MORNING WORSHIP AT CANVEY METHODIST 18 APRIL 2021
Hello friends. Today we welcomed Mr John Philips to our pulpit this Sunday. For those who could not attend service today and for any who would like to follow the service again, I attach the service order below. In addition I append a link to my colleague, Pastor Steve Mayo's, YouTube service for those who would like to follow this.
Blessings
Colin
Complete Service Link:
1)Welcome & Notices
2)Call to Worship: Rev. Ch. 1
See v. 17 & 18: “I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever.”
3)Hymn​297 STF “Christ is Alive! Let Christians Sing.”
Christ is alive! Let Christians sing.
His cross stands empty to the sky.
Let streets and homes with praises ring.
His love in death shall never die.
Christ is alive! No longer bound
to distant years in Palestine,
he comes to claim the here and now,
and conquer every place and time.
Not throned above, remotely high,
untouched, unmoved by human pains
but daily, in the midst of life,
our Saviour, with the Father reigns.
In every insult, rift and war,
where color, scorn or wealth divide,
he suffers still, yet loves the more,
and lives, though ever crucified.
Christ is alive! His Spirit burns
through this and every future age,
till all creation lives and learns
his joy, his justice, love and praise.
Brian Wren (1936-)
4)Prayers of Approach, Adoration and Confession / Lord’s Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, we bless You that You were fully obedient to the Father’s will for Your life. You gave Your life that we might live for ever. The cross stands empty to the sky and You are alive for evermore. We celebrate Your victory over life and death. We acknowledge that You not only rose from the dead but that You are our living Lord! We praise You for that You are present where “two or three” come together to worship You. You are here with us today, our Friend and our Brother, our Saviour and our King. May each one of us experience Your living presence in our midst. We come this morning to give You the honour, the thanks and the glory that You deserve! Please accept our hymns of worship and our prayers of praise. May we truly worship You in Spirit and in truth. In Your holy name, we pray. Amen.
An Ancient Prayer of the Church
Lord Jesus Christ, pierce our souls with Your love that we may long for You with our deepest desire and thirst for You, the source of all life, wisdom and light. May we seek You and find You, think on You and speak with You, and undertake all things for the honour and glory of Your Holy name; for Your name’s sake, Amen.
Prayer of Confession
We acknowledge, risen Lord, that we have sought to serve you in our strength and hoped our efforts have been pleasing to you. We confess that we have tried in vain. Too often we have not sought Your guidance and our hearts have been closed to You. We have been selfish and self-centred and our eyes have been closed to the needs of others. We have kept Your good gifts for ourselves. We remember now our sins in silence. We claim Your forgiveness and cleansing. Give us your hand and help us up, that we may be renewed in grace and humility and enabled to share Your love with a wounded world. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, 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.
5)Children’s Talk.
6) Reading​ - St. Luke Ch. 24 v. 36 - 48. Cathy.
Jesus Appears to the Disciples. 36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
37 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38 He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”
40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41 And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate it in their presence.
44 He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”
45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things.
7) Sermon​“The Promise of Peace”
I grew up in a large village in Essex. There was an old house in the centre of the village called “The Crouches.” The house was said to be haunted by a ghost.
In today’s New Testament story, ten men believed they were seeing a ghost! Jesus’ disciples were in lockdown, which they were finding very difficult. His death on the cross had been the end of all their hopes. Perhaps we can identify emotionally with them? Just over a year ago our hopes and expectations may have been, or even were, dashed when the first lockdown came.
However, the disciples had just heard amazing news. Peter had told them that he had met Jesus. Two people from Emmaus had arrived saying He was alive! Jesus then appeared in the room even though the doors were locked. Luke informs us that, “They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost” (v.37). Jesus showed them His hands and feet. He was clearly not a ghost. He was alive.
Many people have found the three lockdowns very difficult. Jesus appearance was an experience of great hope for those disciples. For some of us easing of lockdown is exciting. However, others of us may feel anxious about doing more than we have been doing. The disciples also had to face that life would not be easy for them. Jesus would return to the Father and they might be arrested.
The first words Jesus had used were “Peace be with you” (v.36) The actual words in Hebrew were, “Shalom! Aleichem!” The word “Shalom” literally meant “wholeness.” It meant “complete wellbeing of body, mind and spirit.” Mental and physical wellbeing has been an ongoing issue during the pandemic. Today’s Gospel Reading is also a message of hope for us! Jesus is as much here with us as He was with those disciples. He wants us to be aware of His presence. However we are feeling He wants us to experience His peace.
The disciples had clearly not realised why Jesus had died. He explained that everything that had happened to Him had been foretold thousands of years earlier in their scriptures. The sacrificial system in Leviticus had been established because of the sinfulness of the people. In the letter to the Hebrews we are informed that the sacrifices foreshadowed Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. Jesus’ death and resurrection was God’s plan for the salvation of the world. God’s particular blessings were no longer to be just for the Jewish people. Each one of us can be right with God if we turn from our sin and respond to His saving love.
When we believe we experience the greatest peace possible: Peace with God. Following a meeting he attended on May 24th1738, John Wesley wrote in his diary “I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.” Wesley‘s life was transformed by this experience as can ours. We also can be a blessing to other people.
8) Hymn​366 STF “Thou Hidden Source of Calm Repose,”
Thou hidden source of calm repose,
Thou all-sufficient love divine,
My help and refuge from my foes,
Secure I am, if Thou art mine:
And lo, from sin, and grief, and shame,
I hide me, Jesus, in Thy Name.
Thy mighty Name salvation is,
And keeps my happy soul above;
Comfort it brings, and pow’r, and peace,
And joy, and everlasting love:
To me, with Thy dear Name, are giv’n
Pardon, and holiness, and heav’n.
Jesus, my all in all Thou art:
My rest in toil, my ease in pain,
The healing of my broken heart,
In war my peace, in loss my gain,
My smile beneath the tyrant’s frown,
In shame my glory and my crown;
In want my plentiful supply,
In weakness my almighty pow’r,
In bonds my perfect liberty,
My light in Satan’s darkest hour,
My help and stay whene’er I call,
My life in death, my heav’n, my all.
9) Prayers of InIntercession - Sue
Prayers for others 18th April 2021
Holy God, we come before you with thanksgiving and with praise. You alone are our rock and our salvation.
We bring our prayers for others before you.
We pray for our world. We pray for all countries and all people, especially those countries where there is violence and where people live in fear. We pray for all people, for those who are suffering poverty, persecution, slavery, oppression and injustice. We bring before you all those who are striving for justice and ask you to empower them. We pray for the Lebanon which is in crisis and pray for your miracle of provision. We lift Anna before you in her work for you there.
We pray for our country, for your leading and guiding, for our economy and for our National Health Service. We bring before you our Queen and the Royal family. We think of them in their sadness and mourning for the Duke of Edinburgh and pray that you will strengthen and support them.
We think of all those who are grieving the loss of a loved one. We pray your words from the book of Isiah for them, that you will provide for them and bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes and the oil of gladness instead of mourning.
We bring our church family before you. We pray that you will bless each one of us and ask that today we will have a special sense of your presence with us.
We pray for your blessing on Colin and Cathy and ask that you continue to guide them in their love and work for you.
We pray for everyone named in our church on-line prayer book and for all those we know and love who need your special touch of healing and peace. We bring them before you now in a moment’s silence, where we can each pray in our hearts for those we want to lift before you for your healing power and blessing.
Thank you Lord.
And we pray for ourselves. We thank you for the mercies that are new for us each morning and we gratefully receive these mercies, and your love and grace. As we start this new week may we listen more closely to you and follow your guidance.
Thank you for hearing our prayers. Thank you that your word tells us in the book of Philippians that ‘our God will meet all our needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus’. We thank you for this promise.
We bring these prayers to you in the powerful name of our Lord Jesus Christ and all that His name stands for.
AMEN
10) Hymn​309 STF “See What a Morning, Gloriously Bright,”
See what a morning, gloriously bright
With the dawning of hope in Jerusalem;
Folded the grave-clothes
Tomb filled with light,
As the angels announce Christ is risen!
See God’s salvation plan, wrought in love,
Borne in pain, paid in sacrifice,
Fulfilled in Christ, the Man, for He lives,
Christ is risen from the dead!
See Mary weeping: ‘Where is He laid?
As in sorrow she turns from the empty tomb;
Hears a voice speaking, calling her name:
It’s the Master, the Lord raised to life again!
The voice that spans the years,
Speaking life, stirring hope,
Bringing peace to us,
Will sound till He appears,
For He lives, Christ is risen from the dead!
One with the Father, Ancient of Days,
Through the Spirit
Who clothes faith with certainty,
Honour and blessing, glory and praise
To the King crowned
With power and authority!
And we are raised with Him,
Death is dead, love has won
Christ has conquered;
And we shall reign with Him,
For He lives, Christ is risen from the dead!
Stuart Townend
11) Final Prayer: APrayer of St.Theresa of Avila.
Christ has no body now on earth but ours. No hands, no feet on earth but ours, Ours are the eyes with which He looks with Compassion on this world, Ours are the feet with which He walks to do good, Ours are the hands, with which He blesses all the world. Amen.
12) Benediction. The Blessing.
May the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep our hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God and of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord; And the blessing of God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, remain with us, always. Amen.