BROADWAY URC – 27TH JUNE 2021
DIFFERING VOICES
CALL TO WORSHIP –
I wait eagerly for the Lord’s help,
I wait for the Lord more eagerly than watchmen wait for the dawn,
Trust in the Lord because his love is constant,
And he is always willing to save. Psalm 130
We’re not all in the same boat!
Mark 4: 35-41
If ever you are caught in a storm at sea remember there are others in boats far less seaworthy than your own. We can be on the same ocean, in the same storm, but in very different boats! Feeling a little queasy on a large passenger ship on the ocean, or a ferry crossing the North sea, is not the same as being in an overcrowded dinghy being overwhelmed by the waves. We are all in the same boat is not a phrase I agree with — but I do want to help people into my boat. Or jump in with them and help them safely reach the shore.
Earth is heaven’s Garden!
Reading: Mark 4: 26-34
It might not be a new thought, but it was new to me during the week, and I hope it will be as encouraging for you as it is to me. The thought was that, “The earth is heaven’s garden and God is the Gardener…”
Hope!
Introduction
Hope is not just a word – to Christians it conveys so much that sustains us from day to day. In the midst of uncertainty and a lack of clarity that might surround us, we have a Hope that is absolutely certain and unshakable. That hope lies in the life, death and resurrection of our living Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ. He is our Living Hope and he is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Without him in our lives we have no hope for the future, with him in our lives we have every hope for the future.
THE TRINITY OF POWER!
Read: John 3: 1-17
THE STORY OF THE EAGLE DOVE!
I want to tell you a story about the early christian missionaries who went to Africa and found something they never shared when they got home… They got something from their mission as great as what they gave.
SERMON – The Fire of Life
I have to admit that during these last few months of lockdown I have been caught out time and time again as to what happened when, was it last year or was it the year before – and I don’t think I am on my own in this. For a short time let us play the game of ‘do you remember when’. There were horrible bush fires in Australia which seemed to rage for weeks, the flames were fanned by strong winds and many people lost their homes as well as whole neighbourhoods and one of the saddest things was that animals lost their habitat. The forests were all burnt down and there was no food, shade or shelter. Do you remember seeing pictures of little koala bears with burnt feet and scorched fur trying to get out of the way of the fire. It was horrible to watch, but it happened because we as custodians of this planet failed in our duty to care for it properly. Those fires happened because of climate change and then just a few short months later we were seeing pictures of floods and people watching as their houses slid away from them. Again, the cause is climate change and it all stands firmly at our door with our incessant need for more burning of fossil fuels.
In reality prayer is a one to one conversation
not a petition signed by many…
John 17: 6-17
Jesus says that where two or three are gathered he is there and I must admit my two or three are often the Father, Son and Spirit and me on my own in the bath, on a walk, in bed or delivering Christian Aid envelopes in the pouring rain.
CAW Service 2 – Chris Walters – Sunday 9th May
The beginning of Genesis, as read out to us, emphasises God’s desire for all creatures on earth to live in harmony, recognising that humankind is responsible for managing the lives of all other residents of the planet, whether trees and plants, insects, birds, sea creatures or land animals. This has happened, with notable and sadly-increasing exceptions, since records began.
CAW Service 1 – Chris Walters Main Address – Sunday 9th May
Christian Aid, together with its donors, is clearly working as a Good Samaritan, but on a much larger scale, helping those in need, regardless of status, gender, colour or religion.
Christian Aid currently works in about 30 countries in Central America, Africa, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region, and is presently giving Covid aid to about 20 of these countries, including India and her immediate neighbours. This is clearly Christian Aid’s most acute challenge at this time, given that its aim is to improve the lives of those living in its targeted countries, especially within their poor and marginalised communities.
THE GROWING PAIN IS HEAVEN’S GAIN!
John 15: 1-8
Love and Gardening are often two words I hear together like bread and butter. Not for me, but I did begin to think that LOVE must be like a set of secateurs in the hands of a gardener who prunes a tree like a parent who helps a child to grow. I don’t suggest threatening a child with the secateurs, but growing up can be a painful process.