Wednesday Worship

It is ages since I wrote anything here. Far too busy. I have begun a house church at the request of locals which is proving to be a grea t blessing.. Sadly the village church ( Anglican) is under threat of redundancy after 913 years, possibly longer as it is likely to have been built on the site of an earlier wooden structure. Here is a taste of our worshoip this week. Wednesday 3rd October You raise me up When I am down, and oh my soul so weary When troubles come and heart burdened be Then I am still and wait here in the silence Until you come and sit awhile with me. You raise me up so I can stand on mountains You raise me up to walk on stormy seas I am strong when I am on your shoulders You raise me up to more than I can be. There is no life, no life without its hunger Each restless heart beats so imperfectly And when you come and I am filled with wonder Sometimes I think I glimpse eternity You raise me up so I can stand on mountains You raise me up to walk on stormy seas I am strong when I am on your shoulders You raise me up to more than I can be. You raise me up so I can stand on mountains You raise me up to walk on stormy seas I am strong when I am on your shoulders You raise me up to more than I can be. You raise me up to more than I can be. As we come together may the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight Oh Lord. Prayer - Gladly we come together Gladly O God we come together here in this place to seek your deeper presence in the silence. We bring you our wounds and our weariness from the journey. Together we look with hopeful expectation to your presence among us. Thankfully we come forward to receive the glory of your presence We are humbled before you, and you are more real than we could imagine. The Call Exodus 8 v 19-21 Sometimes God asks us to get up and deal with a situation – no excuse. Get up and get on with it. Judges 7 v 14 – 16 ‘He called out ‘Get UP! Sometimes we need to remind others of what God is asking of them. In chapter 6 we are told that Gideon was hiding from the Midianites 6 v 11,12 The presence of the Lord made the difference. Matthew 9 v 1-8 esp v 6 . Very different story. Here it was the man’s friends who had brought him to Christ. Brought him to the position where, when Christ commanded him, he could get up, he could obey. The important thing is that we really must meet him face to face. Then we listen to what he has to say. I am doing a communication course. This week it was about listening. We considered the difference between hearing and listening. Hearing is a physiological thing. No Choice. Listening is an act of deliberate will. And then we have to move on to the next step - to obey. Story of the bishop’s wife in a wheel chair. She had been in the chair sinc ethe age of 14. Then , in her early 30's she was miraculously cured. She knew she wasa cured. She felt the power back in her limbs.However she stayed in th ewheek=l chair for three more months. Beign cured would mean taking on responsibiliites, everythign from cooking a meal to earning a living. It took time to adjust to this new challenge. But eventuallyy she stood up and then remet her healer - her future husband Think back to the paralysed man. He was helpless – and then Christ spoke and he obeyed, This meant more than standing up. He had relied upon others – now he could be independent - could stand up for himself – that is what Christ asks of us. Acts 26 v 12-18 Paul tells King Agrippa his story . v 16 ‘Now get up[ and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me. Link with John 15 v 14 -16 Rev 3 v 20. Judith Gass Listen to the knocking at the door of your heart . It is only faint because you have not answered. You have fooled yourself with preparations Time left laughing while you considered possibilities Wake up, you have slept long enough Wake up , tomorrow may be too late. When you finally open the door your life will begin arriving. John 10 v 1-4. Deb has caller i.d When someone phones she knows who it is. If someone knocks at your door what will you do? Open the door. You want to hear what the person has to say. But if is Christ at the door – Christ who is saying ‘Come on , I’m, calling you.’ Do you obey that call? Isaiah 43 v 1-2, 10-12. Dear Lord we ask you to remind us to listen more than we speak. To be open to receive more than we can give. Inspire us on our journey with a vision of what you would have us be. To bring light to the world and to gladden hearts of those we meet. We ask that the breath of the Spirit fill us, keeping us ever ready, ever able , to see visions, to dream dreams. May we rejoice in the tasks which are before us. Walk beside us Lord though our darkness, so that in you we will not fail.