presents
a
WORSHIP SERVICE
22nd January 2012
The Chi Rho is one of the most ancient "sacred monograms" of Christ. They were developed by early Christians as a secret sign of their faith. This monogram is composed of the first two Greek letters of the word "Christ"
We use it today as a reminder of the courage of the early day Christians
HYMN: STAND UP FOR JESUS
Introduction:01 Intro Stand up(To hear the audio file please right click mouse, then left click to open new tab)
Words by George Duffield and music by George Webb.
Episcopalian Reverend Dudley A. Tyng (1825-1858) was a dynamic preacher known for taking strong stands against evil, no matter what the cost.
On Tuesday, March 30, 1858, Tyng preached a sermon on Exodus 10:11, “Go now ye that are men and serve the Lord”, at a YMCA noon mass meeting. Tyng delivered his message to 5,000 men that day. More than 1,000 of those men responded to the altar call, to receive Jesus as their Saviour. Just over a week later, Tyng lay dying as a result of a tragic accident. His final statement, whispered to friends and family, was “Let us all stand up for Jesus.”
The Sunday following Tyng's death, Presbyterian Pastor George Duffield (1818-1888) preached a sermon on Ephesians 6:14, as a tribute to the final words of his friend Tyng. He concluded his sermon with a six-stanza poem. Duffield's Sunday School superintendant printed copies of the poem and distributed them to all the congregation. One of the pamphlets fell into the hands of the editor of a Baptist periodical. The editor was so impressed with the verses that he printed them in his widely read publication. The poem Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus, has since become one of the most recognized hymns in all English-speaking Christendom.
Music:02 Stand up(To hear the audio file please right click mouse, then left click to open new tab)
1
Stand up, stand up for Jesus, ye soldiers of the cross;
Lift high His royal banner, it must not suffer loss.
From victory to victory His army shall He lead,
Till every foe is vanquished, and Christ is Lord indeed.
2
Stand up, stand up for Jesus, the trumpet call obey;
Forth to the mighty conflict, in this His glorious day.
Ye that are brave now serve Him against unnumbered foes;
Let courage rise with danger, and strength to strength oppose.
3
Stand up, stand up for Jesus, stand in His strength alone;
The arm of flesh will fail you, ye dare not trust your own.
Put on the Gospel armour, each piece put on with prayer;
Where duty calls or danger, be never wanting there.
4
Stand up, stand up for Jesus, the strife will not be long;
This day the noise of battle, the next the victor’s song.
To those who vanquish evil a crown of life shall be;
They with the King of Glory shall reign eternally.
PRAYER
03 Prayer(To hear the audio file please right click mouse, then left click to open new tab)
Almighty God, we acknowledge you as our creator. We realise our words show how inferior we are to you in every respect. We understand what a privilege you have given to us to come into your presence whenever we choose to do so. Because we are privileged, we come before you reverently but expectantly. We can never experience your presence and be the same afterwards. It always encourages us to try to be more like you, dear God. Indeed, today, we find ourselves wanting to be that more than ever. Help us we pray.
The euphoria of the celebration of entering a new year is now fading and we realise only too well the problems of last year have irritatingly, stubbornly remained with us.
We desperately need your intervention as we struggle to cope with the effects of man's selfishness, dear God. We have no right to ask for your help but we have seen how much you love us and we dare to believe you will not deny us the means to improve this world.
And while we think about massive world issues we remember the familiar problems of illness and distress among the people we know. We make ourselves available to you, dear Lord, if you can use us to bring your comfort and help.
Grant us, please, a divine anointing today. This we ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.
HYMN: THE KING OF LOVE
Introduction:04 Intro The King(To hear the audio file please right click mouse, then left click to open new tab)
Words by Henry Williams Baker. From 1860 to 1877, he was editor-in-chief of the Anglican Hymns Ancient and Modern, and contributed hymns, tunes, and translations.
Music ‘Dominus Regit Me’ by John Bacchus Dykes (1823-1876)
At age 12, Dykes became assistant organist at St. John’s Church in Hull, but is best known for composing over 300 hymn tunes. In addition to his gift for writing music, he played the organ, piano, violin, and horn.
Music: 05 The King of Love(To hear the audio file please right click mouse, then left click to open new tab)
1
The King of love my Shepherd is,
Whose goodness faileth never,
I nothing lack if I am His
And He is mine forever.
2
Where streams of living water flow
My ransomed soul He leadeth,
And where the verdant pastures grow,
With food celestial feedeth.
3
Perverse and foolish oft I strayed,
But yet in love He sought me,
And on His shoulder gently laid,
And home, rejoicing, brought me.
4
In death’s dark vale I fear no ill
With Thee, dear Lord, beside me;
Thy rod and staff my comfort still,
Thy cross before to guide me.
5
Thou spread’st a table in my sight;
Thy unction grace bestoweth;
And O what transport of delight
From Thy pure chalice floweth!
6
And so through all the length of days
Thy goodness faileth never;
Good Shepherd, may I sing Thy praise
Within Thy house forever.
MUSICAL MOMENTS
Introduction: 06 Musical moments 1(To hear the audio file please right click mouse, then left click to open new tab)
Edvard Grieg is probably the best known of all Norwegian composers. He was one of the most important figures during the nationalistic romantic period and his music always contained the essence of this beautiful Scandinavian country. The Last Spring comes from Two Elegiac Melodies for String Orchestra, here arranged for Brass.
This is followed by a modern choral arrangement but which could only come from the pen of John Rutter. We have his arrangement of the timeless and well-loved Psalm 23
(a) BRASS: THE LAST SPRING (Greig)
07 Last Spring(To hear the audio file please right click mouse, then left click to open new tab)
(b) CHORAL: THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD
08 The Lord is my shepherd(To hear the audio file please right click mouse, then left click to open new tab)
GOD'S TITHES AND OUR OFFERINGS
09 God's tithes(To hear the audio file please right click mouse, then left click to open new tab)
Giving finance towards the work of God ensures that it will continue. Inevitably if finance is not available to the church or ministries they cannot fulfill the mission they feel they have been given by God. If we think the church or ministries are worthwhile existing, we can help them to continue by supporting them financially.
May God bless you in your giving and your financial stewardship of all he has given.
HYMN: LIVING LORD
Introduction: 10 Intro Living Lord(To hear the audio file please right click mouse, then left click to open new tab)
Patrick Appleford. Music Geoffrey Beaumont.
The hymn,‘Living Lord’ has made the sometimes-difficult transition from contemporary to traditional worship. The hymn was written for Holy Communion. It celebrates the birth, teaching ministry, saving death and resurrection of the living Lord.
Music:11 Living Lord(To hear the audio file please right click mouse, then left click to open new tab)
1
Lord Jesus Christ you have come to us
You are one with us, Mary's Son.
Cleansing our souls from all their sin
pouring Your love and goodness in
Jesus our love for you we sing,
living Lord.
2
Lord Jesus Christ now and every day
Teach us how to pray, Son of God.
You have commanded us to do
this in remembrance Lord of you
Into our lives your power breaks through,
living Lord.
3
Lord Jesus Christ, you have come to us
Born as one with us, Mary's Son.
Led out to die on Calvary,
risen from death to set us free,
living Lord Jesus help us see
You are Lord, living Lord.
4
Lord Jesus Christ I would come to you
live my life for you, Son of God.
All your commands I know are true,
your many gifts will make me new,
into my life your power breaks through,
living Lord.
MUSICAL MOMENTS
Introduction: 12 Musical moments 2(To hear the audio file please right click mouse, then left click to open new tab)
We have two very contrasting vocal items. The first is 'On the King’s Highway’. This was written many years ago. It’s a trip down memory lane for anyone ever associated with The Salvation Army’s music of yesteryear, in particular the chorus ‘Travel along in the sunshine on the Kings highway’.
Secondly, a very modern vocal arrangement ‘Let all the world sing praises’. I readily admit that to the Bach and Mozart lovers, this may well jar a bit on their musical ears but I’m sure that it will be enjoyed by others! Time for some Christian tolerance of tastes, I guess!
(a) CHORAL: THE KING’S HIGHWAY
13 The Kings Highway(To hear the audio file please right click mouse, then left click to open new tab)
(b) CHORAL: LET ALL THE WORLD SING PRAISES
14 Let all the world sing(To hear the audio file please right click mouse, then left click to open new tab)
1
If we keep silent,
the rocks will cry out
Blessed be the king
And if we don’t praise him,
the earth will shout
Blessed be the king
(Chorus)
Sing hallelujah
Sing hallelujah
Let all the world sing praises to the king
2
We call him Father,
we trust in him
Blessed be the king
We are his children,
we worship him
Blessed be the king
FAVOURITE HYMN FEATURE
00 Fav hymn(To hear the audio file please right click mouse, then left click to open new tab)
Our contributor this week is
who lives in Grimsby, N.E. Lincolnshire in England.
“My testimony regarding a hymn or a song is related to the song ‘Faithful One So Unchanging.’
After a serious road traffic accident I found myself in hospital with broken bones down the left side of my body including face, arm, 3 breaks in my pelvis and one very complex leg fracture and most of my calf muscle torn away. I had over 60 staples in a leg wound. Also I contracted MRSA. I was separated from my husband for 3 months whilst he was in Bedford hospital and I in Addenbrookes hospital in Cambridge. I had no family or friends locally as our home is in Grimsby 130 miles from Cambridge. Our son was working abroad and our daughter lived in Middlesex.
During this time I found God to be so faithful to His promises. He was an ever present help in time of trouble. His presence was always with me. He brought light, comfort and joy into even the darkest times. He was definitely my anchor in the storm and lifted me up constantly during the two years it took to fully recover. The psalms were a special source of comfort to me. He truly was my rock and my fortress.
When we sing songs and hymns we give mental assent to what they say but when we have experienced the truth of their content we can sing them even more heartily and most of all, thankfully.”
Music:16 Faithful one (To hear the audio file please right click mouse, then left click to open new tab)
Faithful One so unchanging
Faithful One you are my rock of peace
Lord of all I depend on you
I call out to you again and again
I call out to you again and again.
You are my rock in times of trouble
You lift me up when I fall down
All through the storm your love is the anchor.
My hope is in you alone.
BIBLE READING NUMBERS 20:1-11
17 Bible reading(To hear the audio file please right click mouse, then left click to open new tab)
1 In the first month the whole Israelite community arrived at the Desert of Zin, and they stayed at Kadesh. There Miriam died and was buried.
2 Now there was no water for the community, and the people gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron.
3 They quarrelled with Moses and said, “If only we had died when our brothers fell dead before the Lord!
4 Why did you bring the Lord’s community into this wilderness, that we and our livestock should die here?
5 Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates. And there is no water to drink!”
6 Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance to the tent of meeting and fell facedown, and the glory of the Lord appeared to them.
7 The Lord said to Moses,
8 “Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink.”
9 So Moses took the staff from the Lord’s presence, just as he commanded him.
10 He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?”
11 Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.
HYMN: O GOD OF CLEANSING BURNING FLAME
Introduction:18 Intro O God (To hear the audio file please right click mouse, then left click to open new tab)
Words: William Booth founder of The Salvation Army.
Music: Frederick Booth Tucker. Wm. Booth’s son in law.
Music:19 O God (To hear the audio file please right click mouse, then left click to open new tab)
1
O God of burning cleansing flame:
Send the fire!
Your blood-bought gift today we claim:
Send the fire today!
Look down and see this waiting host,
And send the promised Holy Ghost;
We need another Pentecost!
Send the fire today!
Send the fire today!
2
God of Elijah, hear our cry:
Send the fire!
And make us fit to live or die:
Send the fire today!
To burn up every trace of sin,
To bring the light and glory in,
The revolution now begin!
Send the fire today!
Send the fire today!
3
It’s fire we want, for fire we plead:
Send the fire!
The fire will meet our every need:
Send the fire today!
For strength to always do what’s right,
For grace to conquer in the fight,
For power to walk the world in white:
Send the fire today!
Send the fire today!
4
To make our weak hearts strong and brave:
Send the fire!
To live, a dying world to save:
Send the fire today!
Oh, see us on Your altar lay,
We give our lives to you today,
So crown the offering now we pray:
Send the fire today!
Send the fire today!
Send the fire today!
VOCAL SOLO: THE LORD’S PRAYER
Introduction:
20 Intro The Lord's Prayer(To hear the audio file please right click mouse, then left click to open new tab)
2,000 years on and still this prayer is said by millions of people each day. Here it is sung for us with both exquisite musicianship and reverence.
Music: 21 The Lord's Prayer(To hear the audio file please right click mouse, then left click to open new tab)
SERMON
22 Sermon(To hear the audio file please right click mouse, then left click to open new tab)
Our churches would be full to overflowing if we could claim that trusting our lives to the Lord made Christians immune from problems! If only! Ask Moses and he’d smile a knowing smile!
We come to come to terms with the fact that we can be as vulnerable to unemployment, financial needs, illness as those who are not Christians.
As a minister for getting on for forty years I have been privileged to meet some wonderful Christians who have taught me so much about living closely to the Lord. even when they have problems. One lady who I’ll call Lucy, had
Dr. Malcolm WestwoodShe radiantly testified that whereas she couldn’t manage on 100% of her money, God made 90% meet all her needs with money to spare.
But let’s think of Moses in our Bible reading. He’d lost his sister, Miriam. Accepting the Lord doesn’t make us immune to bereavement either of course. But we are entitled to expect some support at such times from our fellow believers. Sadly for Moses, the people he was leading were more concerned with their immediate problems. They hadn’t any water and they could see only disaster for themselves despite the fact they had been led miraculously out of captivity in Egypt; a captivity which seemed a more attractive alternative as each day passed.
And like my friend who found herself with an insolvable problem, Moses went into the Tent of Meeting. (You’ll remember in Exodus 33:7 it says ‘Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. And everyone who sought the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting, which was outside the camp.’)
And like my friend, Lucy, Moses, ‘went from the assembly to the entrance of the Tent of meeting and fell facedown…..and the glory of the Lord appeared…..’
Isn’t that wonderful! Now something marvellous is going to happen. God is going to fix the problem!
To impoverished Lucy he said, ‘Give me a tithe of your income…’
To Moses he said, “Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water.”
‘Give more money/speak to that rock’….how bizarre is that?!
Is that what we can expect when we meet with problems. Is that the kind of thing we can tell non-Christians to expect if they become Christians?
Such instructions are so hard to follow!
Can you imagine being Moses. In front of the whole assembly he’s expected to speak to a rock!
Lucy is expected to go against every known law of economics.
If only God would act in our ways! But if God wants to turn economics on hits head or spout water from a rock, it may confuse us but God is God! And if we could understand all that God does and his ways, we wouldn’t need God!
If we hesitate to do what he says when we appeal to him for answers to problems because his answer doesn’t satisfy our logic, we just add to our list of so called ‘unanswered’ prayers.
That’s not to say, of course, that every answer God gives is going to be so baffling but it does serve to say to us that obeying God is absolutely crucial if we expect him to work through us and in us. Most of us I suspect feel that God wouldn’t want to use us to do anything miraculous so when something out of the ordinary comes to our hearts, we justify not acting on it because God doesn’t use ‘ordinary’ people like us! The leading on our heart is dismissed as idle thinking. And equally important to remember is that even when we don’t see logical or illogical answers, God isn’t ignoring us! He’s moving mountains and building bridges and putting things in place for us.
If Moses had walked around that rock a hundred times, he would have found no water there. How did it get there? Hitting it with his staff in obedience to God’s command released the unseen water God had put there. Had Moses thought God would reveal it some other way rather than the visually dramatic way he chose, he could have stood waiting in so called ‘faith’ for years without anything happening. There is such a direct connection with our obedience to God’s direction and receiving what he has reserved for us. My friend Lucy had to virtually go in the opposite direction to receive her miracle.
I have come to the opinion that God could do so much more in and through us than we allow him to do if we would only broaden our view of him. If we could accept that he is willing to use his limitless power to answer prayers which truly reflect his glory-those prayers we can faithfully pray in the name of Jesus- the unseen provision of God would provide more than we could possibly contain!
My mind goes to the Old Testament when we read about Elisha encouraging his servant. The servant had seen that where they were, in the city of Dothan, was surrounded by an army of the King of Aram with horses and chariots wanting to capture Elisha. The servant asked, ‘Oh, my Lord, what shall we do?’
Elisha replied, ‘Don’t be afraid, those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’
The servant must have looked around and thought Elisha guilty of a massive miscalculation! Either that or Elisha had simply lost the plot.
But Elisha seemed to have understood and accepted what we struggle to grasp; that God’s unseen resources far outweigh anything we could imagine. God is always greater. God’s grace is greater than our greatest fears. God’s strength is greater than our strongest enemy. God’s love is greater than our fiercest hatred. And God’s power so often lies unused while we struggle to cope, simply because we forget or don’t appreciate his true omnipotence.
Elisa prayed ‘O Lord, open his eyes so he may see.’
You know, I think I’m going to pray that prayer for myself every day for the next month! ‘O Lord, open my eyes that I may see.’ I want to be reminded of the omnipotence of God. I want to be reminded just why I can be so confident that God will answer my prayers.
It’s a prayer that could change our lives! The answer for Elisha?
Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes and he looked and he saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire around Elisha.
Wherever our difficulties arise from, be they like they were for Moses, those mentally and spiritually draining differences we can meet in churches or the seemingly impossible personal problems when we simply are having to deal with everyday life, if it’s horses and chariots of fire or guidance to know how to deal with an issue, our omnipotent God has the provision and will give us the answers.
We just need to trust God when we pray that he will activate absolutely every power that is necessary to resolve the most ridiculously impossible situation we could ever imagine.
We have a God of infinite provision who has infinite love for us and will even die on a cross for us to prove he will provide all we could ever need.
And if he will provide all we need to resolve our difficulties, however complex they may be, can we not trust him to provide all we need for what he wants to do in us and through us. Last week I spoke about daring to do something for God. If with chariots of fire at the ready and water at the strike of a rock God and instructions to put impossible finances on an even keel, is there anything we should hesitate to do for God?!
May I ask that in these moments you would simply wait on God for a few moments in quietness and sense his presence and allow your heart to receive God’s direction to you. It’s easy to dismiss what comes to your thoughts but would you let God be the judge of what he wants to place on your heart and in your mind. And then, even if it seems outrageously impossible, ask ‘O Lord, open my eyes that I may see.’
You will discover an omnipotent God!
HYMN: ALL HAIL THE POWER OF JESUS’ NAME
23 All hail the power(To hear the audio file please right click mouse, then left click to open new tab)
1
All hail the power of Jesus’ Name!
Let angels prostrate fall;
Bring forth the royal diadem,
And crown Him Lord of all!
2
Crown Him, ye martyrs of your God,
Who from His altar call;
Extol the Stem of Jesse’s Rod,
And crown Him Lord of all!
3
Let every kindred, every tribe,
On this terrestrial ball,
To Him all majesty ascribe,
And crown him Lord of all!
4
O that, with yonder sacred throng,
We at His feet may fall,
Join in the everlasting song,
And crown Him Lord of all!
BENEDICTION:
24 Benediction(To hear the audio file please right click mouse, then left click to open new tab)
May the omnipotence of God encourage you to rely on his greatness this day and every day. In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.