10.30 am Order of Service
Live stream link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUXqSPpmvi0FrIfSLUqiCEA
Welcome
The theme of the service is ‘The freedom to grow’, and we will be supporting Tearfund’s harvest appeal in our Retiring Offering.
SING 14 All things bright and beautiful
All things bright and beautiful
All creatures great and small
All things wise and wonderful
‘Twas God that made them all
Each little flower that opens
Each little bird that sings
He made their glowing colours
And made their tiny wings
All things bright and beautiful
All creatures great and small
All things wise and wonderful
‘Twas God that made them all
The purple headed mountains
The rivers running by
The sunset and the morning
That brightens up the sky
All things bright and beautiful
All creatures great and small
All things wise and wonderful
‘Twas God that made them all
The cold wind in the winter
The pleasant summer sun
The ripe fruits in the garden
He made them every one
All things bright and beautiful
All creatures great and small
All things wise and wonderful
‘Twas God that made them all
He gave us eyes to see them
And lips that we might tell
How great is the Almighty
Who has made all things well
All things bright and beautiful
All creatures great and small
All things wise and wonderful
‘Twas God that made them all
‘They sowed fields and planted vineyards that yielded a fruitful harvest; he blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased, and he did not let their herds diminish.’
‘Blessed is the one… whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither
A prayer for the hungry
Dear God,
We lift up people who are suffering from hunger, those who do not know where their next meal will come from. We pray for a regular supply of nourishing food. Just as you provided manna for the Israelites in the desert, God, we pray for divine provision for those who are suffering right now.
We pray for those who are weak and ill from the effects of hunger and malnutrition. God, heal the sick. We think of those who cannot afford health care or who live in remote places in mountainous regions of Nepal where they cannot access health care. Lord, make a way. Heal the sick, we pray.
God, bless the work of Tearfund, its local partners and churches who are working to help people become self-sufficient again so they can feed their families once more. We pray for resources and good community relationships.
In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.
A lament for the climate crisis
Lord God,
You made the world and declared it was ‘very good’. And yet we have not treated the earth and our fellow humans with the care and respect they deserve. We are sorry and ask for your forgiveness.
Give us the courage to keep raising our voices about the climate crisis, which affects people living in poverty the most. And may your Spirit of peace be in the hearts of all people, may it sustain them through the anxiety they feel as they face the worsening effects of climate change. Those on the frontline of this crisis from extreme weather events, we pray.
God, remind us to keep caring for creation. Show us ways in which we can do this where we live and how to advocate for this in our churches and workplaces.
Amen
CHILDREN’S TALK
Children’s Song – Harvest samba
Cabbages and greens
Broccoli and beans
Cauliflower and roasted potatoes
Taste so good to me
Apricots and plums, ripened in the sun
Oranges and yellow bananas
Good for everyone
It’s another harvest festival
When we bring out fruit and vegetables
‘Cause we want to share the best of all
The good things that we’ve been given
It’s another opportunity
To be grateful for the food we eat
With a samba celebration to say
‘Thank you’ to God the Father
Goldеn corn and wheat
Oats and sugar beet
Fluffy rice and tasty spaghetti
Wondеrful to eat
Coffee, cocoa, tea, growing naturally
Herbal plants and all kinds of spices
Very nice indeed
It’s another harvest festival
When we bring out fruit and vegetables
‘Cause we want to share the best of all
The good things that we’ve been given
It’s another opportunity
To be grateful for the food we eat
With a samba celebration to say
‘Thank you’ to God the Father
Thank you for the harvest
Thank you for your goodness
For all of the fruit and vegetables
And the wonderful things that grow
Cabbages and greens
Broccoli and beans
Cauliflower and roasted potatoes
Taste so good to me
Apricots and plums, ripened in the sun
Oranges and yellow bananas
Good for everyone
Readings
Deut 24:19-21
19 When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. 20 When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second time. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow. 21 When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, do not go over the vines again. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow.
Psalm 107:31-38
31 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind.
32 Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people and praise him in the council of the elders.
33 He turned rivers into a desert, flowing springs into thirsty ground,
34 and fruitful land into a salt waste, because of the wickedness of those who lived there.
35 He turned the desert into pools of water and the parched ground into flowing springs;
36 there he brought the hungry to live, and they founded a city where they could settle.
37 They sowed fields and planted vineyards that yielded a fruitful harvest;
38 he blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased, and he did not let their herds diminish.
Video
SERMON
SING 645 – All creatures of our God and king
All creatures worship God most high,
lift up your voice in earth and sky,
alleluia, alleluia!
Thou burning sun with golden beam,
thou silver moon with softer gleam,
O sing ye, O sing ye, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
2 Dear mother earth, who day by day,
unfoldest blessings on our way,
alleluia, alleluia!
The flow’rs and fruits that in thee grow,
let them God’s glory also show,
O sing ye, O sing ye, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
3 Let all things their Creator bless,
and worship God in humbleness,
alleluia, alleluia!
To God all thanks and praise belong!
Join in the everlasting song:
O sing ye, O sing ye, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
A prayer for communities to flourish
God of restoration,
We lift up to you communities in Nepal that are diminishing because people can no longer find work or opportunities there.
We pray for those who have been forced to leave their families and communities to find work elsewhere. God, restore the relationships of families who have been torn apart. Reunite families together again.
We pray for farming to become profitable again in these communities so that businesses will move back to these areas. We ask for more opportunities for communities to grow once more.
We pray for a revival in these communities; we pray for hope and peace and love and joy to abound.
Amen.
A prayer for world leaders to take action
Dear God,
We pray for the leaders of wealthy countries to honour their pledges to lower-income countries so these places can protect themselves from the effects of the climate crisis.
God, we ask you to reveal to these leaders the devastation that the climate crisis is causing for our global neighbours. Lord, place justice and mercy on their hearts and minds. Ask them to uphold the promises they have made to send these needed funds.
We pray for the UK Government to honour this pledge too. We pray that they will use their influence in the world to persuade other wealthy countries to commit to these funds too. Lord, make a way for talks to happen between wealthy countries, and for this finance to reach countries in urgent need.
In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
SING 585 – We plough the fields and scatter
- We plow the fields and scatter
The good seed on the land,
But it is fed and watered
By God’s almighty hand:
He sends the snow in winter,
The warmth to swell the grain,
The breezes, and the sunshine,
And soft, refreshing rain.- Refrain:
All good gifts around us
Are sent from heav’n above;
Then thank the Lord, oh, thank the Lord,
For all His love.
- Refrain:
- He only is the Maker
Of all things near and far;
He paints the wayside flower,
He lights the evening star;
The winds and waves obey Him,
By Him the birds are fed;
Much more to us, His children,
He gives our daily bread.
- We thank Thee then, O Father,
For all things bright and good,
The seedtime and the harvest,
Our life, our health, our food;
Accept the gifts we offer
For all Thy love imparts,
And what Thou most desirest—
Our humble, thankful hearts.
Benediction
Urquhart & Glenmoriston Parish Church 