Sunday, August 30, 2020: Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost

 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 
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

(This Sunday we are recommencing All Age Worship, so the service order will be a little different from previous Sundays.)



Scripture Sentence“Offer your very selves to God: a living sacrifice, dedicated and fit for his acceptance.” (Romans 12: 1)


CollectAlmighty and ever living God,you are the author and giver of all good things. Graft in our hearts the love of your name,increase in us true religion,nourish us with all goodness,and of your great mercy keep us in the same;
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
Jesus knew the path he had to take.
He asked his friends for support
but they failed him.

Jesus found the strength to go on
and do what he knew was right.

As the body of Christ,
we are called to take a similar path,
to a cross of our own and beyond.

God give us the strength we need.
Refresh us and encourage us
so that we do not fail you.

Responses
Leader: Loving Father God,
All: meet us here.

Leader: Jesus Christ,
All: guide us to our cross.

Leader: Holy Spirit,
All: give us integrity
to take up our cross,
today and always.


Opening Hymn of Praise 

Water you turned into wine (MP 1362)

Water You turned into wine,

opened the eyes of the blind;

there’s no one like You,

none like You.


Into the darkness You shine,

out of the ashes we rise.

There’s no one like You,

none like You.

   Our God is greater, our God is stronger;

   God, You are higher than any other.

   Our God is healer, awesome in power,

   our God, our God.

(repeat verse 2)

Our God is greater . . .

Our God is greater . . .

And if our God is for us,

then who could ever stop us;

and if our God is with us,

then what could stand against?

And if our God is for us . . .

What could stand against?

  Our God is greater, our God is stronger;

   God, You are higher than any other.

   Our God is healer, awesome in power,

   our God, our God.

Our God is greater . . .


ConfessionOur heavenly Fatherthank 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 usand help us to live as your friends.We ask this in Jesus’ name.Amen

Silence
Forgive us, O God.
Lift up our eyes to see You everywhere.
Draw us out of ourselves to discern Your presence all around.
Give us boldness to proclaim Your works.
Release us from the boundaries we set ourselves,
freeing us to love and welcome others in Your name.
Commission us anew,
in the light of Your forgiveness
to draw attention to You in all of life.

These prayers we bring You,

in and through the name of Jesus Christ our Saviour. 

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.

Introductory Talk for All Age Service

Bible Readings
Gospel:  Matthew 16: 21-28
Second reading: Romans 12: 9-21

Song

Who breaks the power (MP1373)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUglaJyobks

Who breaks the power of sin and darkness?

Whose love is mighty and so much stronger?

The King of glory, the King above all kings.

Who shakes the whole earth with holy thunder?

Who leaves us breathless in awe and wonder?

The King of glory, the King above all kings.

   This is amazing grace, this is unfailing love,

   that You would take my place,

   that You would bear my cross.

   You would lay down Your life,

   that I would be set free:

   Jesus, I sing for all that You’ve done for me,

   all that You’ve done for me.

2 Who brings our chaos back into order?

Who makes the orphan a son and daughter?

The King of glory, the King above all kings.

Who rules the nations with truth and justice,

shines like the sun in all of its brilliance?

The King of glory, the King above all kings.

   This is amazing grace . . .

Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,

and worthy is the King who conquered the grave.

(x4)

. . . worthy, worthy, worthy.

   This is amazing grace, this is unfailing love,

   that You would take my place,

   that You would bear my cross.

   You would lay down Your life,

   that I would be set free.

   Jesus, I sing for all that You’ve done for me.

Bible Talk (Part 1)
The two Bible passages focus on the difference between thinking as the world thinks and the Christian’s challenge to think as God thinks, and to behave differently.

First of all...

Thinking God's way

Imagine telling one of your best friends
that they are a stumbling block or obstacle!
That’s what Jesus said to Peter. 
What's a stumbling block? 

Well, an example might be if you imagine it's raining but your friend has deliberately hidden your waterproof coat and umbrella. They are stopping you from doing
what you want, or need, to do.

Jesus wasn’t really being rude to Peter! Jesus
knew that he must soon face his death on
the cross, something that he was afraid of.
It was no help to him when his friend told
him it wouldn’t happen. Peter talked just as
a friend would: he was horrified that Jesus
would think of being killed. What did he say?
“Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” (Matthew 16:22).

But Jesus’ death was exactly what God did
want! God sees and does things completely
differently from how we might think, see or
do things. But then, God has the big picture
− past, present and future. Jesus could see
that Peter was a stumbling block or obstacle,
thinking the way the world thinks and not
the way God thinks. To follow Jesus means
forgetting about ourselves and putting
God first. 
Can any of you give me some suggestions as to what
forgetting about ourselves really means?


Living God's way

Paul helps us to understand how to do this in Romans 12. 

First of all, forgetting ourselves and putting
God first, affects the way we behave towards
other people. This is the real opposite of how
the world works.

• We are to love each other: and not just
our friends and people we like, but our
enemies too. We are not just to treat our
enemies well, but we are to pray for
them and leave them in God’s hands – we
are not to think bad thoughts about them,
and we are to have no revenge. This is
often a real challenge!

• We are to welcome strangers into our
group, and this doesn’t just mean people
we don’t know who come on a Sunday, or
new people at school but perhaps people
whom others see as strange. Jesus loved
the outcast and the people no one else
did.

• We are to look at how others are
feeling and not just how we are feeling:
rejoicing with those who rejoice and
being sad with those who are sad.

• We are to live at peace with everyone,
and this doesn’t just mean not starting
wars; it means not answering back when
we feel like it, or starting arguments,
or being unkind and so making others
unhappy.



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.

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.
 Bible Talk (Part 2)
Living like Jesus
Living God’s way is a real challenge. As well
as denying ourselves, Jesus said that to be
his true followers we must take up a cross
and follow him. This doesn’t sound very
comfortable, does it? Jesus never said that
going his way would be easy. Behaving as
God wants is really difficult because the
world notices that we are different. 
 If I were to walk around carrying a great, big cross on my
 shoulder, people would give me strange looks! 
But what if they can’t see the actual cross, but we’re still doing
what’s written in Romans 12? People may laugh
at us, or talk about us behind our backs, or
try to trick us into doing wrong things. We
may not be able to be friends with someone
because they would lead us away from God.
Worse, we might get bullied because we’re
Christians, or even persecuted. It might be
really tempting to put the cross down and go
back the other way. 
The difficulty of putting God and others first,
and the tough way people may treat us, may
become a stumbling block or obstacle to
stop us following Jesus. So how do we avoid
the temptation to trip over the stumbling
block and not go God’s way? 

Here’s Paul’s advice.

Pray constantly – not just every now
and then. We should make it our aim to
pray whenever we can, especially when
life is hard. And if we're finding it hard
to pray, then we can ask someone else to
pray for us.

Be patient – when things are going badly.
It’s hard to be in the middle of it but let
God’s hope give you perseverance.

• Keep going – keep holding on to that
cross even when it hurts.

But why should we live this way? What makes
us want to go Jesus’ way? What will make
us stay clinging on when it might be easier
to let go? 
What are your ideas that could give a
real encouragement to the rest of us? 
"For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done." (Matthew 16:27)
A reward from Jesus means eternal life
with him for ever. So is it worth it?

Song
My Hope is built on nothing less (Cornerstone)
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus' blood and righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
But wholly trust in Jesus' name
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus' blood and righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
But wholly trust in Jesus' name
Christ alone, Cornerstone
Weak made strong in the Savior's love
Through the storm
He is Lord
Lord of all

When darkness seems to hide His face
I rest on His unchanging grace
In every high and stormy gale
My anchor holds within the veil
My anchor holds within the veil
Christ alone, Cornerstone
Weak made strong in the Savior's love
Through the storm
He is Lord
Lord of all
He is Lord

Lord of all, Christ alone
Christ alone, Cornerstone
Weak made strong in the Savior's love
Through the storm
He is Lord…


When He shall come with trumpet sound

Oh may I then in Him be found

Dressed in His righteousness alone

Faultless stand before the throne

Christ alone, Cornerstone

Weak made strong in the Saviour's love

Through the storm, He is Lord

Lord of all

Christ alone, Cornerstone

Weak made strong in the Saviour's love

Through the storm, He is Lord

Lord of all

Christ alone, Cornerstone

Weak made strong in the Saviour's love

Through the storm, He is Lord

Lord of all.


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. Thanksgiving and Intercessions


God You love all that You have made,
the world and all its creatures.
Your love gathers and enfolds all things.
Your heart breaks when any part of Your creation suffers.

So God, as our awareness grows of You present all around,
may we be so attuned that we weep where You weep
and our hearts break where Yours is broken.

We offer back this complex, crazy world,
like children offering our broken Lego sets to parents,
asking that You fix it.

God, as a loving parent
You won’t do as we ask
but You will kneel beside us
and patiently show us how to make things better.
You will unearth the wisdom that You created in us
for the healing of the world.
You will affirm us and give us each
a unique part to play in changing the world,
in ushering in Your justice and Your peace.

So, God, prepared to roll up our sleeves and work alongside You,
we pray for world leaders,
that they too may be filled with Your wisdom
and love and Your healing power.
We pray that their eyes, and our eyes,
may be opened to the need to find new ways forward
and the possibilities that abound for honouring all creation
and for building nations where all are valued,
where all matter,
where the economy is modelled on Your divine economy.

We pray for all who live in fear today
and for those whose fears have been realised –
those who mourn loved ones,
those who see no light of dawn after darkness.

We pray too for those
who have given up hoping for different or better.
May we hold out hope and faith enough for the world
and may we live in love.

God awaken us to Your truth and Your light,
to all the opportunities we have of emerging from darkness
fuelled by new energy to make our world,
our church and our neighbourhood
beacons of hope
that is realised in our serving You
by serving one another.
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done O God.
In Jesus’ name we pray
Amen

Lord’s PrayerOur 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 thosewho sin against us.Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yoursnow and for ever.Amen.

Closing Song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bV8fXI5MWk

God is able (MP1273)


1 God is able and He will never fail.
He is almighty God:
greater than all we see,
greater than all we ask;
He has done great things.

Lifted up,He defeated the grave;
raised to life, our God is able.
In His name we overcome,
for the Lord our God is able.

2 God is with us, God is on our side.
He will make a way.
Far above all we know,
far above all we hope,
He has done great things.
Lifted up . . .

God is with us, He will go before;
He will never leave us,
He will never leave us.
God is for us, He has open arms;
He will never fail us,
He will never fail us.
Lifted up . . .

Lifted up . . .
. . . for the Lord our God is able,

for the Lord our God is able.

 Prayer of Sending and Blessing
May our Lord Jesus Christ, 
who died on the cross for you, 
give you the courage to forget
about yourself and the courage to take up
your cross and follow after him.
Amen.

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord,in the name of Christ.Amen 


Sunday, August 23, 2020: Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost


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 
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“We know that the Son of God has come and given us understanding to know the true God.” (1 John 5: 20)


CollectAlmighty God,you have taught us that without loveall our doings are worth nothing.Send your Holy Spirit,and pour into our heartsthat most excellent gift of love,the true bond of peace and of all virtues;
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
Jesus is the King of Kings.
Jesus is the Prince of Peace.
Jesus is the Wonderful Counsellor.
Jesus is our Lord and Saviour.

We gather here to worship God,
the Father of Jesus,
and the Holy Spirit, our guide.

Responses
Leader: Jesus is
All: the King of Kings.
Women: Jesus is
All: the Prince of Peace.
Men: Jesus is
All: the Wonderful Counsellor.
Leader: Let us gather here and offer our worship
All: to God the Father, God the Son,
and God the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Opening Hymn of Praise As Morning Dawns and Evening Fades (Your Name)  (MP1152)

1  As morning dawns and evening fades,
You inspire songs of praise
that rise from earth to touch Your heart,
and glorify Your name.
        Your name is a strong and mighty tower.
Your name is a shelter like no other.
Your name, let the nations sing it louder,
’cause nothing has the power to save
but Your name.

2  Jesus, in Your name we pray,
come and fill our hearts today.
Lord, give us strength to live for You
and glorify Your name.
Your name . . .

Your name . . .

ConfessionOur heavenly Fatherthank 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 usand help us to live as your friends.We ask this in Jesus’ name.Amen
Silence
Living God,
we name You as immortal,
the Alpha and Omega of our creation,
the eternal living presence.
And now in our prayers, the immortal touches the human;
eternity dips into time,
and we are transported into Your nearer presence,
aware of Your greatness in this very place.

And we presume, now, when we choose,
at a time that is right of us,
that You will listen, be available to us, and hear our prayers.
What right have we to call on You when it suits us?
And yet, You bid us come.
You are ready to listen.
You will us to enter Your courts.
You smile upon us in welcome when You see us arrive.

You are our God.

And, because of all of this, we come tentatively into Your presence –
in awe of Your justice;
wondering whether we are worthy;
questioning whether we deserve to be here.
Yet You bid us come;
You call us to confess;
You wait till we bow down;
You expect our penitence.
And then You say, stand up, my friend.
Come closer.
You are forgiven.
You need fear no more.

Unchanging God,
we name You now as our life-giver,
who, with grace and mercy, shows You believe in us,
You need us, You want us to serve.
Take us now;
free us from all reticence;
call us by name;
welcome us home ... 

These prayers we bring You,
in and through the name of Jesus Christ our Saviour. 
Amen.

CreedWe 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 138
First reading:  Isaiah 51:1-6
Second reading:  Romans 12:1-8
Gospel:  Matthew 16:13-20

Children’s Song
My Hope is built on nothing less (Cornerstone)
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus' blood and righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
But wholly trust in Jesus' name
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus' blood and righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
But wholly trust in Jesus' name
Christ alone, Cornerstone
Weak made strong in the Savior's love
Through the storm
He is Lord
Lord of all

When darkness seems to hide His face
I rest on His unchanging grace
In every high and stormy gale
My anchor holds within the veil
My anchor holds within the veil
Christ alone, Cornerstone
Weak made strong in the Savior's love
Through the storm
He is Lord
Lord of all
He is Lord

Lord of all, Christ alone
Christ alone, Cornerstone
Weak made strong in the Savior's love
Through the storm
He is Lord…

Prayer for / with the Children

Open your hands and look at them.
Father God, we thank you that our hands
are a gift from you. Thank you that we
can use them to clasp someone’s hand in
friendship… that we can use our hands to
give and receive… that we can use our hands
in praise and worship…

Thank you for your gifts this day,
Gifts to use and give away.
Take our hearts and lives we pray

Look down at your feet.
Father God, we thank you that our feet are
a gift from you. Thank you that we can use
them to come to church… that we can tap
our feet or dance to the rhythm of the songs
of worship… that we can use our feet to
visit others or run errands for them…

Thank you for your gifts this day,
Gifts to use and give away.
Take our hearts and lives we pray

Feel your head with both hands.
Father God, we thank you that our heads
are a gift from you. Thank you that we have
brains to learn about you and know you…
that we can think of good ideas for serving
and inspiring others… that we have ears to
listen to other people and mouths to speak
about you and sing your praise…

Thank you for your gifts this day,
Gifts to use and give away.
Take our hearts and lives we pray

Hug yourself.
Father God, we thank you that our bodies
are a gift from you. Thank you that we can
serve you with our whole body and love you
with our whole heart...

Thank you for your gifts this day,
Gifts to use and give away.
Take our hearts and lives we pray

Amen. Sermon




SongFairest Lord Jesus (MP823)
1  Fairest Lord Jesus, Lord of all creation,
Jesus, of God and man the Son;
You will I cherish, You will I honour,
You are my soul’s delight and crown.

2  Fair are the rivers, meadows and forests
clothed in the fresh green robes of spring;
Jesus is fairer, Jesus is purer,
He makes the saddest heart to sing.

3  Fair is the sunrise; starlight and moonlight
spreading their glory across the sky;
Jesus shines brighter, Jesus shines clearer
than all the heavenly host on high.

4  All fairest beauty, heavenly and earthly,
Jesus, my Lord, in You I see;
none can be nearer, fairer or dearer
than You, my Saviour, are to me.

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 OfferingGod of all goodness,
accept the gifts we bring.
Use them and us for your glory
and the work of your church;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.Amen. Thanksgiving and Intercessions

Listening God,
You call us to come to You with our prayers for others.
And we do so in a spirit of gratitude
for all the ways Your grace and mercy fills our lives ...

We thank You for creation,
and for all the blessings of this life,
and, most of all, for Your boundless love in the Gospel of Jesus Christ,
our redeeming presence. 
Give us a constant awareness of Your mercy.
Call us to take time to immerse ourselves in Your grace.
Make as aware of signs and symbols of Your love in action.

Loving God,
in Jesus Christ You taught us to pray
and to offer petitions to You in His name.
Guide us by Your Holy Spirit
that our prayers for others may serve Your will.
You made all things in Your wisdom,
and, in Your love, You save us.
So we pray for all creation,
that evil powers might be cast down,
that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness might be fed,
and that all Your children might enjoy in equal measure the fruits of Your world.

We pray for the Church.
Keep us one in faith and service,
so that Your Good News might be proclaimed,
and so that Your love and light might be a beacons of hope and purpose
in the darkest places.
We cannot love You fully unless we love our neighbours as ourselves.
So we pray for our enemies and our friends;
we pray for all those in need, in body, mind and spirit;
we pray for all who suffer from pain and sorrow;
especially any known to us whom we name before You now ...

(Silence)

God of compassion,
bless us and those we love, that,
drawing close to You,
we may be drawn closer to each other.
And hold us always in communion with the Saints of all the ages,
especially those dear to us,
in the one Kingdom of Your love
In Jesus’ name we pray
Amen

Lord’s PrayerOur 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 thosewho sin against us.Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yoursnow and for ever.Amen.

Closing SongBe Thou My Vision (MP51)
1  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.

2  Be Thou my wisdom, Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee, Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

3  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.

4  Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of heaven, my treasure Thou art.

5  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.
 Prayer of Sending and Blessing
Go out into the world in peace.
Love your God with all your heart.
Be challenged by the Spirit’s promptings.
Hear the call to serve Christ
and be obedient to God’s will.

And may God bless you,
and the Spirit restore you,
and Christ’s presence strengthen you,
now and always
Amen.
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord,in the name of Christ.Amen