Call to Worship

L:    We gather together to worship God,

A:   who comes to us when we least expect it,

L:   who calls us out of the safety of our ordered lives

A:  and invites us to join Him in the adventure of faith.

A: Come, let's worship God together



Opening Prayer & The Lord's Prayer

Gracious God,

we gather once again to offer You praise and thanksgiving for Your unfailing love and faithfulness,

shown most clearly through Your Son, Jesus Christ.

Grant us grace to worship You in spirit and in truth.

Through the power of Your Holy Spirit,

open our eyes to recognize You here among us.

Give us courage to step out in faith to meet You,

and confidence to follow where You lead.

Help us, as we pray with the words you gave us: Our Father....

PRELUDE:   Chenaniah

CALL TO WORSHIP:   O God, we come before You today with gratitude; gratitude for the opportunity to share with each other and to give to each other. Gratitude for the example of Jesus, who teaches us to love our neighbours and serve those around us. Please open our eyes to new visions of service and faithful living.
Thank you for the opportunity to expand our hearts, our communities, and our lives through Your grace.

WELCOME:            


HYMN:          In The Bulb There Is A Flower

PRAYER:      Et maintenant nous le prions. Le Seigneur est dans le Temple Sacré. Que toutes les nations se taisent devant Lui. Car ainsi parle le Très-Haut, qui habite une demeure éternelle et dont le Nom est saint: j’habite une demeure élevée et sainte, mais je suis également avec l’homme contrit et humble.  

O God, we trust in Your power to create, to sustain and to enable. But
we could not trust if we didn’t know that You are always near. Be with us, Lord, as we are gathered here to worship You. Help us to bring all that we are to You, so that we might experience Your touch upon all aspects of our life. O God, whose kindness is not limited to grand cathedrals or saintly places, spectacular mountains or mountain-moving leaders. God, Your holiness is often discovered in simple everyday places and simple everyday people. Plant Your holiness in this place, in us, now. Help us to grow as we worship together, so that we might flower, right where we are, with the beauty of Your Heavenly love. We pray together the words You taught us:

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom
come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.

 

HYMN:          My Faith Looks Up To Thee 

 

OFFERING:             Loving God, we present now what we have brought to You. Things that  are both visible and invisible. The coins and paper represent our work and  express in a clear and visible way our love and thanks. But we also bring as an offering the fragile dreams and hopes that we have. These invisible gifts are what sustain our lives. Receive all that we have brought in love. Amen.

 

 

SCRIPTURE READING:   Psalm 1: 1-3 & 6

                        Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. The  person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither – whatever they do prospers. For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

                  

HYMN:          Blest Be The Tie That Binds

MEDITATION:     Family, Friends and Faith (see below for the integral text)

HYMN:     Love Divine, All Loves Excelling

BENEDICTION & CHORAL AMEN:     May we go from this service, O Lord, with a strong determination to shoulder our share of the responsibilities in Jesus’ name. As   you go from here, know that God is always with you. Do not be shaken, for He is right beside you. He will show you the way that leads to life.
 

IN THE BULB THERE IS A FLOWER

In the bulb there is a flower, In the seed, an apple tree,

In cocoons, a hidden promise, Butterflies will soon be free!

In the cold and snow of winter, There’s a spring that waits to be,

Unrevealed until its season, Something God alone can see.

There’s a song in every silence, Seeking word and melody,

There’s a dawn in every darkness, Bringing hope to you and me.

From the past will come the future; What it holds, a mystery,

Unrevealed until its season, Something God alone can see.

In the end is our beginning, In our time, infinity;

In our doubt there is believing, In our life, eternity,

In our death, a resurrection, At the last, a victory,

Unrevealed until its season, Something God alone can see.


MY FAITH LOOKS UP TO THEE

My faith looks up to thee, Thou Lamb of Calvary, Saviour divine:

Now hear me when I pray; Take all my guilt away;

Oh let me from this day be wholly thine.

May thy rich grace impart Strength to my fainting heart; my zeal inspire;

As thou hast died for me, Oh may my love to thee

Pure, warm and changeless be, a living fire.

When end life’s transient dream,

When death’s cold sullen stream shall o’er me roll,

Blest Saviour, then, in love, Fear and distrust remove;

Oh near me safe above, a ransomed soul.


BLEST BE THE TIE THAT BINDS

Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love;

The fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above.

We share each other’s woes, each other’s burdens bear,

And often for each other flows the sympathizing tear.

Nous mettons en commun nos fardeaux, nos labeurs,

En Jésus nous ne sommes qu’un dans la joie et les pleurs.

This glorious hope revives our courage on the way;

In perfect friendship we shall live in God’s eternal day.


LOVE DIVINE, ALL LOVES EXCELLING

Love divine, all loves excelling, Joy of heaven, to earth come down;

Fix in us thy humble dwelling, All thy faithful mercies crown.

Jesus, thou art all compassion, Pure, unbounded love thou art;

Visit us with thy salvation; Enter every trembling heart.

Come almighty to deliver, Let us all thy grace receive;

Suddenly return and never, Never more thy temples leave.

Thee we would be always blessing, Serve thee as thy hosts above,

Pray and praise thee, without ceasing, Glory in thy perfect love.

Finish then thy new creation; Pure and spotless let us be;

Let us see thy great salvation Perfectly restored in thee,

Changed from glory into glory Till in heaven we take our place,

Till we cast our crowns before thee, Lost in wonder, love and praise.

Family, Friends & Faith

          A man was being chased by a tiger. He ran as hard as he could until he was at the edge of a cliff with the tiger in hot pursuit. The man looked over the edge and saw a branch growing out of the side of the cliff a few feet down. He jumped down and grabbed the branch just as the tiger reached the cliff. The tiger growled viciously as the man sighed a great sigh of relief.

          Just then a mouse came out from a crevice and began to chew on the branch. The man looked down to what was a drop of a thousand feet and sure death, and looked to the heavens and yelled out, “Dear God, if You are there, please help. I will do anything You ask but please help.”

          Suddenly a voice came booming down from heaven. “You will do anything I ask?” it questioned.

          The man, shocked to hear a reply to his plea, yelled back, “I will gladly do anything you ask, but please save me.”

          The voice from heaven then replied, “There is one way to save you, but it will take courage and faith.”

          The branch began to weaken from the mouse, and the tiger was still growling a few feet above the man. “Please, Lord, tell me what I must do and I will do it. Your will is my will.”

          The voice from heaven then said, “All right then, let go of the branch.”

          The man looked down to a fall of a thousand feet and certain death. He looked up at the hungry tiger a few feet away, and he looked at the mouse still chewing on the branch. Then he looked up at the heavens and yelled, “Is there anyone else up there?”

          It isn’t easy having faith. It takes work. Many of us say we are on the path of righteousness because we believe in God. Many of us say our faith is steadfast, can’t be broken, will stand the test of time. But until we’ve been truly tested, these are merely words.

We all have our ups and downs in life, and being Christians, we turn to God for guidance. Our religious faith guides us in our relationships with family and friends. When the relationship is strong and unconditional, family, friends and faith form an inseparable trio. We all know that no one has ever been disappointed if he or she has put their faith and trust in God. He wants us to keep believing, because in the end, we will be glad we did.

          We all like to talk about “the Christian family.” It is a picture which shows the good expression of the warmth, the care and the acceptance that we find in our churches. We are all members of “the family of Christ,” but more importantly we are the body of Christ. We came to the church through the love of Christ and were transformed into friends. We all came, and by the grace of God, church is where we find faith.

          Our faith calls us to be instruments of change and to carry peace in the world and within our family and friends. Faith is about the courage to act: to act within our families and the courage to act on behalf of our family and friends. Faith gives us the tools for doing battle with the powers of darkness. Faith is the motivating power for shaping us by the values of God.

          Our faith is nurtured every Sunday in church. But how much faith is being nurtured in the home? How many hours a week are you in church? How many hours a week is your family at home? At church we have rituals of worship, of education and fellowship. We have sacraments and we have music and song. But what faith rituals do we have with family and friends? Do we share in prayer? Do we read the Bible? Do we have religious discussions or times of meditation and reflection?

          In our busy lives, we tend to prioritize things and to make lists. I’m guessing that for most of us the priority list is family, friends, church, God and our job. In reality the list should be God, family, friends, church and job. We all know that God should be number one, but I don’t think a list is the right way to motivate. Instead of making God part of our list, we should make Him the centre of our lives. Just get rid of the list and let God flow into all the other areas. If we make God central and place everything else around Him, we wouldn’t need to talk about priorities in the same way. We like to put things in little boxes and packages so we can feel like we’re in control.

          Let me tell you a little story: There is a certain man who is instructed by his master to take a load of water to another village. He willingly accepts the task commissioned to him. At first, he was travelling happily with not much worry but to bring the water to its destination. But along the way, he finds precious stones and starts to pick them up and put them in his bag. He is glad that his travel has been worthwhile because he knew he could sell the stones when he got to the village. As he continued with this journey, he found more precious stones and he put them inside his bag. Little by little, his bag became heavy with stones until he started to complain and curse because of his load.

          But still, he continued to find stones along the way and put them in his bag until he decided to take the water out from the bag and left it at the side of the road. At the end of his travel, he immediately went to the nearest market place to see how much money he could earn from the stones. To his disappointment, the stones were not precious at all, but just ordinary stones.

          He suddenly remembered the water and went back for it. He found the water dried up and not fit for drinking anymore. He went home sorrowful that day and never walks that slow in his entire life because he doesn’t know how to explain all that happened to him to his master.

          I’ve told you this story for its simple lesson. At the end of the day what we thought was important will just boil done to nothing. Many people feel a void in their heart and they have the urge to fill that void. But sadly, they are often filling it with the wrong things. Following God is a must. Everything else is optional. So don’t let the optional things push away what is mandatory. All the visible things are temporary, but the invisible is permanent. Don’t ever commit the mistake of believing that the physical things will give you ever-lasting happiness. Real happiness comes from having a good relationship with God, family and friends. Putting God first in our life is our number one priority, and this will allow us to cultivate, nurture and live our faith with family and friends.

          Faith builds up families. Christian families aren’t perfect, of course, but I don’t think the old saying about “the family that prays together, stays together” has ever been proven wrong. Faith provides a common language for dealing with the trials and tribulations of life. The world of faith sets the path for us as we make our way in life.

          Faith and family and friends belong together!

          Let us pray: Dear Lord, help us to be strong in You and in the strength of Your power. We will put on the whole armour of God, for our strength is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the cosmic powers of this present darkness. We will fasten the belt of truth around our waist and put on the breastplate of goodness. We will take up the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is Your word. Amen.          

Prelude                            “Chenaniah”
 

Call to Worship    (Psalm 96:1-3)

Oh sing to the Lord a new song;

   sing to the Lord, all the earth!        

Sing to the Lord, bless his name;

   tell of his salvation from day to day.

Declare his glory among the nations,

   his marvelous works among all the peoples! 


 Opening Prayer & The Lord’s Prayer

Glorious God, we come together as your people.

We come as a praising people, singing your goodness;

we come as a praying people, bringing our needs, our joys;

we come as a journeying people, looking for direction.

We want our thoughts, our words, our songs, our church, our community, our resources, our time, our lives: all to be for you.

Everything ours is yours.
In this hour of worship, empower us for faithful living.

We pray this in the name of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, Amen.

Shall we now pray the prayer Jesus taught his disciples to pray:

Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come. 
Thy will be done on earth, 
As it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors. 
Lead us not into temptation, 
But deliver us from evil. 
For thine is the kingdom,
The power, and the glory,
For ever and ever.
Amen.

Scripture Reading: Micah 6; 6-8    

New International Version (NIV)

6 With what shall I come before the Lord
    and bow down before the exalted God?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
    with calves a year old?
7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
    with ten thousand rivers of olive oil?
Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,
    the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
    And what does the Lord require of you?
    To act justly and to love mercy
    and to walk humbly with your God.
      

  Hymn:        “Just a closer walk with thee”
(Scriptures and hymns chosen by Kevin for their significance)

Scripture Reading: John 19; 25-27 

New International Version (NIV)

25 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 
26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,”
27 and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.            

                                 

  John 20; 11-16  

   New International Version (NIV)

Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene
11 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb
12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”

“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”

Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”

16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”). 

   Hymn:          “Mary don't you weep”
(Scriptures and hymns chosen by Kevin for their significance) 

 Scripture Reading: 1Corinthians 15; 12-19    

New International Version (NIV)

The Resurrection of Christ
15 Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance[a]: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas,[b] and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

9 For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11 Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.

The Resurrection of the Dead
12 But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15 More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.

     

  Hymn:              “Aint no grave”
(Scriptures and hymns chosen by Kevin for their significance) 

Scripture Reading: Ephesians 2; 8-9

New International Version (NIV)

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

                         Romans    5; 17-21     
New International Version (NIV)

17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!

18 Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

20 The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, 21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.      

   Hymn:       “Amazing Grace”, with Congregation…key of F
(Webmaster's note:  this hymn with all the congregation singing along with the Poets was quite spectacular!) 

Benediction and Sung Amen    

 

   David’s Song     Grimshaw Road

 

Postlude:   “Chenaniah”

Call to Worship

Let us worship God as children…with wonder and awe.

Let us worship God as youth…with questions and eager hearts.

Let us worship God as adults…with gratitude and praise.

Let us worship God as elders…with wisdom and hope.

Let the Body of Christ sing praises to God, from whom all blessings flow.



Bible Reading ~ Romans 12:6-8 ~

God has also given each of us different gifts to use. If we can prophesy, we should do it according to the amount of faith we have. If we can serve others, we should serve. If we can teach, we should teach. If we can encourage others, we should encourage them. If we can give, we should be generous. If we are leaders, we should do our best. If we are good to others, we should do it cheerfully.

 

Call and Response:

Blessed be the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth!
Praise be to God, the Giver of many gifts!
Our help is in God’s name, the One who calls us here.
We come with songs of praise, with prayers too deep for words.
Blessed be the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth!
Blessed be the Lord!

 

Words of Welcome

Good Morning Everyone! Welcome to the Rockburn Presbyterian Church! We are absolutely delighted that you are here today!  We are especially  thrilled  and honoured to have the talented Franklin Ensemble leading us in musical worship … leading us in songs of praise Praise to our Lord and Creator.

Opening Prayer & The Lord’s Prayer

Shall we now bow down our heads in prayer,  Most Holy God, our Heavenly Father, we humble ourselves before you this morning with songs of praise and thanksgiving in our hearts. We seek your blessings over our life and the lives of our family, friends, relatives, our leaders and our Nation. We thank you for all that you have done that has brought us to this point in time. More importantly we thank you for what you are going to do as we journey forward this day. Amen. Shall We now pray in unison the prayer Jesus taught his disciples to pray:  Our Father who art in Heaven

 

So let’s now fill our lungs with air and your hearts with joy as we join our voices together in singing….could someone please shout out  a selection from the green songbook

 

Songs of your Choice led by the Franklin Ensemble

 

Meditation: Before you say another word…Blessed YOU Are! Diane


                                                                                                 Before you say another word...

If you have food in the fridge, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep.....you are richer than 75% of the world.  If you have money in the bank, in your wallet and spare change in a dish someplace......you are among the top 8% of the worlds wealthy.  If you woke this morning with more health than illness you are more blessed than the millions who will not survive this week.  If you never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation.....you are ahead of 500 million people in the world. If you can attend a church meeting without the fear of harassment, arrest, torture or death...you are more blessed than three billion people in the world.

If your parents are still alive and still married.... you are very rare, even in North America.  If you can hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful.... you are blessed because the majority can, but most do not. If you can hold someone’s hand, hug them or even touch them on the shoulder...you are blessed because you can offer a healing touch.  If you can read this message, then you have just received a double blessing in that someone was thinking of you and furthermore you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world that cannot read at all.

Have a good day, count your blessings and pass along this to remind everyone else how

Blessed You Are


Hymn:   “Count Your Blessings” & More Hymns of Your Choice


   The Offertory Prayer

 Prayer for the Gifts We Offer to the Lord Lord, You provide us with everything it is that we need. You have blessed us with many opportunities to do what is right and true. You never ask us to wait when we cry out for Your name. You provide us counsel in times of sorrow and grief.

You share our joy in times of celebration and glee. Today, teach us how to dedicate our lives only for Your glory. Teach us to become a blessing to others even to those we do not know. Encourage us to follow the footsteps of Your son Jesus Christ as he was the ultimate example of what a good person is.

Keep us away from temptation and mend the hearts of those who are hurt. May these tithes and other gifts multiply and it may be of help to those who are in need. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

Meditation:   “Be a Blessing”    Elizabeth


Be A Blessing

Genesis 12:1, 2.

"The Lord said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great and you will be a blessing”

In these first words that God spoke to Abraham, we have the short summary of all that God has to say to him and to us as His children. We see the goal to which God calls us, the power that carries us to that goal, and the place where that power is found.

Be a blessing--that is the goal for which God separates Abraham and every believing child of His. God would have him and us understand that, when He blesses us, it is not to simply make us happy, but so thatwe would still further communicate His blessing.

1 God Himself is love, and therefore He blesses. Love does not seek itself. When the love of God comes to us, it will seek others through us.

2  From the beginning, a Christian must understand that he has received grace with the definite aim of becoming a blessing to others. Please, do not keep for yourself what the Lord gives to you for others. Offer yourself expressly and completely to the Lord--to be used by Him for others. That is the way to be blessed over flowingly yourself.

3 The power for this work will be given. "Be a blessing," "I will bless thee," says the Lord. You are to be personally blessed and sanctified. You are to be filled with the Spirit, peace, and power of the Lord. Then you have power to bless.

4  (Ephesians 1:3)  “In Christ, God has blessed us with all spiritual blessings”  Let Jesus fill you with these blessings, and you will certainly be a blessing. You do not need to doubt or fear.  The blessing of God includes in it the power of life for multiplication, for expansion, for communication.

5 Blessing always includes the power to bless others. Only give the word of the Almighty God, "I will bless thee,"  time to sink into your spirit. Wait upon God, so that He Himself may say to you, "I will bless thee." Let yourfaith cleave firmly to this. God will make it truth to you, above all asking and thinking. 

6  But for this reason you must also take yourself to the place of blessing--the land of promise, and the simple of faith in those promises. "Get thee out of thy country and thy father's house," says the Lord. God would have departure and separation from the life of nature and the flesh, in which we are born of Adam. The offering up of what is most precious to man is the way to the blessing of God.

7 "Go to the land I will show you," says the Lord, "out of the old life into a new life, where I alone am  your guide." That is, a life where God can have me wholly for Himself alone, and where I walk only on the promises of God--a life of faith.

Christian, God will in a divine fashion fulfil to you His promise, "I will bless thee." Leave your homeland, your father's house, and your life and involvement with the world and the ways of the flesh. Enter into the new life--the life of the Spirit, the life in fellowship with God--to which He will lead you. There you become receptive to His blessing. There your heart becomes open to full faith in His word, "I will bless thee. "There He can fulfill that word to you, and make you full of His blessing and power to be a blessing to others. Live with God,separated from the world. Then you will hear the voice of God speak with power: "I will bless thee"; "Be thou a blessing." Father, show me the way to that promised  land where You bring Your people to have them wholly  for Yourself. I will abandon everything to follow You, to hold converse with You alone, in order that You may fill me with Your blessing. Lord, let Your word, "I will bless thee," live in my heart as a Word of God. Then will I give myself wholly to live for others and to be a blessing. 
“BLESSED YOU ARE”

I found this sermon on the internet. It was created by Andrew Murray. I liked it and made a few small tweaks and shared it with the Rockburn Congregation.    Elizabeth Waller     I hope you like it also!

Songs of your Choice led by the Franklin Ensemble

Benediction and Sung Amen
As we leave this place today: Live simply, care deeply, and pray daily. And after you’ve done all this, place your lives in the hand of a gracious and merciful God. Amen.  “Blessed You Are”


Thought for the Day

“Don’t think of the things you didn’t get after praying.

Think of the countless blessings God gave you without asking.”