30 Northumberland Square | North Shields | NE30 1PW
Weekly Update #41: Sunday 10th January 2021
From the Minister Hopefully a Happy New Year
Is it too late to wish you a “Happy New Year”, and if it isn’t, should I do so, given our current situation? England is back in lockdown, our church is back out of the building, and we’re back to worshipping online (if we are able). Well, it’s a wish and a hope, not a promise, so I think I’ll go ahead anyway: Happy New Year! Saint Paul said that faith, hope and love are abiding virtues (1 Corinthians 13), awarding a special mention to love, but I’d like to highlight hope on this occasion. Hopefully, 2021 will be better than 2020 and we’ll be able to enjoy this new year – hope, which is based upon faith that God loves us, and that we can still share that love with others. Yes, Happy New Year, everyone.
(Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash)
Trevor
Prayer
At this turning of the year, approach us, O God.
May we draw upon your strength to hope,
Drink fully of your tenderness to love,
Have faith in your presence with us on our journey.
Amen. Inspired by a prayer by David Moore in “Seasons and Celebrations”. NCEC, 1996.
ST COLUMBA’S URC WORSHIP EVERY SUNDAY via ZOOM
Following North Tyneside being moved into Tier 4, and then all of England into a lockdown, worship at our church building has been suspended, with services now offered on Zoom every Sunday morning at 10.30 a.m., and also at 6.30 p.m. on the first Sunday of the month.
To join this week’s service, which marks the baptism of Jesus, Click Here
Meeting ID: 852 1051 3245
There is NO Password for this meeting.
If you want to join a service or other meeting, online or by phone and are unsure about how to do so, please contact Mathew Hall on 07792782647 who will talk you through the process.
Television BBC1 Songs of Praise 12.25 p.m. (Note the Change of time for Songs Of Praise!)
DISCLAIMER: TV and Radio schedules can change, so check the timings are correct!
Bible readings for Sunday
From the Revised Common Lectionary
Genesis 1:1-5 God’s Spirit hovers over the waters of creation
Psalm 29 ‘The voice of the LORD is over the waters’
Acts 19:1-7 Baptism and the Holy Spirit go together
Mark 1:4-11 ‘In those days … Jesus was baptised’
Reflection on the Readings Water, Water, Everywhere
Wherever you look in this week’s Bible readings, water’s about. And wherever that water is, God’s Spirit is present also. That’s true of the Spirit which ‘swept over the face of the waters’ of creation (1:2), inspiring the psalmist’s declaration that ‘the voice of God is over the waters.’ (29:3) And water and the presence of God’s Spirit come together at baptism, whether at Jesus’ baptism by John in the River Jordan, with ‘the Spirit descending like a dove on him’ (1:10), or when some disciples of John are baptized ‘in the name of the Lord Jesus.’ (19:5) As the hymn puts it, “Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me.” Image: ‘Baptism of Christ’ by Dave Zalenka https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Baptism-of-Christ.jpg.
A song that responds to the readings
She sits like a bird, brooding on the waters,’ as John Bell and Graham Maule’s hymn about the Holy Spirit, The Enemy of Apathy, puts it
St Columba’s Nativity Service and Christmas Eve Carol Service 2020
A big thanks to those who organised our Zoom nativity service and online Christmas Eve Carol Service. It was great to see families and friends dressed as characters in the Christmas story for the former, and our video of the Carol Service, still available on YouTube, has had more than one hundred and fifty views – more people than attended the service in the building in 2019! To view the carol service, Click Here
St Columba’s URC Christmas Collection for Pearey House, North Shields
We raised a brilliant £338 for the work of the Pearey house centre in North Shields. In her thank you letter, Helen, the Centre Manager, says that this will be put towards increasing their mobile (home-cooked) food delivery service to blind and visually impaired adults in North Tyneside. You can see the letter by clicking here.
St Columba’s Coffee and Conversation
Restarts Saturday 9th January 2021 at 10.00 a.m.
Meet friends for conversation and company
To join, click herewhen the time comes.
Meeting ID: 899 3377 3911 Passcode: 660446
Don’t forget, you’re allowed to invite friends along to take part in the conversation!
Mathew Hall is hosting this week.
Northern Synod Morning Prayers
Simple daily prayers, lasting approximately fifteen minutes, 9.00 a.m., Monday-Friday, led by members of congregations from around Northern Synod – come and join in with this large and growing group
When the time comes, click here to join.
Meeting ID: 982 5776 5048 Passcode: worship
Keeping in Touch – Your contact details
If your contact details (address, telephone or email) change please make sure to inform our Church Secretary Alison Drew.
You can contact your designated Elder, the Minister, or Church Secretary.
Wherever you look in this week’s Bible readings, water’s about. And wherever that water is, God’s Spirit is present also. That’s true of the Spirit which ‘swept over the face of the waters’ of creation (1:2), inspiring the psalmist’s declaration that ‘the voice of God is over the waters.’ (29:3) And water and the presence of God’s Spirit come together at baptism, whether at Jesus’ baptism by John in the River Jordan, with ‘the Spirit descending like a dove on him’ (1:10), or when some disciples of John are baptized ‘in the name of the Lord Jesus.’ (19:5) As the hymn puts it, “Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me.”
We raised a brilliant £338 for the work of the Pearey house centre in North Shields. In her thank you letter, Helen, the Centre Manager, says that this will be put towards increasing their mobile (home-cooked) food delivery service to blind and visually impaired adults in North Tyneside. You can see the letter by 