11:00 Eucharist Service at St James Church

Sunday 14th May, 2023

Presiding

Rev Heather Atkinson

Mrs Liz Cooper Clark

Preaching

Mike Collins

Intercessions

Frederick Aspbury

Pastoral Prayers

Lynn Lloyd

Frederick Aspbury

Readings

Acts 17:22-31 - read by Lynn Lloyd

John 14:15-21 - read by Rob Jones

Hymns

Come Down, O Love Divine	view lyrics
Blest Are The Pure In Heart	view lyrics
Jesus Christ Is Waiting	view lyrics
And Can It Be	view chords/lyrics

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Reading: Acts 17:22-31

Acts 17:22-31

read by Lynn Lloyd

Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious.

For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.

"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands.

And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.

From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.

God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.

'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'

"Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill.

In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.

For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead."

Reading: John 14:15-21

John 14:15-21

read by Rob Jones

"If you love me, keep my commands.

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—

the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.

On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.

Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them."

Hymn: Come Down, O Love Divine

Come Down, O Love Divine

Words: Richard Frederick Littledale (1833-90)
Music: Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)

Come down, O Love divine,
Seek thou this soul of mine,
And visit it with thine own ardor glowing;
O Comforter, draw near,
Within my heart appear,
And kindle it, thy holy flame bestowing.

O let it freely burn,
Till earthly passions turn
To dust and ashes in its heat consuming;
And let thy glorious light
Shine ever on my sight,
And clothe me round, the while my path illuming.

And so the yearning strong,
With which the soul will long,
Shall far outpass the power of human telling;
For none can guess its grace,
Till Love create a place
Wherein the Holy Spirit makes a dwelling.

Hymn: Blest Are The Pure In Heart

Blest Are The Pure In Heart

Words: John Keble (1792-1866)
Music: Johann Balthasar König (1691-1758)

Blest are the pure in heart,
For they shall see our God;
The secret of the Lord is theirs,
Their soul is Christ's abode.

The Lord, who left the heavens
Our life and peace to bring,
To dwell in lowliness with men,
Their pattern and their King;

Still to the lowly soul
He doth himself impart,
And for his dwelling and his throne
Chooseth the pure in heart.

Lord, we thy presence seek;
May ours this blessing be;
Give us a pure and lowly heart,
A temple meet for thee.

Hymn: Jesus Christ Is Waiting

Jesus Christ Is Waiting

Words: John L Bell (b 1949)
Graham Maule (b 1958)
Music: an old French melody

Jesus Christ is waiting,
Waiting in the streets;
No one is his neighbour,
All alone he eats.

Listen, Lord Jesus,
I am lonely too.
Make me, friend or stranger,
Fit to wait on you

Jesus Christ is raging,
Raging in the streets,
Where injustice spirals
And real hope retreats.

Listen, Lord Jesus,
I am angry too.
In the Kingdom's causes
Let me rage with you.

Jesus Christ is healing,
Healing in the streets;
Curing those who suffer,
Touching those he greets.

Listen, Lord Jesus,
I have pity too.
Let my care be active,
Healing just like you.

Jesus Christ is dancing,
Dancing in the streets,
Where each sign of hatred
He, with love, defeats.

Listen, Lord Jesus,
I should triumph too.
On suspicion's graveyard
Let me dance with you.

Jesus Christ is calling,
Calling in the streets,
"Who will join my journey?
I will guide their feet."

Listen, Lord Jesus,
Let my fears be few.
Walk one step before me;
I will follow you.

Hymn: And Can It Be

Once play is clicked, slides will auto-advance until the end of the song is reached.

And Can It Be

Words: Charles Wesley (1707-88)
Music: Thomas Campbell (1800-76)

And can it be that I should gain
An interest in the Saviour’s blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain
For me, who Him to death pursued?

Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

’Tis mystery all: th’ Immortal dies:
Who can explore His strange design?
In vain the firstborn seraph tries
To sound the depths of love divine.

’Tis mercy all! Let earth adore,
Let angel minds inquire no more.
’Tis mercy all! Let earth adore;
Let angel minds inquire no more.

He left His Father’s throne above
So free, so infinite His grace
Emptied Himself of all but love,
And bled for Adam’s helpless race:

’Tis mercy all, immense and free,
For O my God, it found out me!
’Tis mercy all, immense and free,
For O my God, it found out me!

Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;

My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.

No condemnation now I dread;
Jesus, and all in Him, is mine;
Alive in Him, my living Head,
And clothed in righteousness divine,

Bold I approach the eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.
Bold I approach the eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.

11:00 Eucharist Service at St James Church

Sunday 14th May, 2023

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