Getting Ready

St Bartholomew's Family Service

Welcome and Introduction

Please be seated.

A warm welcome to our family service this morning.

Most of the notices are on your notice sheet, but I want to draw your attention to one or two items:

As you know, we have our family service on the first Sunday of the month, which means that our next one is on NEW YEAR'S DAY. However, we are also having a Christingle service here in Church on Christmas Eve at 4.00 p.m.; its a great service for the whole family.

Those of you who came to our Church Open Meeting, two weeks ago, heard about our plans for the new congregation which we will be establishing in the school.

If you were interested in exploring the possibility of being part of the 'Core Group' of that congregation, then today is the deadline for returning the blue card which you were given.

If you have forgotten to bring it with you, then please ask David or myself for another one after the service, ...we do need to have them back today.

If you haven't a clue as to what I'm talking about, its probably because you didn't come to the Open Meeting two weeks ago. Yet the setting up of this new congregation is something which will affect everyone in our Church.

Some couldn't make the first meeting, so we are repeating it at 3.00pm today in the Church Hall. If you didn't come to the first meeting, please come along to the one today. It will only last about an hour, ...and if you want to bring your children we'll be organising some activities for them.

The theme for today's service is 'Getting Ready'. ...Getting ready for Christmas, ...and getting ready for Jesus.

Our service begins with the sentence on the first page of your service sheet. Would you please respond with the words typed in bolt print.

Now is the time to wake out of sleep:

for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.

We confess our sins to God

Let us return to the Lord our God and say to him:

Father,

we have sinned against heaven and against you.

We are not worthy to be called your children.

We turn to you again.

Have mercy on us,

bring us back to yourself

as those who once were dead

but now have life through Christ our Lord. Amen

May almighty God have mercy on us,

forgive us our sins,

and bring us to everlasting life,

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Song: 457 Make way, make way, for Christ the King

Collect

Almighty God,

give us grace to cast away the works of darkness

and to put on the armour of light,

now in the time of this mortal life,

in which your Son Jesus Christ came to us in great humility:

so that on the last day,

when he shall come again in his glorious majesty

to judge the living and the dead,

we may rise to the life immortal;

through him who is alive and reigns

with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

Talk: Getting Ready for Christmas

How many days is it to Christmas? (21)

Hands up if you've finished all your Christmas preparations!

Hands up if you've hardly started!

Advent is a time of preparation, and part of that involves getting ready for Christmas.

And what sort of things do we still have to do?

Props:

Christmas tree

Christmas cards

Christmas presents

Wrapping paper

Christmas pudding

Christmas decorations

Stocking

Bottle of wine

We spend a lot of time getting ready for Christmas don't we.

We are in the Church's season of Advent at the moment, and Advent is also a time of preparation for something else. Do any of the children know what else we are getting ready for?

We're getting ready for Jesus.

Jesus was born as a baby about two thousand years ago, ...and he's now in heaven, ...but he promised that one day he would come back to earth. But next time he won't be coming as a little baby, ...but as a judge. He's coming to judge those who are still living and those who have died.

It will be the most important event in history since Jesus' resurrection from the dead. ...And so the Bible tells us to get ready for it.

Many of us live busy lives. ...And the weeks leading up to Christmas are probably the busiest weeks of the year.

But if we spend so much time getting ready for Christmas, that we fail to get ready for the return of Jesus, have we got our priorities right?

Song: 42 At this time of giving

During this song the Children bring forward their presents.

Talk: Expecting the Unexpected

A question for the adults.

What's one big difference between getting ready for Christmas, and getting ready for Jesus?

We know that Christmas will happen on the 25th of December ...but no-one knows when Jesus will return.

We've been waiting 2000 years, which is a long time, ...but its worth remembering that the people of Israel waited nearly 2000 years the first time. And yet when Jesus did come, hardly anyone was ready.

We don't know when Jesus will return, and so we have got to 'expect the unexpected'.

Now that might sound difficult, but all sorts of people do it all the time.

Has anyone got the sort of job, where you are ready to help people, but when you go to work you haven't got a clue as to when your help will be needed?

How do you prepare for your job?

[Well, perhaps some of the children might be able to help us out. Can you think of any jobs where people are ready to help people, but they don't know when their help will be needed?

- firemen, police, emergency staff at hospitals.

How do they make sure that they are ready? (rhetorical)

- by practicing rescues,

- by keeping themselves fit,

- by keeping their equipment well maintained.

Just because we don't know when something will happen, it doesn't mean that we can't be ready.

We don't know when Jesus will return, but that's no excuse for not being ready.

So how do we get ready for Jesus return?

(Pause)

Well be thinking about that in a few minutes, ...but one way is to keep reminding ourselves that Jesus will return.

That's why we celebrate Advent every year, ...it's a regular reminder that Jesus promised that he would return.

And that's one reason why we light the Advent candles.

Lighting the Advent Candles

Song: Jesus is the Lighthouse

1. Jesus is the Lighthouse, shining all around,

shining in the darkness, where evil things abound,

Jesus is the Lighthouse, showing us the way,

we can leave the darkness - live the Jesus way.

2. Jesus is the Foghorn when trouble's very near,

When hidden dangers threaten, His warning sound you hear.

Jesus is the Lighthouse, showing us the way

We can miss the dangers - live the Jesus way.

3. Shine your light in me, Lord, I want to live for you,

Help me shine for you Lord, in all I say and do,

I want to be a Lighthouse for Jesus every day,

Help me make a difference in your world, I pray!

Our Bible reading is taken from the 25th chapter of Matthew's gospel.

It's rather an uncomfortable passage in which Jesus gives an account of what will happen when he returns as Judge and King.

Reading: Matthew 25.31-46

A dramatised reading.

Talk: Getting Ready for Jesus

We have seen that one of the ways in which we can get ready for Jesus' return is to keep reminding ourselves that he will return. It is so easy to forget.

And a second way of getting ready... is to welcome and receive Jesus NOW!

But you might ask, "how can we welcome and receive Jesus now, if he hasn't yet returned?" ...Well that's the main point of our Bible reading.

Jesus knew that he would be sending his followers all over the world to tell people about him. And he also knew that it wasn't going to be easy for them. They would face many kinds of hardships and dangers.

And he was right.

St. Paul, for example:

- he was thrown into prison,

- he whipped many times,

- he was stoned,

- he was shipwrecked three times,

- and on one occasion he spent 24 hours in the water,

- he had been in danger from floods,

- and from robbers,

- he had gone without food, ...without shelter, ...and without clothing.

But Paul endured all this, because he wanted to tell people about Jesus. And the people he met had a choice, they could either welcome Paul, by believing his message and giving him practical help, (like food, shelter, and clothing). ...Or they could just ignore him, ...and leave him hungry, homeless, and naked.

At the final judgement we will be judged according to how we have responded to Jesus, ...and an indication of this, is how we have responded to those he has sent us.

Whatever we do for the least of Jesus' followers, we do it for Jesus.

A third way of getting ready for Jesus is by getting to know him better.

Today is Bible Sunday, ...and a good way of getting to know Jesus better is by reading the Bible each day.

If you find the older translations a bit difficult to understand, why not get a more modern one, like 'The Good News Bible'. It would make an ideal Christmas present.

And you can also get some daily Bible reading notes to help you. I'm sure that Les would be delighted to show you what you is available after the service.

Another good way of getting to know Jesus better is by learning from each other. That is why we set up the Housegroups a few months ago, and many people are finding them very helpful.

There are several groups in the area, they all meet once a fortnight, some during the day, and some during the evenings. You are free to go along to any one you like.

Could I ask those who lead a housegroup to put up a hand.

Keep your hand up, ...now, could I ask those have been along to a housegroup, and would recommend them to others, to also put up their hand.

Now, if you are interested in finding out what they get up to, why not ask someone with their hand up.

We often think of the New Year as being a good time for making resolutions, ...but I put it to you that Advent is a much better time.

Advent is a time for taking stock of our lives, and getting ready for Jesus.

And so I am going to finish by suggesting that we have a few moments quiet, ...during which we can listen to God's prompting, and to think about one way in which we can get ready.

It might be....

You may then like to write it down on the space on your service sheet, ...take it home and put in a place where you will see it.

(Silence)

Song: He is Lord (First verse from Philippians 2.10-11)

1. He is Lord, he is Lord, 2. He will come, he will come,

he is risen from the dead he has promised in his word

and he is Lord! that he will come;

Every Knee shall bow, some glad day or night,

every tongue confess with great power and might,

that Jesus Christ is Lord. the risen Lord will come.

We affirm what we believe about God

Do you believe and trust in God the Father, who made all things?

We believe and trust in him.

Do you believe and trust in his Son Jesus Christ, who redeemed the world?

We believe and trust in him.

Do you believe and trust in his Holy Spirit, who gives life to the people of God?

We believe and trust in him.

This is the faith of the Church:

This is our faith. We believe and trust in one God,

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Prayers

Song: 75 Christ is surely coming

Blessing

Now is the time to wake out of sleep:

for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.