Bradford North Circuit

Service Sheet (pdf) Call to worship The Lord is here! His Spirit is with us God declares: I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh. Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Song: StF 385/MP 241/SF 188 Holy Spirit, we welcome you Readings: Genesis 2:7 – “The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” John 20:19-23 , which includes “And with that [Jesus] breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’” Just as God breathed life into the man and he came alive, so Jesus breathed the Spirit into his disciples and gave them a new life, a life with a new dimension, a spiritual dimension. That new aspect of life would help them see beyond the physical to the spiritual, to see where God was at work, to see signs and look beyond those signs to what they were foretelling, to see deeper into people’s lives and their needs. Acts 2:1-6 The H...

I sat among the trees once. And a wind was blowing. Quite a strong wind; I could hear it in the trees –   rushing, rushing. A lovely sound, soothing to my ears. I stopped what I was writing and began to listen. I remembered that Jesus said that the Holy Spirit was like   the wind. You could hear it; see its effect. But you couldn’t see the wind itself. You couldn’t see   where it was coming from, nor going to. And I wondered, “Are you showing me something about your Spirit, Lord?” So I sat, and I listened, and I watched. They were big, old trees where I sat. Tall they were, in an ancient wood, well-branched,  shapely. Beech, grey bark against the clear blue of the sky. And leaves: they were leaves that knew the wind;   leaves that let the wind know them. They looked, like beach leaves look in a wind: full of life –   and with a certain beauty all their own. I watched the great crowns of those great trees. I watched the branches sway and the ...

If you fall down, we’re told, you shouldn’t get up right away. Lie where you have fallen for a moment; catch your breath, take your time, then carefully, carefully! – start to stand, moving slowly, making sure you’ve got your balance before you carry on your way. We have fallen hard, knocked down by this unseen assailant. It’s ok to lie here a while, listening to the birds, watching the trees come into leaf above our heads, enjoying the peace. How will we get up again? Will we rush to get back to where we think we ought to be? Or take time to collect our thoughts so that, when we start to move, we can be sure to take the right direction? Christine Crabtree 14.04.2020

Call to worship (based on 1 Peter 5:6-11) Cast all your anxiety on God because God cares for you .  Resist the devil, stand firm in the faith  because you know that your brothers and sisters throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.   And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.  To God be the power for ever and ever, Amen. Prayer Lord Jesus Christ, Risen and Ascended Lord, we praise you for your promise and your power. You have promised the gift of your Spirit, and prayed protection on your people by the power of your name. You have prayed that we might be one, as you and the Father are one. Unite us in our suffering and our service, and in the assurance of eternal life that is knowing you. In these anxious times, lift our eyes and hearts to your glory, and grant us peace. Amen. You might like to s...

Dear friends, Thank you to everyone who sent Christine photos of their Easter crosses. There's a lot of talent out there! The crosses are all beautiful, so varied and really creative. They have been put into a slideshow: If you enjoyed being creative for Easter, why not do it again? Rhona North, one of our local preachers, has suggested we do something for Pentecost. How would you depict that? Flames? A dove? Something else? Let your creative juices flow and we’ll see what comes! Looking to Pentecost prompts me to say a word or two about future plans. One or two people have been asking about possible timetables for a return to our buildings and collective worship. The Circuit Leadership Team is currently meeting fortnightly (by Zoom) and giving thought to this. The District Superintendents meet weekly (also by Zoom), which gives us opportunity to hear about life in other circuits during lockdown, and some of the plans being made for the future. The common theme across...

Service Sheet (pdf) As we prepare for worship, please bring a mirror if you can; you might like also to bring some paper and craft materials to make a poster if you have children with you, or even if you don’t. Take a few moments to be quiet; to recognise that where you are is a holy place, for this is where God chooses to meet you today. Call to worship: Lord, we come before you from our separate homes. We lift our hearts in worship, and all our voices join together as one. Your Spirit is not limited by distance, but makes us one in you. So fill us, Lord, with your Spirit, that we might bring you glory. Song StF 743/ HP 810 “Come, let us join our cheerful songs,” reminds us that we sing with many more people than we can see or hear. Prayer of adoration and confession: God who created us and formed us, we worship you. Jesus who lived for us and died for us, we worship you. Spirit who comes to us and lives in us, we worship you. God who is above all things, we confess our shortcomings....

5th Sunday of Easter Opening Sentence: Women and men, in age and youth Can feel the Spirit, accept the call, And find the way, the life, the truth, Revealed in Jesus, freed for all (verse from Christ is alive, let Christians sing by Brian Wren, Singing the Faith 297) Call to Worship: Jesus said, I am the Way – come! Jesus said, I am the Way and the Truth – come and receive. Jesus said, I am the Way, the Truth and the Life – come, receive, and respond. Song Listen to or join in with a worship song such as Beautiful Saviour (All my days) by Stuart Townend (Singing the Faith 343),  Or Read or Sing a more traditional hymn such as Singing the Faith 321/Hymns and Psalms 257, How sweet the name of Jesus sounds by John Newton,  Opening prayer Today, we praise you, Lord Jesus Christ, as you say to us ‘I am the way’. You called disciples to follow you and they left behind what they had known for an unknown future with you. They accompanied you on your ...

Call to worship Jesus says, “I am the gate”  In him we come and go, and find pasture. Jesus calls his sheep by name and leads them out  Prayer Lord our God, in this time of lockdown, when we are so limited in our coming and going, and some days hear our name spoken only on phone or screen, if at all; we thank you for the assurance that you call each of us by name. As we take comfort from our place in your flock, knowing that your welcome always awaits, lead us to reach out to others by name. Amen. You might like to sing, or reflect on the words of, Hymn StF 673, which begins, “Will you come and follow me if I but call your name?” Or StF666/HP535, the 2nd verse of which begins, “Speak to me by name, O Master, let me know it is to me”. Read John 10:1-10 , first silently to yourself, then, if you can, out loud.  Notice the difference between the voice of the stranger and the voice of the shepherd in the passage. The context sees Jesus speaking to the Ph...