ST Albans and Welwyn Circuit Service for SUNDAY 14 JANUARY 2024
PREPARED BY REVD ROSEMARY MUTOPO
Call to Worship
All you servants, listen to God’s voice calling to us.
Are we ready to listen and follow?
Come all you servants, let us worship the God
whose steadfast love never stops calling and asking us to follow.
Hymn StF 117- Sing praise to God who reigns above
Let us pray
Creator God, you created us. In our mother’s wombs, you knew us. Fearfully and wonderfully, you made us. We glorify your holy name. You know us by name and you choose to call to us in different ways. From generation to generation, you have continued to call us. In some ways, we have sometimes not recognised or understood at the onset. Forgiving and merciful God, we confess that sometimes we have failed to recognise you in those around us. We confess that we have not loved you as our God and we have not loved our neighbours as ourselves. Remind us of your forgiving love, when we wilfully refuse to believe and accept your claim on our lives. Open our eyes and whole being to see the gifts with which you have blessed every one of us, and to commit those gifts to serving you by serving others and our community. Loving God, as you call us by name to be your people in this world, guide us, form us, and send us as your people to live out your good news wherever you may lead us. We will not fear the task God sets before us, for God is always with us. Amen.
StF 250: Jesus calls us! O’er the tumult
The Gospel Reading: John 1:43-51
The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, ‘Follow me.’ Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.’ Nathanael said to him, ‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ Philip said to him, ‘Come and see.’ When Jesus saw Nathanael coming towards him, he said of him, ‘Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!’ Nathanael asked him, ‘Where did you come to know me?’ Jesus answered, ‘I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.’ Nathanael replied, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!’ Jesus answered, ‘Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.’ And he said to him, ‘Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.’
Reflection
Today’s gospel reading takes place at the start of Jesus’ public ministry in Galilee and sees the calling of some of Jesus’s first disciples. Jesus finds Philip and says to him: “Follow me” Then, we encounter Phillip calling, announcing the good news to Nathaniel like Andrew did to his brother Peter. ‘We have found the Messiah,’ Phillip is announcing the good news. ‘We have found Jesus, come and see.’ Nathaniel was doubting because Jesus was from Nazareth. Nothing good, according to him could come from Nazareth but when he went and saw Jesus, Jesus spoke to him. Nathaniel was a good man before he met Jesus. A man who could say what he thought, nothing good can come from Nazareth. Jesus said to him, there was no deceitfulness in him. This should be our lives too as disciples of Jesus Christ.
As Jesus’s disciples, we are called to live our discipleship without deceit. That is the only way that can help us not to compromise the teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are not called to please people in our own ways but with the word of God, the teaching of Jesus without deceit and without compromising the teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ. That is how we can live our discipleship. Jesus is calling us to follow him like he called the apostles to follow him. Many of us have already responded since the day of our baptism. That is why we are disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So, what now? Jesus expects us to go and proclaim the good news without deceit, without compromising the teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are called to invite others to ‘come and see’ Jesus. Who are we inviting? Are we being inclusive; inviting both the rich and poor, believers and non-believers? Are we seeing everyone with the eyes of Jesus? We are called to stand for justice, stand for peace, stand against discrimination, stand against selfishness, stand for true love. The love of God and the love of our fellow humans. That is the way we can bear witness that we are disciples of Jesus Christ. May the Holy Spirit help us to stand for all the values of the gospel for the teaching of Jesus in this broken world.
StF 673: Will you come and follow me if I but call your name?
Prayers of Intercession receive our prayer.
Gracious God, thank you for continually being patient with us even when we do not follow your ways. We thank you for calling us to be your disciples, prophets, teachers, servants, saints, and even fools for Christ. You called Samuel to be your prophet. Your Son called Philip and Nathaniel to be his disciples. Fill the Church with your Spirit, so it heeds Jesus’ call to follow him. Give us preachers, leaders, ministers and people who are faithful to your Word. We pray for the leaders of every church and nation to serve faithfully. God of wisdom, please, grant them visions of justice and unity. Lead them to action that promotes and uplifts those on the margins of society. We hold in your care those who are suffering and struggling, God of compassion, you who know our inner hearts, be present with those who are oppressed, the victims of war, violence, racism or cultural bias, and all who long for respite or restoration. Help us to live in peace with our neighbours, striving always to do your will exercising kindness, justice, and mercy. Send us out into the coming week ready to demonstrate our calling in all that we do and speak. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
StF 662: Have you heard God’s voice; has your heart been stirred?
Benediction
God has called you by name and is sending you into the world. Go, mindful of God’s call in your life. In your paths of service and hope, Jesus will strengthen and give you courage. May God use you to be the channel of peace, love and joy to others AMEN.
