Notices and Welcome! Theme: God’s Word, Spoken to God’s People. Will it make a difference in 2020? Opening Prayer, Confession and Centring • Let’s start with prayer – a prayer taken from the ending of Psalm 19 The decrees of the L ORD are firm, and all of them are righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb. By them your servants are warned; in keeping them there is great reward. But who can discern their own errors? Forgive our hidden faults. Keep your servants also from wilful sins; may they not rule over us. Then we will be blameless, innocent of great transgression. May these words of my mouth and this meditation of our hearts be pleasing in your sight, L ORD , our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen 1
Just like this time last year - My social media links have been bombarded. • Stop doing • Start doing • be a better you- the you you’ve always wanted to be. • Be the “you” you deserve to be They seem to forget they had the same petitions last year In fact today I am the result of the choices and decisions I made throughout last year. Nothing really has changed – my resolutions seemed not to have made a difference. Never the less I have given myself some personal goals to strive for • Some related to self control and, • others the growth and development 2
Too late 2030 Now The other news we are all increasingly becoming aware of is the great concern over the causes and impacts of climate change. I believe, mankind has ended up with the “situation” we deserve. We have what we have because we have invested in our comforts and convenience without due consideration to the environmental costs and consequences of our decisions. So in addition I include in my list of New year’s, even new decade’s, resolutions a response to this current crisis we all face. Behind my resolution is the underpinning value: “my small changes can make a difference” My aim this year is simply to • Know my CO 2 debt numbers • Get engaged in some project • do the small stuff well and regularly • Pray and fast for our leaders on this matter 3
In a similar way, As a fellowship, we are what we are because of our past individual and corporate investments in prayer, worship, service, outreach and discipleship. Do you think 2020 will see any change? Growth? In you or in the fellowship? Are we happy with how things are so more of the same please? 4
God’s family coming Welcome Family together in His house Praise to God our Father Singing What a House needs. Activity, Story What a Home needs. and Singing We are God’s home Listening and (His Dwelling Place) Reflecting Building a loving, caring Activity, Praying and worshiping family and Singing Meet your family builders Blessing, Finish and Start the new year blessed Friendship Review the agenda for today’s All Age Family Service • Keep coming back to this as a guide and a reminder. A focus of today’s service is: The Word of God spoken to the People of God. And will it make a difference in 2020? So today we have three Bible Readings The first is Psalm 95 This is an invitation to worship to worship and a nudge to remember past lessons learned. 5
A Psalm of David 1 Come, let us sing for joy to the L ORD ; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. 2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. 3 For the L ORD is the great God, the great King above all gods. 4 In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. 5 The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. 6 Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the L ORD our Maker; 6
A Psalm of David 7 for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Today, if only you would hear his voice, 8 “Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness, 9 where your ancestors tested me; they tried me, though they had seen what I did. 10 For forty years I was angry with that generation; I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known my ways.’ 11 So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’” 7
God’s family coming Welcome Family together in His house Praise to God our Father Singing What a House needs. Activity, Story What a Home needs. and Singing We are God’s home Listening and (His Dwelling Place) Reflecting Building a loving, caring Activity, Praying and worshiping family and Singing Meet your family builders Blessing, Finish and Start the new year blessed Friendship So the welcome has been made and the invitation to come and sing and shout out loud to the Lord has gone out. We respond with the following two songs • Come now is the time to Worship • Come People of the risen King 8
Songs Hand out musical instruments Once singing over get them back and settle children at front ready for the next activity 9
God’s family coming Welcome Family together in His house Praise to God our Father Singing What a House needs. Activity, Story What a Home needs. and Singing We are God’s home Listening and (His Dwelling Place) Reflecting Building a loving, caring Activity, Praying and worshiping family and Singing Meet your family builders Blessing, Finish and Start the new year blessed Friendship As I said our focus is the Word of God spoken to the people of God. And, will it make a difference in 2020? In the Bible a number of buildings and structures are mentioned. I’m going to ask the Children to come and build with these boxes some of these and ask the adults if they know where these structures many be first mentioned in the bible? 10
As they build ask the adults where they think these structures are or might be mentioned in the Bible. Two minutes to build a • Wall – around Jericho • A tall tower – Tower of Babylon • Pyramid – not mentioned but likely build by the Hebrew slaves after the time of Joseph. • Home – famously – could be a the temple or the house that the wise builder built Once built: Ask some questions: What makes for a good building? • Good Foundations! • Strong walls • Sturdy roof • Nicely decorated inside How to get the most fun from it? • Have clear rules on how to take care of it so it does not break • Ensure that everyone feels part of that “Home” 11
A Parable of Jesus “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.” Let’s all read this one together. God’s Word Spoken by God’s people: Will it make a difference in 2020? 12
Sing a new Song to the Lord And Make your music to him Get musical instruments out Do – Learn the song part Then do the image section from the song – do it once Encourage children to dance 13
God’s family coming Welcome Family together in His house Praise to God our Father Singing What a House needs. Activity, Story What a Home needs. and Singing We are God’s home Listening and (His Dwelling Place) Reflecting Building a loving, caring Activity, Praying and worshiping family and Singing Meet your family builders Blessing, Finish and Start the new year blessed Friendship 14
Last week on holiday we visited Bolton Abbey: Built on firm foundations – the walls are still standing after more than 1000 years. But what’s wrong with this building? It’s derelict and empty. Now a tourist attraction of, “what used to be” 15
In the village we stayed at there was lots of new build going on. So we decided look around the show home. On the day we went we couldn’t get in so only had chance to peek through the windows. This is what we saw. Looks great doesn’t it. But what is missing? • A family • Love and laughter, • Memories and cuddles • Smells and noises • Even a little bit of mess of “my Stuff” lying around. It’s a “Show house” not a “Home” 16
Ezra Nehemiah Practical Carer Faithful to the word of God Now to our Bible Story Which is all about • God’s word spoken to God’s people and the difference it made This is Ezra: He was a wise man because not only did he read God’s word, but he also did what it said. This is Nehemiah. He cared about protecting the family of God and the place where the family of God worshiped. He did something practical if he saw the need. 17
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