Worship at Home
Worship for the week beginning 22nd August 2021
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Sunday 22nd August
Rev Francis M’Itiiri 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
(Congregation respond in words in italics)
Living and merciful God as we come out of the unprecedented struggles of these life,
Make us flourish in your presence and give us a fresh perspective.
All-powerful and ever-living God splendour of true light, and never-ending.
Let the radiance of your coming banish from our minds the darkness of sin.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
One God Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever.
Speak now Lord for your servant is listening.
May everything we do begin with your inspiration.
Amen.
STF 503: Love divine
Love divine, all loves excelling,
joy of heav’n, to earth come down,
fix in us thy humble dwelling,
all thy faithful mercies crown.
Jesus, thou art all compassion,
pure, unbounded love thou art.
Visit us with thy salvation.
enter ev’ry trembling heart.
Come, Almighty, to deliver,
let us all thy life receive.
Suddenly return, and never,
nevermore they temples leave.
Thee we would be always blessing,
serve thee as thy hosts above,
pray, and praise thee without ceasing,
glory in thy perfect love.
Finish, then, thy new creation.
true and spotless let us be.
Let us see thy great salvation
perfectly restored in thee.
Changed from glory into glory,
till in heav’n we take our place,
till we cast our crowns before thee.
by Charles Wesley 1707-1788
Bible Readings
1 Kings 8:1-6
The ark brought to the temple
8 Then King Solomon summoned into his presence at Jerusalem the elders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes and the chiefs of the Israelite families, to bring up the ark of the Lord’s covenant from Zion, the City of David. 2 All the Israelites came together to King Solomon at the time of the festival in the month of Ethanim, the seventh month.
3 When all the elders of Israel had arrived, the priests took up the ark, 4 and they brought up the ark of the Lord and the tent of meeting and all the sacred furnishings in it. The priests and Levites carried them up, 5 and King Solomon and the entire assembly of Israel that had gathered about him were before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and cattle that they could not be recorded or counted.
6 The priests then brought the ark of the Lord’s covenant to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place, and put it beneath the wings of the cherubim.
John 6:56-69
56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live for ever.’ 59 He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
Many disciples desert Jesus
60 On hearing it, many of his disciples said, ‘This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?’
61 Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, ‘Does this offend you? 62 Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! 63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you – they are full of the Spirita]”>[a] and life. 64 Yet there are some of you who do not believe.’ For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. 65 He went on to say, ‘This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.’
66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
67 ‘You do not want to leave too, do you?’ Jesus asked the Twelve.
68 Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.’
Holy Bible, New International Version® Anglicized, NIV® Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Time now to reflect with 1 Kings 8:1-6,
John 6:56-69 Heart of the Kingdom
There is much attention being given today concerning the physical condition of the heart, when you look in the Bible, you will find that the heart is cited 826 times. God has much to say about the spiritual condition of the heart. David’s heart desire was to build a magnificent dwelling place of God. Occasionally, we really must look at the condition of our hearts to see how good of a temple we have prepared for God. Human hearts are remarkable and a wonderfully designed organ. What God wants from most from us, is that our hearts be humble to accept God’s cleaning. To prepare our hearts by giving it fully to God. There are so many things that vie for our attention. Our great little helpers called smartphones are constantly sending us little reminders that need our attentions. For example.’’ Here is another email that needs your attention, never mind that it is just spam, you must look at it no! or here comes a group text, alerts about grabbing dinner, while the Facebook alert reminder is that someone commented on your photo or a your phone system applications saying now your battery is at 20%.here is a great video on YouTube that you should see, or now it is time to watch the latest Netflix and So and so has tweeted.
Our time and our hearts have never been more divided, it seems to have control over you, and innocently giving devotion to it. What does that get you to? Don’t you feel a little overwhelmed by so much information? Isn’t it just habitual? Does it exhaust you at times? Several people just must disconnect from time to time to be refreshed. The technologies that we have are tools to help us but often they take a controlling role in our lives. We must constantly look at our hearts to make sure that we are not letting something take control it.
Physically the heart is a marvel. It pumps blood to our whole bodies and keeps us alive. Our metaphorical heart is just as much of a marvel. The Bible warns against idol worship. This is expressed in the Bible in Exodus 20:3, Matthew 4:10, Luke 4:8 and elsewhere, e.g.: Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall be set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the Lord your God.
John 6:56-60
In the gospels Jesus is teaching in the synagogue (John 6:69), where he is interpreting a passage of scripture that was introduced by the crowd in verse 31. They ask Jesus for a sign like the one Israel experienced in the wilderness, “As it is written, ‘he gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” Jesus goes on to interpret this verse about the manna and continues the same subject through verse 58. He declares himself to be manna, the “bread of life” (6:35). Just as manna gave life in the wilderness, so also Jesus gives life. Many of them turn away from him. What is it about Jesus’ teaching that you find difficult? His disciples too rejected Jesus’ teaching because they thought he is referring to cannibalism. Reflectively, do you at times find turning your hearts away from Christ even after many things he has done for you? How often do you take time to reflect on the condition of your hearts? The call today is making our hearts the temple, the dwelling place for God’s spirit.
Prayers of intercession
God, in the noise of this life and when hard times hit us most, you never stop watching over us. In the emptiness of the last few years when we felt isolated, abandoned thinking that nobody loved us and nobody wanted to be with us, you have been there the God of love and God of peace. You were the centre and balance. You were the justice and the mercy. When we thought we were alone you were with us.
We pray for our hospitals, home cares, education institutions, primary, secondary, colleges and universities and those who work with those institutions.
We pray also for the many children returning or joining new school, colleges, and universities, we remember to pray for those hurting, jobless, grieving, poor the sick voiceless, and the vulnerable, leaders, nations, and the body of Christ at large.
We bring prayers to those who serve us in many aspects but quite often forgotten; those serving in uniformed forces, transport sector and hospitality, our pastors and ministers and church leaders, our neighbours, our families, and relatives.
In the midst of all, Lord God you have been present enabling us to have hope. And now with the discovery and arrival of the miracle of science when we thought God had abandoned us, we seek your forgiveness. We now rejoice in gladness for your miracle of the invention of vaccine and after many successfully trials of the Covid vaccine, many lives have been saved and now life is gradually returning to normal, we are now looking forward to a totally vaccinated healed and restored society.
We bring these prayers in faith through Christ our Lord, brother, friend, and saviour.
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 363 My Jesus, My Saviour
My Jesus, my Saviour,
Lord there is none like you.
All of my days I want to praise
the wonders of your mighty love.
My comfort, my shelter,
tower of refuge and strength,
let every breath, all that I am,
never cease to worship you.
Shout to the Lord all the earth, let us sing,
power and majesty, praise to the King.
Mountains bow down
and the seas will roar
at the sound of your name.
I sing for joy at the work of your hands.
Forever I’ll love you, forever I’ll stand.
Nothing compares to the
promise I have in you
Final blessings
The Grace of Lord Jesus Christ, and the Love of our God the father, the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us now and always. Amen
Service prepared by Rev Francis M’Itiiri
Webpage: Paul Deakin