Call to worship
Leader: In awe we
proclaim your name, Holy Jesus.
People: We worship you as our Lord and Saviour.
Leader: We ask to feel
your presence in this place, to sense that your Holy Spirit is with us now.
People: Blow, Holy Spirit, blow. Change our
hearts, challenge our minds,
and bring us closer to you.
All:
We worship and adore your holy name. Come, Lord Jesus.
Hymn: TIS 132
‘Holy, holy, holy’ A confident declaration of God's holiness.
Although we cannot appreciate that awful state of being we shout our belief in
it because we have seen what just a glimpse of it can do to our lives.
Prayers of Adoration
Hugh prayed,
acknowledging God's greatness and wondering at the fact that he loves us, even
when we are little babies. We have nothing to offer him but his love is given
to us freely. Very hard to take that in.
Prayer of Confession
We prayed together: Holy One, we confess to you that often we
make excuses for not following the way you have called us to go. We have tried
to bargain with you to make the burden lighter.
We confess that we too often do not look for you in the face of others,
nor allow others to see you in our own actions. Too often we have doubted your
presence and failed to worship you with our lives. Make us more complete and
faithful followers of you. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen. If we stop
and think about it, while we don't steal other people's money and don't murder,
we do treat those about us badly in little ways every day - through our own
weaknesses, or our own frailty, by being thoughtless, simply by not paying
attention. Not big planned, deliberate mistakes but ones that can cause hurt.
Words of Assurance
and Pardon Hugh
The LORD is
compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. For as far as the
east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
Upon these words of
pardon, I declare that in Jesus Christ our sins are completely forgiven. It
is an amazing gift. That each time we turn to God for forgiveness, we receive
it.
Offering
Hugh blessed our
offering, dedicating our little gifts to God's great work.
Children's Story
Marcia told the children
the story of Jonah and the whale, bringing to the attention of all present, the
importance of obedience to God's will, pointing out that when we aren't
obedient things go bad (like ending up in the belly of a whale)
Hymn: TIS 675
‘Lord, the light of your love
is shining’
It is that light and that
light only which can illuminate the darkness that spoils everything which could
be so good in this world but which is ruined by the selfish behaviour of
humans.
Scripture Readings: Ruth read to us from Amos 5:18-24; and Matthew 25:1-13. The first is a
stern warning about observing the rituals and customs of worship and then
thinking we are so holy that we can welcome judgement day. God's only
interested in our devoted relationship with him. That comes first, last and in
the middle. The Matthew reading, while being a detailed story, has a short
warning: Be ready. Don't delay acting. Do it now.
Sermon Hugh : "Let
me begin my sermon with a question for you. What if Christ should return today?
Would that be good news for us? Would that be good news for the Baptists or the
Methodists or the Roman Catholics or the Jews? Would it be good news for the
rich or for the poor, for the law abiding or those in prison? If Christ should
return today, who would be rejoicing? An obvious question, you say, but be
careful. The answer may not be as obvious as you may think.
The people of Israel in
the time of Amos the prophet were piously looking forward to the day of the
Lord. Amos warns them, however. "Woe to you who desire the day of the
Lord." That day has some surprises. It is as if a man escaped from a lion,
only to meet a bear. Amos’s tone
turns more straightforward. "The day of the Lord is darkness and not
light"
What if Christ
should return today? For whom would it be good news?" Jesus taught us it
was the simple deeds of kindness that build his kingdom. Humble deeds. Little
things we do each day to be his hands and words in this world
We don't have to be
full of energy, getting mountains of work done, although those people who do
accomplish great stuff for God. We are a church of old people but we can spread
God's love very effectively by our little acts of kindness, caring for our
neighbours - inside and outside the church.
"Have you ever
seen the wonder of migratory birds in "V" formation flying south for
the winter? Ever wonder how they reach their destination without fail. As I
understand it, there is not one lead bird. Rather specialists say that birds
can fly so far and so long, because each one helps the flock by taking his turn
as leader."
There's a lesson
there for us. We should not just leave the work of the church to the committee
members or to the people who normally do it but offer our contribution too.
"What if the Lord
should come today? Obviously it will be good news to those who have learned to
give, to share, to love, to look beyond their own needs to the needs of
others."
The powerful and
prestigious and the rich may not really look forward to that day. But the
humble folk, the giving folk, those who have loved God and loved their fellow
man, those who have sought to light a small candle in a world of darkness,
these are those for whom the coming of the Lord will be a grand occasion."
Step up. Offer your talents.
"Amos lived in a time very much like our
own. Those who "lay on beds of white ivory" felt they were
self-sufficient. They were secure. They could not imagine that the day of the
Lord would threaten everything they hold dear.
We could profit from
their blindness. Perhaps the best thing we could do this approaching Advent
season would be to question whether we are standing in a right rank.
Ask yourself this
question: What if the Lord really did come today? Will it be good news? Or will it be full of surprises?"
Prayer of the people
& Lord’s Prayer Hugh
"Holy God, we
approach you in humility, aware of our limitations; aware that in spite of all
of our shortcomings you have blessed us, made us like you, and nourished us,
all because you love us. We are thankful for your everlasting love towards us
and towards all humanity out there." Hugh then gave thanks for all of
God's blessing to us, including all the simple joys and all those people who
through their care and kindness make this world a better place. After Hugh
prayed for our personal concerns, we joined in the Lord's Prayer.
Final
Hymn: TI 256 ‘From
heaven you came’
This hymn shows us how
Jesus lived the life he wants us to live. "This is our God, the Servant King, he calls us
now to follow him, to bring our lives as a daily offering of worship to the
Servant King."
Benediction
May we readily see
Christ in others,
May our lives be itself
a benediction to others for your glory.
May we be blessed to be
a blessing to the world.
God the Father enrich
you with his grace,
God the Son make you
holy in his love,
God the Holy Spirit
strengthen you with his joy now and for ever. Amen
‘Retiring
Hymn: TIS 720 ‘Hale,
hale, hale’
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