Church Service on Sunday, June 27th, 2021 Fifth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 8)

Welcome to the CHS Vientiane Worship 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 
"Blessed be the Lord whose unfailing 
love for me was wonderful." 
                                              (Psalm 31: 21)


 
The Collect

Almighty God, 
you have taught us through your Son 
that love fulfils the law. 
Grant us grace to love you 
with all our heart, 
all our soul, 
all our mind, 
all our strength, 
and to love our neighbour as ourselves; 
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 

Adapted from Psalm 121
We lift up our eyes to the hills – from where does our help come?
It comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth:
the One who neither sleeps nor slumbers and who keeps us from all evil.
We come with honesty and with trust for we have seen God’s love, authority and glory in Jesus. 
Let us worship God...
Opening Hymn of Praise
All Heaven declares (MP 14)
1  All heaven declares
the glory of the risen Lord;
who can compare
with the beauty of the Lord?
For ever He will be
the Lamb upon the throne;
I gladly bow the knee,
and worship Him alone.

2  I will proclaim
the glory of the risen Lord,
who once was slain
to reconcile man to God.
For ever You will be
the Lamb upon the throne;
I gladly bow the knee,
and worship You alone.


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

‘If we confess our sins, He who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar, and His word is not in us.’ (1 John 1:9,10)

In silence, reflect upon your week.  What do you need to say ‘Sorry’ about to God and to others and what must you do now? 

Jesus died and rose again for us.
In humble penitence,
let us accept his pardon
and receive his peace. 

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 130
First Reading: 2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27
Second Reading:  2 Corinthians 8:7-15
Gospel: Mark 5:21-43

Song 

Psalm 100 (MP 20)



1  All people that on earth do dwell,
    sing to the Lord with cheerful voice;
    Him serve with mirth, His praise forth tell;
    come ye before Him and rejoice.

2  The Lord, ye know, is God indeed:
    without our aid He did us make:
    we are His folk, He doth us feed;
    and for His sheep He doth us take.

3  O enter then His gates with praise,
    approach with joy His courts unto;
    praise, laud, and bless His name always,
    for it is seemly so to do.

4  For why? The Lord our God is good;
    His mercy is for ever sure;
    His truth at all times firmly stood,
    and shall from age to age endure.




Prayer with and for the children

When Things Get Lost

May we be like David:
human enough to be sad
to recognise the importance of those
who are lost to us.

May we be like David:
honest enough to say
who it is we love
and know that love is held in God's kindness.

May we be like David:
loved enough by God
to face what is difficult for us to accept
and be made more fully human by it.

May we be like David:
powerless enough to 
and strong enough to weep
for those he loved.

Amen


Sermon 


Song

The King of love my shepherd is (MP 649)
1  The King of love my shepherd is,
whose goodness faileth never;
I nothing lack if I am His
and He is mine for ever.

2  Where streams of living water flow
my ransomed soul He leadeth,
and where the verdant pastures grow
with food celestial feedeth.

3  Perverse and foolish oft I strayed;
but yet in love He sought me,
and on His shoulder gently laid,
and home rejoicing brought me.

4  In death’s dark vale I fear no ill
with Thee, dear Lord, beside me;
Thy rod and staff my comfort still,
Thy cross before to guide me.

5  Thou spread’st a table in my sight;
Thy unction grace bestoweth;
and O what transport of delight
from Thy pure chalice floweth!

6  And so through all the length of days
Thy goodness faileth never;
Good Shepherd, may I sing Thy praise
within Thy house for ever!

Prayer of Dedication

Let us pray,

Father, Son and Spirit Holy,
we give you thanks and praise,
and dedicate to you
our thoughts, our words,
our gifts, our deeds,
the working of our hands,
the thinking of our minds,
the loving of our hearts.

Shield us this day
for the sake of Christ of the wounds.
Keep us from offence,
and compass us with your love
for ever and for evermore.

Amen

    

Prayers of Intercession 

 O God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, as we come before you this Lord’s day, may we together with all the saints say, “Blessed be You, blessed be Your Name.”


Father of mercies and God of all comfort, we come to you this morning with our thanksgiving for your kind favour and blessings during the week and even yesterday,…


…but we come to you also with all that troubles us.


We pray…

…for those of who mourn, 

knowing they shall be comforted.

…for those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, 

knowing these shall be satisfied.

…for those who seek with all their hearts that they may find You, 

knowing you are a rewarder of those that diligently seek You and You will be found by them.

…for those who are in godly sorrow, 

knowing it produces earnestness and will bring repentance that leads to salvation.

…for those who have to rebuild their lives because of destruction by evildoers or by natural disasters, 

knowing you are able to strengthen them and rebuild their resolve.

…for those who are perplexed by injustice, that they may ‘turn the other cheek’, 

knowing that you are the true judge.

…for those who are poor, the oppressed, the brokenhearted, the captives, the prisoners, 

knowing you are able to bind up their wounds.

…for those who are in heavy spirits, who are in shame, who despair, the forsaken and hated, 

knowing you will never leave nor forsake them.

…for those who have lost loved ones, not that death may be treated less lightly but 

knowing you are sufficient even in their most terrible loss.

…for those who yearn for the salvation of their friends, 

knowing that you will grant them the desires of their hearts.

…for those who know their heart should be elsewhere, 

knowing you have searched and known us, you perceive our thoughts and you will lead us in the everlasting way.

…for those who are in peril or severe affliction, who are at the limits of their ability to endure, 

knowing you raise the dead and are able to deliver us and deliver us again. 


Dear Lord, this morning, we pray… 

…for Aloke, who recently lost his father to Covid and continues to be separated from his family, that you will show your mercy to him and keep him in you, you who are able to keep us from falling and to present us faultless.  Give his wife Maricar and their two boys the peace and strength to persevere in hope while apart from Aloke.

…for the Phengsesana family, who have lost their youngest daughter and sister suddenly this week, that they may know your presence as they grieve, and that others may know how to console them.  Help them as they pick up the pieces of dashed hopes. Deliver them from all their other troubles.

…for Mrs Phouang and son James, that they may have proud memories of their late husband and father, Terry Muir.  May the gospel of your Son that they have heard on several wake evenings and at the funeral continue to give them hope of eternity with you through Jesus.  Thank you for Ps Tony’s testimony for you in faithfully visiting them before and after Terry’s death to show them Christ’s love.

…for those in prison, including two new ones that Ps Tony has been made aware of, one from France and one from the UK, who may have got into trouble from being stranded in Laos.  May they know the hope and freedom that is in Jesus whatever their sentences may be.

…for the prison ministry, that the right new members will be raised by you who will continue this work.  May they be motivated by your deep compassion.

…for Ps Tony and family themselves, that they will soon hear answers to their prayers for those matters in their leaving Laos that are of greatest concern to them at the moment – their pets, their vehicle, their shipment of belongings, their children’s continued education… Thank you for the positive meetings Tony and Katherine have had this week regarding their successors and their possible new work back in the UK.

…for the CHS committee as they serve you.  Lead them in their decisions regarding the resumption of worship services in church, the transition time between pastors and the witness and growth of CHS Vientiane.

…for the Church in Laos, that it may glorify you.  Be with the leadership, that they may abide in you and bear much fruit to encourage their pastors and leaders throughout the country.

…for the government of Laos, that the new leadership may act with conviction and integrity.  Help them know they can rely on you, in whom is no shadow of change, as they steer the country for progress while managing the pandemic, vaccinations and the impact of flooding this rainy season.  We specially remember former President Choummaly and what is left of their family.  Almost three months on from the tragic boat accident, help them in their grief and bring faithful persons to tell them of your grace and hope.


Father, we pray earnestly for the crisis in Myanmar, that the violence may cease, that refugees may find food and shelter, that those unjustly detained for demonstrating will be released, that the military regime will recognise their people’s suffering, that the ethnic groups not be discriminated against racially and religiously. Indeed, this calls for Your divine intervention for this nation to have peace, stability and justice. Father, speak blessings of your love and power to young and old, as many people in the country have lost their hope.  Prepare the churches for revival and harvest: Myanmar needs to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior and the Church needs men and women to disciple and train.  May our brothers and sisters there sense your presence as many around the world uphold them in prayer.

Amen





Now, let us join in the prayer our Lord himself taught us:

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 

The Lord is gracious and compassionate (MP 1111)

The Lord is gracious and compassionate,

slow to anger and rich in love.

The Lord is gracious and compassionate,

slow to anger and rich in love.

The Lord is good to all,

He has compassion on all that He has made.

As far as the east is from the west,

that’s how far He has removed our transgressions from us.

As far as the east is from the west,

that’s how far He has removed our transgressions from us.

Praise the Lord, O my soul, praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord, O my soul, praise the Lord.

The Lord is gracious . . .


Prayer of Sending and Blessing


‘Now to him who by the power at work within us
is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine,
to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations
for ever and ever. Amen.’ (Ephesians 3:20, 21)



And the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,
be with us all,
evermore.
Amen


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