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.