We joined together virtually with Barry live from the Manse for today’s worship service, we have welcomed people from far and wide today including Peebles, York, Northern Ireland and even our good friends at Menstrie Parish Church tuning in.
Our Sunday Worship services are streamed live on our Facebook Page each Sunday at 11am and can be easily viewed on Facebook or for those that can’t access Facebook you can watch the recorded service from our YouTube channel, which should show below.
Our first hymn was the Celtic version of, I heard the voice of Jesus say.
Prayer
Father,
We meet this morning in your name, to praise you with our singing, to learn about you through listening to your word and to love you and each other through our Christian fellowship.
We come before you in joy yet also in humility for we know have so often fallen short of your glory, you are a loving God, all powerful, all seeing, all knowing God. Yet you are also a forgiving God, and their are no frontiers or limits placed on your forgiveness.
You have given us this earth a planet of great wealth and resources, yet we do not always show you our thanks for this. Help us and all the people of the earth to love your creation to honour it and to prepare it for future generations.
We can praise you in so many different ways one of these ways is by rejoicing in all you have given us.
Father we place before you the many occasions even during this last week when we have let you down. We have made promises to you which we have not keep, promises to serve you, love you, speak and to act in your name. We who have heard your message of love do not not always responded to it as we should not do we always proclaim it as we should, help us be disciples of Christ and act in his name alone so that he may guide us in the ways of truth and of love and Lord we remember the greatest gift you ever sent us and greatest sacrifice your son Jesus Christ who came down to live amongst us to walk and serve with us and let us remember him as we join together in the words he taught us
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 debts,
as we forgive our debtors
lead us not into temptation,
and deliver us from evil,
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power,
and the glory,
forever.
AMEN
Our bible reading today was from Mark’s gospel reading from Mark 1:29-39
As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her. So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them.
That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. The whole town gathered at the door, and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.
Jesus Prays in a Solitary Place
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!”
Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.
Mark 1:29-39
Barry then led us through a short sermon about how Mark 1:29-39 is in today’s world and how even then life was a bit of a rollercoaster just like it is today.
We then joined together to share in singing All Are Welcome (Let us build a house)
We then had our prayers of intercession
Father God we especially bring you our prayers today for a world which is so in need of your healing hand, Lord we so often used those words healing hands in our prayers but they have never been more relevant than they are at the moment. We pray for the many around the world, here in Scotland, across the UK and in just about every country around the world effected by Corona virus for those who are suffering in hospital or ill, for those who have lost loved ones, for those who’s lives have been turned upside down, those who have lost work, those who are self employed who’s businesses have ground to a halt, those who are unable to go and visit loved ones, friends or family. Those who are worried about close relatives who may be far away and unable to go and visit them, Lord we also pray for the many people who are working so hard to combat this virus it was so wonderful to see so many come out this week to show their support for our wonderful NHS workers and volunteers and we also give thanks to those in our communities, and society who are keeping things going, those who work in supermarkets, those who work as delivery drivers, carers, volunteers and so many others that we can’t mention.
Father God we thank you that there seems to be a new spirit afoot in this nation a spirit of caring, a spirit of hope, a spirit of community and it’s our prayer Lord that when life eventually gets back to what we call normal, that so much of the positivity, caring, love and the goodness that we all have experienced in the last couple of weeks will stay with us.
Lord let us not forget the many other people around the world who still need our prayers, the people who still suffer because of war, conflict and violence in their lands. The people for whom every day is a struggle, who do not have the necessities, the basics of life that we still take so much for granted and Lord whilst we may fret in this country about being able to buy milk or soap or toilet paper we remember those for whom there are far worse daily struggles are a reality of their lives.
Lord we pray for those in our communities we know that in this service there are many communities with us today. We now hold a moment for silent prayer.
You know all the prayers of our hearts both those which are spoke and those which remain unspoken,
All of these prayers we offer in the name of your son Jesus Christ
AMEN
Thank you for joining us for our worship service.
We then closed with the blessing.
Thus week we will continue with our Daily Reflections sessions we will be having some time during these sessions to mention streets within all the communities that have been joining us not just Raploch and Cornton but to our world wide friends who share in this the sessions so if your from Menstrie, Tulibody, Pebbles, York, Leeds, Northern Ireland or even those who tune in from Chicago and further afield please join us this week.
Thank you for joining us for our Sunday Worship, please join us tomorrow for our Daily Reflections session live on our Facebook Page at 11am and will be uploaded shortly after to our YouTube channel we will as always post them to our website too.
