Church Service on Sunday, November 8th, 2020 Third Sunday before Advent



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/

~ Pastor Tony
 




Scripture Sentence

“Lead me by your faithfulness and teach me, for you are God my saviour; in you I put my hope all day long.” (Psalm 25: 5)

The Collect
 
Eternal God,
you caused all holy scriptures
to be written for our learning.
Grant us so to hear them,
read, mark, learn,
and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast
the blessed hope of everlasting life,
which you have given us
in our Saviour Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.


Amen  


Opening Hymn of Praise 
 
Make me a channel of your peace (MP 456)



1  Make me a channel of Your peace.
Where there is hatred let me bring Your love;
where there is injury, Your pardon, Lord;
and where there’s doubt, true faith in You.
        O Master, grant that I may never seek
so much to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved, as to love with all my soul.

2  Make me a channel of Your peace.
Where there’s despair in life let me bring hope;
where there is darkness, only light;
and where there’s sadness, ever joy.
O Master . . .

3  Make me a channel of Your peace.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
in giving of ourselves that we receive;
and in dying that we’re born to eternal life.

 


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.
Amen

Silence

God of all,
Your ways are of mercy,
Your heart is for reconciliation,
so help us to accept the hand of forgiveness that You offer.
Help us to leave behind what has weighed us down,
to seek the ways of friendship and peace,
and to trust that You want the best for us.
Bring us the peace of being part of Your offering of forgiveness,
and to embrace our role of being peacemakers in the course of our ordinary lives.
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 70
First reading:  Amos 5:18-24
Second reading: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Gospel:  Matthew 25:1-13

Song
 
Give me oil in my lamp (MP 167)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hP_4uICSwUQ

 1  Give me oil in my lamp, keep me burning,

    give me oil in my lamp, I pray;
    give me oil in my lamp, keep me burning,
    keep me burning till the break of day.
        Sing hosanna, sing hosanna,
        sing hosanna to the King of kings!
        Sing hosanna, sing hosanna,
        sing hosanna to the King!

2  Make me a fisher of men, keep me seeking,
    make me a fisher of men, I pray;
    make me a fisher of men, keep me seeking,
    keep me seeking till the break of day.
        Sing hosanna . . .

3  Give me joy in my heart, keep me singing,
    give me joy in my heart, I pray;
    give me joy in my heart, keep me singing,
    keep me singing till the break of day.
        Sing hosanna . . .

4  Give me love in my heart, keep me serving,
    give me love in my heart, I pray;
    give me love in my heart, keep me serving,
    keep me serving till the break of day.
        Sing hosanna . . .


Prayer for / with the Children

During the next five responses open one
finger at a time so that you finish with
an open hand again. The response for the
second part is: Lord, help us to be wise.
 
When we aren’t sure what to do...
(Response)
When we don’t know what would be the
right thing to say...
(Response)
When we don’t feel like praying and reading
your Word...
(Response)
When we would rather do nothing than help
others...
(Response)
When we are tempted to waste our time
doing things that don’t honour you...
(Response)

This would be a good point at which to say
the Lord’s Prayer together, with open hands.

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

 
Sermon 
 


Song
 
All my hope on God is founded (MP 16)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3LCGh02Vew

1  All my hope on God is founded,
all my trust He shall renew;
He, my guide through changing order,
only good and only true.
God unknown,
He alone
calls my heart to be His own.

2  Pride of man and earthly glory,
sword and crown betray His trust;
all that human toil can fashion,
tower and temple, fall to dust.
But God’s power,
hour by hour,
is my temple and my tower.

3  Day by day our mighty giver
grants to us His gifts of love;
in His will our souls find pleasure,
leading to our home above.
Love shall stand
at His hand,
joy shall wait for His command.

4  Still from man to God eternal
sacrifice of praise be done,
high above all praises praising
for the gift of Christ His Son.
Hear Christ’s call
one and all:
we who follow shall not fall.


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

Lord, our God,
we acknowledge that
you are our father,
we are your children,
our neighbours are people
whom you cared enough about
to come and die for.
To their service and to your glory
we dedicate ourselves,
our hearts and minds, our wills and works.
Strengthen our resolve
to stand fast in your faith,
to seek the help of the Holy Spirit,
and to work willingly for your perfect kingdom,
in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
 
Prayers
 
In the United Kingdom and several other countries, the Sunday nearest the 11th of November, is observed as Remembrance Sunday. It is a day when the victims of conflicts are remembered. It is also a day when we pray for peace and peacemakers and an end to violence around the world. This morning's prayers are focussed on these themes...

Thanksgiving and intercession 
 
Hear us now as we offer our prayers of thanksgiving  
for all the good in our lives.  
On this day, we hold with gratitude the service of those who are peacemakers  
in their service of our country.  
We are grateful for a vision that will hold the darker forces of our humanity in check 
 with an ethos of cooperation, harmony and mutual flourishing.  
We pray for the dedicated service of those called upon to defend freedom in all the generations.  
We thank You for their testimony which reminds us of the tragedy of conflict. Help us to hear it even as we honour the sacrifices made in search of the good. 

(Taize Chant: translation "Where charity and love are, God is there")

Ubi caritas 
et amor
Ubi caritas
Deus ibi est 
 
On this day when we are drawn together from many backgrounds,  
and with faith flickering, strong, or with no faith, we thank You that there are times and causes around which we can all rally for the common good. 
Help us to find that common ground more,  
and to work through our differences.  
May the example of Jesus, His boundary-crossing life,  
His open-hearted embrace of all peoples, 
be the inspiration for our weary and wounded world.  
 
In the visions of Isaiah and Revelation,  
Your faithful people have penned the dreams and challenges of our deepest thinkers,  
our most creative and perceptive voices.  
So we give thanks for the people who will look at our world  
and will be the dreamers.  
We pray too for the fixers:  
for the people who will take the dreams and make them reality.  
So we hold before You all of our leaders,  
praying for tenacity, energy, and an open-eyed, open-hearted vision for our communities and the world.  

Ubi caritas 
et amor
Ubi caritas
Deus ibi est
 
On this day of remembrance, 
we pray for those who have lost loved-ones in conflict,  
and through the collateral damage of war.  
We think of those close to home in our own countries' armed forces.  
We remember those on the other side to us in conflict,  
and we think of the deep scars of conflict that mark our world whenever there is war. 
  
May our remembering be for new beginnings,  
so that lives lost are the foundations of new worlds.  
May the vision of the prophets be our vision too. May Your forgiveness be our forgiveness.
 
Ubi caritas 
et amor
Ubi caritas
Deus ibi est
 
God of the cross and the empty tomb,  
God of the road to Emmaus  
and the breakfast on the shore.  
You have shown us in Jesus the way that is beyond death,  
so hold us in the faith of Your future. 
Help us to rest in the confidence of new light and life,  
to trust that those we have loved and lost have returned to You, and that our own walk is the way home  
where You wait for us in the mystery of eternal life.  
 
May our prayers rise to You like incense,  
God our maker, our saviour and sustainer.
 
Amen

 
 
Closing Song 

Lord, for the years (MP 428)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cd14v0e1RWU
 
1  Lord, for the years Your love has kept and guided,
urged and inspired us, cheered us on our way,
sought us and saved us, pardoned and provided:
Lord of the years, we bring our thanks today.
2  Lord, for that word, the word of life which fires us,
speaks to our hearts and sets our souls ablaze,
teaches and trains, rebukes us and inspires us:
Lord of the word, receive Your people’s praise.
3  Lord, for our land in this our generation,
spirits oppressed by pleasure, wealth and care:
for young and old, for commonwealth and nation,
Lord of our land, be pleased to hear our prayer.
4  Lord, for our world where men disown and doubt You,
loveless in strength, and comfortless in pain,
hungry and helpless, lost indeed without You:
Lord of the world, we pray that Christ may reign.
5  Lord, for ourselves; in living power remake us –
self on the cross and Christ upon the throne,
past put behind us, for the future take us:
Lord of our lives, to live for Christ alone.
 
Prayer of Sending and Blessing
 

May the blessing of God the Father, who sent his Son to be our Saviour,

The blessing of the Son, who will come back to take us to be with him, 

And the blessing of the Holy Spirit, who helps us prepare for Jesus’ return,

Be with us all, now and forever.

Amen.

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

 


 



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