Church Service on Sunday, May 2nd, 2021 Fifth Sunday of Easter

 

  

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 
"The Lord has told you mortals what is good, and what it is that the Lord requires of you: only to act justly, to love loyalty, to walk humbly with your God.
                                                    (Micah 6: 8)


 
The Collect
Almighty God,
your Son Jesus Christ
is the way, the truth, and the life.
Give us grace to love one another
and walk in the way of his commandments,
who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen



Call to Worship

Leader: Dear friends,
we gather in the name
of the God of love,
we gather in the presence
of the God of love.

All: So let us worship the God of love.

Leader: Dear friends,
we gather as children of the God of love,
we gather as sisters and brothers.

All: So let us learn to love one another.

Amen
 

Opening Hymn of Praise

The Lord is King! (MP656)

 1  The Lord is King! lift up thy voice,
    O earth, and all ye heavens rejoice;
    from world to world the joy shall ring,
    ‘The Lord omnipotent is King!’

2  The Lord is King! who then shall dare
    resist His will, distrust His care,
    or murmur at His wise decrees,
    or doubt His royal promises?

3  The Lord is King! Child of the dust,
    the Judge of all the earth is just;
    holy and true are all His ways:
    let every creature speak His praise.

4  He reigns! ye saints, exalt your strains;
    your God is King, your Father reigns;
    and He is at the Father’s side,
    the man of love, the crucified.

5  One Lord, one empire, all secures;
    He reigns, and life and death are yours,
    through earth and heaven one song shall 
ring,
    ‘The Lord omnipotent is King!

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
 

As we focus our minds,
it is easy for our minds to shoot off
in so many directions.
We find it hard to slow down,
to remove all the clutter
and concentrate on You, Lord.
In the stillness of this place,
this time,
take from us the strain and stress
as we feel ourselves rest in Your eternal love,
in the everlasting arms.

Then quietly,
the small beginnings of praise well up
as we remember
what we have in Jesus Christ.
That we have one who is with us,
who guides and strengthens us.
Who holds us through every storm of life
who leads us to everlasting life.

We confess that sometimes the storms we endure
are of our own making.
A foolish word,
a thoughtless comment,
a misguided action,
a quick judgement.
Then we have to live with the consequences,
and the guilt.
Take all that stress from us too
and replace it with Your forgiveness and peace.

Heavenly Father,
in Your hands we are safe and secure –
we rejoice in Your eternal love
and all sufficient grace.
Through 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 22:25-31
First Reading: Acts 8:26-40
Second Reading: 1 John 4:7-21
Gospel: John 15:1-8


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 child,

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 with and for the children
  1. God of planting and harvest,
    growth and nourishment,
    we see your creative presence everywhere and in everything.
    The natural world gives us so much
    to enjoy and use physically,
    to ponder and reflect on emotionally and spiritually.

    We see that everything is connected:
    soil, sun and rainfall;
    chemistry and biology bringing seed to harvest; engineering and creativity making products
    fit for plate or glass.

    Connections run deep within your created world, and we, your people, are in the middle of it all, linked to each other—entwined with nature herself. Forever remind us of how you call us to not just be consumers of your world’s products, but stewards too of all that is beautiful and special.

    Living God,
    let your natural world thrive into eternity,
    a reminder for all people of your divine glory.

Amen


Sermon 

 
Song

You are the vine (MP792)


You are the vine,
we are the branches,
keep us abiding in You.
You are the vine,
we are the branches,
keep us abiding in You.

Then we’ll grow in Your love,
then we’ll go in Your name,
that the world will surely know
that You have power to heal and to save.

You are the vine,
we are the branches,
keep us abiding in You.

Prayer of Dedication

May we find the connection
that brings life to us all,
and dedicate ourselves
towards that new life,
bound up in each other:
dedicated to the language that unites, the hopes that bring adventures,
and the word that is shared between us all.

True vine,
may we be the branches of every possibility,
that speak of,
and lives for,
your kingdom.

Amen

    

Prayers of  Intercession

Jesus Christ, the true vine,
in our need
we come to You,
in weakness,
needing Your strength
for we too easily become dry and lifeless
without Your life-giving spirit.

Jesus Christ, the true vine,
teach us to remain in You
and so to find Your life flowing in us
giving strength and vigour to our discipleship.

And as we come closer to You
our lives are drawn closer to others.
Our minds turn to images of violence we have seen on the news in places of fear and terror,
to where people are at loggerheads,
over race, religion, land, power.

Our thoughts turn to Christians
living with persecution
who face danger, simply for being linked to You.

Father, prune back all that stands in the way of peace.

Our thoughts turn to people
in leadership and power
– who have decisions to make over the economy and people whose jobs and livelihood will be affected.
We pray for this nation and the nations which we come from, and their leaders.
May changes and choices be shaped by the values of the kingdom.

We pray particularly for the nation of India and the many challenges its people face due to the Covid19 Pandemic. May the people of India know your compassion and mercy at this time. May available resources be directed where they are most needed, to heal those who are sick and may people who grieve be afforded the dignity to do so.

We remember too the nation of Israel and those injured in the tragedy at the religious festival there. We pray for their healing and for you to draw near to the loved ones of those who lost their lives. May you listen to their anguished cries and answer them that they would sense your hesed steadfast loving kindness, even in the midst of such sorrow.

On our hearts
are people in need in our church and community.
Wherever hearts are breaking …
bodies are failing …
minds are confused …
families are ruptured …
Lord, come with Your help and healing.

We continue to pray for your comfort and healing for Siddhartha Sahu's widow, Rosy and Aloke their son and daughter Suniti and their families.

We also pray for Biju Abraham and his family as they grieve their loss of Biju's father.

Here, too, as Your church gathered today,
we give thanks for the saints of the past
and the fruit they have borne in our community and beyond.
Like them, help us to remain in You
that we may be fruitful
and bring glory to Your name.
Through Jesus Christ, the true vine.
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 

May the mind of Christ my Saviour (MP463)


1  May the mind of Christ my Saviour
live in me from day to day,
by His love and power controlling
all I do and say.

2  May the word of God dwell richly
in my heart from hour to hour,
so that all may see I triumph
only through His power.

3  May the peace of God my Father
rule my life in everything,
that I may be calm to comfort
sick and sorrowing.

4  May the love of Jesus fill me,
as the waters fill the sea;
Him exalting, self abasing,
this is victory.

5  May I run the race before me,
strong and brave to face the foe,
looking only unto Jesus,
as I onward go.

6 May His beauty rest upon me,
as I seek the lost to win,
And may they forget the channel,
seeing only Him.

Prayer of Sending and Blessing
As part of the living vine,
let us go from here to bear fruit in the name of the true vine, 
Jesus Christ, our Lord...
And the blessing of God Almighty,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit
be with us all,
now and always.
Amen


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