Parishes by the Wall - Living Faith on the Frontier

Hymns, Reading and Resources for worship
at the 9am online service,
using our  regular pattern of Morning Prayer

Hymn
Be still, for the presence of the Lord,
    the Holy One, is here;
come bow before him now
    with reverence and fear:
in him no sin is found —
we stand on holy ground.
Be still, for the presence of the Lord,
    the Holy One is here.

Be still, for the glory of the Lord
    is shining all around;
he burns with holy fire,
    with splendour he is crowned:
how awesome is the sight —
our radiant King of light!
Be still, for the glory of the Lord
    is shining all around.

Be still, for the power of the Lord
    is moving in this place:
he comes to cleanse and heal,
    to minister his grace.
No work too hard for him,
in faith receive from him.
Be still, for the power of the Lord
    is moving in this place.
Words: David Evans (b. 1957)

Readings: 

1 Thessalonians 5:5-11
For you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness. So then let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober; for those who sleep sleep at night, and those who are drunk get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.

Psalm 90: 1-9
1    Lord, you have been our refuge  from one generation to another.
2    Before the mountains were brought forth, or the earth and the world were formed,  from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
3    You turn us back to dust and say:  ‘Turn back, O children of earth.’
4    For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday,  which passes like a watch in the night.
5    You sweep them away like a dream;  they fade away suddenly like the grass.
6    In the morning it is green and flourishes;  in the evening it is dried up and withered. 
7    For we consume away in your displeasure; we are afraid at your wrathful indignation.
8    You have set our misdeeds before you  and our secret sins in the light of your countenance.
9    When you are angry, all our days are gone;  our years come to an end like a sigh.

Matthew 25:14-30
“For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ But his master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Benedictus
Bless the Lord, the God of Israel,
who has come to set us free.
He has raised for us a Saviour
sprung from royal David’s tree.
Through his prophets God had spoken
of the hope the Christ would bring;
of his faithfulness and mercy
let each generation sing.
 
Long ago God made a promise
he would set his people free,
that in all our life and worship
we might know true liberty,
to be holy, to be righteous
in his sight throughout our days;
now this child will be a herald
making ready all God’s ways.
 
Let all people know salvation
through forgiveness of their sin,
as our God in his compassion
bids a shining dawn begin.
So may all who dwell in darkness
see the shadows disappear
while he guides our feet in pathways
where his peace is ever near.
 
To the Father be all glory
with the Spirit and the Son,
as it was, is now and shall be
while eternal ages run.
Words: Anne Harrison

Collect for the Second Sunday before Advent
Heavenly Lord,
you long for the world’s salvation:
stir us from apathy,
restrain us from excess
and revive in us new hope
that all creation will one day be healed in Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen

Hymn
Make me a channel of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me bring your love.
Where there is injury, your pardon, Lord,
and where there's doubt, true faith in you.
    O Master, grant that I may never seek
    so much to be consoled as to console,
    to be understood as to understand,
    to be loved, as to love with all my soul.

Make me a channel of your peace.
Where there's despair in life, let me bring hope.
Where there is darkness, let me bring your light;
and where there's sadness, ever joy.

Make me a channel of your peace.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
in giving of ourselves that we receive,
and in dying that we're born to eternal life.
Words: Sebastian Temple (1928–1997) from a prayer attributed to St Francis of Assisi (1182–1226)

Copyright: Common Worship © The Archbishops' Council  © The Archbishops' Council 2000;
Scripture quotations are from New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. 
Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Hymns are reproduced under CCLI: 938092 and CCLI Streaming Licence 1001311