Croeso! Bore da! Welcome to you all this Candlemas. Please do make yourself known to me if you are popping in or if I can help in any way.
+Yn enw'r Tad, a'r Mab, a'r Ysbryd Glan. Amen
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. AMEN
Our opening hymn is: Sing we of the blessed mother
Sing we of the blessed Mother who received the angel's word,
And obedient to the summons bore in love the infant Lord;
Sing we of the joys of Mary at whose breast that child was fed
Who is Son of God eternal and the everlasting Bread.
Sing we, too, of Mary's sorrows, of the sword that pierced her through,
When beneath the cross of Jesus she his weight of suff'ring knew,
Looked upon her Son and Savior reigning from the awful tree,
Saw the price of our redemption paid to set the sinner free.
Sing again the joys of Mary when she saw the risen Lord,
And in prayer with Christ's apostles, waited on his promised word:
from on high the blazing glory of the Spirit's presence came,
heav'nly breath of God's own being tokened in the wind and flame.
Sing the chiefest joy of Mary, when on earth her work was done,
And the Lord of all creation brought her to his heav'nly home:
Virgin Mother, Mary blessed, raised on high and crowned with grace,
May your Son, the world's redeemer, grant us all to see his face.
Heavenly Father,
we have sinned in thought, word and deed,
and have failed to do
what we ought to have done.
We are sorry and truly repent.
For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ
who died for us, forgive us all that is past,
and lead us in his way
to walk as children of light. AMEN
May God our Father,
who by the Lord Jesus Christ
has reconciled the world to himself
and forgives the sins of all who truly repent,
pardon and deliver us from all our sins,
and grant us the grace and power of the Holy Spirit. AMEN
The Gloria.
The Collect for Candlemas
Almighty and ever living God, clothed in majesty, whose beloved Son was this day presented in the Temple, in substance of our flesh: grant that we may be presented to you with pure and clean hearts, by your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. AMEN
Malachi 3:1-NRSV 3 See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight—indeed, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. 2 But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap; 3 he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness.[a] 4 Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years. 5 Then I will draw near to you for judgment; I will be swift to bear witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired workers in their wages, the widow and the orphan, against those who thrust aside the alien, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.
The Gospel of Christ according to St Luke
Glory to you. O Lord.
Luke 2:22-40
When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord”), 24 and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon;[a] this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.[b] 27 Guided by the Spirit, Simeon[c] came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, 28 Simeon[d] took him in his arms and praised God, saying,
29 “Master, now you are dismissing your servant[e] in peace,
according to your word;
30 for my eyes have seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel.”
33 And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. 34 Then Simeon[f] blessed them and said to his mother Mary, “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed 35 so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
36 There was also a prophet, Anna[g] the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child[h] to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.
This is the Gospel of the Lord
Praise to you, O Christ.
Homily
Candlemas 31st January 2021 Blog worship
I love snowdrops – Eirlys. Their simple beauty, their powerful perfume, their humility just popping out of the cold, maybe frozen soil of Winter. The purity of the little white hanging head touched with vibrant green, nodding and blowing in the Winter winds, proclaiming new life from a carpet of snow. Perfect and idyllic!
The Monmouthshire countryside, away from people will be starting now to be a carpet of white, Eirlys carpeting the woods and lanes in knowing little clumps – totally wild, yet it is supposed to be a foreign import! Perhaps more striking, though this time likely to have been planted, are the Eirlys of the churchyards and holy places. The Snowdrop long associated with Candlemas to even be called in times gone by, Candlemas bells.
Today in Church we celebrate Candlemas, a true forgotten feast many outside and even inside the church – the remembering of the presentation of Christ by his parents in the Temple. The date for Candlemas is 2nd February so we are a few days early, but today is the nearest Sunday. We also recall at Candlemas the blessing of the candles both for Church use and in the past, for homes as well. All the candles would have been lit during their blessing and the dark cold Medieval churches blazed with light and heat – an almost miraculous experience for the devoted. It was a message of hope, Jesus the light of the world is amongst us and in the gloom of Winter, hope is there and things will get better as in the glowing candles and pure humility of the brave little Snowdrop.
In our reading from the Gospel we hear again about Christ’s presentation in the Temple to Simeon and the prophetess, Anna. She was an elderly and most devout woman who spent much of her life in prayer and fasting. How was Anna seen by outsiders? She was likely to be a part of a group of women who dedicated themselves to a life of God within the Temple. Anna was a devout, elderly woman, as someone who perhaps hadn’t had the best life and was somewhat eccentric, or as God’s servant who despite her advanced years came speedily to greet Jesus, Mary and Joseph and praise and give thanks to God. She like Simeon, recognised that in this tiny, helpless, baby was God’s Messiah and the fulfilment of His promises. Goodness knows what people thought of Anna and Simeon for that matter, what matters is that they were both used by God to represent Israel, and Christ was revealed to them. Both Simeon and Anna were in the Temple when the Holy family were there but it almost appears that although Simeon and Anna arrived separately that it was God who led them to Mary, Joseph and Jesus at that moment.
The feast of the presentation of Christ also marked the purification of Mary after the 40 days since Our Lord’s birth. In Medieval days statues of the Virgin Mother were surrounded by Eirlys, snowdrops, as were pictures. The simple, little flowers were seen as a memorial to Mary and her purity. Forty days since the birth of Christ not only do we celebrate the Light of Christ with us always even, in the depths of Winter, but also the Snowdrop as the herald of better things to come, longer days, the rekindling of the agricultural year, the pure, little white flower like a candles shining out in the darkness of gloomy cold days, a sign of purity, a sign of the Hope that both Anna and Simeon saw and experienced in the infant Christ. The Hope that can be drowned out by so much, as at the present with the terrible virus situation and the Hope that leads us on through the darkness of Lent to joys of Resurrection and Easter.
Prayers of intercession and the Lord's Prayer.
Generous God, Through the life of Anna we pray for the church. Anna devoted herself to constant worship and prayer in the temple and to her it was given to recognise the infant Jesus and to speak to the people about him. We pray that the whole church might be dedicated, pure and holy; quick to recognise Christ in the world and proclaim him, in words of hope and deeds of love.
We pray for our churches here in the Glamorgan Heritage Coast Ministry Area (Parish) for our worship and witness outwards to our communities and to the wider world. We thank you, Lord, for all who lead us, and pray for the Ministry Area team, especially for Marc and Patrycja as they leave us. May they be guided by you in all they do in Christchurch, Merthyr Lord, hear us……..Lord, graciously hear us.
Through Simeon we pray for the world. Simeon prophesied that you, Christ, came to reveal truth, to challenge assumptions and set ways. We pray for the breaking down of proud barriers that divide us and for an end to violent conflicts causing untold suffering and death. We pray for all who are divided through Coronavirus. Guide the leaders of the nations into your truth. Simeon recognised you, Christ as the light. Lord, hear us………Lord, graciously hear us.
Lord Jesus, you were presented in the temple, taking your place within human life and culture. We thank you for becoming in every respect like us. Having known suffering, you walk with us when the way is hard. We hold to you all whose way is very hard at this time, especially those without shelter. Lord, hear us…….Lord, graciously hear us.
Through Mary and Joseph we pray for all humanity. They went to the temple to present their son to the Lord’s service. We pray for parents, families, and all human relationships. We give thanks for Mary’s motherhood to us all and for the costly love she gave, the sword that would pierce her soul. With love, we pray for friends known among us and return tahnks to you for they mean to us. Lord, hear us…….Lord, graciously hear us.
When Simeon had seen the baby Jesus he knew that the work of his life was done.. Let us remember those who have now passed from this life. We remember also all who have anniversaries at this time and remember now, Carole Hallett. May they all rest in peace and rise in glory. Let commend to you those who mourn and feel the future is now so hard and difficult.
With Simeon we pray: Now, Lord, you let your servants go in peace. Amen.
Merciful Father: accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen
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
Our concluding hymn today is: Purify my heart
The Grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all now and ever more. AMEN
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
Ewch mewn tangnefedd i garu a gwasanaethu'r Arglwydd.
If you would like to donate £5 to the overall work of the 12 churches in the parish, please carefully text: GIVE5 to 70970. Thank you, diolch yn fawr.
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