Call to Worship
We come to worship a wonderful God.
We come not as slaves, but as the truly free;
not as petitioners, but as those already heard; 
not as interlopers, but as invited guests.
Though we may be in dispersed locations, the love of Christ gathers us together, joyful and eager to worship

Prayer
Lord of infinity, who also chose meekness and humility in Jesus, we worship you.
You are the Lord of this morning, whether it greets us with a burst of sunshine or refreshing showers, and the simple pleasures that delight our taste and smell, our hearing and our seeing, are also your gift to us and all creation.
We thank you that in worship we are never alone, but share with countless others
in the music that heaven also enjoys,
in the challenge of your Word,
in the privilege of prayer,
in the comfort of Christian fellowship.
Thank you, generous God, for this Lord’s Day, and all that it speaks to us of your providence and your grace.  Amen.

Time to Reflect
Formal dinners have been in short supply the last couple of years, but we all remember an occasion like a wedding where the seating plan enabled us to know our place, and perhaps also to judge our social standing on the basis of how far from the top table it was!

It was a trickier business for Jesus’s contemporaries, who had to judge in relation to the other guests how close to the host their status dictated they should be.

Everyday wisdom, shown in those verses from Proverbs, dictated that it was far better for one’s street cred to aim low and be promoted than high and get relegated to the margins.

“Pride goes before a fall” our own proverb says.  Two ducks and a frog were great friends in the farm pond they shared.  But one really hot August it was drying up.  No problem for the ducks who could fly off and find another, but that was too far for the frog to jump.  They hatched a plan.  The ducks would fly side by side holding the ends of a stick in their beaks whilst the frog with its powerful jaws would hang from the middle.  It worked so well that a farmer looking up exclaimed aloud, “What a good idea.  I wonder who thought of that?”.  “I did”, croaked the frog!

Pride comes before a fall.  But Luke sees the words of Jesus here as a “parable” (verse 7), so it is not just advice on keeping up appearances.  It is about life in the Kingdom where God is the host.  It is God who decides our place.  Genuine humility is not about calculating how to look good; it is simply desiring that God should determine our place.

George Whitefield and John Wesley disagreed on several points.  A man who loved stirring controversy once asked Whitefield if he thought he would see Wesley in heaven.  “I fear not”, Whitefield replied, “for he will be so near the eternal throne and we at such a distance, we shall hardly get sight of him.”

If we are willing to receive the teaching of Jesus as disciples we shall be free from the world’s obsession with posturing for position.

A time of prayer
Lord, it is your call that gives us dignity and we would be nothing without you.
We pray for true humility in your Church.
We remember all who evangelize or serve in areas of poverty, apathy or animosity, and all who face humiliation for their faith.
We pray for ministers who have lost their way, narrowed in their focus, succumbed to the temptation to self-aggrandisement, and for all believers who no longer fulfil their vocation. 
Make us all worthy of our calling.

We pray for people we categorise as “home-less” or “destitute”, but who are individuals as valuable in your eyes as anyone, and more precious in their vulnerability.
And we pray for those who care for them and seek to make accessible to them the opportunities they long for.
We remember church-based community workers who on behalf of us all, but not in our stead, share good news with the poor.
Make us all worthy of our calling.

We remember all who are belittled by others, who lack confidence in themselves, who are timid and nervous.
We ask your blessing on those who live with the hostility of war, oppression or abuse.
We pray for sick and struggling people whom we know individually.
And we acknowledge that we also need your healing for we are not yet perfect in love.
Make us all worthy of our calling.

Father, we thank you that you invite us and accept us into your kingdom, that through Christ you have triumphed over death.
We remember our loved ones in eternity.  
May we too be found faithful to your call, in Jesus’s name, who encouraged us to pray:
Our Father….

A prayer of blessing
As our worship continues through our service of Jesus Christ during this week, may he who is the same yesterday, today and forever fill us with his peace and joy. Amen.

Original Materials by Stephen Mosedale

We are grateful to all the Ministers and Local Preachers from around the Connexion who have contributed to Worship at Home. This resource is administrated by Ministries: Vocations and Worship in the Connexional Team. 

Opening Prayer
We come to God with our longings:
Our heavenly Father knows them all.
We come to God with our burdens;
Our heavenly Father holds them all.
We come to God alone or together
The Holy Spirit is here for us all. AMEN.

A time of prayer
We pray for those who are in the news today, whether willingly or not…..
for those awaiting a home not of their choosing, for those fighting a war not of their making and for those struggling to keep a family together around poverty not of their creating. 

We pray for those who we’ve met or talked to in the last day or so who have some important issue to face.
Especially we pray for any situations faced by our own family and friends…

We pray for those who are waiting – for something important – a visit, an appointment, a word of kindness.
Especially we pray for anyone who may be longing for love, friendship and a way out of loneliness.

We pray for those whose lives are not content, but who have not yet found their home in you. We ask for the gift of your faith to be given to them. 

Father, every person we have thought of in our hearts is known and loved by you far more than we can ever imagine. We entrust them to you in confidence and hope, knowing that you will hear our prayers for their healing and well-being.

We ask these things in the name of Jesus Christ who is alive forever with you and the Holy Spirit.

The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father ……

A prayer of blessing
May the grace of God the Father 
Console our hearts,
May the love of Christ the Son 
surround and uphold us,
May the breath of the Holy Spirit 
Blow us into passionate fire
and may God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit give us strength to do this week’s work.
AMEN

This act of Worship for you to use at home has been produced by Revd Christine Fox.
​Psalm 82 vs 1-4
God presides in the great assembly;
he renders judgment among the “gods”:

 “How long will you[a] defend the unjust
    and show partiality to the wicked?[b]
 Defend the weak and the fatherless;
    uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.
 Rescue the weak and the needy;
    deliver them from the hand of the wicked.
New International Version (NIV), Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

StF 77 Give thanks to the Lord our God and king : Words and Music by Chris Tomlin, played and sung by Paul Coleman

​Prayers of praise and confession 
O God, source and guide and goal of all that is and all that shall be, we are glad to come into your presence and acknowledge you as the giver of life. In you, every blessing is ours. Help us not to rest in the security and comfort of that blessing, but to be open to the word that you bring us that challenges and changes us, refreshes us and renews us. In the name of Christ, your Son, our Lord,
Amen.

Though we know you are a loving God, and desire to follow the example of Jesus, we have not always reflected your love, we have not always sought to challenge injustice, to change our ways and attitudes, or be the bringers of peace and healing. Forgiving God, you give us hope even when there appears to be no hope. You have faith in us even when we destroy what you have created. Even when in guilt and shame we are unable to face ourselves, you look upon us as your children. You alone can change us from glory to glory and make us fit for your presence.
We may have spoiled the good things you have given us. We may have tainted with our selfish touch the blessings you would share with all. Gifts you have given may lie damaged and broken. But we still can come to you, our God who redeems and restores. Heal us, we pray. Heal the results of our selfish attitudes and actions, and give us your fire in our hearts once again that inspires us to radical acts of kindness and love. Amen.

Bible ​Reading  - Jeremiah 23:23-29
God despairs of those who call themselves his prophets but have no vision for justice, who speak comfortable words that are not God’s words – for the Lord asks – ‘Is not my word like a fire, and like a hammer that breaks rock into pieces?

StF 723 Who can sound the depths of sorrow : Words & Music (C) 1988 Graham Kendrick / Make Way Music Ltd played and sung sung by The MAYC Orchestra & Singers

More information on 'A Methodist Way of life' that Christine spoke about in the video above can be found here.

Sing 701 heaven shall not wait : John Bell and Graham Maud, sung by members of Frodsham Methodist Church

A time of prayer
-  The world is God’s temple. Let us pray for the world:
– for the powerful, that they may know that the world belongs not to them but to the God of love and justice;
– for the powerless, that they may know that God is alongside them in their hunger, fear and suffering. (Silence)  
The church is God’s temple.  
Let us pray for the church:
– for its leaders, that they may guide their people and the world to worship in word and deed;
– for the different denominations, that in unity they may come to know and worship the one, undivided God. (Silence)
We are God’s temple.  
Let us pray for ourselves:
– for churches meeting in buildings, that they and we may become sanctuaries for the lonely, the worried and the sad, peoples of love and hope;
– for each one of us, that our lives may be hymns of worship to the eternal God, sung in confidence and joy. (silence)
In the name of our High Priest, Jesus Christ.  Amen

​The Lord’s Prayer
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. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen.

Sing 564 O thou who camest from above; John Wesley, sung by Ruth & Joy Everingham

Dismissal
Standing up for justice (from vice-president Anthony Boateng)it is time to be sorely open to God’s Spirit and rekindle Wesleyan fire - 
As we face the cost of living crisis, war in Ukraine, the long-term impact of Covid-19, the new asylum law and the virus known as institutional racism, let us as a Church be open to God’s Spirit.
This is the time for the Church to stand up and show the world why social justice is in the DNA of Methodism. This is the time to stride further with some of the good work we have already made through our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Toolkit. Through unity, guided by the Holy Spirit, let us support people who feel marginalised and voiceless. Let’s challenge the status quo and be an agent of change. Let us remind ourselves of the benchmark Christ has set for all society because God is Lord of every society and nation. Amen.​

The Grace
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.

This act of Worship for you to use at home has been produced by Revd John Rowe.
We are here to worship the living God – To offer our heartfelt thanks and praise, not because we are holy and good but because we are loved, forgiven and free – Let us worship God.

​Prayer:  ADORATION
Lord God, we bless you for the Gospel of Christ for the Good News he gave to the world of your love and compassion. We thank you for the hope we have in your kingdom, and for the privilege that is ours in being part of Christ's Body, the Church. For all the friendship and encouragement that we have found within the church's fellowship; for the presence of the Holy Spirit acting in our lives, for the joys of home and family, we give praise and thanks to you, who has planned and given us all things. In the name of Christ, Amen.

​Prayer: CONFESSION.
Father, we come in praise to you but conscious of the things within ourselves we hate to remember yet cannot forget: our self-­indulgence, our prejudices, our resentments, our hypocrisies, our selfishness, our pride and our pain. Save us from self-contempt as we acknowledge these things. And as we remember your love for us in spite of all that we are and do, give us the assurance of your pardon - The release and relief of those who know that the past is forgiven and the zest and joy of those who know that the future is still to make. So may we live in that fullness and freedom of life, which you have promised that we can share through Jesus Christ our Lord. – Hear the good news – Our sins are forgiven – Thanks be to God. Amen

Bible Readings:   
                   Proverbs: 3:5-6
                   Colossians:   1:21-29
                   Matthew: 19:23-30

Sermon  - ‘There Is Only One Road I’m WaIking’
I have previously mentioned that immediately before entering the ordained ministry I spent three years working in a local authority care-home for difficult and disturbed young people. During that time there was one young person, a teenager named Lauren (Not her real name), who at the time shared with me a liking for the  music of Celine Dion; I know, I have been told many times by my own children, especially my sons, how sad my taste in music is.  

Anyway, I remember loaning Lauren some of my CD's and she returned the favour.  Although, I was always concerned as to whether or not her’s had been legally acquired, given she was banned from most shops in the surrounding area.

Now one of the things I needed to be careful of during my time as a residential social worker was the manner by which I shared my faith with the young people.  So clear were the guidelines on this that I only very rarely mentioned the name of Jesus to the young people during those three years.  Nevertheless, the young people from the start were aware of my intention to candidate for the ordained ministry.  This always confused one young teenager with a Roman Catholic background, who being familiar with the vow of celibacy taken by Roman Catholic priests, was intrigued to know, that once ordained, what I intended do with Liz!

But back to Celine Dion - There was a particular song she sang, which was a favourite of mine and that of Lauren also.  In the song the singer looks back to a time when, in her life she had found the love of her life and yet had walked away from that love and person.  Having later realised what she had lost - she determines to let nothing deflect her from the path or road that will lead her back to that love.  Hence the title of the song, ‘There is only one road I'm walking’.  

As a Christian this track was particularly useful to me in my interactions with Lauren in that the title and sentiment helped me present to her the idea that in faith Christian believers were also walking a particular path or road.  And that furthermore she herself had also chosen a particular road to follow.  

Now on various occasions during the time I knew Lauren, she would come to me and say, "Little John, (I have no idea why she called me that!) Little John, do you think I have been good?" Invariably the times she chose to ask this question, there usually had been an improvement in her behaviour and I and other members of staff were able to praise her for that improvement. Having said that, within a short time Lauren would usually revert to the kind of behaviour which had influenced the decision to place her in the care of the local authority in the first place – That is to say, her behaviour once again became destructive, abusive and dishonest.  Interestingly, she would defend her actions to me by saying she could only be good for a certain length of time, usually for Lauren this meant a maximum of two weeks.  Lauren, in this claim, was in a sense saying, "John, I've tried walking the road you mention and I've struggled so much that I've had to turn back."

Though it was an unhelpful response it was one we Christians can empathise with, for it is a familiar one to us.  Even though we are some weeks in to the post Easter period we can readily recall, can’t we, the struggle the main characters in the Easter story had; We can readily recall the great difficulty they faced in not straying from the path, the road, Jesus had established them on.  

We remember well Jesus telling his disciples that they all would fail in their efforts to follow him, that their commitment would not be sustained.  We recall that Jesus himself was not exempted from the struggle to follow his chosen path, "Father, If there is any other way let this cup pass from me."  You see it’s not just the rich, like in our Gospel reading today, who have trouble with the Christian journey. 

In today’ Epistle reading we encounter the struggle the Colossian Christians had in trying to hold on to the Gospel the Apostle Paul had introduced to them.  It is a passage of scripture which reminds us and leaves us in no doubt, how difficult the road of discipleship was even for the earliest Christians.

By taking a closer look at the first 3 verses of this reading the problem which prompted Paul to write this letter becomes clearer as does his advice to the followers at Colossae and indirectly to all subsequent generations of Christians. These three verses In essence are meant to get the Colossians, and I hope us here this morning, to thinking about the past; the present and thinking also, about how they and we are to proceed in the days and years ahead.. 

Firstly then, in verse 21, Paul reminds them of the kind of people they once were; "At one time you were far away from God and were his enemies because of the evil things you did and thought."  Paul's talk of distance and separation from God, to the Colossians, suggests that they were formerly Gentiles.  But hostility to God did not, for Paul, merely reside in the Gentile heart.  No, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”, Paul says elsewhere.  And who, in this present generation, could disagree with him for there is evidence of this fallen condition on our TV screens every day. War and suffering in Ukraine, starvation in Afghanistan and the Yemen – school children dying in their classrooms in the USA, young girls stabbed and losing their lives here in the United Kingdom.  All reminders of the sin and evil that persists in all human cultures and in all generations.  

Paul here then, reminds the Colossian Christians of the kind of people they were.  It is a reminder that should strike a cord with all Christians but often doesn’t as to the life we have been redeemed from. 

In the second of these three verses, verse 22, Paul picks up his great theme of Justification by faith.  He reminds the Colossian Christians that Christ's death has brought them from the darkness of sin and evil into the light of God's presence.  Because of the cross of Christ they now stand, Paul says, “holy, pure and faultless in God's sight.”  This then is where they currently stand. What a remarkable contrast, this is. The Colossians, have been transformed, made new, in and through Jesus Christ.  And so have we, for we stand in exactly the same place as them.

In verse 23 however, Paul sounds like the breath has been taken out of him.  He is stunned by what is happening and what is being proposed by the Colossians. Remembering the transformation that has occurred, a modem Bible translation records Pauls words of verse 23 to the Colossians in the following way - "Look, you don't walk away from a gift like this!  You must remain firm and steady in the bond of trust, constantly tuned into the gospel message, careful not to be distracted or diverted.  There is no other Gospel message - just this one.  I, Paul, am a messenger of this one message."

What lies behind this statement is the reason for Paul writing his letter to the Colossians in the first place.  It would appear there were teachers other than Paul out to influence the Christians at Colossae, not by denying the gospel message but by trying to add to it.  These teachers were suggesting, among other things, that there was a greater spiritual fullness and freedom to be had over that found in the message of Jesus Christ as given to them by Paul. The apostle however, maintains that the Colossian Christians are in danger of being diverted from their Christian path and calling by this teaching - Referred to by many commentators as, 'The Spirit of the Age'.  

That is an interesting phrase as each generation of Christians must contend with the 'Spirit of the age'.  The problem is that it is often very difficult for each generation to identify this 'Spirit'.  Perhaps not many years ago we would have said individual materialism was the spirit of our age.  Certainly, there came a time when we described it as 'New ageist' or the spirit of Post Modernism.  A term which ultimately proposes, there is no overarching truth in which men and women can invest their lives.  But instead proposes the idea that if it feels good do it.

But, whatever the 'spirit of this age' is, and this is in line with what Paul is conveying to the Colossians, I would want to say this morning that the way forward for you and I is not determined by such thinking but rather the message of Jesus Christ is what still lights our way in these deeply worrying and uncertain times..

I have no doubt whatsoever that on our pathways there will at times be struggles.  It may be that right at this very moment you are facing a time of struggle which you would wish to go away, which you would wish to be removed. "Father if there is any other way let this cup pass from me."  Perhaps those are words you would wish to speak today.  And maybe that's because you, like the disciple Peter, feel that in some way your words and actions have denied Jesus.  Or perhaps your struggle has been made more difficult because, like Jesus, you have lost the support of friends in your time of need.  Maybe your struggle is concerned with whose will, direction and guidance will take precedence in your life - God's, your own or someone else's.  
Perhaps today some of us are thinking about another path or road because we have discovered a different teaching or have been influenced by the spirit of this age?  Whatever your difficulty, whatever struggle you are facing at this time, I would today want to encourage you, to remind you, that "There is only one road we’re walking.  Yes, It may well be littered with struggle, a road where our cross is hard to bare, but it is the road of hope for all those who would follow Jesus Christ.  So be encouraged, be comforted, be strengthened, by what the writer of Proverbs 3 says – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make straight your path.” 
I pray the reminder of this good news helps you in your journey. I pray this good news, the news that there is only one road, one way, helps us and all the Lauren’ of this world say, "Lord, I will walk this road, I will face the struggles ahead if you will be my shepherd, my guide". For you are the way - the truth and the life.
May God bless us all as we travel the road that Jesus has set us upon. Amen.

INTERCESSIONS
Let us pray to the God of all time and space, in whose love we exist and by whose love we are saved. And let us pray for the grace and honesty to see what needs transforming in our lives as individuals and as members of the Church of God.  

Silence

We pray that all church leaders, ministers and teachers be directed and inspired by the Gospel of Christ that there may be a deepening of love and commitment to this gospel in all Christians the world over. 
May the leaders of this nation and of all nations be drawn increasingly to understand God’s ways of justice and righteousness, and be filled with the longing to do what is right and honest and good. 

 Silence

May all the families on earth be blessed with mutual love and caring consideration for one another; may arguments and misunderstandings be properly resolved and difficult relationships refreshed and healed.
May those for whom the days and nights creep past in pain or sorrow be given comfort and hope; may the frightened find reassurance and the anxious find peace of mind.  We remember in our prayers and in the silence of our own hearts all those known to us who are in anyway in need.  

Silence
We pray that those nearing the end of their journey on earth may be given an unshakable awareness of your closeness and may those who have died know the eternal peace and joy of heaven.  We pray that all who participate in this act of worship, here or at home, may be given a new enthusiasm for the gospel and for walking and living in its light.  Father we offer these prayers in the name and power of Christ, Our Lord and our Saviour.  
Amen.

 Lord’s Prayer
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. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen.

Blessing
May your love and faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ be strengthened this day, so that your heart may not fear but have hope to share.  And may the blessing of Almighty God, The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit be with you and remain with you always.  Amen.