5 July 2020 - TRINITY 4

Hi everyone

This weekend sees another

significant change in our country's

response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

As you'll have heard, the govern-

ment is now beginning to allow

small gatherings in church

buildings, but with a number of

significant provisos and restrictions.

The final details for us only came

out on Wednesday evening and I

don't want to rush without proper

prayer and preparation so please

pray, and by next week we will be

able to announce some new oppor-

tunities for us to begin some form of

smaller gatherings again.

As I said before, we will continue

online so that everyone can join in.

Each local church will have to work

out what might work for them within

the government's guidance, and

some may not begin meeting at all

just yet.

At the same time, I'm really pleased

to let you know that during lock-

down we've been able to make

considerable progress in the hall

and once finished (by the end of

July I hope!) it will give us more

space for socially-distanced

services, as the spacing distances

limit All Saints to only a very few

people at a time, at the moment.

As I say, please pray for wisdom for

now, and I'll look forward to being

able to share more next week. In

the meantime, All Saints remains

open for individual prayer on

Mondays 2-3pm and Wednesdays

7-8pm.

I've really missed seeing you all,

but I know that God is good and our

hope is secure in all that Christ has

done.

Love -

2

13 Is anyone among you in

trouble? Let them pray. Is any-

one happy? Let them sing songs

of praise. 14 Is anyone among

you sick? Let them call the

elders of the church to pray over

them and anoint them with oil in

the name of the Lord. 15 And the

prayer offered in faith will make

the sick person well; the Lord

will raise them up. If they have

sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to

each other and pray for each

other so that you may be healed.

The prayer of a righteous person

is powerful and effective.

17 Elijah was a human being,

even as we are. He prayed

earnestly that it would not rain,

and it did not rain on the land

for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the

heavens gave rain, and the earth

produced its crops.

19 My brothers and sisters, if one

of you should wander from the

truth and someone should bring

that person back, 20 remember

this: Whoever turns a sinner

from the error of their way will

save them from death and cover

over a multitude of sins.

READING

James 5:13-20(NIV)

3

2

July 12 9.30am Livestreamed Service (Matthew 13:1-9) Parable of the Sower 19 9.30am Livestreamed Service (Matthew 13:24-30) Parable of the Weeds 26 9.30am Livestreamed Service (Matthew 13:31-33) Parable of the Mustard Seed & Yeast August 2 9.30am Livestreamed Service (Matthew 14:13-21) Feeding the 5,000+ 9 9.30am Livestreamed Service (Matthew 14:22-33) Jesus walks on water

You can watch them as they go live, or at a later time: www.youtube.com/AllSaintsWick

MONDAY 10am Coffee and Prayer

Meeting ID: 548-278-740 Join URL (from a computer): https://us02web.zoom.us/j/548278740?pwd=YlF5dmlqdWFxYlpuVStsd2wxOGRZUT09 Password: 9W2ejp

WEDNESDAY 10am Coffee and Prayer Meeting ID: 737-944-199 Join URL (from a computer): https://us02web.zoom.us/j/737944199?pwd=cWRVNzZpU1RySkh2MUtoR1hvZG9Tdz09 Password: 9W2ejp

FRIDAY 3pm Coffee, discussion and prayer

Meeting ID (for phone/tablet): 672-702-690 Join URL (from a computer): https://us04web.zoom.us/j/672702690?pwd=aE40K0hnZkU5ZnF4WnNkRktBQk1NZz09 Password: 8j6dzD

SUNDAY Coffee: Straight after the Sunday online service

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87309091674 Meeting ID: 873-0909-1674 Password: 2bsR4C

SUNDAY 7pm Prayer Meeting

Meeting ID: 431-581-905 Join URL: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/431581905?pwd=SlFHOGJYLzhLOGI4TytSemRhSE1KQT09 Password: 9W2ejp

4

2 Who can proclaim the mighty acts of

the LORD or fully declare his praise? 3 Blessed are those who act justly, who

always do what is right.

4 Remember me, LORD, when you show

favour to your people,

come to my aid when you save them, 5 that I may enjoy the prosperity of your

chosen ones, that I may share in

the joy of your nation and join your

inheritance in giving praise.

6 We have sinned, even as our

ancestors did; we have done wrong

and acted wickedly. 7 When our ancestors were in Egypt, they

gave no thought to your miracles;

they did not remember your many

kindnesses, and they rebelled by the

sea, the Red Sea. 8 Yet he saved them for his name’s sake, to

make his mighty power known. 9 He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up;

he led them through the depths as

through a desert. 10 He saved them from the hand of the foe;

from the hand of the enemy he

redeemed them.

11 The waters covered their adversaries; not

one of them survived. 12 Then they believed his promises and

sang his praise.

13 But they soon forgot what he had done and

did not wait for his plan to unfold. 14 In the desert they gave in to their craving;

in the wilderness they put God to the test.

15 So he gave them what they asked for,

but sent a wasting disease among them.

16 In the camp they grew envious of Moses

and of Aaron, who was consecrated to

the Lord.

17 The earth opened up and swallowed

Dathan; it buried the company of Abiram. 18 Fire blazed among their followers; a

flame consumed the wicked. 19 At Horeb they made a calf and

worshipped an idol cast from metal. 20 They exchanged their glorious God for an

image of a bull, which eats grass. 21 They forgot the God who saved them,

who had done great things in Egypt, 22 miracles in the land of Ham and awe

some deeds by the Red Sea. 23 So he said he would destroy them—had

1 Praise the LORD.

Give thanks to the LORD,

for he is good; his love

endures forever.

5

not Moses, his chosen one, stood in

the breach before him to keep his

wrath from destroying them.

24 Then they despised the pleasant land;

they did not believe his promise. 25 They grumbled in their tents and did not

obey the LORD. 26 So he swore to them with uplifted hand

that he would make them fall in the

wilderness, 27 make their descendants fall among the

nations and scatter them throughout

the lands.

28 They yoked themselves to the Baal of

Peor and ate sacrifices offered to

lifeless gods; 29 they aroused the LORD’s anger by their

wicked deeds, and a plague broke out

among them. 30 But Phinehas stood up and intervened,

and the plague was checked. 31 This was credited to him as righteousness

for endless generations to come. 32 By the waters of Meribah

they angered the LORD,

and trouble came to

Moses because of them; 33 for they rebelled against

the Spirit of God,

and rash words came

from Moses’ lips.

34 They did not destroy the

peoples as the LORD

had commanded them,

35 but they mingled with the nations and

adopted their customs. 36 They worshipped their idols, which

became a snare to them.

37 They sacrificed their sons and their

daughters to false gods. 38 They shed innocent blood, the blood of

their sons and daughters,

whom they sacrificed to the idols of

Canaan, and the land was desecrated

by their blood. 39 They defiled themselves by what they did;

by their deeds they prostituted

themselves.

40 Therefore the LORD was angry with his

people and abhorred his inheritance. 41 He gave them into the hands of the

nations, and their foes ruled over them. 42 Their enemies oppressed them and

subjected them to their power. 43 Many times he delivered them, but they

were bent on rebellion and they

wasted away in their sin. 44 Yet he took note of their distress when he

heard their cry; 45 for their sake he remembered his covenant

and out of his great love he relented. 46 He caused all who held them

captive to show them

mercy.

47 Save us, LORD our God, and

gather us from the nations,

that we may give thanks

to your holy name and

glory in your praise.

48 Praise be to the LORD, the

God of Israel,

from everlasting to everlasting.

Let all the people say, “Amen!”

Praise the LORD.

By ROGER PURDOM

ere is another ‘salvation-history’ psalm. The first one we read was Psalm 78. Psalms 105 and 107 are the

other two.

Psalm 78 is a warning to Israel not to repeat the sins of the past and to remember God’s sovereign and mer-ciful dealings with them.

Psalm 105 looks back over the history of God’s people as a history of redemption.

Psalm 107 celebrates God’s creation, His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for all.

Psalm 106 looks back over the history of God’s people as a history of rebellion.

The psalmist begins and ends this psalm with praise because, although we read about Israel’s rebellion, we also read about the mercy, faithful-ness and forgiveness of God.

Verses 1-5 Praise and Prayer

Verses 6-12 The people in Egypt

In spite of God’s provision, see how the people responded.

‘we have sinned’

they gave no thought to God’s miracles

they forgot God’s kindness

they rebelled by the Red Sea

Verses 13-15 The people in the desert

they soon forgot

they did not wait

they put God to the test

God gave them what they longed for

they were not satisfied with the LORD’s provision

(see Exodus 16 and Numbers 11)

Verses 16-18 The people and their leaders

they were not satisfied with the LORD’s leadership team (see Numbers 16:1-35)

Verses 19-23 The people and idolatry

they worshipped an idol

they exchanged their God for a bull

they forgot God

they forgot His miracles

Verses 24-27 The people on the edge of the Promised Land

they despised the land

they did not believe God’s promise

they grumbled

they disobeyed

Verses 28-31 The people and idol worship

they made the LORD very angry (see Numbers 25)

Verses 32-33 The people and their rebellion

they angered the LORD

they rebelled

they pushed Moses to breaking point and he disobeyed the LORD, so missed out on going into the Promised Land

Verses 34-46 The people in the Promised Land

The Psalmist skips over the book of Joshua where we read of the victorious arrival in Canaan. But after Joshua’s death, the people reverted back to their old way of life (see Judges 2).

What a catalogue of disaster after disaster.

If I had my history written down, I would want to run away and hide.

BUT GOD …

All the way through this history lesson we see God reaching out to His rebellious people, in spite of their sin.

Come back through the psalm.

v8 ‘yet He saved them’

v9 ‘He rebuked the Red Sea’

‘He led them through the depths’

v10 ‘He saved them … He redeemed them’

v11 ‘not one of their adversaries survived’

Notice the effect this had on the people –

v12 ‘then the people believed the promises of God’

v23 God would have destroyed His people ‘had not Moses pleaded with God’ (see Exodus 32)

v30 ‘But Phinehas stood up and intervened

and the plague was checked’ (see Numbers 25)

vs 43-46

‘He delivered them’

‘He took note of their distress’

‘He heard their cry’

‘He remembered His covenant’

‘He relented because of His great love’

‘He caused the nations to show mercy’

So, too, for us. Woven into MY story is HIS story.

v48 ‘Praise the LORD. Let all the people say ‘Amen!’

Please pray for one another during this difficult time. If you need special prayer, please contact Tom.

Personal prayer requests will be dealt with in confidence.

VICAR

Rev Tom Robson (01903) 714838 * tom.robson@allsaintswick.org.uk Tom's usual family day is Friday

CHURCHWARDENS

Dave Green: 07593 576839 * dave.green36@yahoo.com

Clare Purdom: 07836 656713 * cahoohay@yahoo.co.uk

All Saints Times: Jane Hicks, email janegeorgehicks@uwclub.net

www.allsaintswick.org.uk * Facebook/allsaintswick * Twitter @allsaintswick

Pray specifically for

Martin Hutchinson, Joyce

Dent (Heather Best's mum),

David Best, Violet James

(Val Stewart’s mum),

Gill (relative of Ron Jones),

Jean (friend of Dave G)

Fred & Sheila Blows

(Dave G’s son-in-law’s

grandparents), Helen (friend

of Jill B), Dorothy (friend of

David F), Steve (friend of

Derek N-W), Kassie friend of

Dave G’s daughter

Gracious Father, by the

obedience of Jesus you

brought salvation to our

wayward world: draw

us into harmony with

your will, that we may

find all things restored

in him, our Saviour Jesus

Christ. Amen