[that they May lead us back to you].
Give judgement for me, O God,
and defend my cause against an ungodly people;
deliver me from the deceitful and the wicked.
For you are the God of my refuge; R
O send out your light and your truth, that they may lead me,
and bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling,
that I may go to the altar of God, to the God of my joy and gladness;
and on the lyre I will give thanks to you, O God my God. R
Why are you so full of heaviness, O my soul,
and why are you so disquieted within me?
O put your trust in God;
for I will yet give him thanks,
who is the help of my countenance, and my God. R
From Psalm 43
A reading from the First Letter of John.
Children, it is the last hour! As you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. From this we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they did not belong to us; for if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But by going out they made it plain that none of them belongs to us. But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and all of you have knowledge.
I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and you know that no lie comes from the truth. Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; everyone who confesses the Son has the Father also. Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is what he has promised us, eternal life.
This is the word of the Lord.
1 John 2.18–25
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John.
The Pharisees said to Jesus, ‘Who are you?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Why do I speak to you at all? I have much to say about you and much to condemn; but the one who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.’ They did not understand that he was speaking to them about the Father. So Jesus said, ‘When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own, but I speak these things as the Father instructed me. And the one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what is pleasing to him.’ As he was saying these things, many believed in him.
Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, ‘If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.’
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
John 8.25–32
Post Communion
God of truth,
whose Wisdom set her table
and invited us to eat the bread and drink the wine
of the kingdom:
help us to lay aside all foolishness
and to live and walk in the way of insight,
that we may come with Hilary
to the eternal feast of heaven;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
13 January
Kentigern (Mungo)
White
Missionary Bishop in Strathclyde and Cumbria
England: Commemoration – Scotland: IV
14 January – Wales: V
If celebrated otherwise, Common of Missionaries
Kentigern, also known affectionately as Mungo, which means ‘darling’, is reputed to have been the grandson of a British prince in southern Scotland and to have attended a monastic school at Culross. The story goes that he became a missionary to the Britons living in Strathclyde and was elected their bishop. Following the persecution of Christians, he fled to Wales, but eventually returned to Strathclyde where he continued his work of evangelism. He died in the year 603 and his tomb is in St Mungo’s Cathedral in Glasgow.
Collect (Wales)
Almighty and everlasting God,
who called your servant Kentigern
to preach the gospel to the people of Britain:
raise up in this and every land
heralds and evangelists of your kingdom,
that your Church may make known
the immeasurable riches of your Son
our Saviour Jesus Christ,
who is alive and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
13 January
George Fox
Founder of the Society of Friends (the Quakers)
England: Commemoration
If celebrated otherwise, Common of any Saint
George Fox was born at Fenny Drayton in Leicestershire in 1624, the son of a weaver, and was himself apprenticed to a shoe-maker. He became something of a wayfarer from 1643 for about three years, loosening all ties with his family and friends. The ‘Inner Light of the Living Christ’ became his watchword in 1646 and he began to preach that the truth could only be found through the Inner Voice speaking directly to each soul. His society of ‘The Friends of Truth’ was formed at about this time, clearly a protest against the authoritarianism of the Presbyterian system, and many believers joined. Their practice of welcoming God into the soul, often whilst in a state of trance, which caused much body movement, led to Gervase Bennet nicknaming them the ‘Quakers’ in 1650. Although meant as a term of abuse, it quickly became a name they themselves adopted. Fox spent several spells in gaol because of his determination to preach where he would and what he willed; he also made many missionary journeys around England, on the continent, and to North America and the West Indies. He had a charismatic personality combined with excellent organizational abilities, which proved a solid foundation for ensuring the continuance of his beliefs and practices. He died on this day in 1691.
14 January
Hilary
Bishop of Poitiers, Teacher of the Faith
Scotland: Commemoration
See 13 January
14 January
Kentigern (Mungo)
Missionary Bishop in Strathclyde and Cumbria
Wales: V
See 13 January
17 January
Antony of Egypt
White
Hermit, Abbot
England: Lesser Festival – Scotland: Commemoration – Wales: V
Born in about the year 251, Antony heard the gospel message, ‘If you would be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ He was twenty years old and rich, following the death of his parents,