Week beginning 29th August 2021

 

Based on a service at Mayfield Chapel on Sunday 29^th 2021

Opening verses:

John’s gospel, chapter 3, verses 16 and 17.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 

Song:

Love Divine All Loves Excelling - YouTube

Prayers:

Lord, we thank you for your love and goodness shown to us in your creation.

We thank you for your love shown in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus and our subsequent reconciliation to you.

We thank you that you accept us just as we are, with all our failings and our sins.

We thank you that when we confess our sins you will forgive, cleanse and restore us.

Open up your word to us.

Placed us in touch with your Holy Spirit, and let us go out knowing that we have been with you.

Amen.

Song:

A New Commandment I Give Unto You [with lyrics for congregations] - YouTube

Readings:

Psalm 1

1^st letter of John: chapter 3, verses 1 to 6

Song:

O Lord My God! (How Great Thou Art) - YouTube

Prayers:

We pray for the situation in Afghanistan. The situation is confused, and we know so little, but what information we have tells us that it is a difficult circumstance.

We pray for the Christian believers in Afghanistan, meeting in secret. Be with them, and support them.

We pray for the women of Afghanistan, having to come to terms with the new situation. Comfort and support them in their difficulties.

We pray for the government and the Taliban, that the Holy spirit might work through them and promote kindness and equity. We pray that people’s rights will be respected.

We pray for the problems in Haiti, caused by the earthquake recently. Haiti has rather dropped out of sight in the news, but the problems remain.

We pray for the reconstruction efforts, and the families mourning their losses.

We pray for the efforts of the organisations working in Haiti.

We pray for our own needs, and the burdens we carry. We give thanks that God cares for individuals, and is with us in our troubles.

Amen.

Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to have been born somewhere else? A palace, the home of someone in government? Would it have made any difference to who we are?

We owe a great deal of what we are to our parents. Of course, a lot of that is through our DNA.

Perhaps we wish that some part of our inheritance were different? The shape of our body, or part of our face? “If my nose had been a different shape, I could have been a model.”

Perhaps our temperament could have been different, preferably better, more accepting or tolerant of others?

A man was once advised at his wedding, “If you want to know what you wife will look like in later life, look at her mother.”

Our similarities to our parents are proof of our relationship with them.

The first letter of John, chapter 3 lays out our relationship between us and God. If we are children of God, it will be reflected in our lives.

It is a relationship based on Love. The lavish love of God.

A speaker at a camp started out with a large jug of custard. As they spoke, they poured custard out of the jug into a smaller one. As they added more and more they kept asking “Is this lavish?” Eventually the smaller jug overflowed, and the audience agreed that this what was meant by lavish.

The love of God is overflowing. It is an antidote to the bad and sad with which we are bombarded.

In the first letter to Timothy, we are told that there is 1 mediator for us. In spite of our sin and rebellion against the holy and perfect God, we stand amazed at the love which God has shown to us. The change which Love brings about.

In 2011 there was a mass changing of names by girls in Mumbai. Many girls were not given proper names, because their parents would have preferred boys. Often such girls had been named Nakusa, meaning Unwanted.

After the ceremony, when girls accepted new names, they had also received a new identity. One said “Now my friends call me by my new name. I am happy, I am no longer Nakusa.”

God makes us all his children, and changes us., through his grace and love.

If we are children, then we are heirs. This makes us co-heirs with Christ.

We have the opportunity to develop our potential, the potential to be like Christ. In Genesis chapter 1, God’s creation of humans is said to be in his image. Male and Female in God’s, image. One of their purposes is the creation of more men and women in the image of God.

The letter of James is very practical, and very challenging. The idea of faith without deeds is declared to be dead.

We should live according to the principles of the Kingdom, so that we present the evidence of God’s lavish love to the world.

In the Olympics and Paralympics we have seen some outstanding performances.

There have been medal winners, and personal bests, many of the participants have declared themselves to be very pleased. Such performances do not come without work, and preparation. The competitors cannot just turn up and expect to perform well.

We are anticipating eternity, and we should be preparing for it.

When we fail, and we will, we rejoice that we can confess our failing and God will forgive. Jesus, “The Great High Priest”, will pray for us. The lavish love of God will adopt us into his family.

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! “

Song:

WINCHESTER CATHEDRAL-DEAR LORD AND FATHER OF MANKIND - YouTube

Week beginning 22nd August

 

22 August 2021

By grace your are saved through faith it is a gift of God Ephesians 2: 8

What do you think of of when you hear the preacher use the term the Grace of God?

It may bring up an image of a prayer to say before meals or the prayer used as a benediction.

The dictionary meaning of Grace;  “The free and unmerited favour of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings”.

God’s Grace is for all it is rich and free.

Hymn:

Hark the gospel news is sounding

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3I1dmGxpUg

These are words to this hymn you will need them to sing along to.

Hark! The gospel news is sounding:
Christ hath suffered on the tree;
Streams of mercy are abounding;
Grace for all is rich and free.
|:Now, poor sinner:|
Look to Him who died for thee.

.
O escape to yonder mountain!
Now begin to watch and pray;
Christ invites you to the fountain,
Come, and wash your sins away:
|:Do not tarry:|
Come to Jesus while you may.
.
Grace is flowing like a river;
Millions there have been supplied;
Still it flows as fresh as ever
From the Saviour’s wounded side:
|:None need perish:|
All may live, for Christ hath died.
.
Christ alone shall be our portion;
Soon we hope to meet above,
Then we’ll bathe in the full ocean
Of the great Redeemer’s love;
|:All His fullness:|

We shall then for ever prove.
William Sanders (born 1799)

Prayer for Daily Grace:
Loving Father, You have loved me when I was unlovable. I am so amazingly grateful that I know You and I can experience Your wonderful presence in my life. Give me this day Your grace in how I live my life today. Give me wisdom and gentleness in how I interact with others. Make me pure then peaceable and gentle. May I have a mind that is open to reason and shows mercy. In all of today’s tasks, grant me the wisdom and grace to be sincere and meek. Thank You that You pour out Your grace to me. Amen.

An example of Gods grace in action is told in article below, written by John Gullick

Titled Grace

In one of the most memorable stories of my childhood was Mr Horrell who owned the Mobil Garage. Now 50 metres up the road from Mr Horrell’s was my Grandfather’s Garage. At Gran’s garage I could get stickers – the number of stickers on your school bag was a kind of important thing for kids in those days. I had lots of shell stickers but no Mobil ones. So I went to Mr Horrell’s garage after school one day and asked him for some stickers. I even said please ,I think.

Mr Horrell was quite kind, but firm. Basically he said no – Well I lost my temper and my respect for Mr Horrell at that point and I let fly with my tongue. I don’t know what I said but it involved abuse and swearing. Then I ran away. The next day at school my conscience got hold of me. I thought of Mr Horrell and the fact that he could well tell my Grandfather who in turn would tell my parents. By the end of the day I was terrified knowing that I would be in for it. It was a very sorry me who dragged his feet to Mr Horrell’s garage after school that day. When he came out I told him I was sorry. I thought I would be in trouble. Mr Horrell said “Wait there.” I had no idea what he would do. When he came back he had a pile of stickers for me and handed them to me and I was free to go. Forgiven and with stickers.!!!!! The cloud of guilt and punishment evaporated from above me. This was a serious lesson in grace for me – I have never forgotten it. Later in life I read these words of Peter a man who himself knew forgiveness for his many excesses.

New testament Bible Reading:

1 Peter 2: v v 2, 3, 21b – 25. Good News version

1 Rid yourselves, then, of all evil; no more lying or hypocrisy or jealousy or insulting language. 2 Be like newborn babies, always thirsty for the pure spiritual milk, so that by drinking it you may grow up and be saved. 3 As the scripture says, “You have found out for yourselves how kind the Lord is.”

21b  for Christ himself suffered for you and left you an example, so that you would follow in his steps. 22 He committed no sin, and no one ever heard a lie come from his lips. 23 When he was insulted, he did not answer back with an insult; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but placed his hopes in God, the righteous Judge. 24 Christ himself carried our sins in his body to the cross, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness. It is by his wounds that you have been healed. 25 You were like sheep that had lost their way, but now you have been brought back to follow the Shepherd and Keeper of your souls.

Hymn:

Great God of Wonders

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxJSzA0dLcM

Prayer of confession

Eternal God, in whom we live and move and have our being, whose face is hidden from us by our sins, and whose mercy we forget in the blindness of our hearts: cleanse us from all our offences, and deliver us from proud thoughts and vain desires, that with reverent and humble hearts we may draw near to you, confessing our faults, confiding in your grace, and finding in you our refuge and strength;

through Jesus Christ your Son.

Book of Common Worship, Louisville: Westminster/John Know Press, 1993

The Lord’s Prayer.

The next hymn was written almost two and a half centuries ago in 1772, the words for the beloved song were borne from the heart, mind and experiences of the Englishman John Newton. Knowing the story of John Newton's life as a slave trader and the journey he went through before writing the hymn will help to understand the depth of his words and his gratefulness for God's truly amazing grace.

Having lived through a rather unfortunate and troubled childhood (his mother passed away when he was just six years old), Newton spent years fighting against authority, going so far as trying to desert the Royal Navy in his twenties. Later, abandoned by his crew in West Africa, he was forced to be a servant to a slave trader but was eventually rescued. On the return voyage to England, a violent storm hit and almost sank the ship, prompting Newton to begin his spiritual conversion as he cried out to God to save them from the storm. Upon his return, however, Newton became a slave ship master, a profession in which he served for several years. Bringing slaves from Africa to England over multiple trips, he admitted to sometimes treating the slaves abhorrently. In 1754, after becoming violently ill on a sea voyage, Newton abandoned his life as a slave trader, the slave trade, and seafaring, altogether, wholeheartedly devoting his life to God's service. He was ordained as an Anglican priest in 1764 and became quite popular as a preacher and hymn writer, penning some 280 hymns, among them the great "Amazing Grace," which first appeared in the Olney Hymns, printed by Newton and poet/fellow writer William Cowper. It was later set to the popular tune NEW BRITAIN in 1835 by William Walker. In later years, Newton fought alongside William Wilberforce, leader of the parliamentary campaign to abolish the African slave trade. He described the horrors of the slave trade in a tract he wrote supporting the campaign and lived to see the British passage of the Slave Trade Act 1807.

Hymn:

Amazing grace

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYMLMj-SibU

Grace is what God does or shows because he is gracious. Every action of God toward us involves his grace. His creation, his providence, his conviction of the sinner, his gift of salvation, his equipping of the saints, and the future he has prepared for us.

All of this is due to God's grace. Grace cannot be bought, It is God’s free gift he bestows on us, It is his mercy that we depend on. And we must give Him thanks for all that he has done for us, for his endless love. Give him grateful thanks that He gave his only son Jesus that through him we will live forever with Him in glory, what a wonderful gift that His grace forgives and saves. It is through the grace of Christ that we can forgive others in the same way as we ask God to for give us in the Lords prayer.

Even though we strayed from Him and fallen, His grace will lead us to himself.

God gives us His grace. So now let us take some time in prayer.

As you read and listen to “God gives grace” please pray for your Church, your family & friends, Pray for your country and for the world and for your own needs.

God gives Grace:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1_Ob5hVdho

Old Testament Reading Micah 7:18–20

18 There is no other god like you, O Lord; you forgive the sins of your people who have survived. You do not stay angry for ever, but you take pleasure in showing us your constant love. 19You will be merciful to us once again. You will trample our sins underfoot and send them to the bottom of the sea! 20You will show your faithfulness and constant love to your people, the descendants of Abraham and of Jacob, as you promised our ancestors long ago.

In moments where tragedy happens or even hurt, there are opportunities to demonstrate grace or to exact vengeance,” the recently bereaved man remarked. “I chose to demonstrate grace.” Pastor Erik Fitzgerald’s wife had been killed in a car accident caused by an exhausted firefighter who fell asleep while driving home, and legal prosecutors wanted to know whether he would seek the maximum sentence. The pastor chose to practice the forgiveness he often preached about. To the surprise of both him and the firefighter, the men eventually became friends.

Pastor Erik was living out of the grace he’d received from God, who’d forgiven him all of his sins. Through his actions he echoed the words of the prophet Micah, who praised God for pardoning sin and forgiving when we do wrong (Micah 7:18). The prophet uses wonderfully visual language to show just how far God goes in forgiving His people, saying that He will “tread our sins underfoot” and hurl our wrongdoings into the deep sea (v. 19). The firefighter received a gift of freedom that day, which brought him closer to God. Whatever difficulty we face, we know that God reaches out to us with loving, open arms, welcoming us into His safe embrace. He “delights to show mercy” (v. 18). As we receive His love and grace, He gives us the strength to forgive those who hurt us—even as Pastor Erik did.

By:  Amy Boucher Pye

Next time you hear the word grace in a service I hope you will recall the wonder gift of forgiveness and love that Jesus gave to each one of us. The wonder of Gods grace and love, for we are created in His image. He blots out our transgressions

The power of the Holy Spirit fills us with the gift of peace given to us through the grace of God. The Closing hymn sums up the amazing grace of Jesus and the fact He is for ever with us.

Hymn:

Wonderful grace of Jesus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsPc-Ix3_ow

To listen to:

All Because of God's Amazing Grace 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbHNFEY3iJM

Sunday August 15th 2021

 

The witnessing community.

Psalm 97: 9-12

Hymn: As we are gathered MP 38

As We Are Gathered - YouTube

Prayers:

God our Father, you have never left yourself without witness. The world of nature testifies to your power; In the world of people your love and your justice are to be seen.

Lord Jesus Christ; Witness to the Father’s love, Yours is the vital and crucial evidence. You are the key witness pointing people to the truth about God and humanity.

Holy spirit, Witness within the hearts and minds of people, you also encourage us to give evidence on behalf of Jesus.

God: Father, Son and Holy spirit, help us to be effective witnesses to you.

Lord, we know that you have appointed us to demonstrate the reality of your love in our lives and words. Yet, we confess that we have often given more evidenced of our own selfishness than of your power to transform our personalities. Forgive us. Help us to point away from ourselves to the reality of your love. May our actions and words convince people of the truth as it is in Jesus.

Amen

The Lord’s Prayer.

Reading:

Micah 4: 1-7

Hymn: Behold the Mountain of the Lord MHB 904

Behold the Mountain of the Lord - YouTube

Readings:

Acts 17: 22-31

Matthew 3: 13-16

Hymn: The love of God comes close MP 940

The Love of God Comes Close - YouTube

Now we are able to meet regularly, there is a great danger for the church. There is a very real danger that we will concentrate on the wrong things. The things which most easily attract our attention, rather than those which are actually important.

Rather like a crowd of people who thought that they were witnesses to a crime:

the pavement was blocked by a crowd of excited people; watching two men, who appeared to be having a violent quarrel.
 
One man pushed, thumped and shouted; accusing the other of picking his pockets, and stealing his wallet. The other man protested his innocence; and told the crowd that false accusations were being made against him.
 
That is what appeared to be happening. What actually went on was different. The two men were not only both crooks, but also clever psychologists.
 
The noise and action was designed to hold the crowd’s complete attention, while several accomplices pushed among the people, and picked their pockets.

A similar situation can exist in churches, in fact it does exist in some. The church group honestly believes that they are called to be representatives of Christ to the world around, but in fact they have become content to be little more than a community of believers.

In many sports, it is the practice to occasionally gather the team together into a huddle, so that they can plan the next move. So that the members can contribute to the strategy, or so that the captain can tell them what to do next. The huddle is an important part of the game, of the team’s response to the actions of the other side. But it is not the game!! It is not the objective of the team, it is one means of working towards the objective.

To represent Christ to the world around involves more than meeting together on Sundays. There are congregations where the chapel building blazes with light and echoes to the sound of religious music every Sunday; and the car parks are full with cars bringing the congregation in from miles around. These churches are often called successful, and others want to be like them, but nothing happens between Sundays, in some such places the local community knows nothing of what happens there, and on occasion, the congregation know nothing of the local community.

Churches often lack a clear vision of outreach and witness, either for individuals, or for the group, that, together, they can undertake a Christ-centred mission to the world all around them. The tendency is for congregations to function as church families. There is nothing wrong in that aspect of the church’s life. But, if that is all there is to church, then it has become like the huddle on the sports field. Few spectators would part with heard earned money to watch two sport’s teams huddle for 90 minutes. Few sports p layers would want to join such a team. Both spectators and players want something more from their sport.

In our lives, we are often selective about our words and actions. About where we go, and what we participate in. These choices make us the people we have become, and often make us predictable.

A few years ago I worked near a local branch of Netto, a discount supermarket. Most days I went in and bought a pint of milk, and a sandwich for lunch. One day, there were no sandwiches on the shelf, and I asked the assistant whether they had not had any sandwiches delivered that day. “Oh yes” came the reply, “We just haven’t got round to putting them out yet. Hang on a minute, I’ll get them.” A few moments later, he returned with a cardboard box full of sandwiches which he opened and handed me a sandwich, the flavour I always bought! I was so predictable that even the supermarket assistant knew what I was eating for lunch.

The reality is that we are often no less selective in our church lives. Because people are generally creatures of habit, we select the aspects of the Christian life which we are happy with, which make us feel comfortable. Having done this, we settle down into our cosy church family, never questioning whether there is anything which we should be doing; which we need to be doing; which would make the family more exciting!

When this happens, the church can find itself set in a local community, which they would say was important. However, they may have no connection to that community, even to the extent of being ignorant of the make up and needs of that community; the community which they would often profess to witness to.

Do you remember when cars came with optional extras? The price quoted in the catalogue was for the basic car. If you wanted the extras, then you had to pay more, they were not a part of the package. When my father bought his first new car, the “extras” which had to be paid for, included; the heater, the safety belts, the number plates, a door mirror. Even after it became a requirement to have safety belts fitted, they were still listed as an extra. We would now expect a car to have all these items, and many more.

The outreach of the church to the community is not an optional extra. Whether the actions of individuals, or the corporate mission of the congregation, it is the calling of all the church, it is an essential part of what we do as Christians. Our Christianity is not just a part of our lives, it should dominate our actions, our thoughts and our deeds. The choices which we make should include our Christianity in such as way that it makes us become what we are, not something that we hide from others for fear of mockery or worse.

Sometimes, we hear people say that Christianity has been marginalised. We are only as marginalised as we allow ourselves to be. Susannah and I often talk to people over our market stall. We have no qualms about dismissing our trading activities as “Our Day Job” and continuing to talk to people about our church work as our main job.

The Church was not brought into being, in the hope that it might, incidentally, have some sort of good effect, beyond its own walls. Instead, it was raised, commissioned and equipped for a very definite, powerful, ongoing and life-giving reason - to be his witnesses, and to undertake Christ-like, spiritual ministries, in the world all around.

Micah prophesied that the people many nations would come to learn of the God of Israel; Simeon said that God’s salvation would be a light to lighten the Gentiles, and Jesus said that his followers were to be the light and salt of the world. This involves telling people.

The opportunities for doing this can be many and varied. We don’t have to be standing on a street corner, preaching at people, only a few of us are called to such ministries. But in our everyday lives, the Lord will provide us with opportunities to talk to people about our faith. Perhaps someone will ask us what we are doing at the weekend, don’t be afraid of telling them that you are going to church! Someone may say something your faith prompts you to disagree with; don’t be afraid of saying so, and why.

It is not possible to list all the opportunities, I don’t suppose Paul anticipated having the opportunity to talk to the entire city council, even less would he have prepared for it. But, once the chance was there, he took it, and spoke to them about why he was doing what he had been doing.

Billy Graham’s missions of the 1960’s used the slogan “Evangelise or Perish”. In 2011, Martyn Atkins put it to the Methodist conference in the form “Evangelism in the main thing.” Rev Jane Leach of Wesley House considered that “There is a danger ……. that we come to see the perpetuation of the Church as we know it as an end in itself and those we seek to evangelise as a means to our end.” Instead of “understanding ourselves as people called to love those whom God loves and to share with them what we have come to know of God, because they, too, are God’s creatures and they too are beloved.”

Many nations will not come if they are not called, if they are not told what is happening. Those living in darkness will not be enlightened if noone is available to perform that task. Salt serves no purpose if it stays in the salt cellar. Our calling is clear; it is to be involved in the world and make it a better place. Jesus is particularly damning about salt that has lost its savour, that no longer does what it is supposed to do; it is fit for nothing, only to be thrown out.

Hymn: How shall they hear MP 250

How shall they hear - YouTube

Prayers:

Father, we thank you for all your faithful witnesses of past days who have testified to your living presence.

We praise you for the prophets who pointed forward to your coming in Jesus;

for the apostles who carried their witness to him throughout the world,

and for the bible which today points us to Christ.

We remember with gratitude those who first brought the gospel to our land, and those who by their witness have brought us to faith.

We thank you got the martyrs whose witness has been bought by their death, and for all your people who have faithfully borne witness to you in their lives.

Father, help us in our turn to be good witnesses.

Amen.

Hymn: We have a gospel to proclaim MP 728

We Have a Gospel to Proclaim (Singing the Faith 418 / StF 418) - YouTube

The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,

The Love of God,

And the fellowship of the Holy spirit be with us all,

Evermore.

Amen

Week beginning 8th August 2021

 

A service brought to Mayfield Chapel by Mrs Muriel Stonehewer,

From our Coal Aston Church.

Prayer:

We look to you, O Lord

As a flock looks to its shepherd,

so we look to you, O Lord.

Gather us lovingly within your fold,

and speak to us through your Word.

As sheep who know the voice of their shepherd, let us worship God.

Hymn: There's a quiet understanding

There's a quiet understanding | Lyrics - YouTube

Prayer

As we come before you in worship today, lead us, Lord; be our

shepherd.

As we seek you in our prayers and praising, guide us, Lord; we need our shepherd.

As we follow you through rough and smooth, save us, Lord; you are our shepherd.

Lord, there are times when your word just washes over us;

like the twenty-third psalm.

We have sung it at weddings, and funerals, and Sunday services

all our lives and so it has become over-familiar.

We know the words by heart yet fail to take them to our hearts.

We take them for granted, just as we take you for granted.

We are sheep who have gone astray; we fail to recognise our shepherd's

voice, because we have stopped listening for it.

Forgive us, Good Shepherd.

Thank you for being with us on life's journey.

We praise you for the green pastures and the still waters,

when all is well; and we thank you for walking with us in the dark valleys.

We are protected within the fold, and without;

we can look back and see how our Shepherd, not only good, but mighty in power, has protected and defended us through all our lives.

Thank you for meeting the needs of your flock; for knowing everyone by name;

and for holding each single one of us as precious in your sight.

Thank you, Good Shepherd. Amen

The Lord's Prayer

Hymn: The Lord's my Shepherd

The Lord's My Shepherd - Stuart Townend - YouTube

Reading: Psalm 23

Hymn: May the mind of Christ my Saviour

May the Mind of Christ My Saviour (Tune: St Leonard - 5vv) [with lyrics for congregations] - YouTube

'I wish we could get back to normal.'

I wonder how many times we have heard this.

It's not unusual when we are out of our, comfort zone to want to go back to a place where we felt comfortable.

As Churches together in Dronfield and District we hold early morning services in Holy Week, on each day of the week. It's always been said that the Saturday, between Good Friday and Easter Sunday is the hardest day to preach because basically nothing happened on that. Nothing is said in the Bible about that day.

Imagine those Disciples on Holy Saturday. They probably were wanting to return to what they called "normal", - socialising with Jesus, - going out preaching with him, - eating with friends,

They might well have said 'Why can't we return to the normal we knew?'

The future probably did not look as bright as the past.

The disciples were not the only people in the Bible who wanted to go back. The Israelites having left slavery in Egypt and gone into the wilderness with Moses started to complain.

And they said one to another: ‘Let us make a captain and let us return into Egypt.’ [Numbers Chapter 14 2-4]

After 40 years, the Israelites ask to return to Egypt. It can be understood

• they are still Egyptian slaves at heart,

• at this the moment they are hungry, and they are in the desert,

• they are afraid and want to go back.

After 40 years, during which they have received the Ten Commandments, Moses as a prophet and Aaron as his right-hand man, with all these wonders, they still want to go back to Egypt.

How and why does this happen?

• Egypt is their identity.

• Egyptian is their mother tongue.

• Egypt is their first memory.

• Egypt is the society in which they lived.

Remember the times when you faced things that you had to do or new situations that you were uncomfortable with, and you probably longed for the good old days.

How you might feel right now?

That's what the Children of Israel were feeling, what the disciples were feeling

God, can I trust you, am I better trusting myself and the past?

But we should take heart at this time. Look at what the Bible says.

(Jeremiah 29v11 -13)

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for

welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

Look what God says: he has your welfare at heart, he has plans for you and he wants to give you hope and a future.

He wants you to go forward not backwards. He had plans for the disciples, he had plans for the children of Israel he had a future for them of which they should not be afraid.

In Isaiah 43 vs 18-19 we read

“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”

God was a God of new things then and God is still a God of new

things

On New Years Eve it's easy to often think 'Well I wouldn't have imagined

that happening last year' and perhaps we've said it even more during

the pandemic.

As we get older we can look back and see where God taken us during our

life which then can encourage us to ask 'Where will God take me next?'

The one thing we can have absolute confidence in is that God has plans

for us plans that we might anticipate but equally there may be plans that we don't anticipate.

Let us finally reflect on the words of St Paul (Philippians 3:13-14)

'Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet;

but one thing I do:

forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,

I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in

Christ Jesus.'

Jesus said when we put our hands to the plough we should not look back.

To the people hearing him what he said what would make sense they were an agricultural people. If you were ploughing with an old wooden plough you had to look forward. If you looked back the furrow would not be straight.

As we have met at Swanwick this week for the Wesleyan Reform Union conference we have spent some considerable time thinking about what lies ahead and all the churches will be hearing more about that very shortly.

As we slowly emerge from the pandemic let's not yearn for the old normal but go forward with the plans God has for us.

Hymn: I do not know what lies ahead

I Do Not Know What Lies Ahead - YouTube

Prayers for others.

All-seeing and ever -loving God,

help us to see others as your children, cherished by you.

This week, as we pray for other people, let us ask God to help us see them from his perspective, rather than making assumptions.

All-seeing and ever -loving God,

help us to see others as your children, cherished by you.

Lord, we lift to you our world leaders. It is so easy to be critical of them, to believe what we read in the papers or on social media rather than seeing them as people just like us with needs like ours. In an increasingly unstable world we ask you to give them wisdom and integrity. Help them to put the needs of their country before their own desires. We pause for a moment of silence now, as we try to imagine what it must be like to walk in their shoes.

All-seeing and ever-loving God,

help us to see others as your children, cherished by you.

We pray for countries at war or suffering long periods of unrest, particularly Afghanistan and the Middle East. It's so easy for people to take sides and fight rather than try and see the world from the perspective of others. We pray that a new desire to love and treasure others may sweep this planet, bringing in a new reign of peace.

All-seeing and ever-loving God,

help us to see others as your children, cherished by you.

In our country, Lord, we thank you for the example given to us by the Queen and continue to uphold her in prayer. We ask that you will give her comfort as she mourns the death of Prince Philip and as her grandchildren are the focus of so much public scrutiny. We pray for our government, as the problems of Covid-19 continue to beset us all. Help us not to be critical of the rules and regulations and the people who make them but, instead, to do our best to keep others safe.

All-seeing and ever-loving God,

help us to see others as your children, cherished by you.

Lord, we pray for our communities and all who live and serve in them. We thank you for those who sweep our streets, empty our bins and clean our shops, workplaces and hospitals. We pray for your strength and reassurance for our over-stretched NHS and for tired teachers trying to have a summer break. We pray for the unemployed and those on zero hours contracts struggling to make ends meet. And, Lord, we pray for the 'onlys', the people overlooked by society or considered insignificant. We ask that we, as a church, may find ways to help the disadvantaged in our communities in the short-term whilst praying that our government may have the courage to find long-term solutions.

All-seeing and ever-loving God,

help us to see others as your children, cherished by you.

We come before you, Lord, in sorrow that so many people in our world are abused or neglected because of their race, colour or gender. We ask your forgiveness for any part we have played in preventing your world from being a place of harmony and stability. We lift up the millions of refugees fleeing unsafe homes. We pray for the migrants trying to cross the channel and we pray too for those who exploit them. We ask you to give strength and courage to oil those fighting for justice in our world. We

ask you to give us all the eyes to see everyone as made in your image with equal worth.

All-seeing and ever-loving God,

help us to see others as your children, cherished by you.

Finally, Lord, we commit to you those who live around us. We picture them in our minds now as we bring them to you for blessing: our friends, our neighbours, the people who walk their dogs past our house, those we say 'hi' to in the street or at the station or on the bus but don't know their names. We pray for those who live behind closed doors that we never see, those we used to spend time with who, for whatever reason, we don't see any more. And we pray for those whom we avoid... Lord, you know them all by name and we thank you for each of them and for the way they touch our lives. Give us the grace to be good neighbours, willing to go the extra mile for all these people who are, underneath it all, just the same as us.

All-seeing and ever-loving God,

help us to see others as your children, cherished by you.

Help us to serve one another

because we are all made in your image.

Help us to bring your love to everyone we meet this week. Amen.

Hymn: Forth in thy name

Forth in thy name O Lord I go (BY St Michael's Singers) (gospel hymns) - YouTube

Blessing

Be the waters quiet, and the pastures green,

be there with us, Good Shepherd.

Be the valleys dark and filled with foes,

wherever we are, wherever we go;

be there with us, Good Shepherd.

Prayers taken from rootsontheweb.com