CCL 125049
Contents
- Welcome
- Hymn 146 From all that dwell below the skies Tune Laast uns Erfreuen (Church Hymnary 4th Edition)
- All age time
- Prayer
- Reading Matthew 13: 31-33 (Good News Bible)
- Hymn 497 Almighty Father of all things that be Tune Chilton Foliat (Church Hymnary 4th Edition)
- Reflection
- Prayer for others
- Hymn 471 To the name of our salvation Tune Tantum ergo Sacramentum (Church Hymnary 4th Edition)
- Blessing
Welcome
Welcome and let us worship God
‘My one desire is to know Christ and the power of his resurrection.’
Philippians 3: 10
Hymn 146
1 From all that dwell below the skies
let the Creator’s praise arise:
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Let the Redeemer’s name be sung
through every land, by every tongue:
Alleluia, Alleluia,
Alleluia, Alleluia,
Alleluia!
2 Eternal are your mercies, Lord;
and eternal truth attends your word:
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Your praise shall sound from shore to shore
till suns rise and set no more:
Alleluia, Alleluia,
Alleluia, Alleluia,
Alleluia!
All age time (for ages 0-100)
- Today’s Bible story
In today’s Bible story Jesus tells a couple of short stories showing how a little bit of hard work, or even the work of one person, can with God’s help make a big difference
- Something to make
How do you fancy trying some home baking and sharing it with someone?
Or buy something and share it with someone? Or buy it and put it towards the foodbank?
- Something to think about
A little effort on our part can actually have significant impact. Anything we can put effort into achieving this week? And if we work together on doing something?
Why do we need foodbanks? What do we have to do to eradicate the need for them?
Opening Prayer
Lord
You are the bringer of life
At your word all that is came into existence
from you came the mystery of life
by your will and care
all things continue and life renews and changes
Your Word took flesh and came among us
showed you to us
showed us how you want us to live
and by his death and rising again
he defeated death and brought new life
By the gift of your Spirit
you have shared his new life with us
By the gift of your Spirit
you are constantly working to renew
and bring new life
to your hurting world
We come here this day
with many thoughts, worries
joys, hopes and fears
we come bringing thanks and praise
we come asking for healing
we come asking for forgiveness
we come needing comforted
we come needing challenged
we come to find new life
Speak to us, touch us, feed us, fill us
and send us out to serve you
Through Christ our Lord we pray
Amen
Bible reading
Matthew 13: 31-33
Jesus told them another parable: “The Kingdom of heaven is like this. A man takes a mustard seed and sows it in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it grows up, it is the biggest of all plants. It becomes a tree, so that birds come and make their nests in its branches.”
Jesus told them still another parable: “The Kingdom of heaven is like this. A woman takes some yeast and mixes it with forty litres of flour until the whole batch of dough rises.”
Hymn 497
1 Almighty Father of all things that be,
our life, our work we consecrate to thee,
whose heavens declare thy glory from above,
whose earth below is witness to thy love.
2 For well we know this weary, fallen earth
is yet thine own by right of its new birth,
since that great cross upreared on Calvary
redeemed it from its fault and shame to thee.
3 Thine still the changeful beauty of the hills,
the purple valleys flecked with silver rills,
the ocean glistening ‘neath the golden rays:
they all are thine, and voiceless speak thy praise.
4 Thou dost the strength to worker’s arms impart;
from thee the skilled musician’s reasoned art,
the grace of poet’s pen or painter’s hand
to teach the loveliness of sea and land.
5 Then grant us, Lord, in all things thee to own,
to dwell within the shadow of thy throne,
to speak and work, to think and live, and move,
reflecting thine own nature, which is love:
6 That so, by Christ redeemed from sin and shame,
and hallowed by thy Spirit’s cleansing flame,
ourselves, our work, and all our powers may be
a sacrifice acceptable to thee.
Reflection
Jesus’ mum is chatting with Martha (she of the ‘kitchen incident’)
“Interesting to hear him talk about a woman making bread, especially on of those large batches of baking. Somehow it sounds awfully familiar. I used to think he wandered into the kitchen because he was hungry and wanted to know when he could get something to eat. Now I suspect he was taking in everything that was going on, and thinking about it. When you listen to him, you realise that wherever he is, he is observing what is happening. Things that other people would not notice or think about, he notices, and stores away for later. You can’t hide anything from him.
“It’s funny stuff yeast. You only need a little bit of it to make a batch of bread. I don’t understand how it works, only that if I make up the dough, leave it in a warm place, in a little while it will have grown amazingly.
“I’d never have thought that you could liken the effects of an act of kindness to being like dough at the proving stage, or the impact of God’s message in the world being like bread in the making. If one small act of kindness, or the act of one individual, can have such an impact, what difference could we make if we work together to bring about change?
“Martha, what do you think that could mean for relations between you and your sister?”
Prayers for others
Heavenly Father
There is something wonderful
about the smell and taste
of newly baked bread or cakes
Thank you for those who do the baking for us
whether it is Granny in the kitchen
or workers in a factory
thank you for those who share baking with others
We remember those who are involved in preparing food for us
and pray that they will be safe and receive a fair reward for their work
we pray too for those who do not have enough to eat
for all who staff, stock and use foodbanks
and pray that we may be able to do away with the need for them
We pray for all who are ill,
those who look after them
and those who worry about them
those waiting for or receiving treatment
and those for whom there is no treatment
those who are lonely, feeling down, or grieving a friend or loved one
those who are worried about home, work or money
a friend or a relative
those who are living with the after-effects of natural disasters
those who do not have enough to eat, or somewhere to call home
those who long to live in peace and safety
those who have fled from their homes seeking safety
We pray for the Queen, the Government
all in positions of leadership in this and every land
We pray for your church
our own congregation
the wider church in Dumbarton
the world-wide church
We bring to you our prayers for people and situations of special concern to us
And we sum up our prayers in the words of the prayer Jesus gave 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 debts,
as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen
Hymn 471
1 To the name of our salvation
laud and honour let us pay,
which for many a generation
hid in God’s foreknowledge lay,
but with holy exultation
we may sing aloud today.
2 Jesus is the name we treasure,
name beyond what words can tell,
name of gladness, name of pleasure,
ear and heart delighting well;
name of power beyond all measure,
saving us from sin and hell.
3 Jesus is the name exalted
over every other name;
in this name, whene’er assaulted
we can put our foes to shame:
strength to those who would have halted,
eyes to blind, and feet to lame.
4 Therefore we in love adoring
this most blessèd name revere,
Holy Jesus, thee imploring
so to write it in us here,
that hereafter, heavenward soaring,
we may sing with angels there.
Blessing
God the Father sends you out
to be his witnesses wherever you go
to work to bring healing and wholeness in all you do
and the blessing of God Almighty
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
rest and remain with you, today, and every day, and for ever. Amen
Thank you for the lovely service
Lovely service thank you
Really enjoyed the Service. The singing made all the difference.
Esther T