A prayer of approach
You, Lord, are our shepherd, our care is your concern. When we are lost, you look for us, when we are hurt
and afraid, you reach out to us. When we go astray and hurt each other through selfishness, greed and
thoughtlessness, you pull us up short and remind us we are part of your flock. And as our care is your
concern, so care for others is our calling.
In the security of that love we come to learn from you, to let your compassion flood our hearts and renew
our commitment to serve. We come to prepare ourselves for all the demands of love that await us in the
world, and to pray that you will work in us to reveal the presence of your kingdom. Amen.

StF331 King of Kings, Majesty

PRAISE & CONFESSION  
Creator God, we come in worship and praise to be refreshed and renewed and to offer our lives once again
to you.
May the knowledge of your presence fill our hearts with joy.
Generous God, we thank you for the gift of this day, and the opportunities it brings to make your love
known.
May the sweetness of your love fill our hearts with compassion.
Discerning God, in our searching and our questioning, in our thirst for you, in our need to know you more
deeply.
May the depth of your knowledge fill our hearts with peace.
Redeeming God, in our sadness, in our shame when we have fallen short, when we have failed to respond to
the needs of others, when we have refused to recognise your face in our sister or brother,
May the strength of your forgiveness fill our hearts with healing,
God of all joy, compassion, peace and healing, give us a fresh sense of your vision for all humanity. Fulfil
your purpose in us that we might understand your need of us in the need of the world.

Ezekiel 34:11-16 New International Version
11 “‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. 
12 As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue
them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. 13 I will bring them out from
the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on
the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land. 14 I will tend them in a good pasture,
and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and
there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15 I myself will tend my sheep and have them
lie down, declares the Sovereign Lord. 16 I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the
injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.

​
Matthew 25:31-46 New International Version The Sheep and the Goats
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 
32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a
shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance,
the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something
to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed
clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give
you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and
clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of
​mine, you did for me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for
the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me
nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I
was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or
​in prison, and did not help you?’
45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

​Sermon
There was a man who had a dream – He dreamt a parable. He dreamt he was a ‘Billy-goat.
He knew Goats to be special. Sometimes people confuse them with sheep. But sheep, he thought, are really
stupid. Goats are more intelligent. Sheep produce wool, but goat hair is far stronger. Goats produce a much
better milk, than sheep. Goats can run faster than sheep and can climb higher
One day Billy Goat was climbing up a high mountain with his family, higher than he had ever climbed
before, so high that he could look out and see the future.
There on a cloud he saw lots of human beings.
Some were wearing red clothes; some were wearing blue.
In front of them was another human being, shining white.
He said to the blue people who were on his left:
‘Come and live with me in my father’s city.
For I was victim of famine in Africa and you helped care for me;
I was a prisoner because of my faith and you wrote to me and kept me going; I was a street child in Brazil
and a hungry down-and-out in Nottingham and you fed me and found another way for me to live; I was
displaced from the land of my birth and you welcomed me and gave me refuge; I was trying to bring peace
to the world through political change and you supported me.’
They all said, ‘When did we know you were sick or imprisoned or a hungry street-child or down-and-out,
asylum seeker, or a peace seeking politician and come to your aid?’
He said, ‘When you did it to for them; it was like you did it to me.’
Then he turned to the people in Red who also called him, ‘Lord’, but the situation was much less happy.
They had kept themselves pure and had not helped the sick, the down-and-outs, the people imprisoned, the
children on the street, or anyone else for that matter. There was no room for them in the city.

Just then it started to rain and the vision went away. Billy goat and his family were left to ponder what they
had seen.
Nanny, who was standing beside Billy, said,
‘I know. If I am a human being in my next life, I shall pretend I see the shining one in everyone I see. I shall
help all those needy people like I’m helping him. That way he will reward me with a place in his father’s
city.’
Billy was thinking about that when from the other side Nanny’s sister – they always used to argue – said,
‘No, no, no! Don’t you see it was all a surprise. They didn’t pretend to care for people because they saw the
shining one in them. They cared for people because they were people. They did it naturally. It was their
way. Only later were they surprised to learn that they had also cared for him.’
That made Billy think still further. He spent so much time thinking that when the others skipped off down
the mountain – as only goats can do – He made his way slowly.

As he passed one of the ridges covered with bushes, he heard a cry. As he got closer, he saw a sheep, a ram
caught in the thicket.
‘Stupid sheep!’ he thought.
He was about to walk on past when something made him stop. He had strong horns, he thought. He could
free that poor sheep. He climbed to the ridge and began to push and pull and finally the ram was free.

Off the freed sheep trotted into the setting sun. Then something strange occurred. As Billy watched the ram
make its way across the valley, it seemed to change into a small child. It then began to grow up and by the
time it reached the stream at the bottom of the valley was fully-grown. It stumbled across the stream. At
one point it was fully submerged. Then it climbed up into the sun, just a silhouette, until finally all Billy
could see was the figure of a fully-grown man standing out against the red sky, shaped like a cross on the
horizon.

Billy turned to move on, to return to the pastures below. As he reached a resting-place, he looked out.
There were goats; there were sheep. He lay down with his head on a great stone. His body was filled with
light and he knew that he knew. He knew that he knew the truth.

The man who had dreamt the dream opened his eyes. Someone had come into HIS room, into His LIFE,
someone had turned on the light. It was time to get up. It was time to begin a new day and live and share
the truth.

The same truth has been given to us and part of living out that truth involves each of us seeking to ensure
that this church is indeed a place of welcome, a place where justice for the least is sought and practiced - A
place where the captives are freed; where the tears of those who weep are understood; where those who are
hurting encounter the love and care of God’s people; where human spirits can take wing and fly - Where
those who seek meaning to their lives can discover it in us. No pressure there then! But let me simplify it.

The American sociologist, pastor and author, Tony Campolo, tells about the time his mother called and told
him that Mrs. Kilpatrick had died. He says, I’m 50 years old, but when you’re Italian and your mother calls
and tells you to do something, you do it.

Mom called me up & said, `Tony, Mrs. Kilpatrick died & you need to go to her funeral.’He says, Mrs.
Kilpatrick lived just down the street from me when I was a little boy growing up in the streets of
Philadelphia.

So on the day of her funeral he went to the funeral home. Arriving a few minutes late, he rushed through the
door, sat down & then saw that he was the only one there, except for one little woman in front of him.

Then he looked at the coffin & suddenly realized that the man inside the coffin was not Mrs. Kilpatrick. He
was in the wrong chapel. He said that just as he was about to stand up and leave, the woman turned around,
touched him on the hand and asked,  Did you know him?

Tony Campolo asks, What would you do if you were in a situation like that? If you were the only one who
came to the funeral of this grieving woman’s husband, what would you say? He said, I stayed there for the
whole funeral service.
Then, since I was the only one there, I even felt compelled to go to the graveside service and stand there
with the widow. When that was over & we were riding back together, I turned to her and said, ’Mrs. King, I
want to be your friend, but I must be honest with you, I really didn’t know your husband.’

Tony Campolo said, She reached out for my hand and gripped it tightly and speaking softly and slowly,
said, ’That doesn’t matter. You’ll never know what your being here has meant to me.’

All of us here today absolutely know that there are people all over this world who are hurting. Maybe not
quite in the same way, but many are waiting for someone to reach out to them and to touch their lives.

I am reminded this morning that in the ordination service of its ministers the Methodist church urges those
ministers to remember their call. But here’s the thing. The Methodist Church believes in the priesthood of all
believers. So people like Liz and I are merely representatives of this priesthood of believers Therefore, in
the light of this gospel passage, let’s be reminded this morning that each of us, in being a follower of Jesus,
is called, in the lives we live to:
Declare the Good news.
Serve the needy.
Care for the sick
Welcome the stranger
Seek the lost.
Be encouraged that in the working out of our call, we do indeed meet Jesus! And God’s mercy, God’s justice
and God’ love is made known in the world and Christ is praised. Halleluah, Praise the Lord, Amen

StF481 The Lords my Shepherd, I shall not want

Intercessions
Lord Jesus, your justice embraces all people and calls us into a mutual fellowship of love and care.
Challenge your church to live out this concern in acts of compassion and liberation…
As we do to and for others, so we serve you.
Christ our King, give to governments and all who rule a deep concern for the needs of their people.
Give us an openness to welcome the stranger in peace and hospitality….
May we share of our wealth and our poverty.
Lord Jesus, in you the thirsty find refreshment, the hungry are fed, the naked are clothed and the prisoners
are visited.
Leave no one ignored and abandoned….
Extend the boundaries of our concern beyond the those who are easy to love.
Christ our King, the sick, the lame and the infirm hold a special place in your concern.
Give us grace to ensure that the care that is needed is provided.
As your faithfulness endures from age to age bless with the strength and determination to care for others all
our days.
Lord Jesus, you wept at the tomb of Lazarus and restored a little girl to life. Bring all the faithful departed to
eternity with you.
May we with them come to be with you in Paradise.
In your precious name we pray. Amen..

StF337 There is a higher throne

The Lords 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.
 Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours
now and for ever.
Amen

StF323 I will sing the wondrous story

Blessing
Christ awaits us in the world, hungry, homeless, lonely and afraid.
So, let us go to love, cherish, tend and care for him,
in all whom we meet.
And may the blessing of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, be with us this day and
always. Amen.

​​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 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)

​War is not good – people get hurt and die, people forced away from homes and family but, many people
feel, it is sometimes necessary. And those involved need to be brave.

Eternal God,
in whose perfect realm
no sword is drawn but the sword of justice,
and no strength known but the strength of love:
guide and inspire all who seek your kingdom,
that peoples and nations may find their security
in the love which casts out fear;
through Jesus Christ our Saviour.
Amen.

StF 693 Beauty for brokeness.

​Prayer: Praise
Loving & marvellous God, we focus our thoughts on you.
We recall with awe and wonder all you have been and all you are, your loving influence in the lives of us all.
Today We Remember
 You are the God of Creation – positive power, loving initiation
 You are the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – of promise
Today We Remember
 You are the God of David – imperfect and loved
 You are the God of Jeremiah – love in our hearts
Today We Remember
 You are the God of Amos – justice
 You are the God of John the Baptist – forgiveness
Today We Remember
 You are the God of Jesus – our loving Lord God
 You are the God of the disciples – power of holy spirit
Today We Remember
 You are our God – with us each day.
Today We Remember
Amen.

Search for the hero inside yourself - VIDEO

All Age Address: Poppies
Most people are wearing them
 Do you know what they are for?
War is not good – people get hurt and die, people forced away from homes and family but, many people
feel, it is sometimes necessary. And those involved need to be brave.
Sometimes we also need to be brave as we follow Jesus.
 To do things we don;t find easy.
 To stand up for people in trouble.
 To help those in need – even when it is difficult.
Sometimes we need to search for, and find, the hero inside us.
 Be a hero – be brave in our lives for God.

Stf 563 O Jesus I have promised 

​Prayer – Confession & Declaration of Forgiveness
Loving Father as we recall all you have been and all you are, we also reflect on what we are, what we
have been and what we have done.
Today We Remember
 We have been slow to learn of you
 We have been reluctant to follow the Way of Jesus
 We have been afraid to accept the pain of taking up the cross
Today We Remember
 We have been formal and selfish in our prayers
 We have neglected the fellowship of others
 We have been hesitating in our witness
Today We Remember
 We have misused your gifts and evaded our responsibilities
 We have failed to be good stewards of your creation
Today We Remember
 We have been tolerant of injustice and quick to condemn
 We have fallen short in love and let down those in need
 We have been angry and ready to fight for what we desire
Today We Remember

Have mercy on us, loving God, in your constant love.
 In the fullness of your mercy wash away our guilt and cleanse us from sin.
 In the power of your love heal us from our hurt.
 Create in each of us a clean heart and renew a right spirit within us.
 Give us joy to live with your loving support and strengthen us with a willing spirit.
If we confess our sins God is faithful and just. He will forgive us and renew us.
Therefore as we turn to him and repent, hear his gracious word
& Our sins are forgiven & Thanks be to God.
Amen.

Introduction.

15:13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
Are we ready to be a hero? A hero for God.
 Can we find the hero inside ourselves?
 To love God and people – despite our imperfections.

Are we ready for action?
 To fight injustice,
 To protect those who need it,
 To help those who suffer?
Today we have two readings & two talks.

Reading: John 15: 9-17
9 ‘As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands,
you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.
11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is
this: love each other as I have loved you.
13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does
not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my
Father I have made known to you.
16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit – fruit
that will last – and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command:
love each other.

​Talk 1

Are you perfect?? Are you a hero??
Remember the heros of past – heros of war &; peace.
Heros of the bible: Moses, David, Jeremiah, Amos, John the Baptist, Jesus, the disciples, Paul.

Help me accept frailties & find the best inside myself.
David was a flawed hero. He lusted after Bathsheba and had her husband killed so he could be with her.
Very flawed, but he still tried to follow God, and was loved by God.
We are all limited frail human beings BUT the image of God is in us.
God is within us and is part of us. Therefore search for God within. God wants best for us – to be ;our
own hero;.

Call to love & be loved.
John 15:13
“ Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
The reading from John is a call to love & be loved.
You have all heard of the butterfly effect – where a butterfly flapping its wings in Japan can cause a
hurricane in England.

 There is a butterfly effect of kindness and compassion.
 Not every butterfly, but it happens. And the butterfly does;t know.
 We don;t know the full impact of our actions [good and/or bad].
 So hold the intention to be a force for good. To serve others for Jesus.

How fantastic can we be?
What does God want for each of us?
Life of fulfillment, joy, freedom. (Fully, wholey, freely) harmony &; balance.
Jesus the pacemaker

 A few years ago I was not well: Low energy, life grey, plan what can do, struggle.

 I saw the doctor, and was sent to hospital. I had 2 to 1 heart block. A pacemaker
was fitted.
 After (with pacemaker): I realised I had been shuffling around, now I walked with a
bounce, I had energy to do things, to enjoy life.
 Jesus the pacemaker

Our normal life like pre-pacemaker life. Jesus promises us wider, fuller life.
Love is making us new.

Prayer
Accept me O Lord, just as I am, in my fraily and inadequacy, contradictions, confusions and complexities,
with all those discordant currents that pull me in so many directions.
Accept all of this and help me so to live with what I am that what I am may become my way to God.
Accept the tensions and help me hold them together, so that I may learn to live fully, freely, wholly, not
torn apart but finding that balance and harmony that will allow me to discover my point of inner
equilibrium. Amen
Grain in Winter P41 Donald Eadie

StF 499 Great God, your love has called us here.

​Reading: Matthew 25:1-13
The parable of the ten virgins
1 ‘At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet
the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but
did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The
bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
6 ‘At midnight the cry rang out: “Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!”
7 ‘Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, “Give us
some of your oil; our lamps are going out.”
9 ‘“No,” they replied, “there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and
buy some for yourselves.”
10 ‘But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready
went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
11 ‘Later the others also came. “Lord, Lord,” they said, “open the door for us!”
12 ‘But he replied, “Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.”
13 ‘Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

Talk 2
Stand by for action – anything can happen in the next half hour!
Do you remember that? It was the start of Stingray every week.

Stand By For Action
● Are we prepared?
● What do we need to be prepared for?
● We cannot know what God will call us to do.
● One, but only one, message from the parable of 10 bridesmaids is Be prepared; – Boy Scouts motto!
Today we remember all those who have given their lives to maintain our society and protect and assure
our safety from any who would take it away.
● They were ready to act when the call came.
● Like Christ they sacrificed themselves for others.

Not everyone is happy with how easy it can be to go to war. We live in a far from perfect world.
● In my view there are situations when it is right to fight – to protect the weak, to stop invaders
and bullies. But this mustn;t be the first response.
● As I said we don;t live in a perect world. If we did there would be no need for the military like it
is now.
● As it is the military stands ready to protect us if needed.
That is a key point - the military stands ready. Ready to move quickly into action as soon as it is needed.
● It participates in humanitarian efforts all over the world and is able to respond quickly to
support people caught in disaster areas, and the training its members are given means they can
deal with these things effectively.
● It supports the emergency services with search and rescue efforts.
● It steps in to defend people who are unable to defend themselves.
● In an ideal world the military would become far more like another of Gerry Anderson’s
creations - International Rescue [from Thunderbirds] - a humanitarian organisation achieving
remarkable things, risking themselves against the odds for the good of other people.
What does this mean for us?
 Are we ready for action?
 Like some of the bridemaids.
 Like our military.

Our actions build (or destroy) God’s community of love.

We have privilege of working as partners with God.

A writer, Richard Bach, has a test:
Has God still got work for you to do?
Here is the test. Are you still alive?

What I am asking today, or rather asking you to ask yourselves, is how ready are each of us to step in
and help out when God needs us to?
 How often do we challenge our lives and lifestyles to reassess what we are each capable of doing
for God in faith?
 Are we ready to work for and with others like us, called to follow Jesus.
 Are we ready to join God's army to fight injustice, protect those who need it and bring help to all
who struggle and suffer?
Are we ready for action?
Amen.

706 Longing for light.

​Prayers for people and situations.
Loving God we bring our prayers for others, for your church, your world.
You are our God,
and in you we put our trust.
Lord, we pray for all those who are going to church today:
 for those worshipping in large numbers;
 for those gathered together in twos and threes;
 for other churches in this area;
 for service personnel meeting in temporary chapels,
 fnd for the chaplains who serve them;
 for groups who are meeting at war memorials today.
May your church always be a place
where peace is celebrated,
and your ways are taught.
You are our God,
and in you we put our trust.

Lord, we pray for the world’s nations.
We know that peace can be a very fragile thing,
violence can easily break out,
people who should be friends and neighbours turn upon one another,
and those who try to keep the peace get caught up in fighting.
We thank you for peace-makers;
for those who sit around conference tables
and try to make agreements;
for those who work amongst people,
trying to build good relations.
Protect them, and help their work to bear fruit.
Show us how we can be peace-makers
in our homes, at work or school,
and in our churches.
You are our God,
and in you we put our trust.

As we think of that promise that one day there will be no more war,
we think about those whose work takes them into danger.
Lord, we pray for our own servicemen and women,
and for their families waiting anxiously at home;
for the Royal British Legion,
and charities such as Hope for Heroes.
We pray for doctors and nurses working on the front line,
and for those at home,
dealing with terrible injuries.
Give them courage, patience and compassion.
You are our God,
and in you we put our trust.

As we remember the promise that no one shall make your people afraid,
we think of those caught up in violence,
whose life is one of fear.
Lord, we pray for those for whom violence has become a fact of life.
For children, taken from their homes at a young age
and forced to be soldiers.
We pray for those who suffer violence at home behind closed doors,
at the hands of friends or family.
Be with them all,
and bless the efforts of those who seek to transform their situations.
You are our God,
and in you we put our trust.
Lord, we are your people.
Each one of us is known to you by name
and we all have a part to play.
Show us what you want us to do
so that we may play our part
in changing your world.
You are our God,
and in you we put our trust.

Out of the Fathers glorious riches may he strengthen us with power through his Spirit in our inner
being, so that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith.
And I pray that, being rooted and established in love, we may have power to grasp how wide and long
and high and deep is the love of Christ. And to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that we may
be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power
that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for
ever and ever!
Amen.
Ephesians 3: 16-21.

Today we remember all those who have died bringing us freedom. WW1 &; WW2. But also the
Falklands, Iraq and Afghanistan.
And over 110 armed conflicts across the world today inc. :
 Over 45 in the Middle east and North Africa inc.
1. Israel/Hamas-Gaza
 Over 35 in Africa inc.
1. Democratic Repubuplic of Congo
2. Sudan
3. Mali
 Asia: 21 inc.
1. Pakistan
2. Myanmar
 Latin America: Mexico & Colombia.
 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
We share the pain of those who died & their relatives. The pain of those wounded. Those displaced
from their homes, fleeing as refugees, leaving behind their homes, jobs, belongings and, in many cases,
relatives.

​                        They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
                        Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
                        At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
                        We will remember them.

                                           Laurence Binyon (1869-1943)

Lords Prayer - Modern
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.

StF 645 Will your anchor hold.

​Prayer of Offering, Dedication & Thanks
Loving God, Father & Mother of all that is.
Thank you for the many good gifts you grant us, especially your love shown in Jesus.
Thank you for the gift of your Holy Spirit to guide and strengthen us day by day.
Thank you that we are called to be your children - to grow more like you every day.
We bring our offerings to you and ask that you bless them.
We bring our gifts and talents to you and ask that you bless them.
We bring our lives to you and ask that you bless them.
Thank you for your grace today and every day.
Amen.
​
Blessing

May the peace of God go with us,
wherever he may send us,
May he guide us through the wilderness,
protect us through the storm
May he bring us home rejoicing
at the wonders he has shown us,
May he bring us home rejoicing
once again into our doors.

​Loving God, you have given us this beautiful world, a world rich in diversity and beauty.
And yet a world scarred and marred by warfare and waste, exploitation and desecration.
And our choices and lifestyles contribute to that.

Call to worship
Welcome to worship.
We come to worship.
We come - as we are - with all our concerns, our regrets, our joys
We come - as we are to worship God who is here, who hears us, who loves us.
Let us praise God in the words of our first song:​

STF 64:  Praise is rising

Psalms are poems and songs that capture the range of our human experience.
Those times when we feel downcast, despairing or desolate.
Those times when we feel angry,
Those times when we are happy,
Those times of celebration.
This psalm is a psalm of thanksgiving.
It resonates with assurance and praise:
Give thanks to the Lord for he is good.
His steadfast love endures for ever.
And the psalmist recalls different situations to be thankful for.​

StF 727:    God in his love for us lent us this planet

Prayer of Confession
Loving God, you have given us this beautiful world, a world rich in diversity and beauty.
And yet a world scarred and marred by warfare and waste, exploitation and desecration.
And our choices and lifestyles contribute to that.
We are aware that we often hurt you and others by our attitudes, words and actions.
We are sometimes selfish, ignoring the needs of others.
We sometimes get so caught up in our own worries that we forget you.
We are sorry that our lives often do not reflect your love and peace.
Forgive us.
Loving God, you welcome us. Your love is generous, your grace is amazing.
Thank you that you forgive us - and call us to walk with you. Amen.
​
Hymn 707: Make me a channel of your peace

Psalms 107–150Psalm 107
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever.
2 Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story--
    those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
3 those he gathered from the lands,
    from east and west, from north and south.
4 Some wandered in desert wastelands,
    finding no way to a city where they could settle.
5 They were hungry and thirsty,
    and their lives ebbed away.
6 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he delivered them from their distress.
7 He led them by a straight way
    to a city where they could settle.
8 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
    and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
9 for he satisfies the thirsty
    and fills the hungry with good things.
10 Some sat in darkness, in utter darkness,
    prisoners suffering in iron chains,
11 because they rebelled against God’s commands
    and despised the plans of the Most High.
12 So he subjected them to bitter labor;
    they stumbled, and there was no one to help.
13 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he saved them from their distress.
14 He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness,
    and broke away their chains.
15 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
    and his wonderful deeds for mankind,

Reflection     
Psalm 107 is a psalm of praise to God for what he has done.
The psalm describes 4 situations.
- a group of wanderers in the wilderness who get lost, but eventually get to where they are
going.
- prisoners, dwelling in darkness, who are released,
- the sick. In those times this passage could have been interpreted as those who were
foolish, who had got into difficulty as a result of wrongdoing or misadventure.
- those on the sea. At that time the sea represented chaos. Both the Mediterranean Sea
and the Sea of Galilee were regarded as unpredictable and dangerous. Life-threatening
storms could whip up.
So in each of these situations there is distress - and delivery.
And in each there is recognition of our dependence on God.
The four sections could have related to something that had actually happened - or they
could capture a range of experience that a community may have.
I wonder if there have been times in our own lives when we have felt as though we were
‘in the wilderness’, or penned in some dark place, or felt sick to the core, or felt ‘all at sea’ -
tossed about in stormy times.
And in our distress we call to God. The answer may not come to our own timetable, but
God’s will is for us to be free and to flourish.
And so it is with the world.
The last decade has seen significant change and challenge - with the alarming impact of
the climate crisis, the scourge of conflict in so many places, and policies that impact most
on the already disadvantaged. There are those who seek safety and sanctuary - yet find
that they are unwelcome and rejected.
I wonder, how would it be if it was you and me walking in those perilous places.
How do we, as people of faith in a God who desires that all flourish, respond?
The prophet Micah reminds us: This is what the Lord requires of us: To love mercy, act
justly and walk humbly with our God.
The Methodist Church recommends to us the findings and recommendations of the
“Walking with Micah Project”. Read more about it ...... (link below)
It asks:
How do we respond to live out a call to justice as individuals and as a church?
Where can dreams of justice be seen?

How do we help others - and our environment - to thrive and not just survive?
To flourish?
The verses from Matthew are sobering. Are we going to be people who just talk about
justice? Are we going to practice what we preach?
In Psalm 107 v 35-37 there is a picture of flourishing. Deserts transformed by springs of
water, the hungry nourished, and the destitute finding a place to settle and thrive.
May we be justice seeking people of faith who enable all to flourish.​

Show me how to stand for justice (STF 713)

A prayer of blessing
May the love of God enfold us,
the peace of God sustain us,,
and the joy of God encourage us today and throughout this week.
Amen.