Fulfilling God’s will
ST. ANDREW’S CHURCH
May 22nd, 2022
LIGHTING OF THE CHRIST CANDLE
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
- We at St. Andrew's Church welcome you to this online worship service on the Sixth Sunday of Easter. May it be a blessing to you and bring glory to God throughout the week to come.
- We also thank Rev, Shirley Cochrane for leading our worship today as Rev. Ena van Zoeren continues her healing and recovery process.
- Just a reminder that if you feel comfortable worshiping in person; St. Andrew's meets at 11 am and you would be warmly welcomed. Our address is 1981 9th. Ave. NE Salmon Arm BC.
CALL TO WORSHIP
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!
Let the earth rejoice and be glad,
let the heavens declare your righteousness!
May all people see your glory, O God;
may your ways be known throughout the earth.
Let us worship the God who loves us;
We come to worship with open hearts,
to raise our voices with thanks and praise.
HYMN 425 We praise you O God
- We praise you, O God, our Redeemer, Creator;
in grateful devotion our tribute we bring.
We lay it before you; we kneel and adore you;
we bless your holy name; glad praises we sing. - We worship you; God ever faithful, we bless you;
through life's storm and tempest our guide you have been.
When perils o'ertake us, you will not forsake us,
and with your help, O Lord, life's battles we win. - With voices united our praises we offer,
and gladly our songs of true worship we raise.
Our sins now confessing, we pray for your blessing;
to you, our great Redeemer, forever be praise.
PRAYER of ADORATION and INVOCATION
God of promise and purpose, we greet you this day with thankful hearts. As flowers unfurl and buds open, the beauty of your world lifts our spirits in praise. As children grow and students prepare to graduate, their energy and enthusiasm encourage us toward your future. Your world is full of such variety and detail, we stand in awe of your creative imagination. Draw close to us in this hour of worship and show us the promise and purpose in our own lives. May we unfurl with your gift of new life, and move into the future, renewed by the energy of your Holy Spirit. Thankful for your blessings , we also admit to our shortcomings as we confess together ….
UNISON PRAYER OF CONFESSION
God of diversity and detail,
the wonders of your creation amaze us.
Yet we confess we often fail to honour its beauty
and variety in the details of our lives.
When voices differ in opinion,
we listen to those we agree with.
We fail to honour experience different than our own.
We resist calls to honour the earth
as if it were ours for the taking.
Forgive our narrow perspectives.
Open our eyes and our hearts to the
pain and perspectives of others,
and renew us all with your healing grace.
In Jesus name AMEN
ASSURANCE OF PARDON
Jesus said, “My peace I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.” May the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Let his forgiveness set you at peace with God and yourself, and make peace with one another. Amen.
THE PEACE
HYMN 570 I have decided to follow Jesus
- I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
No turning back, no turning back - The world behind me, the cross before me,
The world behind me, the cross before me;
The world behind me, the cross before me;
No turning back, no turning back. - Tho' none go with me, I still will follow, Tho' none go with me I still will follow, Tho' none go with me, I still will follow; No turning back, no turning back.
- Will you decide now to follow Jesus
Will you decide now to follow Jesus
Will you decide now to follow Jesus
No turning back, No turning back.
.
SCRIPTURE READINGS
Psalm 67
May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face shine on us
2 so that your ways may be known on earth,
your salvation among all nations.
3 May the peoples praise you, God;
may all the peoples praise you.
4 May the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you rule the peoples with equity
and guide the nations of the earth.
5 May the peoples praise you, God;
may all the peoples praise you.
6 The land yields its harvest;
God, our God, blesses us.
7 May God bless us still,
so that all the ends of the earth will fear him.
Acts 16:9-15;
9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
11 From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day we went on to Neapolis. 12 From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days.
13 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. 14 One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. 15 When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.
SERMON Fulfilling God’s will
In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit
How many women in the Bible can you name ? Think about it for a few seconds ……. I have a book titled Who’s Who in the Bible .Of the hundreds of names, 57 of them are women. Some are just briefly mentioned. Some have a longer story . Perhaps not surprising the most listed is Mary – with five women by that name. Few named they may be, but the Bible records they are important to God.
Todays scripture reading brings us a brief story of the second woman Luke speaks of
To begin with, Paul and his cohorts are traveling with the goal of bringing the gospel as far and wide as possible It is a bit of a cliché, but ‘when God closes one door, He opens another.’ This was certainly the experience of Paul and his companions: Silas Timothy and Luke We are not told how, but one way or another, two negative commands are given by the Holy Spirit. balanced by a positive leading.
First, after revisiting the congregations in Phrygia and Galatia, they are forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia (i.e. Turkey)’ ( 16:6). So they continue on towards Mysia, and would have continued on into Bithynia, but for a second time the Spirit ‘did not permit them’ (16:7). So, they continue in the only way they can, coming to Troas on the Aegean Sea’ ( 16:8). The Holy Spirit bars Paul's way to the north and the south and it is then that Paul can look west. Here the positive leading comes in the form of a vision, revealed to Paul: a man he identifies as “a man of Macedonia” pleading with him, saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us” (16:9). Together, “we” (reports Luke) “sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them” ( 16:10). As with many a missionary after them, they are not following their own carefully thought-out strategy, but God’s promptings and irresistible leading..
Thus they sail from Troas and head first towards Samothrace (a rocky island rising 5000 feet out of the sea). The next day they land in Neapolis From Neapolis they take on a ten-mile hike inland to Philippi, the capital of that region of Macedonia, Greece. As far as we know Paul and his team didn’t find anyone to talk to Jesus about until they reach the city of Philippi. Even then it is several days before Paul and his companions find a group to preach to.
On the Sabbath day the missionaries head out of the city, “to a place by a river side where prayer was customarily made” (16:13). Modern-day missionaries might seek a platform in the heart of the city: but Paul and his companions are choosing to teach by a riverside outside the city. Their listeners are not rabbis and philosophers, but some women who meet there for prayer.
Now prayer meetings have sometimes been the very places where revivals have begun. Finding these seekers after the one true and living God, Paul is duty bound to inform them of the limits of the Judaic faith which they are, up to a point, following. There is no doubt at all that Paul shares his message: ‘Jesus Christ - Him crucified’ , and all that that theology entails.
This day God’s grace is being offered to the first hearers of the gospel that will make up the church at Philippi. We are introduced to Lydia, a businesswoman, and a worshipper of God. “The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul” ( 16:14). From God’s perspective, this Is the encounter which He has been working towards all along, making it inevitable that Openness and Truth should meet together here, at this time, in this place, involving these people.
Lydia is from the city of Thyatira in present-day western Turkey. Right now she is living in the Greek city of Philippi. The two cities are about 250 miles apart. Although she knows about God, she still hasn’t heard that God’s promised Messiah has come in the person of Jesus. She earnestly listens to the preaching of Paul and Silas. Luke, writes of Lydia, she: “heard us,” Lydia believes the gospel. “Whose heart the Lord opened that she attended unto the things which Paul and Silas were speaking unto them,"
Lydia is an industrious businesswoman. A seller of dye for the purple robes worn by the prominent and powerful men. Only the rich and the royal could wear purple. In those days, the purple dye came from a shellfish, and one shellfish would yield only one drop of the purple dye. It was extremely expensive.
This tells us that she is very wealthy. To own a large house one had to be very wealthy, but she owns two houses which means she has worked extremely hard. There is no other way in that day and culture to own two homes. She is a very successful businesswoman. Her second home in Philippi is large enough for herself, for her whole household which would include servants, children and grandparents, and the ability to house at least six more missionaries. She has prestige and influence, and yet she still has a hungry heart. Lydia shows us that you can have wealth and still not have satisfaction until you find the Lord and start joining in the vision he has for the place you are in.
With all that Lydia has going on, where is she when the Sabbath comes? She is worshiping. For six days she works, and the seventh day she reserves for God. As busy as she must be she isn’t too busy to make the weekly trek out to the river to join fellow believers in prayer.. Lydia understands the importance of getting together with fellow believers. She knows that she needs their encouragement and that she can be an encouragement to them.
Lydia does not just hear the word of God but responds to it. When she puts her faith in Christ, what does she do? She responds by giving whatever she has in service. She takes on a couple of missionaries and provides shelter for them including food and any other provision they need at her home. Lydia has a generous heart
The reason Lydia submits herself and her household to baptism ( 16:15a) is not because of some clever oratory, powers of persuasion, or manipulation on the part of Paul. It is entirely of God, beginning to end, no matter what instrumentation He may have used. The proof of Lydia’s newfound faith is then manifested in the hospitality which she compels the missionaries to accept which, incidently, is still available for them much later when they are released from prison (16:40).
Lydia uses her business sense and begins to witness in her workplace for Christ. She is able to be devoted to God and to her work because she has a very good balance. Stephen Covey writes a book called First Things First and says that successful people have correct priorities in their lives: God, Family and Work. Anything that it took to balance work and family, Lydia did in a very laudable and creative way.
This is an important point. She had no great calling like Paul did, yet in response to Christ and the change in her life, she takes what she has at her disposal within the time constraints she has and she uses everything for God. She uses her home, her money, her business sense and her testimony.
Lydia is also devoted to her family. When she responds in faith, her whole household follows suit. When she and the members of her household are baptized, Luke declares she invites us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she says, “come and stay at my house.”
One of the wonderful things is that the Philippians become one of the strongest churches in the New Testament. Perhaps this is a result of the service of Lydia.
In Revelation 2, you see a reference to the church in Thyatira. Paul never went to Thyatira, yet there is a church there. How could that be? Well, one possibility is that Lydia went back to that city and began to share her faith with others. She took what she had and put it in God’s service. He founded the first Church in Europe whose leader was a woman
Paul eventually moved on from Philippi to spread God’s Word in other cities. As far as we know Lydia didn’t sell her business and follow the apostle. It seems that she stayed on in Philippi and kept doing what God had given her gifts to do: sell purple cloth. If she does this to the best of her ability and to God’s glory, then she is fulfilling God’s will for her.
Philippi would send assistance to Paul during his imprisonment in Rome. This church would maintain a long-lasting fellowship with Paul, enabling him to spread the gospel into Europe and Asia. Philippi’s continued financial support to Paul was because of Lydia’s love and devotion to the Lord and him. She continued opening her heart unto the Lord, in her giving in support of the Lord's work through the preaching of Paul and his company.
Of Philippi's support. Paul writes: "I thank my God…For your fellowship (gifts of assistance) in the gospel from the first day until now; being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begin a good work in you will perform it until the day of Christ,"( Philippians 1:3-6; Philippians 4:15-16. )
If Paul might have been tempted to be disappointed only to reach the women of the city, God certainly wasn’t. To me this underlines the importance of the ministry of women in the church. Lydia wasn’t content just to tell her family about Jesus. She wanted to and did support the work Paul and his companions were doing. Have you ever listened to a missionary’s presentation on his work in a far-flung country and think: “Boy, I could never do that?” I hope you know you do participate in that work whenever you support mission work.
Recall, “Faith comes by hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of God,” (Romans 10:17.). Lydia not only heard the word but received it. To know the doctrine is to hear it, believe it, and be obedient unto it to be saved! The doctrine is the word of truth, the gospel of our salvation Paul, wrote to Ephesus: "In whom ye also trusted, after that, ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that you believed, you were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise
Thankfully God the Holy Spirit still does today what he did for Lydia. He works through words of the Bible, not dazzling light shows, to create faith. Do you see why the study of God’s Word is so important, Do you see why we put such an emphasis on it here in this congregation? It’s because that’s how God communicates with us. More than that, it’s how he enlightens and empowers us.
Jesus once said that whoever welcomes a prophet because he is a prophet, and shares God’s Word with others, will receive a prophet’s reward (Matthew 10:41).. It’s all about humbly receiving God’s Word and gladly serving God’s kingdom, just as Lydia did. Amen
HYMN 585 Christ, you call us all to service
- Christ, you call us all to service,
call us all who follow you;
plant in us a deep commitment
all your work and will to do.
Fire a passion for your justice;
in us kindle love of peace;
help us heal the brokenhearted;
to the captive bring release. - Teach us how to work together,
brother, sister, side by side,
equal partners in the struggle,
in the cause of truth allied.
To each one some gift is given
man or woman, young or old;
help us use each skill and talent,
your great purpose to unfold. - Let us be a servant people,
reconciling, ending strife,
seeking ways more just of sharing
and of ordering human life.
Fill us with a glowing vision
of this world as it should be;
send us forth to change that vision into blest reality.
OFFERING
God has created a world of great diversity, full of wonder and potential. Let us honour God’s gifts to us in Christ and in each other as we present our offering in support of God’s purposes in the world.
DOXOLOGY
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise him all creatures here below
Praise him above ye heavenly host.
Praise Father Son and Holy Ghost
OFFERTORY PRAYER
Generous God, we thank you for your gift of new life in Christ Jesus. Receive our gifts this day, and bless each gift and each giver. Use each one to witness to your purposes through our congregation and throughout the world you love, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
Lord, our God, The earth and all its peoples belong to you. As we come before you in prayer, we are painfully aware that the earth itself is at risk, from the ways your people live on it, and the conflicts we provoke among each other. We seek your healing and hope this day, for the earth and all its creatures, and for your people of every nation.
Sovereign God we pray for peace with justice to emerge in war torn lands, and in every place of conflict where power struggles put innocent folks at risk. It feels like the atrocities in Ukraine have gone on forever and we earnestly pray for it to cease We pray for all groups offering aid and renewal in places where disaster and conflict have left people at risk. Support those who have lost homes, families and livelihoods may they find courage to go on and open hearts of those in safety to share with those in need.
We pray for healing for Indigenous families and communities, both within and outside the church, who are struggling with intergenerational trauma from Residential Schools and other forms of colonial violence. Guide our church and congregations in ways that uphold Indigenous rights and reject anti-Indigenous racism. God of healing and hope, we know that this land we call home faces conflict and pain, and that communities are divided by deep disagreements. We pray for healing and understanding to deepen between Indigenous people and those who settled this land with no thought for those who already called it home. Protect those who face racist attitudes and actions in daily life, and restore dignity and hope to those who have suffered injustice in a system that benefitted others.
Open our eyes to the creativity and courage in communities that feel unfamiliar to us, and open our hearts to build new relationships with each other so we grow closer as neighbours and friends.
Send your Spirit of wisdom and compassion to break open the hearts of leaders to work with each other to protect the innocent and restore order for the well being of all. May your ways of truth and justice prevail In every heart and in every land.
Lord We pray for commissioners, young adult and student representatives, and committee conveners as they prepare for the 2022 General Assembly of The Presbyterian Church in Canada. May we understand that the Holy Spirit is working bringing new life to your people and land .
God of healing and hope, We pray for those who know sickness or pain,
for all who live in grief, loneliness or anxiety, and all who find these uncertain times overwhelming in any way.
We give thanks for the blessings our community receives through the work of many community groups and volunteers such as the Food banks Second Harvest ,Neighbourlink , Lighthouse mission .
Lord we remember before you those for whom we have special concern this day:
Ill in treatment ….. Cora – Ena
Travel….
Grief….
We give thanks for the joys in our lives…..
By your Spirit, surround each one with strength and love,and equip us to offer support for those whose lives are woven into ours.
God of healing and hope, Jesus walks with us day by day to see us through every challenge, and so we claim the healing and hope he offers in the words he taught us to pray:
THE LORD’S 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. Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
HYMN 476 Amigos de Cristo
(Refrain)
Amigos de Cristo; we're friends of the Lord;
Amigos de Cristo; we're friends of the Lord.
For we've been forgiven, and we've been restored,
Amigos de Cristo; we're friends of the Lord.
1. Friends of the covenant renewed each morn;
baptized and loving it, we've been reborn.
Gift of the dove is ours for evermore.
Amigos de Cristo; we're friends of the Lord.
(Refrain)
2. Born of a family, the young and old,
we'll be on hand to see new life unfold.
We understand the need to be made whole.
Amigos de Cristo; we're friends of the Lord.
(Refrain)
BENEDICTION
May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another in accordance with Christ Jesus so that together we may with one voice glorify the Father, our Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit
CLOSING SONG
Take O take me as I am; summon out what I shall be
set your seal upon my heart and live in me