Tell us what you want to happen next!

 We have been posting these services online since the outbreak of the Covid virus, when there were restrictions on meeting in person for worship.  

Now, the restrictions have been lifted, and most people are free to worship by attending church/chapel in person.

For some time we have been wondering whether people were using this blog as an aid to worship.  

With this in mind, we intend to cease posting regular services online, unless there is a demand.  If you would like to continue to read the services on this blog, please email us at syoudan6@aol.com or jyoudan06@aol.com  

If there is still a need, we will continue to post worship as we have been doing.

Looking to hearing your opinions, God Bless,

Susannah and Jonathan

Week beginning 9th June

 

Most Gracious God, We shout Your praise from the mountain-tops this morning

We even shout Your praise from the depths of the valley. We do that because You're Worthy to be praised!

O Lord my God

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdE_NKyY_o0

Psalm 145 1: 21

I will exalt you, my God the King;  I will praise your name for ever and ever.
 Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever.

 Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.
 One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts.
 They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty & I will meditate on your wonderful works.
 They tell of the power of your awesome works— and I will proclaim your great deeds.
They celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

 The Lord is gracious and compassionate,  slow to anger and rich in love.

 The Lord is good to all;  he has compassion on all he has made.
 All your works praise you, Lord; your faithful people extol you.
They tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might,
 so that all people may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does.
The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.
The eyes of all look to you,  and you give them their food at the proper time.
 You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

The Lord is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all he does.
 The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.
 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them.
 The Lord watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.

 My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord. Let every creature praise his holy name  for ever & ever.

Prayer

Lord hear my heart I am Sorry for ……………………..

I am hurting ……………...worrying over …………………………

be with me, fill me with your peace. Be with all affected by war be with all world leaders may they work together for the good of all people. Be with me and my Christian brothers and sisters world wide as I say the Lords prayer

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, and the power, and the glory,  for ever and ever. Amen.

I will sing the power of God

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwd1UHcsTwM

Matthew 3: V 11 then 13 - 17

11 I baptize you with  water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with  the Holy Spirit and fire. 13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.

16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son,whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live x 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33H16zNiGeg

Luke 17:11- 19

11 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus travelled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy  met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”

 When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.17 Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

I praise you Lord for the things you do
For you're with me every day
I praise you for the love you give
As you show me how to pray.

I praise you for the gift you gave
Through your suffering and sacrifice
I praise you for all the things you did
For the Love you give is nice.

I praise you for the blood you shed
As you cleansed me of my sin
You changed my life from what it was
You redeemed me from within.

I love you Lord with all my soul
Let me be faithful in all my ways
So I can enter your gates with thanksgiving
And, your courts with all my praise.

Blessed assurance

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

Matthew 3: 16 – 17

As soon as Jesus was baptised, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.  And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’

Sermon

Jesus was praised by God. What can the Power of Praise do. A child at school will work harder when praised a college student will do a bit more work when praised ,

In the Church why do we need praise, Do we not always build each other up. Kind compassionate. Do we need to be-more, caring praising

Do you want a good or some one to say well done.

What the Power of Praise Can Do

Through the power of the Holy Spirit our focus is taken of ourselves and back on God. 

 In our often self focused world, we need to be reminded - life is not all about us.  It is something we know in our heads, but yet our hearts think differently. ., God wants our eyes be set firmly on Him, because that's where our true hope is found.  He is worthy of our praise, no matter what we face from day to day.

“Praise him for His mighty deeds; praise Him according to His excellent greatness!” 

Psa. 150:2

When we are humble  We remember our dependency on God, as we acknowledge our need for Him. The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does. The Lord upholds all who fall, and lifts up all who are bowed down.
The eyes of all look to GOD,  and you give them their food at the proper time.
 You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

The Lord is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all he does.
 The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.

 Praise leaves no room for evil It pushes back the darkness the surrounds us , and blocks the attacks and hissing lies over us.  Satin will not stick around if we’re praising our God,

 Praise stops us complaining and being negative.  Sometimes even within our prayers, we can tend to complain about our problems.  God knows our hearts.  And He cares about all that concerns us.  But through praise, we’re focused on Him, no longer allowing too much attention to be centred around the struggles.  We’re reminded of what He has already done in our lives.  We’re reminded that He knows what concerns us, and is capable of taking care of all that burdens us. A lady with profound learning difficulties wanting to learn to read at the age of 40 there was a lot of negativity, then she was given the opportunity, with lots of praise and verbal prompts she slowly made progress.

God will not hold back His goodness, he has patience with each one of us it is only right to exalt him recognising God as King; it is only right  to praise the name of Jesus
 Every day praise his name and extol His name for ever and ever.

Do we think enough about the blessings we receive

 God dwells close to us when we praise Him.  He lives with in our hearts

 Our spirits are refreshed and renewed in His presence.  We're strengthened by His peace and refuelled by His joy.  Through a heart of praise, we realize that God doesn’t just change our situations and work through our problems, He changes our hearts. 

Jesus was strengthened by God, He spoke with him in prayer on many occasions.

When God's power is shown miracles ​happen.  ten men who had leprosy but when they met with Jesus they were healed but how many came back to praising God.? Luke records this moment in his gospel Chapter 17: 11-19

11 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus travelled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy  met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”

14 When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. 15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.

17 Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

prayer

Most Gracious God,

We shout Your praise from the mountain-tops .We shout Your praise from the depths of the valley. We do this because because we come to worship you and you've taught us that if we want a miracle in our lives? We praise you! For when praises go up? Blessings come down!  We're just so grateful that You have given a blessing to us. And we ask that You would strengthen us and give us the courage to take this blessing from this place to our community help us to share our faith with those we meet. Help us always give you thanks. We ask this prayer in your name of your son our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Something like these words could have been said by the returning Leper .

You ask me why I came back Well, Jesus just let me say Life was not worth living
'Till the came my way. I was lost sin and sorrow with heavy burdens, Which I carried through the years. I have spent days seeking you The long nights full of tears; Jesus I trusted you. That is why I have back, I came to praise God. My life was not worth living 'till you O Saviour came my way . Thank you Lord that I can rejoice and sing. You are more than life to me .

Who can cheer the heart like Jesus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=373lcZi-KZM

Benediction

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zp6aygmvzM4

praise his holy name please watch

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7yfQV9MoqU

Praise God today and Always .

Every Blessing. Susannah

Week beginning 2nd June

 

Song: Come let us sing of a wonderful love

Come let us sing of a wonderful love (youtube.com)

Prayers:

God of lost sheep, find us, re-route us.
Quiet now our wandering minds,
O God, that we may hear Your voice.
As we pass places of darkness, seasons of isolation,
periods of sickness and gloom,
Good Shepherd-God, You are somehow both with us
and walking before us.
When we lose our way, may we experience the thrill,
the joy of being found.
Brace our hearts to trust and follow,
To see, even in troubled times,
that our cup runneth over.
Anticipating the good that is in store for us, O God,
And seeing anew, the blessings of Your love. Amen.

Reading: Isaiah 40: 9-11

Song: I was sinking deep in sin

Love Lifted Me (Re-discover this traditional hymn!) (youtube.com)

Reading: Luke 15: 1-10

Song: In loving kindness Jesus came

He Lifted Me (youtube.com)

Prayers:

Jesus said: ‘I am the good shepherd' and so we pray:

Good Shepherd, watch over us today In all we face and experience.

Never leave us or forsake us and journey with us always.

Good Shepherd, you know us as no-one else knows us.

Guard us and keep us,

As you guard and keep those whom we love.

Good Shepherd, we pray for the sick and the lonely;

For the anxious and the bereaved; for those whose pain is beyond our comprehension.

We stand with them and commend them to your care.

Good Shepherd, we pray for the carers in hospitals and in homes and for all who serve the needs of others.

May the example of living compassion Inspire us in our care for others.

Good Shepherd, you know the depths of our heart and the fears which are ours.

Speak into the depths of our heart and calm our fears.

Good Shepherd, you know us by our name and our identity is not hidden from you.

Gather us to yourself as a shepherd gathers the sheep, that we might know your Name.

Amen.

Song: The Lord’s my shepherd

The Lord's My Shepherd - Stuart Townend (youtube.com)

In his book, “The other side of the dale”, Gervase Phinn tells of the time when, as a

new school inspector he was summoned to the office of the chief education officer. The chief officer wanted him to do “A little job!”. He was asked to go to the meeting of the Feoffees. He didn’t get the circulated notes. Perhaps some of you have been in a similar position?

In the meeting, one of the members used the word “shrievalty”, and went on to bemoan the standards of English in the modern world where people did not know what the word meant.

The inspector left the meeting without having discovered what feoffees were, and failed to discover what was meant by shrievalty.

Definition:  a feoffee is a trustee who holds a fief (or "fee"), that is to say an estate in land, for the use of a beneficial owner. 

The term is still in use today to mean a trustee invested with a freehold estate held in possession for a purpose, typically a charitable one. E.g. in Rotherham “The Feoffees

Of The Common Lands Of Rotherham”

For the sake of completeness, the definition of Shrievalty:

The office, jurisdiction, or tenure of a sheriff (shrieve (obsolete))

Why have I told you this story? What has it to do with the story of the Good Shepherd?

Perhaps this story helps.

A friend shared a story of a person who attended an Alpha Course for the first time. During a discussion group it was shared that ‘Jesus died to save us from our sins’. The person declared that they had never sinned and therefore had no need of Jesus and left! To that person sin was murder or stealing, they failed to comprehend that sin can be anger, envy or gossiping; seemingly trivial in comparison.

Taken from Contact, the newsletter of the Wesleyan Reform Union.

Some of you may have read a book called “The Screwtape Letters” by C.S. Lewis. It is a fictional correspondence between “Screwtape”, a senior devil, and “Wormwood”, a junior devil, charged with obtaining the soul of a man on earth, referred to as “The Patient”. Throughout the book, God is referred to as “The Enemy”. In one of his letters, Screwtape says this:

“Nothing is very strong: strong enough to steal away a man’s best years not in sweet sins but in a dreary flickering of the mind over it knows not what and knows not why, in the gratification of curiosities so feeble that the man is only half aware of them, in drumming of fingers and kicking of heels, in whistling tunes that he does not like, or in the long, dim labyrinth of reveries that have not even lust or ambition to give them a relish, but which, once chance association has started them, the creature is too weak and fuddled to shake off.

You will say that these are very small sins; and doubtless, like all young tempters, you are anxious to be able to report spectacular wickedness. But do remember, the only thing that matters is the extent to which you separate the man from the Enemy. It does not matter how small the sins are provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and out into the Nothing. Murder is no better than cards if cards can do the trick. Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one—the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts,”

The Screwtape Letters

C.S. Lewis

The church has the same effect on many people as the meeting of the Feoffees. They turn up without knowing what they are coming to, or with a preconception that is not met. They are immediately confronted with words that they do not understand, or that have not been explained properly.

Our visitor to the Alpha course had attended a meeting, but was put off by a word that was used before it was explained. I would be prepared to bet that no-one had explained what “saved” meant either.

What was the purpose of parables? Jesus told many stories. What was behind them?

All of them were about things that his audience would be familiar with. He would have been fairly sure of the response from his listeners. Can we be as sure?

Gervase Phinn recounts telling this story to a school assembly. He was certain that they would get the point, and finished the story by asking why the shepherd would take such a lot of trouble for the one missing sheep. Eventually, on of the pupils responded with “ ‘Appen it were t’tup.” (a tup is the northern England word for a ram or male sheep)

We tell this story, as if it needs no explanation, but most of our listeners have no experience of shepherding. It is not a part of their culture.

The people of Jesu’s time were also familiar with idea of God as their shepherd, and that their leaders were supposed to guide them in the right way as a shepherd. These ideas are not part of modern society. Can you imagine any of the leaders of the political parties in your country presenting the idea that they are shepherds of the people who will lead them in the correct way, and have their best interests at heart?

When we are using the parables of Jesus, we need to be aware of the cultural differences between the time when they were told, and now. The truth is unchanged, but we need to make sure that the hearers understand what the story is really about. Otherwise, people might get the idea that God regards us a sheep, and in the modern society, sheep are not animals that invite flattering comparison. Let us give people the right understanding by being careful with our words and images.

Song: There were ninety and nine that safely lay

The Ninety and Nine (youtube.com)

Week beginning 26th May

 

In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways,  but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.  The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. 

Letter to the Hebrews

Chapter 1, verses 1 to 3a

Hymn: Jesus is Lord, Creation’s voice proclaims it

Jesus is Lord, Creation's Voice Proclaims It [with lyrics for congregations] (youtube.com)

Prayer:

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,

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.

Hymn: Jesus shall take the highest honour

Jesus shall take the highest honour lyrics (youtube.com)

Readings:

Luke’s gospel, chapter 3, verses 21 and 22

Luke’s gospel, chapter 6, verses 12 and 13

Luke’s gospel, chapter 9, verses 18 to 20

Luke’s gospel chapter 9, verses 28 and 29

Luke’s gospel, chapter 11, verses 1 to 4

Luke’s gospel, chapter 22, verses 39 to 47a

Hymn: Stand up, stand up for Jesus

Stand Up Stand Up For Jesus (youtube.com)

The nineteenth century evangelist Dwight L Moody once said that Jesus never taught his disciples to preach, but he did teach them to pray.

The chapter 3 reading is the hour of Jesu’s dedication. After 30 years of the Son of Man mingling with sinners, he is waiting to be baptised. He received the Holy spirit. About 3½ years later, His disciples were also anointed with the Holy Spirit.

The Luke 5 reading tells us that Jesus needed to seek his Father’s face. The multitudes had come to hear and be healed. Jesus then withdrew and prayed

From this we can conclude that Jesus did not want his fame to crowd out God. It is very easy for God to be crowded out of our lives. We need to set time aside to prevent this, to set time aside for prayer.

In chapter 5 we have Jesus at the hour of decision. He receives instructions from His father. Similarly, we will hear from God when we set time aside. An old lady of my acquaintance once told me that she was praying one day, and trying to include everything that was concerning her. She heard the voice of God saying to her “For goodness sake J, will you stop and let me get a word in!”

In the first chapter 9 reading, Jesus is at the hour of revelation. He was preparing the disciples to be the bedrock of the Church. He was preparing them for revelation. People are not converted without revelation.

The second reading from this chapter is the hour of transfiguration. This was a brief experience, seen by the witnesses with their own eyes. This came out of prayer. Prayer not only changes things, it changes people.

In chapter 11, Jesus teaches the disciples to pray in the words which we now call The Lord’s prayer. This was the hour on instruction; instruction on becoming intercessors on behalf of others.

In Jesu’s last hour, we have the hour of redemption.

We need to continue in prayer; to thank Jesus for His examples; to be encouraged by prayer.

May we pray.

Hymn: Jesus is King

Jesus is King and I Will Extol Him (Singing the Faith 327 / StF 327) (youtube.com)

Week beginning 19th May. Pentecost Sunday

Pentecost Sing

Book of Genesis chapter 1: verses 1 to 3

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. 3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

Spirit of God,  Tune Skye Boat Song

Spirit of God, Unseen as the Wind (Tune: Skye Boat Song - 2vv+refrain) [lyrics for congregations] (youtube.com)

O God of burning cleansing flame, send the fire

SALVATION ARMY- SEND THE FIRE TODAY (youtube.com)

Isaiah 11: 1 – 3

1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
 the Spirit of counsel and of might,  the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—
3 and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.

Come Holy Ghost our souls inspire

Come Holy Ghost our souls inspire - Lyrics (youtube.com)

Acts 2: 1 – 8

2 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues  as the Spirit enabled them.

5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 

Wind wind blow on me

Wind wind blow on me (youtube.com)

1 Corinthians 12: 4 – 11

4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. 7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,  and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

Spirit of holiness

Spirit of holiness BLOW THE WIND SOUTHERLY - YouTube

Spirit of God Divine

Spirit of God Divine (Fill me again) (youtube.com)

Spirit divine attend our prayers

CH 341 'Spirit divine, attend our prayers' (youtube.com)

Galatians 5: 22 – 25

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

The Spirit live

The spirit lives to set us free (Walk in the light) (youtube.com)

2 Corinthians 5:7Amplified Bible

7 for we walk by faith, not by sight, living our lives in a manner consistent with our confident belief in God’s promises.

Colours of day dawn into the mind

Colours of Day (youtube.com)

Benediction

We Thank you Father God through your unfailing love you created us

You gave Your only son to save us from our sin that we may have eternal life .

Be with us as we go are separate ways to work and serve you at all times and in all places through the power of your Holy spirit .

Amen

Week beginning 12th May

 

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”

Isaiah 52 : verse 7

Song: How lovely on the mountains

How Lovely on the Mountains (Our God Reigns - 4vv+refrain) [with lyrics for congregations] (youtube.com)

Prayer

Lord Jesus,  Prince of Peace, We come before you with hearts burdened and restless. Grant us the inner peace that surpasses all understanding. Calm the storms within us and fill us with the assurance of your presence. Help us to cast our anxieties upon you, and to trust in your perfect peace. In Jesus' name, Join us in unity of love as we say together the prayer you taught us.

Lords Prayer

Song: Great is Thy faithfulness

Great is thy faithfulness (youtube.com)

Reading: The letter to the Romans, chapter 5: verses 1 to 11.

Song: May the mind of Christ my Saviour

May the mind of Christ my Saviour StF 504 (with lyrics for congregations) (youtube.com)

Reading: John’s gospel, chapter 14: verses15 to 27.

Song: In heavenly love abiding

In Heavenly Love Abiding (youtube.com)

Starting with a question. Can you remember a time or situation when someone really rejected you? What did this do to the relationship between you, or to your feelings?

Sin is the rejection of God by people. None of us is righteous; none of us is without guilt.

Paul tells us that God’s judgement is coming, and that there is punishment for the self-righteous. This is regardless of a person’s religious background or practice.

He goes on to say that the power of God brings salvation to all who believe. In chapter 4, he has described how Abraham was justified (put right with God) by his faith. Jesus was delivered to death for our sin, and raised to life for our justification. By this, we have been declared not guilty.

Therefore, we can be sure of our peaceful relationship with God,

Peace; a lovely word. We use the word frequently, when asking for, or thanking for “Peace and quiet”, or when we ask that God will let someone “Rest in peace”. In the bible, words can sometimes have “bible meanings”. Peace can mean complete or whole. It can mean restore or make whole. Paul uses the word in this sense, that we have been justified, or made righteous before God. Nothing we have done has achieved this, it is grace, a free gift from god, it means that we are no longer God’s enemies.

We live in a world where things have to be earned, or worked for. This can be exam grades, a good physique, or promotion.

There is nothing wrong with working hard in life. Many things which are desirable can only be achieved with hard work. But Paul tells us that we can have a relationship with God, that we can cease being enemies of God, simply by accepting it.

Do we feel that we can accept it? Other religions teach that people need to earn their relationship with go; that they must do enough good, or be spiritual enough, in order to merit our relationship with God. We need to do nothing!

Can we accept the peace which Jesus gives? Or do we still feel that we need to earn it? Do we perhaps feel that there is some sin in our life which God hasn’t (or even can’t!) forgive? Sometimes we struggle to accept this.

We need to ask the Holy spirit to show us areas in which we might not be accepting him.

Closing prayer

Almighty God, we pray for peace in our world, where there is often conflict and strife. Bring an end to violence and injustice. Inspire leaders to work towards the well-being of all people. May your love and compassion prevail, uniting nations in a common pursuit of peace. Let your kingdom of peace reign on earth as it is in heaven. In the name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, I pray. Amen.

Song: Love divine all love excelling

Love Divine All Loves Excelling (youtube.com)

Benediction

May the love of the Father, the tenderness of the Son,
and the presence of the Spirit, gladden your heart
and bring you peace this day and all days, Amen.