Festival of the Christian
Home/Mother's Day
Gathering
God’s People
Call
to Worship
(Mary J. Scifres, Abingdon Worship Annual 2017)
Come
to Christ, the living cornerstone. Come to rest on the foundation of God’s
love. Come to be strengthened and renewed in the power of God’s Holy Spirit.
Once
we were not a people, but now we are God’s people.
Once
we were alone, but together we are the household of God.
Here
in this time of worship, and later when we go forth to serve,
Christ
is our cornerstone, strengthening us for the journey.
In
our living and in our dying, Christ is our sure foundation, strengthening us
along the way.
Hymn TIS 161: “Tell
out, my souls,” And we sang as though we meant it!
Opening
prayer
Shine
your face upon us, O God. Help us see your face in
one
another and hear your voice in the words that are
spoken.
Through your grace, make us holy, that we may
offer
spiritual sacrifices that honour and glorify your holy
name.
Amen.
A
Prayer of Confession
Gracious
God, prepare us for the difficult road ahead. Like Stephen, help us be ready to
forgive even the most horrendous of sins. Like the psalmist, help us accept
your forgiveness and grace. Like newborn infants, help us receive your
unconditional love.
(A
time of silent confession may follow.)
With
steadfast love, shine your face upon us, that we may know the beauty of your
mercy and your grace.
In
Christ’s beloved name, we pray. Amen.
Declaration
of Forgiveness
Whoever
believes in Christ will never be shamed, for in Christ we are forgiven and
loved.
Thanks,
be to God!
And having
made our peace with God, we offered the Sign of Peace to each other.
Offering
Through
these gifts, proclaim your word of grace. Shine forth through our offerings and
our lives, that others may see your face and know your steadfast love. In your
love and grace, we pray. Amen.
Hymn
TIS 162: “Thank
you for giving me the morning” And we were thankful for being able to attend
church this morning to be uplifted and guided into the coming week.
The
Service of the Word
Readings:
Acts
7.55-60
55 But
filled with the Holy Spirit, he gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and
Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 ‘Look,’ he
said, ‘I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand
of God!’ (Stephen).
1 Peter 2:2-10
2 Like
newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow
into salvation— 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is
good.
John
14:1-14
1 ‘Do
not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In
my Father’s house there are many dwelling-places. If it were not so, would I
have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I
go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself,
so that where I am, there you may be also. .
Preaching
of the Word
Whoever Has Seen me. – John 14:1-14
In
the epistle, Peter is saying is that we have to yearn for faith in Christ with
as much determination as a baby yearns for food.
The thought
that occurred to me after that opening sentence of the sermon was that a baby
is totally focussed on its yearning for food. Little babies think of little
else. Are we like that in our yearning for faith?
Together,
we are all called to echo God's praise
and to
form a place where God's presence is
experienced, living stones, and holy
priests, all of us. Together, we form the church,
living breathing stones surrounded by
manufactured stones, the ones which go
together to form the material structure of
this church - a building which is visible and
recognisable as a place of
worship.
and to
form a place where God's presence is
experienced, living stones, and holy
priests, all of us. Together, we form the church,
living breathing stones surrounded by
manufactured stones, the ones which go
together to form the material structure of
this church - a building which is visible and
recognisable as a place of
worship.
This
is a huge responsibility and not one we can carry alone. So, often we hear
complaints about the church from members but the church is us! It is what we
are!
Rev
John spoke more about the church but space does not permit a reflection on all
of it. But the next section is vital: we often wonder what God is like. Well
here we are told:
Jesus
said, "Whoever has seen me has seen the Father."
Just
five weeks ago we recalled the crucifixion of Jesus and collectively wondered
what kind of radical or revolutionary or extremist he must have been...What on
earth do we, law-abiding, tax-paying, church-going citizens have to do with
him? In this morning's gospel, we are reminded that Jesus is not a renegade or
rogue but instead, he stands with God.
Hymn
TIS 468: “We
are your people, Lord, by your grace” Having heard the Word, this is our
pledge.
Music
to lead us to prayer, a time to contemplate.
Intercessory
Prayers A
Time to lift up our concerns to the only one who understands. Then we joined in
The Lord's Prayer.
Hymn
TIS 581: “Happy
the home that welcomes you,” Applied faith.
Benediction
As
we have been strengthened, we go forth to strengthen others.
As
we have been blessed, we go forth to bless the world.
As
we have been loved, we go forth to love with compassion and grace.
As
we go forth may remembering the nurture of our mothers, the nurture of God
through Jesus and his body the Church, may the same God, creator, redeemer
and giver of live bless you and keep you. Amen
Hymn
779:
“May the feet of God walk with you" Our prayer for each
other.
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