The love of God is greater far

“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:¹⁴Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.¹⁵Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” Matthew 7:13-16 KJV

Father and Lord God Almighty,

I can’t help it sometimes I just love hearing the King James Version because it was the first I heard. Keep on the straight and narrow! Choices, many choices in life and some seem don’t seem to be bad and yet . . . they can get us into trouble.

Jesus You are literally our signpost our gate our path to walk and stay in the straight and narrow. There is no crookedness in You. And repentance brings us back because we just love the crooked, the sinful.

We do sing that Your love is so wide we can’t get round it, under it or over it, Your love is vast as the ocean high as the heavens above but that does not give us license. The gate is straight and narrow. It is endlessly filled with Your love and forgiveness.

Keep us from thinking we are OK not too bad, not hurting anyone. Remind us of the first commandment. None of us is all right all the time no matter how good we think we are. We think and that is often not godly! Thank You for the warning, thank you for Your Holy Spirits prompting, keep us humble in Your love and direct our steps.

In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Father and Lord God Almighty,

For our close family. Your love showing the way.
For our extended family, friends, neighbours.
For our fellowship, ministers and congregations.
For our king and all those in authority (1 Timothy 2:2). Catherine’s return to duties.
For Parliament and the assisted dying debated change in the law..
For Ukraine and Russia. Oh Lord, miracles and peace.
For Gaza, all around the Middle East. We long to see a way for peace and not escalation.
For those who are trying to go straight on release from prison. Send them help as needed.
For those learning to walk again with prosthetics. For those who are facing not being able to walk.
For us to have a day where our feet tread joyfully and we are able hand over our worry to You.

In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Worship Monday 30th September 2024

The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star,
And reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled,
And pardoned from his sin.

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.

Hallelujah, Hallelujah . . .

Oh, love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure—
The saints’ and angels’ song.

Lyrics: Frederick M. Lehman

Lines similar to verse 3 are also found in the Qur’an (18:109 and 31:27) and in Akdamut, an 11th century Jewish poem.
Frederick Lehman tells us that the English rendition included in his song had reportedly “been found pencilled on the wall of a patient’s room in an insane asylum after he had been carried to his grave.” While it is only supposition that the man was the one who translated or adapted the words to leave us these well-known lines, if the account is true it shows in any case that he highly esteemed the message.

“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.” 1 John 4:9 NIV

God and Father of love,

I watched a TV programme, Lord, on old adverts. Memory lane of many things now long gone. But immediately I see the brand I remember the experience! OMO, Spangles, Woolworths . . . They bring memories of washing the whitest, fruit flavoured squares and being able to buy almost anything at a cheap price! We in the church have the cross, is that our brand? Visions of gruesome torture, punishment and death. Those of us who know the whole story, know the pain and sacrifice shows the depth of Your love.

The symbol of Your love God, is not a fluffy Easter bunny, not a promise of cheap promises. It is a stark instrument of torture and death. But also for us the experience of the depth and fulfilment of Your love. Help us live so we show what Your cross stands for. Love.

You, God love us completely. Though we are flawed, rejected, awkward, sorrowful, broken, not quite good enough sometimes . . . You loved us first. Help us to reflect the cross and what the church experience should be about – Your love and sacrifice.

In Jesus name, Amen

God wh0 is love,

For our family and friends. For all their needs today. For the best for today.
For our neighbours and neighbourhood to prosper and grow.
For our church, Ministers, lay leaders, members. To be there for their neighbours.
For the royal family. For peace of mind, healing and family support and unity.
For our Parliament. To find harmony not animosity and work together for national good.
For our local dentists, GP’s, chiropodists and those in training. Those choosing their careers.
For families recently bereaved. For those who work in and those who support hospices.
For all the maternity wards, the staff and those due to give birth.
For places struggling with shortage of trained staff.
For Your people and Jerusalem. For Your wisdom in making choices and peace (Psalm 122:6).
For Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, Myanmar, all places of conflict. Bring an end to war. Speak peace to stubborn hearts. Bless the peacemakers.
For other countries not to get drawn in to conflict except to speak ceasefire, peace talks and diplomacy.
For a day to notice new life bursting out in gardens, busy birds and bees and do our best at work and chores.

In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Worship Thursday 18th April 2024
The “guilty pair” crucified with Jesus. One accepted the gift of life and the other sadly did not. A sobering thought.

The love of God is greater far
  Than tongue or pen can ever tell.
It goes beyond the highest star
  And reaches to the lowest hell.
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
  God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled
  And pardoned from his sin.

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
  And were the skies of parchment made;
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
  And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above
  Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
  Though stretched from sky to sky.

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah
O love of God, how rich and pure!
  How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure—
    The saints’ and angels’ song.

Lyrics: Frederick M Lehman (1917)

Lehman emigrated to Iowa, America with his family at age four. He came to Christ at age 11. One morning about eleven o’clock while walking up the country lane, skirted by a wild crab-apple grove on the right and a fence with an old white-elm gate in a gap at the left, suddenly Heaven let a cornucopia of glory descend on the eleven-year old lad. The wild crab-apple grove assumed a heavenly glow and the fence an unearthly lustre. That old white-elm gate with its sun-warped boards gleamed and glowed like silver bars to shut out the world and shut him in. The ’form of the fourth,’ (Jesus who was the forth person in the fiery furnace) came into his heart. The weight of conviction was gone and the paeans of joy and praise fell from his lips. He later became a Pastor and devoted his life to writing hymns.