .
Unite us by Your Spirit, and make us faithful witnesses to
the hope we have in you. 
Congregation; 'LORD,
hear our prayer.'

Celebrant; 'Longed for, Christ comes.
To Anna and Simeon,
Whose days are lived in faithful expectation,
He comes, a new life to the old,
A Living Prophecy of Hope."
Congregation; 'Jesus, Saviour,
hear our prayer.'

Celebrant; 'Jesus, Child of Mary,
You come to men and women, girls and boys who are
Crying out in darkness, pain and loneliness.
You come, baptized, at one with us,
Our Saviour, Healer and Friend.'
Congregation; 'Jesus, Saviour,
hear our prayer.'

Breaking of Bread
Celebrant; 'Almighty God, You made a covenant with Your people, and declared Your purpose of justice and love. 
When all things were ready, You sent Your Son to be Our Saviour.
In words and deeds He proclaimed Your Kingdom, and obeyed Your Will even to death on the cross.
Through His mighty death and resurrection, He overcame sin and death, to set the whole creation free.
We praise You, Father,that on the night before He gave His life, our Lord Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it and gave it to His disciples and said; 'Take, eat; this is My Body which is broken for you. 
Do this in memory of me.'
Congregation; 'Lord Jesus, You are the Bread of Life.'
Celebrant; 'After the same manner also He took the cup, gave thanks and gave it to them saying, 'Take this, all of you, and drink; for this is My Blood; the Blood of the New Covenant which is poured out for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sins. Do This in memory of Me.'
Congregation; 'Lord Jesus, You are the Cup of Life, the wine that is blessed for our salvation.' 

The Lord's Prayer;
'Our Father, Who art in Heaven,
Hallowed by Thy Name;
Thy Kingdom come,
Thy Will be done,
On earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, 
But deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory, forever, Amen.'

Benediction;
Celebrant; 'Father, it is our joy and delight,
Our reason for being,
To offer You thanks and praise.
All Your actions show wisdom and love.
Through Your Word You spoke creation into existence
And made us in Your Image and Likeness.
When we disobeyed You and drew away from You,
You did not leave us in darkness
But sent Your Son, the Word made flesh in the flesh of the Maiden Mary,
To be the Light of the World.
We thank You for this great grace,'
Congregation; 'Amen'.

Final Hymn; Breath of Heaven
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOQRtYYERGo   

'I have traveled many moonless nights

Cold and weary with a babe inside
And I wonder what I've done
Holy Father, You have come
And chosen me now to carry Your Son

I am waiting in a silent prayer
I am frightened by the load I bear
In a world as cold as stone
Must I walk this path alone?
Be with me now, be with me now

Breath of Heaven, hold me together
Be forever near me, Breath of Heaven
Breath of Heaven, lighten my darkness
Pour over me Your holiness for You are holy
Breath of Heaven

Do you wonder as you watch my face
If a wiser one should have had my place?
But I offer all I am
For the mercy of Your plan
Help me be strong, help me be, help me

Breath of Heaven, hold me together
Be forever near me, Breath of Heaven
Breath of Heaven, lighten my darkness
Pour over me Your holiness for You are holy

Breath of Heaven, hold me together
Be forever near me, breath of Heaven
Breath of Heaven, lighten my darkness
Pour over me Your holiness for You are holy
Breath of Heaven, Breath of Heaven
Breath of Heaven'

APPENDIX; MENTION OF MARY IN ANCIENT AND NEW TESTAMENT SCRIPTURE
http://home.earthlink.net/~mysticalrose/marian17.html 

SEND; 'MARY DID YOU KNOW' RINGTONE TO YOUR MOBILE
http://artists.letssingit.com/mark-lowry-lyrics-mary-did-you-know-hc1xwsv#axzz3Nb49NI5I 

SEND; 'BREATH OF HEAVEN' RINGTONE TO YOUR MOBILE
http://www.metrolyrics.com/breath-of-heaven-lyrics-amy-grant.html 

                                              BLESSED NEW YEAR

TO YOU AND ALL YOUR LOVED ONES

With thanks to Youtube, earhlink.net, artists.letssingit.com/ metrolyrics.com
Image by Catherine Nicolette