(All our songs this morning are from Singing the Faith (StF) numbers will be given where available)
Welcome to our Sunday Service, today shared on paper across our circuit and with the congregation at Saltaire Methodist Church and led by Rev Keith Hunt one of our Circuit Supernumerary Ministers.
Click on the blue links to follow them for bible readings and associated links
Call to worship.
God is a Spirit and those who worship Him, must worship Him in spirit and in truth.
Song – StF 608 – All praise to our redeeming Lord
Opening Prayer
“ O God our loving Heavenly Father, we come before you and worship you as the great Creator, as we look at the beauty of your creation we acknowledge that you are the great God of wonders and even though there are many things we do not understand, nevertheless we see the stamp of your great design, in the things we see all around us. However we thank you most of all for Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who came to earth and lived our life, he pitched his tent among us and experienced human life, with all its ups and downs. Yet we offer a bigger thank you to him who died on the cross that we might be forgiven in time and eternity and in his resurrection, he now lives in our hearts by faith. So may our praise be acceptable to you O lord, our strength and our Redeemer. In his name we pray. Amen.”.
Bible Readings
Song – StF 495 – Dear Lord and Father of mankind
Message
I want to share with you some thoughts on the 23rd psalm. The Lord is my shepherd, therefore I will have all my spiritual needs met. We think King David was an old person when he wrote the psalm, so he is looking back down the years and his assessment of his life is, the Lord has been my shepherd. Surely when we look back on our lives, we can say the same. With all the “ups” and “downs”, there has been the Good Shepherd looking after us, as it says in Hebrews 13: 8, “Jesus is the same yesterday, today and for ever”. Here we see the personal touch, “The Lord is MY shepherd”.
The second thing we notice is, the shepherd provides food for the sheep, “He leads me to green pastures”. Food builds the sheep up and makes them strong, so the words of Jesus feeds us spiritually and makes us strong in faith. When the devil tempts Jesus to make stones into bread, his response is “humankind does not live by bread alone, but by every word which proceeds from the mouth of the Lord”. The shepherd also provides water for the sheep, “He leads me by the still waters”. This speaks to us about peace and tranquillity. God gives us natural things to help us in life, I am sure we have experienced the calm river scene, the mountain view and beautiful skyscapes in 2015 on Sabbatical, I went looking for spirituality in remote places, so part way up the mountains of Wales, I enjoyed the presence of God in His creation.
The result of being led to green pastures and still waters is my life is restored. Jesus said “ Come unto me all of you who are weary of carrying heavy loads and I will give you rest” Matthew 11: 28. May I quote verse four from the hymn, “Dear Lord and Father of mankind”, “Drop thy still dews of quietness, till all our striving cease. Take from our souls the strain and stress and let our ordered lives confess, the beauty of thy peace”..
So, what else does the shepherd do ?, He leads and guides the sheep, “He leads me in the paths of righteousness “. Often the Bible sees the spiritual life as a path to walk down, Psalm 119: 105 says, “Your word is a light to my pathway and a lamp to my feet” often this path is a path of service. On the mount of transfiguration where Jesus appears with Moses and Elijah, the disciples want them to stay in the heavenly experience, however, Jesus says that must return to the ordinary life of ministry. The hymn, “Stay Master stay “ puts it so well, when it says in verse three, “No says the Lord, the hour is past, we go, our home, our life, our duties lie below. While here we kneel upon the mount of prayer, the plough lies waiting in the furrow there. Here we sought God that we might know his will. There we must do it, serve him still”.
It’s also a path of right living, so it is right to be loving, kind, giving and generous. When we behave in this way, society benefits. Conversely, it is wrong to be selfish, self centred and thoughtless, so when we behave in this way, society is negatively affected.
Even though Christ may lead us through the “valley of the shadow of death”. we have no need to fear any evil negative power, because our risen Lord is with us. The “valley of the shadow” can mean a “deep dark shadow”, which can mean the dark valley of depression and loneliness, which I am sure many of us have experienced from time to time. God has never promised us that life would be easy as a Christian, but he has promised to be with in all circumstances. It says in Psalm 91: 15, “I will be with him in trouble”.
We are also blessed because the Lord can anoint my head with oil and my cup can be full to overflowing. The oil speaks of the anointing of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus read the Scriptures in the Synagogue , he said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me for he has anointed me to preach the good news”. The oil also speaks of unity amongst ourselves. In Psalm 133 it says, how good and pleasant it is when we are in unity with each other, it is like being anointed with oil. The final blessing is, “my cup overflows”, this speaks about God’s abundant goodness. Jesus said in John 10: 10, “I have come that they may have life and have it in abundance”. When a woman gets married in India, people pour rice into her lap, so much so that it overflows, thus symbolising prosperity and richness. So God has and does bless us and that is positive. No wonder David finally says, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever”. Amen.
Song – StF 479 – The King of love my shepherd is
Prayers
Loving and living Lord Jesus Christ, help us to continue to believe that you are my shepherd, therefore you care, love, look after and are concerned about my whole life. Help us all to find that personal touch of your hand upon our lives, so whatever happens, we are yours and you are ours. May we have a desire for the spiritual side of life, feeding on Christ’s words and acknowledging that we are more than flesh and bone. Help us Lord to rest and relax in your presence by the still waters, so may our lives reflect the beauty of your peace. Finally, may we be guided by you O living Jesus, the one who understands us and is nearer to us, than ever we can realise or imagine . Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Song – StF 351 – In Christ alone my hope is found
Benediction
Now may the peace of God, which is beyond our understanding, guard and keep your hearts and minds, in his knowledge and his love. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God our Father and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit our Comforter, be with us today and for evermore. Amen.
