Sunday 24th May 2020 (Thy Kingdom Come)

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The ten days from Ascension Day (Thursday 21st May) to Pentecost (Sunday 31st May) are a time of prayer. Jesus’ followers saw Christ return to heaven, then stayed in Jerusalem - praying - until the Holy Spirit came. This launched the worldwide mission of the church (see the book of Acts) that continues to this day. During these days of Thy Kingdom Come, it is hoped that everyone who takes part will:

  • Deepen their own relationship with Jesus Christ

  • Pray for 5 friends or family to come to faith in Jesus

  • Pray for the empowerment of the Spirit that we would be effective in our witness

Take a moment now to pray that this will be true for you. Then, when you are ready to follow this service, start at the top and move towards the bottom!

Start of Service

The Bible teaches that “Repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in Jesus’ name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” Jesus said “I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” (Luke 24:47,49)

Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all the earth.

Sing to the LORD, praise his name;
proclaim his salvation day after day.

Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvellous deeds among all peoples. [Psalm 96:1-3]

The Ascension of Jesus is the coronation of our King, who sits at God’s right hand in heaven. In our first hymn we rejoice in his reign and look forward to his return.

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.

O Lord, open our lips
and our mouths shall proclaim your praise.

Send your Holy Spirit upon us,
and clothe us with power from on high.

Jesus Christ has come into heaven and is at God’s right hand –
with angels, authorities, and powers in submission to him.
Since we have a great high priest who has gone into heaven – Jesus,
the Son of God – let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.
Let us praise his holy name!

Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!
Blessing, glory, wisdom, thanks, honour, power, and strength
be to our God forever-more! Alleluia. Amen!

Confession

Father, we confess that we think more about our lives than your eternal plan:
Lord, have mercy: Lord, have mercy.

Jesus, we confess that we have neglected our duty to preach the gospel to all:
Christ, have mercy: Christ, have mercy.

Holy Spirit, we confess that we have failed to pray for more of your power:
Lord, have mercy: Lord, have mercy.

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)

 

bible reading

Mark 4:1-20 - The Parable of the Sower

 

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. The hymn strengthens our souls with the good news that Jesus as High Priest is our “surety”: he has taken responsibility to bear our debt of sin and ransom us by his death. In heaven his wounds speak of his sacrifice when, in love, he died for our forgiveness. Our sins ‘cry out’ for judgement, but Jesus’ wounds ‘cry out’ for our full pardon!

sermon

Today’s sermon is from our Curate, Rev Fi Iddon.

These two songs will help us respond.

First, we express our thanks and adoration that we have “a Lamb upon the throne”. Then we call on God for daily help and blessing.

 

faith and prayer

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only son of God, eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God,
begotten, not made, of one being with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven,
he became incarnate from the Holy Spirit
and the Virgin Mary and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son
is worshipped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.

We believe in one holy
catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism
for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. 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

May the name of the Lord Jesus be honoured by us! Amen.

May the character of the Lord Jesus be revealed in us! Amen.

May the gospel of the Lord Jesus be proclaimed through us! Amen.

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

Lord, send your Spirit: and clothe us with power from on high. Amen.

This week we have “The Blessing” in Malaysia. Together with Christian sisters and brothers in Malaysia, we are called to bless the world as we seek the coming of God’s Kingdom among us.

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 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

There are suggestions that singing together will be one of the last things to return. This breaks my heart! My hope is that, when that day comes, we will have learned many new songs. One day, with a mix of old and new, we will unite our voices in praise of the living God!

I love short songs that everyone (of all ages) can learn by heart. They are even better when we can add some simple harmonies! Songs like The Doxology, The Steadfast Love, Psalm 134 (“Behold, bless the Lord”) and this one below.

The next song is one we have sung at ‘The Big Sing’ but not yet introduced to our Sunday services. It is a favourite of Peter Roberts. Amazing words are paired with a classic Welsh hymn tune.

Finally, “CityAlight” are producing some wonderful new hymns for the church. Here is one that is proving popular around the world, not least for its God-centred lyrics.