ST JOHN THE EVANGELIST
UNITED CHURCH
SUNDAY SERVICE
Sunday- 5 Sept 2021
“Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion,
which cannot be shaken but endures for ever.”
Psalm 125:1
Hymn: O God beyond all praising
SoF 953
1 O God beyond all praising
We worship You today
And sing the love amazing
That songs cannot repay;
For we can only wonder
At every gift You send,
At blessings without number
And mercies without end:
We lift our hearts before You
And wait upon Your word,
We honour and adore You,
Our great and mighty Lord.
2 Then hear, O gracious Saviour,
Accept the love we bring,
That we who know Your favour
May serve You as our king;
And whether our tomorrows
Be filled with good or ill,
We’ll triumph through our sorrows
And rise to bless You still:
To marvel at Your beauty
And glory in your ways,
And make a joyful duty
Our sacrifice of praise.
Prayer of praise and worship
Living God we praise You for Your goodness, which will never be defeated. For Your love, that will never be withdrawn.
For Your power, which does not rest but goes on creating, bringing good out of evil, and life out of death.
We praise You for the human life lived triumphantly by Jesus, so that we may triumph too.
We praise You for the hope of the ultimate victory of love, when the universe
will ring with loud joyful praise.
Only You, Lord, can give meaning and purpose to human life.
We come to You to receive so that we may give, to make Your love known and human life complete, for the everlasting honour of Your name.
Amen.
Confession
Let us call to mind our sins …..
Where we have demanded standards from others that we have failed to fulfill ourselves.
Save us from being very easy on ourselves and hard on others.
Where we have made excuses for things in ourselves that in others we would condemn.
Save us from being open-eyed to the faults of others but blind to our own.
Where we have taken for granted the many things our loved ones do for us.
Save us from making selfish demands on them.
O God our Father, we confess these and other sins and those we commit but fail to recognise.
Save us from these and all the sins into which we so easily fall.
Through this week and beyond, help us to love our neighbour as we love ourselves; to treat others in the same way we wish them to treat us.
Help us to live as people who know they are forgiven through the self-giving love of Jesus Christ our Saviour.
We rejoice in the freedom of forgiveness and give thanks to God for his goodness and grace. Amen.
Old Testament:
Epistle:
Praise song:
Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Praise the Lord 43
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
look full in his wonderful face;
and the things of the earth will grow strangely dim
in the light of his glory and grace.
Keep your eyes upon Jesus,
look full in his wonderful face;
and the things of the earth will grow strangely dim
in the light of his glory and grace.
Homily
Rev Peter Witbooi
Hymn:
O for a thousand tongues to sing
WOV 141(ii)
1 O for a thousand tongues to sing
my great Redeemer's praise!
the glories of my God and King,
the triumphs of His grace!
5 Hear him ye deaf, his praise ye dumb,
your loosened tongues employ;
ye blind, behold your Saviour come;
and leap ye lame, for joy!
6 My gracious Master and my God,
Assist me to proclaim;
To spread through all the earth abroad
The honours of Thy name.
Affirmation of Faith:
We believe and trust in God the Father who created the universe.
We believe and trust in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who has redeemed the World.
We believe in the Holy Spirit who gives life to the people of God.
Amen.
Prayers:
God bless Africa. Guard our children.
Guide our leaders and give us peace,
for Jesus Christ’s sake.
Heavenly Lord Jesus, as a new season begins we marvel at the blossoms that brighten
our day; we see the activity of the birds as they build their nests and we thank you for your unfailing plan of renewal after a cold winter made more difficult because of the restrictions due to the Covid pandemic.
Jesus, as we turn our eyes on you and prepare to walk in your footsteps, help us to serve all we encounter each day. Keep us from using our fear or confusion as an excuse not to serve; and help us just to make serving the most natural response we
have to anyone. May our service join with that of others to gently change our world into a place where all serve and all are served.
Amen.
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 trespasses,
as we forgive those
who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
Hymn:
O Jesus, I have promised
WOV 514(ii)
1.O Jesus I have promised
to serve you to the end;
Lord, be for ever near me,
my master and my friend:
I shall not fear the battle
if you are by my side,
nor wander from the pathway
if you will be my guide.
2.O let me feel you near me:
the world is ever near;
I see the sights that dazzle,
the tempting sounds I hear;
my foes are ever near me,
around me and within;
but, Jesus, draw me nearer,
and shield my soul from sin.
3.O let me hear you speaking
in accents clear and still,
above the storms of passion,
the murmurs of self-will;
Lord, speak to reassure me,
to chasten or control;
O speak, and make me listen,
true guardian of my soul.
4.Lord, let me see your foot marks
and in them plant my own;
that I may follow boldly
and in your strength alone:
O guide me, call me, draw me,
uphold me to the end;
and then in heaven receive me,
my Saviour and my friend.
Now unto Him who is able to keep,
Able to keep you from falling,
And present you faultless
Before the presence of His glory
With exceeding joy.
To the only wise God, our Saviour,
Be glory and majesty, dominion and power,
Both now and forever. Amen.