(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 Moira Hunt one of our Circuit Local Preachers.
Click on the blue links to follow them for bible readings and associated links
Theme: Persistence
Come:
Lift up your eyes and see that God is good.
Open your heart and believe that God is faithful.
Stretch out your hands and bless those who are in need.
Song – StF 51 – Great is thy faithfulness
Our prayers
We thank you, faithful God, for the gift of prayer,
For the words and the silence,
For the struggles and the joys,
For the listening and the learning
For the mystery and the certainty,
For the comfort and the challenge,
For the mountain-tops and the valleys,
For the answers and the questions.
Loving God, we bring to you:
Those things we are struggling with.
Those things we are afraid of
Those things we are looking forward to,
And those people who rely on us.
We bring our tiredness and our energy and we name in our hearts those who have been a blessing to us this week. Giving thanks in Jesus’ name.
Amen
Lord we ask that you will forgive us when we give up too soon and miss the blessing hidden within the struggle.
When we don’t expect our prayers to be answered and when we stop praying altogether.
Forgive us, and help us to persevere in faith, to grow in trust and to believe in your love for each of us.
Amen
Today we think about what it means to be persistent.
Reading
Ken Taylor comments on the reading:
We don’t always recognise the humour of Jesus or spot his jokes.
There was a delighted chuckle when the magistrate in the story said:
‘If I don’t do what this old woman wants, she’ll give me a black eye’
Most pleas for justice were taken to one of the elders but civil complaints were presented to a magistrate.
They were appointed by Herod or the Romans and were notoriously lazy and corrupt; to achieve any action or response they had to bribed or threatened. An impoverished widow, the epitome of defenceless, weak, exploited people, would stand little chance of any redress.
God is the very opposite of that magistrate.
He cares for people, especially for the poor, he does not have be bribed or threatened
Or badgered into helping!
Song – StF 254 – Seek ye first the kingdom of God
Reading
Comment
Perseverance is about attitude
This was illustrated in the Gospel reading. The widow was not prepared to be put off – even though it would be difficult for her to make her case and there was definitely delay before she achieved success.
We are told that Jesus used this parable to show that his disciples should always pray and never give up, being persistent in prayer.
The letter to Timothy also states the importance of perseverance in faith:
“But as for you, continue in the truths that you were taught and firmly believe”.
Why is perseverance important?
Perseverance is important for itself but also because as we persevere, in whatever we seek to do, there is a refining takes place in ourselves. In terms of prayer – there is a testing of our motivation, of our concern, of our love.
As in Romans 5 we are told that ‘perseverance produces character and character produces hope’.
Persevere and you will succeed!
Perseverance is important as we are prepared in our attitude, through our prayers and in our service to fulfil whatever God would have us do. Looking back, I can see how so many experiences came together in my younger life that have contributed to make me who I am today. At the time they did not always make sense and I am sure that, in future, I will look back and see that what I am experiencing now will contribute further to whatever God has in store next. We are never too old to be useful to God and to those around us.
Song – Lord, make me a mountain
Our prayers of intercession
Lord, lift up those who feel bowed down by past mistakes and challenge those who use their power to oppress others.
Lift up those who feel useless and believe no one loves them and challenge those who use people that in their opinion don’t matter.
Lift up those who don’t feel worthy of your love and challenge those who judge others cruelly and wrongly.
We pray for those we are concerned about today – we name them before you now:
Those who need to know that you love them……………………
Those in need of friendship and companionship……………………….
Those in need of physical healing or healing of the mind and emotions……………………….
May we persist in our prayers for them and be determined to share your love and care, wherever and whenever can.
Amen
Song – StF 470 – Lord, for the years
Blessing
This week may we find peace in our praying,
That we may bring blessing to others
In Jesus name
Amen
