Sunday 19th November

​​There are simply some things that should be obvious without even asking. The return of Jesus Christ is one of
those things.The question is not so much "will Jesus return?"  but more "When will Jesus return?"

Prayer of Approach
Come to the God of welcome!
Who invites you to a place of safety and healing.
Come to the God of salvation!
Who challenges you to work for justice and freedom.
Come to the God of holiness!
Who makes the earth a sacred space.
Come and be made one people!
In the reconciling love of God
Amen

There’s a Quiet Understanding (StF 36)

Prayer of Worship & ConfessionWorship
For the confidence to lift our eyes beyond the walls to the distant horizon
For a courage which dares to dream of new beginnings
For the vision which takes risks to create a new future
We praise you, God of love and faith.

For the voice which speaks out for the powerless and nameless
For the courage which dares to dream of new beginnings
For the thirst of freedom which challenges unfair systems and structures
We praise you, God of love and justice.

For the reaching out to make sense of complexities and confusion
For the wrestling with hard questions that refuse easy answers
For the probing beneath the surface to discern hidden wisdom
We praise you, God of love and truth.

For risk-taking faith
For a passion for justice
For wrestling with truth
We praise you, God of love.

Confession
When we exclude those who are different from us#
Refusing a welcome to the stranger#
God whose love is without limits#
Forgive us and lead us in your ways.

When we reject others because we think they are wrong
Becoming self-righteous in our judgements
God who loves is without limits.
Forgive us and lead us in your ways.

When we are fearful of losing our own identity
Clinging to outworn traditions and resisting new ways
God whose love is without limits.
Forgive us and lead us in your ways.

When we feel worthless and ashamed
Doubting our power to live as your people.
God whose love is without limits.
Forgive us and lead us in your ways.

And in a moment of silence, we offer up our own prayers of confession.

God whose love is without limits.
Forgive us and lead us in your ways.
Amen

​ All praise to our redeeming Lord (StF 608)

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 New International Version
The Day of the Lord
1 Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, 2 for you know very well that
the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction
will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
4 But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. 5 You are
all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. 6 So then, let us
not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and
those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and
love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. 9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but
to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep,
we may live together with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you
​are doing.

​
Matthew 25:14-30
New International Version The Parable of the Bags of Gold
14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. 
15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to
his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put
his money to work and gained five bags more. 17 So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. 18 But
the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who
had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold.
See, I have gained five more.’
21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you
in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
22 “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I
​have gained two more.’
23 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you
in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
24 “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard
man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid
and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and
gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the
bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
28 “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. 29 For whoever has will be
given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken
from them. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping
​and gnashing of teeth.’

 I will offer up my life (StF 446)

​Who remembers playing hide and seek?
Either when you were little, or maybe as an adult playing with the children in your life.
It’s a good way of having fun with young ones and, encouraging them to be active if they’re running off
to hide, and also helps to teach them to count if they are ‘it’. Even when I helped run a youth club the
teenagers loved playing (as did I), and its amazing how many good hiding places there are in a
church!
But if you think about it, hide and seek has parallels with The Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
Because one day, Jesus will be coming back to earth, whether we are ready or not!
That is the reason Paul told the church of Thessalonica, and equally us today, about the importance of
being ready. Paul was aware of Christs return, and he explained it to the believers gathered in
Thessalonica.
There are simply some things that should be obvious without even asking. The return of Jesus Christ
is one of those things.
The question is not so much will Jesus return?; but more ;When will Jesus return?
Paul answers this question with a clear response: No one knows.
Paul explains this by describing the time of Jesus return as “A thief in the night.”
Just as a thief plans his entry at an uncertain time that is when least expected; so, it will be with the
coming of the Son of Man.
Jesus Himself proclaims this truth as recorded in Matthew 24:36:
But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the
Father only.”
Later in the same chapter verse 44 Jesus said:
Therefore, you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
Paul often refers to the Second Coming of Christ as the Day of the Lord.
Often in scripture the Day of the Lord; was the designation of the time when God would pour out His
wrath on the sinful.
After Jesus comes for His people, Our Lord will begin to pour out His judgments upon them.
The tragedy of this day is that so many people are going to be unprepared.
That is why we must live daily with an Attitude of Watchfulness. As much as a soldier is instructed to
Stay alert” while on their post, so must we as Christians.
Paul instructs us to watch, to stay awake and to be vigilant.
His command is in the present tense that means this must be a continual practice of the mature
Christian.
it is a matter of attitude.
A Roman soldier would be executed for falling asleep on his watch.
The outcome could be just as fatal for those of us who are not constantly on alert.
We as disciples must be meticulous in our walk.
We are image bearers of the Lord, and we should be diligent in that calling. True Disciples know who
they are in Christ and seek to live in the image of Christ.
Just as an overabundance of alcohol will hinder a person’s ability to focus and make wise decisions,
so sin will also affect our ability to make ethical and spiritual decisions.
A person does not just get drunk with one sip, or just one drink. But over time, the more they drink,
the more intoxicated they become. Some people do not know their limits and reach a point where they
become a danger to themselves and to others.
In the same way if we do not control sin in our lives, we could soon be overwhelmed by its effects. As
a drunk may pass out and be oblivious to the world; so too the uncontrolled sinner can become
oblivious to the evil one.
We must live daily in the light of obedience to Gods word.
We must be always prepared. There is a blessing when we walk in readiness. There is a Peace in
knowing that you are always ready, always prepared for the Coming of Our Lord.
If you are ready, you will have Gods heart. A heart full of love and a desire to serve others.
The Bible is clear. If you want a place in the Kingdom of God, you are to be a servant to all. Jesus
said, “I came to serve not to be served.”
If you are ready, you will look for Christ;s Coming with excitement and with expectancy. Each day we
have to be prepared because our Lord and Saviour Jesus will come, this we can be sure of, it could
even today.
This leads nicely to our second reading for today from Matthew. The Parable of the Talents is about
how God will judge the world and his people. It talks about a situation that was common in the time of
Jesus and is still common today. A man who was leaving on a trip leaves his servants with different
thing to take care of.
The servants are to make sure that they are not damaged or stolen, make sure that if continues to
work for the man. That is continues to be profitable while he is away.
Two of the servants double the investment they were left to take care of, the third gains nothing from
his for the man, in fact he doesn’t even try because he is afraid, and what he was trusted with is taken
away from him and he is told to leave the house - he was fired.
This parable is often interpreted as a message to work hard developing the gifts and talents that God
have given us, and if we are not productive with what God has given us, we will lose it.
But there is more to it than that.
it is true that God wants us to use His gifts to grow and to benefit His Kingdom, but it is not true that
we are judged according to the quantity of or work nor the quality of that work.
As Paul has written, it is by grace through faith, that we are saved, not by our works.
We cannot consider ourselves saved by grace, if we say that the Parable is not talking about
developing our God-given gifts but say that it is only speaking of how productive we are for God.
Being saved by Christ’s grace is what is so good about being a Christan. If we ignore the good news
of Jesus, we will end up like the servant who failed to invest the talent.
God does not want us to be afraid and worried about how well we will do, and whether it will please
Him.
The Parable of the Talents is not a lesson on ability or productivity. It is a lesson about the honesty,
faith, and mind-set we should have.
The servant who buried his talent, was asked to give an account of what he has done with his talent:
Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard
man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So, I
was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
The judgement on this servant, was not because he had failed to produce wealth for his master.
But because he was afraid to try.
“His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So, you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and
gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with
the bankers, so that when I returned, would have received it back with interest.
There is no sin in failure.
There is only sin in not trying or in not listening to God and striving to do his will and be a good
disciple.
The man was afraid, and because of that he did not try.
This is the basis on which he was judged. And this is also the basis that us as Christians will be
judged.
So, the question is: what do you want Jeus to say to you?
If not, we need to use our gifts to do God’s will.
How many times have you heard the saying:
“It’s not whether you win or lose but how you play the game.”
This is a statement that we should try and remember for ourselves when we look at both the gifts and
the problems we have.
But often we forget when it comes to our own lives. We focus on the fact that we may fail, refusing to
try. But God is not concerned with the quantity of the harvest but whether a crop had been planted.
The man in the parable was not just someone who failed to invest an item of value but was also
someone who tried to disown any liability for it. The servant followed the pattern of the times that said
if you were given something of value. you could clear any responsibility by burying it.
God holds us responsible for what he has given us. He expects us to try and work with it, and if we
do, He will honour us, and we will not fail.
God does expect us to try to develop the things that we have so that the world around us can benefit
from them, so that those gifts might be fruitful in us, and add to the good things God’s world needs.
God by giving us his talents and love, is showing you that you do not have to do all this work on you
own. God gives us friends, and most important, he gives us His Holy Spirit and his living word, so that
we. like the servants in the parable, can together be good disciples, spreading new hope to the world.
Today, we have been entrusted with talents by God. We have been given the tools we need. We have
been given each other and we have God,
Like the master in the parable believed in his servants, God, believes in us, He trusts us to do well
with his love, to develop the gifts he gives us. He trusts us because he made us. God will honour all
our efforts. Do not fear failure because even when we do not double the goodness in the world, even
if we do not personally conquer all our problems, even if we can’t solve all the crises we face, if we
have tried to work with what God has given us then he will be pleased with us.
The cup of peace and goodness will be fuller than it was, and we will drink from it when Jesus returns.
We are Children of the living God. We are Children of the Light.
We must be ready. We must be prepared. Ready or Not He Will Com

 Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart (StF 545) 

Prayers for Others 
Loving God
We share in our prayers for others around the world:
For those who struggling with:

• War – Our news programmes and papers report some of the wars happening in the world. However, some conflicts happen without our knowledge. We offer up all these situations to you. 

We pray for your children:

• for the people caught up in conflicts, 
• those living in fear, 
• those suffering with injury, 
• those killed. 
• those who flee for their own safety. 

Bless those who work to help in these situations. We pray that your peace will prevail.

• Cost of Living – as winter approaches, we pray for your people struggling to meet their own needs and those of their loved ones:
  • Those struggling to provide or cook nutritious meals.
  • The parents who go without so their children can have.
  • Those unable to adequately heat their homes.
  • Those unable to afford warm clothing.

We pray that the right help gets to those in need. We give thanks for those who volunteer to help others. Those who donate to food and clothing banks. We pray that our government works to makes sure the most vulnerable of society are cared for.

• India Road Tunnel Collapse – we pray for the dozens of people trapped during the Himalayan road tunnel construction in India. We pray:
  • That rescuers can keep getting emergency supplies through to those trapped.
  • That the necessary equipment is available to rescue the workers
  • That the workers are rescued quickly and reunited with their loved ones.

In a moment of silence, we offer up our own prayers for those on our hearts.
Jesus, we know that when two or more are gathered in your name you are there amongst us,
We know that when faithful servants pray, our prayers are heard.
Amen

Lord’s Prayer 
Our Father
Who art in heaven, 
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come. 
Thy will be done. 
On earth as it is in heaven. 
Give us this day our daily bread. 
And forgive us our trespasses, 
As we forgive those who trespass against us. 
And lead us not into temptation. 
But deliver us from evil. 
For thine is the kingdom, 
The power, and the glory, 
For ever and ever, 
Amen
​
Song – Take my life, and let it be (StF 566)

Blessing
As we leave this place today, we can be encouraged to wait on the Lord’s return, knowing that through being obedient servants, using our gifts wisely, we are prepared, and there will come a time of true rejoicing.
Amen