Notices 2021

Call to worship
Be rooted in the strength of God the creator.
Be nurtured by the love of God the Son.
be enriched by the power of God the Holy Spirit as we worship God today
Creator God, receive the fruits of our worship and be glorified.
ripen the fruits of our longings and be glorified.
gather the fruits of our prayers and be glorified,
today and always. Amen

Hymn – 136
Morning has broken like the first morning;
blackbird has spoken like the first bird.                                                                                  Praise for the singing! Praise for the morning!                                                                                  Praise for them, springing! fresh from the Word!

Sweet the rain’s new fall sunlit from heaven,
like the first dewfall on the first grass.
Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden,
sprung in completeness where his feet pass.

Mine is the sunlight! Mine is the morning
born of the one light Eden saw play!
Praise with elation, praise every morning,
God’s re-creation of the new day!

Prayer.
Gracious God, in whose hands creation is held, the world is cherished and the Church is
nurtured, we thank you that rooted and united in your son, Jesus Christ, our diversity can
flourish, the fruit of our prayers can ripen, the needs of the world can be nourished and the
Vine of your church can be shaped to reach out to those who were struggling, those who
are searching and those who are afraid.
Keep us rooted in our calling and connected to one another in humility, trust and integrity,
that together we may witness to your loving purposes and bring glory to your name. Amen

Reading John 15:1-8

Hymn – 257
Would you walk by on the other side, when someone called for aid?                                                Would you walk by on the other side, and would you be afraid?
Cross over the road, my friend, ask the Lord his strength to lend,                                               His compassion has no end, cross over the road.                                                                      Would you walk by on the other side, when you saw a loved one stray?                                        Would you walk by on the other side, and would you watch and pray?
Cross over the road, my friend,
Would you walk by on the other side, when starving children cried?                                                  Would you walk by on the other side, and would you not provide?
Cross over the road, my friend,
Word Rev Robert Amos

5 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that
bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even
more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain
in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.
Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear
much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a
branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire
and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish,
and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing
yourselves to be my disciples.
Visualize Jesus holding a grapevine as he says thoughtfully to the people, “I am the true
vine, and my Father is the gardener. God the one who cultivates the vineyard. He waters
and tends the soil, so that the vine is properly nourished. He takes pride in his crop. He
cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he
prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.”
Pruning seems like a painful process. I admit that I am no gardener, Kathryn my wife is the
one who enjoys gardening, but I do understand the concept of pruning. When we prune a
plant, we cut back its branches. This makes it more productive. Jesus uses that illustration
for us. It is helping to get rid of those things that spoil our lives with God and with each
other. So that they are replaced with good fruit
Our task is to bear fruit, but how? We can only be what Christ has called us to be by
remaining in constant fellowship with him. “No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must
remain in the vine.” That is to say that, if we quit bearing fruit, it is because we have
allowed ourselves to become detached from him.
I love reading biographies, old films and music. I recently came across a story about a
man called Stuart Hamblen. He was brought up in a loving home in Texas where his Dad
was a Methodist minister. Hamblen was blessed with a gift for music and wrote many
songs for the singing cowboys such as Gene Autry and Roy Rogers. He also wrote the
Rosemary Clooney and Shaking Stevens hit ‘This Ole House’ He couldn’t handle is fame
and wealth. He began to drink heavily, and it landed him in jail for public brawling and other destructive behaviour until something life-changing happened. He went
to a Billy Graham Crusade where he committed his life to Christ. He stuck to his newfound
faith even though he was fired from a lucrative job in radio because refused to sing
commercials for one of his sponsors……… a beer company.
Sometime after his conversion Hamblin ran into actor John Wayne who asked him about
the rumour that he’d changed his ways. Wayne offered him a drink of whisky, Hamblen
refused saying “It is no secret what the Lord can do.” John Wayne said, “You should write
a song by that title.” And his song became an enormous hit. Those of us who are of a
certain maturity I am sure will remember it,
“It is no secret what God can do. What He’s done for others, He’ll do for you. “With arms
wide open, He’ll pardon you. It is no secret; what God can do!”
Hamblin saw that his faith would only remain strong if he was connected to Christ like a
branch.
It’s a reminder that to be a Christian we need to have a relationship with God so that we
can look to our faith for the answers to life’s questions. So that we don’t let peer pressure
dictate how we live. Our relationship to God helps us to truly worship sincerely and joyfully
and find fulfilment in serving others. Our faith shouldn’t be just a responsibility to God
approach seeing their faith as an obligation attending church because it is the right thing to
do. If we live that way our faith doesn’t make a significant impact on our priorities,
relationships, or lifestyle.
In Christ’s metaphor of the grapevine, it is allowing God to give us spiritual nourishment so
we can bear fruit.
What is this fruit that we are to bear? When we look at the letter to the Galatians 5:22 St.
Paul gives us a partial list, which he calls the fruit of the spirit. These fruit(s) are love, joy,
peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. So that we
can be a better spouse, friend and citizen by keeping spiritual nourishment flowing into our
life from our connection with Christ. Time spent in his presence is guaranteed to make us
more loving, more joyful, more peaceful, more patient etc.,.
All of this and more is what Christ was saying to us in the example of the vine. He is the
vine; we are the branches. Without him we can bear no fruit. We need to maintain our
relationship with him so that when we fall he can clean us and lift us up again.

Prayers of Intercession
Gracious God, we bring to you in prayer those denied the opportunity to grow and to bear
fruit. those whose growth has been stunted by abuse and violence, those whose fruit has been bruised by criticism and bullying; those who have been uprooted by prejudice and oppression;
those whose branches of hope and dreams have been cast aside; those whose lives have not been pruned by the wisdom and kindness of friends and teachers. Bless and nurture them all in Jesus name we pray Amen

The Lord’s Prayer… Our Father..

Hymn 409 STF – Let us build
Let us build a house where love can dwell and all can safely live,
a place where saints and children tell how hearts learn to forgive.                                            Built of hopes and dreams and visions, rock of faith and vault of grace;
here the love of Christ shall end divisions:
All are welcome, all are welcome, all are welcome in this place.

Let us build a house where prophets speak and words are strong and true,                                    where all God’s children care to seek to dream God’s reign anew.
Here the cross shall stand as witness and as symbol of God’s grace;                                            here as one we claim the faith of Jesus:
All are welcome, all are welcome, all are welcome in this place.

Let us build a house where love is found in water, wine and wheat:
a banquet hall on holy ground where peace and justice meet.                                                   Here the love of God, through Jesus, is revealed in time and space;
as we share in Christ the feast that frees us:
All are welcome, all are welcome, all are welcome in this place.

Let us build a house where hands will reach beyond the wood and stone
to heal and strengthen, serve and teach, and live the Word they’ve known.                                     Here the outcast and the stranger bear the image of God’s face;
let us bring an end to fear and danger:
All are welcome, all are welcome, all are welcome in this place.

Let us build a house where all are named, their songs and visions heard
and loved and treasured, taught and claimed as words with the Word.                                      Built of tears and cries and laughter, prayers of faith and songs of grace,
let this house proclaim from floor to rafter:
All are welcome, all are welcome, all are welcome in this place.

A personal prayer.
Living, loving God, as a vinedresser you pruned the vines for their good. Help me to
prune my life where it has become disconnected and unbalanced.
Enable me to let go of those things that have run their course, that new
things may grow in their place; that my witness to you
may be stronger and season by season, I may bear more fruit to your glory.
Go now in peace to love and serve the Lord. Amen

Sunday Services May 9th – 10.30 am at St John’s Burlington in the Church (Rev Ian Greenfield)      and 6 pm at St John’s Burlington in the Guild Room. (Revd Ian Greenfield)

Sunday Services May 16th – 10 am at Sewerby (Drive in)                                                                 and 6 pm at St John’s Burlington in the Guild Room (Revd Ian Greenfield)

Sunday Services May 23rd – 10.30 am at St John’s Burlington in the Church (Revd Ian Greenfield) and 6 pm at St John’s Burlington in the Guild Room. (Revd John Fisher)

Sunday Services May 30th – 10 am at Sewerby (Drive in)                                                              and 6 pm at St John’s Burlington in the Guild Room (Revd Ian Greenfield)