DIY Sunday Service Kit - 29/05/2022

 Welcome to the DIY SSK for this week where we tackle the glory of God plainly seen in Creation and the command of God to show Christian discernment ... amongst other things!

We've been experimenting for a little while now with this new way of doing things on Blogger instead of the subscription service (which we were paying for) with Church Service Planner. If you are happy enough with this new way of doing things I plan to cancel the subscription service ... please contact me if you'd really rather I didn't, and let me know what I've been failing to see is wrong with the one we've been using more recently? Thanks!

If you would prefer to have a very confidential way of receiving our news and of chatting with me (or us), I am now on the 'Signal' app which is a very secure way to communicate if that would help you. Let me know and I'll switch to communicating with you solely by that means.

Let's worship the Lord ...

Let's pray

Lord and Father we thank you for the measure of freedom and the measure of your provision for our needs which we enjoy.

Would you lift our hearts and minds as we gather around this service kit from the circumstances of our lives which can easily trouble, bind and distract us. Would you focus our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the Cross, scorning its shame, and Who is now seated at the right hand of the Majesty in Heaven ... and make us joyful.

We ask for Jesus' sake.

AMEN.

This week's Word for the Week video is here:

So we sing ...

Prayer pointers 

It's very easy to come to prayer with a list of very pressing needs but no clear vision of the privilege it is to pray, and just what it is that enables us to come.

What would you come to prayer today RELISHING about the privilege that it is and the character of the One to Whom we come?

This song might help us with this if we're stuck ... let's think it through as City Alight lead our meditation

There are so many really challenging situations in our world air the moment that its really important to keep our eyes on the One to Whom we pray. 

We may be overwhelmed with the needs we see ... but He is NOT!

So we persevere in praying for ...\

Ukraine

Here's a message from FEBC Eurasia who are Christian radio broadcasters in Ukraine and neighbouring countries about praying for their ministry right now ... I received this yesterday.

Please pray for FEBC counselors in Ukraine. 

They are answering heartbreaking calls every day: mothers who lost their children to war, young people in despair, families that are separated. 

Please specifically pray for Alex, Nina, Maria, and Nadia.

Please pray for listeners like Alena, who found freedom from her past through FEBC’s broadcasts. “You helped me let go of the pain that tormented me for years! Thank you so much!”

Please pray for Ukrainian soldiers who are listening to our broadcasts, and for those who gave their lives to Christ as a result. 

Particularly pray for those who are fighting in the Donbass region, where many are dying.

Please pray for protection for Evgeny, who was recently ministering to Ukrainian soldiers in eastern Ukraine. “We prayed with them, encouraged them, and distributed New Testaments and prayer booklets with the number of our prayer helpline," he said.

Here's a video message from FEBC Christian radio broadcasters in Ukraine about praying for their contacts with troops at the front lines.

It's right and proper that we should be prayerful for Ukraine, but we must be careful not to neglect other really needy parts of the world like ...

Yemen

• A storm of crises

The Yemeni people are experiencing a storm of crises including
underdeveloped health systems, water scarcity and political
challenges. The ongoing currency crisis, and rising inflation, is
putting further pressure on Yemenis, making food, water and fuel
unaffordable for many in the country - which imports most of its
needs. Please pray for the Medair team responding to these emergencies
and providing support to as many people as possible through essential
nutrition and health care, and water, hygiene and sanitation services.
Pray for the malnourished pregnant mothers and young children visiting
Medair supported health facilities in remote and isolated areas. Ask
God to enable a way for them to receive treatment, so that they make a
strong recovery and live happy lives.

• Humanitarian needs

Four out of five people in Yemen need humanitarian assistance, making
it the world’s largest humanitarian crisis of our time. Civil war,
economic collapse, and the mass displacement of people have generated
a situation that continues to deteriorate and push already exhausted
communities to the brink. 20 million people in Yemen cannot access
adequate health care, nor do they have enough food to eat, and nearly
18 million people do not have access to safe drinking water and
sanitation facilities. Please pray for communities in Yemen affected
by conflict and displacement. Pray that God will bring peace and
restoration to this nation. Please pray for the millions of people in
need of food and clean water. Pray that their daily needs will be met
and that they will be able to receive humanitarian aid. Ask God to
help Medair reach vulnerable communities with emergency healthcare and
nutrition services, especially women and children who are most at risk
and suffering from malnutrition

• The Church in Yemen

Yemeni Arabs are mostly Muslims and conversion to Christianity is
dangerous. Only 0.08% of Yemen’s population knows and follows Christ,
and evangelism is against the law, punishable by death. Yet the Church
in Yemen continues to grow, and more people are turning to Christ than
ever before! Praise the Lord for Yemeni believers.

• Yemenis in the UK

There are 34,000 Yemenis living in the UK. Their culture arose from
tribes of nomads living in the Arabian Desert, and includes several
different classes of people. Many settled here as merchant navy
workers over 100 years ago and are strong Muslims. Having Yemeni Arabs
in the UK is a great opportunity to make Jesus known, as they
otherwise live in the Middle East where being a Christian is perilous.
Pray that God would change the hearts of the Yemeni Arab people in the
UK: that they would be exposed to Christianity and call upon Jesus

And finally we pray for ourselves in the challenges and stresses we face

As the fuel price and cost of living crisis begin to bite here for us, we pray for ourselves:

• good stewardship of our own resources
• wise management of our own costs
• generosity of spirit, reflecting the goodness that we have been shown by God
• watchful, caring and responsive hearts to exercise compassion in a time when people very easily get caught up in their own concerns
• a prayerfulness for our friends, neighbours, family and contacts who need our prayers ... and the courage to pray openly for their needs that Christ may get the glory from the spiritual realities from which we benefit.

Help us O Lord to be faithful in our weakness and in the face of whatever it is we face, so that you may be seen to be our all-sufficient Saviour and the God Who unfailingly cares for His people in their needs.

We ask all these things for Jesus' sake.

AMEN.

The Reading is 1 John 4:1-6 

                                   (click this link 👇 )

Here's the StudioCam recording of that Sermon

Our final hymn today is an absolutely glorious hymn 

by Titus Lewis sung at the Aberystwyth conference

And now ...

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

(Romans 15:5-6)

Send us out then, Lord, in the power of your Holy Spirit, to live and to work for your praise and your Glory ... in Jesus' Name.

AMEN.

Please don't forget that you can get hold of us easily by email (HoWChaplain@gmail.com) or by WhatsApp or text ... and now very securely on Signal too ... using the mobile number 07748 64958.

What can we be praying specifically for you?

Simon.

P.S. - the giving link, as ever, is here: