Home Service & Prayer Resources
We are adapting the ways we worship during the Coronavirus pandemic
Service sheets for this week
Here you will find A Thought for Ash Wednesday by Rev Ken and a useful resource to use throughout Lent https://youtu.be/uzZ0MWEtT8M
This week we began our Lenten Bible Studies on Zoom using the Woven material. Over the two evenings, 16 people came together to read God’s word, to listen and to share their understanding. Our time was stimulating and I felt that there was a real presence of God speaking to us. We continue our meetings this week and details of how you can join us are below.
On Monday many of us heard Boris Johnson’s roadmap giving details of the plans for unlocking the lockdown. We are trying to work out what that means for our churches as we are still in areas that are above the national average rate of infection. We will give you plenty of notice when the decision is made to reopen for worship and other church activities.
In the meantime, we continue on Zoom with our sectional service at 11.00 am. The Revd Andrew Pottage leads the circuit service which begins 15 minutes earlier at 10:45 am. You can join from your computer, mobile phone or landline by following the instructions overleaf.
To join us, click on:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84122013845?pwd=Qno3Y2ZqOEczbDdCczhrUTBZallSZz09
Meeting ID: 841 2201 3845 Passcode: 2021
You can also join the service through your phone.
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Dial 020 3481 5237 or 020 3051 2874.
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Enter meeting ID (see above) then the # key
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You may be asked to enter your participant’s ID. Ignore this, and just press # key
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Enter the password (see above) then the # key.
(And this is the link for the circuit Zoom service:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88601433540?pwd=VjZYUzBEVEFsOHdxS2VRRENUMzlsUT09
Meeting ID: 886 0143 3540 Passcode: 611964)
Take care and stay safe
Rev Ken
(020 8756 0567) (ken.kingston@methodist.org.uk)
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The Wrong (and right) End of The Stick (Mark 8:31-38)
Here is the sermon link to watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/JIEPweykGqU
One of my favourite TV shows is The Vicar of Dibley – the story of a female Anglican vicar in a quintessential English village full of eccentrics. She is assisted by Alice who is gloriously clueless. Each episode ends with the pair of them sat in the vestry where Rev Geraldine Grainger tells a joke, but Alice never understands it and gets the wrong end of the stick. And the whole confusion makes the joke stronger.
Alice isn’t the only person who gets the wrong end of the stick. In the reading from Mark’s Gospel, Peter does the same. Jesus tells Peter that he (Jesus) will suffer and die, but will rise again. Peter, who has just acknowledged Jesus as the Messiah (Mark 8:27), cannot or will not accept this new piece of information and rebukes him and tells him not to be so stupid. But Peter has got the wrong end of the stick and doesn’t realise that being the Messiah and suffering and dying are actually compatible. And, in turn, Jesus rebukes Peter – “Get behind me Satan.”
“Get behind me Satan!” – At face value, this is really harsh! But, when Jesus tells Peter that he is focusing on human and not Godly things, there is a caring element too. It is more a sense of helping and encouraging Peter to get back into line. So ‘Yes, Peter, you’ve got the wrong end of the stick, but here is how you can learn from your mistake and move on.”
Yes, we can and do all make mistakes. But it is what we do with the mistakes and how we move on from them that is important. And this is what I feel Jesus is doing with Peter here. (And let’s face it, Jesus seems to have had plenty of practice of doing this with Peter.)
By his words Peter reveals that he hasn’t yet understood either Jesus’ role or what it means to follow after him. Jesus then takes the chance to link the two together – those who wish to be followers of Jesus must conform their lives to his, denying themselves, being prepared to lose their lives, taking up their cross.
I always wonder what Peter must have thought when he heard this. His ears would already be ringing with the rebuke. His world has come crumbling down, his understanding of who Jesus is has been tossed aside. Yet in his next words, Jesus offers hope – “whoever loses their life for my sake, and for the sake of the Gospel, will save it.”
Here is a chance to let go of the wrong end of the stick and grab the right one.
It’s a matter of direction. It’s a case of priority.
We are challenged in all things to put the Gospel – the good news of the love of God and the love of others - first. To see things with God’s eyes, to view things with God’s perspective. This is the divine thing to set our mind on (verse 33).
As we journey through Lent, as we come closer to the cross on Good Friday and the empty tomb on Easter Sunday, we are invited to orient our lives towards Christ. To follow him to the cross and beyond.
It’s not a matter of where we go, but an attitude by which we travel. To see with the eyes of Christ, to hear with the ears of Christ, to serve with the hands of Christ and to love with the heart of Christ.
For that is how Christ invites us to live a saved life.
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Prayer for the Week
Holy God,
help us to become more aware of who you are.
Give us the courage to admit
when we don’t understand things,
so that you can work your way in and through us,
and we might grow more like you
in all we are and do. Amen.
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Lent Liturgy (Week Two: Responsibility)
Jesus has called us to love our neighbours as ourselves, but all too often we let the social boundaries and borders of the world divide us. We build up walls rather than bridges; we keep people out who need to be invited in. We have a responsibility to care for one another as Christ cares for us, and yet we often fail to do it.
Light a candle as a symbol of our hope in Jesus to teach us how to love, how to break down walls and to build bridges.
Creator God,
remind us again of our responsibility to care for one another,
and to watch out for each other.
As we journey towards the cross this Lent,
help us to love our neighbours as ourselves. Amen.
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The Circuit @ Prayer
Meeting every Thursday at 9.00 am, there is a circuit weekly prayer meeting on Zoom. It lasts 30 minutes and you can join by using this link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84168659990?pwd=NWpOcW1YNlRSeldHVU1ialVXWGgwQT09
Meeting ID: 841 6865 9990 Passcode: 296725
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This week on the BBC
Sunday 28 February
8.10 am Sunday Worship Radio 4 (93.5FM)
‘St David’s Day’ - a service from Brecon Cathedral.
11.00 am Sunday Service BBC 1
‘Lent Worship 2’ - from St Martin’s Church, Maidstone.
1.15 pm Songs of Praise BBC 2
Tintern Abbey – Learn about the Cistercian monks who lived there, discover how pilgrimages reflect the joys and sorrows of life, hear Welsh Rugby players talk about what their faith means to them.
Wednesday 3 March
8.45 pm Lent Talks Radio 4
‘Faith in lost causes’ – Businessman Sir John Timpson considers what he has learned as an employer of ex-prisoners and as a foster carer.
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Woven and Lent Bible Study Groups
Free copies of the Lent course Woven have been sent out. You should receive yours soon, if you haven’t already done so. You can download it from www.methodistlondon.org.uk/lentcourse2021 too.
Monday evening at 7.30 pm:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86153555930?pwd=dUJYQ0txeG5zdUdQMFNwZW1MV2FTQT09
Meeting ID: 861 5355 5930 Passcode: 220221
Wednesday evening at 7.30 pm:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83723378719?pwd=bmdiS2g4UnFHZmErekE2VTc5Mklkdz09
Meeting ID: 837 2337 8719 Passcode: 2400221
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Freephone numbers for prayers, reflections and news
from the Methodist Church
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Listen to a prayer: 0808 281 2514
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Receive a pastoral message from the President and Vice-President of the Methodist Conference - 0808 281 2695
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Hear the latest Methodist new: 0808 281 2478
Prayer updated every Thursday, Presidential message updated every Monday, Methodist news updated fortnightly on Thursday.
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Bible Study
Every week I send an email Bible study on the Gospel passage for that Sunday. If you would like to receive it, then please let me know (ken.kingston@methodist.org.uk)
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Ways to pray Thy Kingdom Come
Prayer and care
As we pray for those we know and love to become followers of Jesus, how could we demonstrate this also in deed (in keeping with social distancing guidelines)? This could mean:
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staying in contact, by phone, post or email, saying you are praying for them at this time.
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keeping an eye out for anniversaries of life events (eg birthdays, deaths of loved ones)
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making sure the people you pray for know how much you value and care for them.
Pray together at regular times
Commit to prayer with others. You could do this over the phone, or internet to hold the people you are praying for in prayer.
Prayer at a particular time of day
Again you could agree a time with some others, or join the group from Hayes End who has committed to pray for a few minutes at 12 noon. I set an alarm to help me remember.
Light up the world in prayer
Jesus Christ is the light of the world and we are called to be the light of the world as we bear His image. In the days of Thy Kingdom Come, light a candle each evening as a sign of prayer and a symbol of hope.
Use the Jesus loves all prayer journal
This has reflections, Bible verses and actions, with space for your own thoughts and prayers.
For families, there is the Thy Kingdom Come Prayer Adventure Map. This has games, videos and activities for children and young people. You can download this from:
www.thykingdomcome.global/resources/digital-family-prayer-adventure-map.
Find out more at www.thykingdomcome.global.
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Supporting each other
Are you in touch with people from the church?
If not, then ring me on 020 8756 0567 or email ken.kingston@mehodist.org.uk.
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Worshipping Together
Live - Streamed Services
Wesley's Chapel in London will continue to live-stream worship. You can view past services as well as the live-streams at the times below here https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUAUqhmhevz5sqhh72LIMxA
Service Times:
Wednesday 12:45
Thursday 12:45
Sunday 9:45 and 11:00
If you have access to the internet try:
10.30 am Contemporary worship from Swan Bank Methodist Church in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent - www.youtube.com/user/SwanBank
11.00 am Worship live from Wesley’s Chapel, London - www.youtube.com/channel/UCUAUqhmhevz5sqhh72LIMxA
And at any time, you can join in a different style of worship, Sthie (“at home”) from Andy Fishburne a Methodist minister I know in the Isle of Man - www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8BiFjCTeGA
Praying and Worshipping Together
There’s a saying that a church that prays together stays together. We may not be together in one place, but we can still pray together.
Phone (020 8756 0567) or email (ken.kingston@methodist.org.uk) me your prayers and we can share them and continue to pray together.
To help with your Bible studies, please visit https://www.methodist.org.uk/our-faith/the-bible/a-word-in-time/
A Word in Time is the Methodist's Church online daily Bible study. It features a daily bible reading, information on the reading and questions regarding the readings. Thoughts and reflections will be offered on the passages each week.
Bible readings for 28th February: Mark 8: 31 - 38
