St Albans and Welwyn Circuit Service – Sunday 11th June 2023
Brought today by Deacon Nigel Perrott
Grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and saviour.
Call to worship
Some words from the Book of revelation
9 After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice:
‘Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.’
11 All the angels were standing round the throne and round the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshipped God, 12 saying:
‘Amen!
Praise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honour
and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen!’
However, or wherever this written service finds you, we can all count on the fact that we are held in God’s love. This is the day that the Lord has made:
Hymn STF 152 This is the day
1 This is the day,
this is the day that the Lord has made,
that the Lord has made.
We will rejoice,
we will rejoice and be glad in it,
and be glad in it.
This is the day that the Lord has made;
we will rejoice and be glad in it.
This is the day,
this is the day that the Lord has made.
2 This is the day,
this is the day when he rose again,
when he rose again.
We will rejoice,
we will rejoice and be glad in it,
and be glad in it.
This is the day when he rose again;
we will rejoice and be glad in it.
This is the day,
this is the day when he rose again.
3 This is the day,
this is the day when the Spirit came,
when the Spirit came.
We will rejoice,
we will rejoice and be glad in it,
and be glad in it.
This is the day when the Spirit came;
we will rejoice and be glad in it.
This is the day,
this is the day when the Spirit came.
Anonymous
Reproduced from Singing the Faith Electronic Words Edition, number 152
Prayers of Adoration & Confession
Loving Father God
It was your spirit hovering over the waters
It was your voice echoing in the darkness Lord it was your love that birthed us
It is your promises that sustain us
It is your depth of love and grace that sent us Jesus. Lord it is your strength that created mighty mountains, your tenderness that made the tiniest flowers
Loving God, your name is awesome, you are the King of Kings and the Lord of all,
Today Lord we bring our worship and praise, we thank you that in all things and all times you walk with us. …we praise you Lord
Yet with all this, we have to acknowledge that we do get things wrong
there are many things that separate us from worshiping you.
It’s not easy Lord, so many things distract us. In the face of the realities of our life, we so often feel the need to secure our future in ways that do not depend upon faith in you
But on material securities and our own abilities.
Sometimes our neighbour is hard to love and we are tired of being loving
Sometimes life itself makes it hard to love you because we feel you are being unfair. We cannot see why we are so wounded and sinned against. Loving God, please understand our journey and be with us in forgiveness.
All this we ask through Jesus our saviour
Amen
Hymn STF 76 – “Give me joy in my heart”
Words are below the video if you want to sing along
1 Give me joy in my heart, keep me praising,
give me joy in my heart, I pray;
give me joy in my heart, keep me praising,
keep me praising till the break of day:
Sing hosanna! Sing hosanna!
Sing hosanna to the King of kings!
Sing hosanna! Sing hosanna!
Sing hosanna to the King!
2 Give me peace in my heart, keep me loving,
give me peace in my heart, I pray;
give me peace in my heart, keep me loving,
keep me loving till the break of day:
3 Give me love in my heart, keep me serving,
give me love in my heart, I pray;
give me love in my heart, keep me serving,
keep me serving till the break of day:
Please Read: 1 Samuel 17:1-50
Reflection
David the Giant Killer
Last Sunday I had the joy of leading another Create & Celebrate service at Hatfield Road Methodist Church. As always, a number of craft activities, games and word searches were followed by a short service with songs and a message. These services are mainly targeted at families with children and the various activities are geared toward the young. Some children crafted their own little pouches that contained stones with encouraging words written on them. Love, courage and protector to name a few. Shields were eagerly made out of cardboard and tin foil. The children were using these in the service and were invited to actually put down their shields as David had done so in the story. The story itself was told in the service using the “Lion Story Teller Bible”, a children’s take on the story.
We all know this story so well, the little David overcoming the giant and ending up in glory, all to the joy of the younger congregation. We did emit the part where, David took the head of Goliath to the King! Other gruesome parts of the story were also removed to enable a family feel to the service!
The service was clearly enjoyed by all and the message of good overcoming evil will have no doubt got through.
There is however, a serious side to all this. This story is not just about good overcoming evil. To the people of that time, there was an overwhelming threat from an enemy. The Philistines were powerful and power grabbing. If the Israelites had failed to overcome this army they would have been enslaved once again. It was this that made me think about how to approach this in a more adult way, what can this story tell us about life today?
If we fast forward to the 21st Century, there are plenty of examples of how a giant is looking to take over and empower. The Ukraine is a prime example. How many conflicts are there that have a similar context? Too many to count.
It is however, not just about war and power. So many people are dealing with a giant of a problem in their private lives. Many of the Israelites ran from the giant in fear and cowered behind rocks. Everyday lives can be the same and for many, hiding away can be the best solution. David uses one short sentence to muster the courage and defeat Goliath. “You come at me with the Sword and spear, I come at you in the name of The Lord God almighty” Proverbs 18:21 says “death and life are in the power of tongue” There is no doubt that when used against people, words can be harmful and hurtful. However, when used for good encouraging words can indeed bring life. In this context, David musters all his faith and speaks out words that not only encourage himself but also give him the power to do what is needed. Paul reminded the people of Philippi that “they could do all things in Christ who strengthened them” As for David and later Paul, they knew that it was not in their own strength they would overcome.
For me, this story has two sides. Firstly knowing that there are people hiding away from problems, and secondly the giants that may come at me personally. Both situations cannot be overcome alone. God did not choose a warrior to fight a giant, he chose a young lad, a young lad who would go on to become a king, not a perfect King but a king who knew God intimately. While the Israelites cowered, David stood tall. Sometimes we will come across those who just cannot overcome their giants, and we can be the one who speaks for them, showing them that God is on their side.
Much of our time at Cornerstone House is spent coming alongside people who have many giants. They do not have the strength to get themselves out from behind their rocks. This story is for them, I often say to people, “Don’t worry, I have enough faith for both of us”. When people see that someone is on their side and the giants are not undefeatable, courage and strength will follow.
When people are in need we can’t always help them in our own abilities, we can however, help them in the name of the Lord.
In our own lives, there will be many giant problems. The trick is knowing that we cannot overcome them in our on strength. Remember, when we walk through a dark valley, God walks with us.
Being a Christian will not stop bad things coming our way, or to others, it does however, give us the knowledge that when we have an intimate relation with God can give us the courage to face our giants.
Amen
Prayer
Loving God
We thank you that you do indeed walk with us, giving us strength for the journey. Thank you Lord, that when we face the many challenges we can depend on you being with us. As we rely on you, help us to help others. Guide us and keep us strong as we speak out the power of your name.
Amen.
Hymn STF 89- Strength will rise
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sW7_cIvjjS0
Prayers of Intercession
We pray for the Church, of which we are members, and thank you for the light it provides for our journeys ahead.
We pray for each other, that we may each respond to the challenges that that we all face. Help us to be able to look at ourselves, and to recognize our failings, our inadequacies, and the need for your presence in our journey of life.
We pray for the family of the Church, especially for those who have lost loved ones and those caring for the sick.
Lord we pray for those all those who mourn and for those who still miss the companionship and care of loved ones.
Bind us together, Lord, as a family, so that we can travel along life’s journey helping and supporting one another, overcoming together all the trials and temptations which confront us daily.
We pray that as we all journey in this part of our lives, the knowledge of you will bring to us new strength and new purpose.
Amen
Creator God,
Who made all things good
we pray that you would work through
all who seek peace and justice for the world.
Equip us by your spirit
to resist the temptations of power
and of using the finite resources of the planet
for our own comfort at the expense of others.
May we be guided by the example of humility and trust
displayed in the wilderness by your son
our saviour Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray, Amen.
Hymn STF 480 – The Lord is my shepherd.
Stuart Townend (b. 1963)
Blessing
May the strength of the Lord empower you
May the Love of Jesus uphold you
May the Holy Spirit guide and sustain you
Today and always
Amen.
