A call to worship:
We come together to glorify God, through our song, prayer, meditation and exploration of the Word.
We come together as a family, brothers and sisters together joined by the hand of fellowship.
Amen.
A gathering prayer:
Let us come together now in God’s presence, as those who want to praise God and in pursuit of righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.
Amen.
StF 102 For the beauty of the earth
For the beauty of the earth,
for the beauty of the skies,
for the love which from our birth
over and around us lies.
Refrain:
Gracious God, to you we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.
For the wonder of each hour
of the day and of the night,
hill and vale and tree and flower,
sun and moon and stars of light, [Refrain]
For the joy of human love,
brother, sister, parent, child,
friends on earth, and friends above,
pleasures pure and undefiled. [Refrain]
For yourself, best gift divine,
to the world so freely given,
agent of God’s grand design:
peace on earth and joy in heaven. [Refrain]
Bible Readings
1 Timothy 6:6-19
Final charge to Timothy
11 But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you 14 to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which God will bring about in his own time – God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honour and might for ever. Amen.
17 Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19 In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.
Psalm 146
1 Praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord, my soul.
2 I will praise the Lord all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
3 Do not put your trust in princes,
in human beings, who cannot save.
4 When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
on that very day their plans come to nothing.
5 Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord their God.
6 He is the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them –
he remains faithful for ever.
7 He upholds the cause of the oppressed
and gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets prisoners free,
8 the Lord gives sight to the blind,
the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,
the Lord loves the righteous.
9 The Lord watches over the foreigner
and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.
10 The Lord reigns for ever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations.
Praise the Lord.
Reflection:
The theme this week is focused on treasuring someone’s wise words.
At different points of my life, I have always treasured wisdom from people I have known, and today’s letter gives us some wise words we can treasure. Timothy begins with the importance of Godliness, believers are called to “shun all this” (the desire for wealth) and actively “pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness”.
I give thanks for those who have shown contentment by example in the face of living in a difficult situation. I will never forget my first pastoral visit to a man in Northen Ireland during the troubles and he spoke of feeling God’s closeness and contentment in the face of the danger he faced daily.
Timothy reminds us that we brought nothing into the world, and we take nothing out of it, this is a call to be content with what we have. Contentment and satisfaction with God’s provision contrasts with the love of money which could lead the believer away from God as their focus is elsewhere.
We are often attached to things we own but don’t use. God calls us to generosity, seeing the needs of others and responding to it. Just recently I was reminded of this when I took my mountain bike, which I no longer use to the recycling centre. I remembered all the good times cycling round Rutland water with my sons years ago now but realised the time had come to part with it.
Timothy says just having food and clothing is enough for our contentment, many of us have been blessed with so much. In my previous Church, which was situated in an area of deprivation, the church responded to the needs of the local community. We had a clothing project, foodbank and a café where people could come in have refreshments. The community could assess all these services without cost. Luke 4 verse 48 says from everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded.
Finally, may we be generous to others and treasure wise words from family, friends and people we have known, and take with us the words from Timothy on our onward journey of Faith.
A Liturgy for Unity in Christ by Chris Sayburn
Heavenly Father, you have called us to be one, as You are One—One in love, one in faith, one in mission. Yet we confess that too often, we have allowed differences to divide us. Today, we choose to stand in Unity: many voices, one song; many hands, one body; many traditions, one Gospel.
Make us one as You are One
Lord Jesus Christ, you prayed that we would be one, just as You and the Father are one. Break down the walls we have built between us, soften our hearts to listen, open our hands to serve. May our unity be a testimony of Your love to the world.
Make us one as You are One
Holy Spirit, breath of God, renew our minds, rekindle our love, and restore our vision of Your Kingdom. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism. As One, help us walk in the way of peace and be a light in the darkness, we are Your Church, Your people, united in hope and purpose.
Make us one as You are One
God of all nations, tribe and tongue
All: We lift up one voice for our sisters and brothers across the world— every land, every language, every community that bears Your name.
Gather us in unity, strengthen us in faith, send us in love, until that day when all creation is one in worship before Your throne.
We ask this through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, who lives and reigns with You, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. 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 59 Lord the light of your love is shining
Lord, the light of your love is shining,
In the midst of the darkness, shining:
Jesus, Light of the world, shine upon us
Set us free by the truth you now bring us
Shine on me, shine on me.
Shine, Jesus, shine
Fill this land with the Father’s glory
Blaze, Spirit, blaze
Set our hearts on fire
Flow, river, flow
Flood the nations with grace and mercy
Send forth your word
Lord and let there be light!
Lord, I come to your awesome presence,
From the shadows into your radiance;
By the blood I may enter your brightness:
Search me, try me, consume all my darkness
Shine on me, shine on me
Refrain
As we gaze on your kingly brightness
So our faces display your likeness,
Ever changing from glory to glory:
Mirrored here may our lives tell your story
Shine on me, shine on me
Refrain
A sending out prayer:
Lord, you are so generous to us. As we leave here, guide us to serve you and others
by sharing the treasures we have been given.
Help us to be grateful when others are generous to us.
Amen.
Finally, to close today a Celtic blessing
May the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ go with you, wherever He may send you.
May He guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm.
May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you.
May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
