Our service this week was led by Rev. Roger Baker. Neil & Jill Barnett provided our music. After our opening hymn, With Gladness We Worship, Roger prayed for Christian worshippers worldwide, especially those under threat of persecution. He expressed our regret for mistakes & misdemeanours, gave thanks for our forgiveness and asked for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Neil read to us from Romans 8 where Paul declares that nothing can separate us from the love of God. Jill read from Matthew 13 in which Jesus uses several short parables to explain the nature of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Roger then discussed our perception of the Kingdom drawing from these parables the many ways we can view it and our response to these views. Great things grow from small beginnings so our actions, however small, can have effects we cannot anticipate. We should be aware that God is present in everyday occurrences. We should sacrifice earthly matters for the riches of this divine treasure. Our life work should be focused on achieving this treasure for all.
Before our prayers of intercession Roger invited us to reflect on our relationship to the Kingdom of Heaven – what we have done and might do to make an impact on those around us as individuals and as a church. We acknowledged our commitment with our final hymn by Charles Wesley – Let him to whom we now belong his sovereign right assert.