Church at Home Sunday 31st May 2020

Thank you so much for being part of our F5 service today. It is great to know you are with us.

Thank you again to those who have contacted us during the week – we love to hear from you and to know how you are faring during this isolation time. Have you caught up with some family and friends? Have you been able to practice using the LOVE acrostic from last week? Meeting up for a coffee or cup of tea with a couple of people is now allowed. How wonderful it is to have that little more freedom. Unfortunately, the guidelines for how we can meet as F10 and F5 are so strict, that we believe it will be some months before we can meet in person again.
It is a continuing blessing to hear that Australia is doing so well keeping the virus contained. Once more we encourage you to contact others from F5, F10 and beyond to bring them some cheer and show them they are being thought of.

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:  How Magnificent 

Verse 1
It is good to sing, to bring You a song of praise
It is good to sing to Your holy name
It is good to sing, to bring You a song of thanks
It is good to lift our voices to Your name

Chorus
I will declare Your faithful love in the morning
I will declare Your faithfulness at night
For you have made me rejoice in all that You have done
I will declare how magnificent You are (repeat verse 1 and chorus x 2)

Bridge
Father I bring this song for all that You have done
I see Your faithful love echoes of grace resound
So with the moon and sun, oceans and stars above
I will declare Your praise, everything shouts Your name (x2)

Chorus
I will declare Your faithful love in the morning
I will declare Your faithfulness at night
For You have made me rejoice in all that You have done
I will declare how magnificent You are (x2)

©Dan opdeVeigh and Jonny Robinson 2015
CCL Licence 384593

John 17:1-12
17 After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:
“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4 I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.
6 “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. 9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me.

Devotion, Prayer Changes Things
How much prayer meant to Jesus! It was not only his regular habit, but his resort in every emergency, however slight or serious. When perplexed he prayed. When hard pressed by work he prayed. When hungry for fellowship he found it in prayer. He chose his associates and received his messages upon his knees. If tempted, he prayed. If criticized, he prayed. If fatigued in body or wearied in spirit, he had recourse to his one unfailing habit of prayer. Prayer brought him unmeasured power at the beginning, and kept the flow unbroken and undiminished. There was no emergency, no difficulty, no necessity, no temptation that would not yield to prayer.
S.D.Gordon, Christianity Today
The setting for our reading today is still at the Last Supper as Jesus prepares His disciples for His coming death and resurrection. I have to say that even though I have read these verses many, many times, I had not appreciated this setting. It is more like a prayer and outpouring from the heart that I have always imagined in a quiet, remote place. But no…. this intimate prayer and heartfelt disclosure between Jesus and his Father was in front of the disciples.
Our reading begins with the words ‘After Jesus said this..’ What had Jesus said? Some of the most profound words and promise from Jesus to His disciples.
John 16:33 33″I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Take heart! In other words, Do not let your heart be troubled. Jesus is trying so hard to impress on His disciples that great change was coming, great difficulties and trouble would be upon them, but His Father would be with them. Remember His promises from the last two weeks about the Holy Spirit, the Advocate and comforter who would be with them and in them to help them through all this. And of course, the first huge trouble for them was to see Jesus crucified.
Jesus in His prayer is talking to God about His coming hours and asking God for the strength to get through this time in a way that brings glory to God. Can you imagine knowing of the rejection, torment and pain ahead of time and the most important thing to Jesus was to bring glory to God.. No wonder we read in Luke 22: 44
44And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.
Anguish over all He was to go through, but anguish that He glorify God in the way He handled it all.
We read in verse 4 that Jesus knew that His work on earth had been finished and that soon he will be back into God’s presence
In verse 5 we read
. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.
Jesus was about to be separated from God as he took on all the sins of the world. An unbelievable thing to happen to the Son of God who had come to earth from the glory of the Father. So here he is asking God that His position as the glorified Son of the Father be reinstated.
Jesus continued on reminding His Father of all the things He had done while on earth in order prepare the disciples for their mission ahead.
In verse 6 Jesus says of his relationship with, and work alongside, the disciples
6 “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you.
Jesus taught these disciples, who were chosen by God, about listening to the Father and doing whatever He told them. They now knew the relationship between God and Jesus and at this time Jesus knew they were ready to start their ministry.
But Jesus then told them of more help He would give them. He gave them His constant prayer. Verse 9 says
9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours
Jesus has special prayer for His followers, those disciples given to Him by the Father to teach all that the Father wanted them to know and prayers that they would be protected by the power of the Father’s name.
Today we can take great heart from this incredibly special reading – another insight into the relationship between the Father and the Son. The relationship we can have with both of them. A relationship in which we know that Jesus prays for us, intercedes for us and that our Father protects us.
When we read through the stories of Jesus, we notice so very often that Jesus prays for people; those who are sick or suffering in some way. He prays for food, for storms to cease, for wine for a wedding, for demons to depart, for those who crucified Him. When Jesus prayed, God answered, and miracles happened. Water changed into wine, blind eyes could see, lepers were healed, paralysed people could walk, the deaf could hear, the storms calmed, the fish returned. And even today when we pray, Jesus intercedes for us with the Father. Our attitudes begin to change and God can begin to work in us.
Here are some verses to remind yourself about Jesus and the Holy Spirit praying and interceding for us
Romans 8:26 26In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.
Romans 8:34 34Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died-more than that, who was raised to life-is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.
Hebrews 7:25 25Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.
Our daily walk should be interspersed with our talking to God. Letting Him know we love Him; letting Him know how we are going; asking for His help.
Remember. Prayer changes things.

Jesus, all for Jesus
All I am and have and ever hope to be
Jesus, all for Jesus
All I am and have and ever hope to be

All of my ambitions hopes and plans
I surrender these into Your hands
All of my ambitions hopes and plans
I surrender these into Your hands

For it’s only in your will that I am free
For it’s only in your will that I am free

Jesus, all for Jesus all I am and have
And ever hope to be

Chorus

Jesus, all for Jesus
All I am and have and ever hope to be

(C)  Robin Mark, Jennifer Atkinson
CCL Lic No  384593

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

Heavenly Father, we come before you today, reminded of the devoted prayer life of Jesus. Please help each of us this week to speak to You often and to bring to You in prayer our thoughts, our hopes, and our cares, knowing that You are always there with us.
Thank you that you sent the Holy Spirit to be our advocate and our Counsellor to be with us and to give us strength, patience, and wisdom for these troubled times.
Thank you that you love us all and that we can share this time together.

We pray today for all our health workers who are working through many difficult times to provide us with the care we need. Please protect them from the Corona virus. We pray for researchers and ask that a COVID vaccine will be developed soon.
We pray for schoolteachers as they begin back in the schools. Please give them patience and wisdom as they help the students adjust to the routine. Be with children and teenagers as they settle back into the classroom. We pray especially of our own children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.

We pray for our local council, for our state and territory governments, 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 all members of our governments.

We ask that you give each one of us strength to go forward this week. We ask for healing for those who are unwell, and for comfort for those who are lonely. Please help each one of us look to You for our strength, our joy and our comfort and make the most of this time. Please show us ways that we can encourage others. We pray that you will protect each of us from 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: Oh How Good it Is

Oh how good it is when the family of God
dwell together in spirit, in faith and unity;
where the bonds of peace,
of acceptance and love
are the fruits of His presence here among us.

Chorus
So with one voice we’ll sing to the Lord,
and with one heart we’ll live out His word
till the whole world sees the Redeemer has come
for He dwells in the presence of His people.

Oh, how good it is on this journey we share

to rejoice with the happy
and weep with those who mourn.
For the weak find strength, the afflicted find grace
when we offer the blessing of belonging.

Chorus

Oh, how good it is to embrace His command,
to prefer one another,
forgive as He forgives.
When we live as one we all share in the love
of the Son with the Father and the Spirit.
Chorus

(C) 2014 Getty MusicPub and Townend Songs CCLI#384593

Blessing

Now may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all, evermore 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 for those who are going through difficult times with sickness, depression, loneliness, loss of work, separation from family and friends.
• 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
• Pray for teachers and students as they settle back into school

Enquiries – Paul (0418 633 396) and Robyn (0414 254 154)  Website – www.f5refresh.org.au & Facebook