God of our days and years, we set this time apart for you.Form us in the likeness of Christ so that our lives may glorify you. Amen.‘Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights! Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his host!’ (Psalm 148:1-2)Hymn: Ding dong merrily on high...1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26; Colossians 3: 12-17Let us confess our sins:Lord of grace and truth, we confess our unworthiness to stand in your presence as your children. The Virgin Mary accepted your call to be the mother of Jesus.Forgive our disobedience to your will. We have sinned: forgive and heal us.Your Son our Saviour was born in poverty in a manger.Forgive our greed and rejection of your ways. We have sinned: forgive and heal us.The shepherds left their flocks to go to Bethlehem.Forgive our self-interest and lack of vision. We have sinned: forgive and heal us.The wise men followed the star to find Jesus the King.Forgive our reluctance to seek you. We have sinned: forgive and heal us.May Almighty God, who sent his Son into the world to save sinners, bring us his pardon and peace, now and for ever. Amen.Prayer for the day: God in Trinity, eternal unity of perfect love: gather the nations to be one family, and draw us into your holy life through the birth of Emmanuel, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.Luke 2: 41-52Please see the Message from the Minister.Let us join in prayer, asking for the light of the Lord to be known to everyone:We pray for the Church throughout the world, that this season will be a special time for all;We pray for our planet, that the Earth and all of its creatures will thrive, in peace;We pray for our friends, families and neighbours - may we all share the love of Christ;We pray for people who are sick or suffering, that they will know God’s healing presence;We pray for the departed, remembering all who mourn.Let us pray for the coming of God’s kingdom in the prayer that Jesus taught Peter and all of 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.Hymn: The first Nowell the angel did say...May the Peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God and of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord: and may the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen.Let us go in peace to love and serve the Lord, in the name of Christ. Amen.
Do Us a Favour!Well, here we are on the last Sunday of 2024! What a privilege to be talking to you, today. This past year has been a new experience for me as I settle into my training programme to become a Licensed Lay Minister in the Church of England – perhaps not the most auspicious of institutions to find myself a part ofright now – but, nevertheless, here with you is where I believe God wants me to be! Being part of God’s work here in Sheringham has come as a surprise, a challenge, and a learning curve this year. And we’re just getting started!Both here in this community as well as with my colleagues and teachers in Norwich, there is a lot of encouragement and support, which makes the journey ahead less daunting - if not entirely trouble-free.Whatever tasks we undertake, whatever cares and responsibilities we might have, whatever it is we aspire to,having good people around us to accompany and aid us, and having the right premises on which to work make all the difference.Perspective matters.Have you ever heard of the Pygmalion Effect? The Pygmalion effect refers to a psychological phenomenon where higher expectations lead to improved performance in others. First described by Rosenthal and Jacobson in 1968, it gets its name from the Greek myth of Pygmalion, where a sculptor’s great expectations for his statue result in it coming to life. Essentially, when teachers or leaders expect more of others, those individuals perform better. The opposite is also true: You’ll all remember Rex Harrison’s misadventures in My Fair Lady, I’m sure!While these educational experiments helped develop teacher-training programmes, too often human nature would override even the best of intentions. Teachers given prior knowledge (or having pre-conceived opinions)of the intellectual ability – or lack of – of their students, would tailor their teaching methods (and expectations)accordingly. Not surprisingly, the students deemed more likely by their teachers to benefit from the lessons,performed measurably better than those assumed not to be up to it. Later reports concluded that “the evidence seemed to indicate that the teachers’ expectations constituted a contributory variable in the student outcomes, especially in the youngest students. The teachers had bestowed more attention on the ‘intellectual bloomers.’No matter how subtlety the teachers had treated these students differently, Rosenthal concluded that even inconspicuous factors such as attitude and mood could impact students.It is not just what we are taught then – and that matters, of course – but also with what expectations of us our education is provided, that makes all the difference to the outcomes in our lives.In the Church, the Body of Christ, that actually makes all the difference to whether we are being built up into the fulness of the stature of Christ, and encouraged to stimulate one another likewise, or…not!Too many congregations, I suspect, are kept underfed, under-watered and undernourished, so to speak, by the lowest-common-denominator (LCD) expectations of those who lead them – either through disillusionment, despair, or, perhaps, a dystopian vision of the local church and what it can be and do.Our readings today have been about having favour: Samuel, “who grew taller and grew in favour with the Lord and with the people;” Jesus, who “grew in wisdom and in stature and in favour with God and with the people.”And, as with the prophets, so also with Jesus; as with Jesus, so also with us!Yes! Us! Let me read the passage from Colossians again for us, and let me explain……We might not read or hear the precise word “favour,” here, but we are - each one of us – described as “God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved…” Those each sound like favourable terms to me! Our destiny is the same as Samuel’s, the same as Jesus’! We are even pre-destined and predisposed (in God’s plan and purpose - if we would only co-operate!) to grow up pleasing to God and to our communities. We are salt! We are Light. Jesus said so!It's why we are the “elect” of God; why we are chosen as servants and exemplars; as ambassadors of the reconciling King, Jesus, and the kingdom of the heavens.This has, by any reckoning, been a pretty awful year for the world in general, and for certain parts such as Gaza, Ukraine, Yemen, Sudan and even Israel, in particular. Personally, I don’t know anyone who has got through without at least some bumps and bruises; many of us, far worse.Nevertheless, we have this sure and certain hope that we all are beloved of God – for God so loved the world that he gave up his only begotten son for us. Whether you believe it or not changes not one wit the fact: Christ died for you – and rose again from the dead, also on your behalf! Our even greater source of hope is – Christ in us! Brothers and sisters; mothers and fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers – THIS is your sure hope and salvation – Christ, in you and as you. This is your destiny.As we turn our backs – perhaps with relief – on 2024, let us hold fast to the Word who is Christ Jesus; and may we also let that Word dwell in us richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom and proclaim the New Year, 2025, the favourable Year of the Lord.If you are able, would you please stand with me as I pray on our behalf, and for the coming year, a prayer from Thomas Merton:My Lord GodI have no idea where I am going.I cannot see the road ahead of meand I do not know for certain where it will end.Nor do I know myself,and the fact that I think I am following your willdoes not mean that I am actually doing so.But I believethat the desire to please youdoes in fact please you.And I hopethat I have that desire in all that I am doing.I hope I will never do anything apart from that desire.And I know that if I do thisyou will lead me by the right road,though I may know nothing about it.Therefore I will trust you always.Though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death,I will not fear,for you are ever with me,and will never leave meto face my perils alone.Toby Perks, LLM in training
May I first wish each of you, and those you love, a very Merry Christmas. Every Christmas Day we hear the story of the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem.As the story in Luke goes, Jesus was born in a stable, into poverty in a part of the world that has been a scene of conflict and sectarianism long before this holy birth took place. A place that had been conquered and reconquered dozens of times. A place that had been at the whim of powerful external kingdoms and was once again. This time by the power of Rome. The Jewish people were anticipating the birth of the promised Messiah – a King who would lead God’s chosen people against the oppressor.Yet, God’s plan for the world was not what people expected. Instead of earthly power and strength, we see our saviour born into this humble beginning. God is upending the expectations of society and revealing to us that the promised Christ is born for all people. As Jesus puts it “The first shall be last and the last shall be first.”That God would so completely reverse the inequalities and injustices is worth celebrating each year. Except, in our Western society, our Christmas celebrations have become far more about presents, food and family than they are about the birth of Jesus.And that is what really interests me today. Each of you reading this online has dragged your attention away from the festivities. Away from the excitement, the presents, the drinks and nibbles or even just the festive Television. To read the latest clerical waffling about the birth of Jesus. A story that I’d hazard a guess you all know really quite well.So, my question to you is why? It is every bit as valid a question for those of you engaging with worship at a distance, or online as it is for those sitting in the pews this morning.I’ll wager that there are a host of reasons why you might be reading this.But there is a theme running through every single one of them.That theme is God. God speaking to each and every one of us. When we think of God speaking to us, we might be drawn to a great booming voice coming down from the clouds. The reading from Luke speaks of Angels appearing with singing and “the glory of the Lord” shining around them. Their song echoes that of Isaiah in the temple and demonstrates God reaching out to all people. It’s stirring stuff, and it would be hard not to miss God speaking to us if it were through the sudden appearance of a band of singing angels.But God also speaks to us in our day to day lives. In our day to day, quietly and often without us even noticing His presence. It is that still, small voice of calm that you are more likely to hear about as a religious experience.It could be that the reason you chose to read through this sermon, is God guiding you towards Him.So today, as you enjoy the festivities or the chance to put your feet up, think about what made you read through this sermon and think, once again, on the story of the birth of Jesus. And consider where God may have been inviting you in.Perhaps then, the greatest gift you’ll receive this Christmas, is the gift of faith and the light and love of our Lord Jesus Christ who was born for you.Merry Christmas.The Revd Iain Grant
God of our days and years, we set this time apart for you. Form us in the likeness of Christ so that our lives may glorify you. Amen.‘O sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day.’ (Psalm 96:1-2)Hymn: Once in Royal David’s city...Isaiah 9:2-7; Titus 2:11-14‘The Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel’ (God is with us). Isaiah 7:14Let us confess our sins:Most merciful God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we confess that we have sinned in thought, word and deed. We have not loved you with our whole heart. We have not loved our neighbours as ourselves. In your mercy forgive what we have been, help us to amend what we are, and direct what we shall be; that we may do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with you, our God. Amen.May the God of love bring us back to himself, forgive us our sins, and assure us of his eternal love in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.Prayer for the day: Lord Jesus Christ, your birth at Bethlehem draws us to kneel in wonder at heaven touching earth: accept our heartfelt praise as we worship you, our Saviour and our eternal God. Amen.Luke 2:1-20Please see the Christmas Message from the Minister.Let us join in prayer, asking for the light of the Lord to be known to everyone:We pray for the Church throughout the world, that people will be drawn together by the love of our Lord, that this season of Christmas will be a special time for all;We pray for our planet, that the Earth and all of its creatures will thrive, and that all people will work together in peace;We pray for our friends, families and neighbours - may we all share the love of Christ and build relationships;We pray for people who are sick or suffering, especially for those on our hearts and minds today, that they will know our Lord’s healing presence;We pray for the departed, remembering all who mourn.We join together in the words of the Lord’s prayer: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen.Hymn: Away in a Manger...May Christ the Sun of Righteousness shine upon us, scatter the darkness from before our path, and make us ready to meet him when he comes in glory; and may the blessing of God Almighty who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit rest upon us and remain with us always.Let us go in peace to love and serve the Lord, in the name of Christ. Amen.
