Churches open for private prayer
Monday: Tarleton, 10am-2pm
Tuesday: Rufford, 10am-2pm
Wednesday: Tarleton, 11am-2pm
Thursday: Rufford, 10am-2pm
Friday: Tarleton, 10am-2pm
Saturday: Rufford, 10am-2pm
All services need to be booked in advance.
For worship at Rufford, please ring Roy on (01704) 821464 and for Tarleton, Neil on (01772) 816390.
Sunday 3rd January – 2nd of Christmas
8am Eucharist, Holy Trinity, Tarleton
10.30am Eucharist, St Mary the Virgin, Rufford
Today’s readings – Jeremiah 31.7-14, Psalm 147.13-end, Ephesians 1.3-14 & John 1.10-18
The Collect
Almighty God, in the birth of your Son you have poured on us the new light of your incarnate Word, and shown us the fullness of your love: help us to walk in his light and dwell in his love that we may know the fullness of his joy; who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Old Testament – Jeremiah 31.7-14
31. 7 For 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, says the Lord.
Psalm – 147.13-21
Refrain: The Word became flesh and lived among us.
New Testament – 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, 4 just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. 5 He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his 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 him, things in heaven and things on earth. 11 In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him 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.
Gospel – John 1.10-18
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.
Prayer intentions
🙏🏼 For the sick and those in need: Zena Ashcroft, Margaret Baxter, Margaret Bolton, Colin Brown, Jack Dalton, Bill Duggan, Wayne Jackett, Jimmy Johnstone, Paddy MacDonagh, Tony Morgan, Ruth Middlesborough, Donald Sephton & Matthew Sutter.
🙏🏼 Year’s mind: Elsie Heywood, Audrey Sylvia Beamish, Glen Aslo Cookson & Hugh Southworth.
🙏🏼 we pray for health care professionals and in our cycle of prayer, we for those who live in Baker’s Mews.
Monday 4th January
Today’s readings – 1 John 3.7-10, Ps. 98.1,8-end & John 1.35-42
🙏🏼 We pray for schools across the diocese.
Tuesday 5th January
Today’s readings – 1 John 3.11-21, Ps. 100 & John 1.3.11-21.
🙏🏼 We pray for key workers who help to keep day to day life running.
Wednesday 6th January – EPIPHANY
10.00am Eucharist, Holy Trinity, Tarleton
Today’s readings – Isaiah 60.1-61, Psalm 72.10-15, Ephesians 3.1-12 & Matthew 2.1-12.
Collect for Epiphany
O God, who by the leading of a star manifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth: mercifully grant that we, who know you now by faith, may at last behold your glory face to face; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
🙏🏼 We pray for those who in the midst of the pandemic seek after truth and that they may find Jesus.
Thursday 7th January
7.00pm Eucharist, St Mary the Virgin, Rufford
Today’s readings – 1 John 3.22-4.6, Ps. 2.7-end & Matthew 4.12-17,23-end.
🙏🏼 We pray for all who live and work in care homes and sheltered housing.
Friday 8th January
Today’s readings – 1 John 4.7-10, Ps.72.1-8 & Mark 6.34-44.
🙏🏼 We pray for our students and universities.
Saturday 9th January
Today’s readings – 1 John 4.11-8, Ps. 72.1,10-13, Mark 6.45-52.
🙏🏼 We give thanks & pray for all research and laboratory staff.
Sunday 10th January – BAPTISM OF CHRIST (Epiphany 1)
8am Eucharist, St Mary the Virgin, Rufford
10.30am Eucharist, Holy Trinity, Tarleton
Today’s readings – Genesis 1.1-5, Psalm 29, Acts 19.1-7 & Mark 1.4-11.
🙏🏼 We pray that every anxious soul may hear the Father’s words of reassurance: “You are my child and I love you”.
🙏🏼 In our cycle of prayer we pray for those who live in Bannister Court and Bannister Mews.
