Bradford North Circuit

Service Sheet (pdf) Welcome Welcome to our Easter Sunday worship in the Bradford North Circuit, led by the ministers. Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! In the half-light of the morning; In the space between the graves; In the questions without answers; In the calling of our names; All we thought we knew has changed: Saviour, come to us again! Song StF 305/HP 202 Low in the grave he lay Prayer It’s early in the morning, Lord, and we aren’t quite awake. It’s been a heavy weekend. We have eaten and drunk with you, and you have talked about things we didn’t understand. We have lost you to crucifixion and death; we have grieved for you; we have waited during the Sabbath; and now we have received you again. And we’re not sure we understand any more than we did, but we rejoice. Everything has changed. Everything is new. Tell us more, Lord, as we spend this time with you. Open our ears to hear and our hearts to respond to your love. Amen. Reading: John 20:1-9 Reflectio...

Service Sheet (pdf) Today is the Friday we call ‘Good’. Traditionally our worship on this day has been subdued, as we reflect on the passion and death of Jesus. There are no flowers in church, and little conversation as we come and go. It is as if the weight of the events we remember bear down on us. We often give time to the reading of the passion story today, and let ourselves journey with a thorn-crowned Jesus to that cruel cross on Calvary’s hill. We shake our heads at his disciples’ fickleness, but suspect we would do no better. We look on and wonder what God is up to. All this seems more than appropriate in 2021. Call to worship In silence we stand, in wonder we worship, thankful beyond words for God’s gift of Jesus Christ, the lamb of God whose sacrifice enters our pain and bears all our loss. As darkness falls and he breathes his last, we wait, and worship. Amen. Song Philip Bliss’ hymn Stf 361/HP 228 Man of sorrows! What a name. Let us pray:    Tick, tock, tic...

Palm Sunday Service Sheet (pdf) Welcome to worship coming from Bradford North Circuit and Baildon Methodist church. We are glad that you can join us, you are welcome. Call to worship Today is Palm Sunday when we remember Jesus riding into Jerusalem upon a donkey, the first day of Holy Week. He fulfilled the prophecy which He would know well, from Zechariah 9 v 9, “Rejoice, rejoice, people of Zion! Shout for joy, you people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you! He comes triumphant and victorious, but humble and riding on a donkey — on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” Let us pray, “Father God we want to be part of the crowd today who are welcoming and worshipping You. Send Your Holy Spirit, that, as we give you worship, we can see Jesus, with such love in His eyes, coming to us. Let us turn to Him and meet Him, Amen!” Song We sing together/ listen together or share the words together, “Ride on, ride on in Majesty (STF No 265) Opening prayers:  We praise you Father God, God...

5th Sunday of Lent: Passion Sunday Service Sheet (pdf) Welcome and Introduction Call to Worship:  “God has shown us how much he loves us. It was while we were still sinners, that Christ died for us.” Romans Ch 5 v 8. Opening hymn: H&P 226 (STF 358) Let earth and heaven agree, angels and men be joined Opening prayers: Loving God, we meet to worship you in this season of Lent. A time we set aside for self-examination. A time when we look closely at our lives, to see how we measure up to our calling as followers of Jesus. A time when we reflect on what it cost Jesus to set his face resolutely towards Jerusalem, knowing the certain outcome of that journey, which was his destiny. Help us, in these weeks of preparation, to grasp the enormity of his sacrifice; the weight of our sins placed upon his shoulders; the agony he suffered, emotionally, mentally and physically at the hands of cruel men. And to realise that he did it all – for us, who do not deserve it. It was becau...

Dear Friends Greetings, as we journey through Lent together. Journeys are not things we are familiar with at present. Covid 19 and its consequences have limited me to circular walks, and the odd visit to the supermarket and the Crematorium (not at the same time). Wouldn’t it be lovely to be going to a big city, or the coast, even more to be visiting the wider family – a proper journey, where you packed a bag and planned a route. So, in the absence of travel, I’m thinking about Lent as a journey, with Jesus, to Jerusalem. I’m also conscious that as we entered Lent we were given a kind of roadmap, with steps along the way to the lifting of restrictions. Also, personally, I was called in to receive the vaccine on Shrove Tuesday teatime – so instead of pancakes I had the AstraZeneca jab, without sugar and lemon. With the vaccine comes the sense of setting off on a journey to something new, and that feels quite appropriate for Lent. I do see it as a journey to the new, rather than a return ...

Mothering Sunday Service Sheet (pdf) Welcome to Mothering Sunday in Bradford North Methodist Circuit. I am Mervyn Flecknoe, one of the Lay Pastors at Baildon Methodist Church. Thank you for joining us wherever you are. You are most welcome! Odd One Out We are going to begin our service this morning with an Odd One Out round to get us into the mood for Mothering Sunday. Please study these four pictures and decide whom you think is the Odd One Out. Susannah Wesley 1669-1742 Born 25th of 25 children of a dissenter, Dr Samuel Annesley Age 12, she left her father’s church to join the Anglicans. Age 19, she married Samuel Wesley. She had 19 children, nine died as infants. Her husband was unpopular as a clergyman, feckless and incompetent. Parishioners burned their house down, twice! Each child was home-schooled. Each learned Latin and Greek. Each had one hour a week of personal inquiry with mother. Susannah defied her husband by conducting services which were more popular than his. ...

Service sheet (pdf) Welcome to this Circuit Service from The Bradford North Methodist Circuit. I am Stuart Ayrton, a Preacher within the Circuit. On this the third Sunday of Lent, we will hear about Jesus trying to change the way the Temple works: and we are in a period within our church lives where the Church as we know it has changed, and possibly changed forever. In this new church we are reaching new people who may not come into our buildings and you are very welcome if you are watching our service for the first time. Call to worship Our service starts with a call to worship. Holy God, as we meet together today, we ask that you renew our love for you. Open our eyes to see fresh things, open our ears to hear with more clarity, open our minds to recognise new ideas – that we may be willing to grow and change and to become more like your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Hymn Our first Hymn is “I Danced in the Morning (Lord of the Dance)” from Singing the Faith number 247 Prayers of ...