Worship at Home
Worship for the Week Beginning 18th July 2021
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Sunday 18th July
Local Preacher Linda Leathersich has prepared this week’s message
This short act of worship is for use from home. Please use this service whenever you like during the week.
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
We come as sheep in one fold to follow you, good shepherd
We come as children in one family to praise you, loving Father
We come as citizens of one world to worship you, Creator God
We bring our tiredness, our hurts, our hopes as we come to offer praise and thanks to God asking that he will hear our prayers, delight in our worship and surround us with his love.
Let us worship our loving heavenly Father.
STF 20 – Be still
Be still for the presence of the Lord
The Holy One is here;
Come bow before him now
with reverence and fear;
In him no sin is found,
we stand on holy ground
Be still or the presence of the Lord,
the Holy One is here.
Be still for the glory of the Lord
is shining all around
He burns with Holy fire,
with splendour he is crowned;
How awesome is the sight
our radiant King of light!
Be still for the glory of the Lord
is shining all around.
Be still for the power of the Lord
is moving in this place
He comes to cleanse and heal,
to minister his grace;
No work too hard for him
in faith receive from him
Be still, for the power of the Lord
is moving in this place.
Prayer
Loving Lord help us to put aside our busyness and be still as we come to you in prayer
Loving God, you lead us as a shepherd leads his flock; gather us into the fold; teach us to trust you, to listen to your words so that we do not fear but may walk as your disciples and confidently call on your name.
Lord Jesus, you lived your life in harmony – rest and work; time for others and time for yourself; activity and prayer in perfect balance.
Forgive us when we work so hard there is no time for those we love;
forgive us when we spend too long by still waters knowing that you have called us into action; forgive us when we fill our days and have no time for you.
Teach us to get the balance right, to spend time with you and to put your love into action in the world.
Thank you for all your love and care each day, thank you for loving us unconditionally even though we are not perfect.
Thank you for the example of Jesus. Thank you for the sunshine and the rain and thank you for the holidays. May they be a time of rest, relaxation and refreshment for everyone.
Bless our time of worship and bless all of your children everywhere each day.
We ask our prayers in the name of Jesus.
Amen.
Bible Readings
Jesus feeds the five thousand
30 The apostles gathered round Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. 31 Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’
32 So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. 33 But many who saw them leaving recognised them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 34 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.
53 When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there. 54 As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognised Jesus. 55 They ran throughout that whole region and carried those who were ill on mats to wherever they heard he was. 56 And wherever he went – into villages, towns or countryside – they placed those who were ill in the market-places. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.
Psalm 23
A psalm of David.
1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,[a]
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
for ever.
Holy Bible, New International Version® Anglicized, NIV® Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Message:
“Be still”, we all know that we need to be still but actually doing that can be much harder can’t it? There was once a great Japanese teacher of the art of Zen, his name was Nanin. A university professor came to seek his teaching, Nanin served him with traditional tea. He poured the tea into the visitors bowl until it was full and then he kept pouring and the tea overflowed – the visitor watched until he could no longer restrain himself and said “It is overfull, no more will go in” Nanin said “You are like the bowl, you are so full of ideas and information that I cannot pour any more into you unless you make space to learn”
Our lives can be like that, so overfull of so many things to do, so full that there is no room left for God to enter. We all need to think hard about what we are doing and empty something out to make time to be still with our God. Jesus knew it was important to get a balance, he took time to pray regularly.
Today we hear of Jesus’ disciples returning after being sent out to carry out the work of Jesus. Can you imagine their excitement? They wanted to tell Jesus how they had got on their successes and failures and Jesus wanted to hear.
It was vital that these men chosen by Jesus had got it right – they would have to continue his work when he was gone. He wanted time to be with his disciples – no chance! The crowds just kept coming, not even time to eat. So Jesus took the disciples in a boat to escape to a favourite spot – but he was seen and the crowds rushed on foot to get to the same place. How would you have felt when you reached land, got out and saw crowds? I would have been annoyed, but, Jesus saw the people and his heart was filled with compassion for them. He knew that every one of them was searching for something and they wanted that something from him – everyone wanted to use Jesus, he just saw sheep without a shepherd.
Without a shepherd, sheep would be lost and in danger – they need to be guided and protected, so do we. As Christians we need God in our lives to guide and strengthen us. We have to get the balance right between spending time working in our world and time spent with God, talking to him and listening to him – to be healthy in mind, body and spirit we need the right balance, harmony in life.
If we are too tired we cannot work efficiently, if we are too sleepy, we cannot achieve anything.
We can all become “users” and expect God to be like a universal bell hop in a hotel, we ring the bell of prayer and expect our request to be answered immediately. God isn’t like that and we need to speak to God each day, not just in times of crisis, getting the right balance stops us becoming “users” of our church, family, friends and definitely of God in wrong ways. The balance needs to be stillness and peace in the presence of God and active service in the world. We need to be still and allow God to be our pace-setter.
Prayers of Intercession
Lord of all, teach us, whatever else needs doing, to make time to unwind and hear your voice, to be still and glimpse your presence.
Save us from being so concerned with the daily demands of life that we have no time left to truly live.
Loving God, reach out to our broken world – scarred by hatred, fractured by division, ravaged by war – and in your mercy, grant us peace.
Merciful God, hear our prayer for all who are sick, we remember those we know and name them in our hearts. Give them all strength, help, love and healing.
We bring all our prayers in the name of Jesus, who felt compassion for the people, may our hearts also be moved by those around us. Amen
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 481: The Lord’s my Shepherd
The Lord’s my Shepherd,
I’ll not want;
He makes me lie
in pastures green,
He leads me by the still, still waters,
His goodness restores my soul.
Refrain: And I will trust in you alone
And I will trust in you alone
For your endless mercy follows me
Your goodness will lead me home.
He guides my ways in righteousness
And he anoints my head with oil;
And my cup – it overflows with joy,
I feast on his pure delights.
Refrain
And though I walk the darkest path
I will not fear the evil one
For you are with me, and your rod and staff
Are the comfort I need to know.
Refrain
Blessing:
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be us all now and evermore.
Amen.
Service prepared by Linda Leathersich
Webpage: Paul Deakin