St John the Evangelist

Christmas 2

Sunday, 04/01/2026

OPENING SENTENCE OF SCRIPTURE –

The Word became flesh and lived among us. (John 1, 14)

HYMN-

GREETING

Grace and peace to you from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen

COLLECT FOR PURITY

Almighty God,
to whom all hearts are open,
all desires known,
and from whom no secrets are hidden:
cleanse the thoughts of our hearts
by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,
that we may perfectly love you,
and worthily magnify your holy name;
through Christ our Lord. Amen.

SUMMARY OF THE LAW

Our Lord Jesus Christ said: The first commandment is this:

Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is the only Lord. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength.”

The second is this: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than these. Amen. Lord, have mercy.

CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION

God is love and we are God’s children. There is no room for fear in love. We love because God loved us first.

Let us confess our sins in penitence and faith.

SILENCE

God our Father,
we confess to you
and to our fellow members in the Body of Christ
that we have sinned in thought, word and deed,
and in what we have failed to do.
We are truly sorry.
Forgive us our sins,
and deliver us from the power of evil,
for the sake of your Son who died for us, Jesus Christ, our Lord.

ABSOLUTION

God, who is both power and love,
forgive you and free you from your sins,
heal and strengthen you by the Holy Spirit,
and raise you to new life in Christ our Lord. Amen.

GLORIA sung by Sue St Joseph

COLLECT

O God, whose blessed Son, Jesus Christ, was made human, that we might become your children: grant that we, being made partakers of his divine nature, may be shaped in his likeness; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen

PROCLAIMING & RECEIVING GOD’S WORD

First and Second Readings read by David Kerr

FIRST READING: Jeremiah 31.7–14

Thus says the LORD: Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob, and raise shouts for the chief of the nations; proclaim, give praise, and say, ‘Save, O LORD, your people, the remnant of Israel.’ ⁸ See, I am going to bring them from the land of the north, and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, those with child and those in labour, together; a great company, they shall return here.

⁹ With weeping they shall come, and with consolations I will lead them back, I will let them walk by brooks of water in a straight path in which they shall not stumble; for I have become a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn. ¹⁰ Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, and declare it in the coastlands far away; say, ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him, and will keep him as a shepherd a flock.’ ¹¹ For the LORD has ransomed Jacob, and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him.

¹² They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion, and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the LORD, over the grain, the wine, and the oil, and over the young of the flock and the herd; their life shall become like a watered garden, and they shall never languish again. ¹³ Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy, I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow. ¹⁴ I will give the priests their fill of fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my bounty,

SECOND READING Ephesians 1.3–14

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he chose us in Christ ⁴ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. ⁵ God destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of God’s will, ⁶ to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. ⁷ In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses according to the riches of his grace ⁸ that he lavished on us.

With all wisdom and insight ⁹ he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, ¹⁰ as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth. ¹¹ In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of God who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will, ¹² so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory. ¹³ In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; ¹⁴ this is the pledge of our inheritance towards redemption as God’s own people to the praise of his glory.

GRADUAL HYMN

GOSPEL John 1, 1–18, read by the Rev Dr Steven Ballard

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John, Chapter 1. beginning at verse 1….

Glory to Christ our Saviour

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. ⁴ What has come into being in him was life and the life was the light of all people.

⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. ⁶ There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. ⁸ He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. ⁹ The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. ¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. ¹¹ He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. ¹² But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, ¹³ who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. ¹⁴ And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. ¹⁵ (John testified to him and cried out, ‘This was he of whom I said, “He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.”’) ¹⁶ From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.

¹⁷ The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸ No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.

Give thanks to the Lord for his glorious Gospel

Praise to Christ our Lord.

SERMON – just some bullet points for reflection this time…

THE CREED

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
God from God,
Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one substance with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven;
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father.
With the Father and the Son,
he is worshipped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

PRAYERS

Let us pray.

Eternal God,
you gave to us your only Son,
born of Mary, laid in a manger,
light of the world and hope of all people.
As we rejoice in his birth,
open our hearts to receive him,
that his peace may dwell within us
and his love be made known through us.

Let us pray for the Church and for the world.
let us lift our hearts in hope
and turn to the God who brings light to our darkness.
Come, Lord Jesus, and hear our prayer.

Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.

Loving and gracious God,
warm our hearts with gladness,
calm our fears,
and surround us with your love.
We give thanks for all who are gathered here today,
mindful that though the world remains unsettled,
we are able to meet together in this holy place
to rejoice in the gift of your Son.

Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.

Loving, living God,
we pray for our world,
so often scarred by conflict, violence, and fear.
We pray for all who are affected by war, terrorism, and unrest,
especially in Israel, Palestine, Iran, Ukraine, Sudan,
Afghanistan, Iraq, Myanmar, Syria,
and in all places where division and suffering prevail.
Bring healing to these lands:
where there is destruction, may there be rebuilding;
where there is hatred, bring reconciliation;
where there is despair, restore hope.
We remember all innocent victims of violence,
those who have lost their lives,
and those who live with grief and trauma.

^{This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC}

Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.

Loving God,
we pray for all affected by natural disasters—
for communities facing flooding, earthquakes, severe weather,
and the long work of recovery that follows.
Give strength to those who rebuild what has been broken,
comfort to those who mourn what has been lost,
and courage to all who bring light into dark and difficult places.

Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.

Lord of peace and justice,
we remember with gratitude all who gave their lives
in the service of others.
We recall the courage of those who faced hardship, danger, and loss
so that peace and freedom might prevail.
We pray for all who still bear the scars of war—in body, mind, or spirit—
and for all who mourn loved ones lost.
Teach us to be peacemakers in our own time,
and to honour the past not only with words,
but with lives committed to justice, mercy, and reconciliation.

Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.

Let us pray for your Church.
We pray for the Scottish Episcopal Church
and the Methodist Church in Scotland,
giving thanks for our shared life and worship in this holy place.
Encourage us to be strong in faith
and to walk with you out of the wilderness into the light.
We pray for our Primus, +Mark,
for Bishop Nick,
and for our church during this time of interregnum.
We give thanks for Jim, our Priest-in-Charge,
and for all who support him in ministry.
We pray for the vacancy committee:
grant them wisdom, unity, and discernment
as they seek the one you are calling to lead us forward.

Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.

Gracious and loving God,
we give you thanks for the children and young people of our church family.
We celebrate their joy, energy, and promise.
Bless them as they grow in faith, wisdom, and love.
Guide and strengthen all leaders, volunteers, and helpers,
and help us to be a church that nurtures, supports,
and rejoices in its young people.

Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.

Lord God,
we pray for all who face daily struggles:
those burdened by pain, grief, anxiety, or loneliness;
those suffering in body, mind, or spirit.
May they know your healing presence,
your comfort, and your peace.

Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.

In a moment of silence,
we remember those who have departed this life
and those whose anniversary of death falls at this time.
We give thanks for those we loved deeply,
for those we knew briefly,
and for those we never had the chance to know.
May they rest in peace
and rise in glory.

Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.

Loving, living God,
help us to live daily in your service:
to do good for others,
to walk humbly with you,
and to be lights in your world.
As we rejoice in the birth of your Son,
strengthen our faith, deepen our hope,
and fill us with your peace.
Bring to completion the good work
you have begun in us.
As shepherds and angels rejoiced at his coming,
so may our lives proclaim his praise.
Send us out in the power of the Holy Spirit
to bear his light into the world,
until he comes again in glory.
Through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Merciful Father accept these prayers for the sake of your Son,
our Saviour Jesus Christ who taught us to pray together

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.
Do not bring us
to the time of trial
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power
and the glory are yours,
now and forever. Amen.

BLESSING

Christ the Son of God gladden your hearts with the good news of his kingdom; and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen.

HYMN –

DISMISSAL

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord
In the name of Christ. Amen