Welcome & Notices
Order of service put together by Laurence
Song of Worship
Psalm 150 is titled ‘Praise the Lord with music’ and then lists lots of different ways we can praise God through music (singing isn’t mentioned!!) So as we gather this morning in our homes or in the church building lets remember His greatness, His majesty, His great love for us and let that flow into our praise this morning.
Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his Temple;
praise him in his mighty heaven.
2 Praise him for his strength;
praise him for his greatness.
3 Praise him with trumpet blasts;
praise him with harps and lyres.
4 Praise him with tambourines and dancing;
praise him with stringed instruments and flutes.
5 Praise him with loud cymbals;
praise him with crashing cymbals.
6 Let everything that breathes praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord!Memory Verse
Colouring in sheets for children and adults. If you find learning memory verses tricky… try using the flipit!!
For Children and Famlies
Did you find out anything new about Moses? This week we’re finding out all about David. One of the things David is famous for is the Psalms – I wonder which Psalm is your favourite.
For those who like to take notes during the sermon.
Bible Readings
Read by Jane Fulford
Psalm 113
1 Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, you his servants; praise the name of the Lord. 2 Let the name of the Lord be praised, both now and forevermore. 3 From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised. 4 The Lord is exalted over all the nations, his glory above the heavens. 5 Who is like the Lord our God, the One who sits enthroned on high, 6 who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth? 7 He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; 8 he seats them with princes, with the princes of his people. 9 He settles the childless woman in her home as a happy mother of children. Praise the Lord!
Matthew 15:1-20
1 Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, 2 “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!”
3 Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God said, ‘Honour your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ 5 But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God,’ 6 they are not to ‘honour their father or mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. 7 You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:
8 “‘These people honour me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
9 They worship me in vain;
their teachings are merely human rules.’”
10 Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. 11 What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.”
12 Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?”
13 He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. 14 Leave them; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.”
15 Peter said, “Explain the parable to us.”
16 “Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them. 17 “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18 But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20 These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.”
Sermon
Delivered by David Fulford
Response – God’s Grace
Loving and gracious God, I confess to you, I confess with my whole heart my neglect and forgetfulness of your commandments; my wrong doing, thinking, and speaking; the hurts I have done to others, and the good I have left undone. Father, forgive me, for I have sinned against you; and raise me to newness of life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
In Christ, the Kingdom of heaven was shown in all its beauty. When people met him, the weak and poor had their dignity restored, the hungry were fed, grief turned to joy, and the lost found their Way. Our next song of worship is all about God’s incredible grace. As we recognise our own forgiveness, let’s sing it with passion and praise.
Song of Worship
O come to the altar, the Father's arms are open wide
Forgiveness is bought with the precious blood of Jesus Christ.
Jesus is calling...Intercessions
Prepared by Hannah Smith
Song of Worship
Our faith is not about what we can do or rules we need to follow. Its about what Jesus, in his great love for us, did for us. We simply accept his gift. ‘My chains fell off, my heart was free, I rose went forth and followed thee’
Final Blessing – 3D Grace
The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ (arms in front)
and the love of God (arms up)
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, (arms out)
be with us all now and for evermore. Amen!
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Thank you for joining us for worship at home today – we look forward to welcoming you again. Stay tuned for more information this week about a fun new digital space that we’re putting together to help us all stay connected!
You can connect with us throughout the week on Facebook and Slack, and tickets are available to attend worship at St James’ Church next week here: www.stjameswoodley.eventbrite.co.uk