Tag: Start the Day

Sunday 5th January 2025

The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Genesis 12:1-3 NIV

God of purpose,

Abram discovered that life has direction, purpose and meaning. He heard You and believed. What a difference it makes to know we have You, a God who cares, directs and has a plan for our lives. For good and not for evil (Jeremiah 29:11). It certainly was not an easy life and he never knew what was coming next! He even made mistakes. He lied and said his wife was his sister twice (Genesis 12:19 and 20:2). He took his wife’s maidservant to have a son rather than trust God to provide at first . . . then laughed at Your plan. How often we need to remember that You always lead and the enemy always tries to push!

We read through his life’s story, that Abraham keeps the faith, passes it on. Indeed today we see how all peoples have been blessed through a child born to His line. Jesus. Keep us following, not being pushed, faithful and when necessary repentant. And thank you for the purpose, meaning and direction you give to our lives.

In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Worship Sunday 5th January 2025


Why You ever chose me
Has always been a mystery
All my life I’ve been told I belong
At the end of the line
With all the other not-quites
With all the never-get-it-rights
But it turns out they’re the ones You were looking for
All this time

‘Cause I’m just a nobody
Trying to tell everybody
All about Somebody
Who saved my soul
Ever since You rescued me
You gave my heart a song to sing
I’m living for the world to see
Nobody but Jesus

Moses had stage fright
When David brought a rock to a sword fight
You picked twelve outsiders nobody would have chosen
And You changed the world
Well the moral of the story is
Everybody’s got a purpose
So when I hear that devil start talking to me saying
“Who do you think you are?”
I say

Chorus

So let me go down, down, down in history
As another blood-bought faithful member of a family
And if they all forget my name, well that’s fine with me
I’m living for the world to see
Nobody but Jesus
Repeat

Chorus

Lyrics: Matthew West, John Mark Hall, Melvin Williams, Douglas Williams, Leonard Williams, Bernhard Herms




Saturday 4th January 2025

“And the Lord said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. 7 Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” 8 So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. 9 Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.” Genesis 11:6-9 NKJV

God Almighty,

So they ceased building the city. It says that in every translation I have looked at! And yet somehow I have it in my mind that it was destroyed? Perhaps I am remembering the tower of Siloam that Jesus talks about in Luke 13:4-5. No You scattered the people because they were raising an alter to their own achievements? They were comparing themselves to You, denying you or putting You aside to make more room for themselves? Reminds me of King Nebuchadnezzar who said, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” (Daniel 4:30). He too took all the glory for himself. He ate grass and lived as a hermit till he humbled himself.

It is good to remember that You are God, there is no other, You are the creator and there is no other. We can achieve great things, do marvelous things or even small wonderful things but You are still God and our help support and provision. Please bring us down a peg if we need it, so that You do not have to come and confuse what we are doing to get out attention. And help us build for good.

May we and You be pleased at what You have enabled us to do.

In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Worship Saturday 4th January 2025
This is my kind of tower . . .

Blessed be the name of the Lord 
Blessed be the name of the Lord 
Blessed be the name of the Lord Most High 
Blessed be the name of the Lord 
Blessed be the name of the Lord 
Blessed be the name of the Lord Most High 

The name of the Lord is a strong tower 
The righteous run into it and they are saved 
The name of the Lord is a strong tower 
The righteous run into it and they are saved 

Holy is the name of the Lord 
Holy is the name of the Lord 
Holy is the name of the Lord Most High 
Holy is the name of the Lord 
Holy is the name of the Lord 
Holy is the name of the Lord Most High 

Glory to the name of the Lord
Glory to the name of the Lord 
Glory to the name of the Lord Most High 
Glory to the name of the Lord 
Glory to the name of the Lord 
Glory to the name of the Lord Most High 

Lyrics: Clinton Utterbach

Pray for your family, friends, neighbourhood and church family.
Our nation, our world. Peace for Ukraine.
For yourself.

Friday 3rd January 2025

“Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7 So the Lord said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” Genesis 6:5-8 NKJV

God of grace,

We look at our world and see that nothing has changed from Noah’s days and they were older and supposedly wiser? One man, one person made a difference. What if Noah had not gone against the tide of sin and selfishness? It reminds us that You came among us as a man and refused to sin even though it led to Your death.

It gives us encouragement that one life, even our life, can and does make a difference. Noah did not see it at the time but it pleased you. Sometimes we do not see what difference our life makes in this world and we do not see what difference our faith makes to our family and friends. You do. But then we know that You also the one we want to please. Wo loves us. Father, Son and Holy Spirit not just cheering from the side lines but living it with us.

And through Jesus we nave found grace in Your eyes for every minute of every hour of every day of every year. And right now this moment. We are loved and free from sin in Jesus. How wonderful.

In Jesus name we pray and worship, Amen.

Worship Thursday 2nd January 2025
It could be nothing else but this worship today, a hymn for every day. I never tire of hearing it.

Wonderful grace that gives what I don’t deserve,
pays me what Christ has earned then lets me go free.
Wonderful grace that gives me the time to change,
washes away the stains that once covered me.

And all that I have I lay at the feet
of the wonderful Saviour who loves me.

2. Wonderful love that held in the face of death,
breathed in its final breath forgiveness for me.
Wonderful love whose power can break every chain
giving us life again setting us free.

And all that I have I lay at the feet
of the wonderful Saviour who loves me.

Lyrics and music: John Pantry

Pray for God to move in our world, bless those we love and us.
Persist in prayer for an end to war in Ukraine.