A call to worship:
We gather together to meet with our Lord, to refresh our faith, to learn new things, and to be encouraged on our journey. So, come, let us worship.
Amen.
A gathering prayer:
God of our journey, guide our path, and make us ready in our encounters with others to learn new things about you – for you are the God of surprises. In Jesus’ name.
Amen.
StF 476 One more step along the world I go.
One more step along the world I go, one more step along the world I go; from the old things to the new keep me travelling along with you:
and it’s from the old I travel to the new; keep me travelling along with you.
Round the corners of the world I turn, more and more about the world I learn; all the new things that I see you’ll be looking at along with me:
As I travel through the bad and good, keep me travelling the way I should; where I see no way to go, you’ll be telling me the way, I know:
Give me courage when the world is rough, keep me loving though the world is tough; leap and sing in all I do, keep me travelling along with you:
You are older than the world can be, you are younger than the life in me; ever old and ever new, keep me travelling along with you.
Bible Readings
Acts 8:26-40
Philip and the Ethiopian
26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, ‘Go south to the road – the desert road – that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ 27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means ‘queen of the Ethiopians’). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. 29 The Spirit told Philip, ‘Go to that chariot and stay near it.’
30 Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ Philip asked.
31 ‘How can I,’ he said, ‘unless someone explains it to me?’ So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
32 This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading:
‘He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
33 In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.
Who can speak of his descendants?
For his life was taken from the earth.’
34 The eunuch asked Philip, ‘Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?’ 35 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.
36 As they travelled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, ‘Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptised?’ 38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptised him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. 40 Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and travelled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.
Psalm 22:25-31
before those who fear you I will fulfil my vows.
26 The poor will eat and be satisfied;
those who seek the Lord will praise him –
may your hearts live for ever!
27 All the ends of the earth
will remember and turn to the Lord,
and all the families of the nations
will bow down before him,
28 for dominion belongs to the Lord
and he rules over the nations.
29 All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
all who go down to the dust will kneel before him –
those who cannot keep themselves alive.
30 Posterity will serve him;
future generations will be told about the Lord.
31 They will proclaim his righteousness,
declaring to a people yet unborn:
He has done it!
1 John 4:7-21
God’s love and ours
7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 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. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
13 This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Saviour of the world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: in this world we are like Jesus. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
19 We love because he first loved us. 20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.
John 15:1-8
The vine and the branches
15 ‘I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5 ‘I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
Prayer
Help me, Lord, when times are good, to thank you for your everlasting support. Help me to wonder at the awesome natural world. Help me to appreciate the people, near and far, who brighten my day. Help me, Lord, to be strong for others. Help me to be ready for whatever you ask of me. But most of all, help me to grow in you.
Amen.
Elva Towler, Clayton Methodist Church, inspired by the Beatles song ‘Help’
Prayer of thanksgiving
Creator God, we acknowledge that as your handiwork, we stand alongside all that you have made. Trees and rivers, mountains and valleys, soaring birds and scuttling creatures, all are held within your care. May we grow in our love and appreciation for the fabulous variety around us; and may our awe and wonder draw us closer to the natural world, and through it to you, the God of all things.
Amen.
This prayer is from Rev Cate Williams, Diocese of Gloucester, from the Church of England’s World Environment Day prayers.
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.
Time to reflect:
Today’s reflection from John’s Gospel in Chapter 15 picks up on one of Jesus sayings in verse 5, ‘I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit, apart from me you can do nothing’.
On reading this passage I have just noticed the word remain is repeated eight times, in just eight verses. Sometimes when a word is repeated, it emphasises the word and it may be an opportunity to look a little closer at the word remain.
For me these few verses remind me of the natural world we live in, and the Creator God who is connected in and through our beautiful world. In a small way, I try to be a good steward of what I have.
This year, for the first time in early March, I brought some peat free compost for my rhubarb and some new triangular planters, where I am planning to plant parsnips and leeks. I have always enjoyed the challenge of growing vegetables from seed. The reality is that growth in the seeds is inevitable, but I am not always guaranteed a crop.
Vines grown in the middle east are often grown quite close to the ground, and in so doing the gardener who prunes the branches to encourage the growth, bends down and cares for the plant with a watchful eye. Just like our heavenly Father who is in heaven, cares and loves his children, and watches over this world He has created.
As Christians, we have a choice to remain in Him. It is clear from these verses there is an incredible opportunity as we live our lives faithful to God’s word, as branches, we too will bear much fruit for God’s glory.
I am reminded of a hymn in Singing the Faith called ‘To God be the glory great things has done’ In the chorus we sing,
‘Praise the Lord praise the Lord,
Let the earth hear His voice,
Praise the Lord praise the Lord,
Let the people rejoice,
O come to the Father through Jesus the Son,
And give Him the glory great things He has done’ .
In the changing seasons, from spring into summer when we see the wonders of God’s creation, I am sometimes lost for words. All I can do is worship.
Last week, in each of our worshipping communities, we considered green issues here at NMC. I was reminded of Mark Dowd a Catholic priest who I met seventeen years ago, he made a documentary for Channel four called ‘How Green is God? More recently, last year I listened to Ruth Valerio who is Global Advocacy and influencing Director at Tear Fund, challenging the Methodist Church to be activists in challenging the injustice in our world at present. Ruth Valerio issues a challenge for us in the Methodist Church, and I will end today’s reflection with a prayer she shares with us today.
Ruth says as followers of Jesus, through whom all things were made, let’s be at the forefront of protecting and restoring his creation. The climate crisis is a huge and urgent challenge that requires all of us to play our part.
Proverbs 31:9 says: ‘Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.’ We are called as Christians to stand up for justice, calling on those in positions of power to make decisions that protect the most vulnerable people and the Earth we all rely on.
Let’s keep standing together in prayer and action to see a breakthrough in the climate crisis.
Let us pray Creator God, thank you for the beauty of your creation, teeming with life. Thank you for the ways you’ve designed all things to work together.
We pray for your whole creation, as it suffers and groans. And we pray for those who are vulnerable to the impacts of the climate crisis. Where there are droughts, we pray for rain; where there are storms, we pray for protection. Lord, forgive us for the ways that we’ve made this problem worse.
We pray for leaders in governments and businesses around the world to take bold steps towards tackling this climate crisis. Guide us in raising our voices and living differently to bring justice to this situation.
Amen.
StF 645 Will your anchor hold in the storms of life.
Will your anchor hold in the storms of life,
when the clouds unfold their wings of strife?
When the strong tides lift, and the cables strain, will your anchor drift, or firm remain?
Refrain:
We have an anchor that keeps the soul
steadfast and sure while the billows roll;
fastened to the Rock which cannot move,
grounded firm and deep in the Saviour’s love!
Will your anchor hold in the straits of fear,
when the breakers roar and the reef is near?
While the surges rage, and the wild winds blow, shall the angry waves then your bark o’erflow? [Refrain]
Will your anchor hold in the floods of death,
when the waters cold chill your latest breath?
On the rising tide you can never fail, while your anchor holds within the veil. [Refrain]
Will your eyes behold through the morning light the city of gold and the harbour bright?
Will you anchor safe by the heavenly shore,
when life’s storms are past for evermore? [Refrain]
A sending out prayer:
Lord, be with us on our journeys with others and open our eyes to you.
Amen.
