Welcome and Greeting
Welcome tonight to our F5 service. Today is Fathers’ Day so we remember all our men in F5 and pray for special blessings for them today. It is so good to be sharing this time with you again.As we come to this service, on our first Sunday in Spring, let’s put aside the difficulties of the week and ask God to bring new life and growth to us also. We loved seeing a few of you this week and then to meet with some of you in our Zoom Meeting on Thursday. Please feel free to come and see us if you are in Canberra.
Thank you for joining with us this evening. May God bless this time we share together 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 Father, 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: Only A Holy God
1. Who else commands all the hosts of heaven
Who else could make every king bow down
Who else can whisper and darkness trembles
Only a Holy God
2. What other beauty demands such praises
What other splendour outshines the sun
What other majesty rules with justice
Only a Holy God
Chorus
Come and behold Him The One and the Only
Cry out, sing holy Forever a Holy God
Come and worship the Holy God
3. What other glory consumes like fire
What other power can raise the dead
What other name remains undefeated
Only a Holy God
Come and behold Him The One and the Only
Cry out, sing holy Forever a Holy God
Come and worship the Holy God
4. Who else could rescue me from my failing
Who else would offer His only Son
Who else invites me to call Him Father
Only a Holy God
Only my Holy God
Come and behold Him The One and the Only
Cry out, sing holy Forever a Holy God
Come and worship the Holy God
Come and worship the Holy God
Michael Farren, Jonny Robinson, Dustin Smith, Rich Thompson CCLI: 384593© 2016 CityAlight Music
Psalm 78: 1-7; 11-16
My people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth.
2 I will open my mouth with a parable; I will utter hidden things, things from of old—
3 things we have heard and known, things our ancestors have told us.
4 We will not hide them from their descendants;we will tell the next generation
the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done.
5 He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel,
which he commanded our ancestors to teach their children,
6 so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born,
and they in turn would tell their children.
7 Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds
but would keep his commands.
11 They forgot what he had done, the wonders he had shown them.
12 He did miracles in the sight of their ancestors in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan.
13 He divided the sea and led them through; he made the water stand up like a wall.
14 He guided them with the cloud by day and with light from the fire all night.
15 He split the rocks in the wilderness and gave them water as abundant as the seas;
16he brought streams out of a rocky crag and made water flow down like rivers.
Matthew 18: 10-14
The Parable of the Wandering Sheep
10 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.
12 “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off?
13 And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off.
14 In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.
Devotion: Robyn – Our Children’s Heritage
1. Fathers’ Day – our responsibilities to our children and grandchildren – God has no grandchildren. Each child must make their own decision to follow Jesus.
2. The parable – wandering sheep/ wandering children – these little ones
Psalm 78 – 2 I will open my mouth with a parable; I will utter hidden things, things from of old—
3 things we have heard and known, things our ancestors have told us.
4 We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation
the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done.
5 He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel,
which he commanded our ancestors to teach their children,
6 so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born,
and they in turn would tell their children.
7 Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds
but would keep his commands.BUT
11 They forgot what he had done, the wonders he had shown them.
12 He did miracles in the sight of their ancestors in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan.
13 He divided the sea and led them through; he made the water stand up like a wall.
14 He guided them with the cloud by day and with light from the fire all night.
15 He split the rocks in the wilderness and gave them water as abundant as the seas;
16 he brought streams out of a rocky crag and made water flow down like rivers.
3. We all have a history of God’s work in our lives. What is your history to pass on to your children and grandchildren? Family Story
4. We need to tell our Christian heritage to our children; the stories of God working in our lives, in our family; what a Christian really is.
5. Paul writing to Timothy
2 Timothy 1v2 Paul calls Timothy My dear son
V5 I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.
What a wonderful legacy Timothy was given through his mother and grandmother.
2 Timothy 3: 15
and you remember that ever since you were a child, you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
6. As well as those stories, we need to pass on our reasons for being a Christian. Are you certain enough of your faith to pass this on just as Lois and Eunice did for Timothy.
7. In verse 14 of our parable from Matthew it says
In the same way (as the shepherd) your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.
God has our children and grandchildren in His heart. We need to pray for them each day and be willing to speak out to them about their Heavenly Father at the right time.
Song: Let There be Love
Let there be love shared among us
Let there be love in our eyes
May now your love sweep this nation
Cause us, O Lord, to arise
Give us a fresh understanding
Of heavenly love that is real
Let there be love shared among us
Let there be love
CCLI 384593
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 thank you tonight for our F5 congregation, and especially for the fathers and grandfathers amongst us. Would you please bless each one of them today with Your wisdom and guidance and help them to be great witnesses for you in their families. Thank you for the families you have given to each one of us. We ask that you will help us to be faithful examples of Your love and care for them. May we also be great encouragers in our families.
Father, we acknowledge that our world is in a mess. There is sickness and uncertainty all around us. We ask that people will turn to You and that there will be peace and safety. Would you please keep us safe during this time and may our trust in you be strengthened each day. May we take comfort in knowing that You will never leave us or forsake us.
We do pray for all those who are responsible for guiding us through this Covid time. Would you please give them great wisdom as they make decisions which affect each one of us. We pray for families who have lost loved ones, especially those in nursing homes. and we pray for those who were not able to say goodbye. May they know Your comfort. We are sorry to hear of those medical people who have caught the virus and we ask for healing for them. We pray for researchers and ask that a COVID vaccine will be developed and available for all soon.
We pray for those members of F5 who are unwell, lonely or mourning loved ones and we think especially of Shirley and Eric, Alison and Robert, Fred, Gordon, Cherie, Ruth Dawe, Anne Hunter and family, 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 thank you that the government is offering so much financial support.Please show us how we can help bring help to someone this week. Again we pray for protection from the flu and colds. We pray for the Goulburn Garage sale and ask that much needed money will be raised for the Btwa people,
We do pray for protection for our families, and ask they may grow to know and love You. Thank You that SRE is in the schools again. Please give wisdom and strength to those who teach SRE, especially as the conditions in the schools have changed again so much in the last weeks. We pray especially for Pat, Helen, Ange, Mick, Sally and Jen. Please may they all have confidence, wisdom and strength.We especially pray for Mick and Jen as they oversee this work. Thank you for the meeting of SRE leaders that was held last week.We pray also for clergy who are running churches and pastoring congregations in such different ways. Please give them great wisdom. We pray especially for Robyn and Paul, Mick and Ange, Gill, Caroline, Sally, Graeme Dunne, Tom McLaughlin, Paul Davey and Andrew Pocock.
Father, 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 governments and parliaments as they steer us though this Covid time. We pray for the state Premiers as they manage the outbreaks and make decisions for their people. Thank for the ways they are giving so much of themselves at this terrible time. We pray also for our near neighbour, New Zealand, as they again battle with outbreaks of the virus.
We commit each one of us to you this week. May we be thoughtful and forgiving, gentle and longsuffering and may we know, and share with others, your love as we continue in this time of changing isolation. We pray that you will protect each of us throughout this time 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 When Peace, Like a River
1. When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
when sorrows like sea billows roll;
whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
Refrain
It is well with my soul,
it is well, it is well with my soul.
2. Though Satan should buffet,
though trials should come,
let this blest assurance control,
that Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
and hath shed his own blood for my soul. (Refrain)
3. My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul! (Refrain)
4. And, Lord, haste the day
when my faith shall be sight,
the clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
the trump shall resound,
and the Lord shall descend,
even so, it is well with my soul. (Refrain)
Horatio Spafford 1873 CCLI No 384593
Blessing
May the Lord bless and keep you. May the Lord shine His face upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up His countenance upon 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 , hospital staff and service personnel as they work within medical facilities.. May they be protected from Covid
• Pray for those who are going through difficult times with sickness, loneliness, loss of work, separation from family and friends. Pray especially for Alison and Robert, Fred, Gordon, Warwick, Penny, Fred, Shirley, Cherie, Anne Hunter and any others known to us. Pray also for Anne Wilson and Ivan Wilson following the death of Anne’s Mum.
• Pray that we will each have God’s strength and wisdom to be able to love and help others
• Pray for Scott Morrison and our state governments as they make unprecedented decisions regarding all things connected to the Coronavirus. We especially ask for wisdom for them as they direct the management of this current outbreak and consider opening up again of Australia. We pray especially for Daniel Andrews as he leads Victoria through their very difficult time
• Pray for teachers and students and especially for SRE teachers – Helen, Pat, Ange, Sally, Mick and Jen.
• Pray for clergy, for wisdom in leading churches at this difficult time. Pray esp for Robyn and Paul, Mick and Ange, Sally, Gill, Paul Davey (St Nicks), Graeme Dunne, Caroline Campbell, Tom McLaughlin, Andrew Pocock. .
Enquiries – Paul (0418 633 396) and Robyn (0414 254 154)
pbaxter@grapevine.com.au rbaxter@grapevine.com.au
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
