|
APC 7th March 2021 “Rightness and resurrection” PART 1 Welcome and Introduction Good morning everyone and welcome to our Sunday morning worship. Today we will be looking at one of the most exciting and controversial incidents in the life of our Lord. And it happened in church as well! But first, let’s remind ourselves of why we’ve tuned in again today as Sharon and Elaine lead us in the song, “To be in your presence”. (End Part 1) Opening Song “To be in your presence” PART 2 Thanks again Elaine and Sharon. Let’s take a moment now to be in God’s presence. Let’s pray… Opening Prayer God of truth, you know us better than we know ourselves. You search our hearts and minds, seeing us as we really are, and confronting us with our true selves. Teach us to face the truth, for the truth will set us free. Forgive us that all too often we shy away from what is hard to accept, refusing to countenance anything which contradicts the image we have of ourselves. We find it so hard to be honest, closing our ears to truths we would rather not hear. We avoid those who challenge and disturb us, preferring those who soothe and flatter our egos. Teach us to face the truth, for the truth will set us free. God of truth, we thank you today for all those with the rare gift of speaking the truth in love- not spitefully, vindictively or harshly, not from any ulterior motives, but because they genuinely care. Teach us to face the truth, for the truth will set us free. We thank you for those who are willi8ng to risk our resentment, our misunderstanding or anger, our retaliation or rejection, to help us grow as individuals. Teach us to face the truth, for the truth will set us free. God of all, give us true humility and meekness of spirit, so that we may be ready to listen and examine ourselves, ready to ask searching questions about who we are and to change where necessary. Teach us to face the truth, for the truth will set us free. Join with me now as we say the Lord’s Prayer thoughtfully and sincerely together… Our Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name, Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day, our daily bread, And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive those who trespass against us, And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil, For Thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory, For ever and ever, AMEN. Introduction to Kids Video We come now to the art of our service that’s especially for he younger members of our church family. So if your kids aren’t beside you right now, why not pause the recording, and call them in to watch a sheep and a puppet tell us about the day Jesus told a group of people to get out of church! And at the end of this video I’ve a few words to say to the children so don’t let them rush away. (END Part 2) Kid’s Video K and K- “Jesus clears the temple” Link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vxb8c11ISw8 PART 3 Kid’s Talk Summary Hey boys and girls, I hope many of you have had a good week back at school. I hope you enjoyed the video today. I can’t wait until we can all meet together again in church to sing and pray and learn more about God together. That’s what church is for and everyone is welcome there. If you ask your mum or dad they can download and print off a colouring page for you from the church Facebook page to help you remember today’s story. I hope you have a really good week and I hope to see you again next Sunday. Bye for now! Colouring Sheet Link https://www.kidssundayschool.com/preschool/coloring-pages/jesus-cleansing-the-temple Introduction to Bible Reading Gentle Jesus meek and mild, that’s not exactly what we find in today’s exciting episode in the life of Jesus. Sit back as our new Clerk of Session Mrs Edna Crammond reads John’s account of this fascinating story for us now… (End Part 3) Bible Reading Video John 2 v 13-22 Edna Crammond PART 4 Reflection “Rightness and resurrection” Today I want to begin with a few questions to test your general knowledge. Do you know the name of the world’s most expensive painting? Do you know who painted it? Finally how much is it worth? Well, it’s a portrait painted around the year 1500 called ‘Salvator Mundi’ which means ‘Saviour of the world’. It is credited to Leonardo da Vinci, although the art world is still divided whether it’s Divinci’s real work or the work of one of his skilled students. It was sold in Christie’s auction in 2017 for the sum of $450 million and was bought by the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. The painting depicts Jesus Christ dressed in a blue and gold tunic with pale skin, fine features, long hair and rouge cheeks. There is both a masculinity and femininity about the image. His right hand is raised with his index and middle fingers crossed and in his left hand he holds a glass orb. As I looked at that picture recently the question entered my mind – What’s my image of Christ? What’s yours? When we think of Jesus what thoughts and pictures come into our minds? Today’s gospel reading paints a portrait of Jesus that is as far removed from Davinci’s image as it’s possible to imagine. Here Jesus, the healer, the teacher, the good shepherd, becomes the radical militant, voicing his anger at corporate religious corruption in very public and equally destructive terms. We read that he goes into the temple and in an angry rage he overturns the benches of the people who are selling pilgrim sacrifices in the area of the temple known as the ‘Court of the Gentiles’. As money scatters, tables thud against the floor and terrified animals noisily scramble to escape, Jesus screams, “It is written, my house will be called a house of prayer but you have made it a den of robbers!” What on earth is going on here? And what can we learn from it? To understand this passage and what it teaches us about Jesus we need to look at the historical background of this situation. According to OT law, each year, every male Jew had to pay a Temple Tax of half a shekel. That money was to pay for the running of the temple. That was equivalent to about two day’s pay. One month before the Passover, booths were set up in all towns and villages to give people a chance to pay. However, most people chose to pay it on the day of their annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the Passover Festival. In Palestine all sorts of currencies were in use but the temple tax could only be paid in Shekels. That meant that money exchangers were needed to help people change their currency into Shekels. This was all part of God’s laws for maintaining the temple. So in principle there was nothing wrong with exchanging money even in the temple courts to facilitate people. What Jesus was so angry about was that in practice, many of these money changers were notorious swindlers. They were charging the pilgrims, many of whom were poor, an exorbitant rate of interest in order to exchange their money. Then there were people who were selling animals. This too was in one sense a necessity. People could bring their own animals. The problem was any animal brought for sacrifice first had to be inspected by a temple authority to ensure that it was without blemish. The easiest way for people to be certain that their animal would be acceptable was to buy one that had already been inspected and was being sold in one of the temple booths. Again, the principle of selling ‘ready-to-go’ animals in the temple courts wasn’t the issue here. What Jesus was so angry about wasn’t that things were being sold or money exchanged in the temple, but that the animals that were sold inside the temple were over 10 times the price of those being sold outside! In other words, Jesus wasn’t condemning the holding of a church bazaar or the renting of church premises. What he was condemning was the deliberate exploitation of vulnerable people by others, especially those who claimed to be religious! Make no mistake about it. If Jesus was here on earth today He would have been outraged and publicly vocal about the abuses that have been perpetrated by the church in his name over the centuries. Some of those abuses are only beginning to come to light. They must be acknowledged, repented of, apology given and restitution made with those who have been affected and lessons learned for the future. We who claim to have Christ’s Spirit within us must speak out about these things just as Christ did. But the passage today also leaves you and I facing an uncomfortable question… “Are we unfair or discriminatory or do we exploit people in any way?” Our immediate reaction to that question might actually be to feel quite offended. But the older I get, the more I realise that without God’s help and our constant watchfulness there is nothing that any of us are incapable of. The truth is, without God’s help, it isn’t easy to be fair. We all have our favourites. We can all take advantage of other people or use our own connections for personal gain despite an obvious conflict of interests. We are all tempted to think we are just that bit better than someone else. We are all prone to ignore certain sections of society or leave certain people out of the loop. It’s easy for us to use people to our own advantage no matter what the cost might be to them. We can all overcharge or underpay to suit our own pocket. So let me ask you the question that I’ve asked myself this week, “In all honesty, in what ways do I sometimes discriminate between people? Am I being unfair to anyone or is there someone that I am somehow exploiting? Am I aware of any of these things in work, in church or in society? Do I just turn a blind eye to them or am I willing to be unpopular by speaking up for what is right? But there’s another reason why Jesus displays such righteous anger in this incident. The part of the temple precincts known as the ‘Court of the Gentiles’ was the only part of the temple into which Gentiles could come. Along with Jewish pilgrims there would have been many Gentile sight-seers just as there are in Israel today. Some of them would also have come with deep longings in their souls to worship and to pray, if happily they might find God. But in the uproar of buying and selling and bargaining and auctioneering, prayer was impossible. Those who sought God’s presence were being debarred from it by the very people of God’s House. This leaves us with a few more equally searching questions… “How well do we welcome outsiders? Are we doing all we can to invite other people to our church services and events? Are the doors of our church opening wider to our community? Do we want our church to be a place that embraces all types of people no matter how different they are to us or no matter how society perceives them?” I love the way the Presbyterian minister Scott Hoezee puts it. He writes, “Jesus came into Jerusalem dragging the world...behind him. He'd spent most of his ministry with what the Pharisees regarded as all the wrong people in all the wrong places. He'd befriended women of dubious reputations, touched lepers, dined with tax collectors, done favours for despised Roman soldiers, held up Samaritans as heroes even as he turned Pharisees into villains. When Jesus entered Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday, he had all of these folks in tow. But when he got to the Temple, he found no place for his new friends. So he left. He pondered. He prayed. And he returned…to make room for them…..But Palm Sunday is not just about Jesus’ first entry. We need to wonder what Jesus sees when he enters our church each week and looks around at everything. Will he find that our courtyard is broad and our doors wide open so that those who are at a vastly different place in life can enter and find room?” Sadly as on many occasions throughout the years, Jesus words and actions fall on deaf ears. Instead of shame and repentance the Jewish leaders turn on him indignantly, “If you’ve got authority to say and do all this, then show us a sign! “Destroy this temple and I’ll raise it again in 3 days,” he replied. In a single breath Jesus sums up where their attitude and action will lead and where His would end. “It took us 46 years to build this temple, you think you’ll build it in 3 days?” they laughed. But of course as he explained to his disciples then and as we know looking back today, Jesus wasn’t talking about the temple made of stones, but about His body made of flesh. The religious and Roman authorities would put Him to death, but 3 days later God the Father would bring Him back to life. Undeniable proof that he is who He says He was. Sadly as the world looks at much of what has happened in the past in the name of Christ, it turns away in disbelief. Like the Jewish religious leaders they too cry, “If your Christ is real, then show us a miracle or at least the amazing difference you claim He makes in your lives!” And so we must cry out to God to fill us with His Holy Spirit so that we might let our lights shine in the hope that some may turn and be attracted. But even so, even when our light at times is dim, the greatest miracle of all is still on record for those who decide to have eyes to see and ears to hear. He is not dead, he is risen! Have we the faith to believe and tell? Introduction to Song One lesson from this pandemic is that often in life we’re just too busy or too noisy to really be still and to worship God in a way that really makes a lasting difference in our lives. Jesus cleared the temple so that outsiders might be able to do just that. So let’s slow the pace, bow down and worship as we listen to this beautiful acoustic version of the famous hymn “Be still my soul”. (End Part 4) Song of Response “Be still my soul” PART 5 Prayers for others Sovereign God, we pray for the weak and vulnerable in our world – those who feel powerless in the face of the massive problems that confront them. Help of the helpless, reach out to strengthen and support. We pray for the poor, the hungry, the diseased, the dying. Help of the helpless, reach out to strengthen and support. We pray for the oppressed, the exploited, the abused, the tortured. Help of the helpless, reach out to strengthen and support. We pray for the frightened the lonely the hurt the depressed. Help of the helpless, reach out to strengthen and support. We pray for those who live in lands racked by tension, those who face famine and starvation, those who are unemployed, those who are homeless. Help of the helpless, reach out to strengthen and support. Sovereign God, you have expressed special concern for the bruised, the needy and the weak of our world. May that concern bring strength to all in such need, and may it inspire people everywhere to work for a more just society, standing up for the needy, and working for that tie when there will be an end to suffering, mourning and pain; that time when your Kingdom will come and your will be done. Help of the helpless, reach out to strengthen and support. Take a moment now to pray for one or two people you know who need God’s help at this time…. All this we ask in the name of the one who came to heal the sick and comfort those who mourn. Amen. CLOSING WORDS It’s been a joy and privilege to share with you again today. Thanks again for logging on. I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s reflection. Please do spend some time in quiet over the next couple of days reflecting on what God wants you to learn from the story of Jesus clearing the temple… One piece of exciting news that I’ve known for some time but wanted to wait until now to share with you…no I’m not pregnant! is that we will be leading worship on the RTE Sunday morning service on 28th of March, that’s Palm Sunday. That gives us all something to look forward to! Please do keep me in your prayers because I’m just as human as you and at times it can be quite isolating spending every day ion the office and as one person who wrote a weekly column for a newspaper once said, “A blank page every week is not for the faint hearted!” But above all the greatest encouragement you can give me is to keep tuning in and stay close to God during these difficult days. But for now, let me lead you in a Benediction after which I invite you as always, to say the grace together… Benediction Lord just as you cleared the temple, clear our lives of everything that would distract us from prayer and clear our hearts from attitudes of greed, unfairness, and mistreatment of others. And May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all now and for evermore, Amen.”
0 Comments
APC 3rd March 2021 Lessons in Lent- ‘Worship’ Welcome and Introduction Good morning everyone and welcome to our Midweek worship. Today we continue with our ‘Lessons in Lent’ as we pause and think about the meaning and importance of worship. But as always let’s begin by talking to God, let’s pray… Opening Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer Living God, we have come together to worship you, to meet here with Christ, not simply because we feel we should do, not because it is expected of us, but because we want to praise you. We have come not just to pass the time or even to find out something new and interesting, but to genuinely encounter you. Meet with us now, we pray. Help us to bring you our heartfelt worship – to reflect on you and not ourselves, to think about your love rather than our problems, to seek your will for us rather than our expectations of you. Help us to draw close to you, rejoicing in your presence, receiving your love, reviving our faith. Help us to put aside everything that comes between us – our foolish actions, our trivial concerns, our misplaced desires. Meet with us now, we pray. Living God, there is so much in our lives that is not as it should be, not as it could be, and not as it would be if only we walked more closely with you. Forgive us the unkind words, thoughtless actions, and unworthy thoughts that deny our faith. Forgive us the self-centred lifestyles, half-hearted commitment and careless discipleship that undermine our witness. Forgive us the lack of devotion, lack of faith and lack of love that demean your name. Meet with us now, we pray. Living God, we gather together in the name of Christ. Assure us, as we worship you, of the forgiveness, the guidance, the love and the life you offer us through Him. So may we worship you not just through our words but in our lives, not merely now but always, not simply here but everywhere, to the glory of your name. Join with me as we say the Lord’s Prayer together…. Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name, Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day, our daily bread, And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive those who trespass against us, And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil, For Thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory, For ever and ever, AMEN. Bible Reading Psalm 95 1 Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. 2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. 3 For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. 4 In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. 5 The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. 6 Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; 7 for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Today, if only you would hear his voice, 8 “Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah,[a] as you did that day at Massah[b] in the wilderness, 9 where your ancestors tested me; they tried me, though they had seen what I did. 10 For forty years I was angry with that generation; I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known my ways.’ 11 So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’” Reflection Lessons in Lent- ‘Worship’ One of the things we’re all missing most during this Pandemic is not being able to meet together in church. That’s because while God is always with us, even when we meet online, it’s just not the same. In some way, that I can’t explain, there is just something very special about joining together to worship. In those times, God makes His presence felt among us in very precious ways. So, like you, I’m hoping it won’t be too long before we’re back in church again. I’ve been intrigued and encouraged by how many of you have been telling me that this is something that you are really missing. As I’ve reflected on that, it has reminded me again that above everything else, the most important thing that we can do as a group of Christian people is worship. In fact, worship is our primary calling and our greatest privilege. But what is worship? And why is it the most important thing we can do? The word ‘worship’ originally comes from the Saxon word ‘weorthscipe’ which eventually became known as ‘worthship’- the acknowledgement of worship. In other words, to worship something means to acknowledge it’s true worth, to give it honour, glory and respect, to express how something actually is in all its specialness and worthiness. As Christians, we choose to worship God- Father, Son and Holy Spirit. But why? What is it about God that makes Him worthy of our worship? Even during the difficulties of this last year, I can think of so many occasions when God has answered that question for me. An amazing full moon, a spectacular sunset, the crashing of the waves upon the rocks of South Beach, a fox or a pheasant roaming the back field in the morning, the song of birds, the white headed snowdrops, the changing colours of the leaves on the trees. Every item of food in the fridge, the water flowing from the tap, every kind and good interaction I have had with my family, with a work colleague or someone out walking their dog. Every comfort and strength I have received in prayer. In all these things, and in so many other ways, God has continually whispered – “I’m here. I’m everywhere. I’m good. I’m kind. I’m clever. I’m creative. I’m powerful. I’ve provided. I love you.” Every morning when I see the picture of the cross in my office, I’m reminded that these are not just empty words. Because the scripture record explains that God died for me so that I might be forgiven and so He and I could be friends. And as I think about all these things, I realise that I can’t just ignore it. I’ve got to make some sort of response….and so I worship. In Psalm 95 we discover that sometimes this worship will be expressed in shouts of ‘Hallejujah! Praise the Lord!’ Even when I’m driving the car I love nothing better than to put on my favourite worship CD and tell God how special He is and how much I appreciate all He’s done for me. But in Psalm 95, we also find that often worship is expressed by awe and reverence. ‘Let us bow down and kneel before the Lord our maker.’ There are times also when I literally get down on my knees on the floor to apologise to God or to cry out to Him for a particular need. There are times when I sit and reflect on His word or walk in complete silence, listening and thinking. All of these responses are appropriate and necessary when we worship God. But of course, worship is not just about the expressions that arise from our hearts or that emerge from our lips. Worship is also all about how we live our lives. True worship will always express itself in a desire to show God our gratitude by living in ways that will reflect Him well. That’s why Paul writes in Romans 12, “Therefore I urge you brothers, in view of God’s mercy to offer yourselves as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God- this is your spiritual act of worship.” When we commit ourselves with the help of God’s Spirit to living holy lives that are pleasing to God, then we are worshipping. All of life is lived in God’s presence. All of life is spiritual. All of life can be worship. Worship is putting God at the centre, giving Him the worthiness, the glory and the honour that He deserves. It is giving of ourselves and our praise to God. It is first and foremost something that we give to God, not something that we receive from Him. It is a turning from ourselves and gazing upon God in praise, adoration, confession and penitence, dedication and commitment. The season of Lent is a gift to encourage us to stop and ask ourselves- Do I love God the way He deserves? Do I spend time thinking about Him, talking to Him, praising Him? Do I aim to do everything in a way that I know will make Him proud and that will make other people think well of Him? You and I were made to know and worship God. Above everything else, this is our primary purpose as individuals and as a church community. It is my prayer that God will help each of us to fall in love with Him afresh this Lenten season. Let us pray… Prayer Loving God, as we come together today we bring you our thanks- For modern technology that allows us to worship online. For our church where normally week by week we can come and share fellowship. For the freedom we enjoy in our country to worship you. We thank you for everything our church family and our worship together has meant and continues to mean to us. Lord of the church, unite us through the love of Christ. But we pray today for all those who for a variety of reasons, even under normal circumstances, are unable to join in united worship. Those confined to their homes, those in hospital, those who have to work on Sundays, those in residential care, those who live in countries where it is illegal to worship you. Lord of the church, unite us through the love of Christ. We pray too for those who have drifted away from regular church attendance – those who have lost their faith, or moved to a new area among new people. Those who are really struggling with these times of lockdown and are missing the social interaction with other Christian people. Lord, help us to find ways of showing our support and expressing our interest in the welfare of one another. Lord of the church, unite us through the love of Christ. We pray especially for our young people as they return to school. Lord thank you for all their teachers and the support they have already been providing online. Please help each one as schools reopen. May you keep all staff and students safe and well both physically and emotionally. We remember especially those students who are in important exam years. Help them to accept their current situation, give them wisdom for difficult choices, and enable each one to still perform to their full potential. Lord of the church, unite us through the love of Christ. CLOSING WORDS It’s been a joy and privilege to share with you again today. Thanks again for logging on. I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s reflection. Please do spend some time in quiet over the next couple of days and ask yourself- do I really love the Lord? I’m afraid we’ve no word yet about when church will be able to reopen but as soon as we get any further information we will let you know. Please continue to pray for Father Padraig Parish Priest of St Mary and Peter’s who is in hospital. Please do pray for his recovery at this time and for Fr Dave as he leads the parish in his absence. Please do pray for Bev who is also in hospital at this time and for his wife Sharon and their family. As the challenges of Covid continue I’m conscious that this is a very difficult time for us all. If you are feeling particularly low, then please do reach out and let me know. I’ll be more than happy to meet and pray with you in a safe and socially distanced way. And let’s keep a special eye out for each other whether that means just picking up the phones and seeing how someone is. But for now, let me lead you in a Benediction after which I invite you as always, to say the grace together… Benediction Our worship has not ended it has only just begun for God is with us every moment of every day! Go then and offer the worship He desires – to act justly, to show kindness and to walk humbly with God every step along the way. And May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all now and for evermore, Amen.” APC 28th Feb 2021 “Seeing and choosing what’s best” PART 1 Welcome and Introduction Good morning everyone and welcome to our Sunday morning worship. Today we look at one of the major turning points in the lives of the disciples and in Mark’s gospel. After all this time, they would finally discover who Jesus was, why he had come and what that would mean for them all. But first, let’s worship God for all that He has done for us in Christ as Elaine, Sharon and Rebecca lead us in the hymn, “Before the throne of God above”…. (End Part 1) Opening Song “Before the throne of God above” Elaine, Sharon and Rebecca thank you as always for leading us so beautifully. Let’s take a moment to pause and to talk to our heavenly Father, let’s pray… PART 2 Opening Prayer Gracious God, once more we meet together during this season of Lent. We come in the name of Christ remembering again those lonely and testing days he endured in the wilderness. We come, recalling how deliberately he spent time there alone, reflecting on who He was and what you wanted of him. We come reminded of the faith, the courage and commitment he showed during that time- qualities that were to characterize the rest of his ministry. Gracious God, help us to use this time given to us. May we draw closer to you through it, understanding more of your nature and our own. May it deepen our faith, strengthen our commitment and confirm our sense of calling. May we learn what it means to follow Christ and what it means to serve you. May we recognize more clearly the true cost of discipleship but equally the rewards. May we understand more fully why you have put us here, what you would have us do, who you would have us be, how you would have us live, where you would have us go. Gracious God, prepare us through this time of worship, this day and this season, to understand and celebrate more fully all you have done for us in Christ. And so may we love you more truly and serve you more faithfully, to the glory of your name. Amen. Join me as we say the Lord’s Prayer thoughtfully and sincerely together… Our Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name, Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day, our daily bread, And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive those who trespass against us, And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil, For Thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory, For ever and ever, AMEN. Introduction to Kids Video So if your kids aren’t beside you right now, why not pause the recording, and call them in to watch a short video about the story of who Jesus is and why He came to earth. And at the end of this video I’ve a few words to say to the children so don’t let them rush away. (END Part 2) Kid’s Video God’s Story - Jesus Link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8u-ICIHAmKk PART 3 Kid’s Talk Summary Hey boys and girls. Hope you’ve enjoyed the video today. It’s amazing that the God who made the whole world (and that includes you and me) came to live here on earth. Jesus is God who came to earth as a human being. Isn’t that amazing! So when we see how Jesus lived we see how God wants us to live. What’s even more amazing is that Jesus was willing to die on the cross for you and me. He died to take the blame for all the wrong things we say and do. If we say sorry to Him and mean it He will forgive us and be our best friend forever. Jesus is in heaven now, but when we say sorry to Him and ask Him to be our friend he sends His Spirit the Holy Spirit to live in us. It’s like having Jesus as your best friend with you everywhere you go. Its really cool because that means at any time we can ask the Holy Sprit to help us or guide us and he will. He can also remind us when we are about to say or do something wrong! I hope you believe Jesus died on the cross for you. I hope you have said sorry to Him for the wrong things in your life. I hope you have asked Jesus to be your best friend forever. Have a great week and don’t forget to say thanks to God for your teachers and your mums and dads and grannies and grandas for all their help with your schoolwork. If you ask your mum and dad they can download todays colouring sheet from our Facebook page or website to help you remember about Jesus. Don’t forget to tune in again next Sunday. Bye for now… Colouring Sheet Link https://www.cool2bkids.com/jesus-coloring-pages/ Introduction to Bible Reading One of the things I love about the bible is it’s honesty. It’s great to know that the disciples were just as slow as we are to really understand who Jesus was, why he’d come and what it would mean to follow Him. In our reading today this is exactly what we discover. So sit back as Lesley Anne reads for us from mark Chapter 8. (End Part 3) Bible Reading Video Thanks so much Lesley Anne for reading our lesson today. We hope you and Paddy and the boys are all keeping well in these days. PART 4 Reflection “Seeing and choosing what’s best” I want to begin with a true story about Kevin. His left eye was hurting and eventually he went to see his optician. During the consultation the eye specialist questioned Kevin to see if she could get to the root of the problem. “It’s funny” said Kevin “but my eye only hurts after I’ve been drinking tea.” “Well, I suggest you stop drinking tea” advised the lady. Kevin looked disappointed. “But I love tea” he said, “with two sugars.” The optician looked at him and said, “Okay, then make sure you take the spoon out.” As a wearer of glasses, I can relate to any funny, eye-related stories. I love watching the Specsaver’s adds highlighting the importance of clear vision. Like the vet who panics that a cat needs immediate resuscitation, until he realizes the animal is actually his winter hat. Recently, I read about a man who had to have an operation after swallowing his hearing aids. He thought they were cashew nuts! You know, when it comes to spiritual sight, it’s exactly the same. As we read the gospels it’s encouraging to see that even those who were closest to Jesus often needed a checkup from the Master. In our passage today we discover how despite all that he had witnessed and all that he had been taught, the apostle Peter still couldn’t clearly see who Jesus was and why He had come. It’s easy to be critical of Peter, but we need to understand that he would have been brought up being taught that the Messiah, that God would send, would be a super-human figure who would rise up in power and destroy all the enemies of God with great political and military might. So when Jesus began to explain that He would be rejected by the religious authorities, suffer and then die, Peter was utterly confused. I can imagine Peter taking Jesus to one side and saying, “Look Lord, you’ve got it wrong. You can’t be dying. Your role is to be strong. To take control. To build God’s Kingdom in power and might!” Jesus’ abruptly tells Peter to clear off, because his advice was exactly the same as what Satan had tempted him with in the wilderness. Jesus already knew the suffering that lay ahead of him. He knew that he had to die for the sins of the world. It was hard enough resisting the temptations of Satan. The last thing he needed was his best friend telling him the same thing! You know, sometimes it can be the same for us. Our greatest temptations often come from our family and closest friends. Like Peter, other people may simply be naïve about how their requests or advice may be leading us away from what God has said to us. At those times, we need all the help of God to be firm and to say “No”. Once Jesus had got over his initial frustration, Peter’s reaction must have helped him to realise just how short sighted most of his followers must be. Whilst Peter’s earlier answer, “You are the Son of God,” showed that the disciples were beginning to understand that He was the Messiah, it was clear they hadn’t a clue what that would mean for Him and what ultimately, it would mean for them. So effectively, Jesus calls an emergency meeting, gathers everyone around and without pulling any punches lays it on the line. He says, “If you want to come after me, you must deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me. For whoever tries to save their life will lose it but whoever loses their life for my sake and the gospel; will save it.” The verb used here which is translated, ‘deny’ literally means to disown. So Jesus here literally says to would-be followers, “If you want to follow me then you need to stop living for yourself.” Our natural reaction is probably to say, “Hold on a minute, I don’t just live for myself.” Well, if you’re still not convinced that deep down we all live mostly for ourselves, then try answering this question - “who has the right to tell me how to live my life, how to spend my time, how to conduct my relationships with others, how to do my job and how to spend my money?” Our instinctive response is, “No one!” “It’s my life! I’ll choose how I live it!” But Jesus says, “It’s not your life, it’s mine. I made you, all you have I give to you! You want to follow me? Then you need to put me first, others second and yourself last. You want to follow me? Then your own interests, your own desires have got to take a back seat. My mission and your job to take that message to the world is so important, it’s got to be your number one priority. At times that will mean saying no to ease and comfort, no to certain instincts and desires, no to self-interest and self-will. You’ve got to let me do the driving in your life!” Every day we must battle against this sin of selfishness. If you and I are not prepared to let God decide how we use our time, how we behave towards others, how we spend our money, what our attitudes should be, then we’re not ready to follow Christ. Reflect Are you willing to give the keys of your life to Christ? In addition to denying ourselves, Jesus goes on to say that “we must take up our cross and follow Him.” What did Jesus mean? In those days under Roman law, criminals weren’t sent to prison. Instead their arms were outstretched and nailed to a piece of wood. They were then forced to carry this cross beam through the streets to the place of their execution. There, they were lifted up and the cross piece was nailed at right angles to a wooden post in the ground. Eventually, the air would be squeezed from their lungs and they would die. Crowds would line the streets to shout abuse at the criminals as they carried their ‘cross.’ Jesus uses this symbol to convey to people who wanted to follow Him, the shame, the ridicule and the cost that they would have to endure. If you and I want to receive the blessings of Christ’s cross then we also must take up our own cross and be prepared to walk the path of abuse and pay the cost of being a Christian. But what will it mean to take up our cross? Are we prepared to be considered ‘narrow minded’ because of some of our Christian beliefs? How would we respond if God called us to serve Him with our gifts in a less well-paid job or in another part of the world? Are we prepared to be called a prude because we don’t agree with sex before marriage or refuse to laugh at suggestive jokes in the office or the classroom? Are we willing to live a simpler lifestyle, so that we can devote our time to the things that really matter such as our family relationships, going to church regularly and caring for those who are in situations of poverty and suffering? Have we the courage to share our faith with those we rub shoulders with in our daily lives? Have we the energy to go that second mile for others or the courage to forgive those who treat us wrongly? Here Jesus reminds us, if we’re not willing to bear the cross then we’re not ready to receive its blessings. Reflect Are you willing to take up your cross each day? Let me stop and make one thing very clear if it isn’t clear already: Many of the benefits of being a Christian are in the world to come. Following Christ here and now demands our 100% commitment. At times it will cost us dearly. The question is “Is it worth it?” If we only think of following Christ in earthly terms the answer is “No” it isn’t worth it. But Jesus adds these final verses to give his first followers and us, the right perspective. He says, “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and the gospel will save it. What good is it for a person to gain the whole world yet lose their soul? For what can a person give in exchange for their soul?” Aside from your family, what’s the most precious thing you have? A house? A car? A picture? A ring? What if I offered you E20 for it? You would be absolutely crazy if you took me up on that offer! And yet, every day, as a coffin is lowered into the ground, the devil rubs his hands and laughs, knowing that someone else has swapped their most precious possession, their eternal soul, for the measly sum of a life of selfish pleasure. Don’t let it happen to you! Your spirit, your soul, the real you, is the most precious possession you have! If you lose it, there is nothing you can do to get it back! To prevent that happening Jesus wants to lift our eyes from the present and fix them on the future! In one sense He is reminding us that this life, and all that’s good about it, is simply a dress rehearsal for the next. And that’s because ‘the next life’ as we call it, will last forever and all of us will live it! In so many places, the scriptures encourage us that if our souls are found in Christ (if we love Him and follow Him) we will live in the splendour of heaven forever! (God will clothe our souls in a new resurrection body and raise us to be with Christ forever). That’s why when mum died last year I was both sad and happy. Sad to have lost her but so relieved that her suffering was over and so happy that she is now living the life with God in heaven. But the reverse is also true. That’s why in even more places the scriptures warn us that if our spirit is lost, (if we ignore Christ and don’t follow Him) we will be separated from God’s loving presence forever. It’s a choice between 60 years of commitment and an eternity of pleasure, or 60 years of selfishness and an eternity of regret. Don’t be fooled! Jesus here teaches that there is a connection between our commitment to Him now and our fate at death. Or as Maximus puts it in the film Gladiator, “What we do in life echoes in eternity!” Conclusion Every decision in life has its pros and cons, its costs and benefits. The decision to follow Christ is no different. Through Jesus’ death on the cross we receive all the blessings of forgiveness of sin and the promise of a greater quality of life both now and in the world to come. But to receive these blessings aright, we must accept the other side coin, for with the blessings comes the cost of commitment. As the old children’s song says, “If we cannot bear the cross we can’t wear the crown.” Because Jesus is the King who will one day be our judge, whatever we might lose by following Christ now will pale into insignificance compared with how He will reward us then. Jesus pleads with us to give up the very things that will destroy us- self-love, self-worship, self-will. In 1000 AD, 186 years after the death of the Emperor Charlemagne, officials of the Emperor Otto re-opened Charlemagne’s tomb. Before them was an extraordinary sight. In the midst of all the gold, jewels and priceless treasure buried with him- there was the skeleton of Charlemagne himself, seated on his throne, still wearing his crown. In his lap there lay a bible and a bony finger rested on Mark Chapter 8 v 36… “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?” I wonder what answer Charlemagne gave?... Introduction to Song It’s not easy for any of us, myself included to always follow Jesus. One thing that keeps me going is knowing what awaits us in heaven and the people who have gone before us who will be there to welcome us. So sit back and be inspired once more to give Him your all as we listen to the song, “When we all get to heaven”. (End Part 4) Song of Response “When we all get to heaven” PART 5 Prayer Lord Jesus Christ, you call us as you called your first disciples to follow you- not simply to believe, not merely to declare our faith and confess you as lord, but to keep on following wherever you lead. Lord Jesus, help us! Help us to follow you eagerly, faithfully, devotedly, seeing where you are at work and staying close to you. Lord Jesus, help us! Help us to follow in your footsteps, pursuing the way of love and accepting the road of sacrifice. Lord Jesus, help us! Help us to follow after you, letting your presence fill our hearts, and trusting you so competently that your love shines through us. Lord Jesus, help us! Help us to follow through the life of discipleship, not allowing ourselves to become distracted, or to lose heart so that we wander away from you, but keeping faith to the end. Lord Jesus, help us! Lord Jesus Christ, you call us as you call all your people, to follow you. Teach us what that means, and by your grace help us to respond and be followers of your way. Take a moment now to pray for one or two people you know who need God’s help at this time…. All this we ask in the name of the one who denied Himself, took up His cross and gave His life for us, Amen. CLOSING WORDS It’s been a joy and privilege to share with you again today. Thanks again for logging on. I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s reflection. Please do spend some time in quiet over the next couple of days and ask yourself… I’m afraid we’ve no word yet about when church will be able to reopen but as soon as we get any further information we will let you know. I just heard this week that Father Padraig Parish Priest of St Mary and Peter’s is in hospital. Please do pray for his recovery at this time and for Fr Dave as he leads the parish in his absence. Please do pray for Bev who is also in hospital at this time and for his wife Sharon and their family. I would also like to highlight two wonderful resources. The first is a series of Lenten reflections specifically aimed at bolstering our emotional wellbeing produced by the Bible Society. It’s called ‘Lifting the lid’ and you can register by logging onto the National Bible Society of Ireland’s website. They will be running on Monday nights for the next 6 weeks during the season of Lent. The Second is an App called Lectio 365 and you can download it for free. It provides a short reflective and prayerful reading of scripture in the style of Lectio Divina each day. I’ve found it a great way of helping me to slow down and to prayerfully reflect on scripture in a way that nurtures my spirit rather than just my mind. I hope you will find it helpful too. As the challenges of Covid continue I’m conscious that this is a very difficult time for us all. If you are feeling particularly low, then please do reach out and let me know. I’ll be more than happy to meet and pray with you in a safe and socially distanced way. And let’s keep a special eye out for each other whether that means just picking up the phones and seeing how someone is. But for now, let me lead you in a Benediction after which I invite you as always, to say the grace together… Benediction Go now, and live before God in openness and integrity. Set your minds on the ways of God, not clinging to your own life, but taking up your cross and following Jesus. And May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all now and for evermore, Amen.” APC Wednesday 24th Feb 2021 Lessons on Lent – ‘Lectio Divina’ Welcome and Introduction Today we continue our series on Lent. Last Wednesday was Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. We reflected on how the tradition of that day reminds us of our need to keep short accounts with God and to regularly repent so that we can keep close to God and stay spiritually healthy. Today I want to share with you another ancient tradition which can help us not only during this Lenten season but every day to keep our relationship with God alive and spiritually fresh. It’s called ‘Lectio Divina’ which simply means ‘Divine reading’. Lectio Divina is a contemplative way of reading the Scriptures. It dates back to the early centuries of the Christian Church and was established as a monastic practice by Benedict in the 6th century. It is a way of praying the scriptures that leads us deeper into God’s word. In Lectio Divina we slow down. We read a short passage more than once. We chew it over slowly and carefully. We savour it. We reflect upon it prayerfully. As we do this, Scripture begins to speak to us in a new way. It speaks to us personally, and stengthens that relationship we have with God through Christ who is himself the Living Word. So, Lectio Divina is not Bible study or even an alternative to Bible study, but something radically different. Like the disciples on the Emmaus Road, the practice understands Scripture as a meeting place for a personal encounter with the Living God. It is a practice we come to with the desire to be changed at all sorts of levels. It operates very much on the emotional rather than the purely intellectual level. It might be described as ‘hearty’ rather than ‘heady’. Through it we allow ourselves to be formed in the likeness of Christ; it is about formation rather than instruction. There are a variety of ways you can enter into Lectio Divina but this morning I’m going to show you one very simple one by leading you through a short time of Lectio Divina focusing on the story of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. I will be using a resource that is available free online called Lectio 365. Together we will worship God using a series of pauses, prayers, questions for reflection and Scripture readings. You might wish to close your eyes for the whole time or to close them at certain points. When I pause for silence, use that time to reflect, to listen to what God might be saying to you and to talk to Him. When you hear me say the words, ‘AMEN’ you will know that our time of worship has come to an end. Pause and Pray As we begin, let me encourage you to close your eyes, to pause and be still. Breathe slowly and deeply…Let go of any anxious or busy thoughts and allow your mind to focus on the truth that God is here with you, right now….PAUSE… Prayer Holy Spirit, we thank you that you are here with us today. Thank you that when we are silenced by suffering you pray for us and through us. Lord Jesus when we feel helpless we are strengthened because you are with the Father, right now, praying for us. ….PAUSE… Rejoice and Reflect In the wilderness of this Pandemic we cry out to God today, in the words of Psalm 13… “O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever?” “How long will you simply look the other way?” “How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul?” “With sorrow in my heart every day?” “How long will my enemy have the upper hand?” ….PAUSE… Jesus is no stranger to life’s wilderness experiences. As we read Mark 14 we join Jesus and his closest friends in the Garden of Gethsemane. Knowing that He would soon be arrested and executed, Jesus prays a shocking prayer… Reading (Mark 14 v 32-36) “They went to a place called Gethsemane and Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Sit here while I pray.’ He took Peter, James and John along with Him and He began to be deeply distressed and troubled. ‘My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,’ he said to them. ‘Stay here and keep watch.’” Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible this hour might pass from Him. Abba father, he said, ‘everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not my will but yours be done.” ….SHORT PAUSE… Here Jesus follows His own pattern of prayer. He calls God, ‘Abba Father’- ‘daddy’ instead of our father. He hallows God’s name by saying, God, you can do anything. But at the point where he is meant to pray, “Your Kingdom come” he says the exact opposite, “Take this cup from me!” He is going off script, admitting to the father, “I don’t want to suffer, I’m scared. There has to be another way! If Jesus can be so honest with God in his hour of greatest need then surely so can we?... ….PAUSE… Ask In what ways do I pretend when I pray? Are there any tricks I use to try to avoid or persuade God? We take a little time now to speak to the Father honestly from our hearts about what we are really feeling and thinking, remembering that He loves us, values our honesty and is never shocked… ….PAUSE… Pause and Pray We think about someone we know who feels deeply distressed and troubled, overwhelmed by what they are facing at the moment… “Jesus, you know what it’s like to suffer. Please draw near to the person I’ve been thinking of. Help them to be honest about how they feel. Bring them your comfort and hope.” ….PAUSE… Yield As we return to our passage, we ask you Holy Spirit to highlight one word or phrase for me today… “They went to a place called Gethsemane and Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Sit here while I pray.’ He took Peter, James and John along with Him and He began to be deeply distressed and troubled. ‘My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,’ he said to them. ‘Stay here and keep watch.’” Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible this hour might pass from Him. Abba father, he said, ‘everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not my will but yours be done.” (Mark 14 v 32-36) ….SHORT PAUSE… Everything is possible for the Father. Words like this build our faith, but they can sometimes make it hard for us to face disappointment and loss. Everything is possible but not everyone is healed right now. Everything is possible but not all prayers are answered in the way we hope. Everything is possible but not all evil is stopped immediately. We ask you Holy Spirit to give us strength to persevere in prayer. Restore to me the gift of faith that believes, “Everything is possible with you.” ….PAUSE… Yielding Prayer We join in a beautiful and challenging prayer written by Richard Foster… “Today, O Lord I yield myself to you. May your will be my delight today. May you have perfect sway in me. May your love be the pattern of my living. I surrender to you my hopes, my dreams, my ambitions. Do with them what you will, when you will, as you will. I place into your loving care my family, my friends, my future. Care for them with a care that I can never give. I release into your hands my need to control, my craving for status, my fear of obscurity. Eradicate the evil, purify the good and establish your Kingdom on earth. For Jesus’ sake, Amen. Closing Words If you haven’t already done so I want to encourage you now to open your eyes. I really hope you enjoyed our Lectio Divina and that you really felt connected to God as we prayed and reflected together. Basically you can use this method of pausing, reading, reflecting, re-reading and praying in any way you want. The emphasis is on allowing the scriptures themselves to really speak to you by reading them over and over. It’s about slowing down and taking time to listen to what God is saying. If you find it hard to do this on your own then let me encourage you to use the free online resource that I used today to demonstrate how Lectio Divina can be done. The App is called Lectio 365 and you can download it for free. I’ve found it a great way of helping me to slow down and to prayerfully reflect on scripture in a way that nurtures my spirit rather than just my mind. I hope you will find it helpful too. I’m afraid we’ve no further word yet about when church will be able to reopen but as soon as we get any further information we will let you know. I just heard this week that Father Padraig Parish Priest of St Mary and Peter’s is in hospital. Please do pray for his recovery at this time and for Fr Dave as he leads the parish in his absence. Please do pray for Bev who is also in hospital at this time and for his wife Sharon and their family. I would also like to highlight a wonderful resource of Lenten reflections specifically aimed at bolstering our emotional wellbeing produced by the Bible Society. It’s called ‘Lifting the lid’ and you can register by logging onto the National Bible Society of Ireland’s website. They will be running on Monday nights for the next 6 weeks during the season of Lent. For now let me close with a benediction after which I invite you as always to share the grace together… Benediction Go now as witnesses of God’s eternal presence. The risen Christ has made himself known to you in the reading of scripture and in quiet prayer, so set your faith and hope on God, fulfilling your promises and living in genuine mutual love. May God hear and respond whenever you call; may Christ Jesus make himself known to you in all things; and may the Holy Spirit open your eyes and set your hearts on fire with love. So may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all now and forever more. Amen At the National Bible Society of Ireland, we are excited to begin a six week journey into a type of 'wilderness', where we have the opportunity to engage and reflect on our mental health. We begin on Monday February 22nd, at 7.30pm. Please feel free to share with your church community as appropriate. For six sessions we will be using the 'Lifting the Lid' resource, put together using material from a joint initiative between 'Mind & Soul' and 'Livability' (for more, see https://www.mindandsoulfoundation.org/). Our heart is to create a nurturing space where we can thoughtfully engage with biblical text during the season of Lent, and conversationally explore key themes we encounter on our inner and collective journey toward mental wholeness. To that end these sessions will cover: - Valued: Zacchaeus - Cared for: Elijah - Listened to: Emmaus - Accepted: Weeping woman - Understood: Jairus - Beloved: Prodigal Son In conjunction with the relevant biblical texts, each week will look at different dimensions of mental health, including questions around challenges to mental well-being, addiction, anxiety, disconnection or restoration. There will be six facilitators - one for each session. Each facilitator is trained in either ministry, counselling, art therapy or biblical scholarship and brings a unique skill to the overall conversation of mental well-being. We are conscious that the issues raised can be sensitive and deeply personal - this forum will not and does not seek to solve such issues. Rather, it seeks to gently draw our attention to the reality that these are challenges faced by many of us each day. The first time the word 'hope' is used in the Bible (in the Book of Joshua), it is translated as the word 'rope'. This presents a most interesting thought - that at times hope needs to be tangible, and with God we find that we have something firm on which we can grab a hold, something solid and life-giving. Hope gives us options. Whether Elijah in the cave or Zacchaeus up the tree, we all can experience moments when it feels we are hiding in a cave, or invisible, and are not sure which direction God's heart is pointing us towards. These six sessions are intended therefore to offer a tangible piece of hope, as we navigate the current wilderness in which we all find ourselves. So join with us on this journey of discovery, where we will 'Lift the Lid' each Monday evening from 7.30-8.40pm during Lent, and reflect on six key areas that are important in nurturing and sustaining good mental health. To register, simply click here - https://www.nationalbiblesocietyofireland.ie/ onto our website, or here - 'LIFTING THE LID' REGISTRATION LINK https://bit.ly/3rXMhuW, and fill out the short and easy registration form. A zoom link will arrive in your inbox. Any issues which arise with registration please contact info@nbsi.ie. Every warmest blessing, Julie McKinley Julie McKinley Development Officer National Bible Society of Ireland nationalbiblesocietyofireland.ie APC 21st February 2021 “The Temptation of Christ” PART 1 Welcome and Introduction Good morning everyone and welcome to our Sunday morning worship. Today is the first Sunday in Lent- the 40 Day period beginning on Ash Wednesday and ending on Easter Saturday. It’s a wonderful opportunity to make extra time in our lives for personal and spiritual reflection. The 40 days mirror the practice of Jesus who fasted and prayed in the desert for that period, immediately after the joy of his baptism. Today as I speak to you, it feels like we have already been experiencing Lent. It’s been over 7 weeks now since the last Level 5 lockdown. In that time, we’ve already sacrificed and denied ourselves a lot. So today, this passage of Jesus’ temptation takes on an even greater significance than normal. It’s interesting that it’s the Holy Spirit who leads Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. This isn’t the sort of thing we expect the Holy Spirit to do. Isn’t he supposed to protect us from satanic onslaughts not lead us into them? As we reflect on our own wilderness experience could it be the Holy Spirit who has led us into this dry and difficult place? And if so, why? But before we delve into that, Sharon and Elaine will lead us in the beautiful Gaelic hymn, Ag Crist an Siol. To Christ the seed, to Christ the crop, in barn of Christ may we be brought. To Christ the sea, to Christ the fish, in nets of Christ may we be caught. From growth to age, from age to death, Thy two arms here, O Christ, about us. From death to end, not end but growth, in blessed Paradise may we be. (End Part 1) Opening Song “Ag Criost an Siol” Part 2 Sharon and Elaine, thank you so much for leading us in worship through that beautiful song. Let’s take a moment now to talk to our heavenly Father, let’s pray… Opening Prayer Gracious and merciful God, on this first Sunday of Lent we come together to worship you, to praise and thank you, to seek your forgiveness and ask for your renewal. Create in us a clean heart and put a right spirit within us. We come in the name of Christ, remembering his lonely days in the wilderness, his time wrestling with temptation and the ministry that followed, restring and transforming so many lives. Create in us a clean heart and put a right spirit within us. Help us to learn from his example – to search our hearts as he did, to consider our calling, to reflect on our faith, to resist temptation, and to commit ourselves more wholly to you. Create in us a clean heart and put a right spirit within us. Help us to recognise all Jesus has done for us through His life, death and resurrection; and so may we gladly come to you, confessing our sins, acknowledging our faults, accepting our weaknesses and receiving your forgiveness. Create in us a clean heart and put a right spirit within us. Gracious and merciful God, we come together on this first Sunday of Lent. We admit that we are generally hungrier for physical food than the spiritual variety. Radically increase our desire for every word that comes from your mouth during this season of Lent and this wilderness of pandemic. Create in us a clean heart and put a right spirit within us. Join me as we say the Lord’s Prayer thoughtfully and sincerely together… Our Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name, Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day, our daily bread, And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive those who trespass against us, And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil, For Thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory, For ever and ever, AMEN. Introduction to Kids Video We come to the part of the service which is especially for the younger members of our church family. So if your kids aren’t beside you right now, why not pause the recording, and call them in to watch a short animation about….. And at the end of this video I’ve a few words to say to the children so don’t let them rush away. (END Part 2) Kid’s Video PursueGOD Kids – ‘The Temptation of Jesus’ Link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KouHKHQiKT4 PART 3 Kid’s Talk Summary Hey boys and girls. I hope you’ve had a fun week over half term. I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s video. I thought it was really nice seeing young people explaining today’s lesson. You’re never too young to serve God. Anyway, don’t forget we all get tempted to do stuff that we know is wrong. It’s not wrong to be tempted. It’s only wrong when we give in and do what’s wrong. When we read the bible we find out how God wants us to live. We find out what’s right and what’s wrong. That helps us so that when we’re tempted we will know what we should do. But as well as that remember that because Jesus was tempted he understands what it’s like for us. And because He is alive in heaven when we pray to Him he will help us. So next time you are tempted to say something rude or hit someone or not share, say a quick prayer, “Jesus, please help me not to do this.” And even when you mess up, remember Jesus still loves you. Say sorry and ask him to help you do better next time. To help you remember today’s lesson if you ask your mam or dad they can go onto the church website or the Facebook page and find the link to a colouring sheet. Don’t forget to tune in again next Sunday. Bye for now and I hope you enjoy your break from school work for Half term next week. Colouring Sheet Link- sundayschoolzone.com/activity/jesus-temptation-coloring-page/ Introduction to Bible Reading The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness. Why? What lessons did he wish to teach Him and what can we learn from Christ’s experience? Well, before I give you my thoughts, sit back as Jamie Fenton reads Matthew 4 v 1-11. (End Part 3) Bible Reading Matthew 4 v 1-11 Jamie Fenton PART 4 The Temptation of Christ We are all weary physically and emotionally at the moment. Like Jesus, we are at a low ebb, weak and vulnerable to temptation. This is when the enemy of God, that angel of darkness, comes to us masquerading as an angel of light. “If you are the son of God”, he says, “then turn these stones into bread.” It had been 6 weeks since his last meal. Jesus was literally on the point of starvation. At any time during that period he could easily have turned stones into bread to feed himself. He was God in human flesh after all. Later he would turn water into wine at a wedding and a small lunch box of food into a banquet that would feed thousands. But this was not the time. This was a time to allow himself to experience the full frailty of humanity and the full force of temptation. In this temptation satan promised Jesus an improvement on the human condition – to have the good parts without the bad, to taste bread without knowing the hardship of true hunger or hard labour. Without that experience he would not be able to fully empathise with the billions of people who would later look to him for help in their own wilderness. If he had given in at this point, he would have become imperfect. He would have been disqualified from becoming the perfect sacrifice for our sin. We would still be far from God with no hope of knowing Him as our friend. The stakes were high and yet the devil, as always, made it sound so right. “This will prove without a shadow that you are who you say you are!” To counter these seeds of doubt, Jesus must have kept repeating to himself the words of His Father at his baptism, “This is my son, with whom I am so pleased.” Still today the devil tries to get us to doubt that we are really sons and daughters of God. Like Jesus, he will strike when we are at our weakest, or when we have recently recovered from something we deeply regret. “You couldn’t be a Christian, Just look at what you did, listen to what you said, how could you think those thoughts?” God could never forgive that. No one will ever believe you. You’ll never be good enough.” So too satan tempts us to doubt God’s promise to provide for us. It’s not that we shouldn’t work. It’s not that it’s wrong to plan and to save for a rainy day. It’s just that so often this becomes our whole focus in life. We stress and worry to keep up with the O’Reardons. We place our faith and security in people, systems and money rather than in the one who owns it all! So today, it’s good for us to hear the response of Jesus, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” When satan tempts us to doubt God’s acceptance or his care, we too must turn a deaf ear and listen instead to the promises of God in Holy Scripture… “Whoever comes to me, I will not turn away.” “Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.” “Look at the birds of the air, they do not sow or reap or store away in barns and yet your heavenly father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable to Him than them?... Seek first the kingdom of god and his righteous ness and all these things will be added to you.” The devil’s second assault on our Lord was aimed at his ministry, against everything that he had come into this world to do. Matthew puts it like this, “the devil took Jesus to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. If you are the son of God, he said, throw yourself down, for it’s is written, He will command his angels concerning you and they will lift you up in their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. Again the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour. All this I will give you if you bow down and worship me.” At his baptism, we saw that the heavenly voice identified Jesus not only as God’s Son but also as God’s servant. The one who would suffer and die for his own people’s sins. But now in this wilderness experience, the devil tempted Christ with other less costly options – if Rome distributed free bread to promote Caesar’s Kingdom, could Jesus not do the same? Could He not win the world by a sensational display of God’s power? And where was the harm in striking a bargain? If Jesus would just bow down and worship, satan would give Him the kingdoms of the world right there and then. No delay, no suffering, no cross. So too in our lives the devil always loves to persuade us that the end justifies the means. So we’re tempted to lie on our CV if it helps us get a job or to steal an answer from someone else in class if we feel we’ll get a better test score. We feel it’s ok to break the speed limit if it gets us there on time or to claim our teenager is the main driver of a vehicle if it means paying less car insurance. We justify the use of nasty comments to get inside the head of our opponents in the hope of winning a game or using a position of influence to gain a benefit for a family member or friend. But God’s ways are not our ways. They are certainly not the way of satan. The devil seeks to force obedience through deception, coercion, threats and bedazzlement. God, on the other hand adopts a much lighter touch. He seeks to establish His Kingdom and command the obedience of his people, through freedom and love. We often wish it was different. We want God to intervene in human affairs. Would he not just wipe out this virus in an instant? Would he not prevent earthquakes and Tsunamis or destroy the most-wicked leaders in our world? Why does He just seem to sit on His hands? We also want God to be more proactive in our personal lives. Would he not heal my diseases or show himself without doubt so that we wouldn’t have to prove His existence to our friends? Why does God insist in showing such restraint? Because ultimately no miraculous display of power or lightening-bolt threat of judgement can achieve the response that God desires. Yes God, could force us to obey Him. Yes he could control our every action if he wanted. That might relieve much suffering but it would also remove our freedom. Instead God allows us to choose right or wrong, to accept Him or to reject Him. Ultimately that is what He has created us for, so that we might know His love, and love Him in return. Instead of choosing the easier path of fulfilment, miracle, power and force, Jesus chose the way of restraint, freedom, choice and love. This decision in the desert reflected the whole of His life. So he didn’t worry if the whole world wasn’t converted in his lifetime. He didn’t cure people who weren’t ready to be cured. He allowed people to walk away. It was not an easy choice. It would mean suffering for Him and for us. Sure, one day it would mean restoration of the entire universe but it the meantime it would leave the reputation of God at risk. Would this promised redemption be worth the wait? Would our current freedom be worth the consequent suffering? Only God knows the answer, but it’s obviously ‘Yes’. That’s why our Lord said no to satan. He knew that the way of restraint was best. The master of the universe would allow himself to become its victim. In love He would lay down His life for us. He knew that only His death could save us from our sins. At any time God could make us obey Him but that would not be love. He knew that the only way to melt our human hearts was to show us how much He loved us by giving his life on the cross. You know through our secular world, the devil still tempts us in these ways today. We’re tempted to see God as our magician in the sky and then to doubt his existence when our prayers are not answered in the way that we imagine. We’re tempted to seek quick fixes to complex problems of human need. We’re tempted to throw our weight around or lower our moral standards to gain position and power. We’re tempted to believe ‘if it feels good do it’, and that riches will make us happy. How will we resist? Where can we find better advice? Where Jesus found it. In Holy Scripture. Each time he was tempted Jesus refused to listen to the devil. Immediately, instinctively, he rejected each temptation with the words, “It is written…” “Do not put the Lord to the test.” “Worship the Lord and serve Him only.” So can I ask you, who are you listening to? It is only by doing the hard yards of reading and memorising Holy Scripture that you and I will be able to drown the devils voice with the voice of God. The good news is we’re never alone in that task. For as the writer of Hebrews reminds us, “We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way just as we are – yet without sin. And because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” Christ loves you. Christ died for you. He is in heaven now praying for you. When you are tempted, ask him to help you…. Amen. Introduction to Song of Response You know, it’s amazing that because Christ has died and is risen that He is now alive in heaven as our Great High Priest praying for us. It’s amazing to know that we also now have the Holy Spirit living in us to help us when we pray to Him. Let’s celebrate this good news as Tara and Holly lead us in the song, “See what a Morning” (End Part 4) Song of Response “See what a morning” Part 5 Let’s pray… Prayer of Intercession Lord Jesus Christ, we are reminded today in this season of Lent, of the time you spent in the wilderness- facing choices, wrestling with temptation, experiencing a period of testing that would shape the course of your ministry, a time which reminds us of your humanity which tells us you were one with us, tempted just as we are. In the wilderness of life today… Be present O Lord. Lord Jesus Christ, we thank you that you came through that time the stronger - more sure of the oath you must take, and more confident of your ability to take it. So now we pray for those experiencing similar times of testing. In the wilderness of life today… Be present O Lord. We pray for those facing difficult and demanding choices – choices which entail pain and self-sacrifice, which mean letting go of cherished dreams, which involve facing awkward facts about themselves and others. In the wilderness of life today… Be present O Lord. We pray for those wrestling with temptation – torn between conflicting desires, unsure of where they stand, uncertain about their ability to stand firm. In the wilderness of life today…Be present O Lord. We pray for those experiencing a period of testing in their lives – problems they fear they cannot cope with, challenges they feel unable to rise to, questions they would rather not face. In the wilderness of life today…Be present O Lord. Lord Jesus Christ, give strength to all facing such times – a sureness of purpose and clearness of mind. Give the knowledge of your will – then courage to make right decisions and resolve to see them through. May each emerge the stronger for all they experience, and better equipped to face the future. In the wilderness of life today…Be present O Lord. Lord we know that it was the Holy Spirit who led you into the wilderness. Holy Spirit so too it may be that you have led us into the wilderness that we currently experiencing. Teach us then the lessons that you want us to learn at this time… Take a few moments now to pray for others and to ask the Holy Spirit to be with you and help you and teach you in these difficult days…. All this we pray in the name of Jesus who was tempted just as we are yet had no sin. Amen. Benediction Go in peace to enjoy and employ your gift of faith. Our help is in the name of God who made heaven and earth. Fear neither outward foe nor inner temptation. Our help is in the name of God who made heaven and earth Rejoice in your blessings and smile in your adversities. Our help is in the name of God who made heaven and earth. And may…The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all evermore Amen. APC 17th February 2021 “Introducing Lent” Welcome and Introduction Good morning everyone and welcome to our Midweek worship. Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. So I want to begin a new series that will lead us through this wonderfully reflective Christian season. But as always let’s begin by talking to God, let’s pray… Opening Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer Living God, we thank you for this day You have given us, a day that reminds us of your mercy, your forgiveness, your offer of a new beginning for all who seek it. Search us O God, and lead us in the way of eternal life We thank you for this time you have given us, this season of Lent which reminds us of the need for prayer and reflection, discipline and self-examination. Search us O God, and lead us in the way of eternal life We thank you for all this season leads towards, the days of Holy Week and Easter which remind us of your great love shown in Christ, and your great victory won through Him. Search us O God, and lead us in the way of eternal life Living God, help us to use this day wisely and this season fully, so that our faith may be deepened, our horizons stretched and our love for you increased. Search us O God, and lead us in the way of eternal life Cleanse us of all that is wrong, put a new heart and a right spirit within us and so prepare us to rejoice again at the wonder of your love revealed in Christ crucified and risen. Search us O God, and lead us in the way of eternal life, for it’s in His name we pray. Let us share together in the words of the Lord’s Prayer…. Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name, Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day, our daily bread, And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive those who trespass against us, And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil, For Thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory, For ever and ever, AMEN. Address “Lessons to Learn from Lent” I don’t know about you, but I really enjoy the different seasons and celebrations of the Christian Year like Harvest, Advent, Christmas, Easter and Pentecost. It gives great variety to our services and helps us to focus on some of the most important aspects of our faith each year. Today, Ash Wednesday, begins the season that we call ‘Lent’. The English word ‘lent’ actually means spring. However, it has nothing to do with celebrating a season of the year. Traditionally, in the Early Church ‘Lent’ was a Pre-Easter period of spiritual discipline. It was first undertaken by candidates who were to be baptised on Easter Day. During a six-week period these people received detailed instruction on the Christian faith before they were initiated into the faith through baptism. Today, however, Lent has become the time when Christians in general are invited to prepare themselves to celebrate the death and the resurrection of Christ during Easter. It encompasses the 40-day period beginning on Ash Wednesday and ending on Easter Saturday. The timeframe, mirrors the reality that our Jesus spent 40 days in the desert, without eating any food. During that time Jesus was able to listen to God and talk to Him about what He wanted him to teach people and what he wanted Him to do. We’ll be reflecting on that passage in more detail on Sunday. During the 40 days of Lent, Christians try to copy Jesus by setting aside more time to talk to God by praying and to listen to God by reading the bible. Today, ‘Ash Wednesday’ marks the beginning of this period we call Lent. I don’t know how much you know about Ash Wednesday. I must confess that I knew virtually nothing about it until recent years. It’s not a festival that we practice in the Presbyterian church. But it is a practice that is very interesting and which we can learn many important lessons from. So I thought I would share a little bit about what happens on Ash Wednesday and what lessons we too might be able to learn from it. On Ash Wednesday in many Christian churches, the minister or Priest will dip their finger in some ashes that have been obtained from the burning of Palm branches from the previous Year’s Palm Sunday service. When the minister or priest has dipped their finger in the ashes, they will make the sign of the cross on the forehead of all the people in the church. The people will not wash this ash off their skin. They will just allow it to gradually disappear itself over a few days. But why do some Christian people do this? What spiritual benefit can it bring them? Well to discover the answer we need to turn to the bible. Let’s read from Jonah 3 v 1-10. Reading Jonah 3 v 1-10. Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.” 3 Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it. 4 Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” 5 The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. 6 When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. 7 This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. 8 But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. 9 Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.” 10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened. Here in the book of Jonah we find that when the people of Ninevah realised that they were saying or doing things that were wrong and that they had made God angry, they dressed themselves in old clothes made out of a rough material called ‘sackcloth’. They also covered themselves in dusty ashes and refrained from eating for a while. This was their way of showing God they were really sorry for the wrong things that they were saying and doing. It was their way of telling God that they wanted to ‘repent’. That means they wanted to change and to start saying and doing the things that God would be pleased with. Repent means to turn around. It means to turn away from doing the things that God says are wrong. It means to turn to God and do the things that He says are right. Today, Christians in many churches put ash on their foreheads. That way, every time they look in the mirror and see the ash cross, they will be reminded that Jesus died for their sins. They will be reminded that to have their sins forgiven they need to repent. They will remember that they need to be sorry for the wrong things they say and do and they need to be willing to change their behaviour and do what God says. In many churches, including our own denomination we don’t put ash on our foreheads on Ash Wednesday. But we do still believe that when we know that we have done something wrong that we need to repent. 1 John 1 v 8 and 9 puts it like this, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. These verses remind us that even though God has accepted us in Christ, from time to time we all still say and think and do things that are wrong. That means we need to say sorry to God. But just saying sorry isn’t enough. To repent means that we also need to do something. We don’t necessarily need to put ash on our bodies. But we do need to change our behaviour. We might have to stop getting drunk. We might have to apologise to our spouse or family member for something we have said or done. We might have to be reconsider how generous we are being to God and to other people in the world who are in need. We might need to stop gossiping about someone. We might need to stop complaining about things. We might need to start talking to God again and saying ‘thank you’ to Him because we have forgotten about Him. Conclusion I hope you will join me on our Lenten journey over the next number of Wednesday mornings. Today, Ash Wednesday begins that journey. And even though we don’t practice it in our denomination, let us not be uninformed about the benefits of Christian Traditions like Ash Wednesday. Let us remember the helpful lessons that Ash Wednesday reminds us of, not just during Lent, but every day of our lives- the lesson that we need to be willing to repent. We need to say sorry to God when we know we have done something wrong. We also to stop doing that wrong behaviour and ask God to help us do and say what is right. That way we keep our communication lines with God open and allow His Spirit to change us from the inside out. That way we will continue to reflect more of the likeness of Christ in our daily lives. Let’s pray… Prayer Almighty, all-seeing God, we thank you for this season of Lent – a time to reflect upon our discipleship, to consider our calling, to test ourselves and see whether we are actually in the faith. Almighty God, help us to be honest with ourselves, to see ourselves as we really are, with all our weaknesses, all our ugliness and sinfulness. Help us to face all those things which we usually prefer to push aside – the unpleasant truths we sweep under the carpet, pretending they are not there. All-seeing God, we can fool ourselves but we cannot fool you. We can pretend all is well but cannot conceal our inner pain. We can deny our need of you but cannot disguise our emptiness without you. We can seek fulfilment in this world but will never find real peace outside your love. Almighty and all-seeing God, we claim to be in the faith but sometimes that faith is skin deep. We claim to love you but often that love is flawed. We claim to serve you but all too frequently we serve self, first. Search us, and help us to search ourselves, control us, and help us to control ourselves. Give us grace to grow strong in faith and whole in Christ. Take a moment now to remember a few people or circumstances to pray for… We offer all these prayers in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen. Closing Words It’s been a joy and privilege to share with you again today. Thanks again for logging on. I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s reflection. Please do spend some time in quiet over the next couple of days reflecting on changes that with God’s help we might need to make. That’s one reason the season of lent can be so helpful. I do hope you can join us again at the weekend as we think about our Lord’s own Lenten experience in the wilderness and lessons we can learn. To close, let me lead you in a Benediction after which I invite you as always, to say the grace together… Benediction May the God of Grace and Glory go with you as you follow this Lenten path. Wherever it takes you, and to whomever it takes you, May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all now and for evermore, Amen.” APC 14th February 2021 “What would Jesus do on a Sunday?” PART 1 Welcome and Introduction Good morning everyone and welcome to our Sunday morning worship. Today we continue our journey to Easter following Jesus through some of the main events during His life and ministry. Last week we asked the question, “Where would Jesus be of an evening?” Today we’ll be asking, “What would Jesus do on a Sunday?” But to begin, let’s approach God in worship as Rebecca, Sharon and Elaine lead us in the song… “Abba Father” (End Part 1) Opening Song “Abba Father” Part 2 Rebecca, Sharon and Elaine, thank you so much for leading us in worship through that beautiful song and it was great to see you all. Let’s take a moment now to talk to our heavenly Father, let’s pray… Opening Prayer Almighty God, on this Valetine’s Sunday, we thank you for your great gift of love- the love which we are able to share with those around us, which gives us a sense of self-worth and belonging, which enriches our lives in so many ways. You have opened your heart to us- help us to do the same to you. We thank you for your love which defies all expression, constant, total, inexhaustible, flowing out to us like a never-ending stream. You have opened your heart to us- help us to do the same to you. Almighty God we thank you for loving us before we ever loved you, and for continuing to love us even when we fail to love you in return. You have opened your heart to us- help us to do the same to you. Deepen our love for you and for one another. Help us to be faithful and true in all of our relationships, and most especially in our relationship with you. You have opened your heart to us- help us to do the same to you. Join me as we say the Lord’s Prayer thoughtfully and sincerely together… Our Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name, Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day, our daily bread, And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive those who trespass against us, And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil, For Thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory, For ever and ever, AMEN. Introduction to Kids Video We come to the part of the service which is especially for the younger members of our church family. So if your kids aren’t beside you right now, why not pause the recording, and call them in to watch a short animation about….. And at the end of this video I’ve a few words to say to the children so don’t let them rush away. (END Part 2) Kid’s Video ‘Douglas Talks – The Sabbath’ Link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOXp8Yf0pyE PART 3 Kid’s Talk Summary Hey boys and girls. I hope you’ve had a fun week. I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s video. I thought it was really good to see Douglas again. I missed him. But I also thought that what he was saying about taking time each week to rest and to worship God is really important. You know I can’t wait to see you all again in church. I know it can be hard to get to church each week but I really want to encourage you to try your best to come along to church with your parents whenever the lockdown ends. I love all the people in our church. They are like a big family to me. I know they love me too. It’s great to be able to sing and pray and learn more about God together and just get to know so many different people. So don’t forget to take some time to rest each week. And don’t forget to make time to pray to God and to meet with your church family each week. To help you remember today’s lesson if you ask your mam or dad they can go onto the church website or the Facebook page and find the link to a colouring sheet. Don’t forget to tune in again next Sunday. Bye for now and I hope you enjoy your break from school work for Half term next week. Colouring Sheet Link- ministrytochildrencom.wordpress.com/2019/03/12/4th-commandment-coloring-page/ Introduction to Bible Reading So what would Jesus do on a Sunday and what can we learn from his example? Well, to give you a clue, sit back and listen as Lisa Woods reads two stories about things Jesus and his disciples did one Sunday in Mark Chapter 2. (End Part 3) Bible Reading Mark 2 v 23 – 3 v 6 Lisa Woods PART 4 What would Jesus do on a Sunday? Today is Valentine’s Day. A day when we’re reminded that showing and receiving love is the most important thing in our lives. So it’s very appropriate that today we look at a passage of scripture which highlights for us what Jesus considered to be the most important thing in the religious life. We pick up the story on a regular Jewish Sabbath. That was a Saturday. It was a day set aside in honour of the fact that after He had created the world, God, took a 24 hour break. But it was also a day given to humanity as a gift from God. Realising that we need regular time to relax and rest from our activities we discover in Genesis/Exodus that God said to his creation, “I want you to work for 6 days but, then I want you to take a break every 7th day.” This is a principle full of wisdom and that still holds good for today. That’s why since the days of the early church, Christians have always set aside Sundays as a day to rest from their normal work, to join in worship and to make time for family, friends, relaxation and reflection. And so, as we often do on a Sunday, we find Jesus and his disciples taking a stroll through a cornfield on a Sabbath day. As they walk and talk, their hands brush against the heads of grain and naturally they pick a few grains and pop them into their mouths. It seemed like a perfect day, that is; until his arch enemies, the Pharisees, show up out of the blue and start giving out to them about how scandalous their behaviour has been! “Why are your disciples so blatantly disregarding the Sabbath laws?” they demand. To our 21st Century ears it all sounds so ridiculous! What on earth is going on? Why would the Pharisees even ask such a question? Well, if you’ve ever read a Health and Safety policy you’ll understand. Recently we’ve been doing some very important work fine-tuning all our policies and procedures as a church as part of our annual submission to the Charity Commission. To comply with all statutory regulations we have a detailed Health and Safety Policy which is 350 pages long. It is a fantastic document and covers every conceivable eventuality. The problem is, it’s impossible to remember every minute detail of its contents. Therefore we have produced a summary document which is easy to remember and will enable us to fulfil our obligations as far as is humanly possible on a practical day to day basis. The Pharisees, bless them, genuinely wanted to be friends of God. They genuinely wanted the law of God to be respected by others. The law of God was a simple 10 principle document- wise guidelines to enable us to get the best from life and our relationship with God. But for the Pharisees this wasn’t enough. They needed every practical eventuality of life explained in minute detail so that they could be certain that they would never break God’s law. Their Spiritual Health and Safety policy ran to more than 350 pages. In fact, for the 4th commandment alone, “Remember to keep the Sabbath day holy” there were as many as 39 sub-sections outlining what could be classified as ‘work’ on the Sabbath day. Old Testament law did stipulate that crops should not be harvested on a Sabbath. This prevented farmers from becoming greedy and ignoring God. It also protected labourers from being overworked. It was a sensible and practical law. But no one would have considered hand picking a few grains on the Sabbath to have been harvesting. No one except the Pharisees that is. You see, they had spent years assessing that question – “what constitutes work on the Sabbath, including harvesting?” So in their mind, what the disciples of Jesus had just done, showed a flagrant disregard for their scribal law and God’s law. They were so focused on the words of rule that they missed the intent. In response Jesus says, “Don’t you remember the story of when David was on the run from King Saul and he hadn’t eaten for days. So he entered the temple, and ate some of the consecrated bread that was sitting on the table. And yet God had said that no one but the priests should eat it?” The point Jesus was making was that, in a situation of humanitarian need, even the law of God could be broken. Then like a barrister summing up his case, he utters these immortal words, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” You see, in their fixation with the detail, the Pharisees had lost sight of the bigger picture. Humanity was created first. It was only later, after God had rested, that He then made this an ongoing principle for the good of all humanity. People weren’t created to slavishly keep God’s law. God’s law was devised in order to make life better for people. So what did Jesus want the Pharisees to learn from this and how does it apply to us today? Or to use my title, “What would Jesus do, on a Sunday?” Well, I think the first thing for us to remember is that the idea of taking a weekly Sabbath is a gift from God. It’s supposed to be something to enhance our physical and spiritual well-being not to spoil our fun! So it’s important that we don’t disregard it. Even if like me you sometimes have to work on a Sunday, it’s essential that you take at least one day a week to rest, relax and recuperate from your work. Otherwise, as Vance Havner famously put it. “If we don’t come apart, we will come apart.” Secondly, while it’s true to say that all of life is worship, it’s also important for us to take regular time-outs to reflect on scripture, to sing and pray both privately and collectively with other Christians. You know, coming to church is supposed to be a positive experience. It’s supposed to be a joy, not a duty, a privilege, not a chore. Meeting together is supposed to encourage us and help us to keep on keeping on in our faith. So however difficult it can be at times with work rotas and children’s sports activities, let me encourage you to make joining in worship with other Christians a priority in your week. Church is a gift from God to help us and our children. Let’s accept that gift with both hands and with the gratitude that it deserves. These online services are my gift to you in this terribly difficult season. May the Lord bless you and keep you as you tune in each week. And finally, on a broader level, Jesus teaches us here that true religion is not about following a list of rules and regulations and rituals. It’s about love. Love for God that expresses itself in love for other people and for everything that he has created. That’s why when Jesus discovers a man in the synagogue with a withered hand he calls him out and heals him. The Scribal law stipulated that medical attention could only be given on a Sabbath if someone’s life was not in danger. This man would be physically no worse off if Jesus waited until tomorrow to heal him. But he wanted to make a point and to make it publicly. So having brought the man to the front, he asked the Pharisees 2 questions, “Tell me is it right to do good, or to do evil on the Sabbath?” To heal the man’s hand was clearly good. To leave him unhealed would be wicked. And then, “Is it lawful to save life or to kill it?” The Pharisees knew they were plotting to kill Jesus. Surely it would be more appropriate for them to consider allowing this man to be made well? On this Valentine’s Day may we never forget that the most important thing in life and in faith is to love. True Christianity is not just about avoiding things, it’s so much more about positively making a difference in the lives of other people. If our religion stops us from helping people, it is no religion at all. That’s because in God’s eyes people are more important than systems and rituals. The bread in the temple was never more sacred than when it was used by God to feed a starving man. So too, as a church we should be more concerned about helping people, caring for the environment and introducing others to Christ than about the elaborate detail of our services. May God help us all to answer the question, “What would Jesus do, on a Sunday?” Amen. Introduction to Song You know, there are so many things in life that we need to be happy and healthy, we need work and we need rest but above all and in the midst of everything we need God. So let’s sit back and worship God by telling Him how much we need Him… (End Part 4) Song of Response “Lord I need you, Oh I need you” PART 5 Prayers for others Living God, we pray for all those who are weighed down by the stresses and strains of daily life – those who long for peace of mind, who crave rest for their souls but cannot find it. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer. We pray for those oppressed by worry, unable to throw off their anxieties, held captive by a multitude of secrets, Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer. We pray for those who cannot let go, those who find it impossible to relax or unwind, always fretting over this or that, Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer. We pray for those who lose themselves in busyness, masking their true feelings and running from their emptiness, hoping that keeping active might bring them happiness, Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer. We pray for those who have lost time for you, allowing the pressures and demands of each day to shut you out, putting any thought of you off until tomorrow. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer. We pray for those who have no time for you, no interest in anything other than their daily routine, no awareness of their spiritual needs. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer. Living God, speak to each one in your still small voice, and grant them your peace which passes all understanding, that quiet confidence which only you can bring, and so may their burdens be lifted and their souls refreshed. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer. Take a few moments now to bring your own prayers to God especially for those who are feeling the stresses and strains of life at this time… All this we ask in the name of Jesus who said, “Come to me and I will give you rest”, Amen. CLOSING WORDS It’s been a joy and privilege to share with you again today. Thanks again for logging on. I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s reflection. Please do spend some time in quiet over the next couple of days reflecting on what it will mean for us to regularly rest and worship. Do spend some time praying for how we can live a life of love and service. For now let me lead you in a Benediction after which I invite you to share the grace together… Benediction Go and learn what God means when He says, “I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings.”…And May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all now and for evermore, Amen.” APC 10th Feb 2021 “Stories Jesus told…The Unforgiving Servant” Welcome and Introduction Good morning everyone and welcome to our Midweek worship. Today we continue looking at some of the greatest stories Jesus ever told. If I was to put my own title on today’s story it would be the question, “Facebible or forgiveness?” But before I let you into the secret of what that even means, let’s take a moment to talk to God, let’s pray… Opening Prayer Gracious God, we thank you that you are always with us, in the bad times as well as the good, the difficult as well as the easy, the sad as well as the happy. Lord of all hopefulness, hear our prayer. We thank you that though we have sometimes been unsure of the way ahead, you have always been there to guide us, though we have felt discouraged, you have offered us fresh inspiration, though we have been in despair, you have given us hope. Lord of all hopefulness, hear our prayer. We thank you for the assurance this brings us- that your steadfast love never ceases, that your mercies are new every morning, that great is your faithfulness. Lord of all hopefulness, hear our prayer. May that conviction give us confidence in the days ahead, so that whatever problems we face, whatever disappointments we experience, whatever sorrows may befall us, we will still find reason to look forward, reason to believe in the future and reason to hope. Lord of all hopefulness, hear our prayer. In Jesus name we ask it, Amen. Let us join together in the words of the Lord’s Prayer… Our Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name, Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day, our daily bread, And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive those who trespass against us, And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil, For Thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory, For ever and ever, AMEN. The Unforgiving Servant Intro: I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of ‘Facebible’. It’s a concept created by Rev James Wetzstein in one of his weekly Cartoons ‘Agnus Day’. Rev James is a student pastor in the Lutheran Valparaiso University in Indiana, near Chicago. In the cartoon, the irrepressibly religious Agnus turns to her friend and says, “Being on Facebible makes following Jesus really easy.” The friend looks confused and replies, “I can’t imagine”. Agnus explains- “Every time someone does something wrong to me I click on this ‘forgive’ button next to their profile picture. If I click on it more than 77 times for anyone, Facebible automatically removes them from my friends list. I don’t even have to think about it.” Agnus’ exasperated friend looks at her phone and says, “Lord have mercy!” Pastor James says that his cartoon was inspired by the parable of the unforgiving servant. He says he finds the term ‘Facebible’ amusing because the word bible means ‘book’ and it reflects the irony that many of us spend more time evaluating our lives through social media than Holy Scripture. He also finds the concept of ‘Facebible’ intriguing because all of us are tempted to unfriend people on social media. You know it’s good to laugh at the idea of having an App to weed through our friends list and automatically unfriend them after so many forgiveness ‘clicks’. But behind such a concept is the sad reality that there are times when all of us get deeply hurt even by the people closest to us. This happens even within the family of the church. There are times in life when we will all experience feelings of deep anger and bitterness that do not dissolve easily, because we are human. Not only can these things threaten our relationships with other people but they may even cause us to ‘unfriend’ God from the pages of our lives. So where can we turn, when we have been hurt by someone? How can we find a way through our anger and bitterness to a place where we are once again free to enjoy the life that God has given us? The answer lies within the pages of a story that inspired Facebible, a story Jesus told in answer to a question from his friend Peter. Let’s listen to it now in Matthew Chapter 18 v 21-35 Reading Matthew 18: 21-35 ‘The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant’ 21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.[a] 23 “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold[b] was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. 26 “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ 27 The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. 28 “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins.[c] He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded. 29 “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’ 30 “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened. 32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. 35 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.” Here Matthew records an occasion when the disciples had been asking Jesus about what they should do if someone else wronged them. It seems that Peter was obviously taking these discussions very seriously but he still wasn’t sure how Jesus’ teaching related to what his Jewish upbringing had taught him about the whole concept of forgiveness. You see, Jewish Rabbis taught that a person must forgive someone else three times. For example Rabbi Jose ben Jehuda writes, “If a man commits an offence once they forgive him; if he commits an offence a second time they forgive him; if he commits an offence a third time, they forgive him; the fourth time they do not forgive.” The Rabbis arrived at this theological position because of their understanding of the book of Amos. In this book the prophet issues a series of condemnations on the nations of Israel and Judah. It appears that after the fourth condemnation God visited the people with Divine punishment. The Rabbis argued that people were not to be more gracious than God, so human forgiveness should be limited to 3 occasions. As a Jew, Peter would probably have been aware of this teaching. He had also spent time listening to Jesus and was aware of how patient and merciful he was. He would have been aware that Jesus’ teaching, while fulfilling all that the Jewish law advised, differed in its interpretation from the traditional views of the Pharisees and Jewish religious leaders. So, mulling all this over in his mind, Peter comes to Jesus and asks, “How many times should I forgive someone when they sin against me? Should I forgive them seven times?” In actual fact, in making this statement, Peter is trying to be very generous. In essence, he is saying, “Should I forgive twice as many times as the scribes suggest plus one extra time for good measure?” He’s probably expecting Jesus to turn round and say, “Yes Peter, I think seven times would be a generous amount.” The answer Jesus gives him would have stopped him in his tracks and challenged him to think in a whole new way. For Jesus turns to him and says, “No Peter, seven times isn’t enough, you should forgive them seventy seven times.” Now the chances of someone offending Peter seventy seven times was almost none. The chances of anyone upsetting us seventy seven times is almost none. So in essence, what Jesus is saying here is, “Peter, no matter how many times someone offends you; you must be willing to forgive them. You must be willing to let go.” Our immediate reaction to this is, “Hold on a minute! That’s going a bit too far! It’s a bit unrealistic and hugely unfair to expect me to forgive someone no matter how many times they offend me! What possible justification can you have for such a view?” Jesus knows this would be Peter’s automatic reaction too, so he tells him a story to try and explain how he can arrive at such a decision. It’s the story of the unforgiving servant. A servant owed a King, Ten Thousand talents. A talent is about 300 Euros. So this man owed the King 3 million Euros. To put it in perspective, the entire revenue of the province containing Idumea, Judea and Samaria was only 600 talents. So this man’s debt was 20 times that of the entire budget for this whole region. The debt this servant owed was greater than a King’s ransom. There wasn’t a snowball’s chance in Hades that this man was ever going to be able to pay the debt he owed. The King’s initial response is to suggest that the man and his family be sold to work for someone else in order to try and recoup some of the debt. Such a response would have been considered to be reasonable and just, at that time in the Ancient Near East. Knowing he is powerless to change his situation or to pay his debt, the servant falls to his knees and pleads with the King to have mercy. “Please give me some more time and I will pay back everything,” he cries. Amazingly, the King responds in sheer compassion, not just by extending the loan period but by actually cancelling the debt completely. It reminds me of the true story of the Seahorse man. A young Irish Biologist and entrepreneur who spent 6 years trying to breed seahorses in captivity at a commercial level in an attempt to save the worldwide population from future extinction. After winning numerous awards and receiving many grants he eventually ended up hundreds of thousands of pounds in debt. Facing complete liquidation and the shattering of his dreams he received a miraculous letter in the post. In the letter the bank stated that they had cancelled all his debt but that in the future event that his business became successful he may wish to reimburse them for the money which they had previously invested. Today this same biologist runs Seahorse Aquariums at Dublin’s Red Cow and as a sideline he continues to try to breed seahorses to a commercial level in captivity. You know, we’re no different from the seahorse man or the first servant in Jesus’ story. We all owe God a huge debt, a debt that none of us can ever pay. We have all sinned against God in so many ways, even in the fact that we so often live without any reference to Him, without thanking Him for all that He has given us. There is nothing we can do to change the fact that we are sinners. There is nothing we can do to make up for the wrong we have done against God. There is nothing we can do to make ourselves acceptable to Him. We are all guilty, and the only thing we deserve is to be justly judged by God and to be forbidden from being with Him. If God was to treat us only with justice that’s what our fate would be. But the amazing truth is that God hasn’t treated us only with justice. He has treated us with grace and mercy. It has cost Him hugely to pay our debt, to forgive our sins so that we could be His friends and be acceptable in His sight. In fact God in Christ has paid our debt Himself. When Jesus died on the cross, God the Son took the judgement that we deserved so that we wouldn’t have to experience that judgement. That way God could be true to His justice by not allowing human wrongdoing to go unpunished. That way God could also allow us to go free even though we are the ones who have wronged Him. There is nothing more important in the Christian life than for us to realise the truth about ourselves and to appreciate what God has done for us in Christ. We need to accept that we are sinners. We need to accept how deeply we have grieved God. We need to accept that nothing we do can change the reality of our sin or somehow make us acceptable to the Father. Only then will we really appreciate what God has done for us in Christ by giving Himself to be the atoning sacrifice for our sin. Just like us, the servant in Jesus’ story was given a second chance to fulfil his dreams and enjoy life with his wife and family. I’m sure he couldn’t believe it! I’m sure he had to pinch himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming! I’m sure he shouted from the rooftops and told everyone he knew about his good fortune. You’d think he would be generous to others in return. Sadly that’s not how the story goes. When he leaves the King’s court he discovers that one of his own servants owes him one hundred Denarii. A Denarii is worth about 5 cents. So this second servant’s total debt was about 7 Euros. Remember the original servant’s debt was 3 million Euros and that was completely waved by the King. Surely he would be happy now to cancel a debt of just a few Euros. Not so! Unbelievably, he orders that his servant be thrown into prison until he can pay the debt. Stupidly this man has forgotten that news travels fast. His other servants heard what had happened and ran and told the King. When the King heard he was furious. He called for the man whose debt he had cancelled to be brought before him. “You wicked man!” He shouted. “I cancelled your huge debt because you begged me! But look at how you treated your own servant who only owed you a fraction of the amount you owed me! I’m handing you over to be punished until you’ve paid me back all that you owe me!” The servant who owed a tiny amount is a picture of the people who sin against us. The truth is, that while the hurts we have experienced at times can run very deep, what we have to forgive other people cannot compare to what God has forgiven us in Christ. Compared to what we owe God, what other people owe us is almost insignificant. For us to continue in bitterness and frozen attitudes towards those who have wronged us, is for us to act like the servant who was forgiven an unpayable debt by the King. It is to forget what we have been forgiven, it is to ignore what God has done for us in Christ. Conclusion Have you been hurt very deeply by someone? Has something happened in your life for which you blame others or even God? Then let me encourage you to look at the cross. Don’t just glance at it. Take time to meditate on it and think long and hard. Take a mirror with you and gaze honestly at your own life, your own words and thoughts and actions. Ask God to help you to really grasp how much you have been forgiven. Ask God to help you to understand how deep and high and wide is his love for you in Christ. Then pray that God by His Spirit might give you the grace and courage to do what He has done and forgive those who don’t deserve it. At the end of his story Jesus turns to Peter and utters these chilling words, “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.” The reality is that there are some things that hurt so deeply only God can enable us to forgive. But if we claim to know Him it is a challenge that He sets us. For as Jesus puts it, if we cannot bring ourselves in time to forgive, it shows that we haven’t fully accepted what He has done for us. So the question remains, “Facebible or forgiveness?” If we want to call ourselves Christians there’s only one choice…. Let’s pray… Prayer Heavenly Father, we pray for people who have been deeply hurt by others. Lord we know that forgiveness can be difficult but that it can set us free from the bitterness and unhappiness. Father, help us all to let go of our hurts and leave the final outcomes of injustice to you. We think especially of the McCullough family following George’s death last week. Draw near to them and to all who mourn and bring your comfort. We pray for all our young people and ask that you will continue to give them the emotional and physical strength to sustain them as they work online and as they try to find things to make life interesting during this lockdown. We pray for all teachers and ask that you will give them wisdom and inspiration in their preparation and energy and strength to continue to deliver their online classes and pastoral support. We remember all those working in hospitals and residential care facilities. Keep them safe as they seek to care for others. Give them physical and emotional strength to keep on keeping on. Lord, grant that the vaccine program will continue to be rolled out successfully and that as more people become immunised that the spread of Covid will continue to decrease rapidly. Lord, in your mercy, will you bring the spread of this virus to an end and allow us to return to what we would consider to be normal living? Give wisdom to our political leaders in every decision that they have to make. Give them perseverance and enable them to maintain their unity. Lord, help us never again to take anything for granted and to be thankful for the many blessings and privileges that we enjoy. May we never forget the people worst affected by Covid and for whom life will still continue to be a great struggle even when the threat of this virus has come to an end. Lord, may we continue to strive so that everyone may have equal opportunity to receive a good education, nutritious food and fresh water, good healthcare and a life of freedom and peace. May all people be given the opportunity to hear the good news about Jesus. Lord, in whatever way we are able, help us to do what we can to make these things a reality for all people. Take a moment now to remember a few people or circumstances to pray for… We offer all these prayers in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen. Closing Words It’s been a joy and privilege to share with you again today. Thanks again for logging on. I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s reflection. Please do spend some time in quiet over the next couple of days reflecting on the parable of the unforgiving servant. I do hope you can join us again at the weekend as we will try and answer the question, “What would Jesus do on a Sunday?” To close, let me lead you in a Benediction after which I invite you as always, to say the grace together… Benediction Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. And May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all now and for evermore, Amen.” APC 7th February 2021 “Where would Jesus be of an evening?” PART 1 Welcome and Introduction Good morning everyone and welcome to our Sunday morning worship. Today we continue our journey to Easter following Jesus through some of the main events during His life and ministry. Two weeks ago we saw that he spent most of his time preaching, teaching and healing. Today we’ll be looking at where he did this, and who he spent most of his time with. But to begin, let’s approach God in worship as Alison, Tara and Holly lead us in the song… “There is a Higher Throne” (End Part 1) Opening Song “There is a higher Throne” Part 2 Tara, Holly and Alison, thank you so much for leading us in worship through that beautiful song and the accompanying images… Let’s take a moment now to talk to our heavenly Father, let’s pray… Opening Prayer Great and wonderful God, we come before you today in humility, in awe, in faith, in hope, in love, in worship. In your mercy, hear our prayer. We come to praise you, to bless you, to adore you, to acknowledge you, to thank you. In your mercy, hear our prayer. We come recognising your power, your authority, your wisdom, your goodness, your love. In your mercy, hear our prayer. We come confessing our weaknesses, our unworthiness, our faults, our failings, our faithlessness our lack of love In your mercy, hear our prayer. We come seeking your mercy, your guidance, your strength, your renewal, your inspiration, your word. In your mercy, hear our prayer. We come to commit ourselves to your service, your purpose, your Kingdom, your will your people, your world. In your mercy, hear our prayer. Great and wonderful God, we come to you now in the name of Christ. Receive the worship we offer this day. In your mercy, hear our prayer. Join me as we say the Lord’s Prayer thoughtfully and sincerely together… Our Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name, Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day, our daily bread, And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive those who trespass against us, And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil, For Thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory, For ever and ever, AMEN. Introduction to Kids Video We come to the part of the service which is especially for the younger members of our church family. So if your kids aren’t beside you right now, why not pause the recording, and call them in to watch a short animation about….. And at the end of this video I’ve a few words to say to the children so don’t let them rush away. (END Part 2) Kid’s Video ‘Jesus Calls Matthew’ Link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgy6TWuUkK0&safe=active PART 3 Kid’s Talk Summary Hey boys and girls. I hope you’ve had a fun week getting used to your online schooling again. I hope you’ve enjoyed the little video about Jesus calling Matthew to follow Him. You know, Matthew wasn’t perfect. In fact he was a cheat. He would steal money from people by charging them more taxes than they needed to pay to the government. He would keep the extra money for himself. Everybody hated Matthew because of this. Everybody that is except Jesus. He loved Matthew and he wanted to help Matthew to see where he was going wrong and to help him to change. So he asked Matthew to follow him. When Matthew did that, Jesus helped him to live better. He also gave Matthew a new job. Matthew recorded lots of the things that Jesus said and did and he wrote them down in his copy book. It was from this that we get the book of Matthew in our bibles today. If it wasn’t for Matthew, we wouldn’t know so much about Jesus! You know, sometimes we are tempted to think that we are better than other people. Maybe some people we know live in a different part of town, maybe they use words that we don’t, maybe they even cheat or steal like Matthew. But we must remember that we sometimes say and do wrong things too. It could be not sharing or being cheeky to our mum or even just thinking we are better than somebody else. That means in God’s eyes we are no better and no worse than anyone else. God loves us all the same. So if God loves all people, then we need to learn to love them too. We should try our best to be kind to everyone and to show them how good God is, by doing good ourselves. That way, other people can get to know Jesus as their friend and He can help them to change. Oh and don’t forget that you and I need Jesus to help you change just as much as Matthew or anyone else! To help you remember today’s lesson if you ask your mam or dad they can go onto the church website or the Facebook page and find the link to a colouring sheet of Jesus calling Matthew. Don’t forget to tune in again next Sunday. Bye for now and I hope your online schoolwork this week is still fun. Colouring Sheet Link- “https://truewaykids.com/jesus-friend-of-sinners/” Introduction to Bible Reading Why did Jesus come? Who did he spend most of his time with? Sit back as the benefits of modern technology enable our good friend Phil Daniels to give us the answer as he reads Mark Chapter 2 for us all the way from Arkansas… (End Part 3) Bible Reading Mark 2 v 13-17 Phil Daniels PART 4 “Where would Jesus be of an evening?” If Jesus was living in Arklow today where would you go to try and find him? Where would Jesus be of an evening? Sunday week ago we discovered that Jesus emphasised 3 things in his ministry- preaching, teaching and healing. We saw how initially he took the opportunity as a visiting Rabbi to spread the good news in the local synagogues. But gradually as opposition from the religious leaders increased, we find Jesus moving out from the synagogues and teaching people by the shores of Lake Galilee. This would not have been unusual because at that time it was normal for Rabbis to simply ‘walk and talk’ gathering followers or disciples as they journeyed along the road. To bring it into the 21st century, while we might find Jesus at church on a Sunday morning or at the Midweek bible study, it’s likely that he would spend most of his time hanging around where there were lots of people. That might be the Bridgewater, Platform, the local sports Club, a Pilates class or the hotel bar. I also find it fascinating, that despite often being surrounded by crowds of people, Jesus always took a deep interest in individuals. One of those people was a notorious tax collector called Levi or ‘Matthew’ as he is more commonly known. In his gospel, Mark tells us that one day as Jesus walked along teaching, he spotted Matthew sitting in his office – a little booth at the side of the road. Immediately he calls out, “Hey Matthew, come and follow me.” Amazingly Matthew leaves his desk and follows. There’s a great example for us to follow here. Even as he walked along, Jesus was looking for opportunities. What about us? As we walk along the shopping aisle, as we interact with our colleagues at work, as we meet a family member for lunch or help our kids with their online classes are we looking for opportunities? Opportunities to sprinkle a positive comment about God into the conversation? I am amazed at the opportunities God has given me in my lifetime to do this. Usually it’s been natural, it has rarely been awkward and it has generally been appreciated. But I’ve also noticed that when I don’t ask for opportunities or when I’m not looking for them, they happen less frequently. So let me encourage you this morning to have the courage to be willing to share your faith. Ask God to open up the conversations, be on the lookout for those moments and when they happen, just be normal and natural. Never be afraid to share what God means to you. You are just as much a missionary as me, in fact, you’re probably a lot more effective because you are where the people are much more of the week than I am! It may seem strange to us that Matthew reacted so quickly to Jesus’ invitation. But looking at it from another angle, it’s not surprising at all. You see, tax collectors or ‘publicans’ as they are sometimes referred to, were utterly despised by the entire Jewish community, especially the religious leaders. That’s because most of them were employed by the Roman authorities to collect revenue from the people. Like today there were certain taxes that people were obligated by law to pay. But to add insult to injury, most tax collectors were renowned for inflating their prices in order to line their own pockets with a healthy commission. So Matthew would have been seen as a traitor, and a cheat and someone who was securing a revenue stream for building pagan religion and temples. His only friends would have been other outcasts to society, whether they were fellow tax officials, prostitutes, those with contagious diseases or non-Jews. Matthew had probably heard much about Jesus’ teaching and healing. Perhaps he had stood at the edge of the crowd watching and listening. He would never have believed in all his wildest dreams that such a holy man would have anything to do with the likes of him! So when the invitation came, he jumped at it. You know, often we are afraid to talk to people about Jesus or invite them to church because we think they just wouldn’t be interested. The truth is that secretly, like Matthew, many of the most unlikely people may be just longing for someone to ask them if they’ve ever thought about God. That person could be you! Matthew is so overcome that Jesus is even interested in the likes of him that he immediately invites Jesus to his house for dinner along with as many of his friends as will come. So we find Jesus and the disciples dining at the home of a notorious tax collector along with a wonderful array of the most colourful characters of the day. You know, once this lockdown is over I want to encourage you to open your homes to family and friends and to share with them the gift of hospitality. They say that as happened after the Spanish Flu we are heading for another period of partying like the 1920s. Let’s hope so. But as you do that, let me encourage you not just to include your family and people from church, but let me encourage you to include friends and colleagues and people who don’t yet know Jesus. I’m sure this is already true for most of us but let me encourage us all to cultivate genuine friendships with people who don’t yet share our faith. We’re not told whether the party at Matthew’s house was alfresco, or whether the religious secret police were sitting outside the house making a note of everyone who entered. All we know is that some time later, the Pharisees cornered Jesus’ disciples and asked them, “Why does Jesus eat with tax collectors and sinners?” Sadly, these devout and sincere men just didn’t get it. They had spent years of their lives studying not only Old Testament law but learning the minute detail of the scribal law. This was an additional prescriptive set of rules and regulations that they believed if followed exactly could prevent an individual from practically breaking Old Testament law in every eventuality of life. Jesus sitting down and eating with such notorious members of society was inexplicable at so many levels. It would cause Jesus himself to become religiously unclean. They just couldn’t understand it. You know, before we judge the Pharisees too harshly I want to tell you a story. Several months ago as I was working over at the church I noticed a young man doing some stretching exercises on the back field. I was curious and so I decided to introduce myself. We had a great chat and he explained to me that he liked to do yoga looking out at the view over the marsh and hoped that I didn’t mind. I said of course not and that he was welcome anytime. We chatted on about various things and got to know each other a little. As I sensed the conversation was coming to a close, I invited him to pop in to a Sunday service. He replied sincerely with a question that stopped me dead in my tracks. “Would a gay man like me be welcome in your church?” My answer was an emphatic ‘Yes’ and I meant it. But as he walked out of the gate, I was left with an uneasy feeling in my mind. Why did he feel that he needed to ask that question? And what other groups of people in Arklow would be asking the same? You know, the Pharisees needn’t have worried about being contaminated by others. They were far too strict, far too aloof and far too judgemental for any ‘sinners’ to ever think of inviting them for dinner or to give them a listening ear. But Jesus was different. Whatever way he spoke and acted, people flocked to him and wanted to be in his company. Those despised by the rest of society felt at ease in his presence. Of course at times, like the Samaritan woman, he challenged their values, but he always loved, and cared and treated everyone with dignity and respect. What about us? Are we more like the Pharisees or like Jesus? If you’re anything like me you’ve probably already answered, “I’m definitely not a Pharisee!” But like the question that stopped me in my tracks that day, let me pose for you a few more that I think it’s worth considering… If our son or daughter brought home a boy or girlfriend from a certain section of the community would we welcome them with open arms? If a few locals struggling with drug addictions started coming to church would we sit beside them? How do we react to an unmarried father or to the woman who has recently been divorced? How would we respond to a sex offender who wants our support so that they will not reoffend? If I stopped wearing a collar would you think of me any differently? What attitudes, beliefs or behaviours do we currently have that would prevent people in our community from ever considering coming to our church? Knowing you, I have seen much of Jesus in the way that you have treated me over the years and the way I have seen you interact with each other. But as disciples we never get our L plates down. Today this scripture gives us another opportunity to ask the Holy Spirit to search us and know our hearts, to show us if there are any attitudes of pride or prejudice that make us more like Pharisees than we might care to admit… Remember, “Christ died for sinners, sinners just like you and me…” Introduction to Song Jesus always treated people with love even when they didn’t deserve it. That’s called grace! Remembering how amazing God’s grace has been to us, can help us to be gracious to others. Let’s thank God for His grace now as we sing together with believers all around the world John Newton’s well known hymn…. (End Part 4) Song of Response “Amazing Grace” PART 5 Prayers for others Lord we pray for people who might feel that they are too bad to be be your friend or our friends. We pray for those who are in prison that they may find forgiveness and a new start. We pray for those who are addicted to alcohol or drugs that they may receive all the help and support that they need to overcome their demons. We pray for women who are trapped in prostitution and who feel there is no way out. May they find rescue from their circumstances and hope for their future. We pray for people who are struggling with their sexuality or their sexual identity. May they find courage to be honest and find your church to be a place where they will be genuinely loved, listened to and cared for. We pray for people who have committed sexual crimes but who are sincerely sorry. May they find the support to enable them not to reoffend. We pray for people who have strayed outside their marriages and hurt their family and themselves. May they find reconciliation with those they love and a forgiveness in the community. Lord, forgive us when we categorise sin, when we feel proud about ourselves and when we judge and look down upon other people. Father give us the humility to acknowledge our own unworthiness and the grace that we need to genuinely love and care for all people. Help us to be a good example and not to live hypocritically. Give us wisdom so that when the time is right we may be given the words to help people better understand your values and to encourage them in every way to follow you. Thank you that you are a God of mercy and grace and that your ways ultimately are for our good. Take a few moments now to bring your own prayers to God especially for those who are sick or grieving… All this we ask in the name of the friend of sinners, Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen. CLOSING WORDS It’s been a joy and privilege to share with you again today. Thanks again for logging on. I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s reflection. Please do spend some time in quiet over the next couple of days reflecting on what it will mean for us to welcome and love all people the way Jesus did. Do spend some time praying for those who need His healing touch and who need to know that God loves them. For now let me lead you in a Benediction after which I invite you to share the grace together… Benediction Never forget that you are a sinner, just as much as anyone else. But remember that Christ died for sinners, for you, for everyone. So as you go out this week, ask God to give you His eyes and His heart to see people as He sees them and to love them as he loves them…And May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all now and for evermore, Amen.” |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
March 2021
Categories |
RSS Feed