Candlemas Sunday 5th February.

Hymn – Here I Am To Worship

Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father

and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you

All: And also with you

Loving Lord,

Fill us with your life-giving,

joy-givingr peace-giving presence,

That we may praise you now with our lips,

and all the day long with our lives

Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

Cast your burden upon the Lord

All: And he will sustain you

Create in us clean hearts, O God

All: And renew a right spirit within us

Cast us not away from your Presence

All: And take not your Holy Spirit from us

Give us the joy of your saving help

All: And sustain us with your life-giving Spirit

Blessed be the Lord day by day

All: The God of our salvation, who bears our burdens.

We have a moment of quiet, to call to mind the things we

Have thought, said and done which we know grieve the God

who loves us 

Come, let us return to the Lord and say: 

All: Almighty God

Long-suffering and of great goodness

I confess to you.

I confess with my whole heart

My neglect and forgetfulness of your commandments

My wrong doing, thinking and speaking:

The hurts I have done to others,

And the good I have left undone.

O God, forgive me, for I have sinned against you;

And raise me to newness of life;

Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

May the God of love and power

Forgive us and free us from our sins,

Heal and strengthen us by his Spirit,

And raise us to new life in Christ our Lord.

All: Amen. 

We praise God for his love and forgiveness with:-

Hymn – From heaven you came helpless babe (The Servant King)

Our First Reading is from – Hebrews Chap: 2

14 Since the children, as he calls them, are people of flesh and blood, Jesus himself became like them and shared their human nature. He did this so that through his death he might destroy the Devil, who has the power over death,

15 and in this way set free those who were slaves all their lives because of their fear of death.

16 For it is clear that it is not the angels that he helps. Instead, he helps the descendants of Abraham.

17 This means that he had to become like his people in every way, in order to be their faithful and merciful High Priest in his service to God, so that the people’s sins would be forgiven.

18 And now he can help those who are tempted, because he himself was tempted and suffered.

This is the word of the Christ

All: Praise to you oh Christ 

Our Second Reading is From – Luke Chap: 2

22 The time came for Joseph and Mary to perform the ceremony of purification, as the Law of Moses commanded. So they took the child to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord,

23 as it is written in the law of the Lord: “Every first-born male is to be dedicated to the Lord.”

24 They also went to offer a sacrifice of a pair of doves or two young pigeons, as required by the law of the Lord.

25 At that time there was a man named Simeon living in Jerusalem. He was a good, God-fearing man and was waiting for Israel to be saved. The Holy Spirit was with him

26 and had assured him that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s promised Messiah.

27 Led by the Spirit, Simeon went into the Temple. When the parents brought the child Jesus into the Temple to do for him what the Law required,

28 Simeon took the child in his arms and gave thanks to God:

29 “Now, Lord, you have kept your promise, and you may let your servant go in peace.

30 With my own eyes I have seen your salvation,

31 which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples:

32 A light to reveal your will to the Gentiles and bring glory to your people Israel.”

33 The child’s father and mother were amazed at the things Simeon said about him.

34 Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother, “This child is chosen by God for the destruction and the salvation of many in Israel. He will be a sign from God which many people will speak against

35 and so reveal their secret thoughts. And sorrow, like a sharp sword, will break your own heart.”

36 There was a very old prophet, a widow named Anna, daughter of Phanuel of the tribe of Asher. She had been married for only seven years and was now eighty-four years old. She never left the Temple; day and night she worshiped God, fasting and praying.

38 That very same hour she arrived and gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were waiting for God to set Jerusalem free.

39 When Joseph and Mary had finished doing all that was required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to their hometown of Nazareth in Galilee.

40 The child grew and became strong; he was full of wisdom, and God’s blessings were upon him.

This is the word of the Christ

All: Praise to you oh Christ

Sermon for Candlemas – 5th February 2023

Today we celebrate Candlemas. But what is Candlemas?

It s the day Mary and Joseph took Jesus to the temple to be presented to the Lord.

This was in accordance with the law and happened 40 days after the birth, it was also the time when Mary and all mothers were purified or blessed after being delivered of a child. I expect some of you were churched after you had your children and this is where it came from.

In our readings we heard that both Simeon and Anna were both at the temple the day Jesus was presented and both told of the things that would happen in Jesus life. Mary and Joseph were both surprised at the things that said about their son.

Candlemas also ends the celebrations of Jesus birth and so the end of Christmas and getting ready for Lent.

The candles we light are a symbol of the light of Christ the light that we follow. The candle lights our darkness brightens a room. Christ lights our lives and hopefully will live in our hearts. The candle gives us two things one LIGHT and the second WARM.

  • The light to let us see where we are going and the light of Jesus to follow.
  • The warm is the love and peace that Jesus brought with where ever he went.

So the candles that we light represent the love and forgiveness of Christ.

The small child that brought love, kindness and forgiveness for us all.

So when we extinguish the flame let us take that flame with us in our hearts so that we can follow Christ in all we do.

I found an old country saying about Candlemas 2nd February:-

If Candlemas Day be fair and bright, winter will take another fight. If Candlemas Day be foul and rain, winter is gone and won’t come again

Amen

HymnGood Christian Men Rejoice  Good Christian friends, rejoice
with heart and soul and voice;
give ye heed to what we say:
Jesus Christ was born today.
Ox and ass before him bow,
and he is in the manger now.
Christ is born today!
Christ is born today!
 

  1. Good Christian friends, rejoice
    with heart and soul and voice;
    now ye hear of endless bliss:
    Jesus Christ was born for this!
    He has opened heaven’s door,
    and we are blest forevermore.
    Christ was born for this!
    Christ was born for this!
     
  1. Good Christian friends, rejoice
    with heart and soul and voice;
    now ye need not fear the grave:
    Jesus Christ was born to save!
    Calls you one and calls you all
    to gain his everlasting hall.
    Christ was born to save!
    Christ was born to save!
     (by John M Neale 1818 to 1866) 

Let us declare our faith in God.

All: We believe in God the Father,

From whom every family

In heaven and on earth is named.

We believe in God the Son

Who lives in our hearts through faith,

And fills us with his love.

We believe in God the Holy Spirit

Who strengthens us

With power from on high.

We believe in one God,

Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us 

The Lord’s Prayer

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. 

Prayers and Intercessions

We pray for God to fill us with his Spirit.

Generous God,

we thank you for the power of your Holy Spirit.

We ask that we may be strengthened to serve you better.

Lord, come to bless us

All: and fill us with your Spirit.

We thank you for the wisdom of your Holy Spirit.

We ask you to make us wise to understand your will.

Lord, come to bless us

All: and fill us with your Spirit.

We thank you for the peace of your Holy Spirit.

We ask you to keep us confident of your love wherever you call us.

Lord, come to bless us

All: and fill us with your Spirit.

We thank you for the healing of your Holy Spirit.

We ask you to bring reconciliation and wholeness

where there is division, sickness and sorrow.

Lord, come to bless us

All: and fill us with your Spirit.

We thank you for the gifts of your Holy Spirit.

We ask you to equip us for the work which you have given us.

Lord, come to bless us

All: and fill us with your Spirit.

We thank you for the fruit of your Holy Spirit.

We ask you to reveal in our lives the love of Jesus.

Lord, come to bless us

All: and fill us with your Spirit.

We thank you for the breath of your Holy Spirit,

given us by the risen Lord.

We ask you to keep the whole Church, living and departed,

in the joy of eternal life.

Lord, come to bless us

All: and fill us with your Spirit. 

All: Generous God,

hear our prayer,

and make us one in heart and mind

to serve you with joy for ever.

Amen.

We gather our thoughts and prayers in the words our Saviour gave us 

All: Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed by 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 for ever.

Amen. 

Closing Prayer

May God give to you and to all those you love

his comfort and his peace,

his light and his joy,

in this world and the next;

and the blessing of our Lord Jesus Christ

and the Love of God

and the fellowship  of the Holy Sprit

be with us all evermore.

All: Amen. 

Hymn – Faithful Vigil Ended

  1. Faithful vigil ended,
    watching, waiting cease;
    Master, grant your servant
    his discharge in peace.
     
  1. All the Spirit promised,
    all the Father willed,
    now these eyes behold it
    perfectly fulfilled.
     
  1. This your great deliverance
    sets your people free;
    Christ their light uplifted
    all the nations see.
     
  1. Christ, your people’s glory!
    Watching, doubting cease:
    grant to us your servants
    our discharge in peace.
    (by Timothy Dudley-Smith – 1969) 

The Lord bless us, and preserve us from all evil

And keep us in eternal life. 

All: Amen

© 702211.