Call to Worship
How good it is to sing praises to our God;
for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting.’
So, let us praise the God who is
great in strength and mighty in power,
and whose love will never let us go.
Hymn: Praise my soul the King of heaven StF 83
Praise my soul the King of heaven; to his feet thy tribute bring. Ransomed, healed restored, forgiven, who like thee his praise should sing?
Praise Him, Praise Him, praise the everlasting King!
Praise Him for his grace and favour to his people in distress; praise Him still the same forever, slow to chide and swift to bless.
Praise Him, Praise Him, Glorious in his faithfulness.
Father like he tends and spares us; well our feeble frame he knows; in his hands he gently bears us, rescues us from all our foes.
Praise Him, Praise Him, widely as his mercy flows.
Angels in the heights adore him; yes behold him face to face; sun and moon bow down before him, dwellers all in time and space.
Praise Him, Praise Him, praise with us the God of grace!
Bible Readings
Isaiah 40:21-31
Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood since the earth was founded?
22 He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth,
and its people are like grasshoppers.
He stretches out the heavens like a canopy,
and spreads them out like a tent to live in.
23 He brings princes to naught
and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.
24 No sooner are they planted,
no sooner are they sown,
no sooner do they take root in the ground,
than he blows on them and they wither,
and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.
25 ‘To whom will you compare me?
Or who is my equal?’ says the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens:
who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one
and calls forth each of them by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,
not one of them is missing.
27 Why do you complain, Jacob?
Why do you say, Israel,
‘My way is hidden from the Lord;
my cause is disregarded by my God’?
28 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
29 He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
Mark 1:29-39
Jesus heals many
29 As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. 30 Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her. 31 So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them.
32 That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all who were ill and demon-possessed. 33 The whole town gathered at the door, 34 and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.
Jesus prays in a solitary place
35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. 36 Simon and his companions went to look for him, 37 and when they found him, they exclaimed: ‘Everyone is looking for you!’
38 Jesus replied, ‘Let us go somewhere else – to the nearby villages – so that I can preach there also. That is why I have come.’ 39 So he travelled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.
Prayers of Adoration and Confession
God of all, we praise you for your care, commitment and compassion for all life.
Your energy never runs out.
Your well of love never runs dry.
Your grace never goes stale.
Your word is always alive and fresh and lifegiving.
Thank you, God, our strength.
Thank you, Jesus, our Saviour.
Thank you, Holy Spirit, our Comforter.
God of compassion and peace,
forgive us when we don’t hear the cries of your children:
forgive us when we don’t hear the silence of the oppressed:
forgive us when we don’t hear the words of challenge:
forgive us when we don’t hear our own words of hypocrisy:
That we may serve you with all our hearts and minds and souls.
Lord of our highs and our lows:
when we are sorry, you forgive us;
when we are weary, you refresh us;
when we are jaded, you encourage us;
when we feel forgotten, you reach out and remind us of your ever-present and eternal love.
And so we trust you for today, believe in you for tomorrow and will praise you for all eternity – in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
The Lord's Prayer
Please use the version that you prefer
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 trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be your name,
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
On earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
As we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
And deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power
and the glory are yours
Now and for ever.
Amen.
Hymn: God! When human bonds are broken StF 649
Praise my soul the King of heaven; to his feet thy tribute bring. Ransomed, healed restored, forgiven, who like thee his praise should sing?
Praise Him, Praise Him, praise the everlasting King!
Praise Him for his grace and favour to his people in distress; praise Him still the same forever, slow to chide and swift to bless.
Praise Him, Praise Him, Glorious in his faithfulness.
Father like he tends and spares us; well our feeble frame he knows; in his hands he gently bears us, rescues us from all our foes.
Praise Him, Praise Him, widely as his mercy flows.
Angels in the heights adore him; yes behold him face to face; sun and moon bow down before him, dwellers all in time and space.
Praise Him, Praise Him, praise with us the God of grace!
Reflection
Isaiah was writing to a nation that had suffered and was still suffering. In his reflections addressed to the people of Israel, he was walking a line between getting impatient, because not everyone was ready to move on and kindly supporting those who continued to struggle with loss. He acknowledges the pain of those who feel abandoned. This is a difficult emotion for humans to live with, it can feel overwhelming and all consuming, stopping us from living in the here and now. For the community that Isaiah was writing to, they felt a communal abandonment by God, when their relationship with God has been the spiritual glue that has held them together in good and bad times. Isaiah reiterates both the greatness of God, his power and universality, alongside his care for individual people.
Mark is writing in a very different time and spiritual context, but also trying to change the mindset of the people he is writing for. There have been no Prophets in Israel for 500 years, so that the scribes and pharisees have become the dominant spiritual voices; giving their interpretation of the law of Moses. They spoke with deference and using other scribes and pharisees to back up their interpretations. Jesus is very different in his delivery and message, bringing his own authority and power, with an awareness of the most vulnerable in society. Jesus uses this power to heal and bring a narrative of forgiveness to everyone he meets. Verses 35-39 do sound like “a man on a Mission” – Get up early to pray, tell your friends “We need to go to nearby towns and proclaim the message”. Marks gospel has a pace and urgency about it that is different to the other gospels. This seems to be part of Marks style; Jesus has power and authority, alongside an urgency to share his Good News about the love of God for all.
Prayers of intercession
God of love,
you give power to the faint and strength to the powerless. Many of us are exhausted,
responding to demands of work, family life
or dealing with isolation, joblessness and fear.
Help us all to turn us towards each other in acts of loving service, then turn us outwards to carry your gospel of healing into the world.
God of love,
you call worlds into being; you number the stars and call us all by name.
You created a world of plenty and beauty, of magnificence and diversity.
stir us up to action to protect our planet.
May our feet tread lightly on the earth
and our actions and priorities bring healing to our battered world. God of love, you defend the voiceless. Help us to be alert to the pain of others. May we hear the cries of the powerless and by our words, choices and actions, may we be agents of healing in the world.
God of love, you heal the broken hearted and you gather in all who are lost. For all who are mourning the loss of family members or friends, asking for peace, and for your healing presence in their need. Send your blessing on all who are afraid, or alone, or hungry, on those whose lives are being destroyed by abuse or violence, and on all for whom home is not a safe place. God of love, your kindness is everlasting, surround us with your arms of love; keep our eyes fixed on you and make us ready to follow where you lead, trusting that you will provide for us – today and always.
Amen.
StF 455 - All my hope on God is founded
All my hope on God is founded; he doth still my trust renew. Me through change and chance he guideth, only good and only true. God unknown, he alone calls my heart to be his own.
God’s great goodness aye endureth, deep his wisdom passing thought; splendour, light and life attend him, beauty springeth out of nought. Evermore from his store new-born worlds rise and adore.
Still from earth to God eternal sacrifice of praise be done, high above all praises praising for the gift of Christ his Son. Christ doth call one and all, ye who follow shall not fall.
A sending out prayer
The Lord builds up his people; (one hand on the other)
he gathers the outcasts. (make a gathering gesture)
He heals the broken-hearted, (hands on heart)
and binds up their wounds. (grip biceps)
The Lord lifts up the downtrodden; (raise hands)
thanks be to God.
Prayer from Roots on the Web
