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
rooted in Christ, be built in him,
grow
strong in the faith; let your hearts
overflow
with thankfulness.”
(Colossians
2:7)
Collect
Almighty
God,
your
Son has opened for us
a
new and living way into your presence.
Give
us pure hearts and constant wills
to
worship you in spirit and in truth;
through
Jesus Christ our Lord
who
lives and reigns
with
you and the Holy Spirit,
one
God, now and for ever.
Amen.
Prayer
of Approach
Holy trinity, we come to You as Your children.
Not hesitant,
not fearful,
but full of expectation of what we will learn from
You today,
what joy we will have journeying together.
we run to You like young chicks seeking shelter
under Your wings,
comfort us with Your tenderness,
nourish us with what we need to grow strong
and protect us with Your fierce love.
We have come here today to worship You
with our sisters and brothers in Christ.
You made us to praise You,
may our whole lives be songs of adoration.
Amen.
Opening
Hymn of Praise
Come,
now is the time to worship (MP1040)
Come,
now is the time to worship.
Come, now is the time to give your heart.
Come, just as you are, to worship.
Come, just as you are, before your God,
come.
Come, now is the time to give your heart.
Come, just as you are, to worship.
Come, just as you are, before your God,
come.
One
day every tongue will confess You are God,
one day every knee will bow.
Still the greatest treasure remains for those
who gladly choose You now.
one day every knee will bow.
Still the greatest treasure remains for those
who gladly choose You now.
One day . . .
Come, now is the time . . .
Confession
Prologue
(Optional)
I
confess Lord that sometimes I feel lost
Find yourself in me.
I
confess Lord that sometimes the questions are too many
Concentrate on how much I
love you.
I
confess Lord that sometimes the answers don’t come
I have the answers, don’t
worry about that.
I
confess Lord that sometimes I know what is right and don’t do it
I know, I forgive you.
I
confess Lord that sometimes I don’t even know what is right
That’s ok, my Spirit will
guide you.
I
confess Lord that sometimes I listen to other people more than I listen to You
Humans tend to do that.
Thank you for saying sorry. Please keep trying.
I
confess Lord that sometimes it is easier to be moral than it is to be holy
Look to my Word, it will be
a lamp to guide you.
I
confess Lord that sometimes I want to give up – what difference can I make?
You are the difference, you
are my plan to love the world.
I
confess Lord that sometimes my choices don’t match my words
I will give you new strength
every morning.
I
confess Lord that sometimes Your mystery scares me
Fear and awe is probably the
correct response.
I
confess Lord that sometimes I forget that You are a God of action
Don’t worry, I will remind
you.
I
confess Lord that sometimes I feel lost
I have found you, I am with
you and I love you.
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.
Amen.
Silence
Jesus
died and rose again for us.
In
humble penitence let us
accept
his pardon and receive his peace.
Amen.
God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
from
you alone come everlasting joy and peace.
Fill
us with joy in your promises,
and
send us out to be bearers of your peace;
through
your Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
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
86:11-17
First
reading: Isaiah
44:6-8
Second
reading: Romans
8:12-25
Gospel: Matthew
13:24-30,36-43
Children’s
Song
Father
God, I wonder (JP337)
Father God, I wonder
how I managed to exist
without the knowledge
of Your parenthood
and Your loving care.
But now I am Your son,
I am adopted in Your family,
and I can never be alone
’cause, Father God,
You’re there beside me.
how I managed to exist
without the knowledge
of Your parenthood
and Your loving care.
But now I am Your son,
I am adopted in Your family,
and I can never be alone
’cause, Father God,
You’re there beside me.
I will sing Your praises,
I will sing Your praises,
I will sing Your praises for evermore.
I will sing Your praises,
I will sing Your praises,
I will sing Your praises for evermore.
Prayer
for / with the Children
Father we admit that it is not our job
to
judge who’s in and who’s out,
who
fits and who doesn’t
Only
you can tell
what
belongs and what doesn’t.
God
of the harvest
We
thank you that you
encourage
us simply
to
do what we can,
to
grow together,
to
influence the other,
knowing
that in the end
no
matter how it looks on the outside,
how
much it may seem like
we
all fit together,
those
who deny life to others
will
not survive
but
will be removed,
allowing
space to grow
the
kingdom of God.
We
pray in Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Sermon
A transcript of the CHS sermon for Sunday 19.07.20 can be found here.
A video of the CHS sermon for Sunday 19.07.20 can be found here.
Song
How
great Thou art (MP506)
1 O Lord my God! when I in awesome wonder
consider all the works Thy hand hath made,
I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder,
the power throughout the universe displayed;
consider all the works Thy hand hath made,
I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder,
the power throughout the universe displayed;
Then
sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee,
how great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee,
how great Thou art, how great Thou art!
how great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee,
how great Thou art, how great Thou art!
2 When
through the woods and forest glades I wander
and hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;
when I look down from lofty mountain grandeur,
and hear the brook, and feel the gentle breeze;
and hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;
when I look down from lofty mountain grandeur,
and hear the brook, and feel the gentle breeze;
Then
sings my soul . . .
3 And
when I think that God His Son not sparing,
sent Him to die – I scarce can take it in,
that on the cross my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin:
sent Him to die – I scarce can take it in,
that on the cross my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin:
Then
sings my soul . . .
4 When
Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
and take me home – what joy shall fill my heart!
Then shall I bow in humble adoration
and there proclaim, my God, how great Thou art!
and take me home – what joy shall fill my heart!
Then shall I bow in humble adoration
and there proclaim, my God, how great Thou art!
Then
sings my soul . . .
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
Blessed
are you, Lord God,
from
the first of time to the last.
Yours,
Lord, is the greatness and the power,
the
glory, the splendour and the majesty;
for
everything in heaven and on earth is yours.
Yours,
Lord, is the sovereignty,
and
you are exalted over all as head.
Wealth
and honour come from you;
you
rule over all.
Of
your own we now give you,
for
the good of your Church
and
the glory of your name;
through
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Intercessions
The response for this prayer is Psalm 141:2 –
“Let
my prayer be counted as incense before You
and the lifting up of my hands as an
evening sacrifice.”
Lord you ask us to pray to You.
We know that You see all,
know all
so what would be the point in keeping back any
thoughts or feelings?
Help us pour them all out to You.
Jonah says his prayers rose to You in the holy
temple.
Like David, we ask that our prayers be like incense
before You.
Let
my prayer be counted as incense before You
and
the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice.
Lord, we pray for everyone we know who has lost a
positive self-image,
for those who loathe themselves,
hurt themselves,
starve themselves,
drug themselves.
We pray for all those who stay in places and with
people who wound them.
Holy Spirit help these people know who they are in
You –
beloved, forgiven, restored.
Help us to help them.
Let
my prayer be counted as incense before You
and
the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice.
Lord we pray for churches that have lost their
positive self-image.
We pray for Your people who see themselves as
defeated, irrelevant, weak.
Holy Spirit help Your church believe that it is still
the bride of Christ –
radiant, spotless, holy.
Help us to be hot coals of enthusiasm
and springs of positive action.
Let
my prayer be counted as incense before You
and
the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice.
Lord we pray for a planet that is bruised and
bleeding.
Help us restore Your creation as the work of Your
glorious and holy self that it is.
Let us understand the responsibilities of
stewardship You gave us Your people.
Let us view loving Your good creation as an
outpouring of homage to You, our creator.
Let our choices be part of our daily worship.
Help us protect this inheritance for future
generations.
Let
my prayer be counted as incense before You
and
the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice.
Lord we pray for your on-going redemption of
society.
When we think about the damaging cultures we see all
around us
We are disturbed and saddened.
Help us make a stand for Your ways in this world.
Help us be a force for good,
working hard to see Your kingdom come,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Make us your ambassadors of your loving faithfulness
and bringers of justice,
carriers of forgiveness and mercy
and makers of peace that surpasses all understanding.
May we be voices for the silenced
and defenders of the weak.
Help us be doers of righteousness.
Let
my prayer be counted as incense before You
and
the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice.
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
Shout to the Lord (MP1003)
My
Jesus, my Saviour,
Lord, there is none like You.
All of my days I want to praise
the wonders of Your mighty love.
My comfort, my shelter,
tower of refuge and strength,
let every breath, all that I am,
never cease to worship You.
Lord, there is none like You.
All of my days I want to praise
the wonders of Your mighty love.
My comfort, my shelter,
tower of refuge and strength,
let every breath, all that I am,
never cease to worship You.
Shout to the Lord all the earth, let us sing,
power and majesty, praise to the King.
Mountains bow down and the seas will roar
at the sound of Your name.
I sing for joy at the work of Your hands,
for ever I’ll love You, for ever I’ll stand.
Nothing compares to the promise I have in You.
Prayer
of Sending and Blessing
God
who sows
and
God who reaps,
God
who allows growth
even
in the hard places,
God
who waits patiently
for
the right time,
send
us out now
into
the fields of your world
to
plant hope
amidst
the weeds and seeds of life.
And
may we learn
to
scatter love wisely
till
you gather us in once more.
And
the blessing of God almighty,
the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
rest
upon us and remain with us always.
Amen.
Go
in peace to love and serve the Lord,
in
the name of Christ.
Amen
