Service Notes for 15/11/20

 

SERVICE NOTES

 

God-willing our church services will be live on Facebook on a Sunday at 9:30am at: https://www.facebook.com/malloyd

After that you can catch up there or on the churches Facebook pages or Warbleton Church You Tube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPBFrhqP5nL6QnmkZKfP5yw

 

 Our weekly notice sheet is available here: https://www.warbletonchurch.org.uk/

 

ORDER OF SERVICE

 

 

Welcome, notices and introduction

 

Grace, mercy and peace

 from God our Father

 and the Lord Jesus Christ

 be with you

(and also with you.)

                         

 This is the day that the Lord has made.

Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

                         

 Jesus says, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.'

 So let us turn away from our sin and turn to Christ,

 confessing our sins in penitence and faith.

                         

Lord God,

 we have sinned against you;

 we have done evil in your sight.

 We are sorry and repent.

 Have mercy on us according to your love.

 Wash away our wrongdoing and cleanse us from our sin.

 Renew a right spirit within us

 and restore us to the joy of your salvation;

 through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

                         

 May the Father of all mercies

 cleanse you from your sins,

 and restore you in his image

 to the praise and glory of his name,

 through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

                         

Blessed is the Lord,

for he has heard the voice of our prayer;

                         

therefore shall our hearts dance for joy

and in our song will we praise our God.

 

Hymn: I Stand Amazed in the Presence of Jesus the Nazarene

 

Bible Reading:

 

Acts 21:7-36

 

Followed by the response:

 

This is the Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God!

 

Sermon

 

Hymn: Salvation Belongs To Our God

 

 The Apostles’ Creed 

                                                 

 I believe in God, the Father almighty,

 creator of heaven and earth.

           

 I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,

 who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

 born of the Virgin Mary,

 suffered under Pontius Pilate,

 was crucified, died, and was buried;

 he descended to the dead.

 On the third day he rose again;

 he ascended into heaven,

 he is seated at the right hand of the Father,

 and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

           

 I believe in the Holy Spirit,

 the holy catholic Church,

 the communion of saints,

 the forgiveness of sins,

 the resurrection of the body,

 and the life everlasting.

 Amen.

                                     

 Prayers          

                         

Intercessions using the response:

 

Lord in your mercy

Hear our prayer.

 

The Collect for the Second Sunday before Advent

 

Heavenly Father,

whose blessed Son was revealed

to destroy the works of the devil

and to make us the children of God and heirs of eternal life:

grant that we, having this hope,

may purify ourselves even as he is pure;

that when he shall appear in power and great glory

we may be made like him in his eternal and glorious kingdom;

where he is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

Amen.

                         

 The Lord's Prayer

 

  Gathering our prayers and praises into one,

 let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us:

                         

Our Father, who art in heaven,

 hallowed be thy name;

 thy kingdom come;

 thy will be done;

 on earth as it is in heaven.

 Give us this day our daily bread.

 And forgive us our trespasses,

 as we forgive those who trespass against us.

 And lead us not into temptation;

 but deliver us from evil.

 For thine is the kingdom,

 the power, and the glory

 for ever and ever.

 Amen.

                                     

The Blessing   

Psalm 28 Study Questions

We're planning to look at Psalm 28 in our church mid-week meeting on Wednesday 11th November. Here are some questions prepared by a member of our congregation which might help you get into the Psalm: 

 Verses 1-2

How do we see David’s dependence on God in these verses?

What does he fear if God does not answer?

Where do we see David’s humility?

 

Verses 3-5

How does this section contrast with David’s prayer for mercy?

Verses 6-7

Find 5 things about God which cause David to rejoice.

 

Verses 8-9

What do we see about God’s relationship with his chosen people?

What are the four things David prays for God’s people?

 

Service notes for 8/11/20

Our benefice online Remembrance Sunday service will be live at 10:50am at facebook.com/malloyd and afterwards on the Warbleton Parish Church Facebook page and You Tube Channel. 

Order of Service

 

God is our refuge and strength; a very present help in trouble.

 

We meet in the presence of God.

We commit ourselves to work

in penitence and faith

for reconciliation between the nations,

that all people may, together,

live in freedom, justice and peace.

 

We pray for all

who in bereavement, disability and pain

continue to suffer the consequences of fighting and terror.

 

We remember with thanksgiving and sorrow

those whose lives,

in world wars and conflicts past and present,

have been given and taken away.

 

The names of the Fallen are read.

 

They shall grow not old,

as we that are left grow old;

age shall not weary them,

nor the years condemn.

 

At the going down of the sun

and in the morning,

we will remember them.

We will remember them.

 

When you go home

tell them of us and say,

for your tomorrow

we gave our today.

 

The Last Post

 

Silence

 

Reveille

 

Ever-living God,

we remember those whom you have gathered from the storm of war

into the peace of your presence;

may that same peace calm our fears,

bring justice to all peoples

and establish harmony among the nations,

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

 

Let us confess to God the sins and shortcomings of the world;

its pride, its selfishness, its greed;

its evil divisions and hatreds.

Let us confess our share in what is wrong,

and our failure to seek and establish that peace

which God wills for his children.

 

Most merciful God,

Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

we confess that we have sinned

in thought, word and deed.

We have not loved you with our whole heart.

We have not loved our neighbours as ourselves.

In your mercy

forgive what we have been,

help us to amend what we are,

and direct what we shall be;

that we may do justly,

love mercy,

and walk humbly with you, our God.

Amen.

 

Almighty God,

who forgives all who truly repent,

have mercy upon you,

pardon and deliver you from all your sins,

confirm and strengthen you in all goodness,

and keep you in life eternal;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

 

Hymn: O God Our Help in Ages Past

 

Bible Readings:

 

Revelation 21vv1-7

 

This is the Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

 

John 15vv9-17

 

This is the Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

 

Sermon

 

Hymn: Eternal Father, Strong to Save

 

Creed

 

We affirm our faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God:

 

Though he was divine,

he did not cling to equality with God,

but made himself nothing.

Taking the form of a slave,

he was born in human likeness.

He humbled himself

and was obedient to death,

even the death of the cross.

Therefore God has raised him on high,

and given him the name above every name:

that at the name of Jesus

every knee should bow,

and every voice proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father. Amen.

 

Intercessions

 

The Collect

 

Almighty Father,

whose will is to restore all things

in your beloved Son, the King of all:

govern the hearts and minds of those in authority,

and bring the families of the nations,

divided and torn apart by the ravages of sin,

to be subject to his just and gentle rule;

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever. Amen.

 

The Lord’s 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,

the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen

 

An Act of Commitment

 

Let us pledge ourselves anew to the service of God

and our fellow men and women:

that we may help, encourage and comfort others,

and support those working for the relief of the needy

and for the peace and welfare of the nations.

 

Lord God our Father,

we pledge ourselves to serve you and all humankind,

in the cause of peace,

for the relief of want and suffering,

and for the praise of your name.

Guide us by your Spirit;

give us wisdom;

give us courage;

give us hope;

and keep us faithful now and always.

Amen.

 

The National Anthem

 

The Blessing

 

James 2vv1-13 - Some Bible Study Notes

In case these are of any interest or use for anyone who would like to do some preparation for our midweek Bible study on Wed 7th Oct on James 2:1-13:

 

As we think about this passage, we might keep 1vv21-22 in mind: humbly accepting the word planted in us which can save us, we seek not only to listen to the word but to do what it says, to put it into practice, to live in the light of the gospel.

 

What would you say is the theme of this passage?

 

Favouritism / partiality (discrimination?) is the theme in v1, v4, v9.

V1 – proswpole_mpsais – favouritism / partiality – lit. receiving the face, judging someone on external appearances, a respecter of persons (KJV)

V4 – diakrinw means separate / make distinctions but it can also mean doubt / waver

 

How might belief in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ exclude favouritism / partiality? (v1)

Can you think of anything else from earlier in the letter or indeed any other biblical teaching which tends against favouritism?

 

What particular types of favouritism / discrimination does James seem to have most in mind? Discrimination against whom?

 

Compare 1v27 with the despising of the poor in 2v3. What should our attitude be to the poor and needy? Why?

 

Look again at vv1-3. What are the two types of “glory” talked about?

 

Can you explain why “discriminating amongst yourselves” would be wrong for the Christian? (v4) 

What arguments does the passage give against it?

 

(We have already heard about the rich and the poor in 1vv9-11)

 

2v5 cf. 1 Cor 1:26-27. How does God’s action / the gospel exclude partiality to the rich?

 

Cf. 1v25 and 2vv8-12 on the law

 

What reasons does the passage give me for avoiding condemning and looking down on others (e.g. because of their poverty)?

 

How does the law of God exclude favouritism? (vv8-112)

 

What does the passage tell us about right / wrong judgement? Who should be doing the judging and how?

 

What hope does the passage give us if we are conscious of being law breakers?

 

What reason does v13 give for showing mercy?

 

On mercy see Matthew 5:7; 18:21-35

Does our passage mean we should never make any kind of judgements? Or that we cannot have particular friends e.g. within the church? Am I a judge with an evil heart if I invite some people round for meals more often than others? What does the passage mean?

 

Do you think something like vv2-4 could happen in our church services / gatherings?

Are there ways you / we are tempted to show favouritism?

Do we sometimes judge by faulty criteria?

 

How might our passage encourage praise and prayer?

 

* * *

 

Vv8-9 – Don’t just love some of your neighbours! No favouritism

 

If you’re arrested for assault, it’s no defence to point out you’re not a bigamist!

Breaking the law is breaking the law. Break one law and you are still a law breaker.  

 

Or think of shattering a pain of glass. It doesn’t much matter where you smash it. If it breaks, it breaks.

 

The Law of God is not like those exam questions which say “Candidates must attempt any three questions.”  

 

Selective obedience is disobedience (Allberry, p66)

 

Sam Allberry:

Favouritism contradicts God’s choosing of the poor to be rich in faith (v5)

Favouritism contradicts God’s law (vv8-11)

Favouritism contradicts God’s mercy (vv12-13)

 

Next week: James 2vv14-end