In normal conversations, do spiritually mature folk speak less? What we say and do can have a lasting influence on others. Could I, just occasionally, be wrong? 

​"What comes out of the mouth comes from the heart."

Mark Ch. 7, vs. 1 - 9, 14 & 15, 21 - 23
James Ch. 1, vs. 19 - 27​

​Message
​"What comes out of the mouth comes from the heart." - Jesus said

I enjoy listening to people trying to say simple tongue twisters, don't you? So let's try one - I want you to say "Red leather, yellow leather" 6 times as fast as you can. Ready, GO!

Not bad, but what's this all about? Well, you can only say things easily which you know. And you know by learning and practice.

In the Musical, "Fiddler on the Roof", first the main character, then the whole village sing about TRADITION ! It means a lot to them, and their lives are based on it. The trouble is it doesn't provide the help they need when confronted with new realities. The same was true for the Pharisees of Jesus day. their lives were run by the rules and laws built up over centuries and which were God's word given to them at the time of their exodus from Egypt, followed by its interpretation for everyday life written down by the first Scribes and Elders. The trouble was, Jesus said, that interpretation had become more important than God's original law.

And so he tried to redirect their thought and actions. And ours.

So, am I Religious, or am I a Christian? This is the principle behind the letter of James (our second Lesson). He wrote this letter around 50AD which makes it one of the earliest pieces of Christian writing. Possibly only preceded by Paul's letter to the Galations. The theme of James's writing is Faith That Works. So its not as some have suggested, a means of Salvation by Works; in fact its the reverse - Works which should follow from already being a Christian. In other words, good deeds that characterise genuine faith. But even some very clever people have mis-understood its aims. Martin Luther criticized the letter, calling it an "epistle of straw - for it has no evangelism in it". That's because its intention is to re-direct lifestyles not to convert or bring anyone closer to Jesus. You see, it assumes you're already there, and aims to help learn how to live the Christian life. Not laying down rules but providing guide lines instead.

Oh, as a matter of interest, Martin Luther didn't nail anything to the church doors at Wittenburg. He just preached his belief outside the church and sent his thoughts to his superiors. But the effect of what he did was so impressive to those who read or heard his words that through them Protestantism was born. What came out of his mouth came from his heart. We can only speak and practise what we know. And to do that we must take time to learn.

Jesus told parables about vines and good trees producing good fruit. Four years ago we bought my son a plum tree for his birthday. He was delighted ! He prepared the ground before planting it, fed and watered it, nurtured it. Well it grew, flowered and produced fruit, which was quite sweet and juicy. The same was true the following year. Now, I fancied some of that, so my wife bought me a plum tree for my birthday. A year later, nothing. What did I do wrong? Perhaps less careful attention. Careful preparation leads to better outcomes.

A little later in James's letter he writes - "You will be judged as you speak" (and although he doesn't say it, "and act"). "Be quick to listen and slow to speak. If you don't keep a tight reign on your tongue, your religion is worthless." Oh dear! As faith grows in us we show and tell God's love.


A preacher On Trial whom I used to know was once stopped in the middle of his sermon by the church steward, because he'd strayed way off his theme and onto his strongly held political opinions. (Has that
ever happened here? - Well, not before this morning!) I once argued about a topic with another Christian, until we realised we viewed the subject starting from completely opposite ends. We agreed to differ.

In normal conversations, do spiritually mature folk speak less? What we say and do can have a lasting influence on others. Could I, just occasionally, be wrong? 

An American comedian (whose name I forget) said, "Watch your tongue, it's in a wet place where it can easily slip." In his letter James suggests wise people keep their tongue under control, like a horse with a Bit in its mouth. By pulling on the reigns attached to the Bit, we can lead the horse wherever we want to go. I've done very little sailing, but I quickly learned that despite huge sails filled with wind to blow a yacht along, with the aid of a tiny rudder, I can change the boats direction to where I want it to go.

When we meet someone, we form impressions by what they look like. But if we want to know them better, we engage them in conversation. That way we draw a more informed conclusion. By careful learning and preparation outcomes can be quite different from not having done so. I've had the privilege of being on some appointment panels, and one thing I can tell you is it's obvious who has done their preparation and who hasn't. Some candidates may be nervous, but with a little prompting often produce the knowledge we want to hear. Others may be very self assured and full of bluster but if they haven't done the study, they can't persuade the panel, and might show up their shortcomings.

Years ago I remember watching a play - a Whitehall Farce, in which Brian Rix (Remember him?) argued it was easy to tell the truth. He agreed for a bet to only tell the truth for 24 hours. Shortly after, he's


publicly asked if he likes an easily offended lady's ridiculous hat. You can imagine what follows as he wriggles and squirms. Do we, however accidentally, drop ourselves into situations we wish we'd been a bit more careful over? Remember the old saying - "It's better to be thought an idiot, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt."

So, where does all this leave us? There's a difference between being Religious and being a Christian. -

! - Religiousness is an end in itself.

2 - Being a Christian means believing in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, and building an ever deeper relationship with him and our Heavenly Father through the gift of the Holy Spirit within us.

Then in our own way in word and deed, by the Spirit's guidance, we will understand and fulfill his purpose for our lives.

As Jesus said - "What comes out of our mouths will come from the heart."

Amen.

​364 - O For a thousand tongues to sing

​The Grace
T​he Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the fellowship of the Holy Spirit and the love of God be with us now and for ever more.
Amen

​Loving God, giver of life; Lord Jesus, friend and Saviour; Holy Spirit, living water –we worship and adore you.  We come today, not having or expecting all the answers but knowing that you are the way. Amen.

​Bible Readings – Ephesians 5:15-20
John 6:51-63

​Message

​Prayers of intercession
Lord, we come to you asking for you to fill us and feed us today. There are so many ways in which we are empty and need your nourishment.
Jesus, bread of life: feed us and nourish us with yourself.
​
We pray for those who are hungry. Those experiencing physical hunger in parts of the world where there is not enough food. For those on the brink of starvation. Particularly we pray for places which come up in the news and then get forgotten – such as, the Yemen. We pray for those who have enough to feed their families until the rains fail and the crops die. We pray for all organisations seeking to give people the bread they need. We pray for people in refugee camps or homeless on our own streets. We thank you for those who feed them, maybe in soup kitchens or hostels. We bring to mind our local Foodbanks and ask you to give courage to those who need them but feel ashamed to ask for help.
Jesus, bread of life: feed us and nourish us with yourself.

Lord Jesus, we know that your heart of compassion aches for the pain of the world. So we pray for all those who need the bread of comfort in their lives. We think of those we have heard about on the news who have faced trouble and pain this week: particularly the people of Greece as the wildfires have spread. And for the people of Afghanistan and Haiti. We pray for those in our own community who are suffering from physical or mental illness, remembering in particular [...]. We ask for your comfort for those who have other difficulties: victims of abuse, those who live in unhappy homes, those who are confused and don’t know where to turn. We ask you to wrap your loving arms around all those who mourn, remembering especially [...]. And, in the stillness, we bring our own troubles, worries and sorrows to you, knowing that you care about everything that bothers us however trivial it might seem.
Jesus, bread of life: feed us and nourish us with yourself.

We bring to mind those who are spiritually hungry. Those who are searching for something more beyond themselves but who have not yet found you. Give us the wisdom and the sensitivity to guide people to you. We pray for the young people of our land, so many of whom have never had the opportunity to meet with Jesus or anyone who loves him. We pray for all those who received exam results this week. We pray for your guidance as they seek where to go next with either their education or into the workplace. Give courage to Christians in schools, colleges, universities and workplaces that they may be a shining
witness to their friends and colleagues. We pray for those Christians who are persecuted for their faith yet still remain constant, trusting that you will supply their needs.
Jesus, bread of life: feed us and nourish us with yourself.

Lord, we thank you for this church community. We thank you for the opportunities we have to come here each week and be fed by your word and our worship. We pray for our leaders by name. In the quiet, we pray for those sitting near us, whether we know their names or not. We remember any of our community who are not currently able to come to church in person asking that they will still feel that they belong and we will do all we can to keep them involved. We pray that we will always make visitors to our church feel welcome, our priority being to help everyone who comes here to meet with you.
Jesus, bread of life: feed us and nourish us with yourself.
Finally, Lord, in the stillness, we bring our own personal needs to you. Help us to rejoice that you care about every detail of our lives, even the ones we think you don’t notice. We ask that you will give us food for our journeys this week. And we name in the silence, places or situations that might be hard for us. Nourish us with your presence in every situation we find ourselves, particularly those unexpected moments where we need extra help. Help us to go out from here knowing that we have met with you and have been fed by you this morning.
Jesus, bread of life: feed us and nourish us with yourself.
Breathe your life into our lives.
Fill us with your Spirit that we may overflow with you.
Amen.
The Lord’s prayer  Our Father who.........

​A sending out prayer
After being fed by you, Jesus the living bread, send us out to feed others.
Now that we are filled with your Holy Spirit, guide our hands as we offer your life to others.
Now that we have the promise of eternal life with you, Lord God, give us your love to share with the world.
​Amen

​Own arrangement Songs of Praise with hymns chosen by our readers and those leading our Prayers.  The version of the songs on this page are from different countries and different styles as we celebrate God's love across the world.

​Prayer of approach 
Lamb of God,
giver of life,
ultimate sacrifice:
we bow at your throne.
We draw near to worship you.
Draw near to us,
make yourself known to us today –
in all that we think, say and do.
Amen.

Prayers of adoration and confession assurance of forgiveness
O God, your Word became flesh and lived among us.
Thank you that you moved into our neighbourhood,
that you are present with us right now, 
dwelling in our hearts and our homes.
Holy God, you are worthy to be praised.
Holy Spirit, we worship you.
Living bread, we adore you.
Amen.

A prayer of confession 
Lord, when we are not as hospitable as you were,
forgive us, Lord, we pray.
When we drain life out of people rather than be life giving,
forgive us, Lord, we pray.
When we damage relationships rather than repair them,
forgive us, Lord, we pray.
When we seek ‘self’ first and don’t share who we are,
forgive us, Lord, we pray.
Make us whole, Lord. Make us whole today.
Amen.

​Reading Ephesians 5 v15-20

​A prayer of thanksgiving. 
Hospitable God, you always open your loving arms and welcome us. You have gone ahead of us into our communities and you are residing there, hoping that we might join you and invite others to join in too. Thank you that we are always welcome to sit and eat with you, to spend time intimately with you, to hang out together. Thank you that nothing is too much for you. You are the ultimate sacrifice: you paid the price so that we might live. We praise you, friend and Saviour.
Amen.

​StF 495 Dear Lord and Father of Mankind

​Prayers of intercession
​Lord, we come to you asking for you to fill us and feed us today. There are so many ways in which we are empty and need your nourishment.
Jesus, bread of life:
feed us and nourish us with yourself.
We pray for those who are hungry. Those experiencing physical hunger in parts of the world where there is not enough food. For those on the brink of starvation. Particularly we pray for places which come up in the news and then get forgotten – such as, the Yemen. We pray for those who have enough to feed their families until the rains fail and the crops die. We pray for all organisations seeking to give people the bread they need. We pray for people in refugee camps or homeless on our own streets. We thank you for those who feed them, maybe in soup kitchens or hostels. We bring to mind our local Foodbanks and ask you to give courage to those who need them but feel ashamed to ask for help.
Jesus, bread of life:
feed us and nourish us with yourself.
Lord Jesus, we know that your heart of compassion aches for the pain of the world. So we pray for all those who need the bread of comfort in their lives. We think of those we have heard about on the news who have faced trouble and pain this week: particularly the people of Greece as the wildfires have spread. And for the people of Afghanistan. We pray for those in our own community who are suffering from physical or mental illness, remembering in particular [...]. We ask for your comfort for those who have other difficulties: victims of abuse, those who live in unhappy homes, those who are confused and don’t know where to turn. We ask you to wrap your loving arms around all those who mourn, remembering especially [...]. And, in the stillness, we bring our own troubles, worries and sorrows to you, knowing that you care about everything that bothers us however trivial it might seem.
Jesus, bread of life:
feed us and nourish us with yourself.
We bring to mind those who are spiritually hungry. Those who are searching for something more beyond themselves but who have not yet found you. Give us the wisdom and the sensitivity to guide people to you. We pray for the young people of our land, so many of whom have never had the opportunity to meet with Jesus or anyone who loves him. We pray for all those who received exam results this week. We pray for your guidance as they seek where to go next with either their education or into the workplace. Give courage to Christians in schools, colleges, universities and workplaces that they may be a shining witness to their friends and colleagues. We pray for those Christians who are persecuted for their faith yet still remain constant, trusting that you will supply their needs.
Jesus, bread of life:
feed us and nourish us with yourself.
Lord, we thank you for this church community. We thank you for the opportunities we have to join in worship each week and be fed by your word and our worship. We pray for our leaders by name. We remember any of our community who are not currently able to attend church in person asking that they will still feel that they belong and we will do all we can to keep them involved. We pray that we will always make visitors to our church feel welcome, our priority being to help everyone who comes to church to meet with you.
Jesus, bread of life:
feed us and nourish us with yourself.
Finally, Lord, in the stillness, we bring our own personal needs to you. Help us to rejoice that you care about every detail of our lives, even the ones we think you don’t notice. We ask that you will give us food for our journeys this week. And we name in the silence, places or situations that might be hard for us. Nourish us with your presence in every situation we find ourselves, particularly those unexpected moments where we need extra help. Help us to go out from here knowing that we have met with you and have been fed by you this morning.
Jesus, bread of life:
feed us and nourish us with yourself.
Breathe your life into our lives.
Fill us with your Spirit that we may overflow with you.
Amen.

​Grace 
May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all, now and evermore. Amen.

© Copyright 2002-2021, ROOTS for Churches Ltd. All rights reserved. Print ISSN: 2040-4832 and 2635-280X; Online ISSN: 2635-2818.

​Psalm 130  verse 7 'Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption.'

​*Prayers of Praise, Thanksgiving and Confession
Eternal One, we lift our voices in praise as we remember your holiness and your faithfulness.
Beyond anything that we can imagine and yet present with us and around us, we know you to be full of grace and forgiveness. We bring our lives before you and ask that you show us where we need to change and that you enable those changes in us which bring us closer to you. If there is anything we are particularly aware of that we need to confess we do so now in the knowledge of your all embracing love for each one of us as shown to us in Jesus. Amen.

Lord’s Prayer
Our Father …….

​Bible Readings
​Psalm 130
John 6: 35, 41-51

​StF 416 There’s a wideness in God’s mercy

​StF 18 Be still and know that I am God

​*Blessing
​Now to him who is able to keep you from falling, and to make you stand without blemish in the presence of his glory with rejoicing, to the only God our Saviour, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority, before all time and now and for ever. Amen.
​
And the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with each one of us now and for ever. Amen.
*These materials by Mary G Elms from Methodist Church Ministries Vocation & Worship

Call to Worship
We come with our curiosity and questions.
We come seeking answers.
We are grateful for our daily bread, but we yearn for the bread of eternal life.
Let us seek to be fed and filled with God’s life and love.​​

​Bible Readings
​OT Exodus 16 v 2-4, 9-15
NT John 6 v 24-35

​StF 252 Jesus the Lord said: “I am the Bread”

​StF 475 O God of Bethel

​Prayers
Lord,
We come to pray for your world. A world of hurt and pain. A world where so many are struggling because of war, disaster or poverty. Sometimes we look at your broken world and wonder what we can do to help mend it. Show us Lord how we can play a part in mending your broken and troubled world.

We pray for the church. As we continue to respond to the pandemic and seek to share the good news we ask for your guidance in the weeks and months ahead. Be with all our church leaders as they seek the way forward that they may know your presence with them. We pray for our own individual churches as we all seek the way forward in sharing your gospel with the world.

We pray for all those who are in need of our prayers at this time thinking of those in hospital, those struggling for lots of different reasons due to the impact of the pandemic on their lives. Be with all those who need our prayers right now Lord and give them the strength and peace that they need.

We place into your hands those who have died knowing that you welcome them home into your waiting arms. Be with all who mourn and may they know your peace, love and strength at this difficult time.

We pray for ourselves. You know the challenges that each of us face. We ask that you will give each one of us what we need to face them. When we struggle remind us of your faithfulness to us. Help us to serve you and build your kingdom. We ask these and all our prayers in Jesus’ name Amen.
​
Lord's Prayer
Our Father in heaven...

​Sending Out Prayer
​Lord Jesus, let us not settle for things that perish
but let us yearn for the day when all will know you.
Let us desire the peace which passes all understanding.
Let us be eager to follow you.
Let us long to share your love with all whom we meet as we travel on.
Amen.
[Roots 9.8.09 p26]