Worship at Home
Worship for 21st March 2021
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01604 266000
Sunday 21st March 10:30 AM
(or whenever you wish)
This week’s message has been prepared by Rev Phil Snelson
This short act of worship is for use from home. Pause to settle yourself in God’s presence, knowing that other people are sharing in worship with you.
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© ROOTS for Churches Ltd www.rootsontheweb.com. Reproduced with permission.
Call to Worship – John 12
23 Jesus said, “Now the time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory.
24 I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone.
But its death will produce many new kernels—
a plentiful harvest of new lives.
Let us pray,
O Lord, we come to you this day, to hear your word and to rejoice in your presence in our lives, now, and always.
Amen
StF 351: In Christ alone
In Christ Alone my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song;
This Cornerstone, this solid Ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my All in All,
Here in the love of Christ I stand.
In Christ alone! – who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save:
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied –
For every sin on Him was laid;
Here in the death of Christ I live.
There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain:
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me,
For I am His and He is mine –
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.
No guilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the power of Christ in me;
From life’s first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand!
Stuart Townend & Keith Getty
Copyright © 2001 Thankyou Music
A Prayer from Finding the Way
Gracious God,
Thank you for your extraordinary love
shown to us in Jesus.
Help us to live each moment of each day
in gratitude, loving those around us and
witnessing to the ways of your kingdom.
Refresh us continually in the power of
the Holy Spirit to be people of the Way.
Amen.
Prayer of Confession
God of mercy,
Your love for us is strong,
But our love for you is weak…
You call us to follow Jesus,
But we are slow to obey…
You care for all you have made,
But we ignore the needs of others
And misuse your creation.
Forgive us, and free us for joyful obedience;
renew in us the desire, and give us the power,
by your Holy Spirit, to do what pleases you
that our whole life may be used in your service
and bring you glory and praise;
through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Bible Reading
The suffering and glory of the servant
13 See, my servant will act wisely;
he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.
14 Just as there were many who were appalled at him –
his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being
and his form marred beyond human likeness –
15 so he will sprinkle many nations,
and kings will shut their mouths because of him.
For what they were not told, they will see,
and what they have not heard, they will understand.
53 Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by mankind,
a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
4 Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was punished.
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.
11 After he has suffered,
he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.
Holy Bible, New International Version® Anglicized, NIV® Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Bible Reading
Jesus predicts his death
20 Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. 21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. ‘Sir,’ they said, ‘we would like to see Jesus.’ 22 Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.
23 Jesus replied, ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Very truly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honour the one who serves me.
27 ‘Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? “Father, save me from this hour”? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name!’
Then a voice came from heaven, ‘I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.’ 29 The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.
30 Jesus said, ‘This voice was for your benefit, not mine. 31 Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. 32 And I, when I am lifted uph from the earth, will draw all people to myself.’ 33 He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.
Holy Bible, New International Version® Anglicized, NIV® Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Time to Reflect…
Passion Sunday comes the week before Palm Sunday, and it is when we begin to focus much more closely on Jesus’ death on the cross. As usual John’s gospel is a bit different and this passage from John 12 has all sorts pointing us directly to that Friday.
It seems that what came out in Jesus’ prayer in the garden is already on his mind! Even now, his cry is to be allowed to “by-pass” the cross and the suffering – but no: ‘it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants.’ [Is 53:10]. What an amazing piece of prophecy received some 700 years before Jesus was born!! Jesus talks about being lifted up… signalling that he knew how he would die.[Jn 12:32]
And yet Jesus determinedly chooses to see it through: ‘it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!’ [John 12:27]
Such courage! Such faith! What a Saviour!
The other part that really caught my attention this time is where Jesus talks about the grain of wheat needing to die in the ground in order to multiply, bringing a plentiful harvest of new lives. It is very like Jesus’ parable of the sower and the seed falling on good soil that multiplies. We could also link in Jesus’ teaching on the vine bearing much fruit that comes a bit later. It’s there in Isaiah 53 too: ‘11my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins.’
Clearly, it’s about Jesus and his own death, but then straight away he links it with his followers too. If anyone is hanging on to things in this life, (even good things) they’ll miss the point and lose it all. The key to life in all its fulness, eternal life, is to give everything to and for Jesus. Perhaps the current situation has served to challenge our earthly securities: we’ve changed how we work, see family and friends, travel, and worship, among many other things. It has been hard, and awful, painful, and at times, devastating. It’s hard not to cling to what life has been before, not to long for life to return to “normal” – whatever that was. Honestly, we kind of liked being the grain of wheat and we would really like to continue being the grain of wheat if we can.
But maybe we’ve been given a chance to do what Jesus calls us to do in this passage – to give up our lives for something new, for something more closely resembling the kingdom of God. This time of struggle has made us be more creative e.g., about caring for our neighbour. If we take this time of continued upheaval to let go of the life we had before, and be reckless, generous, “110%” in our love, perhaps something new will flourish that looks more like what God wants for us.
Is God calling you to be more than just a grain of wheat? How has God cared for you and nurtured you in this time of “being buried”? Where have you seen signs of new life and new growth spring forth? Are there areas of your life you need to tend to? Are there areas of your life you need to let go of and realize that you cannot or should not go back to?
May we ponder all of these things in our hearts with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Take a time to sit quietly
Time to Pray…
Loving and gracious God,
We lift our prayers to you today, knowing that you hear all of our prayers, whether spoken or unspoken, for you know all that is on our hearts and minds.
We pray this day for the world… for the distribution of the vaccine, for people affected by war or natural disaster…
We pray this day for our nation… for the NHS and all who work hard to care for people within it, for our leaders, for all the people as we find new ways to live in community with one another…
We pray this day for our church and circuit… that we might shine with the light of Christ in the world, that others will come to know him through our actions, help us to be the hands and feet of Jesus…
We pray this day for our own concerns…
The Lord's Prayer
Please use the version that you prefer
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 Father in heaven,
Hallowed be your name,
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
On earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
As we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
And deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power
and the glory are yours
Now and for ever.
Amen.
StF 287: When I survey the wondrous cross
Choose your preferred version, or listen to them both...
Virtual Choir
Modern
When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.
Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God:
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.
See from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down:
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?
Were the whole realm of Nature mine,
That were an offering far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all!
Isaac Watts (1674-1748)
Final Prayer
Lord, may I be as a grain of wheat that falls to the ground and dies so that I can rise up to new life in Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Our Anniversary
This is a significant and poignant week as it marks the first anniversary of Worship at Home.
This today’s Worship at Home has been our 59th service as there have been a few extras during the year. You might like to visit our Worship at Home index page and scroll down to reflect on the past year.
A total of 95 videos have been produced as some services have included more than one.
The videos have had a total of 10,500 views, with a total viewing time of 650 hours, that’s almost 27 days solid!
Thank you to everyone that has produced video messages throughout the year, compiled the weekly sheets and helped to distribute them.
Service prepared by Rev Phil Snelson
Webpage: Paul Deakin
In the coming week review pages 28-41, and ask God to show you opportunities to share your faith.
or contact Circuit Office