Sunday 22nd October 2023

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.” John 1:1-4 NIV

Lord God,

It seems right to take a break from the ten times You spoke in creation and the ten commandments and just worship today. Starting at the beginning! John began his gospel at the beginning. He puts Jesus in You as part of You in Trinity before creation even began. Jesus was not just a good man, not just a martyr, not just a moral teacher.

He was God, You with us, You in person. And He provided us with all that we lost through the fall. Forgiveness for sin, a personal relationship with You and a future beyond this life as we know it.

So today it is good to just rest our hearts and minds. Think about You and allow Your Holy Spirit to refresh us as we consider the beauty of Jesus.

Worship Sunday 22nd October 2023

Fairest Lord Jesus,
ruler of all nature,
O thou of God and man the Son,
Thee will I cherish,
Thee will I honor,
thou, my soul’s glory, joy, and crown.

Fair are the meadows,
fairer still the woodlands,
robed in the blooming garb of spring:
Jesus is fairer,
Jesus is purer
who makes the woeful heart to sing.

Fair is the sunshine,
fairer still the moonlight,
and all the twinkling starry host:
Jesus shines brighter,
Jesus shines purer
than all the angels heaven can boast.

Beautiful Savior!
Lord of all the nations!
Son of God and Son of Man!
Glory and honor,
praise, adoration,
now and forevermore be thine.

Lyrics: Anonymous

Lord God,

We pray:

For all our family, friends, neighbours, our church family.
For our church fellowship and our ministers and pastors and Bible Teachers.
For Gaza and the Middle East, not just containment but an end to the terrorism without bloodshed. A miracle Lord.
For Putin, the Russian people that they would withdraw and consider peace. End war in Ukraine.
For help, relief and comfort for those in need in Afghanistan, Libya and Morocco. For ongoing aid and medical agencies.
For all those who need a day of rest and have to work. For those who need to be able to find rest for their minds and hearts.
For ourselves, that we would experience Your peace today.

In Jesus name we pray, Amen.



Saturday 21st October 2023

“And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. 16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars.” Genesis 1:14-16 NIV

“Honour your father and your mother, that you may live a long time in the land the Lord your God is giving to you.” Exodus 20:12 NET

God of Astrology and Biology,

On the forth day, before man discovered astrophysics, you created the laws of scientific astrology. You placed the earth on an exact tilt of 23.5 degrees and in an exact orbit of an impossibly large hot ball of plasma, inflated and heated by nuclear fusion reactions. And a tiny light orbiting earth every 24 hours to give light at night and somehow control the tides! And gravity Lord, where would we be without that as a by product? You, God who put our feet firmly on the ground.

Strange that the fifth time You spoke in creation when put with the fifth commandment, they seem again to have nothing in common. But Lord the more I see the wonder of starlight, feel the warmth of the sun, and marvel at how science works to laws, the more I realise You are really into exact details. If You had missed one detail we would not be alive.

And without a mother and father, regardless of who raised us, we would not have had life. Man can help in the process but not create that life! And the particular parents we have or had determine what we looked like. In a perfect world it would be easy to give honour to parents. But we are all sinners and all make mistakes. For some the consequences can be minor or for some major. Forgiveness does not always come easy. But You have forgiven us and so we need to learn how to do the same. Perhaps our parents did not have all the skills given to them!

Help us to give honour to parents, adoptive parents or caregivers, those who gave us life. You know their and our detailed lives and understand who we are because of them. We thank You, God for being our complete parent in heaven, showing us we are loveable and precious and wanted.

In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

God of Astrology and Biology.

We pray:

For all our family, friends, neighbours, our church family. Thank You for who gave me life.
For hospitals, maternity units and their midwives and district nurses.
For our town, our local council and the well being of our surrounding area.
For Gaza and the Middle East, not just containment but an end to the terrorism without bloodshed. A miracle Lord.
For Putin, the Russian people that they would withdraw and consider peace. End war in Ukraine.
For help, relief and comfort for those in need in Afghanistan, Libya and Morocco. For ongoing aid and medical agencies.
For our world, for parents in need and orphans. Bless those who work to provide homes, love and support for children in need.
For ourselves, that we would know Your love as our Father.

In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Worship Saturday 21st October 2023
This is new to me but I love it. We join with creation in worshiping You. We do not worship creation.

Sweet is the work, my God and King,
To praise your name, give thanks and sing,
To tell your love by morning light,
Your faithfulness all through the night.

How good it is to join the song,
Angels and saints around your throne,
Lift every voice, fill every lung,
Come strike the strings and beat the drum.

Praise him moon and stars,
Praise him shining lights,
Praise him in the morning,
Praise him when the sun goes down.

All that has breath join heaven’s song,
East to the West, old and the young,
And bless his works and bless his name,
Tell of his love with hearts aflame.

Lyrics: Graham Kendrick


Friday 20th October 2023

 “God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: plants yielding seeds and trees on the land bearing fruit with seed in it, according to their kinds.” It was so. 12 The land produced vegetation—plants yielding seeds according to their kinds, and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. God saw that it was good. 13 There was evening, and there was morning, a third day.” Genesis 1:11-13 NET

“Remember the Sabbath day to set it apart as holy. 9 For six days you may labour and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; on it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, or your male servant, or your female servant, or your cattle, or the resident foreigner who is in your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them, and he rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.” Exodus 20:8-11 NET

God of creation and rest,

The forth time God spoke in creation it was both productive and reproductive. Does it marry up with the forth commandment about Sabbath rest!? They look like opposites at first glance. W. H. Davis wrote the well known stanza, “what is this life if, full of care, we have no time to stand and stare?” Sometimes we do need to stop and rest and get a God perspective on what is in our hands and what is in Yours. You hold all creation in perpetual growth and development. Amazing. We just need to do what we can and trust You for the things which we cannot.

You taught by example from the very beginning. Time to work, time to rest, time to consider what is good. Jesus knew how to take rest and withdraw and rest in You (Luke 5:16). If he needed to take time to pause, how much more do we. The third day saw creation bursting with nature’s activity. The world will not end if we stop and rest.

Jesus showed us that Sabbath was not about rules and regulations (Matthew 12:1-8). Thou shalt not. But a day to relax, allow ourselves to unwind, know You are in control. And even consider all the wonderful lavish creation You have set in motion. Time to recharge and rejoice. Tomorrow has enough worry of its own ( Matthew 6:34). Creation is free to view, each single flower.

In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

God of creation and rest,

We pray:

For all our family, friends, neighbours, our church family. Those we are not close to any more.
Those living in our street or road or cul-de-sac or area. For hospitals and our Doctors surgery.
For our town, our local council and the well being of our surrounding area.
For Gaza and the Middle East, to an end to the terrorism there without more bloodshed.
For Putin, the Russian people and for change. An end of war in Ukraine.
For help, relief and comfort for those in the earthquakes zones in Afghanistan, and for those in the devastated areas in Libya and Morocco. For the ongoing aid and medical agencies.
For our world, for help to farm without harmful chemicals and room for wildlife to coexist.
For ourselves, for Your gentle guiding, support and encouragement.

In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Worship Friday 20th October 2023
A hymn to reassure

This is my Father’s world,
And to my listening ears
All nature sings, and round me rings
The music of the spheres.
This is my Father’s world:
I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas,
His hand the wonders wrought.

This is my Father’s world:
The birds their carols raise,
The morning light, the lily white,
Declare their Maker’s praise.
This is my Father’s world:
He shines in all that’s fair;
In the rustling grass I hear Him pass,
He speaks to me everywhere.

This is my Father’s world:
O let me ne’er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the Ruler yet.
This is my Father’s world:
Why should my heart be sad?
The Lord is King: let the heavens ring!
God reigns; let earth be glad!

Lyrics: Maltbie D Babcock