Monday 14th December – Of the Father’s Heart Begotten This ancient hymn was adopted by the Spanish Church in the 9th Century to be used on 1st January when Jesus’ circumcision was marked. The tune comes from the 16th Century and we contrast Matthew’s genealogy with the idea that Jesus was lineage is heavenly. St Mathew […]
URC Daily Devotion Sunday Worship – 13th December
URC Daily Devotions Worship for 13th December 2020 Advent 3 – The Two Comings Opening Music And Who May Abide the Day of His Coming (Messiah) But who may abide the Day of His coming?And who shall stand when He appeareth?Who shall stand when he appeareth?But who may abide, but who may abidethe Day of His coming?And […]
URC Daily Devotion Saturday 12th December 2020
Saturday 12th December – The Lamb William Blake plays with the image of Christ the Lamb in his children’s poem yet the image of Jesus as the Lamb of God, so often used in our Communion liturgies, is rather more sacrificial. St John 1: 29-37 The next day he saw Jesus coming towards him and […]
URC Daily Devotion Friday 11th December 2020
Friday 11th December – Born in the Night This is one of the few carols that is addressed to Jesus; the deceptive lullaby tune lulls us into a sense of nostalgia but the words remind us of the price Jesus paid for his ministry. Isaiah 59: 20 – 60:5 And he will come to Zion as […]
URC Daily Devotion Thursday 10th December 2020
Thursday 10th December – People Look East Eleanor Farjeon is best remembered for Morning has Broken. She wrote this Advent carol based on a passage in Baruck (5:5-7) where the people were told to look to the East to see the people gathered in by the Lord. A committed Christian, Farjeon used the carol to remind […]
URC Daily Devotion 9th December 2020
Wednesday 9th December – Earth was Waiting Spent and Restless This year our nations, with the rest of the world, had a stark lesson in waiting – having to wait indoors, waiting for the pandemic to pass, waiting for infection rates to fall. Advent is about waiting, something we find difficult. Romans 8: 18-25 I consider […]
URC Daily Devotion 8th December 2020
Tuesday 8th December Thou Whose Almighty Word In the northern hemisphere Advent is a dark time of the year and can often be dark emotionally as we remember those no longer with us. Our hymn, written by John Marriott, plays with the idea of light – ironic since he died at a young age from […]
URC Daily Devotion Monday 7th December 2020
Monday 7th December This is the Record of John Today’s reading is set as a canticle for morning prayer meaning Zechariah’s prophecy over John the Baptist became known in the Church. John the Baptist went ahead of Jesus to prepare the way, Orlando Gibbon’s anthem shows John’s conflict with the authorities. St Luke 8: 68-79 […]
URC Daily Devotion Sunday Worship – 6th December 2020
URC Daily Devotion Worship for Sunday 6th December 2020 Advent 2 – Return and Judgement Opening Music: Dies Irae – Karl Jenkins The Dies Irea (Day of Wrath) is an ancient Christian poem in Latin. It means Day of wrath, that dayWill dissolve the earth in ashesAs David and the Sibyl bear witness.What dread there will beWhen […]
URC Daily Devotion 5th December 2020
Saturday 5th December Wait for the Lord The Taizé Community in France was founded by Reformed pastor Roger Schutz who had helped Jews escape over the border into Switzerland during the war. It is an ecumenical community working with the young in particular with distinctive worship based on simple chants. Today’s song takes up the […]