Call to Worship:
I tell you this: It is a wonderful thing when members of the family live together in love and peace. They shall be like trees planted beside flowing rivers.
May the church be one, just as Christ and God are one, that Christ may be glorified in us.
They shall yield good fruit in its season,
and their leaf shall never wither.
Opening Prayer:
You, loving God, are the ground of our being and the river of life;
you both steady our roots and draw them to seek the living waters.
You are like the sunlight enticing us taller
and like the breeze rustling our leaves.
You are with us through hard seasons of summer heat,
and in the nights when winter’s frost ice the landscape
your love warms and sustains us.
You are everything to us.
O let our gratitude be great,
let our praise be plentiful,
let our worship be wonderful!
Through Christ Jesus your ever-living Son.
Amen.
https://re-worship.blogspot.com/2012/04/call-to-worship-prayer-easter-7b.html Inspired by Psalm 1 written by Bruce Prewer and posted on Bruce Prewer’s Homepage. http://www.bruceprewer.com/
STF 455 All my hope in 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.
Human pride and earthly glory,
sword and crown betray his trust;
what with care and toil he buildeth,
tower and temple, fall to dust.
But God’s power,
hour by hour,
is my temple and my tower.
God’s great goodness aye endureth,
deep his wisdom, passing thought:
splendour, light, and life attend him,
beauty springeth out of naught.
Evermore
from his store
new-born worlds rise and adore.
Daily doth the Almighty giver
bounteous gifts on us bestow;
his desire our soul delighteth,
pleasure leads us where we go.
Love doth stand
at his hand;
joy doth wait on his command.
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.
Bible Reading
Jeremiah 17:5-10
‘Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
who draws strength from mere flesh
and whose heart turns away from the Lord.
6 That person will be like a bush in the wastelands;
they will not see prosperity when it comes.
They will dwell in the parched places of the desert,
in a salt land where no one lives.
7 ‘But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
whose confidence is in him.
8 They will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.’
9 The heart is deceitful above all things
and beyond cure.
Who can understand it?
10 ‘I the Lord search the heart
and examine the mind,
to reward each person according to their conduct,
according to what their deeds deserve.’
Time to reflect:
As I walk my dog Lily, it is lovely to see that the season is beginning to change, the snow drops are up, and buds are on the trees, even if the weather is still cold. A familiar Psalm to us all is Psalm 23, which speaks of God leading us beside quiet waters to be refreshed. However, God also encourages us to root ourselves in the living water of God, to be sustained and refreshed.
Our reading today from Jeremiah chapter 17 verse 7-8 says: “Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream”.
Trees get their strength and nourishment from their roots.
Tree roots are strong, apparently over time they can even grow through rock to reach water! The deeper the roots grow, the stronger the tree is and their ability to weather life storms increases. Trees also gather strength from other trees around them, especially if the same species of tree is planted close, therefore you could say that ‘in a community’ trees nourish each other.
Jeremiah the prophet in chapter 17 is speaking to the Israelites, about God’s desire to be in relationship with them. A relationship of the heart, that is built on trust and confidence in God. Jeremiah uses the metaphor of a tree planted beside water, to convey to the people, what life is like when we trust in the Lord. As trees receive their nourishment from water, so can we receive our spiritual nourishment from God.
Jesus picks up this theme with the Samaritan woman in John chapter 4. In a conversation with the Samaritan woman, who is at the well for water. He speaks to her of his ‘living water’ which quenches all thirst and never runs dry. Verse 14, “but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst”.
Drawing from Jeremiah’s and Jesus’s narratives and their metaphor of the roots of trees; the question is how are your roots today? Reflecting, Jeremiah refers to the action of trusting in the Lord, which gives confidence, and Jesus tells us to ‘drink’ the water. To drink, is to receive the life-giving love of God, which is renewed every day through prayer, meditating on God’s word and being in community with each other. Through which our faith and trust in God grows, so that whatever the weather around us, we draw strength from God. Philippians 4:13 reminds us that we ‘can do all things in Christ, who gives us strength’.
Amen
Prayers of intercession
You are invited to pray silently for:
The needs of the world…
The Church and its calling…
Loved ones going through difficult times…
For peace, justice, and reconciliation…
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.
StF 471 Lord I come to you
Lord, I come to You
Let my heart be changed, renewed
Flowing from the grace
That I found in You.
And Lord, I’ve come to know
The weaknesses I see in me
Will be stripped away
By the power of Your love.
Chorus
Hold me close
Let Your love surround me;
Bring me near,
Draw me to Your side.
And as I wait
I’ll rise up like the eagle,
And I will soar with You,
Your Spirit leads me on
In the power of Your love.
Lord, unveil my eyes,
Let me see You face to face,
The knowledge of Your love
As You live in me.
Lord renew my mind,
As Your will unfolds in my life
In living every day
by the power of Your love.
And hail Him as thy matchless King
Through all eternity.
Final Prayer
May God protect you through your time of trial.
May the love of Christ, seen in what he did, and heard in what he said, fill you with joy and hope.
May the Holy Spirit advocate for you,
leading into all truth, lighting the way of faith, and strengthening you to follow Jesus, so that you will become like a strong, young tree,
growing deep and bearing much fruit.
Amen.
https://re-worship.blogspot.com/2012/04/benediction-easter-7-b.html written by Peter L. Haynes, and posted on the Long Green Valley Church of the Brethren website. http://rockhay.tripod.com/
