Circuit Worship at Home for the 27th August 2023
Circuit Worship at Home for the 27th August 2023 – Chris Hancock
Today we explore the poetry and meaning of the first 11 verses of Psalm 25. The hymns we will sing are inspired, at least in part, by some or all of these verses from the Psalm.
Call to worship
Loving God, we come to you and lay our lives before you. May we worship and adore you with all that we are. May everything within us sing of your holiness and majesty. We join with all those in your Church around the world who worship and proclaim you as Lord. We pray that your Holy Spirit will speak to each of us in this time of worship together. Amen
Our first hymn is drawn from verses 4 to 9 of Psalm 25.
Singing the Faith 34 – O Worship the Lord
| 1 O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness, bow down before him, his glory proclaim; with gold of obedience and incense of lowliness, kneel and adore him: the Lord is his name.2 Low at his feet lay your burden of carefulness, high on his heart he will bear it for you, comfort your sorrows, and answer your prayerfulness, showing the pathway your feet should pursue.3 Fear not to enter his courts in the slenderness of the poor wealth you would count as your own; truth in its beauty, and love in its tenderness, these are the offerings to bring to his throne. |
4 These, though we bring them in trembling and fearfulness, he will accept for the name that is dear; mornings of joy give for evenings of tearfulness, trust for our trembling, and hope for our fear. 5 O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness, bow down before him, his glory proclaim; with gold of obedience and incense of lowliness, kneel and adore him:the Lord is his name.John Samuel Bewley Monsell (1811–1875) |
Prayers
Heavenly Father, we come before you in worship and praise you. We gather in the joy of knowing your unfailing love for us. You are ever faithful and in complete confidence we place out trust in you. You give us a light for our feet as we follow your way in the paths of our lives.
We praise you for the beautiful words of scripture which bring, teaching, knowledge and inspiration to our souls. In our time of worship we offer you all that we are in our praise and adoration with our voices, hearts and souls. Amen
Loving God we join king David in his Psalms of prayer. We come to you, aware of our failings and shortcomings. In the things we have done and the things we have left undone. In the memories we have of the past and those careless mistakes we have made in the present. You are ever willing to forgive and we ask for that forgiveness now as we spend a short time in silent reflection and bring our own prayers of confession.
Loving and forgiving God we thank you that we can time and time again hear those wonderful words of Grace. That our sins are wiped away and all memory of them can be let go. In the wonder and joy of your forgiveness we praise and adore you. Amen.
We say together the Lord’s Prayer.
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 trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And 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.
Our second hymn is drawn from verses 6 and 7 of our Psalm. Charlotte Elliott the writer suffered a serious illness that left her a semi-invalid. She went through a spiritual crisis and confessed to the Swiss evangelist Henri A. Cesar Malan that she did not know how to come to Christ. He answered, “Come to him just as you are.”
Singing The Faith – 556 – Just as I am
| 1 Just as I am, without one plea but that you died to set me free, and at your bidding, ‘Come to me!’ O Lamb of God, I come! 2 Just as I am, though tossed about with many a conflict, many a doubt, fightings within and fears without, O Lamb of God, I come! 3 Just as I am, you will receive, will welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve: because your promise I believe, O Lamb of God, I come! |
4 Just as I am — your love unknown has broken every barrier down — now to be yours, yes, yours alone, O Lamb of God, I come! 5 Just as I am, of that free love the breadth, length, depth and height to prove, here for a time and then above, O Lamb of God, I come!Charlotte Elliott (1789–1871) |
Psalm 25 verses 1-11
1 In you, Lord my God, I put my trust. 2 I trust in you; do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me.
3 No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame, but shame will come on those who are treacherous without cause. 4 Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. 5 Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Saviour, and my hope is in you all day long.
6 Remember, Lord, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old. 7 Do not remember the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you, Lord, are good.
8 Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways. 9 He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. 10 All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful toward those who keep the demands of his covenant. 11 For the sake of your name, Lord, forgive my iniquity, though it is great.
Matthew 16 verses 13-20
Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” 14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
Although more commonly linked with Psalm 23 our next hymn also draws on the words of verses 1 and 2 of Psalm 25 as we put our trust in our Lord and God. I include both traditional and modern versions – use the one you prefer or both.
Singing the Faith 481 – The Lord’s my Shepherd
Reflection
As you will be aware I often return to the Psalms for inspiration, comfort and re-assurance. In Psalm 25 we find David perhaps in a time of trial and trouble, reflecting on his life and the things that have separated him from God. His sins if you prefer. He also expresses his certain trust that God is with him and guides his path.
As I read the first verses David asks that his enemies not triumph over him. In this way showing that his trust in God is not misplaced. I reflected what the equivalent today would be of our enemies triumphing over us and perhaps it is in that worry that we will be seen as fools for believing and trusting in God. David then prays for God’s guidance and teaching, for help in remaining on the path that God wants him to follow.
He then asks that God not remember the sins of his youth and since. As we read David’s story we realise that despite being chosen by God he does have rather a lot of things in his life to give him pause. However, in the Psalm we hear David pray for forgiveness. He does so whilst expressing his unwavering trust in the Grace of God, a trust which is neither shaken nor broken by the circumstances he finds himself in.
I find great joy in these verses. I have lived an “upright” life but there are things which through carelessness or thoughtlessness I have either said or done and words and actions which have been left unsaid or undone. These things have been to the detriment of my relationship with God. I am sure we can all bring to mind our own experiences of our lives which reflect these words of David.
The wonderful truth is that God does look upon us with eyes of mercy and love. He forgives us far sooner and far more deeply than we often are prepared to forgive ourselves. As we experience that forgiveness we move on to where God wants us to travel and what he wants each of us to do. As a Circuit and in our individual churches we are, over the next few months, exploring just this question. Where God wants us to travel with him? We ask that during this process we too will be instructed and guided by God as we review and evaluate our calling. We do this in the sure knowledge, like David, that God is loving and faithful and will guide our thoughts and decisions.
I was not going to use the Gospel reading set for this week but having read it – it does speak to our relationship with God. As we open ourselves to God in our prayers and reading of scripture. As we acknowledge our need for forgiveness, we come to know Jesus as our Saviour. Then we too can declare alongside Peter that we know Jesus is the Son of the Living God and our personal Saviour. In that knowledge, we are tasked to offer ourselves, our skills, energy, excited enthusiasm, our minds, hands and voices into the service of God. Believing and trusting that God will use them to teach and guide others to meet with Jesus in their own lives. So that they too can join in that declaration of who Jesus is to them and the world. Amen.
Our fourth hymn is originally by Isaac Watts and is another that I have taken the liberty of “modernising” it expresses the whole of the 11 verses of the Psalm we have used today. At the end of the service I have included the original words, an updated version for a traditional hymn tune and the version we will now use which is set to a traditional Irish Folk Tune.
Hymn – I lift my Soul up to my God
| I lift my soul up to my God My trust is in his name Let not those who would call me fool Cause me to feel my shame From the first ray of dawning light Till dark of evening rise For your salvation, Lord, I wait With ever longing eyesRemember me with all your grace And lead me in your truth Forgive my sins of careless days Rebelliousness of youth The Lord is just and kind to me He teaches me his ways And on that pathway all can find Salvation by his grace |
By his unending love for me He saves my soul from shame He pardons though my guilt is great Through my redeemer’s name My Saviour’s love has rescued me Has wiped away my sin For Jesus is my strength and shield All my trust I can place in himWords: Isaac Watts revised C HancockTune: The Dawning of the Day |
Prayers of Intercession
Holy Lord, we pray for the world, and for those who live in it. We pray for those suffering from the effects of climate change, with droughts, wildfires, and rising sea levels. Praying especially for the people of Hawaii and Canada. We pray for those places where there is war and conflict and pray for all of those involved in the process of peace making. We pray especially for the people of Ukraine. We pray for those who are displaced from their homes. Be that through climate, conflict or economic reasons.
A time of silent prayer. Lord, in your mercy – Hear our prayer.
We pray for all who are not well in body, mind or spirit, either at home or in hospital. We pray for those who comfort and care for them, both medical professionals, and friends and family. May they feel you especially close to them holding them gently in your loving presence.
A time of silent prayer. Lord, in your mercy – Hear our prayer.
We pray for ourselves. Help us to follow your guiding hand and to do what is right. Help us to be your hands and voice as we take your love and kindness to all we meet this week.
A time of silent prayer. Lord, in your mercy – Hear our prayer.
We offer these prayers, in the all-powerful name of our saviour Jesus. Amen
We close with that most rousing and wonderful hymn taking inspiration from verse 5 of our Psalm.
STF 465 – Guide me, O thou great Jehovah
Blessing
May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace. Amen
CCLI
If you are interested below I have included my “workings” on getting to the hymn which was included in today’s service. It is not mandatory or essential to read it!
I chose an alternate tune for the second version of Schumann (51567) and adapted the words to a more modern “terminology”. It is not perfect but felt right as I committed it to paper.
Here is the Schumann (51567) version
Here is an alternate version of the Dawning of the Day version with me playing guitar. As some of you will know I have been unable to play for several months due to a problem with my hand. The joy of playing again resulted in this version! One or two “insecure” notes but you will get the idea…
| 1 I lift my soul to God, My trust is in His name; Let not my foes that seek my blood Still triumph in my shame.2 From the first dawning light Till the dark evening rise, For Thy salvation, Lord, I wait With ever longing eyes.3 Remember all Thy grace, And lead me in Thy truth; Forgive the sins of riper days, And follies of my youth. 4 The Lord is just and kind; 5 For His own goodness’ sake Isaac Watts Tune: Bralton |
1. I lift my soul to God My trust is in his name Let not those who would call me fool Cause me to feel my shame2. From the first dawning light Till the dark evening rise For your salvation, Lord, I wait With ever longing eyes3. Remember all your grace And lead me in your truth Forgive my sins of careless days Rebelliousness of youth 4. The Lord is just and kind 5. By his unending love Isaac Watts (Adapted C Hancock) Tune: Schumann (51567) |
1. I lift my soul up to my God My trust is in his name Let not those who would call me fool Cause me to feel my shame From the first ray of dawning light Till dark of evening rise For your salvation, Lord, I wait With ever longing eyes2. Remember me with all your grace And lead me in your truth Forgive my sins of careless days Rebelliousness of youth The Lord is just and kind to me He teaches me his ways And on that pathway all can find Salvation by his grace3. By his unending love for me He saves my soul from shame He pardons though my guilt is great Through my redeemer’s name My Saviour’s love has rescued me Has wiped away my sin For Jesus is my strength and shield All my trust I can place in him Isaac Watts (Adapted C Hancock) Tune: Dawning of the Day |
