Aug 292021
 

TAVISTOCK METHODIST CIRCUIT SERVICE ‘AT HOME’ FOR SUNDAY 29 AUGUST, 2021

(Prepared By Graham Skedgell)

“How lovely is your dwelling place,
O Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
I long, yes, I faint with longing
to enter the courts of the Lord.”
Psalm 84, verses 1 and 2

HYMN

O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!
Bow down before him, his glory proclaim;
With gold of obedience, and incense of lowliness,
Kneel and adore him: the Lord is his Name!

Low at his feet lay thy burden of carefulness,
High on his heart he will bear it for thee,
And comfort thy sorrows, and answer thy prayerfulness,
Guiding thy steps as may best for thee be.

Fear not to enter his courts in the slenderness
Of the poor wealth thou wouldst reckon as thine;
For truth in its beauty, and love in its tenderness,
These are the offerings to lay on his shrine.

These, though we bring them in trembling and fearfulness,
He will accept for the Name that is dear;
Mornings of joy give for evenings of tearfulness,
Trust for our trembling and hope for our fear.

PRAYER
Father, as we come once more into your presence,
We acknowledge you to be the Lord of life; the creator of all things; the giver of all good gifts.
We come through no merit of our own, but because you have called us to come, just as we are.
As we kneel before you, we lay down everything that would keep us from worshipping you, and we ask you to draw us ever closer to you, in true humility.
We seek your love. We seek your comfort. We seek your guidance, as we live life day by day. Come to us, Lord, we pray.
And in the time we now spend in worship, may your Spirit lead us into your truth.
Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. AMEN

THE LORD’S PRAYER

BIBLE READING:
Please read James chapter 1, verses 17-27
You might like to read this from different versions of the Bible, and compare them.

HYMN

When peace like a river attendeth my way
When sorrows like sea billows roll
Whatever my lot,
Thou hast taught me to say
It is well, it is well with my soul

Chorus:
It is well (it is well)
With my soul (with my soul)
It is well, it is well with my soul

Though Satan should buffet,
Though trials should come
Let this blest assurance control
That Christ has regarded
My helpless estate
And has shed His own blood for my soul

Chorus

My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought
My sin, not in part, but the whole
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
O my soul!

Chorus

And Lord, haste the day
when my faith shall be sight
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll
The trump shall resound,
And the Lord shall descend
Even so, it is well with my soul!

Chorus

REFLECTION
“Every good and perfect gift is from above”
The letter of James is only a short letter, but it contains a lot to get our teeth into. The section we’re looking at today begins with a wonderful statement that every good gift comes from God. In some versions of the Bible, the word gift occurs twice, and reads: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above.” This is because in the language in which it was originally written, two different words are in fact used, both of which have been translated into English simply as gift.

The first occurrence concerns the act of giving: the second concerns the gift itself. When taken together, they give clear expression to God’s generosity of heart in giving, and his extravagance shown in the gift itself. That gift, says James, is “birth through the word of truth”, which is the gospel. James is reminding his readers, as I am trying to remind you now, that our birth into a God-centred life comes from “the Father of the heavenly lights”, who is the giver of all that is good; the giver of every good and perfect gift.

And as if that wasn’t enough to be thankful for, he goes on to point out that God “does not change like shifting shadows.” It’s a phrase echoed in the words of the well known hymn ‘Great is Thy faithfulness’, which says, “there is no shadow of turning with Thee.” In times when nothing seems to be certain, and everything around us seems to be changing, it’s reassuring to remind ourselves that the giver of every good and perfect gift never changes.

How we use the gift of new life is at the heart of the rest of this passage. James says we need to be “quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” Really? Yes, really. Something for all of us to think about. I wonder if I am “quick to listen”. I wonder if I am “slow to speak. I wonder if I am “slow to become angry.”

If we’re serious about living the life God has given us, James says that we need to “get rid of all moral filth, and the evil that is so prevalent,” and “humbly accept the word planted in us, which can save us.” This calls for much more than a quick whizz around with a spiritual cleaner, or even a more thorough ‘deep clean.’ It goes to the heart. It penetrates our very being. it is radical, because it requires a commitment of the will.

But even that is not enough, because James goes on to urge his readers not merely to simply “listen to the word, and so deceive ourselves.” But to “Do what it says.” On reading those words I was reminded of a neighbour of ours, when I was growing up, who was going through difficult times, and finding it hard to make ends meet. On one occasion, I remember her saying, “I don’t need your sympathy. I need your help.” Something that has stayed with me ever since. Because it’s not enough to be aware of the needs of other people, we need to do something about it.

It’s easy to sit and listen to (or read) sermons week after week, and say, “That was a good  message.” but do nothing about it. James says, “Do what it says.” Of course this begs the question, “What is it that we should do? As if anticipating the question, James refers to two things we should do. “look after orphans and widows in their distress” and “keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

And yes, we need to do both, whilst holding them in tension. Because if in doing the first, we wear ourselves out, and neglect our own spiritual health and well-being, what good is that? On the other hand, if we look after of ourselves, but do not care for the marginalised in society, what good is that? We need to do both.

These few verses of Scripture challenge me. Perhaps they challenge you too. If so, let’s resolve to put what we have read into practice. Let’s “Do what it says.” And then in God’s strength, and in the power of the Holy Spirit, we’ll be amazed at what he can do in us and through us. “Every good and perfect gift is from above”
AMEN

PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION
Father, with so many things to pray about, we focus our minds today on just these three.
We pray for the situation in Afghanistan.
We lay before you the people of that country,
Those who have stayed, and those who have been forced to flee;
Those living with terror, who fear for their lives, and for the future;
Those who will never be able to live life in the way they hoped.
We bring this before you. And we pray that peace may yet prevail.

We pray too for our own land, and for all those
Whose lives have been affected by the pandemic.
For those who have lost loved ones.
For those who have lost their health and strength.
And for those who seek to bring healing to broken lives.
May they know the touch of your hand upon them, whether in hospital or at home.

And we pray that in the coming days,
We may truly be people who are
Quick to listen; slow to speak; and slow to become angry.

And may we be people who not only listen to your word, but do what it says.
These prayers we bring through Jesus Christ, our Lord. AMEN

HYMN

God’s Spirit is in my heart,
He has called me and set me apart.
This is what I have to do,
What I have to do.

He has sent me to give the Good News to the poor,
Tell prisoners that they are prisoners no more,
Tell blind people that they can see,
And set the downtrodden free

And go tell everyone the news that Kingdom of God has come,
And go tell everyone the news that God’s Kingdom has come.

Just as the Father sent me,
So I’m sending you out to be
My witnesses throughout the world,
The whole of the world.
Don’t worry what you have to say,
Don’t worry because on that day
God’s Spirit will speak in your heart,
Will speak in your heart.

AND A FINAL BLESSING
The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make his face shine on you
And be gracious to you;
The Lord turn his face toward you
And give you peace. AMEN