This service was my offering and therefore I
am going to try to share as much as I can with you.
Call to Worship.
Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they are ever praising you.
Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
As they pass through the Valley of Baka,
they make it a place of springs;
the autumn rains also cover it with pools.
They go from strength to strength,
till each appears before God in Zion.
Psalm 84
Invocation
Jesus said: 'Come unto me all that are weary
and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon
you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find
rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Matt 11: 28-30
Hymn TIS 231 "At
the name of Jesus" (all hymns: Lyn)
Prayer of Praise and Thanksgiving
Our God of all, who is our east and west,
our height and depth, we thank you that you are the constant in our lives.
When everything else seems to be confused,
we can depend on your faithfulness to us. When life seems to be throwing up
insoluble problems, we can depend on you for guidance.
We thank you for the bountiful gifts of
goodness you shower upon us: the enlivening sight of blue sky, the freedom in
the smell of wet grass, and the comfort of a caring hand in ours.
We give thanks for that warm gladness that
comes upon us when we are in the company of other believers, secure in the
knowledge that you are with us.
We praise you for your goodness that saves
us and this world from its path of destruction and we praise you for your
creative power that stirs our inner life and infuses us with joy.
We praise you for your healing touch that
can mend and restore broken lives but most of all we thank and praise you for
choosing to walk with us, transforming such ordinariness into lives of
abundance through your grace. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
"Lean not on your own understanding: in
all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight"
Proverbs 3: 5&6
We have seen the example you have given to
us in Jesus, who has shown us what human life can be like and in that is our
hope.
We mean to follow that example, Lord,
glorifying your name, but in the rush of everyday life, how often we look to
our own so-called wisdom. We know better, Lord, and experience tells us that
our way always fails us, but we persist and only turn to you when everything
else doesn't work. There are words that we have said for which we are sorry.
There are actions which we have taken for which we are sorry but most of all,
we are so very sorry for the hurt we have caused. Forgive us, teach us, remind
us, help us build paths of truth by relying on your grace. Lead us into your
presence, that we may know your will and live accordingly, for we ask in the
name of Jesus. Amen.
Words of Assurance
Hear then God's words of grace to us: Our
sins are forgiven.
Thanks be to God.
Hymn TIS 272 "Come
thou long expected Jesus"
Prayer for Illumination
That as the scriptures are read and your
word is proclaimed, we may hear what you are saying to us today. Amen.
Bible Readings: Psalm 16;
Mark 13: 1-8 Malcolm.
Sermon. My reflection focussed on the reading
from Mark and his purpose in encouraging the Roman Christians who were facing
the first of the brutal persecution. I pointed out that Jesus predicted violent
opposition and that Mark was assuring the Roman Christians that they were right
in still following Jesus.
I then pointed out that modern leaders, Christian and
otherwise, had been assassinated for defending just causes and while we may not
have to die for our faith we may suffer in other ways. And our reward? To see
this I turned to the Psalmist whose confidence in God's continued blessing and
whose confidence in God being the only source of good gives us a firm
foundation for trusting God utterly. Amen and Amen.
Hymn TIS 589 "Jesus calls us o'er the
tumult"
Prayers of Intercession and The
Lord's Prayer Here we placed ourselves in God's presence and expressed
our gratitude for the outpouring of his spirit upon us. We referred to the
recent terrible events and asked God's hand on all those suffering people. We
prayed for God's Church and its leaders that they be given strength and wisdom
in these times when so many need encouragement. We prayed for those living in
rural areas and asked that their special needs be met and for those known
personally to us and then joined in The Lord's Prayer
Hymn TIS 105 "Let
all the world in every corner sing"
Blessing Margaret - Now to
him who is able to keep you from falling, and to make you stand without blemish
in the presence of his glory with rejoicing, to the only God our Saviour,
through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority before
all time and now and forever. Amen.
Sung Blessing TIS Hymn 778 Shalom.
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