First Sunday of Lent. 18th February – Morning Worship Led by the Revd Lucy Brierley

First Sunday Of Lent. 18th February. Morning Worship Led by the Revd Lucy Brierley. Training for Transformation: Spiritual Disciplines for 21st Century People. Did Jesus mean it when he promised life in all its fullness?

Order of Service: https://wokingurc.org.uk/sunday-18th-february-2024-10-30am/

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All [Applause] [Applause] Good morning everyone if this is your first time here or sharing in the live stream service at home then a very special welcome you’re joining a congregation which really is from around the world there will be Refreshments as usual after the service in the Forum at the side um but today at

The back of the sanctuary and please do stay if you can and take the opportunity to meet and talk with each other Refreshments are at the back because here at the front there will be a singing practice for recharge on Wednesday evening so if you enjoy

Singing and would like to join in then please do stay after the service and talking of recharge um this month it’s a slightly late pancake service um it’s only a week after shove Tuesday after all so for midweek worship with music led by the band and pancakes

Do come along at 8:00 P.M on Wednesday for recharge there excuse me there are quite a few notices this week um and Beyond and ask you to read them carefully so that you don’t miss anything the service of Thanksgiving for Mari Stewart is here on Tuesday at 300 p.m. and further

Details which include an invitation to share in Refreshments after the service are printed on the order paper then looking to next Sunday there are sign up sheets in the forum for lunch before the church meeting to eat and to help and also for child care during the meeting church members on email will

Have received the meeting papers already and paper copies are available for everyone whether or not you are on email just send a message um by email or or a phone message to the church office if you not yet a church member and would like to come to the meeting

Then you will be very welcome there’s a lot going on in the life of the church and it’s a good opportunity to hear more and enjoy The Fellowship Of Lunch beforehand the service of Thanksgiving for Doris Borman whose death I announced last week has now been arranged it will

Be on Friday week the 1st of March at 2: p.m. here in the church and this will be followed by Refreshments that’s Friday week on the same day Friday the 1st of March I ask you to note the annual world day of prayer service and this year at

St Dunston’s church at 10:30 a.m. and this will also be live streamed the following day Sunday morning the 2nd of March the Christian a change makers conference is being held at this church and details of that are in the current Church magazine this is a good opportunity to hear more about the

Work of Christian Aid and lastly um as you came into church you may have noticed a Lost Property table in the foyer it’s surprising what gets left here and forgotten so please do take a look and if you can’t see me then maybe the pair of specks on the table is

Yours and so let us now prepare quietly for our worship together good morning good morning if you are able shall We Stand Together to worship God you Lord God are with us as we come to worship you you’ve promised us so much and your call has brought us here accept

Our worship our words and our thoughts our confessions and our promises for you are ours and we are yours and we long to Journey deeper with you this is the day that the Lord has made and be glad and for those who didn’t know that one your line is we

Will rejoice and be glad in it this is the day that the Lord has made we will rejoice and be glad in it to God be the glory great things he has done Alice has signs for us during this song but the instruments are also here if anyone

Would like to play those let’s sing a glorious song to our God [Applause] Should we move it down there so it’s easier thank You to God be the glory great things he has done so ly the world that gave us his son who yeld his life in atonement for S and open the light gate that all may go in Praise the Lord praise the Lord let the Earth hear his voice praise

The Lord praise the Lord the people rej oh come to the father to Jesus the son and give him the glory great things he has Done Redemption the purch of BL to every the promise of God and who truly May that moment from Jesus the Parton praise the Lord praise the Lord let the Earth hear his voice praise the Lord praise the Lord let the people oh come to the father through

Jesus the son and give him the glory great things he has done great things he have taugh us great things he has done and great our rejoicing through Jesus the son the pure and higher and greater will be our Wonder our worship when Jesus we see praise the Lord praise

The Lord let the Earth his voice praise the Lord praise the Lord let the people rej oh come to the father through Jesus the son and give him the glory great things he has done H I will offer of my life in spirit and Truth pouring out the art of love as my worship to you in surrender I must by every Lord receive the sacrif of the broken heart Jesus what can I give what can I bring to so faithful a

Friend to so ling a king savior what can be what can be as a praise of your name for the you have oh my words could not tell not Even of the de of love that is by his thankful [Applause] Heart You deserve my every for you the great cost giving up your life to death even death on the cross you took all my shame that bre my S open up the of and Be Jesus what can I what can I bring to so faithful of PR to so ling a kingor what can be what can be as a praise of your name for the things you have done oh my words could not tell not even of the death of love that is by this sful Heart Do please be seated let’s pop our instruments back in the Box well done good work let’s pray together let us pray almighty god king of kings and Lord of lords we adore you you make sense of Our Lives of our living and our loving you make sense of the world around us in

Peace and in turmoil in moments of joy and moments of desolation you bring us meaning and purpose you are the light in our Darkness almighty god king of kings Lord of lords we adore you we come too to confess our wrongs forgive us dear God for the words

We have spoken that have hurt others for Deeds we have done that have hindered and not helped for our closed ears when someone needed us to hear for our closed eyes when someone needed us to see forgive us dear God for all the wrong that we have done and let us walk

The paths of life in your way in your truth and in your love almighty God hear our prayers and as you accept our confessions we receive your forgiveness your love and your blessings we can know that our sins are forgiven and we declare thanks be to God

For we offer these prayers in jesus’ name and we join our voices as one to say his prayer saying Our Father who art in heaven Hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come and thy will be done on Earth as it is in heaven give us this

Day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses and we forgive those who trespass against us and lead us not into temptation but Deliver Us from Evil for thine is the Kingdom power and and the glory now and forever amen amen so I just want to reiterate what

Keith said in the notices for those of you that were slipping in late on Wednesday we have a slightly belated recharge service with pancakes well the recharge service isn’t belated but the pancakes are but you know we’re non-conformist so it’s okay right do come along if you can on Wednesday at 8:00

For a lovely relaxed service thinking about the theme of Lent and we will feed you pancakes now it’s time for another new beginning in our church we’re beginning a new series again today we’ had a little interlude with The Parables did you enjoy those good now we are

Beginning a new series I don’t know if we’ve got a slide for this Tim called training for transformation who’s up for getting into a bit of training come on I am I’m going to be your most motivator training for transformation spiritual disciplines for 21st century people when Jesus came he

Said I have come in order to give you life in all its fullness didn’t he good but we don’t often behave as though we are living life in all its fullness do we yes I don’t so we’re going to be taking a look at what the Bible says about how we

Should live and we’re going to look at some of the gifts and the tools that Jesus has given us to help us to live the best life we can with Jesus at the heart of it we’re going to look at things like prayer and reading the Bible

And living together in community and how to live joy and how to slow down and lots of other really exciting things as we think about what’s important in our lives are you up for the journey good next week we have a very special service it’s all age and it’s

Called what’s it called Transformers Christians in Disguise okay and next week I wonder if any of you particularly our younger friends but there may be some older ones as well have anything at home that transforms that changes okay it might be a traditional Transformer toy that turns from a robot

To a car or have you got something brilliant can you bring them next week anything you’ve got that changes from one thing to another will you bring it next week yes or just Daniel will but that’s one I’ll be reminding you all we need to get things in the right order in our

Lives so this morning I want us to think about all the things that are in our lives all the things maybe the things that are important to us maybe the things that we have to do what things are in your lives thank you Daniel Matthew my family

Your family okay family is definitely an important thing in life what else so friends brilliant work somebody said over here work he said that really enthusiastically as well so we’ve got work we’ve got family we’ve got friends anything else in your lives your home somewhere to live the

House you have to look after y chur Janet volunteering thank you yeah church we got there school school learning youth groups oh Matthew food and drink food and drink having to cook your food and get it all ready yeah do you do much of that mainly mom yeah okay

So here’s our life it’s my glass jug here here’s our life and these things represent different things in our lives does anybody here have any kind of worries in their life should I go the other way does anyone here not have any worries there

We go there we go we all have loads and loads hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of little things big things that get us down that worry us that stress us out don’t we yes okay that’s going to be my sand there we go Justin’s going to put that into our life

Jug all those things that we fret about that we worry that bother us okay then there’s lots of other little things that we have to do aren’t there you know I don’t know as a parent it’s things like filling in a million forms a week for my children what is it for you

All those little annoying things that we have to do cleaning up brushing our teeth whatever it might be they will take up a lot of time and effort in our lives and a lot of space don’t they in they go never mind never mind and then there’s those more

Important things thanks Daniel do you want to come and put them in then there those more important things that you said at the beginning remind me what they were Matthew you said your family yeah family food and drink yep what else were they your friends thanks Sophie work home leisure activities

Volunteering Peter said looking after your house what else volunteering going to church what was it you grou youth group so many things so many things in our lives oh my jug of life is full but there was one thing I forgot this orange do you know what this represents god

Um where am I going to put God there’s not really room for God in my jug is there oh dear we put all of the other things in first we put the worries and the stresses and the strains we put all the jobs we have to do we put

All the things that are important to us in our lives we put them all in first but we forgot to put God at the center we forgot to put God in his rightful place should we try again shall we okay as luck could have it I have

Exactly the same quantities of all of these things okay I’ve got the exact same things who wants to come and help me this time come on then all righty you know what we’re going to do we are going to put God in his rightful place God is going to be the very very

Come on come on come on come on God is going to be the very very first thing in our jug of life okay so what we need is for you all to stand on this side of the table that’s it come around here that’s it so everyone can see you and see what

We’re doing so Matthew you put God in his rightful place what goes in first God goes in first first then let’s put things in the right order so let’s put our family our friends our church our volunteering so would you all like to take a stone and pop it

In that’s it hopefully it’s a really strong glass jug that’s it let’s put all those things that are important to us in there around God exactly the same number of things as we had before yeah well done well done Eloise okay then we’re going to put those slightly less important things but

The things that have to be done things that do feature in our lives so that’s it there we go well done and then well there are the inevitable worries aren’t there and the stresses and strains and the things that we have to deal with they are just part

Of life have we got room for them I think we might have room should we try we try guys come and see come see oh give it a shake you see it fit there’s some really excited looking faces here it fit it was exactly the

Same amount of stuff in our jug of life but it fit and why did it fit because we put God at we put God in the right order exactly Beth we put God in first and that’s what this whole series is going to be about it’s going to be

About putting God first in our lives so that God can make sense of all of these other things that we do isn’t that wonderful are you up for the journey now yes okay thank you folks thanks for helping me and we’re going to sing a song now which talks about Jesus being the

Center of Everything Jesus teaching us everything that’s important Jesus put this song into our hearts Jes Jesus taught us how to live in harmony Jesus taught us how to be a family this one definitely goes well with the instrument so do come and get one and we’ll stand

To sing starts off very slowly this one but it will speed up Jesus put this song into our heart Jesus put this song into our it’s a of Joy take Jesus put into our heart Jesus taught us how to live in harmony Jesus taught us how to live in harmony different

Different rces he made us one Jesus taught us how to in Harmony Jesus taught us how to be a b Jesus taught us how to be a b loving one another with the love that he G Jesus taught us how to be a Family Jesus turned our sorrow into Jesus turned our sorrow into change our tears of sadness into rivers of Joy Jesus turn sory la la La Jesus put this song Jesus put this song into our heart Jesus this song into our heart it’s a song of take away Jesus put this song Jesus put this song Jesus put this song Jesus put this songus into our heart good work okay let’s pop our

Instruments back in the Box do please sit down children young people you’re going to go to your groups yeah have a great time boys do you think you could take this out for me think you could take this je could you give Robert a hand our first Bible reading this morning

Count from the Gospel of John chapter 10 verse 7 to 10 so again Jesus said to them very truly I tell you I am I am the gate for the Sheep all who came before me are thieves and bandits but the Sheep did not listen to

Them I am the gate whoever enters by me will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy I came that they may have life and have it abundantly the second reading is from Galatians 5: 22-

26 the Fruit of the Spirit by contrast the fruit of the spirit is love joy peace patience kindness generosity faithfulness gentleness and self-control there is no law against such things and those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires if we live by the spirit let us

Be guided by the spirit let us not become conceited competing against one another envying one another thanks be to God let’s sing the words of Psalm 139 oh God you search me and you know me let’s stand to Sing oh God you search me and you know me all my thoughts Li open to your Gates when I walk all I down you are before me ever the maker and keeper of my Days you know my resting and my Rising you discern my purpose from Afar and with love everlasting you bes me in every moment of life or death you Are before the word is on my Tong Lord You Have Known it’s meaning through and through you are with me beyond my understanding God of my present my past and future Too oh though your spirit is upon me still I search for shelter from your light there is no on Earth I can escape you even the darkness is radient in your Sight for you created me and shap me gave me life within my mother’s room for The Wonder of who I am I Praise You sa in your hands all creation is made for the Wonder for the Wonder of who I am I Praise You sa in your hands all creation is made

New please be seated loving God as we come to you this morning just as we are we pray that we might have ears to hear and eyes open to see the wonders of your grace to hear your challenge to embrace your promises to walk in step with you but we

Pray this in jesus’ name amen I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly or as other translations put it I have come that they might have life life in all its fullness the reason for Jesus coming to Earth was that we might be able to live

Life in all its fullness the life that God intended us to live but Jesus promise of life in all its fullness is not often the reality that we experience I wonder if you like listening to podcasts I love podcasts I love listening to conversations or debates or audio documentaries while I’m

Driving or while I’m cooking and one of my favorites at the moment is called the rest is politics this podcast also includes interviews with interesting people and this week I listened to an interview with Dr Robert sapolsky who’s a professor of biology and neurological sciences and one of the things he talked

About was a book that he had written which was entitled why zebras don’t get ulcers now perhaps you’ve watched on TV or maybe you’ve even seen in real life on Safari a zebra being chased by a lion now seosi described the stress that zebras experience when they are being

Chased by their prey and in that moment their flight Instinct kicks in and they experience intense stress but the moment that the risk is over they recover and they get on with their day quite happily drinking at the water hole and living their best cbra life without having any prolonged impact

On them from this experience no trauma no lengthy recovery period nothing after such a threat their bodies recover and life continues normally you and I when we experience intense threat when we are in danger or highly stressed situations we secrete stress hormones just like the zebra our bodies go into survival mode

We have a stress response we mobilize energy our blood pressure increases we turn off all the functions in our body that we don’t need to be wasting energy on at that time we just focus on Surviving and we need our bodies to do that when we are under threat when we

Are highly anxious highly stressed but we also need our bodies to recover and we need them to operate normally again and do all the other functions that we need them to do and the problem with human beings argu spolski is that we activate that same stress response that

The zebra has when it’s running away from the lion for hours and hours and hours every day we turn on the stress response for psychological reasons we live in a highly intense highly pressured world where we want more and expect more and we put more pressure on

Ourselves and each other and hence we experience heightened states of stress for large amounts of the time therefore we in contrast to Zeb are much more susceptible to chronic stress Related Disorders ERS mental health problems and a number of other things our fight ORF flight instinct is intended to help us in intensely

Threatening situations it is not meant to be a permanent way of living living but we experience life as a strain so much of the time and not just because of things that happen to us that inevitably cause us distress but because we live lives which are out of kilter

With the way God intended us to live we cram too much into our jar and we definitely load it up in the wrong order Jesus said this come to me all you who are weary and carrying heavy burdens and I will give you rest the burdens are real the stresses and

Strains are real the sand is very present but Jesus says take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls for my yoke is easy and my burden is light do we believe

That do we want that Jesus isn’t promising us a stressfree problem free life he’s saying let me do it with you let me walk beside you and you’ll find that whatever load you are bearing becomes a whole lot easier we are meant to live the strains

And stresses and joys of human life in sync with the one who created us it makes perfect logical sense doesn’t it and when we do when the Holy Spirit abides in us we are told that the fruits of the spirit will flow from us which is what Paul was talking about when he

Wrote to the church in galatia he said the fruits of the spirit will flow from you when the spirit dwells within you peace gentleness Joy self-control goodness faithfulness even when the storms of life are raging even then we are called to become the people that God had in mind when he originally

Created us let me run that by you again we are called to become the people God had in mind when he originally created us the Theologian kard had a wonderful prayer and it went like this and now Lord with your help I shall become myself and now Lord with your help I

Shall become myself we are called to live as our uniquely created selves with our own personalities and our own gene pool and our own history and circumstances and so on but to live increasingly as Jesus would live if he were living in our place if Jesus looked through our eyes

What would he see how would he behave how would he think how would he feel and so this word worship series that we’re embarking on all the way through till June focus on focuses on spiritual disciplines the things that are going to help us to do that to live

As the person God had in mind when he originally created us we’re going to be looking at things like prayer and scripture reading and our communal life together and how we can slow down in our lives how we can live lives of service what we can do with silence how

We can experience joy in all circumstances it’s all about spiritual growth and how we can with the help of these disciplines become the people that God had in mind when he originally designed us now too often we think of our spiritual lives as just one aspect of

Our life alongside other things like our social lives or our financial lives or our professional lives or our volunteering lives but the truth is the term spiritual life is actually just a way of referring to our whole life every moment of it from God’s perspective God is not interested in our spiritual life

As a separate thing God is just interested in our life full stop our relationship with God is the pivot around which all other aspects of Our Lives must turn I make financial decisions because of Christ in in me I choose how to spend my Leisure Time based on Christ in me I

Choose the language I use because of Christ in me I do what I do in my working life because of Christ in me every single part of our life is a part that God is interested in and through which God offers us life in all its

Fullness but because we can be guilty of treating it as though it’s just one more adult on that thing we do on Sundays and maybe a couple of other times during the week then everything gets out of kilter and we find ourselves constantly disappointed and certainly not feeling

Like we are living life in all its fullness and sometimes we think okay well I better do better in my spiritual life then so we decide that we’re going to pray more or we’re going to read our Bibles more regularly or take up some other kind of habit but more often than

Not we fail because it becomes the religious equivalent of um going on a diet or deciding to take up exercis as a New Year’s resolution what we need is a whole new perspective on life we need to tip everything out and put that orange in first we need to recognize that the term

Spiritual life is simply a way of referring to our whole life every moment from God’s perspective and as we journey on we’ll find that there are things that help us to experience these things more things which help us to allow the spirit to dwell in us and therefore the fruits of

The spirit to flow like spending time with God like praying like supporting one another as Christians like serving others and many other things which we’ll explore in these series but we have to get in training and we’ll talk more about that in the weeks to

Come the reality is that we live in a modern world which makes it really difficult to live our lives in the Life of Christ the pace of Life keeps increasing we don’t have time to Simply Be Still we’re presented with a 24-hour news cycle that keeps us anxious and on

Edge and we don’t have peace we’re constantly distracted by technology our ability to focus is disappearing but despite all of this despite it all it is still possible to live a life of fullness in Christ but we need to be really intentional about choosing it choosing to do the things

That grow the fruit of the spirit in US historically Christians have turned for inspiration in their spiritual walk to the great Saints of the past those who’ve walked in Christ before us spiritual mothers and fathers who act as a great example of people who followed Christ but saints

Come in all sorts of shapes and sizes the writer John orberg in his book The Life you’ve always wanted to live tells a story of an academic colleague who visited a woman who’d been confined in a bed in a nursing home for 25 years she was blind and nearly deaf her

Face was eaten by disease and she drooled constantly yet she had a perfectly Lucid mind and this professor who went to visit her was surprised to find that this woman was a believer in Jesus and her name was Mabel and as the man con continued his visits to the nursing home his mind

Changed from the idea that he was being helpful to Mabel to realizing that Mabel was actually ministering to him and one day as he was preparing for some examinations some final examinations that he was to sit he felt like his mind was being fooled pulled in a thousand different directions at

Once and the thought struck him I wonder what mael thinks about lying there all day every day and so he went to ask her and this is what she said to him I think about my Jesus and he sat there silently for a minute and then he asked what do you think about

Jesus and she answered this I think how good he’s been to me he’s been awfully good to me in my life you know I’m one of those kinds of folk who probably you think are rather old-fashioned but I don’t care I’d Rather Have Jesus he’s all the world to

Me and then she began to sing an old him and this professor stunned later wrote this is not fiction incredible as it may seem a human being really lived like this and I knew her how could she do it seconds ticked and hours crawled and so did days and weeks and years of

Pain without human company and without an explanation of why it was all happening and she sang there sorry she lay there and she sang hymns how could she do it and he concluded that Mabel’s strength came in her relationship with the Living God she had put Jesus in his

Rightful place even blind deaf and on her back for years she knew the presence of Jesus now and the hope of the life yet to come she had Jesus in his rightful place and if Mabel can do it then why can’t we whatever our circumstances we can experience a peace

That passes all understanding we can know a joy that the world cannot extinguish we can live the fullness of life that Jesus offers even when life is tough It’s a journey and it’s not something we achieve overnight it’s something that we have to train for and

If you look at the themes that are coming in this series you’ll see that we’re going to be doing quite a bit of training but right throughout this time together this journey together we need to ask ourselves constantly am I moving in the right direction are we being transformed by

The renewal of our minds as St Paul wrote to the church in Rome or are we standing still depriving ourselves of this life in all its fullness that God promised and what is the measure of our spiritual journey well perhaps it’s are we growing in love for God and love for

Other people what kind of people are we becoming are we moving in the right direction spiritual practices as we’ll explore in the coming weeks are not ends in themselves we don’t do them to feel good about ourselves or to be more Pious we do them because God has gifted them

To us as ways which can lead us to life the type of life that Jesus was talking about and we are called to experience things no less than what Paul wrote wrote to the church at Ephesus when he said this but God who is rich in Mercy out of

The great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses made us alive together with Christ to be alive in Christ that is our goal we’ve all messed up we’ve all fallen short we’ve all marred the image of God in us we’ve all settled for less than Christ

Intended when he made us but as Paul wrote to the Ephesians sleeper awake rise from the dead and Christ will shine on you so I’m looking forward to exploring together how we can wake up how we can get in training and how we can be transformed in these weeks

That lie ahead of us as we journey to the Wonder and Marvel of Easter and Beyond thanks than be to God Amen as we reflect on this and it does churn up quite significant things within us as we think about all of these aspects of our

Lives and the priorities that we have or don’t have the mistakes we’ve made the things that we wish we had done differently it does turn up a lot within us and it’s important to sit and remember that we have a God who specializes in transformation in making things new so

As we sing this hymn which is a beautiful hymn from Iona take this moment sign and space it invites us to to bring ourselves just as we are but also to recognize that Christ can do so much more with us so it’s going to lead us

Into a time of prayer so let’s just stay seated As we sing this hymn prayerfully together and then we’ll continue in Prayer take this moment sign and space take my friend around here Among Us make the place where your love is Found take the time to call my name take the time to B Who I am and what I be all I fail to Tell take the darkness of my days take my bre let your foress touch all I can’t forget take the little child in me scar of growing all help me here to find my word made in Christ So take my talents take my skill take what’s yet to be let my life be yours and yes let it still be Me can we keep that verse up there Tim can we stay standing we’ll come back to that verse yeah and so we pray and in silence We Lay bear before God all that we want to say this morning in response to all that we have heard read sung and thought

Lord as we embark on this Lent and journey and as we walk with you towards Easter pray that you would strip away all that weighs us down all that prevents us from putting you first sweep us up Lord and take us on this journey with you that we might truly walk towards the

Life in all its fullness that you so deeply desire for us so much so that you gave your son to come and walk among us to live and to die to bring us back into relationship with you when we feel weary and that we can’t do it anymore give us that strength that

Only you can give when we feel joyful and full of Thanksgiving help us to direct that Thanksgiving and that joy to you Lord we thank you that you take us as we are but that you long for so much more for us through Jesus let’s sing again just the one verse take my

Tal take my skills take what’s yet to be let my life be yours and yes let it still be me Wilderness God at the beginning of this our Lenton Journey we come before you to pray PR for all who are struggling at this time we remember all of those who are

Living in Wilderness places physically mentally emotionally and spiritually through no choice we ask you to hold them Close to You Lord to walk beside them to give them courage and strength to face each test and trial and to overcome them and Empower us to feel brave enough

To do likewise with the people that we encounter over the coming week who may be in the wilderness and struggling make us openhearted so that we can give generously with our love with our time with our treasure Lord we live before you so much in our world which worries and troubles us

We ask that peace and Reconciliation may come between Russia and Ukraine we remember all who have been conscripted to fight for all families who have been separated and Lord we pray for peace we also bring the conflict in Israel Palestine to mind and we pray for those held hostage

For the Innocents dying duee to lack of food and water and medical care we pray that this land held Holy by so many would become a land of Peace we pray for Myanmar living with a military dictatorship we pray that the violence stops and that the Country Returns to civilian rule

We pray for the military men at the top of the scr structure who have grabbed power to feel strong that they might repent oh God bring your hands of compassion and love to surround these and many more situations of conflict in the world and help us to become peacemakers for your

Kingdom Creator God we pray for our local communities where we live and work and worship we know that many are struggling each day we think of our local government we think of the struggles that woking b Council are experiencing we remember the UK government and pray that politicians would have wisdom compassion and

Understanding of the people they were elected to serve and finally dear Lord we pray for your church we pray for Christians Gathering even now in our nation and in others to lift your name on high but we remember most especially those who are not free to worship those whose Devotion to you has

To be hidden encourage them Lord in their faith that your kingdom would reign and that we would hold firm to the promise that one day every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and so we pray that you will accept these prayers the ones we have whispered

In our hearts and the ones that we have not even found words to formulate that you would take them all through Jesus and accept them in his name amen our closing hymn oh no let’s not do the closing hymn just yet let’s dedicate the offering and of course it’s so important

As we think about all aspects of Our Lives being an act of devotion and dedication what we do with our treasure matters and so the gifts that we make for the life work of the church be it through our bank accounts or in other ways during the week we give to God

Freely and we pray Lord would you take them and help us in our use of them that we might build your kingdom that we might get our priorities right Guided by you and your Holy Spirit in Jesus name amen so what I was about to say is that

The last hym is a housing one speaks of what God has done for us through Jesus and can it be that I should gain an interest in the savior’s blood isn’t it incredible that the answer to that is yes let’s stand to Sing and can it be that I should G and interest in the Savior blood might for me who CA his pain for me who to death purs Amazing Love how can it be that thou my God should die for amazing amazing love that th my God should die for [Applause] me Myster all of the you can explore his strange design the first s to sound the death of love divine Mery let door let angeling the and Angel might no he let his father Stone so so in his Gra empty himself of all the love and let on [Applause] hel all free

Oh my God Found oh my God he found out [Applause] me long my impris spirit L found in sin and nature night th iuse the quicking rain I W the D INF fled with life my chain fell off my heart was free my RO and for and follow the my chain my

Chain heart my heart was free I follow Me no condemnation now I dread Jesus anding in is M alive in in my living head and Golding rightousness Divine b i approach the Eternal Pro and the CH my own Christ My so now may the blessing of God who is Father Son and Holy Spirit be upon you and remember remain with you always amen let’s say the words of the grace to each other May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and The

Fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all forever more am amen for You give life you are love you bring light to the darkness you give hope you restore every heart that is broken and great are you Lord you give life you are love you bring light to the dark you give hope you give you restore you Resto every heart that is Broken and great are you Lord It’s your breath in our l so we pour out our praise we pour out our praise it’s your breath in our lungs so we pour out our praise to You you give life you give life you are love you bring light to the darkness you give you restore you Resto every heart that is Broken great are you Lord It’s your breath it’s your in our Liv so we pour out our praise we pour out our praise it’s your pra our so we pour out our praise to you Only and all the Earth Will shout your praise our hearts will cry these bones will sing PR I you Lord and though the Earth Will shout your praise our hearts will cry these bones will sing praise are you Lord and all the Earth Will shout your praise our hearts will cry these bones will sing great are you Lord It’s your breath it’s your in our

Love so we pour out our praise we pour out our praise it’s your bre in our so we pour out our praise to you it’s your breath in our lives so we pour out our praise we pour out our praise it’s your breath in our lives we pour out our praise to you Only pour out our Pra