Intimations
- We give you all a very warm welcome to our Broughty Baptist service today, to those attending at Panmurefield Baptist Centre and all those on Zoom as well as those receiving the service on our website. We give a special welcome Pastor Munir Kakish joining us from the Holy Land.
- You are all so welcome as we lift our praise and worship to the Lord Jesus!
- Christmas Services 2020 – We will be holding services on 20th December 10am over Zoom and in our Panmurefield building. We will also have a Christmas Eve service at 6.30pm on Zoom and Christmas Day at 10am on Zoom. Click here to find out more. If you would like a Zoom invite please e-mail us at webmaster@broughtybaptist.org
- Sunday 20th December All Age Christmas Service – what you need to know!
The service will be led by Moraig Piggot and she is planning to have a virtual nativity. We would love to see everyone dressed up whether you are coming in person or on Zoom. Our service will also include Broughty Ferry Baptist Church’s first ever live “Bake Off” and to take part you will need the following ingredients (or as close as you can manage!) to make a nativity scene –
Biscuits – rectangular shaped biscuits for the Nativity scene structure (e.g. Go Ahead crispy slices, Nice or Malted milk?)
Mini Gingerbread People – at least two to represent the characters or you could use jelly babies instead
Tube of Piping Icing – you can buy this from the supermarket or make some of your own icing at home with a piping bag
Mini Jelly Babies – the kind you get in the Haribo packets are perfect but the big ones work too
Chocolate Stars – chocolate cake decorating stars and a jar of miniature chocolate star sprinkles or ‘Magic Stars’
Jam Kids
The older JAM Kids might like to check out some Bible stories about people who also experienced ‘lockdown’. The videos along with a link to some questions to think about together, can all be found here.
Out of the Box are also running a Christmas series and the episodes can be accessed here.
JAM young adults Ignite Live have a separate programme at 11:30am. Please contact Gary Torbet on garytorbet@btinternet.com for more details.
Call to Worship
Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress.
In the past He humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
but in the future He will honour Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan –2 The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned.
3 You have enlarged the nation
and increased their joy;
they rejoice before You
as people rejoice at the harvest,
as warriors rejoice
when dividing the plunder.
4 For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,
You have shattered
the yoke that burdens them,
the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor…For to us a child is born,
(Isaiah 9:6-7)
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on His shoulders.
And He will be called
Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the greatness of His government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and for ever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
will accomplish this.
We are grateful to Rev Gary Torbet for selecting the songs for worship for this service
Baptist Union of Scotland – Video on the theme of Love
Opening Prayer
Heavenly Father,
In this season of Advent when we focus on the coming of Your Son two thousand years ago, and look forward to His return in glory, it is a wonderful assurance to know that You are Lord over history. We live in a world with so much uncertainty. Although we rejoice in the progress of producing a vaccine for the Covid-19 virus, we have no idea when sufficient immunity in the wider community is produced to allow life to return to some form of normality.
We are so grateful to live in a country where our basic needs are met, but we do not deny real uncertainty over the outcome of the Brexit negotiations, and so many other things we could mention. However, Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and forever. Our access in prayer and with our praises directly into the presence of our heavenly Father is guaranteed and we come with joy today to bring our offering of praise and worship to You the living God.
We rejoice this week on the announcement of the normalisation of ties between Israel and Morocco, but continue to pray for the complex challenges of the Holy Land where the Christmas story took place two thousand years ago.
As we come to ask for the forgiveness of our sins and the fresh empowering of Your Spirit at the start of another week, we also seek Your peace and reconciling grace for all the peoples of the Holy Land. We ask that You would encourage Your people there with the blessing of more people recognising the Saviour of the world as their Lord this Christmas. We bring our prayer and praises in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Let us say together the words Jesus taught His disciples when He said:
‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.'”
For Yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever Amen.
All Age Talk – Rev Gary Torbet
For our All age time we are going to watch “God’s Story – Christmas” and then have a short reflection.
In verse 16 after the Shepherds received the message from the angels which Pastor Kakish will reflect on shortly, they “hurried” – they “made haste”
Now I’m not saying it is good to hurry all the time – in fact we are always in too much of a hurry – but in this instance – I’ll let the shepherds off!
But when they heard this – “Good news – a Saviour the Lord has been born to you – that will bring JOY to ALL PEOPLE – and you will recognise him by finding a baby wrapped in snugly cloths lying in a manger”
When they heard this news – they hurried and they went to see Jesus – WOW!!
So my encouragement to all of you, boys, girls, young people, adults, older people – EVERYONE – ALL OF US – is this – Let us be like the Shepherds
Who when they heard the Good, amazing, wonderful news of the Saviour of the World – and don’t we need some good news – they wanted to not just hear about it –
But to experience it – may we all experience this afresh this Christmas – maybe even for the first ever time – the loving presence and grace of Jesus.
GOD COME TO US – GOD WITH US – AMEN!
We continue in worship as we sing: ‘O Come O Come Emmanuel’. This version was prepared by volunteers from a number of Baptist Churches across Scotland.
Prayers for others Laura, Thomas and Tabitha Kobine
Let us pray
Heavenly Father, we come before you this morning to offer you our prayers, both for others and for ourselves. We come with gratitude in this advent season, that we can celebrate the wonderful gift of your son to us, and of his subsequent death on the cross and the promise to us of eternal life. We thank you that we are able to celebrate this, when so many in the world either do not know this good news, or are unable to profess their faith without persecution. Lord, we thank you that we live in a place where we are able to praise you and celebrate your word and your promises to us. We bring our prayers to you this morning in the certain knowledge that you will hear us, and respond to our needs.
Dear Lord, please be with all schools; please bestow wisdom onto the head-teachers to make decisions that allow learning to continue. Please be with all the pupils who have been affected by the cancellation of exams, and please help these pupils to work hard and receive the grade they want. We pray for the teachers and pupils as they try to teach and learn in these unfamiliar times. Please allow university students to return home safely, and for everyone to enjoy the Christmas holidays as best as possible. Please keep everyone safe and allow us all to return to school and university carefully after the holidays.
We pray for all leaders in our country as they try to successfully negotiate a Brexit deal, at the same time as facing the many Covid challenges. We recognise they are under a lot of stress in the run up to the holiday season, help us to be accepting of what the future will hold and support one another into a New Year with it’s inevitable changes. We pray for other countries who are still battling to get the Covid virus under control, sometimes with far fewer resources than we have here. You have plans for this world, help us to hear what you wish us to do, and behave as you would wish us to behave.
Dear God, we thank you for the hope of a successful Covid vaccine and we thank you for the successful start of it’s trials. We pray for continued success in this area and that, with the help of this, we will soon be able to go back to living life as normal.
We continue to pray for all the NHS and other healthcare workers, especially those within our own congregation, who are protecting us and selflessly looking after others. We thank you for all of the sacrifices they have made especially in the past year, and we pray that you will keep them safe in the coming months. We ask that everyone in hospital, whether because of Covid or other reasons, will feel supported and cared for in the run up to Christmas, and will be able to hear the Christmas message.
We now bring our prayers for those within our fellowship to you Lord. We know of many people who are finding the present time difficult, either because of ill-health, anxiety over treatment delays, loneliness because of Covid restrictions, bereavement that has happened this year, job insecurities or reasons known to themselves and to you Lord.
We particularly bring before you John and Ann S as they come to terms with the death of their niece Rachel this week, and as they prepare for her funeral on Wednesday. Please be with them, give them the strength to face the week ahead and as they try to support Rachel’s immediate family. We ask that your Holy Spirit surrounds the whole family at this time, and especially her children.
We thank you for the improvement in the illnesses of Laurie and Ian McF, and ask that you continue to be with them as they still face the recovery ahead.
We bring Peter and Maureen S, Dorothy G, John C, Jim and Helen S, Betty W, Alva D, Anne M and Margaret, Ann W’s sister before you, and ask that you bring to each of them the strength to face each day ahead, and the knowledge that you have promised to be with us through the difficult times. You know the needs of each and every one of us, and have promised us a future that is secure in your love.
We give thanks for Gwen P who had her 99th birthday this week, and we remember her and others in our fellowship who are unable to be with us because of care needs. We ask that you draw near to each and every one of these people, and that they will feel our continued concern and prayers for them. As Christmas approaches we pray earnestly that they will feel your love surrounding them, and be able to celebrate the gift of your Son at this time.
We pray for those members of our fellowship and any others known to us who are still living with strict Covid restrictions. Their isolation has gone on so long and we ask that they continue to feel your love for them, and our supportive presence as a fellowship. Give us as individuals, the means to continue to support them and respond to their needs.
We now pray silently for anyone known to us who is in need of our prayers…..
Lord, we thank you for the many blessings in our lives; our homes, our families, our health, our daily needs that are met, and above all your love and grace that is a constant part of our lives. We give you praise for all that is good in the world, and for the chance to come here this morning to worship you. We ask your forgiveness for the times when we have been less than you would wish, and for our sins this past week. We bring our lives before you this morning, and ask that you fill us with the desire to go out this week and live for you, with kindness, thoughtfulness, and compassion for others. Guide us to where you would like us to be, and help us to honour you in all that we do.
We bring all these prayers before you in Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Bible Reading
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom His favour rests.’15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen Him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
(Luke 2: 8-20)
Before we come to listen to God’s Word let us sing:
The Message – The Angels’ Message to the Shepherds Luke 2:8-20
From Rev Dr Munir Kakish from Ramallah
Hope-Filled Expectation Matthew 11:2-5 & Isaiah 35:1-10
Introduction
Greetings to you my brothers and sisters! I am speaking to you from the Holy Land! I live not too far from Bethlehem. We are in the season in which we are preparing to celebrate the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem 2000 years ago. Jesus came here and was born in Bethlehem. Bethlehem is not too far from Ramallah where I have a church. I am really thankful today I can bring you greetings. Also, I bring you a very brief message from God’s word about Christmas. It is a happy season and I am thankful to have this opportunity.
I would like to speak from Luke 2:8-20. The title of my brief message is the Angels’ Message to the Shepherds.
“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared unto them and the glory around them. They were terrified.” The angel said, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you. You will find the baby wrapped in clothes and lying in a manger. Suddenly a great company of the heavenly hosts appeared with the angel praising God and saying “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will to men.” When the angels had left them, the shepherds said to one another let us go into Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened. So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby who was lying in a manger.” When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning him. All who heard were amazed. But Mary treasured these things in her heart and pondered them. The shepherds returned praising and glorifying God for all the things they had seen and heard.
I have a better opportunity than you as I live here. I have visited the place where Jesus was born many times. A privilege you might not have had, but I invite you to come and visit the Holy Land and visit us in Ramallah, the town in which I pastor the church.
From the angels’ message to the shepherds, I would like to emphasize three words.
First, do not be afraid. When the angels appeared to the shepherds in the Bethlehem area, the shepherds were afraid and terrified. Every one of us has fears, perhaps because of wars, covid 19, or sickness. We understand the feeling of fear. Do not be afraid. We live in a time when we are all afraid of something. Whatever you are of afraid of today the message of the angel from heaven is the same. Do not be afraid. Do not be afraid of what you hear. This is the message for the whole world. The angel came to give us comfort. This is the message today is not for the shepherds alone, but it is for the whole world. You may ask why you should not be afraid. Verse 10 says do not be afraid for I bring you good news for all people.
The second word is joy. I bring you joy. You need to be joyful regardless of what we go through. Verse 11 tells us why we need to be joyful, and why we should not be afraid. The angel said, today, in this town of Bethlehem a saviour is born to you. The angel said the name of the saviour was Christ the Lord.
I want you to come with me in your imagination. You are on a hill in Bethlehem. Imagine there are fences, sheep, and goats. The shepherds are watching over the sheep. It is dark. Suddenly the angel of the Lord appears and says do not be afraid, be joyful.
If there is something we need today is someone to save us from fear, from sickness, from sin from depression. To save us from anything that is stopping us from being joyful in the Lord Jesus Christ. Rejoice with me that we have a saviour today and this saviour is for everybody, to save us from fear and deliver us from our sins. Hallelujah! Do not be afraid! We have a Saviour! He is for everybody! He is alive! His name is Jesus Christ. He is in you! He is watching you! He is opening his arms saying come unto me, I will help you. I will carry that fear in your heart about life and about the future.
The third word is peace. The angel continued his message in verse 14. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, goodwill to men. God wants to give us peace. This peace is to you, peace on earth, peace to men. There is something missing in the Holy Land and in the Middle East. We have trouble everywhere. Peace is missing perhaps in your area also, the peace that passes all understanding is missing.
I have lived here for 42 years. There is tension all of the time. Almost daily there are fights, tear gas, bombs, check points, etc. If there is a time when we need peace in the Holy Land it is now. If there is a time we need peace in our world, it is now. If there is a time you need peace in your life, it is now. This peace is offered by the angels to the shepherds and all people. The promise is for peace that passes all understanding.
Isaiah 9:6 says, “for to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders, and he will be called Wonderful, Counsellor, mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
In conclusion, let me say. The word Saviour is the brightest jewel in the crown of Christmas. It’s meaning is found in these words, Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, everlasting Father and Prince of Peace.
May the Lord Bless you, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!
Rev. Dr. Munir Kakish
Check our website to become acquainted with our ministry in the Holy Land.
Our song before we come to communion is:
The Lord’s Supper
Jesus invites all Christian who have committed their lives to follow Him to participate in this act of worship. The apostle Paul wrote these words of Scripture in I Corinthians 11:23-26 to guide our observance of Communion.
For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: the Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, ‘This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’ 25 In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of Me.’ 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.
Prayer: Choose your own words of prayer to give thanks for the bread and wine that represent the costly gift of His body and blood for us.
Take the bread: Jesus said: ‘This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.
Take the wine: Jesus said: This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of Me.’
Our last song is:
Closing Prayer
Loving Heavenly Father, We thank you for the opportunity to worship you today.
May we take the message from the Angels to the Shepherds to our hearts today. That you sent us the Saviour in the form of a tiny baby, help us afresh to see this Good news and it is for us. Enable us by the power of your Holy Spirit to know this love in our hearts this week and to share it with others this week.
What can I give Him,
Poor as I am?
If I were a Shepherd
I would bring a lamb;
If I were a Wise Man
I would do my part,
Yet what I can I give Him,
Give my heart.
May we do that this week for your glory. Amen
