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/
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
“The
life I live is not my life,
but
the life which Christ lives in me.”
(Galatians
2:20)
Collect
Almighty
God,
you
sent your Holy Spirit
to
be the life and light of your Church.
Open
our hearts to the riches of your grace,
that
we may bring forth the fruit of the Spirit
in
love, joy and peace;
through
Jesus Christ our Lord
who
is alive and reigns
with
you and the Holy Spirit,
one
God, now and for ever.
Amen.
Call to Worship
From
hillside to lakeside
Jesus
meets the needs of his friends.
Always
surprising them and us
with
his words and actions.
Always
responding to our needs,
always
there for us.
We
gather to give thanks and praise
to
the one who loves and cares for us.
We
offer ourselves and this time
and
invite Jesus to surprise us once more.
Responses
Leader:
We come here to meet Jesus,
All: the one who is
full of love.
Leader:
We come to hear his word,
All: the word that is
full of surprises.
Leader:
We come to grow in faith,
All: the faith that
is strengthened and renewed every day.
Prayer
of Approach
Faithful
God,
We
gather this morning in Your presence:
Those
of us who come here often
and
those who have not been for a long time.
Those
who are full of faith
and
those who don’t know what we believe.
Those
who can hardly keep from singing,
and
those who can barely face the day.
We
gather because You have called us,
because
You love us,
because
You are our God.
Opening
Hymn of Praise
Shout
to the North (MP1094)
1 Men of faith, rise up and sing
of
the great and glorious King;
you
are strong when you feel weak,
in
your brokenness complete.
Shout to the north and the south,
sing to the east and the west:
Jesus is Saviour to all,
Lord of heaven and earth.
2 Rise up women of the truth,
stand
and sing to broken hearts,
who
can know the healing power
of
our glorious King of love.
Shout to the north and the south,
sing to the east and the west:
Jesus is Saviour to all,
Lord of heaven and earth.
We’ve
been through fire,
we’ve
been through rain;
we’ve
been refined
by
the power of His name.
We’ve
fallen deeper in love with You,
You’ve
burned the truth on our lips.
Shout to the north and the south,
sing to the east and the west:
Jesus is Saviour to all,
Lord of heaven and earth.
3 Rise up church with broken wings;
fill
this place with songs again,
of
our God who reigns on high:
by
His grace again we’ll fly.
Shout to the north and the south,
sing to the east and the west:
Jesus is Saviour to all,
Lord of heaven and earth. (3 times)
Confession
We gather, not because we are good
or pure or holy,
but because of our need.
We gather, knowing that again and again
we have failed to live as You would have us live,
that we have not loved one another,
that we have not loved Your creation,
that we have not loved You,
that we have not loved ourselves.
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
Forgive
us, God,
and
renew us to be Your people.
Make
us one,
and
reassure us in our true identity
as
children of the One who is above all things.
For
we pray this in the name of Jesus Christ,
crucified
for us and now risen and ascended in glory,
Our
faithful and forgiving friend
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
85:8-13
First reading: 1
Kings 19:9-18
Second reading: Romans
10:5-15
Gospel: Matthew
14:22-33
Children’s
Song
You
are my all in all (MP1019)
1 You are my strength when I am weak,
You
are the treasure that I seek,
You
are my all in all;
seeking
You as a precious jewel,
Lord,
to give up I’d be a fool,
You
are my all in all.
Jesus, Lamb of God,
worthy is Your name;
Jesus, Lamb of God,
worthy is Your name.
2 Taking my sin, my cross, my shame,
rising
again, I bless Your name,
You
are my all in all;
when
I fall down You pick me up,
when
I am dry You fill my cup,
You
are my all in all.
Jesus, Lamb of God,
worthy is Your name;
Jesus, Lamb of God,
worthy is Your name.
Prayer
for / with the Children
Loving God,
Like the disciples
when we are tired and weary
and out of sorts
the last thing we feel we need
is to be confronted
with Jesus
approaching us on water.
In the midst of a storm
when we long for calm,
not more of a challenge,
when we want to batten down the hatches,
retreat into ourselves,
admiring those who launch themselves
into the waves,
but happy to sit back
and watch
and smile with satisfaction
as their efforts
are swamped,
When we are content to allow the miracles
unfolding all around us
to become submerged
in the complexities of life,
make us long to be brave enough
to step out of the boat,
and walk with faith in you.
Help us not to settle for the comfort
of the turmoil we know.
As Jesus invites us to,
help us to throw caution to the wind,
to let go
and plunge in,
knowing the safety
of your steadying hand.
Our God, we give thanks that you, the one who
commands the elements,
also invites us to walk on water.
We
pray in Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Sermon
Song
In
Christ alone (MP1072)
1 In Christ alone my hope is found,
He
is my light, my strength, my song;
this
cornerstone, this solid ground,
firm
through the fiercest drought and storm.
What
heights of love, what depths of peace,
when
fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My
comforter, my all in all,
here
in the love of Christ I stand.
2 In Christ alone – who took on flesh,
fullness
of God in helpless Babe!
This
gift of love and righteousness,
scorned
by the ones he came to save
till
on that cross as Jesus died,
the
wrath of God was satisfied,
for
every sin on Him was laid;
here
in the death of Christ I live.
3 There in the ground his body lay,
light
of the world by darkness slain,
then,
bursting forth in glorious day,
up
from the grave He rose again!
And
as he stands in victory
sin’s
curse has lost its grip on me,
for
I am His and He is mine –
bought
with the precious blood of Christ.
4 No guilt in life, no fear in death,
this
is the power of Christ in me;
from
life’s first cry to final breath,
Jesus
commands my destiny.
No
power of hell, no scheme of man
can
ever pluck me from His hand;
till
He returns or calls me home,
here
in the power of Christ I’ll stand!
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
Gracious
God,
when
your kindness and generosity
dawned
upon the world,
and
you lavished your love upon us
in
Jesus Christ our Saviour,
you
called us to believe in you
and
to devote ourselves to doing your good works.
Now
we bring our gifts to you,
and
offer them and our whole life,
with
joy for your service;
through
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Intercessions
Thanksgiving
Before the world began,
You loved us.
Before You had created us,
You were faithful to us.
And we, as Your people, are thankful
for Your great and abiding love,
shown again and again down the ages.
You have never abandoned us,
even when we have abandoned you.
You have never forgotten us,
even when we have strayed far from the path.
We praise You, faithful God,
for the steadfast love which has always guided us,
for the promise which has never faltered,
for the light which has lightened our way,
for the story which has reminded us of those who
came before us.
For Your steadfast love and mercies new with each
morning,
We join with one the voice
To give You praise and thanks.
Amen
Intercession
Hear
us now as we pray for others in the name of Christ:
For
those who are bowed down,
that
God may lift them up.
For
those who are hungry,
that
they find food and the nourishment they need.
For
those who choke on bad air or water,
that
the policy and practice of governments
and
others in charge may change.
We
pray particularly for those countries
where
Covid19 remains not just an ever-present threat
but
is showing no sign of abating.
For
all those who are sick,
and
those in the caring professions.
For
those who call for help,
that
they find You near at hand.
For
those who cannot find paid work,
and
those who take decisions which affect patterns of work.
For
those who struggle with God,
that
they find themselves, and find God.
For
those enduring violence,
that
they find relief, and the blessing of peace.
For
the Middle East and its peoples,
particularly
this morning we pray your healing for those injured
and
your comfort for the loved ones of those
killed
by the explosion in Beirut
that
truth may prevail over lies,
and
peace over warfare.
Nearer
to here, we pray for those few
remaining
survivors of the atomic bombs
dropped
75 years ago today on Nagasaki
and
a few days before that on Hiroshima.
We
pray for Japan, that it may continue to demonstrate
its role as a peace-maker and for all nations
to learn from the terrible devastation
of
those bombings and not unwittingly pursue
mutually
assured self-destruction.
We
pray that God’s righteousness and peace
may
be established in the fulfilment of His Kingdom.
God,
whose Son endured shame and torture,
and
the violence of those who misunderstood Your will,
work
a wonder in the hearts of angry people,
that
hatred may turn to gentleness,
bitterness
to calm,
and
fear to faith,
for
the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord,
who
taught us to pray,
Our
Father...
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
O
the deep, deep love of Jesus! (MP522)
1 O the deep, deep love of Jesus!
Vast,
unmeasured, boundless, free;
rolling
as a mighty ocean
in
its fulness over me.
Underneath
me, all around me,
is
the current of Thy love;
leading
onward, leading homeward,
to
my glorious rest above.
2 O the deep, deep love of Jesus!
Spread
His praise from shore to shore,
how
He loveth, ever loveth,
changeth
never, nevermore;
how
He watches o’er His loved ones,
died
to call them all His own;
how
for them He intercedeth,
watches
over them from the throne.
3 O the deep, deep love of Jesus!
Love
of every love the best:
’tis
an ocean vast of blessing,
’tis
a haven sweet of rest.
O
the deep, deep love of Jesus!
’tis
a heaven of heavens to me;
and
it lifts me up to glory,
for
it lifts me up to Thee.
Prayer
of Sending and Blessing
Witnesses
to something amazing,
something
unbelievable.
Jesus
walked on water.
Witnesses
to something frightening,
someone’s
failure.
Peter
fell in.
But
Jesus reaches out to help his friend,
and
the waters calmed.
We
go now to find ways
of
doing the same.
Reach
out and give someone
a
hand up this week.
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
