The Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin, Burton Latimer
Making the love of God known in our community & homes
Week commencing 3rd January 2021
The Epiphany
Our Prayer List
Each week we pray for a different street: this week is Glade Close
We remember those who are ill or need our prayers at this time, especially:
Sebastian, Anne-Marie Miller
We pray for the souls of those who have died:
Rosie Hales, Ann Drage, Patricia Harmer, Kay Brown,
David Dunham
We remember those whose anniversaries of death are at this time:
Michael Finn snr, Margaret Mellors, Douglas Ashby
Contact details:
The Rector: The Revd Jez Safford, The Rectory, Preston Court, Burton Latimer, NN15 5LR. Telephone: 01536 723810.
Assistant Curate: The Revd Tom Houston, 3 Virginia Crescent, Burton Latimer, NN15 5GB. Telephone: 01536 685664.
Safeguarding Officer: Lucy Lorentzen, 3 Clipson Close, Burton Latimer, NN15 5GH. Telephone: 07944597181.
Website: www.stmarysburtonlatimer.co.uk or visit us on
Facebook: www.facebook.com/stmarysburtonlatimer.co.uk
Collect
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.
All Amen
First Reading
Ephesians 3.1-12
1I, Paul, am a prisoner for Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles – 2for surely you have already heard of the commission of God’s grace that was given me for you, 3and how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I wrote above in a few words, 4a reading of which will enable you to perceive my understanding of the mystery of Christ. 5In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: 6that is, the Gentiles have become fellow-heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
7Of this gospel I have become a servant according to the gift of God’s grace that was given me by the working of his power. 8Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ, 9and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things; 10so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12in whom we have access to God in boldness and confidence through faith in him.
This is the Word of the Lord
All Thanks be to God
Gospel
Alleluia, alleluia.
Christ was revealed in flesh, proclaimed among the nations
and believed in throughout the world.
All Alleluia
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to N.
All Glory to you, O Lord.
Matthew 2.1-12
1In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born inBethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, 2‘Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.’ 3When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 4and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:
6“And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.”’ 7Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, ‘Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.’ 9When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure-chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
This is the Gospel of the Lord
All Praise to you, O Christ
Prayer after Communion
Lord God,
the bright splendour whom the nations seek:
may we who with the wise men have been drawn by your light
discern the glory of your presence in your Son,
the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Stewardship If you have already signed up to our Parish Giving Scheme (PGS), thank you. If you would like to join this scheme, please contact our treasurer Charmaine Augustus (telephone 352914), who will be happy to provide you with the necessary form/information. We now have so little take up on the boxed weekly stewardship envelopes that it is no longer viable for us to purchase them. We hope therefore that those of you who currently give via this method will feel able to change to PGS or at least will still feel that you can support us via the collection plate. We are of course still providing gift-aid envelopes in the pews.
Prayer list: The names of those who are ill or in need of prayer will remain on the prayer list for three weeks. However, we realise that some people may need to be on for longer and, if this is the case, please speak with Carol Sharman who will be happy to arrange this.
Thank you for Eve Support. A big thank you to all the people who responded to the article in the Dec Focus. I have sent the monetary gifts to Eve, the Northamptonshire Women’s Christian Refuge. Along with a card and good wishes from us all. Let us hope that next year we will be able to collect pamper gifts and deliver them as normal. It is a very stressful time for many families at the moment and Eve provide care and support for many in need. Please continue to remember them in prayer. Many thanks. Christine Armstrong The Outreach Team
Church cleaning: When the time comes for church cleaning to begin again, would anyone be willing to volunteer to help with this on a rota basis. If you are interested, please ring Carol Sharman on 725759.
Hymn
Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart,
Naught be all else to me save that thou art.
Thou my best thought in the day and the night,
Waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.
Be thou my breastplate, my sword for the fight,
Be thou my armour, and be thou my might,
Thou my soul’s shelter, and thou my high tow’r,
Raise thou me heav’nward, O Pow’r of my pow’r.
High King of heaven, when battle is done,
Grant heaven’s joy to me, O bright heav’n’s sun,
Christ of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my vision, O Ruler of all.