We’re not able to meet together as church family today and for the coming weeks. Although, by necessity, we have to stay apart physically, we’re standing together to love, support and encourage one another. So, in around 90 different homes, we’ll sing the same songs, pray the same prayers and look together at God’s word to us, as we look to Matthew 16:1-12. There are some activities for those aged 14 or under to do and a bible talk from Richard for us to listen to.
For each person in your home, you’ll need a copy of this service sheet, a bible, print outs of the children’s sheets (if needed) and your computer or tablet to click on the links below. Please note that the songs are being played from YouTube, if one of the annoying adverts pop up, click on the ‘skip ad’ button.
Today’s service sheet can be downloaded here
Today’s resources for E Kids can be found here
The thinking behind the song choices is explained in italics
WELCOME AND OPENING PRAYER
Watch the video of Colin’s welcome and intro by clicking here
Our first song invites each of us to come to God, the Father through Jesus, his Son.
SONG – listen by clicking here
To God be the glory,
great things He has done.
So loved He the world that He gave us His Son
who yielded His life an atonement for sin
and opened the life-gate that all may go in.
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord!
Let the earth hear His voice.
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord!
Let the people rejoice.
Come to the Father through Jesus the Son!
Give Him the glory; great things He has done.
Oh, perfect redemption, the purchase of blood,
to every believer the promise of God.
The vilest offender who truly believes,
that moment from Jesus a pardon receives.
Great things He has taught us, great things He has done,
and great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son.
But purer and higher and greater will be
our wonder, our worship when Jesus we see.
BIBLE READING – Psalm 146
Psalm 146 encourages us to praise God for who he is and how he treats us.
146:1 Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
3 Put not your trust in princes,
in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
4 When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;
on that very day his plans perish.
5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
6 who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them,
who keeps faith for ever;
7 who executes justice for the oppressed,
who gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets the prisoners free;
8 the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
the Lord loves the righteous.
9 The Lord watches over the sojourners;
he upholds the widow and the fatherless,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
10 The Lord will reign for ever,
your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the Lord!
Our next song praises God for all his goodness to us, now and forever.
SONG – listen by clicking here
Bless the Lord, O my soul O my soul,
Worship his holy name.
Sing like never before, O my soul.
I’ll worship your holy name.
The sun comes up, it’s a new day dawning,
It’s time to sing your song again.
Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me,
Let me be singing when the evening comes.
Bless the Lord…
You’re rich in love and you’re slow to anger,
Your name is great and your heart is kind.
For all your goodness I will keep on singing,
Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find.
And on that day when my strength is failing,
The end draws near and my time has come.
Still my soul will sing your praise unending:
Ten thousand years and then forevermore.
PRAYERS
Click here to watch Colin and Nina lead us in prayer this morning.
As we come to look at the Bible together, our next song is a prayer that God, the Holy Spirit will speak to us and that we will be changed by him speaking.
SONG – listen by clicking here
Speak, O Lord, as we come to you
to receive the food of your holy Word.
Take your truth, plant it deep in us;
shape and fashion us in your likeness,
that the light of Christ might be seen today
in our acts of love and our deeds of faith.
Speak, O Lord, and fulfil in us
all your purposes for your glory.
Teach us, Lord, full obedience,
holy reverence, true humility;
test our thoughts and our attitudes
in the radiance of your purity.
Cause our faith to rise; cause our eyes to see
your majestic love and authority.
Words of pow’r that can never fail –
let their truth prevail over unbelief.
Speak, O Lord, and renew our minds;
help us grasp the heights of your plans for us.
Truths unchanged from the dawn of time
that will echo down through eternity.
And by grace we’ll stand on your promises,
and by faith we’ll walk as you walk with us.
Speak, O Lord, till your church is built.
Watch the bible talk video for the reading and bible talk from Richard by clicking here
BIBLE READING
Matthew 16:1-12
16:1 And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. 2 He answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ 3 And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. 4 An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” So he left them and departed.
5 When the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to bring any bread. 6 Jesus said to them, “Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 7 And they began discussing it among themselves, saying, “We brought no bread.” 8 But Jesus, aware of this, said, “O you of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread? 9 Do you not yet perceive? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? 10 Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? 11 How is it that you fail to understand that I did not speak about bread? Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 12 Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
BIBLE TALK
The shadow of hypocrisy
Talk outline:
Watch out!
Incident
Teaching
1. Don’t let worry weaken your faith
“Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33)
2. Watch out for teaching that can kill your faith
In our closing song we ask God that he would enable us to see him and all other things clearly.
SONG – listen by clicking here
Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart.
Naught be all else to me, save that thou art.
Thou my best thought by day or by night,
waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.
Be thou my wisdom, and thou my true word.
I ever with thee and thou with me, Lord.
Thou my great Father and I thy true son.
Thou in me dwelling and I with thee one.
Be thou my battle shield, sword for the fight.
Be thou my dignity, thou my delight.
Thou my soul’s shelter, thou my high tower!
Raise thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.
Riches I heed not nor man’s empty praise.
Thou my inheritance, now and always.
Thou, and thou only, first in my heart.
High King of heaven, my treasure thou art!
High King of heaven, after victory won,
May I reach heaven’s joys, O bright heaven’s sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
still be my vision, O Ruler of all.
Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart.
Naught be all else to me, save that thou art.
Thou my best thought by day or by night,
waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.
CLOSING PRAYER
Watch the video as Colin closes our service in prayer.
That’s the end of our service but do link up now with others from Emmanuel!
Some material in this service is © Used by permission CCL Licence # 1102690. The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. New International Version® Anglicized, NIV® Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.