Burnside Presbyterian Church Portstewart Sermons

Worship For Sunday 29th March 2020

25/3/2020

Welcome to our online service of worship from Burnside.
Below are a number of video clips which when watched in order will lead you through a service of worship, of course if you do not have time for the full service you can skip to the parts that interest you most. I do not know how we are going to do this when we are allowed to gather again.
If you don't normally attend a church and are following along, why not Trypraying. You can find out more at www.Trypraying.co.uk or download the Trypraying app to your phone or tablet.

Let Us Worship God
PSALM 40

We begin with a beautiful unaccompanied version of Psalm 40 to the tune Ballerma, sung at a Scottish youth weekend. The words are found below if you want to follow along.

PSALM 40
(Scottish Metrical)

1 I waited for the Lord my God,
and patiently did bear;
At length to me he did incline
my voice and cry to hear.

2 He took me from a fearful pit,
and from the miry clay,
And on a rock he set my feet,
establishing my way.

3 He put a new song in my mouth,
our God to magnify:
Many shall see it, and shall fear,
and on the Lord rely.

4 O blessed is the man whose trust
upon the Lord relies;
Respecting not the proud, nor such
as turn aside to lies.

OPENING PRAYER
I'm delighted that Frances Bleakley has agreed to lead us in prayer. Maintaining strict social distancing rules, Frances joins us from her home. Thank you to Eddie for the camera work and technical know how.
If anyone else would be willing to take part in the services please let me know, all you need is a smartphone, iPad or laptop.

PRAISE
Though I Feel Afraid (All I Know) - Ian White

This is No 573 in our church Hymn Book and is a wonderful comfort when we feel afraid.
The words of the hymn are in the video but you can read them below.
When we have a Saviour in Jesus Christ, he doesn't always remove the storm but he does promise to be with us through it.

THOUGH I FEEL AFRAID - Words

Of territory unknown,
I know that I can say
That I do not stand alone.
For Jesus, You have promised
Your presence in my heart;
I cannot see the ending,
But it’s here that I must start.

And all I know is You have called me,
And that I will follow is all I can say.
I will go where You will send me,
And Your fire lights my way.

What lies across the waves
May cause my heart to fear;
Will I survive the day,
Must I leave what’s known and dear?
A ship that’s in the harbour
Is still and safe from harm,
But it was not built to be there,
It was made for wind and storm.

© 1996 Thankyou Music

BIBLE READING
Philippians 4 v 4-9
I'm delighted that It will be read to us today by Eric Leslie. Maintaining strict social distancing rules, Eric joins us from his home. Thank you to Sam for the camera work and technical know how.
If anyone else would be willing to take part in the services please let me know, all you need is a smartphone, iPad or laptop.

PRAYER FOR OTHERS
Our prayers obviously focus on the current crisis.
I am using a prayer this week published on the YouVersion online bible.
The text of the prayer can be found below, and you can print it out and use it yourself if you find it helpful.

MESSAGE
The Message today centres around this practice of social distancing and social isolation that we are going through and I seek to compare it to the periods of 40 days that God often used in the bible to draw his people closer to Him.

PRAISE
The final item of Praise is "All I Once Held Dear" it is a hymn which causes us to re-evaluate our lives, consider what is important, and realise that there is no greater thing than knowing Jesus.

BENEDICTION
The Benediction is not just a prayer, it is a blessing proclaimed to all the worshippers, today, I pray the Aaronic Blessing for you.

The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make His face to shine upon you
and be gracious unto you.
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you
and give you peace.
Amen

A LITTLE EXTRA
If you would like something extra to watch, why not spend a few minutes worshipping with Keith & Kristyn Getty and their family, as they sing some well known and some new songs on St. Patrick's Day.

You can sign up to download the words at this link
https://www.gettymusic.com/christ-our-hope?fbclid=IwAR0hHXe2gpunDBy_vtDgg68ekaWscmAPvILC9NKDVnMfcqrj_XDaJNSq4FE

7 Comments

Worship For Sunday 22nd March 2020

19/3/2020

8 Comments

If you are concerned at this time why not Trypraying
Search for Trypraying on your mobile App Store or go to www.trypraying.co.uk

Welcome to worship from Burnside Presbyterian Church on Sunday 22nd March 2020.
With the spread of Corona Virus the Presbyterian Church in Ireland have wisely decided that all gatherings for worship should cease until further notice. Even though we may be scattered it does not mean that we cannot worship together, so what follows is a service of worship that you can follow at home at any time.

Do remember that on Sunday morning there is usually a service of worship on Radio Ulster at 10:15am many churches will be live streaming their services and the Archbishop of Canterbury will be conducting worship on BBC television, so there are many ways that you can be encouraged and turn to God.

Many of the links below are to Videos on Youtube, these links may contain advertising that we have no control over, if an advert appears you can usually choose to skip the ad after a few seconds.

Please feel free to share this page with your friends and to leave comments at the end.
Do also remember that this is the first time I have ever put anything like this together and it will take time to get it right.

Evangelical Alliance have called for this Sunday (22nd March 2020) to be a National Day of Prayer.
Details can be found by clicking here.

Let Us Worship Go Together.

CALL TO WORSHIP - PSALM 122

Psalms 122 (NIV 1984)
I rejoiced with those who said to me,
“Let us go to the house of the Lord.”
2 Our feet are standing
in your gates, O Jerusalem.
3 Jerusalem is built like a city
that is closely compacted together.
4 That is where the tribes go up,
the tribes of the Lord,
to praise the name of the Lord
according to the statute given to Israel.
5 There the thrones for judgment stand,
the thrones of the house of David.
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“May those who love you be secure.
7 May there be peace within your walls
and security within your citadels.”
8 For the sake of my brothers and friends,
I will say, “Peace be within you.”
9 For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
I will seek your prosperity.

PRAISE PSALM 123

Let Us Lift Our Eyes to the Lord through Psalm 123 as sung by Ian White

Psalms 123 (NIV 1984) 1 I lift up my eyes to you,
to you whose throne is in heaven.
2 As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a maid look to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the Lord our God,
till he shows us his mercy.
3 Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us,
for we have endured much contempt.
4 We have endured much ridicule from the proud,
much contempt from the arrogant.

PRAYER
You can read the prayer below

PRAISE Christ Our Hope In Life And Death
Hymn words below.

PRAISE - What is our hope in life and death?

What is our hope in life and death?
Christ alone, Christ alone.
What is our only confidence?
That our souls to him belong.
Who holds our days within his hand?
What comes, apart from his command?
And what will keep us to the end?
The love of Christ, in which we stand.

O sing hallelujah!
Our hope springs eternal;
O sing hallelujah!
Now and ever we confess
Christ our hope in life and death.

What truth can calm the troubled soul?
God is good, God is good.
Where is his grace and goodness known?
In our great Redeemer’s blood.
Who holds our faith when fears arise?
Who stands above the stormy trial?
Who sends the waves that bring us nigh
Unto the shore, the rock of Christ?

Unto the grave, what shall we sing?
“Christ, he lives; Christ, he lives!”
And what reward will heaven bring?
Everlasting life with him.
There we will rise to meet the Lord,
Then sin and death will be destroyed,
And we will feast in endless joy,
When Christ is ours forevermore.

Words and Music by Keith Getty, Matt Boswell, Jordan Kauflin, Matt Merker, Matt Papa

EXTRA MATERIAL
If you have time here is a 7 minute video Behind the song describing the reasons why it was written.

BIBLE READING - ISAIAH 41 v 1-10

You can follow along as the passage is read in the next video.

Isaiah 41:1-10 (NIV 1984)
“Be silent before me, you islands!
Let the nations renew their strength!
Let them come forward and speak;
let us meet together at the place of judgment.
2 “Who has stirred up one from the east,
calling him in righteousness to his service ?
He hands nations over to him
and subdues kings before him.
He turns them to dust with his sword,
to windblown chaff with his bow.
3 He pursues them and moves on unscathed,
by a path his feet have not traveled before.
4 Who has done this and carried it through,
calling forth the generations from the beginning?
I, the Lord–with the first of them
and with the last–I am he.”
5 The islands have seen it and fear;
the ends of the earth tremble.
They approach and come forward;
6 each helps the other
and says to his brother, “Be strong!”
7 The craftsman encourages the goldsmith,
and he who smooths with the hammer
spurs on him who strikes the anvil.
He says of the welding, “It is good.”
He nails down the idol so it will not topple.
8 “But you, O Israel, my servant,
Jacob, whom I have chosen,
you descendants of Abraham my friend,
9 I took you from the ends of the earth,
from its farthest corners I called you.
I said, ‘You are my servant’;
I have chosen you and have not rejected you.
10 So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

PRAYER FOR OTHERS

This prayer is led in the next video.
This is the text that the prayer is based on

5 Things To Pray For Hospitals and Emergency Services

The coronavirus is now affecting everyday life for almost all of us. You may be wondering what you can do to help on a practical level, when physical connection is becoming increasingly prohibited. As Christians, we know that we can pray. Here's an adapted extract from 5 Things to Pray For Your World by Rachel Jones to help guide you in praying for those working on the front line response, based on 2 Corinthians 1 V 3-11.

1. Praise God
Praise God that he is “the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles” (v 3-4).

Think back to emergency situations or periods of illhealth when God has comforted you. Thank God that he stands ready to comfort all those who turn to him for help.

2. Comfort in trouble
“… so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God” (v 4).

Pray that Christian doctors, nurses, chaplains and patients would have opportunities to share something of their own faith with those in trouble. Ask God to help them speak of the only good news that can offer lasting comfort—that Christ can heal our relationship with God so that we can enjoy life to the full, for ever. Pray by name for any Christians you know personally.

3. Reliance on God
“We felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead” (v 9).

However good our healthcare is, only God is in control of life and death. Pray that both patients and professionals would come to appreciate their own helplessness in the face of death—and turn to rely on God, who raises the dead.

4. Deliverance from danger
“He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us…” (v 10).

God loves to deliver people from danger, including illhealth—in his grace, he often works through the skill of doctors and nurses. Ask him to use these professionals to save many lives and restore people to full health.

5. Answers to prayer
“ … as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favour granted us in answer to the prayers of many” (v 11).

Give thanks for the way God has answered your prayers in the past. Who else can you “help by your prayers” right now?

The 5 Things series is designed to give you fresh ideas to stimulate your prayer life. Each spread takes a passage of Scripture and suggests 5 things to pray for a particular area. Because when we pray in line with God's priorities as found in his word, our prayers are powerful and effective (James 5 v 16)—and that's a truly thrilling prospect.

MESSAGE
ISAIAH 41 v 10 So Do Not Fear

Below are some graphics of Isaiah 41:10 why not

HYMN
Yet Not I But Through Christ In Me

BENEDICTION

Romans 8:38-39 (NIV 1984)
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

THANK YOU
Thank you for joining with us for this act of worship. I hope that God has blessed you through this ministry. Please leave a comment below to encourage others who are watching.

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Worship For Sunday 29th March 2020

Worship For Sunday 22nd March 2020

Burnside

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