14th February 2021 - Where would Jesus be on a Sunday ?

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.”