This week there is a service of Holy Communion on 2 January at 9.30am at St Bartholomew, Burstow and a Family Service at 10am at St Mary the Virgin, Horne and a service of Holy Communion at St John the Baptist, Outwood. And as always, we have an online service here, too, which this week is led by the Revd Nicholas Calver.

To follow today’s service just click on the arrow here and find the words below.

The hymn ‘We three kings’ is sung

Recorded at St Bartholomew, Burstow during Communion on 5 January 2020. The soloist kings are Nick Case-Green, Steve Robinson and Kay Hammond

We three kings of Orient are;
Bearing gifts we traverse afar;
Field and fountain, moor and mountain,
Following yonder star.
O star of wonder, star of night,
Star with royal beauty bright.
Westward leading, still proceeding,
Guide us to thy perfect light.

Born a King on Bethlehem plain,
Gold I bring, to crown Him again,
King for ever, ceasing never,
Over us all to reign.
O star of wonder, star of night . . .

Frankincense to offer have I,
Incense owns a Deity nigh,
Prayer and praising, gladly raising,
Worship Him, God most high.
O star of wonder, star of night . . .

Myrrh is mine, its bitter perfume
Breathes a life of gathering gloom;
Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying,
Sealed in the stone-cold tomb.
O star of wonder, star of night . . .

Glorious now, behold him arise,
King and God and sacrifice;
Alleluia, alleluia,
Earth to heav’n replies.
O star of wonder, star of night . . .

Arise, shine, for your light has come.

And the glory of the Lord has risen upon us.

The Collect and readings

Let us pray:

O God,
who by the leading of a star
manifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth:
mercifully grant that we,
who know you now by faith,
may at last behold your glory face to face;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.
Glory to you, O Lord.

The Gospel reading from Matthew 2: 1-12
by Judith Calver

This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.

Talk
by Revd Nicholas Calver

Rejoicing in the presence of God here among us, let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us:

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come; thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.

And now, an act of dedication at the start of the new year.

Father of us all, as we stand at the beginning of the new year we look to a deepening of our love, a strengthening of our resolve and a growing of our commitment to serve others, so that we may truly live as you have called us to:

Eternal God, whose years never fail,
Let the radiance of your Spirit
Renew our lives, warming our hearts
And giving light to our minds;
That we may pass the coming year
In faith, hope and love,
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

The anthem is ‘We have seen his star’

(Words by John Raphael Peacey, 1896-1971; music composed by Roger Hind in 2019 with the dedication: For the choirs of the Windmill Benefice on the 300^th anniversary of the death of John Flamsteed, the first Astronomer Royal and Rector of Burstow 1684-1719)

Sung by the three choirs of the Windmill United Benefice on 5 January 2020

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea,
in the days of Herod the king.

Behold, there came wise men from the East, saying:
Where is he that is born King of the Jews?
For we have seen his star in the East and are come to worship him.

And he sent them to Bethlehem and said:
Go and seek diligently for the young child.
And when you have found him, bring me word again,
that I may come and worship him also.

When they had heard the king, they departed;
and lo the star, which they saw in the East, went before them,
till it came and stood over where the young child was.
When they saw the star they rejoiced with exceeding joy.

We have seen his star in the east and are come to worship him.

May God the Father, who led the wise men by the shining of a star to find the Christ, the Light from light, lead us also in our pilgrimage to find the Lord; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, be among us and remain with us always.
Amen.

The hymn ‘As with gladness’ is sung

As with gladness men of old did the guiding star behold,
As with joy they hailed its light, leading onward, beaming bright,
So, most gracious Lord, may we evermore be led to thee.

As with joyful steps they sped, to that lowly manger-bed,
There to bend the knee before him whom heav’n and earth adore,
So may we with willing feet ever seek thy mercy-seat.

As their precious gifts they laid, at thy manger roughly made,
So may we with holy joy, pure, and free from sin’s alloy,
All our costliest treasures bring, Christ, to thee, our heav’nly King.

Holy Jesu, ev’ry day keep us in the narrow way;
And, when earthly things are past, bring our ransomed souls at last
Where they need no star to guide, where no clouds thy glory hide.

In the heav’nly country bright need they no created light;
Thou its light, its joy, its crown, thou its sun which goes not down;
There for ever may we sing alleluias to our King.

Hymn words reproduced under CCLI: 845257

Common Worship: Services and Prayers for the Church of England (2000), material from which is included in this service, is copyright © The Archbishops’ Council 2000.