Call to Worship
Christ has broken down all barriers;
We are all as one in Christ Jesus.
How good it is and how lovely it feels
When sisters and brothers can live together in unity.
God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself
and has committed to us the ministry of reconciliation.
How good it is, and how lovely it feels
when we come into the house of God as one people
Song: Glorious things of thee are spoken
Prayers
Prayers of Thanksgiving, confession and receiving forgiveness
God our Help and our Redeemer, if you had not chosen to become a part of our lives, through the gift of your Son, Jesus Christ, where and who would we be? Helpless! Helpless without you - and so we offer our heartfelt
thanks and praise for such evidence of your care for us. In and through Jesus, we have become more deeply aware of your goodness and mercy. As your presence enabled Jesus to live courageously, so you strengthen us to live boldly through the gift of the Holy Spirit - your empowering presence in us.
We pray that our worship and our daily living will resonate with praise for your presence with us and all your gracious gifts to us. This we pray in Jesus' name. Amen
PRAYER OF CONFESSION -
Merciful God, you have graced our lives with the life of Jesus, and we rejoice that our lives are forever linked with him through faith. This enables us to recognise and proclaim Jesus as your Son, and our Lord and Saviour. In him,
our lives - our minds and our hearts - are transformed and renewed so that we may discern in your will for the world all that is good and acceptable and perfect. We confess, however, that there are times when our actions and our words seem to be conformed more to the world's values than to doing your will.
Forgive us when we believe that our faith experience is superior to the way others have come to faith and so fail to recognise and share the humility that life in Christ possesses.
Forgive us when we exclude people through prejudice and discrimination; and so fail to recognise and share the love that life in Christ imparts.
Merciful God, so transform us with the life of Christ and renew us in his image that the grace, humility and compassion which marked his life will be clearly visible in and experienced through our lives; so that we who are one body in Christ may delight in sharing the gifts you graciously give us for both the building up of this community of faith and the communities in which we live and work and play. This we pray in Jesus' name. Amen
ASSURANCE OF FORGIVENESS:
If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, to whom we have been reconciled through Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:17,18a).
The Lords prayer
Notices and Offering
Loving God, receive and bless these gifts which we offer in response
to the many gifts you graciously bestow upon us. Strengthen us with
the Holy Spirit that we may as graciously serve others in the name of
Jesus Christ our Lord, and our Saviour. Amen
One Minutes Silence as we remember the 60th Anniversary of Victory in Japan. (Please stand)
Almighty and eternal God,
From whose love in Christ we cannot be parted,
Either by death or life
Hear our prayers and thanksgivings for those whom
We remember this day.
Fulfil in us the purpose of your love;
And bring us, with them, to your eternal joy,
Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Chorus: Blessed be the name of the Lord
Setting the Scene:
Moments of realisation!
There came a time for the journeying Israelites that they realised that God was indeed a strong tower - an ever present help in time of trouble, their peace, their protection.
I wonder when they realised it?
All together - or one by one?
There are moments in life when we realise something - or when we are told something that come s as a real breakthrough to us. You are about to watch one of the most famous moments in film history, a moment of realisation and revelation.
Joy - I am your Father (Star Wars)
In discovering something about someone else - you discover something about yourself. For Luke Skywalker to discover that Darth Vader was his father - meant that Luke Skywalker would never be the same again. When we have those moments of realisation and revelation - we learn about others and about who we are.
The Bible Reading today includes another revelation, when someone finds out about a relationship, and from this knowledge they know discover fully just who they really are.
Bible Readings:
Genesis 45:1-15
Hymn: Lord of all hopefulness
Talk:
1) The Person you really don't want to see!
Tell the story of Joseph - Fantastic Old Testament story!
Arrogance - Jealousy,
Anger, lies and deceit.
Complete breakdown of relationship.
They could have killed him, but if they sold him they could make some money - so they decided that was best.
Years have past - but they were not ready for this moment of revelation "I am your brother!"
Homer!
Imagine the person you would least like to see. Someone you avoid, possibly have blanked for years, someone who did the dirty on you! (Or you did it on them)
You are suddenly face to face
How do you feel? What is your reaction? Sit with this for a moment, for to understand the story of Joseph being reconciled to his brothers, we need to touch the emotions that are going on here.
So what emotions so do experience - face to face with someone who you hoped never to see again?
2) The person you really need to see.
Pic:face_covered.
Often in life there has to be resolve.
Facing up to our worst fears.
If Joseph had not revealed his identity to his brothers he would never have made peace with them, would never have been reconciled to his father, and would never have truly come home.
His brothers would have lived and died with the hidden guilt of what they had done, not just to the brother they hated, but to the father they adored.
Often the moment of realisation is more about us that the other person. We realised our own humanity, and face to face with the one we did not want to se, we see our true selves clearer.
Joseph faced his brothers and there was freedom, forgiveness, mercy and love. Reconciliation of a family torn apart by jealously and anger - now united in humility and acceptance.
A time of new beginnings
Pic: Jospeh reunited with his brothers
For Joseph and his family to truly make a new beginning they had to acknowledge the past and move on together. It was almost impossible, yet they did it. The list of reasons why this should not have happened, why Joseph could have had them executed, why he could have starved them to death, was longer than the list of why he should accept them as his family.
Do you do that - make a list on why you should or should not do something? I do. But sometimes the longest list is not the way we should go - Gods way often goes against the reason of this world and His way is the way of freedom and forgiveness.
This morning God stands before us and says to each of us - "I am your Father". There is a huge list of reasons why he should not ever say this. He has seen how we are, knows our hearts, has witnessed our deceit, anger, sensed our hatred at times. Yet, this is a moment of realisation for us. He is our Father! Through Christ he reaches out to us, as Joseph reaches out to his brothers - and he offers forgiveness, a new beginning, relationship, and belonging. Watch and listen as Amy tells us more about what God does for us in Christ Jesus.
Sketch: True Acceptance
Wanted a Juggler
http://www.travelphoto.net/a-photo-a-day/wordpress/wp-content/sri-lanka-0013a.jpg
Not Clever enough
Wanted a Chef
http://www.entertainers.co.uk/images/celebrities/jamie-oliver.jpg
Fired - you have much to learn
Wanted a Musician
http://www.sln.org.uk/music/images/j0262481.jpg
You do not meet the required standard.
Wanted You
Screen with Celtic Cross - Media Shout - backgrounds - seasonal - Celtic Cross (first one circle)
Jesus accepts you as you are
Hymn: Brother, sister let me serve you
Communion:
Many grains were gathered together to make this bread.
Many grapes were mixed to make this wine.
They represent for us that we who are many are joined as one in Christ.
Come to the table of Jesus Christ and share with him and each other.
Come, not because you must, but because you may,
Come, not because you are strong, but because you are weak,
Come, not because you are righteous, but because you sincerely love Christ,
Come, not because you wish to receive the benefits that Christ may bring, but that you wish to be his disciple,
Come, not to express an opinion or to make a statement but to seek his presence and to pray for his spirit.
Gathered around this table, we tell again the story and remember that on the night when Jesus was given up, he took bread, and when he had given thanks he broke it, and gave it to his disciples saying:
`This is my body which is given for you.
Take and eat in remembrance of me.
'In the same way after the supper,
he took the cup and gave it to his disciples saying:
`This cup is the new covenant sealed with my blood.
Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.
'In this time and in this place we do as our Saviour has commanded and so let us come to God with our prayers of confession and thanksgiving.
For Forgiveness -
Hear us now, O Christ, and breathe your Holy Spirit upon us and on this bread and wine.
May they become for us your body, vibrant with your life, healing, renewing and making us whole.
As the bread and wine which we now eat and drink are changed into us, may we be changed again into you, bone of your bone, flesh of your flesh, loving and caring in the world.
Amen.
Let us respond together with the words: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.
On the plate with the bread are some grapes – these are particularly for the children who do not yet take the bread and wine, but available to whoever wishes to partake. This isn’t a second rate communion, for the grape is a vital part of the life of the vine, just as our children our a vital part of church life. The grape – not yet trodden down by the feet of those who would seek to make it into something else; not fully matured, but full of potential and possibilities. I would invite you to take two grapes – one to eat immediately, and the other to eat when we drink the wine as a park of our unity in Christ.
If there are any babies in arms, who are not yet up to eating grapes. This is the time to come forward for a prayer of blessing - and I would invite you to come just now.
Look, the body of Christ is broken for the life of the world.
Look, the blood of Christ is shed for the life of the world.
Here is Christ coming to us in bread and in wine.
The gifts of God for the people of God.
Receive His with joy and gladness.
Sharing:
Please stand - and reach out to each other as we pray.
In this circle of prayer - let us remember our world, our communities, our families, and those we have promised to pray for. Open time of prayer.
Hymn: Thank you
Benediction:
Go in peace, knowing that nothing can separate you from the love of God.
- And may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ uplift you,
- The love of God embrace you,
- and the power of the Holy Spirit sustain and support you;
both now and forevermore. Amen.