Ripley Methodist Church

The Ripley Worship channel with all previous weeks videos on, as well as this weeks:

The Methodist Church: –

http://www.methodist.org.uk/our-faith/worship/singing-the-faith-plus/seasons-and-themes/worship-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic/

Visualizing
the Third Sunday of Advent – TripleWide Media

https://youtu.be/UMJmqONpAfc



Advent is all about looking forward, and we all know the Christmas story we’ve seen it in every shape and format there is, children’s nativities, on TV, Christmas cards, the cinema, we even assemble our own version of it with little figures of Mary, Joseph, shepherds etc.



The whole point of Advent is to look at the approach of Christmas but in a slightly different way.



This year every one is approaching Christmas in a different way.



Traditionally the second Sunday of advent is associated with John the Baptist often referred to as a voice crying out in the wilderness, And this year has been a wilderness year for so many, being with out, not being able to see our friends and family, not being able to see our loved ones in hospital, not being able to go on holiday, loosing loved ones. And for many this Christmas will be a wilderness Christmas, unable to celebrate in the usual way.



As we all approach Christmas, we all approach it from the wilderness of 2020 and John says to prepare, get ready, to make a straight path, although this year has been very different and this Christmas will be no exception we need to prepare



We as Christians are called to await the coming of the Lord, we have been waiting and travelling, thro the wilderness and we welcome any one to travel with us, pointing others to Jesus along the way, just as advent calls us to prepare and points us all to Jesus at Christmas.



Sent from Mail for Windows 10

https://youtu.be/QO8vzHctmAI

A Perfect Mistake

by: Cheryl Walterman Stewart

                My Mother’s father worked as a carpenter.. On this particular day, he volunteered to build some crates to hold the clothes his church was sending to an orphanage in China. When he finished building the crates, he helped pack them full of clothing and load them on the trucks that would take them to the shipping docks. He felt good that he could contribute to the project, even in a small way.

                On his way home, he reached into his shirt pocket to find his glasses. They were gone. He mentally replayed his earlier actions and realized what had happened. The glasses had slipped out of his pocket unnoticed and fallen into one of the crates. His brand new glasses were heading for China!

                The old carpenter had very little money, certainly not enough to replace his glasses. He was upset at the thought of having to buy another pair. “It’s not fair,” he told God as he drove home in frustration.

                Several months later, the director of the Chinese orphanage came to speak at the old carpenter’s small church. He began by thanking the people for their faithfulness in supporting the orphanage.

                “But most of all,” he said, “I must thank you for the glasses you sent last year. You see, the Communists had just swept through the orphanage, destroying everything, including my glasses. I was desperate. Even if I had the money, there was simply no way to replace those glasses. My coworkers and I were much in prayer about the situation. Then your crates arrived. When my staff removed one of the covers, they found a pair of glasses lying on top.”

                The missionary paused long enough to let his words sink in. Then, still gripped with the wonder of it all, he continued, “Folks, when I tried on the glasses, it was as though they had been custom-made for me! I want to thank you for your thoughtfulness and generosity!”

                The congregation listened, pleased about the miraculous glasses. But the missionary surely must have confused their church with another, they thought. There were no eyeglasses on their list of items to be sent overseas.

                But sitting quietly in the back, with tears streaming down his face, was an ordinary carpenter who on an ordinary day was used in an extraordinary way by the Master Carpenter himself.

God can use us in ways we might not expect. Even when things go wrong, we can trust that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

                It’s hard to explain why bad things happen to God’s people. But we can expect that they will. Rain falls on good people the same way it falls on bad people (Matthew 5:45). As Christians, what sustains us is knowing that God is capable of turning the bad into good. He just asks us to trust him.

This Sundays direct link

you tube channel link

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXjjQ483ocbZn2g0RcQvAYQ/

Brandon’s Mess

            The author and pastor Chap Clark tells this story

There was once a dad who had a three-year-old son named Brandon.

            One day, Brandon sees his dad eating chocolate chip cookies in the living room and says to himself, Daddy loves chocolate chip cookies with milk. So I’m going to give Daddy a glass of milk. With that thought Brandon goes into the dining room and drags a chair from the dining room into the kitchen, leaving a trail of scratch marks on the floor.

            Brandon climbs up on the chair and hitches himself onto the counter to pull at the cabinet door. Wham! It smashes against the adjacent cabinet door, leaving a gash where the handle hit it. Brandon reaches for a glass, accidentally knocking two others off the shelf. Crash! Tinkle, tinkle! But Brandon doesn’t care. He’s thinking, I’m going to get Daddy some milk!

            Meanwhile, Brandon’s dad is watching all this, wondering if he should step in and save the rest of his kitchen. He decides, for the moment, to watch a little more as Brandon scrambles off the chair, dodging the pieces of broken glass, and heads for the refrigerator.

            Pulling violently on the refrigerator door, Brandon flings it wide open—and it stays open, of course. Brandon puts the glass on the floor—out of harm’s way, supposedly—and grabs, not the little half-gallon of milk, but the big gallon container that is full of milk. He rips open the top, pours it in the vicinity of the glass, and even manages to get some milk in the glass. The rest goes all over the floor.

            Finally done, Brandon puts the milk carton on the floor and picks up the glass yelling, “Daddy, I got something for you!”

He runs into the living room, trips, and spills milk all over the place—the floor, the sofa, his dad.

            Brandon stands up and looks around. He sees broken glass, milk everywhere, cabinets open, his dad with milk from his eyebrows to his toes, and starts to cry. Through his tears, he looks up at his dad with that pained expression that says, “What are you going to do to me?”

            His dad only smiles. He doesn’t see a kid that just destroyed his house. Instead he sees a beautiful little boy whom he loves very much. It doesn’t matter what he’s done. Brandon’s dad stretches his arms out to hold his little boy tight and says, “This is my son!”

            Jesus told a similar story about another son who messed up. We call the story “The Prodigal Son.” It also could be called “The Parable of the Loving Father” because, just like Brandon’s dad, the father in the story threw his arms around his son and said, “This is my son!” (See Luke 15:11-32.)   

            When we talk about God as our Father, the kind of father we’re talking about is Brandon’s father. God is a father who loves us unconditionally, even though we make a real mess of things.

Here is the link to this weeks worship I’ve set it to go live at 12.15 am Sunday morning

the channel address is same as last week: –

#https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXjjQ483ocbZn2g0RcQvAYQ

Order

Opening song:-  Father God I wonder

Short story

The Preacher John Whitehead tells a story about a very enthusiastic Christian (Who we will call Tom) and he would leap up and exclaim Hallelujah or praise the Lord during the ministers sermon. The minister found this very off putting.

                Although Tom was enthusiastic he was also a bit scruffy and seemed to only have one pair of trousers to his name and these were a little bit lacking in certain departments.

                The next Sunday the minister found Tom before the service and said to him he’d been having a clear out and had found two pairs of trousers that didn’t fit him any more but that they were Toms size and he was quite welcome to them on one condition, that he contained him self and didn’t shout out during the sermon. Tom was grateful of the offer of trousers and told the minister he would sit quietly thro the sermon.

                Part way thro the sermon as the minister was extolling Gods great love for all mankind Tom just couldn’t contain him self, he just couldn’t keep it in any longer he just had to praise God

and so leaping to his feet he hollered “Britches or no britches Hallelujah”

                Tom just couldn’t keep it in, he just had to praise God

                We can all learn something from Tom, no matter what barriers are put in our way, or distractions imposed to deflect us or false rewards imposed, Nothing can prevent us from worshiping God

So in the words of tom (after 3, all together)

“Britches or no britches Hallelujah”

Closing song:- How great is our God

Welcome to worship.

https://youtu.be/vLacS3VSFQE

All Is Forgiven

            In Ernest Hemingway short story “The Capitol of the World,”  He tells the story of a Spanish father and his teenage son Paco a popular spanish name.

            In the story thier relationship broke down and Paco ran away from home. Pacos father began a long search to find him and as a last resort, placed an ad in a Madrid newspaper, hoping that his son would see it.

            The ad read,

            Dear Paco,

            Please meet me in front of the newspaper office at noon. All is forgiven.

            Love,

            Father

            In Hemingways story, the next day at noon, in front of the newspaper office, there were 800 Pacos, all seeking forgiveness from their fathers.

            We are like those Pacos, full of guilt and seeking forgivness, and not knowing were to find it.

            Our Father in heaven, who loves us very much has taken the first step, and like Pacos father placed an ad in the paper, God sent his son Jesus to die on a cross so we can be forgiven given a second chance

The old testament book of Joshua is about how the Israelites
conquered land that had been promised to their ancestor
Abraham.
Their forbears had escaped from Egypt, but had not followed
God, so the whole generation that left Egypt had died in the
desert. This left the children (of Israel) to conquer Canaan,
under the leadership of Joshua. Joshua had a great military
mind, was very organised and was absolutely loyal to God and
dependant on Him.
The land of Canaan had many cities, each with its own king and
army. Many cities had high strong walls, so Joshua and his army
had to defeat them one by one, for example the famous battle of
Jericho.
We join them after the battle of Jericho, and after they have
destroyed the city of Ai. (Joshua Chapters 9 and 10).
Part 1
Some people from the city of Gibeon had heard what Joshua had
done to the city of Ai. They decided to trick the Israelites. They
gathered together old sacks and old cracked wine bags and put
them on their donkeys. They put old sandals on their feet and
took some old mouldy bread. This made them appear to have
travelled a long way. They went to Joshua at his camp near
Gilgal. They told Joshua that they came from a far-off land and
that their elders had asked them to travel to his camp and make
a peace agreement because of the fame of the Lord. They
showed Joshua the old cracked wine bags, the dry mouldy bread
and their old clothes and sandals as proof that they had travelled
a long way. The men of Israel tasted the bread but they did not
ask the Lord what to do. Joshua agreed to make peace with the
Gibeonites and to let them live. The leaders of the Israelites
swore an oath to keep the agreement.
Was Joshua right to make the peace agreement?
Do you think that Joshua should have asked the Lord what to
do?
Have you ever met someone who is not what they appear to be?
What did you do?
What do you think Joshua will do if he finds out?
Part 2
Three days after making the agreement, the Israelites learned
that the Gibeonites actually lived close by. So they travelled to
where they came from, and on the third day they arrived at their
cities, including the city of Gibeon. But the Israelites did not
attack those cities because of the peace agreement they had
made. The Israelites grumbled to their leaders, but the leaders
said ‘We have given our promise before the Lord, so we cannot
attack them. We must let them live, otherwise God’s anger will
be against us for breaking the oath.’ Then Joshua called for the
original group of Gibeonites. He asked them why they had
deceived him by making out that they came from a far-off land.
They answered ‘We lied to you because we were afraid you
would kill us. We heard that the Lord your God commanded His
servant Moses to give you all of this land and to kill all of the
people who lived in it. That is why we did this.’ So Joshua saved
their lives but he made them slaves. So they cut wood and
carried water for the Israelites, and for the alter of the Lord,
wherever he chose it to be. They are still doing this today.
Had Joshua actually made the peace agreement before God?
Was Joshua right to make them slaves?
Did the Gibeonite’s plan work?

Prayer Points – Father we approach you boldly with our prayers,
knowing that you are there for us and will listen. Firstly we bring
thank for all that we have. We say thank you for your son Jesus
and the awesome sacrifice that he made for every one of us. Even
so Father we don’t always do as you ask us, and quite often try to
cope in our own way without turning to you. Father we ask for
your forgiveness. (pause).
We pray that the new restrictions and local lockdowns will be
enough to slow the spread of the virus and save lives. Please bless
all who are living and working with it, trying to control it, treating
it and doing all they can to prevent it. Also those who are
researching and testing a vaccine. We pray that this will be
successful. Once more we ask that you will give comfort and
peace to every bereaved family as we are reminded of the number
who have lost their lives.
Father we are working towards reopening our church for worship
and praise to you. Please bless, strengthen and look after all who
are involved in this process, so that they are full of your power to
meet every eventuality and situation. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Prayer Points – Lord we come to you, let our hearts be changed
and renewed by your never-ending grace. Thank you for our
world and for all that we have. Thank you for Jesus and the
amazing sacrifice that he made. Thank you for always being there,
even though we don’t behave as you ask us to, or depend on you
when the going gets tough. For this Lord we ask for your
forgiveness. (pause).
Lord about this Coronavirus, we pray that the new restrictions will
be enough to slow the new spread of the virus and save lives.
Thank you for all who are living and working with it, controlling it,
treating it and preventing it. Particularly for those who are
researching and testing a vaccine. We pray that this will be
successful. Again we pray that you will give comfort and peace to
every bereaved family as we are reminded of the number who
have lost their lives.
Lord we are working to reopen our church to worship and praise
you. Please bless, strengthen and look after all who are involved
in this process, so that they are full of your power to meet every
eventuality and situation. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Thank you
It happens every Friday evening, almost without fail, when the
sun resembles a giant orange and is starting to dip into the blue
ocean.
Old Ed comes strolling along the beach to his favourite pier.
Clutched in his bony hand is a bucket of shrimp. Ed walks out to
the end of the pier, where it seems he almost has the world to
himself. The glow of the sun is a golden bronze now.
Everybody’s gone, except for a few joggers on the beach.
Standing out on the end of the pier, Ed is alone with his
thoughts…. and his bucket of shrimp.
Before long, however, he is no longer alone. Up in the sky a
thousand white dots come screeching and squawking, winging
their way toward that lanky frame standing there on the end of
the pier. Before long, dozens of seagulls have enveloped him,
their wings fluttering and flapping wildly. Ed stands there tossing
shrimp to the hungry birds. As he does, if you listen closely, you
can hear him say with a smile, “Thank you. Thank you.”
In a few short minutes the bucket is empty. But Ed doesn’t
leave. He stands there lost in thought, as though transported to
another time and place. Invariably, one of the gulls lands on his
sea-bleached, weather-beaten hat – an old military hat he’s been
wearing for years.
When he finally turns around and begins to walk back toward
the beach, a few of the birds hop along the pier with him until
he gets to the stairs, and then they, too, fly away. And old Ed
quietly makes his way down to the end of the beach and on
home.
If you were sitting there on the pier with your fishing line in the
water, Ed might seem like “a funny old duck,” as my dad used to
say. Or, “a guy that’s a sandwich shy of a picnic,” as my kids
might say. To onlookers, he’s just another old codger, lost in his
own weird world, feeding the seagulls with a bucket full of
shrimp.
To the onlooker, rituals can look either very strange or very
empty. Old folks often do strange things, at least in the eyes of
Boomers and Busters. Most of them would probably write Old Ed
off, down there in Florida.
That’s too bad. They’d do well to know him better.
His full name: Eddie Rickenbacker. He was a famous hero back
in World War II. On one of his flying missions across the Pacific,
he and his seven-member crew went down. Miraculously, all of
the men survived, crawled out of their plane, and climbed into a
life raft.
Captain Rickenbacker and his crew floated for days on the rough
waters of the Pacific. They fought the sun. They fought sharks.
Most of all, they fought hunger. By the eighth day their rations
ran out. No food. No water. They were hundreds of miles from
land and no one knew where they were. They needed a miracle.
That afternoon they had a simple devotional service and prayed
for a miracle. They tried to nap. Eddie leaned back and pulled
his military cap over his nose. Time dragged. All he could hear
was the slap of the waves against the raft. Suddenly, Eddie felt
something land on the top of his cap. It was a seagull!
Old Ed would later describe how he sat perfectly still, planning
his next move. With a flash of his hand and a squawk from the
gull, he managed to grab it and wring its neck. He tore the
feathers off, and he and his starving crew made a meal – a very
slight meal for eight men – of it. Then they used the intestines
for bait. With it, they caught fish, which gave them food and
more bait……and the cycle continued. With that simple survival
technique, they were able to endure the rigors of the sea until
they were found and rescued after 24 days at sea.
Eddie Rickenbacker lived many years beyond that ordeal, but he
never forgot the sacrifice of that first lifesaving seagull. And he
never stopped saying, “Thank you.” That’s why almost every
Friday night he would walk to the end of the pier with a bucket
full of shrimp – and a grateful heart.
Song
Give thanks with a grateful heart
Give thanks to the Holy One
Give thanks because He’s given Jesus Christ, His Son
Give thanks with a grateful heart
Give thanks to the Holy One
Give thanks because He’s given Jesus Christ, His Son
And now let the weak say, “I am strong”
Let the poor say, “I am rich
Because of what the Lord has done for us”
And now let the weak say, “I am strong”
Let the poor say, “I am rich
Because of what the Lord has done for us”
Give thanks…
On YouTube….
https://youtu.be/blbslHDgceY
Blessing – May the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of
God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us now and
evermore, Amen.

Message
Today should have been our ‘Songs of Praise’ Sunday service,
but as we all know, we are not able to meet together and have a
good sing! It’s not quite the same singing alone to Songs of
Praise on Sunday lunch time is it!!
I’m sure we all have a favourite hymn or two for whatever
reason: school, childhood days, Sunday School, Anniversaries,
church, ones we have heard either on the radio or tele or even
those from Christian concerts or groups. The list is endless. I
wonder if you listened to the BBC Top 10 for 2019? You may be
surprised to hear that number (10) I the Lord of sea and sky, (9)
Be still for the presence of the Lord (8) Amazing Grace (7) Guide
me O Thou great Redeemer, (6) I vow to Thee my country, (5)
Abide with me (4) Dear Lord and Father of mankind (3) In Christ
alone (2) How great Thou art and (1) Jerusalem!! A few
modern’ish’ ones, and some traditional. Some surprises there?
That’s just like us. We all have different tastes and choices in
everything we do in our daily lives. It would be pretty boring if
we all liked the same things.
Methodism was ‘Born in Song, and the words say it all: ‘Born in
Song, God’s people have always been singing. Born in song,
hearts and voices raised. So, today, we worship together. God
alone is worthy to be praised’ (Singing the Faith 21). So it’s sad,
that due to this terrible pandemic we are all going through, we
cannot join together and have a good sing, socialize with one
another, greet each other with the handshake, the loving
embrace, the smile, communion and the cuppa afterwards. Just
to be as a body of Christ altogether.
We read in the Bible, in Psalm 150: Praise the Lord. Praise Him
in his Temple, Praise His strength in heaven! Praise Him for the
mighty things He has done. Praise His supreme greatness. Praise
Him with trumpets. Praise Him with harps and lyres.
Praise Him with drums and dancing. Praise Him with harps and
flutes. Praise Him with loud cymbals. Praise Him with loud
cymbals. Praise the Lord, all living creatures! Praise the Lord (for
the Good news), ‘Let everything that has breath praise the Lord’
Why not read it for yourself- you may even end up singing it
too!
Life is full of challenges; from the moment we are born to our
final days. Sometimes we find them difficult to face and we may
say ‘Why me? – well, why not me!’ Jesus says ‘’Come to me all
who are weary or troubled and I will give you rest” easier said
than done? Well we may think so, but if we put our faith and
trust in Him, we will overcome the storms of life. After all, Jesus’
life was full of challenges wasn’t it? He was treated by people as
a leader, a miracle worker, the Messiah, a story teller, a teacher,
a King, followed by so many – until when he was thought to be a
threat. Then they changed their minds and crucified Him – all
within that final week. But, just think how his 33 years on earth
changed so many lives both then and now. Yes, if it hadn’t been
for His life we wouldn’t be where we are today. We can worship
Him in so many ways: the thoughtful caring friend and
neighbour, the shoulder to cry on, the telephone call, card, text
or e-mail, baking and shopping – all in whatever ways we can
sharing our love for each other just as Jesus did. When I needed
a neighbour – where YOU there? One day we WILL finally be
back at church again as a church family, worshipping, singing,
reading the Bible, sharing our love with each other. So, if you’re
feeling sad or lonely, depressed or disillusioned, just think of
your favourite hymn and sing it out as loud as you can! I’m sure
it will make you feel much better. It does me! Here’s to the next
Songs of praise.
Prayer
We thank you for the gift of music and song. For the love and
friendship we find as a body of Christian people. For the beauty
of this fragile world around us. We pray for an end to this
pandemic, where so many lives have been changed, or lost. For
all Key workers: doctors nurses, care staff, ambulance, fire
service, and police; for teachers, shop workers and so many
more who have put their own lives at risk to help everyone,
serving in whatever way they can. We pray for all those in
authority who are making decisions, that they may look to you
for guidance and understanding. And lastly, we pray for
ourselves: our church, our families and friends in the
community. Give us peace and hope for a ‘bright tomorrow’.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. Amen.

Song
Let ev’rything that, ev’rything that
Ev’rything that has breath praise the Lord (repeat)
Praise You in the morning, praise You in the evening
Praise You when I’m young and when I’m old
Praise You when I’m laughing, praise You when I’m grieving
Praise You ev’ry season of the soul
If we could see how much You’re worth
Your power, Your might, Your endless love
Then surely we would never cease to praise….
Praise You in the heavens, joining with the angels
Praising You forever and a day
Praise You on the earth now, joining with creation
Calling all the nations to Your praise

Blessing – May the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of
God and the fellow