Hello and welcome to our Sunday Worship service live from the Manse with our Minister Barry Hughes.
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.
Announcements
Ruby Wedding
We would like to wish David and Fiona Russel a happy 40th wedding anniversary today.
Tour de Manse
As you all know Barry is a keen cyclist and throughout May is going to cycle 1,735km on his turbo-trainer in the Manse garage. 1,735km may seem a bit of a random distance but it is exactly half the distance of the Tour de France, Barry is doing this in aid of Home Start Stirling who are based within our parish, we will share more details during the week and provide some updates on, le tour.
Call to Worship
Lord you are glorious and mighty And we have come to worship you Your name is greater than any other And we have come to worship you Your voice has called us here today And we have come to worship you
Our first hymn today is the Hallelujah Chorus by College Church in Wheaton, Illinois, USA.
Opening Prayer
Lord God we so often use fine words in our prayers and in our worship, but we do so little to turn them in to deeds. Instead of being one heart and sole, one family in your name, we chose sides and form groups choosing people just like us. We are blessed with your great grace, yet we so often have trouble with sharing it with those who need it most. God of love forgive us, forgive us as we step out of our shadows and into your light. Restore us as e reveal our brokenness, hear us as we gather together as your people where ever we are to proclaim Jesus Christ as our saviour, as our Lord and as our God. And as a sign of this let us join together saying the words he taught us Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is 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 for ever. Amen
Reading
Today’s reading is from Acts 4:32-37 and Acts 5:1-11
The believers share their possessions
32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all 34 that there was no needy person among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.
36 Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means ‘son of encouragement’), 37 sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.
Ananias and Sapphira
5 Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 2 With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.
3 Then Peter said, ‘Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4 Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.’
5 When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. 6 Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.
7 About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 Peter asked her, ‘Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?’
‘Yes,’ she said, ‘that is the price.’
9 Peter said to her, ‘How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.’
10 At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.
Our second hymn today is All hail the Power of Jesus Name, from First-Plymouth Church, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA.
Prayer for Others
Father God we meet today to crown him, crown him Lord of all. Lord where ever we are where ever we have gathered from we can all join in our praises together. Lord we can also join in our prayers together as well, we can bring you our prayers from all parts of this country for all parts of the world. We continue to pray for all the trouble spots of the world especially those who's plight has disappeared off our television screens and off our newspapers during this time of Covid-19, we pray for people who's lives will never return to the normality which we aspire to return to soon. Lord we are living through challenging times but in many ways the challenges which are presented to us are just a blip compared to the challenges so many people around you world face. Challange to find work, to find food, to find healthcare, to find a roof over their heads, to find a place which they even call home, we pray for the many displaced people of the world, those who have had to flee to foreign lands, those having to live in refugee camps who's plight will continue long after our inconviniance stops. Lord in bringing you our prayers for the world we do also bring you our prayers for all those who have suffered in a very real way because of Covid-19, we pray for the many families that have been bereaved, we pray for the many healthcare workers putting themselves on the line everyday, for all indeed who work on the front line in what ever capacity, we continue to thank you for those whom we have known that have recovered, but we continue to pray for those that have lost loved ones, for those who are anxiously waiting news of loved ones in hospital when they can't even go and visit them. We also pray for those who have been effected in so many other ways, those whos income has been hit, those who are worried if they will have a job to go back to after this crisis is finished, those for who the extra pressures of being home with family has sometimes been to much for them to bare, Lord be with them all, and in a moment of silence now we join together to remember those known to us... Lord we just heard this words sung all hail the power of Jesus name and it is in his name that we offer all of these prayers Amen
We closed the service saying a shared blessing
May the God of peace Who raised Christ from the dead Strengthen your inner being for every good work. And may the blessing of God Almighty Father, Son and Holy Spirit Rest upon you and dwell within you This day and evermore Amen
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.
