Call
to Worship led by Hugh
L: Give thanks to the Lord, proclaim his greatness;
tell the nations what he has done.
P: Sing praise to the Lord; tell the wonderful
things he has done.
L: Be glad that we belong to him; let all who
worship him rejoice.
P:
Go to the Lord for help; and worship him continually.
L: You descendants of Abraham, his servant; you descendants
of Jacob, the man he chose:
P: Remember the miracles that God performed and
the judgments that he gave.
L: Dear children of God. The Lord is our God.
Let us worship him together.
The Lord is with you;
P: And also with you!
Hymn
"Be
Still for the Presence of the Lord" A reminder that we are before the Holy
One and on Holy ground. So, Be Still. This is an opportunity to experience
God's very presence: to know holiness about us: to experience God's light, shining
on our very being, illuminating all things. Our chance to hear God's voice to
each of us, moulding us, directing us.
Prayer
of Adoration Hugh
prayed, proclaiming God's name, the name of the Lord of all. The Lord who is
glorious, who is our rock, who is faithful and perfect. The Lord who is
beautiful and who can do no wrong, asking that he would be with us as we
worshipped together and to accept our hymns and prayers, but most especially,
our hearts, in Jesus’ name. Amen
Prayer
of Confession (All)
Dear
Heavenly Father, we lower our heads before you and we confess that we have too
often forgotten that we are yours. Sometimes we carry on our lives as if there
was no God and we fall short of being a credible witness to You. For these
things we ask your forgiveness and we also ask for your strength. Give us clear
minds and open hearts so we may live our life and relationships as your Kingdom
people. Remind us always that we are
your children.
Through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Offering
Hugh, on
our behalf, offered our thanks for God's love and grace to each one of us and
to each of our families and friends. He gave thanks for God's loving support of
our congregation, asking for his blessing on our offering, and that it should
be used for the sake of God's kingdom and be a blessing to many people.
Hymn
TIS 703 "As
the deer pants for the water" Another type of confession, as we admit that
we are nothing without God's strength and direction. As we admit that our show
of bravado to the world: our facade of being in charge is all just that, and
that all we want and need is God in and through our lives.
Bible
Readings: Kaye
read to us from Romans: 8: 26-39. If you need encouragement, this is one
reading that will lift you up. I recommend that everyone read it in full
because there is no possibility of doing it justice in a summary. The last two
verses show its power. "For I am convinced the neither death, nor life,
nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor
height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will separate me from the
love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Matthew
13: 31-33, 44-52 A number of analogies to explain, through everyday situations,
concepts relating to the Kingdom of
Heaven. The mustard seed that grows into something much bigger: no matter how
lacking in talent we think we are, that could be us. Then, the Kingdom is
something of such value that it's worth trading everything else we have to be
able to acquire it. But then it seems that some will not see that value and
will cling to things that, in eternity, are worthless.
Reflection
Hugh
focused his reflection on the parable of the treasure a man found in a field,
which was possible in the time of Jesus, because there were no banks and people
buried their wealth where they thought it would be safe. Because some people
died before retrieving their wealth if was possible for someone else to
discover it and claim it. To do so the lucky person would need to buy the
field, and so, the story. This story is impressed on the hearers even further
with another tale of a man that sees a pearl of unsurpassed value. In both
cases the men sell everything they have to acquire the treasure.
The kingdom of
a Heaven is like that. To belong is worth more than everything you have or
could have. Hugh stressed that we have to discover this treasure and that it is
for now, not just after we die. He illustrated his next point with another
story about a Texan farmer, who was in despair, because of his inability to
survive during a particularly bad time. The farmer had nothing. Nothing, that
is, except an enormous reserve of oil under his farm that he knew nothing of.
The Kingdom of Heaven is within the grasp of us all - free. All we have to do
is give up our grasp on everything else. Many people pursue the Kingdom for a
lifetime but never embrace it, to live in the joy it offers. We have often
heard the first point of the hidden treasure but Hugh's last point of embracing
the gift we have been given may be the one we need to give serious thought to,
Hymn
TIS 717 "Give
thanks with a Grateful Heart" a simple message of thanks to God and the
result of his reversal of the world's order into the heavenly order where the
weak are strong and the poor, rich because those things are measured so
differently in God 's eyes.
Prayers
for the People and the Lord's Prayer Chris prayed to our most gracious
and loving Father, asking for protection for our fragile planet and its
resources. He asked that people should be rescued from the tyranny of grief and
for support for those suffering as a result of war, oppression, poverty and
disease. He turned our attention to all the airplane crashes and the discord in
the Middle East and asked that the suffering of those involved should be
relieved. He thanked God for meeting our needs and for his blessing on all who
need comfort, hope and companionship. He prayed for those known to our members
and then we joined in the Lord's Prayer
Recognition
of Rev. Beth as Minster in Association Hugh thanked Beth for agreeing to
become our Minister in Association and for her continued presence with us and
then made a presentation to her recognizing her new role. In reply, Beth
thanked us for our friendship and proclaimed that "God is Good"
Hymn
TIS 666
An echo of the last hymn. "We are marching in the light of God". That
makes the rhythm we follow quite different.
Benediction - Hugh - Lord our Father, give us the
mind of Christ that we will see things in our life through that mind and plan
our lives accordingly.
May the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and
the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you and those you love, now and
always.
Retiring Hymn TIS 720 "Halle, halle,
Hallelujah" and we have so much for
which to give thanks and praise.
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