Mexborough Baptist Church Sunday 21st November 2021
The service today is led by Jodie Thorpe and Lisa Bond. Jodie is the Children, Youth and Families Enabler in the Yorkshire Baptist Association and Lisa is our Mustard Seeds leader.
As we gather today we are grateful that God has provided us such a unique and diverse family. We are young, old, short, tall, men, women that together make up the family of God. We are reminded today that family at times conjures up significant memories that can be full of joy and pain. We gather today as one family of God hopeful that we are brought even closer to God and one another. Let us worship together as we sing two songs: 'Jesus, Strong and Kind' and 'Big Family of God' click on the links
The Family Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. for thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
Bible Reading: Ephesians 3: 14-21
For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Thank you to Jodie for sharing her thoughts with us from this passage. We don't have the full text of her message but we can share with you her PowerPoint slides...
Now Lisa shares with us an update on Mustard Seeds; thank you Lisa...
Our baby and toddler playgroup, Mustard Seeds, has been running every Monday since September and we now have over 40 children on our roster – thankfully they don’t all come at the same time! We have had some wonderful feedback from families and have been asked by several families if we would consider putting on another day. Currently this is not feasible, however if we can find more volunteers to help us staff the sessions, it is something we are excited to consider in the future. In the meantime, I have been working closely with Mexborough Life Church, down on New Oxford Road, in order to relaunch their playgroup, post-Covid. We just had our first Little Acorns session on Thursday and it is a very promising venture – many of our families will be attending both sessions and so we are able to meet the need in the community, as well as increasing our church’s visibility and public awareness, particularly through the use of social media. Mustard Seeds and Little Acorns are both tiny little promises, that with enough nurturing in the right environment, can and will flourish in both strength and stature. This is my prayer, and I know that it is yours, too. That the precious little children, just as the tiny precious seeds, will grow and achieve wonderful things for the glory of our God. That the parents and carers who think they’re just coming for a cup of tea and a chat, will also leave our buildings feeling energised and uplifted, and that the stories we tell, and the love that we demonstrate, will continue to work in their hearts and lives every day and that they too might come to know the love of God for themselves. Each playgroup session is meticulously planned to link to a story in the Bible. This week is our pre-advent story, where Mary was given the good news of her miracle surprise pregnancy! We will follow the story in the coming weeks, along with the shepherds and wise men, leading to the birth of our beloved Saviour. A fitting way to demonstrate God’s love in this season, I thought, was to take the lead from those weary travellers, bringing gifts of love and joy and hope to a new baby and His needy family – remember that Jesus was not rich. Mary and Joseph offered the pauper’s sacrifice of two pigeons at Jesus’ circumcision; they were too poor to sacrifice the customary lamb. You’ll notice that I have brought along a Moses basket this week. I would love to encourage everyone here to each bring a gift for a new mum or her baby. Just one gift per person is enough, and it doesn’t have to be gold, frankincense, or myrrh! I’m sure a packet of nappies, a baby hat, or some cosy slippers will be gratefully received! As a symbolic gesture, we will be gifting this basket of love to a family in need, during the week of Epiphany (6 January). I have a contact at the YWCA who has graciously offered to collect and deliver to one of the young mums she supports. If you feel led to, there are some heart shaped cards in the basket and I would encourage you to share a pertinent scripture or some words of loving wisdom to uplift and encourage this family, and to share the love of God with them. Please also pray for the family who will receive our gift, that their circumstances will improve and that they feel supported and cared-for, and that through our gesture of love, they might experience the joy and peace that comes only from the Holy Spirit…
Prayer
Please take some time to pray for
- your own family
- families in your neighbourhood
- the church family
- Mustard Seeds
- Scouts
- our Advent and Christmas services
The closing song today is based on Psalm 133 which speaks of the blessing of families living together in unity – 'O How Good It Is' click on the link Benediction
Lord God, we give you all the members of our family. You know them all so well and love them all. We ask you to cover us with a rainbow of hope. Hope that draws us together to work out our differences. Hope that helps us to celebrate together and care for one another. Hope that rides like a banner in our lives and watches over us wherever we go. Hope that overcomes adversity and gathers strength to overcome. Hope that guides us and gives us vision for our future alone and together. Hope filled with love. Hope that fuels faith. Hope that breathes peace. May our family live in you under your promises. Amen.(a family prayer from www.lords-prayer-words.com)
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