Sunday 10th May 2020 (Fifth Sunday of Easter)

Our series in Exodus comes to an end today as we think about the significance of the Tabernacle and how that connects to the big picture story of the whole Bible.

To follow this service, start at the top and move towards the bottom! If it helps to print off some of the liturgy, here is a file you can use:
Large print (4 sides of A4)
Regular size as a leaflet (if your printer permits, print it double-sided, short-edge-binding, to make a leaflet)
These words will be used for several weeks so do not throw them away!

Many people are using the Daily Bible readings (Morning and Evening) as found on our Prayer page. For several weeks we have been in the book of Exodus. Today’s service takes us deeper into the time when God provided ‘bread from heaven’ for his people.

Start of Service

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

[John 1:14]

Alleluia! Christ is risen.
He is risen indeed. Alleluia!

Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

He has given us new life and hope.
He has raised Jesus from the dead.

God has claimed us as his own.

He has brought us out of darkness.
He has made us light to the world.

Alleluia! Christ is risen.
He is risen indeed. Alleluia!

Note for those who are not perpetually online(!): When an ad appears on a YouTube video (e.g. a box appears during the video advertising something) you can simply click the X to make it disappear.

If the volume is too quiet on some of these videos, as well as turning up the volume on your device you can also increase the volume of the video itself. The video volume button is on the bottom left, just to the right of the play/pause icon - you have to start the video to see it. It looks a little bit like this image on the right.

Alleluia! Christ is risen.
He is risen indeed. Alleluia!

Christ our passover has been sacrificed for us: ♦
so let us celebrate the feast,

not with the old leaven of corruption and wickedness: ♦
but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Christ once raised from the dead dies no more: ♦
death has no more dominion over him.

In dying he died to sin once for all: ♦
in living he lives to God.

Count yourselves therefore as dead to sin: ♦
and alive to God in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Christ has been raised from the dead: ♦
the first fruits of those who sleep.

For as by man came death: ♦
by man has come also the resurrection of the dead;

for as in Adam all die: ♦
even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

Glory to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now and shall be for ever. Amen.

Alleluia! Christ is risen.
He is risen indeed. Alleluia!

Confession

Almighty God, you have raised Jesus from the grave
and crowned him Lord of all.
We confess that we have not bowed before him
or acknowledged his rule in our lives.
We have gone along with the way of the world
and failed to give him glory.
Forgive us and raise us from sin,
that we may be your faithful people,
obeying the commands of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who rules the world and is head of the church, his body. Amen.

May the God of love and power forgive you and free you from your sins,
heal and strengthen you by his Spirit,
and raise you to new life in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end.
They are new every morning, new every morning, great is Thy faithfulness O Lord. Great is Thy faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23)

In the service below the Bible readings and sermon have been combined. So we have another song now, one written very recently, full of hope.

bible readings & sermon

Then Moses set up the courtyard around the tabernacle and altar and put up the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard. And so Moses finished the work. Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Moses could not enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out—until the day it lifted. So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the Israelites during all their travels. [Exodus 40:33-38]

With these words, the book of Exodus comes to an end. Today we will see how this part of the Exodus story fits into the whole sweep of the Bible. This sermon begins with the first verse of the Bible (Genesis 1:1) and ends with the very last verse (Revelation 22:21)!

You may sometimes need to increase the volume when the readings take place. (Apologies to those who did a Bible reading but whose faces were not recorded by Zoom!)

After the sermon, take a little time to reflect, pray, give thanks and think about your response to God’s Word.

Here are two songs to keep us reflecting.

The first is Psalm 134. It is a Psalm full of temple/sanctuary language. Even the reference to ‘Zion’ is there because Zion was the location of the temple. As you listen and sing along, think about how the ‘big picture’ story of the Bible means we can make this language our own.

Psalm 134

Behold, bless the LORD, all you servants of the LORD,
who by night stand in the house of the LORD!

Lift up your hands in the sanctuary,
and bless the LORD.

The LORD who made heav'n and earth
bless you from Zion!

God blesses us from Zion because blessing flows from the temple-presence of God. We have seen that Jesus is the ultimate temple-presence of God, which means that blessing flows from Christ.

What about those who “lift up your hands in the sanctuary”: who are they?

Every believer is “in Christ” and so we are people who are “in” the sanctuary.
“In Christ” is where blessings are found. “In Christ” is how we praise God.

faith and prayer

The ‘Te Deum’, prayers and final blessing are all in this one video. This is so that, after receiving God’s blessing, we end the service by singing God’s blessing across the UK.

We praise you, O God, we acclaim you as the Lord;
all creation worships you, the Father everlasting.

To you all angels, all the powers of heaven,
the cherubim and seraphim, sing in endless praise:

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.

The glorious company of apostles praise you.
The noble fellowship of prophets praise you.
The white-robed army of martyrs praise you.
Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you:
Father, of majesty unbounded,
your true and only Son, worthy of all praise,
the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.

You, Christ, are the King of glory, the eternal Son of the Father.
When you took our flesh to set us free
you humbly chose the Virgin’s womb.
You overcame the sting of death
and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
You are seated at God’s right hand in glory.
We believe that you will come and be our judge.

Come then, Lord, and help your people,
bought with the price of your own blood,
and bring us with your saints to glory everlasting.

Save your people, Lord, and bless your inheritance.
Govern and uphold them now and always.
Day by day we bless you. We praise your name for ever.

Keep us today, Lord, from all sin.
Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy.
Lord, show us your love and mercy,
for we have put our trust in you.
In you, Lord, is our hope: let us never be put to shame.
Amen.

Further prayers will follow.

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those
who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power
and the glory are yours,
now and forever.
Amen.

blessing

God the Father,
by whose love Christ was raised from the dead,
open to you who believe the gates of everlasting life.
Amen.

God the Son,
who in bursting from the grave has won a glorious victory,
give you joy as you share the Easter faith.
Amen.

God the Holy Spirit,
who filled the disciples with the life of the risen Lord,
empower you and fill you with Christ’s peace.
Amen.

And the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you always.
Amen.

Our final song is this video, released only a week ago. Churches and Christian movement across the UK have combined to speak God’s blessing into our nation. The words are based on the ‘Aaronic Blessing’ - a three-fold blessing spoken by the High Priest in Numbers chapter 6:22-27. We are blessed to be a blessing!

The Lord bless you And keep you
Make His face shine upon you And be gracious to you
The Lord turn His Face toward you
And give you peace

Amen, amen, amen

May His favour be upon you
And a thousand generations
And your family and your children
And their children, and their children

May His presence go before you
And behind you, and beside you
All around you, and within you
He is with you, He is with you

In the morning, in the evening,
In your coming and your going
In your weeping and your rejoicing
He is for you, He is for you

If you are not a regular member of St George’s but want to connect with us, please please contact us via this page. We have Evening Prayer using Zoom every day (except Saturdays) at 5pm and you are welcome to join us. Contact us for details. Our Prayer page gives you Bible readings and reflections for each day and so many of us are finding these such an encouragement.

Find out more about hope during the coronavirus pandemic.

hymns and song to learn for the future

Here are two videos to watch some time this week. The first was introduced last week and will be part of the service next week.

The next song is an old Charles Wesley hymn, given new lease of life through the work of Indelible Grace - a ministry that started among students, bringing old hymns back into contemporary use.