Sunday February 28^th. Virtual Service

Where your treasure is, there your heart will be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkuRdRkckjU

Isaiah 58:1-12 The new living Bible

True and False Worship

1 “Shout with the voice of a trumpet blast.  Shout aloud! Don’t be timid.
Tell my people Israel of their sins!2     Yet they act so pious!
They come to the Temple every day  and seem delighted to learn all about me.
They act like a righteous nation  that would never abandon the laws of its God.
They ask me to take action on their behalf,  pretending they want to be near me.
3 ‘We have fasted before you!’ they say.  ‘Why aren’t you impressed? We have been very hard on ourselves,  and you don’t even notice it!’ “I will tell you why!” I respond.  “It’s because you are fasting to please yourselves. Even while you fast,   you keep oppressing your workers.
4 What good is fasting  when you keep on fighting and quarrelling?

This kind of fasting will never get you anywhere with me.
5 You humble yourselves   by going through the motions of penance, bowing your heads  like reeds bending in the wind. You dress in burlap   and cover yourselves with ashes.
Is this what you call fasting?   Do you really think this will please the Lord?

6 “No, this is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned;
  lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people.
7 Share your food with the hungry,  and give shelter to the homeless.
Give clothes to those who need them,  and do not hide from relatives who need your help.

8 “Then your salvation will come like the dawn,   and your wounds will quickly heal.
Your godliness will lead you forward,    and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind.
9 Then when you call, the Lord will answer.  ‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply.

“Remove the heavy yoke of oppression.   Stop pointing your finger and spreading vicious rumours!
10 Feed the hungry,  and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness,
    and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.
11 The Lord will guide you continually,   giving you water when you are dry   and restoring your strength.

Matthew 6:1-6 New International Version

Giving to the Needy

1 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

2 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honoured by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

What does do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing mean? When you do a kindness do not tell any one, do not recall the act or bring it to mind. Do it so one knows. I remember a person who was distressed and help came in form of a plain envelope with her name on it and the money she needed it was an answer to her prayer. This act was done in secret. She gave thanks in her prayers that evening in the quite of her room. And during the following Sunday service she stood up and gave thanks for the gift she had received.

All the congregation prayed that her prayers had been answered.

5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Knowing this is a treasured gift, you can take time in secret to pray lay, your needs on Him and give your Father God thanks for the blessings you have received.

For where our heart is, our treasure is.

Please listen hope it will help you to pray

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_WZ1zQzy2E

MUSIC (red Bird picture)

Now; Read Psalm 51: 1 – 17 as a prayer

1 Have mercy on me, O God,  according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion
   blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash away all my iniquity   and cleanse me from my sin.

3 For I know my transgressions,   and my sin is always before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned  and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict  and justified when you judge.
5 Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
6 Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;  you taught me wisdom in that secret place.

7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;  wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;   let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins  and blot out all my iniquity.

10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,  and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence   or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation  and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,   so that sinners will turn back to you.
14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,   you who are God my Saviour, 

 and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
15 Open my lips, Lord,  and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;   you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
17 My sacrifice, O God, is  a broken spirit;  a broken and contrite heart  you, God, will not despise.

In Isaiah 58: verse 7 it talks about  Sharing food with the hungry,  and giving shelter to the homeless. Giving clothes to those who need them,  and do not hide from relatives who need your help. This is echoed in the story of the Good Samaritan a teacher of the law tried to question Jesus. Jesus being the Son of God He answered the man with a question.

Luke 10: 25-37.

25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ and, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’

28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbour?”

30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he travelled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ 36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” 37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

When you needed a neighbour

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fExR7eOhJO0

This next item to watch is very moving. A pregnant lady receives Gods blessing there is always something we can do, we do not need to share it on you tube. Remember this can be between the receiver you and God only.

There are many problems to do with homelessness right across the world. This case comes from America

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dOJb17bNFM

Jesus is not being meek and mild he is challenging the expert of the law to go and do like wise; as he challenges us to day.

The teacher of the Law was trying to show how clever he was, he showed Jesus that he knew the scriptures. Of course the teacher of the Law would have known the psalms and would have recognised the scripture of the prophet Isaiah, the listeners to this story would not like the idea that a priest and the Levite were being pictured in an uncaring manner. The biggest horror, that the Jewish man who had been beaten up was cared for by a non-Jew, some one the Jews despised.

The expert in the law did not like his power and leadership, questioned, he felt that Jesus was becoming trouble, the priests and leaders in the synagogue started to find a way of getting rid of this teacher that the crowds were beginning to follow. This Man healing in the name of God. This Jesus who could forgive sins. This man who has disciples. This man who eats with sinners.

And as we know this Jesus the son of God This Jesus our saviour and intercessor.

O what a man.

2 Corinthians 5:20-6:10 New International Version Paul writes to the Church in Corinth.

20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin  for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

6 As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. 2 For he says,

“In the time of my favour I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.”

I tell you, now is the time of God’s favour, now is the day of salvation.

Paul’s Hardships

3 We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. 4 Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; 5 in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; 6 in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; 7 in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; 8 through glory and dishonour, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; 9 known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; 10 sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

St Paul knew what it was to be hungry, in prison, beaten, many hardships, but Paul did not blame God.

He received strength, Hope through those praying for him and in doing so strengthened others in the Church.

Even if we find ourselves weak, lonely, depressed, sad, especially missing loved ones due to the Covid 19 virus. Mourning the loss of loved ones. We can pray for each other Building each other up through the love of God. God loves us to the uttermost there for we can and must share Gods love. As we lead up to Good Friday It is a time for us to thank God for His only son. To remember God empted Himself to rescue people from there sins.

By faith we know that Jesus saves to the uttermost. That we through grace will receive eternal life.

Amen

And Are We Yet Alive

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQTmtEcrNuI

May God bless you and keep you, may He turn His face upon you, and give you His peace, this day and for always

Susannah

Let the world sing of His Amazing Grace.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BA7pdABvpnc

HYMN/ SONG

Benediction

 

Values Day.

Every year, the “Christian Ethics and social Action” (CESA) committee of the Wesleyan Reform Union produces resources in support of examining a subject of relevance to the current age. The idea is that we can examine a theme and how to apply our faith to it.

This is traditionally used as the basis of a service during the month of February. For 2021, the theme chosen by the CESA committee is Racism, and our Christian reaction to this.

For the fruits of His creation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytfKBZaOuVU

A church leader came up and tried to trap Jesus. “Teacher” he asked, “What must I do to live forever?” Jesus said to him “What does the bible say? What do you think it means?” The man said “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your strength, and with all your mind” and “Love your neighbour in the same way as you love yourself.”

“That’s good,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” But the church leader wasn’t happy that he had failed to trick Jesus, so he asked “Who is my neighbour?”

Jesus replied, “A man was walking home one Sunday morning and he was mugged. His attackers beat him within an inch of his life, robbed him of everything he was carrying, and left him on a bench by the roadside.

At about midday, a church pastor was going down the road and saw him there, but he was late for lunch, and had an afternoon preaching appointment, so he left him there.

A bit later, a group of church stewards came past, but they were worried about the reputation of the area, and they thought that it might be a set-up so that they could be mugged as well, so they left him there.

Later still, an immigrant walked past. He stopped and examined the man, making sure that he was still breathing. He didn’t speak much English, but phoned his son who ran a taxi. His son came straightaway, talked to the man, took him to the A & E department at the hospital and stayed to find out what would happen to him.

When they discovered that he was going to be admitted, they left him a phone and the son’s number so that he could call for a lift when he was well enough to go home.”

“Which one of these people were neighbours to the man who was mugged?” asked Jesus.

“The one who did something for him.” the church leader replied.

And Jesus said to him “Go and do the same as him for other people.”

Based on Luke’s gospel, chapter 10, verses 25 to 37.

If you don’t immediately recognise this story, it may help you to know that in the original version, it is usually called the parable of the good Samaritan.

Don’t judge a book by its cover

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_F0dAH-rHs

Although the word ‘Racism’ does not appear in the Bible, the subject of racial tension, prejudice and hatred is self-evident throughout. From the Tower of Babel, to the journeying of Abraham, Jacob’s family, Joseph, the slavery in Egypt, to Deborah, Gideon, Samson, David and the Philistines, to the Exile and the horrors of Psalm 137, we see that the racial and nationalistic tensions of our day are echoed throughout the Bible.

Clearly the problems of racism are not new! Some of the stories could be taken from the more prejudiced of our newspapers. And yet, the message of much of scripture is that in spite of such attitudes amongst people. The purposes of God will triumph.

Jesu, Jesu, Fill us with your love

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvQz513Jl8M

“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho.”

Most people in the English-speaking world would recognise the phrase “a good Samaritan in the context of a kindly stranger doing something good. In our usage, the word “Samaritan” is inextricably linked with goodness.

This was not the case for the original hearers. The people to whom Jesus was speaking would have hated Samaritans with a passion. We are told that Jews would not share cups with Samaritans. Jesus was rejected in Samaria when they heard that he was on the way to Jerusalem.

Whilst this may seem strange to us, we do not have to dig very deep to find examples of prejudice in modern life:

There are people who will not shop in businesses run by those of a different race, or religion.

There are places where people who are born in another town, or county are not welcome, places where you can be beaten up for speaking with the wrong accent. George Bernard Shaw is credited with saying “It is impossible for an Englishman to open his mouth without making some other Englishman hate or despise him” Although my knowledge of other places is limited, I guess that a similar reaction is true in many countries.

The road from Jerusalem to Jericho is a desolate place, passing through inhospitable territory. “Going down” is a good description, the road falls 3300 feet in 17 miles. I understand that the road was notorious. The Priest and the Levite were both described as going down the road, in other words, they had performed their religious duties in Jerusalem and were going home. Consequently, there would have been fewer problems of ritual uncleanliness for them, Jesus does not seem to have much time for them.

I wonder what the hearers would have expected him to say next? Certainly not that the hero of the story would be a hated foreigner. To suggest that a foreigner, who followed a different religion, might be closer to the will of God than a pious Jew was deeply shocking, and potentially offensive.

Many years ago I knew a young man from church. One day, I was standing outside the shop where I worked and this young man walked past in company with another young man. The other young man was not known to me, but his appearance made me think “I wonder whether his parents know that he is hanging out with someone like that?” Of course, eventually this second young man came into the shop and was perfectly pleasant and personable. I would have had no reservations about my son hanging out with him. I had made a prejudiced decision. To use an old fashioned expression, I had judged a book by its cover.

Throughout them old testament, there are reminders of the obligations to foreigners. There are many reminders that the Jews were once foreigners in an alien land.

The foreigner living in another country is very vulnerable. I can remember going to Russia in 1973. I knew nothing of the language, although I had learned the alphabet so that I could at least pronounce the words I saw. Obviously, after a few days you learn a few words, “please, thank you, exit, entrance, gents”. But on retuning to England two weeks later, the overwhelming impression was that I could now read the signs around me, I was part of what was going on.

And yet, it seems that there was a need to remind the people of their obligations to foreigners! Many of the people knew what the law said, as did the questioner, but there was debate about what “neighbour” meant. Did it just mean the person next door? Could a non-Jew be your neighbour? Jesus clearly thought that the term was much more inclusive than some of the people of the day.

In the letter to the Hebrews, we are told “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.” (13:2) The word translated show hospitality literally means love foreigners.

• One of the key things that fuels Racism is to group all people of a skin colour, nation, culture or religion into one group and judge them by stereo-types.

• To say, they’re lazy, poor, uneducated, un-achievers, dangerous, after our money or carrying a knife.

• Individuals or whole organisations can be plagued by this wrong attitude. It fails to recognize and devalues the individual.

• It can lead to anything from people getting the cold shoulder, to not getting jobs, to being arrested, being shot on the streets, to the gas chambers.

At the west side of the town where my father lived there was an area of terraced houses such as you might find in many industrial towns. Two sisters lived there, who were members of the church which my father attended. Over the years, it was an area where many immigrants had settled. In the way of these things, the men had come to England before the rest of their families. This meant that they had noone to do the tasks which in their culture the women would do. Simple domestic tasks were a mystery to them. Despite the fact that these men were a different colour and followed a different religion, these sisters sewed buttons, mended garments and baked for all the men. They were know as “Aunty” by all the men in the street. This is “loving your neighbour”. This is showing a love of foreigners and strangers.

In deliberately using a hated foreigner as the example of the person who “Loved his neighbour as himself”, Jesus is demonstrating that he has no time for the petty prejudices and jealousies that interfere with God’s purposes. Today, Jesus would be saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover”.

The family of man.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjsR7eqqHug

Prayer:

O Lord our God, in your mercy and kindness, no thought of ours is left unnoticed, no desire or concern ignored. You have proven that blessings abound when we fall on our knees in prayer, and so we turn to you in our hour of need. Surrounded by violence and cries for justice, we hear your voice telling us what is required, “Only to do justice and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God” (Mi 6:8). Fill us with your mercy so that we, in turn, may be merciful to others. Strip away pride, suspicion, and racism so that we may seek peace and justice in our communities. Strengthen our hearts so that they beat only to the rhythm of your holy will. Flood our path with your light as we walk humbly toward a future filled with encounter and unity. Be with us, O Lord, in our efforts, for only by the prompting of your grace can we progress toward virtue.

We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Sisters of Mercy of America

It is God who holds the nations in the hollow of His hand

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOrYR32pM2w

 

Sunday 14th 2021 virtual Service.

Holy Holy Holy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIHD40CZY34

Prayer

Though the darkness hide thee Though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see.

O Holy One, I call to you and name you as eternal, ever-present, and boundless in love. Yet there are times, O God, when I fail to recognize you in the dailyness of my life. Sometimes shame clenches tightly around my heart, and I hide my true feelings. Sometimes fear makes me small, and I miss the chance to speak from my strength. Sometimes doubt invades my hopefulness, and I degrade my own wisdom.

Holy God, in the daily round from sunrise to sunset, remind me again of your holy presence hovering near me and in me. Free me from shame and self-doubt. Help me to see you in the moment-by-moment possibilities to live honestly, to act courageously, and to speak from the wisdom you give me. O Holy one take away my guilt and sin I ask this in your Holy name. Amen

Psalm 103:10-12

10 He does not treat us as our sins deserve   or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,   so great is His love for those who fear him;12 as far as the east is from the west,   so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

What a friend we have in Jesus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pi1-5kmbkyQ

Our Daily Bread 28^th February 1998. By: David C Egner.   During the Cold War, I directed several study tours of Europe. Our itinerary took us from Amsterdam to Berlin, which meant that we had to go through Communist East Germany. At the border we had to show our passports, have our luggage examined, and let the guards check the bus. We waited about 3 hours for clearance. “Remember,” one official told me, “there is no American Consulate in East Germany, so do not lose your passports or entry papers.”

Talk about feeling unwanted! The message was clear: We’ll gladly take your money but we don’t want you. We felt the animosity until we left.

As a Christian, I sometimes feel that way about this world—that I just don’t belong. The Scripture makes it clear that as believers in Christ we are “strangers and pilgrims on the earth” (Heb. 11:13). We are citizens of a far better land (v.16). As much as we may love our native country, we’ll never feel totally at home down here—and we shouldn’t.

How do we cope with being pilgrims who are just passing through? By looking to Christ and following His example. He was also unwanted in this world. When He left His home in heaven to enter our humanity, He became the ultimate pilgrim. One day He will welcome us home.

The words “Pilgrim through this barren land “ come to mind.

The author of the next hymn; William Williams was born at Cefn-y-coed, near Llandovery, Wales in 1717. Williams’ plan for his life was to study medicine, but he quickly abandoned that idea at the age of twenty as he was powerfully touched by God’s Spirit. Howell Harris, a well-known travelling evangelist of the day, was stirring up the people of Talgarth, a small community in central Wales. So one Sunday morning, Williams decided to go over to the churchyard and hear Harris’ preaching for himself. The evangelist was standing on a flat tombstone, warning all who came out of church that day that there was much more to following Christ then just sitting in a pew. Williams heard the message and decided that he needed to give the remainder of his life to the Gospel, and from that point forward, became obedient to his call, believing the country of Wales to be his parish. Over the next forty-three years, Williams travelled over 95,000 miles serving as a circuit rider/preacher for the cause of Christ! Before he died in 1791, Williams wrote 800 hymns, all in Welsh, and to this day, he is known as “The Watts of Wales,” referring to the great English hymn-writer, Isaac Watts. Other church historians call Williams, the “Sweet Singer of Wales” or the “Poet Laureate of the Welsh Revival”…this circuit-riding preacher/poet who knew the power of music to bring a spoken message to life. In 1745, William Williams composed the text to a new revival hymn he entitled: Arglwydd, arwain trwy’r anialwch (Strength to pass through the Wilderness).  As he travelled across Wales, this hymn became one of the more familiar songs of the revival that was sweeping across the countryside at the time. By 1771, Pe­ter Will­iams, a fellow Welsh revivalist (no relation to William Williams) translated the hymn into English, changing the first line of the song from “Lord, lead me through the wilderness” (which is the literal translation of the Welsh version) to the words we now sing: “Guide me, O Thou Great Jehovah.” D. C. Egner

Guide me, O thou great Jehovah

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wT4n1hGjDDg

Have you ever read John Bunyan's The Pilgrims progress. The original book was written in 1628. the book was  mainly written while Bunyan was imprisoned in his home town of Bedford, England. Bunyan was a Baptist preacher in an era of English history when the Anglican Church was the only legally allowed church. Because Bunyan was a nonconformist preacher (meaning not licensed by the state church), he was imprisoned for twelve years, eking out a living for his family by making shoelaces. While in prison, he also secretly carved a flute from a table leg. For more than two centuries after its publication, The Pilgrim’s Progress ranked just behind the King James Bible as the most common and important book in evangelical Protestant households. It has been translated into more than two hundred languages, including eighty in Africa alone.

 The hymn recalls the words of Hebrews 11:13: "...and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth as written by Bunyan. But sadly I was so put off singing Who would true valour see, as it was sung at a slow drawn out pace, we had to sing it at most school assemblies. Being young I did not understand what it is about. The book was in old English,( no help what so ever to a dyslexic ) confusing was a hobgoblin, I now know it was a mischievous evil sprite. A foul fiend is another word for the devil. Christian in the book carries his guilt as a heavy load on his back. Carrying guilt as a burden is still relevant to day, many of us for get that we can ask God to help and forgive us, our faith is a journey, it takes courage to be a believer in Christ. I came upon this animation film of “The Pilgrims progress” on line and I found it helpful. And I hope you will enjoy it. Please do not feel you have to watch it in one go, it is something that you can come back to throughout the week.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncPGwWIX2PE

Here is a copy of the hymn

John Bunyan's Original Version	1906 The English hymnal Version
1. Who would true valour see,	1. He who would valiant be
Let him come hither;	′Gainst all disaster,
One here will constant be,	Let him in constancy
Come wind, come weather	Follow the Master.
There’s no discouragement	There’s no discouragement
Shall make him once relent	Shall make him once relent
His first avowed intent	His first avowed intent
To be a pilgrim.	To be a pilgrim.
2. Whoso beset him round	2. Who so beset him round
With dismal stories,	With dismal stories,
Do but themselves confound;	Do but themselves confound——
His strength the more is.	His strength the more is.
No lion can him fright,	No foes shall stay his might,
He’ll with a giant fight,	Though he with giants fight:
But he will have a right	He will make good his right
To be a pilgrim.	To be a pilgrim.
3. Hobgoblin, nor foul fiend	3. Since, Lord, thou dost defend
Can daunt his spirit;	Us with thy Spirit,
He knows he at the end	We know we at the end
Shall life inherit.	Shall life inherit.
Then fancies fly away,	Then fancies flee away!
He’ll fear not what men say,	I’ll fear not what men say,
He’ll labour night and day	I’ll labour night and day
To be a pilgrim.	To be a pilgrim.

Hebrews 11; 1 – 16 New International Version

1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for.

3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

4 By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead. 5 By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.”  For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. 7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.

8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11 And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.

13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

To be a pilgrim https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFPlKnyiwK4

Some us may have been on a pilgrimage, When my late father was a Methodist minister in the 1970’s he took a groups of people from different churches in his circuit on a pilgrimage to a village of Oberammergau in beautiful Bavaria in Germany

In 1633 the Oberammergau villagers promised to perform the suffering, death and resurrection of Christ every tenth year, in so far as no one was to die of the plague anymore. The villagers were answered by God and therefore in 1634 the first Passion Play took place. The promise has been kept until today. 2020 the Passion Play had to be postponed for two years due to the corona-pandemic. The 42nd Oberammergau Passion Play will now take place from 14 May to 2 October 2022. most folk that live in the village take part. Some churches and individuals go on pilgrimage in this country, one of the many places is the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, commonly known as either Holy Island or Lindisfarne. It is a tidal island off the north-east coast.

The Holy Island is always an adventure. There is only one road and that is covered twice a day by the North Sea. Many visitors will attempt the Pilgrims Way, the ancient route across the sands marked by wooden posts. If you intend on walking this route and haven’t done so before, please contact someone at the Castle or the Island Heritage Centre. You will need to know the times of the tide and the safest times.

I went on a one day pilgrimage by myself across Ilkley Moor. Sheep crossed my path I found myself reciting the 23^rd psalm The Lord is my shepherd as I went.

I ended up at a monastic site, and was greeted by a young man in his late 20’s He was doubting whether he should take his vows he felt he was to old, I was doubting whether Methodism was right for me after some personal turmoil, out come of our talks and prayers one of the things I felt I was being led to say to him was that he was the right age as the older congregation would not think as too young. He went on to be an Ordained Catholic priest and with his advice I went to do my local preaches training I walked back full of the Holy spirit with joy in my heart. My burden indeed was light. If you are on or contemplating a pilgrimage take courage as your staff Which ever country you are in. whether for a few hours or weeks. May the Holy Spirit ever be your guide.

My Faith it is an oaken staff.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFPlKnyiwK4

May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always on your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face. May the rain fall soft upon your fields.
From now until we meet again, May God hold you in the hollow of his hand.