Welcome to the CHS Vientiane Worship Service Resources
We invite you to take time this Sunday, in families or very small groups of friends, to responsibly share space to worship God together.
If you are on your own, please be assured we are together in the Spirit and if you have needs, or just want to share concerns, please don't be afraid to reach out
If you are on your own, please be assured we are together in the Spirit and if you have needs, or just want to share concerns, please don't be afraid to reach out
and share these with the CHS community. Contact details can be found on our church website at: http://www.thechs.org/
Ideas for parents to use with their children at home can be found on this page (click this link).
~ Pastor Tony
Scripture Sentence
“Be
generous to one another, tender-hearted,
forgiving
one another as God in Christ
forgave
you.”
(Ephesians
4:32)
Collect
Almighty
God,
you
have taught us through your Son
that
love fulfils the law,
grant
us grace to love you
with
all our heart,
all
our soul,
all
our mind,
all
our strength,
and
to love our neighbour as ourselves;
through
Jesus Christ our Lord,
who
lives and reigns
with
you and the Holy Spirit,
one
God, now and for ever.
Amen.
Call to Worship
This is a place of welcome,
a
place where all may find solace,
where
all may celebrate,
where
all are valued,
where
all are loved,
where
all find refreshment on offer.
God
welcomes you here.
Let’s
come to God in worship.
Response
Leader:
Welcome.
All: It is God’s
welcome.
Leader:
You are valued and loved.
All: It is God’s
welcome.
Leader:
We offer you some refreshment.
All: It is God’s
welcome.
Leader:
Stay a while in this place.
All: It is God’s
welcome.
Reflection
This
is a place of welcome,
a
place where all may find solace,
where
all may celebrate,
where
all are valued,
where
all are loved,
where
all find refreshment on offer.
God
welcomes you here.
Let’s
come to God in worship.
Amen.
Opening Hymn of
Praise
Only by Grace (MP914)
Only
by grace can we enter,
only by grace can we stand;
not by our human endeavour,
but by the blood of the Lamb.
Into Your presence You call us,
You call us to come;
into Your presence You draw us,
and now by Your grace we come,
now by Your grace we come.
only by grace can we stand;
not by our human endeavour,
but by the blood of the Lamb.
Into Your presence You call us,
You call us to come;
into Your presence You draw us,
and now by Your grace we come,
now by Your grace we come.
Lord,
if You mark our transgressions who would stand?
Thanks to Your grace we are cleansed by the blood of the Lamb.
Lord, if You mark . . .
Thanks to Your grace we are cleansed by the blood of the Lamb.
Lord, if You mark . . .
Only
by grace . . .
Confession
Our
heavenly Father
thank
you that you love us and care for us all the time.
We
know that this week we have not always lived the way you tell us.
We
have done wrong things and not done all the good things we should have done.
Only
you can save us,
so
please forgive us
and
help us to live as your friends.
We
ask this in Jesus’ name.
Silence
In
prayer
we
remember You invite us
to
choose between the path of darkness
and
the path of light,
and
laying our sorrow and failure on the ground
we
long for Your forgiveness to call us
towards
life with You.
We
wait to be reshaped
by
the fire of Your Holy Spirit,
as
new vigour spurs us
to
walk with You.
Silence
God’s
gift of eternal life has been given in Jesus Christ,
who
offers us forgiveness from our sins,
and
welcomes us to the way of holiness.
Amen
“If
we confess our sins,
he
is faithful and just
and
will forgive us our sins
and
purify us from all unrighteousness.”
(1 John 1: 9)
Creed
We
believe in God the Father,
Maker
of all things.
We
believe in his Son Jesus Christ,
Lord
and Saviour of the world.
We
believe in the Holy Spirit,
giver
of life and light.
We
belong to the Church,
God’s
family everywhere.
Amen.
Bible Readings
Psalm: Psalm
89:1-4;15-18
First
reading: Jeremiah
28:5-9
Second
reading: Romans
6:12-23
Gospel: Matthew
10:40-42
Shout
for joy and sing your praises to the King;
lift your voice and let your hallelujahs ring.
Come before His throne to worship and adore;
enter joyfully now the presence of the Lord.
lift your voice and let your hallelujahs ring.
Come before His throne to worship and adore;
enter joyfully now the presence of the Lord.
You
are my Creator,
You are my deliverer,
You are my Redeemer, you are Lord;
and you are my healer.
You are my provider,
You are now my shepherd and my guide:
Jesus, Lord and King, I worship You.
You are my deliverer,
You are my Redeemer, you are Lord;
and you are my healer.
You are my provider,
You are now my shepherd and my guide:
Jesus, Lord and King, I worship You.
Prayer for / with the
Children
God
of Abraham,
God
of Isaac,
God
present of Jesus,
God
present in the lives of Your people,
You
are the God of invitation.
Your
invitation given to Abraham
called
him to follow
trusting
in the promises
that
You offered.
Promises
of a relationship
that
would build a community
willing
to share in the care of Your creation.
Jesus
is your invitation.
An
invitation
into
a relationship with You,
where
we recognise the value
of
those we share the world with;
where
we see You
and
greet You,
in
the hands and voices of others.
The
Good News fills our imaginations
with
the hope of living
as
You would have us live,
welcoming
the stranger,
caring
for the outcast,
healing
those who struggle with life,
bring
new life from what has died.
Through
the Holy Spirit,
Your
invitation sounds
in
least expected moments
and
in the ordinary tasks of our days.
We
are Your creation,
and
in our turning to You
we
trust You with our lives,
believing
that with Your presence
our
world can be transformed
to
bring Your kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.
We
pray this in Jesus’ name
Amen.
Sermon
A transcript of the CHS sermon for Sunday 28.06.20 can be found here.
A video of the CHS sermon for Sunday 28.06.20 can be found here.
A video of the CHS sermon for Sunday 28.06.20 can be found here.
*Bonus feature here is the midweek sermon from Bishop Rennis Ponniah of the Anglican Diocese
of Singapore: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECexgqBjy38
Song
I really want to worship You (MP795)
You
laid aside Your majesty,
gave up everything for me,
suffered at the hands of those You had created;
You took all my guilt and shame,
when You died and rose again;
now today You reign in heaven and earth exalted.
gave up everything for me,
suffered at the hands of those You had created;
You took all my guilt and shame,
when You died and rose again;
now today You reign in heaven and earth exalted.
I
really want to worship You, my Lord,
You have won my heart and I am Yours.
For ever and ever I will love You.
You are the only one who died for me,
gave Your life to set me free,
so I lift my voice to You in adoration.
You have won my heart and I am Yours.
For ever and ever I will love You.
You are the only one who died for me,
gave Your life to set me free,
so I lift my voice to You in adoration.
Offering
(Please
do bear in mind that as long as we are still able to,
CHS
is continuing to support various projects and people
in
need and needs will likely increase during this time.
You
may want to set aside some money in an envelope every Sunday
and
bring these to church when we next meet back at ARDA.)
Dedication of our
Offering
God
of all goodness and grace,
give
us such confidence,
such
peace, such happiness in you,
that
your will
may
always be dearer to us
than
our will,
and
your pleasure than our pleasure.
All
that you give is your free gift to us,
all
that you take away is your grace to us.
May
you be thanked for all,
praised
for all,
loved
for all;
through
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Thanksgiving
God
of salvation,
we
are surprised to discover
Your
desire to have us as Your people;
we
are surprised by the freedoms
You
have bestowed upon us;
and
from our surprise
we
turn in thankfulness
to
praise You
for
Your trust in the choices we will make.
We
are thankful for
our
freedom;
the
people who inspire us
with
the story of faith they tell;
the
gift of living
as
a fellowship offering love
to
the community.
Through
Your grace,
may
we be inspired
to
live as those
who
choose Your path of light
that
the darkness of our fears and doubts
may
be dispelled
by
Christ’s presence.
Amen
Intercessions
Let
us take our weariness and tiredness to God
who
picks up those who have fallen
and
raises up those who are brought low.
Bless
those, good Lord,
who
are bowed down
under
the burdens they must carry.
We
pray for those who are crushed by their responsibilities at work
and
those who feel the pain of our world,
who
marvel that others can seem so indifferent to it.
Help
them to keep on going.
Bring
supportive friends alongside them.
Give
them tokens of Your grace,
fresh
vision and courage
and
signs of encouragement in their struggle.
Let
us take our loneliness to God,
who
delights to put the solitary into families.
God
our Father,
bless
those who are lonely
those
who have grown old
and
whom the passing years have taken
all
their friends and contemporaries.
Bless
those who are shy,
who
find it hard to initiate conversation
and
have never known real friendships.
We
pray for strangers in a foreign land,
for
asylum seekers and refugees,
separated
by language and culture
from
familiar ways and much loved customs.
We
remember all those
who
even in the midst of crowds feel alone.
Help
the Church, we pray,
to
be a place of acceptance and belonging,
a
place of welcome and inclusion,
where
all can find a home,
a
listening ear, a friendly smile and a helping hand.
Let
us take our sorrows to God,
who
binds up the broken-hearted
and
comforts those who mourn.
Bless
those whose hearts are sore today.
Be
very close to those
whose
family circle has been invaded
and
whose joy has been darkened by death.
We
remember those who have lost loved ones
for
whom they have cared,
whose
needs they have met,
whose
lives have been so intertwined
that
they still listen for a voice
they
will not hear again.
We
remember wives who have lost husbands
and
husbands who have lost wives;
parents
who have lost children,
who
find their homes strangely silent and empty now
and
children who have lost parents,
who
are confused by a world that seems
less
secure and more frightening than before
and
all who for whom
familiar
places, and sounds and smells
awaken
memories that bring tears in their wake.
Thank
You for our faith.
May
they rest in peace and rise in glory.
Let
us turn to God in trust
and
recommit ourselves to God.
Send
us forth this day
with
the joy that no-one can take from us,
the
life which is Your life
and
the hope that gives strength to our actions.
Help
us to sing of our faith
and
in that singing find our strength to go on,
trusting
in Jesus who lived among us,
died
for us and rose again
and
who prays for us today,
even
as we pray to Him.
In
His name we pray,
Amen
*Additional Points for prayer:
Please pray for Tim and Michelle's co-worker Marcus C. from Malaysia and his children Elias and Elodie following the sudden passing of his wife Rachel last week. Rachel's parents live in China and won't be able to travel to Chiang Mai, where the family are based. We pray for God's comfort and strength for each day and particularly for the day of the funeral for the whole family in Thailand and China.
We also remember Jacob and Jessily's neighbours, a family from India. The family are hoping to be medi-vac'ed from Laos to India today, so that the wife can receive medical care and treatment for her advanced-stage cancer. We pray for this family: husband, wife and ten year old son, that God would shine his light in the darkness they are experiencing in what has been an incredibly difficult time for them. May God bring healing, comfort and peace. May all their needs be provided for, including journeying mercies as they travel back to India.
Pray also for Matt Anderson from Sydney, Australia, who has been working in Xieng Khouang. Matt has had severe headaches and is currently in Alliance Hospital, awaiting transfer to Australia, to allow further investigation of his health issues there. He hopes to be able to fly out on Tuesday. We pray for Matt, that you will bring full healing to him and that the nature of his illness will be successfully diagnosed and appropriate treatment given. We give thanks for Matt, a young man who has left his family and friends to answer God's call to serve the people here. We pray for Matt and his parents and other family members to know God's peace at this time.
Please also remember Stephen from England, whose father's funeral takes place this coming Friday. We pray for Stephen, his brother Robert and step-mother Mary, that God would help them and support them through this time of bereavement. May they know the reality of God's presence with them and respond to the words of the Gospel, they will hear read at the funeral and put their trust and hope in Him. Praise God that the death of Stephen's father has brought Stephen and his brother closer to one another again after several years in which their relationship was difficult.
May God hear our prayers and help us to pray for others whom He brings to mind today and in the course of the week.
Let us pause for a moment to think of other people and situations we feel led to pray for...
Amen.
*Additional Points for prayer:
Please pray for Tim and Michelle's co-worker Marcus C. from Malaysia and his children Elias and Elodie following the sudden passing of his wife Rachel last week. Rachel's parents live in China and won't be able to travel to Chiang Mai, where the family are based. We pray for God's comfort and strength for each day and particularly for the day of the funeral for the whole family in Thailand and China.
We also remember Jacob and Jessily's neighbours, a family from India. The family are hoping to be medi-vac'ed from Laos to India today, so that the wife can receive medical care and treatment for her advanced-stage cancer. We pray for this family: husband, wife and ten year old son, that God would shine his light in the darkness they are experiencing in what has been an incredibly difficult time for them. May God bring healing, comfort and peace. May all their needs be provided for, including journeying mercies as they travel back to India.
Pray also for Matt Anderson from Sydney, Australia, who has been working in Xieng Khouang. Matt has had severe headaches and is currently in Alliance Hospital, awaiting transfer to Australia, to allow further investigation of his health issues there. He hopes to be able to fly out on Tuesday. We pray for Matt, that you will bring full healing to him and that the nature of his illness will be successfully diagnosed and appropriate treatment given. We give thanks for Matt, a young man who has left his family and friends to answer God's call to serve the people here. We pray for Matt and his parents and other family members to know God's peace at this time.
Please also remember Stephen from England, whose father's funeral takes place this coming Friday. We pray for Stephen, his brother Robert and step-mother Mary, that God would help them and support them through this time of bereavement. May they know the reality of God's presence with them and respond to the words of the Gospel, they will hear read at the funeral and put their trust and hope in Him. Praise God that the death of Stephen's father has brought Stephen and his brother closer to one another again after several years in which their relationship was difficult.
May God hear our prayers and help us to pray for others whom He brings to mind today and in the course of the week.
Let us pause for a moment to think of other people and situations we feel led to pray for...
Amen.
Lord’s Prayer
Our
Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
your
kingdom come, your will be done on earth as in heaven.
Give
us today our daily bread.
Forgive
us our sins as we forgive those
who
sin against us.
Lead
us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For
the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours
now
and for ever.
Amen.
Closing Song
My
chains are gone (MP1151)
1 Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
that saved a wretch like me;
I once was lost, but now am
found,
was blind, but now I see.
2 ’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
and grace my fears relieved;
how precious did that grace
appear
the hour I first believed.
My chains are gone, I’ve been set free,
my God, my Saviour has
ransomed me.
And like a flood His mercy
reigns,
unending love, amazing
grace.
3 The Lord has promised good to me,
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and
portion be
as long as life endures.
My chains are gone . . .
My chains are gone . . .
4 The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
the sun forbear to shine.
But God who called me here
below
will be forever mine.
Prayer of Blessing and
Sending
May
the Lord bless you and guard you;
may
the Lord make his face shine on you
and
be gracious to you;
may
the Lord look kindly on you
and
give you peace. (Numbers 6:24-26)
Go
in peace to love and serve the Lord,
in the name of
Christ.
Amen
