CIRCUIT SUNDAY WORSHIP SHEET SUNDAY 6th AUGUST 2023

 PREPARED BY THE REVD DAVID JEBB

CALL TO WORSHIP

Rejoice, people of God: this is our Sabbath day.
Rejoice, friends in Christ: this is our time for worship.
God ordained the Sabbath, rest and restoration.
God is worthy of worship, our Creator, Healer, and Inspiration.
So then, let us worship God.

STF 333 – MAJESTY, WORSHIP HIS MAJESTY.

( Jack W Hayford © 1976)

PRAYER OF THANKS AND CONFESSION

Lord God, we confess the smallness of our faith. At those times when our lives seem stormy we worry that you are asleep and don’t care about what happens to us. When things are going well, we are quick to take the credit and slow to give you thanks. We have not loved you with our whole heart and we have not loved our neighbour as ourselves. There are times when we are so focussed on our needs that we miss the ways that you want to bless others through us.You are the God who commands the winds and the waves yet you are also the God who draws near to us in love renew us with your Holy Spirit, draw us out of ourselves and deeper into your love. For Jesus’ sake. Amen

READING: MATTHEW 14:13 – 16

13 When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.15 As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”16 Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”17 “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.

SERMON REFLECTION POINTS:

Let’s not sit around waiting for Jesus to magically give us more bread and fish. That’s probably not going to happen. Besides, the problem isn’t a lack of bread and fish. It’s a lack of vision for our lives, the great crowd, and the future. It’s a lack of imagination for what could be. It’s a lack of compassion for others and ourselves.
We need to learn to see in a new way. We need new eyes and new vision. That’s what Jesus is saying when he tells the disciples, “You give them something to eat.” He’s asking us to change the
lens through which we see, gain a new vision, and see with new eyes. He sees and trusts that we already are and have enough to feed the great crowd. Maybe that’s what we need to see and trust about ourselves and each other.
So I want us to look at today’s gospel (Matthew 14:13 -16 ) a bit differently than we usually do. What if it’s more about eyes than stomachs? What if it’s more about seeing than feeding? What if it’s more about compassion than bread and fish? Jesus and the disciples saw the same great crowd. But they responded very differently because they see differently. Jesus and the disciples represent two ways of seeing. “Send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves,” the disciples tell Jesus. And Jesus tells them, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.”
I wonder, what keeps you and me from seeing and living like that? What if we began to see like that? What if we saw with the eyes of our hearts? What if compassion was the lens through which we saw ourselves and one another? I want to trust that my five loaves and two fish are enough and that they will make a difference. I want to believe that I am enough and that I will make a difference. I want to see you, the world, and myself through the lens of compassion. And I want to act on that compassion, don’t you? What is your compassionate vision for our country today? For refugees, immigrants, and diverse race communities? For essential workers, healthcare providers, and first responders? For administrators, teachers, parents, and students beginning a new school year? For those making decisions when there is no good or right answer? What is your compassionate vision for those who have lost jobs and businesses? For the sick and dying? For those you love and those you’ll never know? For those who are just like you and those who are your opposite? For yourself and your needs? What can you and I do with our five loaves and two fish? We’ll never know until we start feeding the great crowd. And we might just be surprised at what we’re capable of. Let’s stop doing the math and set the table. Dinner’s ready. Amen

PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION

God of love we bring to you our prayers for all people everywhere. God of mercy we hold before you those for whom today is a dark day. Those who fear tomorrow because of loss. Loss of security, stability, safety, mental & physical health, employment, loved ones, and those who feel
their faith is shaken. We ask that they may know peace, contentment, reassurance, security, safety, healing and love. We name to You now any known to us who especially need our prayers at this time …These prayers we offer in the name of him who taught us when we pray to say…
“Our Father, who art in heaven…”

STF – 504 MAY THE MIND OF CHRIST MY SAVIOUR

Kate B. Wilkinson (1859-1928)

THE GRACE

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all, evermore, Amen.