Morning Worship

by Richard Horth 7 August 2022

Welcome
We are members of God's family, drawn by his love and united by his Spirit. Whether in church, or at home, we join together in fellowship to worship, to hear God's word and celebrate our faith.

Song: Come, now is the time to worship

Prayer
Father, you bind us with the chords of love, one with another and all with you.
We marvel at the world which you have made,  full of wonders and opportunities.
Yet we rejoice even more that you hold each of us in the palm of your hand.
Your love is limitless, expressed in the giving to us your son, our saviour Jesus and at Pentecost we celebrate your eternal presence with us in the Holy Spirit.

Forgive us for the way we treat your world, for failing to love our neighbours and friends with the love which Jesus shows to us, for not welcoming strangers from other communities, for closing our eyes to the needs of others.

Forgive us for not allowing the Holy Spirit to speak through our lives.

Help us not to hold grudges and to be gracious to those who have harmed us and loving to those who hate us.

Help us to strive for the best and to see the best in others.

May the Holy Spirit fill our lives with the love of Jesus.

During this service, help us to open our hearts and minds to your truth and presence. Amen

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

Our Old Testament reading is from Isaiah 49:13-18
“Shout for joy, you heavens; rejoice, you earth; burst into song, you mountains! For the Lord comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones. But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.” “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me. Your children hasten back, and those who laid you waste depart from you. Lift up your eyes and look around; all your children gather and come to you. As surely as I live,” declares the Lord, “you will wear them all as ornaments; you will put them on, like a bride.”

From the New Testament in Matthew 10:24-33
“The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household! “So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.” 

Song: He’s got the whole world in his hands 

Reflection 
Having come this far through a pandemic, levels of anxiety have been heightened for many. We are often told not to worry. It sounds easy but often is not.
Where would you feel safest?
In God's hands?

Isaiah
Jerusalem, often called Zion, had been established by kings David and Solomon as the great seat of Israel with a magnificent temple in which was housed the Ark of the Covenant. Demonstration to all the world that the people of Israel had arrived. No longer slaves to other nations. The chosen people of God, in their promised land. They for their part were to keep the law laid out in the commandments but they had not always done this.

From this highpoint they fell a long way. They were invaded and the temple ransacked.

It was a shadow of what it had been. Isaiah tells how Zion cries “The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.”

His reply in encouragement is that God is steadfast: ' I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;'

Although they may feel forgotten and neglected they never are. We, like them are at the forefront of God's attention, engraved on the palms of his hands. Forever in front of him.

Here is reassurance and tenderness.

Matthew 
In our gospel reading Jesus encourages his disciples that although there will be opposition and challenge in following him but they should not be afraid to proclaim the gospel.

He illustrates why this should be the case in saying how detailed and intimate is God's knowledge of their situation.'Two sparrows sold for a penny and yet not one falls to the ground without the knowledge of God.' The fall of the sparrow refers to them landing on the ground, something they will do many times a day. God notices and knows of them all.

He makes the point further with the information that even the hairs on our heads are numbered.

God knows us intimately and knows our needs.

The courage of God's messenger is founded on the conviction that, whatever happens we cannot drift beyond the love of God

Fruits of the Spirit
In Galatians (5:22) we read “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,”

God's living presence with us is his Holy Spirit, given at Pentecost. With his presence we find these gifts, one of which you will notice is peace - the peace of God.

Conclusion 
God's promises are sure.
He knows our needs.
We can depend on him and whatever the challenge can find his peace in our hearts.
Focus on showing his love and trust him for he loves you dearly.

Amen

Prayers of Intercession
Father, we pray for the world, brought to birth by your love.

We remember those places where people suffer through fighting, hunger and disease.

We particularly think of Palestine, Israel Brazil and India and pray for healing and tolerance there. Where there is despair may there come hope. Where there is hate and suspicion let  there be love and understanding.

We pray for your church. Give us vision, courage and strength to serve you in the world led and empowered by your Spirit.

We pray for this church, its minister and leaders and all who belong to it. Help us to serve you in this community. We think of those who cannot be in church today and ask that they may feel joined in fellowship with us all through your Holy Spirit.

We remember all those suffering pain both physical and mental. May we all share in one another's burdens and find hope and comfort in our community centred on your love.

We ask this prayer together with the unspoken prayers of all our hearts in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen

Hymn: Great is Thy Faithfulness

Grace
God the Father, bless us. God the Son, protect us. God the Spirit, guide us, now and evermore. Amen