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  Take time to pray

January's Breathe 

A New Year

Our prayers today are based on extracts from today’s Church of England Morning Prayer. If you are unfamiliar with this, you may have the notion that it is not designed for heartfelt, unscripted prayer. Hopefully, we will discover otherwise.
  
The night has passed and the day lies open before us; let us pray with one heart and mind.
 
Silence is kept

As we rejoice in the gift of this new day, so may the light of your presence, O God, set our hearts on fire with love for you; now and for ever.

Amen

Looking up

family croppedBlessed are you, sovereign God, creator of heaven and earth, to you be praise and glory for ever. As your living Word, eternal in heaven, assumed the frailty of our mortal flesh, may the light of your love be born in us to fill our hearts with joy as we sing:
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.


Blessed be God for ever.
 
Since the last Breathe, we have marked Advent and celebrated Christmas. It may have been unlike previous Christmases. Yet, there was much that seemed the same, and I hope there much that was good. For at its core lay the same message of hope as all previous Christmases. At its heart lay the gifting of God’s most precious gift, his very self.
 
As we always do, let’s therefore start by saying ‘thank you’ to God. Let’s thank him for time spent with family, in person, on the phone or virtually. Let’s thank him for our worship opportunities, again both online and in person. Let’s thank him for the opportunities given to spread the Gospel. Let’s thank him for all that has made us glad.
 
Thank you, Lord God, for all your gifts and blessings to us……..
 
Open prayer………
 
Amen

Looking in:
light through treesIsaiah 9.2-3

The people wo walked in darkness have seen a great light;
Those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, upon them the light has dawned.
You have increased their joy and given them great gladness;
They rejoiced before you as with joy at the harvest.
For you have shattered the yoke that burdened them;
The collar that lay heavy on their shoulders.

 
The eternal message of Christmas is that God met us in his Son. That His love and compassion were so great that our imperfections counted as nothing. We know, you and I, that it is the work of a lifetime to try to become more Christlike. The bridge between us and God can only be crossed because God made that possible.
 
Let’s search now for those things which we are less than proud of, and ask God to lift those burdens. Let’s allow God once again to shatter the yoke of our guilt and our self-disappointment.
 
Silence
 
Thank you, Lord God, that the light overcomes the darkness, in us and in our world. Forgive us the times when we doubt that truth.
Amen
 

Looking back
scarecrowsIsaiah 60:1

Arise, shine, for you light has come,
And the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples;
But the Lord will arise upon you,
And his glory will appear over you.

 
Last January I led this prayer meeting. And we talked about making plans but holding them lightly. It seems I am a prophet. Who knew?
 
2020 was not at all as we expected and hoped.
When we think of 2020, many of our thoughts may be dark and sad. Memories of fear, disappointment and sickness. Thoughts of restriction and unwanted change. Yet, as we look back in honesty, there will be many blessings: glimmers of light, times of love and fellowship, unexpected joys.
 
So, let’s look back on 2020 and entrust it all, good and bad, to God.
 
Open prayer………
 
Amen
 

Looking out

worry dollsIsaiah 9:6-7a

For to us a child is born and to us a son is given,
And the government shall be upon his shoulder:
And his name will be called: Wonderful Counsellor; the Mighty God; the Everlasting Father; the Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end.

 
It seems that we haven’t quite attained this yet. We still await a world governed by God’s priorities. We are still a long way from peace, at home and abroad. But that doesn’t mean we can’t pray for an increase in God’s government.

Let’s spend some time naming our most pressing concerns and worries, acknowledging that there are unfortunately many of these including some we are unaware of.
 
Lord God, we offer to you our concerns and fears for ourselves and your world……..
 
Open prayer……………
 
Amen
 

Looking forward

prayersLuke 1:76-79

And you child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High,
For you will go before the Lord to prepare his way.
To give his people knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of all their sins.
In the tender compassion of our God the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,
And to guide our feet into the way of peace.

 
These words are spoken by Zechariah about his son, John the Baptist. Yet they are also for us. They are for God’s church and for each person who chooses to follow Christ. We have a job to do – to spread the Gospel message by word and action.

And we know that things only come to fruit if God is in them. Plans will only have a chance of real success if we are joining in with God’s work on earth. This is equally true of each of our individual dreams as well as those we hold jointly.
 
Lord God, we ask your blessings on the coming month and season. Be with us in our planning and help us to dream your dreams……..
 
Open prayer……………
 
Amen
 

To end, the Collect for tomorrow and this coming week:

Almighty God,
In the birth of your Son
You have poured on us the new light of your incarnate Word,
And shown us the fullness of your love;
Help us to walk in his light and dwell in his love
That we may know the fullness of his joy;
Who is alive and reigns with you,
In the unity of the Holy Spirit,
One God, now and for ever

 

Saturday 2 January Breathe (pdf format)

Glenys
Hello and welcome to St Andrew's. If you are new, we have a page for you to get to know us and learn more about planning a visit.
Click here to see more.

Planning your Visit

A Warm Hello 

No one belongs here more than you.

We look forward to meeting you! Here's some information so that if you're planning a visit you know beforehand what to expect on a Sunday morning.  We have other pages telling you more About Us, our approach to Faith and our Online services.

Where and When

We meet at the Church Building (details below) for our main Sunday Service starting at 10.30am. For your first visit, we recommend arriving 10-15 minutes early to ensure you find a parking space and can settle in before the service begins. When you arrive, you should be greeted by someone on our Welcome Team.

Plan your journey:
While, unfortunately, St Andrew's does not have its own carpark, there is a council-run pay and display carpark a short distance along St Andrew Street, to the east of the church; there is a £1.50 flat-rate charge for parking in this carpark on Sundays (though half an hour or less is free).

This is a useful East Herts Council website page for full details of parking in Hertford.

There are single yellow lines outside the church with parking restrictions, but some 30-minute parking bays are situated on the opposite side of the road for short stays (longer on Sundays).

Open Google Maps

Accessibility: There is wheelchair access, and a sound loop for anyone who needs it. Please let one of the Welcome Team know on your arrival and they will help you to get set up. There is a disabled toilet towards the back of the church, behind the kitchen.

Our Service

The service will usually begin promptly at 10.30am and will last between 60 and 75 minutes. We enjoy the presence of an excellent choir who help us sing hymns (modern and traditional) as well as provide anthems and special songs through the period of communion. We have a traditional organ but also benefit from music played on the piano and by our band (eg on the Second Sunday of each month when we have an All-Age Service in which our children and young people are fully involved).

Each 10.30am service includes a sermon, prayers and eucharist.

After the service, everyone is invited for coffee and conversation - some like to stay for a quick chat while others remain in the church for a longer time.

Communion

Children and Young People

Children are never too young to come to church. You and your children are very welcome at St Andrew’s. 

We really value worshipping God together as a family, so children stay with their parent or grown-up at the start of the service before being invited to leave for the young people's activities after the first hymn. Junior Church meets in the St Andrew's Centre (our adjoining hall), accessed through the church on Sunday mornings. You will need to go with your children to their groups and register them as part of our child safety policy.

The children and young people then return to the main service in time to join the eucharist and, if confirmed, take Holy Communion or, if not, receive a blessing. We offer a grape or a little box of raisins to children being blessed at the altar.

There is a Children's Corner in church where you can go at any time. You will find books, toys and drawing materials there.

Toilet and baby-change facilities are located at the back of church, behind the kitchen.

There's lots more information here: Children and Young People at St Andrew's

Junior Church celebration

Getting Connected


Home Groups

While Sundays are a great way to meet new people, it is often in smaller gatherings that you can really get to know someone. Being part of one of our small groups allows you to make new friends, share together and support each other. We have a variety of groups that meet throughout the week. Check out Home Groups on our website and see if there’s one that you could join. Alternatively, speak to a member of the Welcome Team who will give you the information that you need.

Serving and Volunteering

If you want to get involved in the life of the church and help us make Sundays run smoothly, you can sign up to serve on a team. Please contact Phil in the Church Office.

Get in touch with us
If you have any questions, please do get in touch. You'll find our contact details here.

We hope that you will feel at home at our church.