31st January 2021 Canvey Methodist Church Worship Services

Canvey Island Methodist Church Sunday Service 31st January 2021.

Complete: Service: https://youtu.be/JdHZRzolsog

Theme: Helping each other hear God’s voice 

Introduction:

 

Good morning. It gives me great pleasure to welcome our preacher for this Sunday, Miss Sanya Strachan. Sanya joins us for the live Zoom Service, but has also sent the transcript of her service. We share this together below with our thanks to Sanya. 

 

Call to worship.       Psalm 121

I lift up my eyes to the hills—

    from where will my help come?

My help comes from the Lord,

    who made heaven and earth.

3 to

He will not let your foot be moved;

    he who keeps you will not slumber.

He who keeps Israel

    will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper;

    the Lord is your shade at your right hand.

The sun shall not strike you by day,

    nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all evil;

    he will keep your life.

The Lord will keep

    your going out and your coming in

    from this time on and forevermore.

 

HYMN 39 STF Angel voices ever ringing

https://youtu.be/y6DAWtFm7j8

 

Angel voices, ever singing,

Round thy throne of light,

Angel harps, for ever ringing,

Rest not day or night;

Thousands only live to bless Thee,

And confess Thee

Lord of might.

 

Thou who art beyond the farthest

Mortal eye can scan,

Can it be that thou regardest

Songs of sinful man?

Can we know that thou art near us

And wilt hear us?

Yea, we can.

 

Yea, we know that thou rejoicest

O'er each work of thine;

Thou didst ears and hands and voices

For thy praise design;

Craftsman's art and music's measure

For thy pleasure

All combine.

 

In thy house, great God, we offer

Of thine own to thee;

And for thine acceptance proffer,

All unworthily,

Hearts and minds and hands and voices,

In our choicest

Psalmody.

 

Honour, glory, might and merit,

Thine shall ever be,

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,

Blessed Trinity!

Of the best that thou hast given

Earth and heaven

Render thee.

 

Opening prayers 

 

_Adoration_

Loving God 

 

You are a powerful God, in you all things are possible. You call us to be in a loving relationship with you and we thank you everyday for being in our lives. 

 

You are a powerful God. You are an awesome God. In you, all things are possible. 

 

Amen

 

Confession_

Lord, we come before you to say sorry. 

Sorry for all our thoughts and actions that have not best pleased you. 

 

[silence]

 

_assurance of forgiveness _

Friends, know that when we ask for forgiveness in Jesus name we are forgiven. Hallelujah and Amen.

 

_Lord’s Prayer_

Modern version 

 

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.

Lead us not into temptation

but deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power,

and the glory are yours

now and for ever.

Amen.

 

SOLO _acapella_: Sanya (STF 62)

https://youtu.be/PP9BjKnDaFk

 

Our God is an awesome God

He reigns from heaven above 

With wisdom, power and love 

Our God is an awesome God

 

Bible reading: John 1:43-51

 

Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael

43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”

44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.

“Come and see,” said Philip.

47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”

48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.

Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”

49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”

50 Jesus said, “You believe[a] because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 51 He then added, “Very truly I tell you,[b] you[c] will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’[d] the Son of Man.”

 

Footnotes:

a.John 1:50 Or Do you believe … ?

b.John 1:51 The Greek is plural.

c.John 1:51 The Greek is plural.

d.John 1:51 Gen. 28:12



 

Sermon

May the words of my mouth and the mediation of all our hearts be acceptable to you Lord, our strength and our Redeemer. Amen.

 

Has there been anything in your life that you just couldn’t wait to share it with someone else? Has there been anything that you just couldn’t wait to share? 

 

I ask, because here in John’s gospel we have Philip who is so excited to tell Nathanael about Jesus. In verse 45 we are told; 

“... “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.” ...”

Then Nathanael replies; “...Can anything good come out of Nazareth...”. So Philip says and I paraphrase, ‘well come and see for yourself’. 

 

This morning I invite us all to think about the times in our lives where we have been Philip and have invited people to come along and see Jesus for themselves. And times in our lives where we have been Nathanael and we’re the ones that were being invited. 

 

PART ONE | being invited, being Nathanel 

 

Is there anything that you have invited a friend to? An event?

Is there anything that you just HAD to share with someone else because it was just that good? Or which you knew that - that other person would really love it? 

This could have been a book, a song, a recipe, a film, a podcast? Or what about a faith event?

 

We even may ourselves have been invited to events such as Spring Harvest, Easter, People, Greenbelt, 3Generate, Big Church Day Out,  Worship Academy, Hillsong, Soul Survivor and, as a result been brought closer to God, seen something more of Jesus and been helped further along in our faith journey.

 

Just like Philip invited Nathanael to come and join him as Philip was on his way to follow Jesus, we are invited today to think about someone who has invited you to follow Jesus.

At anytime in your life, was there someone who:

invited you to a small group or help with worship?

asked if you could help out / volunteer in some way?

has anyone suggested that you read a certain book as part of your faith journey or listen to a worship song 

have you ever been sent a piece of scripture, or painting on a postcard

Invited you to attend a church event or festival?

 

These small acts of invitation can honestly transform another person’s faith journey. 

 

And I think we can all agree that it is the invitation that is key. The act of asking the other person 

“Would you like to...”

“I saw this and thought of you”

“This helped me and I thought it might help you too”

And personal favourite because I don’t have a car (and before COVID of course)

“We’re going to this event, would you like to come and we can give you a lift”

 

In it’s simplicity is something so powerful 

 

“come and see”

 

PART TWO | doing the inviting, being Philip

 

Now when we think about Philip, there is an importance in how we help others to hear God’s voice and to invite people to experience God for themselves. 

 

Philip is on his way to follow Jesus and honestly can’t wait to tell Nathanael about it. Even Nathanael, who’s not too sure about it, with his comment “nothing good can come from Nazareth”, does eventually go with Philip. 

 

Philip, called to follow Jesus, is so excited by this fact that he cannot wait to tell Nathanael in verse 45 (The Message);

“...We’ve found the One Moses wrote of in the Law, the One preached by the prophets. It’s Jesus, Joseph’s son, the one from Nazareth!” 

 

Nathanael questions this in verse 46

“... Nazareth? You’ve got to be kidding...”

 

Philip simply replies “Come, see for yourself.”

 

A simple invitation.

 

Let people come and see and witness for themselves the power and glory of God that can be found in Jesus. 

 

Often it is far better, far impactful if people experience these things for themselves.

 

When we do, when we attend an event or a service or a Christian convention of one kind or another, God moves in the space opened up to Him and we come away from these events with fresh awareness of God’s love for us, of our relationship with Him. It may be nothing gigantic or massive but nonetheless a blessing, a deepening of our relationship with God. 

 

It is an experience, like music, art, feelings that cannot be explained - so quite simply it takes someone to say to us “come and see for yourself”.

 

PART THREE | closing thought 

 

In our lives there might have been times where we were a Philip ourselves, doing the inviting of others. Or there might have been times where we were Nathanael and were being invited.

 

For times when we are a Philip, we can reflect on the importance of inviting people to “come and see” for themselves, in a new/different way. And quite often our reflections may be on things we just can’t explain - particularly events. 

 

Particularly when someone is struggling to hear God’s voice. We can offer the opportunity for someone to “come and see” and hear God at a bible study, choir rehearsal, coffee morning or the like.

 

Such small acts can result in powerful life changing moments for someone else.

 

Just reflect on your own life where you were a Nathanael and someone said to you “come and see”. Reflect on what that meant for your relationship with God. 

 

The act of invitation is so important and so powerful. And so simple. 

 

When someone is struggling to hear God’s voice or they want to learn more about God, we can invite people to activities and events. Thus offering the opportunity for someone to “come and see” for themselves.

Amen.

 

Prayer of Praise and thanksgiving 

 

Thankyou Lord that you know us and can see our potential- for you know who we were created to be. We thank You for all the people you have placed in our lives- parents, teachers, guardians, friends, whoever they may be - people who have made a real difference. We thank you for the blessings of relationships, but most of all for our relationship with you. Help us to bless others in your name. Thank you Lord that when we are hurt, confused, or unsure about something or someone, we can come to you- thank you for the gift of your Holy Spirit’s wisdom and guidance.

Lord, our hearts are lifted by your presence in our lives. All glory to you with thanks and praise. Amen.

-Roots magazine, January/February 2021, page 15-

 

HYMN 51 STF Great is thy Faithfulness 

https://youtu.be/ErwiBz1QA4o

 

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father

There is no shadow of turning with Thee

Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not

As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be

 

Great is Thy faithfulness, great is Thy faithfulness

Morning by morning new mercies I see

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided

Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me

 

Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest

Sun, moon and stars in their courses above

Join with all nature in manifold witness

To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love

 

Great is Thy faithfulness, great is Thy faithfulness

Morning by morning new mercies I see

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided

Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me

 

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth

Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide

Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow

Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside

 

Great is Thy faithfulness, great is Thy faithfulness

Morning by morning new mercies I see

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided

Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me


 

Prayers of Intercession 

 

In our prayers we remember the people and situations known to us and as brought to our attention in this week's prayer update from Sue. Thankyou Sue. 

 

Prayers for others 31/01/21

Lord God, we bring before you our prayers for others.  We pray for the world, our nation and our communities.  We pray for our leaders and for those people and places where hope is diminished and peace is hard to find.  We ask you Lord, in Your mercy, to hear our prayers.

Dear Lord, we pray for our world.  You are all powerful and have authority over everything.  

Your word tells us that the battle belongs to you and that when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will hold up the standard against it.   So, in your great mercy and power we ask you Holy Spirit, to hold up the standard, your battle flag, against it and bring an end to the Corona Virus and all the new strains that are spreading.  We know that nothing is impossible for you. We thank you for the vaccine and pray for its speedy effectiveness.

We pray for all who have caught Covid19 and ask you to heal them.  Please be with their families too at this worrying time. 

We pray for all those who are finding these times very difficult in so many ways.  We pray also for those who are finding it hard to manage financially and for those who are searching for jobs. Please help our businesses to survive and may jobs be found for the many who need them. 

We pray for our church family.  Please bless each one and we ask you to meet our individual needs. We pray for Colin and Cathy and ask for your blessing on them. We bring Anna before you as she is preparing to return to your work in Beirut.  Please may her journey be possible and may she be safe. Please bless her in all that she does. 

We bring before you all who have asked for prayers for their loved ones.  Lord we have so many requests in our church prayer book but you know all about these needs and the dear people involved.  We lift each one individually before you, for your healing, blessing and care. 

We will have a moments silence while we each pray in our hearts for those known to us who need your special touch of healing and peace. 

May you grant healing and health and surround them with your peace and love. 

We lift before you Lord, all those who are suffering the bitter grief of mourning. Please surround them with your comfort and strength. 

Now Lord we pray for ourselves. Thank you that we can trust you to help us through these difficult times.  Your word tells us that your love is steadfast and your mercies are new for us every morning.  We thank you, and gratefully receive these mercies, your love and your grace. Please fill our souls with your wonderful love and light. 

We thank you that you have heard our prayers.  We bring them before you in the strong and powerful name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and all that his name stands for.  AMEN

A prayer from Sanya.

We hold before you loving God, all people who have invited, encouraged and inspired us to follow Jesus. 

People who have helped us on our faith journey. Thank you Lord, for placing these people in our lives and we think of them fondly. 

 

For those who are no longer with us, we pray that they continue to live in heavenly peace with you. 

 

Lord in your mercy 

Hear our prayer 

 

We hold before God, those known to us who are poorly at this time. Anxious. Waiting for Drs , hospital appointments, Covid tests and results. 

Breathe in them peace, calm and reassurance. 

 

Lord in your mercy 

Hear our prayer 

 

We hold before God, those who are lost, lonely and despairing. Like the good shepherd who actively seeks out the lost sheep, leaving the 99, we pray thatyou will comfort all those in need. 

Embrace them in your loving arms, remind them that you have not left them or us.

 

Lord in your mercy 

Hear our prayer 

 

We hold before God all who continue to miss loved ones. 

 

Romans 12:15:  “... Rejoice with those who rejoice.  Weep with those who weep...”

 

Remind us and them that you have not left us Lord,

Comfort all those who grieve 

 

Lord in your mercy 

Hear our prayer 

 

We take a moment to lift before you all our thoughts and concerns that continue to weigh heavy on our hearts for you are good enough to listen. 

 

Oh Lord hear my prayer 

Oh Lord hear my prayer 

When I call, answer me

Oh Lord hear my prayer 

Oh Lord hear my prayer 

Come and listen to me 

 

Loving God we leave these prayers in your capable hands trusting in your grace and mercy. We pray in Jesus' name.  Amen.

 

[prayer by Sanya Strachan]

 

HYMN 98 STF Your love is amazing, steady and unchanging 

https://youtu.be/pWT3Hd6WqE0

 

Your love is amazing

Steady and unchanging

Your love is a mountain

Firm beneath my feet

 

Your love is a mystery

How you gently lift me

When I am surrounded

Your love carries me

 

Hallelujah, hallelujah

Hallelujah

Your love makes me sing

Hallelujah, hallelujah

Hallelujah

Your love makes me sing

 

Your love is surprising

I can feel it rising

Oh the joy that's glowing

Deep inside of me

 

Everytime I see you

All your goodness shines through

I can feel this God song 

Rising up in me

 

Yes you make me sing

How you make me sing, sing, sing

The love you make me sing


 

Blessing.       Share the Grace 

 

And now may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all, now and forevermore. Amen.


 

 


 

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