Sunday 5th July
May this day bring sabbath rest to my heart and home.
May God's image in me be restored,
and my imagination in God be re-storied.
May the gravity of material things be lightened
and the relativity of time slow down.
May God's Word feed me and his Spirit lead me
into the week and into the life to come.
Amen.
Kids Zone
Activity Link:
Giving
Thank you for all your support of Wrington Chapel and its work in the past.
We realise that many people are hard-pressed at the moment, and church may be the last thing on your mind. However, we are looking to the future when we can reopen and support each other in our usual way. Unfortunately, being closed does not mean our expenses are substantially less. If you already have a standing order set up, then thank you. But if you haven't, please consider getting in touch with Steve Osman and setting one up. If that is impossible, please continue to save up your collection money, and we will collect it all together when we reopen. Please note that the rules do not allow us to claim any Gift Aid on collections that are not taken up in church. So do NOT drop collection money off at Steve's house. Simply take out a standing order, or save it up for that great and glorious reopening day.
'God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble.'
Psalm 46
We rejoice that the chapel is now open on Tuesday mornings and Thursday afternoons for anyone who wants to spend some quiet time with the Lord in this special place.
We thank you for the way you have touched those who have visited. We know there are people who are vulnerable and may feel anxious about venturing out and we pray that they are able to continue to meet with you wherever they are.
Thank you Father that we can indeed pray to you anywhere, any time and that through your Son, Jesus Christ this has been made possible.
Lord, we pray for our community.
As lock down continues to ease, pause to give thanks for all who have been working hard to keep things going during the lockdown. We thank you for the hard work of the village shop keepers, teachers, medical staff, post and delivery drivers, refuse collectors and community volunteers. Lord we ask your blessing and refreshing on each one.
We pray for our churches, each finding new ways to worship and pastor.
We lift to You Lord those on our prayer list.
We ask for your healing for those who are sick in body, mind or spirit.
Comfort those who are grieving, Bring peace to those in turmoil, with difficult decisions to make.
Take away fear from any who are anxious or worried.
Surround each one with your love and peace as we go into a new week.
Amen
Our prayer focus this week is MAF.
We give thanks for all the pilots and support staff working in difficult situations around the world.
MAF Pilot, Phil Henderson, takes social distancing to the extreme in Bardai -
a remote town in northern Chad. After landing, authorities imposed their
restrictions on Phil: 'They wouldn't let me overnight in town because Bardai
has yet to be touched by coronavirus. All too happy to comply.' So Phil
camped in the desert!
David 1 - Bighead Saul
Today we begin a series to take us through most of the summer, looking at the life of David. We want to see what it can teach us, and why Jesus often referred to David. We start by looking at the failure of King Saul, who was king immediately before David.
Click the microphone above to go to this weeks recording.
1st Samuel 8
4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. 5 They said to him, "You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have."
7 And the Lord told him: "Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.
18 When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the Lord will not answer you in that day."
1st Samuel 9
2 Kish had a son named Saul, as handsome a young man as could be found anywhere in Israel, and he was a head taller than anyone else.
1st Samuel 10
1 Then Samuel took a flask of olive oil and poured it on Saul's head and kissed him, saying, "Has not the Lord anointed you ruler over his inheritance?
22 So they inquired further of the Lord, "Has the man come here yet?"
And the Lord said, "Yes, he has hidden himself among the supplies."
1st Samuel 12
12 "But when you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites was moving against you, you said to me, 'No, we want a king to rule over us'-even though the Lord your God was your king. 13 Now here is the king you have chosen, the one you asked for; see, the Lord has set a king over you.
1st Samuel 13 verses 1 to 14
Samuel Rebukes Saul
13 Saul was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned over Israel forty- two years.
2 Saul chose three thousand men from Israel; two thousand were with him at Mikmash and in the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan at Gibeah in Benjamin. The rest of the men he sent back to their homes.
3 Jonathan attacked the Philistine outpost at Geba, and the Philistines heard about it. Then Saul had the trumpet blown throughout the land and said, "Let the Hebrews hear!" 4 So all Israel heard the news: "Saul has attacked the Philistine outpost, and now Israel has become obnoxious to the Philistines." And the people were summoned to join Saul at Gilgal.
5 The Philistines assembled to fight Israel, with three thousand chariots, six thousand charioteers, and soldiers as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They went up and camped at Mikmash, east of Beth Aven. 6 When the Israelites saw that their situation was critical and that their army was hard pressed, they hid in caves and thickets, among the rocks, and in pits and cisterns. 7 Some Hebrews even crossed the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead.
Saul remained at Gilgal, and all the troops with him were quaking with fear. 8 He waited seven days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul's men began to scatter. 9 So he said, "Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings." And Saul offered up the burnt offering. 10 Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to greet him.
11 "What have you done?" asked Samuel.
Saul replied, "When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Mikmash, 12 I thought, 'Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the Lord's favor.' So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering."
13 "You have done a foolish thing," Samuel said. "You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. 14 But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the Lord's command."
Closing Prayer:
and destined for the bin.
Amen
