Christmas Services at Home / In Car This Year

 Hi Table View Methodist Church Family,

As usual I'm surprised how quickly we get to Christmas.  Part of the rush this year has been the fact that kids only finished school on 15 December!

All services Online or In Car - 845am on Sundays and Christmas Day.  No in Person Services due to the high Covid-19 infection rate in Western Cape.

Our Synod office has asked churches to cease all 'in person' services for the next 6 weeks.  The letter from our bishop and the Covid task team should hopefully help to explain the thinking behind this decision (Download Letter Here).  But in short, the high rate of infections in the Western Cape simply makes meeting together irresponsible.

The problem with the Covid-19 virus is that we don't see the damage too easily.  Those who are sick are isolated, and those who care for them are caring behind closed doors in hospitals where we can't see them.  Church meetings are 'super spreaders' - so we will keep things online.

But we will meet 'in car' this Sunday, and on Christmas Day at 845am.  I will send out the service via Whatsapp, YouTube, Facebook etc. for you to watch in your own time.  You can join our WhatsApp communication group by clicking here - https://chat.whatsapp.com/EUwKRnvpJMU4hnLHYyOjP8

We won't be able to get out of our cars.  But the service will be receivable on 108FM in the parking lot and via our Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/tableviewmethodistchurch/live_videos

You can catch up on services and Bible Studies via this link on YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpZDvXrN3tivth_kapjepBIoJVucf0E7l

During Advent we have reflected on the four themes of Advent:

Hope.  Peace.  Joy.  & Love.

These are not just 'sentiments' but rather they are 'virtues' - characteristics existence in the hands of a good and loving God.  Advent - the birth of Jesus, reminds us that God is good and full of love.  So this coming Sunday we reflect on Love.

Psalm 89:1 I will sing of your steadfast love, O LORD, forever; with my mouth I will proclaim your faithfulness to all generations.

At this point I want to thank you for the journey so far - I was reminded of this photo on Facebook the other day:

Our kids, just before we arrived in Table View.  Since then some things have changed.  We've all grown up quite a lot - luckily our hair isn't permanently this way:

It all flies by too quickly!  We are very grateful for - and very proud of Zach who has been elected as Head Boy at his Primary School for 2021 :). For that he will have to forgo his multicoloured hair! But we know that a huge part of Zach's formation as a young man has been the love of the church community - especially his Sunday School teachers and friends at church.

God Bless, Merry Christmas and be blessed and strengthened for 2021!

Rev Gus

Jesus, our Source of Hope, Joy, Peace and Love

 Good morning Church Family,

Two services online this morning - one at 845am from the parking lot.  Come and join us and tune in.  Also available on Facebook Live - https://www.facebook.com/tableviewmethodistchurch/live_videos/

The other at about 1130am from St Mark's Methodist as we collar three ministers from our circuit for ministry in the Methodist Church of Southern Africa.  These three ministers candidate from our circuit and have spent a few years being trained at seminary.  From here they will go to their respective stations across the country.

Unfortunately attendance at the service is STRICTLY by invitation only.  But you will be able to follow on Facebook.

​
Linda Mathutha, Iain Uys and Nomveliso Kaba.

During Advent our themes on Sundays will be:

Jesus our source of Hope, Joy, Peace and Love.  Find the songs for this Sunday below this message.

God bless,

Rev Gus

PS - I won't be able to post to Youtube or Audio until much later in the day due to the collaring service.

Sunday Service

November 29, 2020

First Sunday of Advent

• Isaiah 64:1-9  

•  Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19  

•  1 Corinthians 1:3-9  

•  Mark 13:24-37

A Candle is Burning

(Tune: Away in a Manger)

A candle is burning, a flame warm and bright

A candle of hope in the darkness of life.

While angels sing blessings from heaven's starry sky,

Our hearts we prepare now for Jesus is nigh.

A candle is burning, a candle of peace,

A candle to signal that conflict must cease,

For Jesus is coming to show us the way,

A message of peace humbly laid on the hay.

A candle is burning, a candle of joy,

A candle to welcome brave Mary's new boy.

Our hearts fill with wonder our eyes become bright

As joy like the summer brings sunshine and light.

A candle is burning, a candle of love,

A candle to point us to heaven above,

A baby for Christmas, a wonderful birth,

For Jesus is bringing God's love to our earth.

Cornerstone

#6158927 by William Batchelder Bradbury, Eric Liljero, Reuben Morgan, Edward Mote, and Jonas Myrin

2011 Hillsong Music Publishing

Verse 1

My hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus' blood and righteousness

I dare not trust the sweetest frame

But wholly trust in Jesus' Name

(REPEAT)

Chorus 1

Christ alone cornerstone

Weak made strong in the Saviour's love

Through the storm He is Lord

Lord of all

Verse 2

When darkness seems to hide His face

I rest on His unchanging grace

In every high and stormy gale

My anchor holds within the veil

My anchor holds within the veil

Misc 1

(Interlude)

He is Lord Lord of all

Verse 3

When He shall come with trumpet sound

Oh may I then in Him be found

Dressed in His righteousness alone

Faultless stand before the throne

What A Faithful God

#605095 by Dawn Critchley and Robert Critchley

1989 Thankyou Music

Verse 1

Lord I come before Your throne of grace

I find rest in Your presence

And fulness of joy in worship

And wonder I behold Your face

Singing what a faithful God have I

Chorus 1

What a faithful God have I

What a faithful God

What a faithful God have I

Faithful in ev'ry way

Verse 2

Lord of mercy You have heard my cry

Through the storm You're the beacon

My song in the night

In the shelter of Your wings hear my heart's reply

Singing what a faithful God have I

Verse 3

Lord all sov'reign granting peace from heav'n

Let me comfort those who suffer

With the comfort You have giv'n

I will tell of Your great love for as long as I live

Singing what a faithful God have I

Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?

 Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?

Hi Church Family,

This Sunday marks the end of the ‘church year’.  It is ‘Christ the King Sunday’ and on this Sunday we traditionally read one of the judgment passages from the gospels.  This Sunday’s passage is from Matthew 25:

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ 

The righteous respond: “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?”

It turns out that the righteous just went about doing the right thing without noticing it.  They did what is right because their hearts had been shaped by God’s love, not by rules and regulations.  They simply produced the fruit of the Holy Spirit.  Of knowing Jesus and living in relationship with him.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23)

They didn’t feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty and invite the stranger in because they were trying to show that they were ‘righteous’.  They didn’t do it to prove something.  They did it because they were good.

They did it because they saw the pain of the world and had no choice but to do something about it.

The Psalmist teaches us to pray:

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; 

test me and know my anxious thoughts. 

24 See if there is any offensive way in me, 

and lead me in the way everlasting.
- Psalm 139:23-24

Matthew 25:31-46 is the uncomfortable answer to that prayer.  The passage searches us and challenges us.  How have we responded to the pain of the world?

I spotted this cartoon on Facebook:

The lady needs two glasses of wine to watch the news.  

I guess there are two ways to watch the news or look at the world.  With two glasses of wine that prevent us from seeing clearly.  Numbing the pain.  Avoiding the problems.

Or we could put on some proper glasses and watch with prayer.  Asking God to help us see where we fit in.  How are we a part of the problem?  How are we a part of the change?

We are inclined to respond by saying that we need to do this or that.  But it seems that the righteous in the parable were so unaware of what they were doing that they are consumed by a new way of ‘being’.  To learn that way of ‘being’ we need to have a close look at our hearts, our relationship with Jesus and think - how can I grow closer to you O God?

I look forward to worshipping with you on Sunday at 845 in the parking lot.  On line.  In your car…  

You will find the service on FaceBook Live - https://www.facebook.com/tableviewmethodistchurch/live_videos/ 

God bless,

Rev Angus Kelly

Bible Study - 1 Timothy 1

These are short Bible Study Videos based on 1 Timothy 1.  Watch them closely they are rich in audio and visual information.

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope, 

² To Timothy, my loyal child in the faith: 

Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 

³ I urge you, as I did when I was on my way to Macedonia, to remain in Ephesus so that you may instruct certain people not to teach any different doctrine, ⁴ and not to occupy themselves with myths and endless genealogies that promote speculations rather than the divine training that is known by faith. ⁵ But the aim of such instruction is love that comes from a pure heart, a good conscience, and sincere faith. ⁶ Some people have deviated from these and turned to meaningless talk, ⁷ desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make assertions. 

⁸ Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it legitimately. ⁹ This means understanding that the law is laid down not for the innocent but for the lawless and disobedient, for the godless and sinful, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their father or mother, for murderers, ¹⁰ fornicators, sodomites, slave traders, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to the sound teaching ¹¹ that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me. 

¹² I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because he judged me faithful and appointed me to his service, ¹³ even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, ¹⁴ and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. ¹⁵ The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the foremost. ¹⁶ But for that very reason I received mercy, so that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display the utmost patience, making me an example to those who would come to believe in him for eternal life. ¹⁷ To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. 

¹⁸ I am giving you these instructions, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies made earlier about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight, ¹⁹ having faith and a good conscience. By rejecting conscience, certain persons have suffered shipwreck in the faith; ²⁰ among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have turned over to Satan, so that they may learn not to blaspheme. 

What do you miss the most? & Live Drive In / Facebook / Online / Picnic Chair / Social Distancing Service this Sunday 😷

 Hi Church Family,

I’m not a big fan of meetings that should have been emails.  

You know, those meetings where everybody gets together in a room and hears what one person has to say.  Then they all leave.

The absence of church meetings has made me think instead about emails that should have been meetings.

And it has made me wonder what is it about church that I have missed the most over these past months?

Is it fellowship?

Singing together?

Praying together?

And in what ways are we really together when we do these things in the same space?

And it has made me think about how many church meetings we have had in the past that could have been contained in an email.  A one way conversation… like a pre-recorded YouTube message.  Instead of a true meeting of people.

At the moment we aren’t yet ready to open the church for services - but… you can get out of your cars at the drive in service...

We are not yet ready to host a service in the church this coming Sunday, 

but it looks like it will be a beautiful and sunshiny morning for DRIVE IN / WALK IN...

Weather for this Sunday according to yr.no

So we will have ’Live' drive in / walk in church at 845am. (In the parking lot).

You can remain in your car and tune in on 108FM.  

Or you can bring a picnic blanket / folding chairs and gather around near the ‘preacher’.

But please - Stay in your bubbles, wear a mask and maintain a distance of 1.5m.

The service will be broadcast ‘live’ on Facebook - I will email and WhatsApp the address before we start.  

But given that it will be outdoors and I’ll just be using my phone to share the ‘Live’ feed the quality won’t be as good as the usual pre-recorded service.

I will email the song words etc. so you can follow from home.

ALSO - Please let me know if you can help with our Covid re-opening plans by being part of our Covid Readiness Team.

Here is the church resource pack which is essential reading for those who might be holding meetings in the near future.  Link to Google Drive.

Our readiness team needs to help us:

• Work out the logistics of seating people in church.  
• Ensure orderly Entrance / Exit.
• Register those who come in and limit the numbers in the building.
• Ensure that masks are worn at all times.

Please send an email to let me know how you feel about opening / not opening and what you miss about church right now…

God bless,

Rev Gus

Service for 13 September 2020

 Good morning Church Family,

Here are the links for this morning's service:

YouTube - https://youtu.be/Csp5KbyoO0M

Facebook -https://www.facebook.com/tableviewmethodistchurch/videos/1032473680545544

Here is a finance report from our treasurer Lucian Bok:

If you are able to contribute to church funds here are the banking details:

Account name: Methodist Church of Southern Africa - Table View

Bank: First National Bank

Account: 5923 000 5827

Branch Code: 203 809

God bless,

Rev Gus

Exodus 12:1-14 this Sunday

 Hi Table View Methodist Church Family,

This Sunday we will continue our journey through Exodus as we jump to chapter 12:1-14; the establishment of the Passover.  By now you might have forgotten - but at the front of the church we have windows that tell us the story of the Bible. :)

 One of those windows is the Passover Window:

 

This window reminds us how the Israelites crossed the sea as if it were dry land.  They painted the blood of the Passover lamb above their doorposts as a sign of their trust in God.

You can read from chapter 3 to 12:14 via this link.

I will only be able to send the links some time on Saturday night / Sunday morning when everything is uploaded and ready to go.  Thank you as usual for all your patience with these ‘video’ services.  I look forward to seeing you all in real life one day soon.

This week we handed out parcels and thank you again for your donations to our love fund.  With contributions we have received we were able to buy what we needed and we will continue to purchase the items we need.  Since lockdown began we have packed and distributed more than 300 parcels.

  

Hopefully the advent of ‘level 2’ will bring some relief to those who found themselves without work but we know that recovery will take some time!

Feel free to join us in the parking lot on Sunday at 845am to tune in to the service on 108FM.  As much as I enjoy pyjama church it is quite nice to be somewhere for the service.

Please continue to support the church financially.  As per the report last week the last month was quite tough.  Please give as you are able.  If you need to lower your contributions do that rather than cut them completely.

God bless,

Rev Gus

Happy Woman's Day! Drive in Church 845 in the parking lot - 108FM

 Hi Church Family,

Tomorrow there will be drive in church at 845am.  

I wish you a blessed Woman’s Day - a day to celebrate Woman and their role in winning the freedom that South Africa experiences today.  As far as we have to go - we have come a long way and before we get overwhelmed by the journey ahead it is good to honour the travellers who brought us so far.

I will simply broadcast the recorded sermon / service from my car on 108FM.  This means we can enjoy the service together whatever the weather.  So… Rain, wind or shine - there will be drive in church tomorrow :)

I will send out the video links later tonight / tomorrow morning.  I haven’t finished recording & editing them yet.

It is good to be back ‘at work’ and it was really good for our family to take a break from all the homeschooling, covid teaching, church video making for a while.  I’ll still be working from my shed / garage / dining room.  And the church office is still officially closed to visitors.  We should only communicate via phone / email etc.

A friend of mine (Local Preacher Ryan Fernandez) asked me to share a song that I thought was appropriate for this time.  I found this one by Graham Kendrick:  God of the Poor.  I recorded it as a prayer / reflection - I think it has an important message for us to consider at this time.

Click the link to watch and listen… 

https://youtu.be/b3fgrhA74FY

God bless,

Rev Gus

Links to Services on 21 June 2020

All Services are at tvmethodist.online.church

YouTube 845am / YouTube 1030am

Facebook 845am / Facebook 1030am

Hi Church Family,

Thank you so much for all the birthday messages on 18 June - I’m 44 but I still feel young and I feel overwhelmingly blessed by all the love and affirmation I received on my birthday.

Thank you too for your patience as we navigate being a church during this extended lockdown.  As we note the complicated amendments to the lockdown we are glad that folks are able to return to work in various industries.

Still Closed for Worship

Despite that church remains a ‘super spreader’ because of the nature of meetings where we are together in a confined space with lots of singing.  For that reason we remain ‘closed’ for now.  Also please remember that our office is closed.  We can only communicate by telephone / video and email for now.

Online meeting space  

For us to engage during the church service we’ve set up a website:

tvmethodist.online.church 

and via this website you can join the service ‘live’ and also chat to those who are in the service.  

It also helps you to watch the service in a way that is optimised to use the least data.  It will probably use about 100Megs of Data to watch the service on a mobile device.  This also means that we use the same link every week for our Sunday Services.

This Sunday members of our Men’s Group have contributed elements of the service.

Each Sunday it would be great to have contributions from the congregation for parts of our service:

• Welcome and Opening Prayer
• Prayers of Praise, Confession and Intercession.
• The Lord’s Prayer
• Scripture Readings
• Dedication of Offering
• Closing Benediction

These can be contributed by… 

• WhatsApp / Email video [First Prize].
• WhatsApp Voice Note.
• Letting me record you in your car outside my house / the church.

God bless you and keep you, feel free to call me (061 156 9336) or revguskelly@gmail.com / angus@tvmethodist.co.za [My phone is in for repairs right now].

Rev Gus