Holiday Club Service - 1st August 2021

by Peter Blount and Sue Muessig 1 August 2021

Good Morning and welcome to worship with us Newmount as this week we celebrate our online Holiday Club.

We begin with a worship song that calls on us to celebrate God’s goodness in every part of our lives. 

A Short Prayer 
Heavenly Father – we give you thanks for this week of Holiday Club online at Newmount, and pray first of all, that you will pour out your blessing on each of the children taking part, that both they and their families will know the joy of sharing bible stories and activities. 

As we also come to worship, we pray for grace and peace that we can experience and enjoy meeting with each other through this service and gain something new from scripture. 

As we confess our failings and shortcomings, we ask your forgiveness to enable us to fully meet with you this day, being blessed and encouraged through your word. 

In Jesus name we pray, Amen  

The last of our Holiday Club videos is the story of Jesus Feeding the 5000

Reading :-   Mark 6 : 30 – 44 

About the Story 
The 5000– how exciting it must have been – everyone gathering to hear what Jesus had to say.  They listened to His teachings but also saw Him perform the miracle.

At this point the disciples don’t realise that God can provide for them.  They were so preoccupied with the immensity of the task that they could not see what was possible with God.  Do you let what seems impossible, keep you from believing?

Jesus multiplied 5 loaves and 2 fish to feed over 5000 people.  What He was originally given seemed insufficient, but in His hands it became more than enough.

Jesus asked the disciples to feed them. Do you think God will ask you to do something that He and you together can’t handle? 

Jesus could have sent everybody on their way, but He was interested in both their physical and spiritual needs.

The boy gave what little he had and it made it all the difference.  If we offer nothing to God, He will have nothing to use. 

God gives in abundance – He takes what we offer and multiplies its effectiveness beyond our wildest expectations.

Here is another favourite Holiday Club song 

Throughout all our Holiday Clubs, and this one is no different, the children enjoy making craft and here are a couple of examples. 

Today’s Message 
In Holiday Club each day has had a theme and those themes are illustrated by our Holiday Club compass 

Faith – Even in the smallest amount possible, faith is shown to be more powerful and influential than all the powers of this world and in particular the powers of darkness. 

Faith has been described as ‘trust beyond measure’ demonstrated in Wednesday’s story about a mustard seed, so tiny and insignificant growing into a huge tree simple because it fell into the ground and came into contact with the life giving properties of the soil. 

So our faith grows when in comes into contact with the life giving properties of the Lord Jesus.

Hope – In Romans Ch 8 Paul speaks of a hope that is unseen, ‘who hopes for what he already has’.   In Thursday’s story Jesus prayed in the garden hoping for two things – firstly that he could be spared the agony of the cross that he knew was his destiny and secondly, that he could fulfill his father's will. 

Hope carries much joy and excitement as each of us looks forward. Some have hopes of big and important occasions, others hope for the simple comforts of life.  But whatever your hope is, it’s for something in the future, something yet to happen, something in which God can be in charge. 

Courage – On Tuesday in Holiday Club and in our daily thoughts, we spent time trying to imagine the courage of David as he selected his stones and faced the giant Goliath.  

Often we need courage to face daily life, these last months have not been easy for many. As David carefully selected stones, we need to ensure we prepare ourselves fully for whatever task we may face but then we can take courage from God, demonstrated through scripture and experience, that God is faithful to those who take courage in Him.

Strength – This comes in many different forms physical, mental and practical.  It can be defined also as endurance, determination even positive thinking, all of these qualities leading to our security under God’s grace.

Paul in Philippians Ch 4 v 13 discusses many aspects of life, both good and bad, but concludes that he is able to do all things through the God who gives him strength. 

In Saturday’s holiday club story it was David again, this time as a shepherd boy tending the flocks out on the hill. He often referred in his Psalms to strength – strength to endure the long lonely nights, strength to fight off the wild animals, strength to care for his father’s flock. 

In our journey through life, whatever we may encounter along the way, if through the grace and love of Jesus we both seek and rely on these four qualities Faith, Hope, Courage and Strength we are in safe hands. 
AMEN   

  Prayers 
In these moments present your own prayers to God –
Thinking of our troubled and diseased world
Our concerns for our loved ones 
The life of our church 
Our personal and practical needs.
Conclude by saying the Lord’s Prayer 
AMEN 

We finish with by singing about ‘Faith as small as a mustard seed being able to move mountains’

Blessing 
May God fill you with Faith, Hope, Courage and Strength

AMEN