United Benefice of St.Mary, Higham Ferrers, and St. John, Chelveston
The United Benefice of
St Mary the Virgin, Higham Ferrers
with St John the Baptist, Chelveston-cum-Caldecott
Sunday 6 July 2025
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The bells of St Mary’s Higham Ferrers and Father Paul welcome you to this podcast service Meeting Point
HYMN
O JESUS I HAVE PROMISED (Sung by the choir of Peterborough Cathedral)
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O Jesus, I have promised
to serve thee to the end;
be thou forever near me,
my Master and my Friend:
I shall not fear the battle
if thou art by my side,
nor wander from the pathway
if thou wilt be my guide.
O let me hear thee speaking
in accents clear and still
above the storms of passion,
the murmurs of self-will;
O speak to reassure me,
to hasten or control;
O speak, and make me listen,
thou guardian of my soul.
O let me see thy foot-marks,
and in them plant mine own;
my hope to follow duly
is in thy strength alone:
O guide me, call me, draw me,
uphold me to the end;
and then to rest receive me,
my Saviour and my Friend.
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Words: John Ernest Bode (1816-1874)
Music: Day of Rest - James W Elliott (1875)
A reading from Luke’s Gospel
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The Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. He said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest. Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, `Peace to this house!' And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the labourer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, `The kingdom of God has come near to you.'
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But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, `Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.'
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"Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me."
Luke 10:1-11, 16
HYMN
ONE MORE STEP ALONG THE WORLD I GO
One more step along the world I go,
One more step along the world I go.
From the old things to the new
Keep me travelling along with you.
And it’s from the old I travel to the new,
Keep me travelling along with you.
Round the corners of the world I turn,
More and more about the world I learn.
All the new things that I see
You’ll be looking at along with me.
As I travel through the bad and good
Keep me travelling the way I should.
Where I see no way to go
You’ll be telling me the way, I know.
Give me courage when the world is rough,
Keep me loving though the world is tough.
Leap and sing in all I do,
Keep me travelling along with you.
You are older than the world can be,
You are younger than the life in me.
Ever old and ever new,
Keep me travelling along with you.
And it’s from the old I travel to the new,
Keep me travelling along with you.
Words & Music: Sydney Carter (1915-2004)
MEDITATION – A BEGINNERS GUIDE TO MISSION
BLESSING
HYMN
BE THOU MY VISION
Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Be all else but naught to me, save that Thou art;
Be Thou my best thought in the day and the night,
Both waking and sleeping, Thy presence my light.
Be Thou my Wisdom, be Thou my true Word;
Be Thou ever with me, and I with Thee, Lord;
Be Thou my great Father, and I Thy true son;
Be Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.
Be Thou my Breastplate, my Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my whole Armour, be Thou my true Might;
Be Thou my soul’s Shelter, be Thou my strong Tow’r,
O raise Thou me heav’nward, great Pow’r of my pow’r.
High King of heaven, Thou heaven's bright Sun,
O grant me its joys, after vict'ry is won;
Great Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be Thou my vision, O Ruler of all.
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Words: Old Irish Hymn, translated Mary Elizabeth Byrne (1880 -1931)
Tune: Slane (traditional)
Material used in this service is copyright of its respective rights owners. Music and hymn words are reproduced under ONE LICENSE number A-633137, Church Copyright License 2148907 and Music Reproduction License 2216255. Material in this order of service is taken from Common Worship, copyright © The Archbishops’ Council 2000-2006 and is used here with permission. www.commonworship.com.
images by permission of www.christart.com