Church at Home Sunday 12th July 2020
Welcome and Greeting
July is well and truly here and we are now in the middle of school holidays. I wonder how many of you have seen a little more of your grandchildren during this time? We are so privileged to have extended families with whom we can share our time in so many different ways. We are sorry to tell you that Missy, our little dressed up dog friend, was attacked by another dog and died last week. Anne was severely bitten on her hand. Please pray for all the Hunter family, Anne, Joseph, Emily and Stuart as they mourn the loss of Missy and as Anne recovers.
Thank you for joining with us this evening. May God bless this worship and bring us into His presence as we praise and worship Him..
Opening prayer
God has made us, with all the saints from every generation, one in Christ.
He has set his seal upon us and, as a pledge of what is to come, has given the Spirit to dwell in our hearts. Thank You that You are here with us tonight and that You love the worship of Your people. Please help us to open our hearts to You now.
Peace to you from God our Father who hears our cry.
Peace from his Son Jesus Christ whose death brings healing.
Peace from the Holy Spirit who gives us life and strength.
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
And also with you
Song : Here I Am To Worship
Light of the world
You stepped down into darkness
Opened my eyes let me see
Beauty that made
This heart adore You
Hope of a life spent with You
Chorus
So here I am to worship
Here I am to bow down
Here I am to say that You’re my God
And You’re altogether lovely
Altogether worthy
Altogether wonderful to me
King of all days
Oh so highly exalted
Glorious in heaven above
Humbly You came
To the earth You created
All for love’s sake became poor
Chorus
And I’ll never know how much it cost
To see my sin upon that cross
And I’ll never know how much it cost
To see my sin upon that cross
Chorus
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Tim Hughes
CCLI Lic No 384593
Psalm 119: 105-112
105 Your word is a lamp for my feet,
a light on my path.
106 I have taken an oath and confirmed it,
that I will follow your righteous laws.
107 I have suffered much;
preserve my life, LORD, according to your word.
108 Accept, LORD, the willing praise of my mouth,
and teach me your laws.
109 Though I constantly take my life in my hands,
I will not forget your law.
110 The wicked have set a snare for me,
but I have not strayed from your precepts.
111 Your statutes are my heritage forever;
they are the joy of my heart.
112 My heart is set on keeping your decrees
to the very end
Matthew 13: 1-9; 18-23
The Parable of the Sower
1 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. 2 Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. 3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.”
18 “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19 When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20 The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 22 The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. 23 But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
Devotion: Robyn
The Seed, the Sower and the Soil
Tonight we begin some weeks looking at the parables from Matthew. Over the last weeks we have looked at Jesus’ teaching on how to relate to people.
There was the LOVE acrostic
L – Listen
O – Offer to help
V – Value them.
E – Show Empathy.
There are the important actions of welcoming and showing hospitality; and asking God for wisdom and resting in Him. These are all important qualities to have when we begin to reach out to people; when we are the sowers in to the lives of people.
As we now progress through Matthew, we read a new way of teaching for Jesus. Jesus took small things as His examples to show the great importance they have to a person. They relate specifically about The Father heart of God and His Kingdom. I found this interesting quote from Christianity today and I would like to share it with you.
‘The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed. It is like yeast. It is like a perfect pearl. It is like finding just one lost sheep. Or just one lost coin. It belongs to little children and others who were “small” in the estimation of Jesus’ contemporaries.
God likes small beginnings. He likes to work in hidden ways that are easily overlooked. He loves any lost individual, even when he has 99 percent of the others safely under his care. He passionately cares for the socially unimportant whom others trample as they rush toward worldly prominence. …
Small doesn’t mean “insignificant” or “of no consequence.” Indeed, the Good News of Jesus Christ is the most consequential news bulletin in the history of the world. And the individuals for whom he died are, as the old Sunday school song says, his “precious jewels.”
God offered us something that could have been small, obscure, and forgettable. He didn’t offer us some grand universal principle. His gift was the life and death (and resurrection!) of just one person in a small country repeatedly crushed and occupied by foreign powers. He does not give us love or peace or brotherhood. He gives us Jesus, who died like a common criminal.
But when we pay attention to the small thing God gives us, it changes our entire approach to life. We see the world differently. What had seemed insignificant now demands our full attention. What had seemed ordinary now seems interesting. What had seemed a dead end now promises great potential—the redemption of the whole world.’
Condensed from our sister site ChristianityToday.com, © 2008
In our reading today we meet Jesus sitting beside the lake. However the crowd very quickly became so large that Jesus got into the boat and began to teach from there. He began His parable teaching with a farm scene. A farmer is scattering his seed. As anyone who works in a garden knows, the soil is of the utmost importance. Without good soil, nothing will flourish. So Jesus talks to them about 4 types of soil
• The seed that lands where the soil has become hardened from being repeatedly walked-on simply sits on the surface, waiting to become food for the birds.
• The seed that falls on rocky soil has difficulty taking root because the soil inhibits the growth of roots, necessary for plants to access the nutrients in the soil.
• The seed that falls on ground covered in thorns must compete with already well-established, invasive plants and stands little chance.
• But the seed that falls on the soil that has been prepared, turned over and loosened until it is fine, replenished with nutrients from the decaying matter of leaves, thrives.
Of course, the seed also needs to be of very good quality. Why did the yield in the good soil produce such different quantities? Surely this was because of the knowledge of the sower, who knew how to sow, and when and where.
When Jesus went on to tell the meaning of the parable, it was some time later and He was alone with his disciples. They questioned Him on the meaning of the parable. Jesus told the disciples the meaning, because they were the sowers at this time. They were the ones who would share all the things that they knew from the words of Jesus, the words we can now read in the Bible. This tiny seed is God’s word which can do amazing things in our lives. Because the seed is planted firmly in our lives, we are part of God’s Kingdom. In verse 8 we read
8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.”
We, too can be sowers, and God prepares the hearts of people, the soil, to have that seed planted in their lives. When that seed takes root in people’s lives, they begin to hear, understand and obey the Word of God which is the seed. As long as we do and speak what we know God wants us to, then we do not have to worry about the result. There will be some people who do not have the properly prepared soil in their life, and who simply will not listen. There will be some who listen, take it in, but only later will it germinate and spring into life in their hearts. There will be some who listen, take note, but then are taken away by all the other people and activities around them. But it is God who provides the rain, the warmth and the nutrition for that seed to spring forth. It is God who prepares hearts for His word. In Isaiah 55: 10-11 it says
“As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it’
Are you doing your part as the sower? God’s word is so powerful, it will change lives. We need to do our part in speaking His word in LOVE and in the wisdom God gifts us. We also need to read His Word so it is in our hearts, ready to spring forth when we are at a God appointed time
When Small Things Are Big
The day of small things can become the life of biggest and best things. A small word spoken at the right time may set a whole life straight. A gentle smile may brighten the way for the man with a heavy load. The small bit of time with the Book and the knee bent will hallow the day’s task. The still, small voice listened to may turn the world’s tide. “The small in God’s hand becomes big.”
A. J. Gordon in The Bent-Knee Time. Christianity Today, Vol. 31, no. 18.
Song: Freely, Freely
God forgave my sin in Jesus’ name,
I’ve been born again in Jesus’ name;
And in Jesus’ name I come to you
To share His love as He told me to.
He said: ‘Freely, freely, you have received,
Freely, freely give;
Go in My name, and because you believe
Others will know that I live.’
All power is given in Jesus’ name,
In earth and heaven in Jesus’ name;
And in Jesus’ name I come to you
To share His power as He told me to.
He said: ‘Freely, freely, you have received,
Freely, freely give;
Go in My name, and because you believe
Others will know that I live.’
Prayers
Confession:
Heavenly Father,
Thank you that your word says that as we draw near to you,
you will draw near to us, by the working of your Spirit in us,
We are sorry for doing those things that have displeased You
and we ask for Your forgiveness.
Please cleanse our hearts and hands and minds
Help us to walk in love and newness of life
so that we can be more like Jesus
and make him known to all we meet. Amen
If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We thank you Father, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, we come before you today, thanking You that You teach us and help us to be sowers into your Kingdom. Please give us wisdom and Your words as we speak to others around us. Please help each one of us to be people who are wise and discerning and who can testify about You. Help us to put aside any of our preconceived ideas of people and to have the grace to show love and mercy to them. Please show us how we can be Your sowers in the world around us.
We pray again today for all our health workers who provide us with the care we need. Please protect them from the Corona virus and give them strength and wisdom. We pray for researchers and ask that a COVID vaccine will be developed soon. Please help each of us to continue to live within the restrictions that have been placed on us.
We pray for those members of F5 who are unwell, and we think especially of Robert Lawrence, Shirley ,Penny, Sue Duckitt, Anne, Joseph, Emily and Stuart Hunter, Anne Wilson’s Mum and any others known to us. Please bring Your comfort, healing and peace to them. We pray for people who are struggling because of loss of jobs and lack of income. We do ask that their needs will be met and that food and shelter will be available for those who need it. Please show us if there is any way we can help someone this week.
As winter is with us now, we pray also for protection from the flu and colds.
We pray that schoolteachers and children will be refreshed as they are on holidays. We commit to You our own children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren and pray for protection for them and that they may grow to know and love You.. Thank You that SRE can begin again in schools next term. Please give wisdom to those who teach SRE, especially Ange and Mick, Pat and Helen..
We pray for our local council, for our state and territory governments, and for our national parliament. Please be with all those who make laws and help them to do so with good judgement. Please continue to give wisdom to our Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, and to all members of our parliaments and governments as they steer us though this Covoid time. We particularly pray for clear guidance for our leaders as they seek to open up Australia again. And in particular at this time, we pray for the people and leaders of the state of Victoria.
We ask that you give each one of us strength to go forward this week and show us ways that we can encourage others. We pray that you will protect each of us from a second outbreak of the Corona Virus.
In Jesus name.
Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
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 forever. Amen
Song Good and Gracious King
Verse 1
I approach the throne of glory
Nothing in my hands I bring
But the promise of acceptance
From a good and gracious King
Verse 2
I will give to You my burden
As You give to me Your strength
Come and fill me with Your Spirit
As I sing to You this praise
Chorus
You deserve the greater glory
Overcome, I lift my voice
To the King in need of nothing
Empty handed I rejoice
You deserve the greater glory
Overcome with joy I sing
By Your love I am accepted
You’re a good and gracious King
Verse 3
O what grace that You would see me
As Your child and as Your friend
Safe, secure in You forever
I pour out my praise again
Chorus
Bridge
Holy, holy, Lord Almighty
Good and gracious
Good and gracious
Holy, holy, Lord Almighty
Good and gracious King (x2)
Chorus
You deserve the greater glory
Overcome, I lift my voice
To the King in need of nothing
Empty handed I rejoice
You deserve the greater glory
Overcome with joy I sing
By Your love I am accepted
You’re a good and gracious King
You’re a good and gracious King
You’re a good and gracious King
CCLI:384593
Blessing
The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up His countenance on you and give you peace. Amen.
Prayer Points
• Thank God that we can join together for our services, even though far apart.
• Ask God to show you ways you can contact others from F5, F10 and beyond to encourage them along. Pray for wisdom to know who to ring, who to send a message or note to
• Pray for nurses, doctors and hospital staff as they learn to work differently and wisely. Pray that we will be protected from a second outbreak of COVID
• Pray for those who are going through difficult times with sickness, depression, loneliness, loss of work, separation from family and friends. Pray especially for Shirley, Robert Lawrence, Penny, Sue Duckitt, Anne and Emily, Stuart and Joseph, Anne Wilson’s Mum and any others known to us.
• Pray that we will each have God’s strength and wisdom to be able to make each day worthwhile.
• Pray for Scott Morrison and our governments as they make unprecedented decisions regarding all things connected to the Coronavirus. We especially ask for wisdom for them as they direct the opening up again of Australia. We commit to you the state of Victoria
• Pray for teachers and students as they have their school holidays.
Enquiries – Paul (0418 633 396) and Robyn (0414 254 154)
Website – www.f5refresh.org.au & Facebook
PLEASE SUPPORT THE MINISTRY OF F5
Direct Debit – for F5 – is now available through the Anglican Development and Investment Fund http://www.aidf.com.au/www/home/
The details of the account are as follows:-
Account Name: F5-Refresh Ministries; BSB: 702-389 Account Number: 05209657
