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