. . and other special occasions.
[Did you miss last Sunday’s services? They can still be found at Worship Archive – April 4th 2021.]
Sunday Service from Connexion for April 11th 2021:
Sunday Services from Hillside Circuit for April 11th 2021:
Theme: One heart, one soul
Occasion: Second Sunday of Easter
Psalm 133
Acts 4: 32-35
1 John 1: 1 – 2: 2
John 20: 19-31
[Click or tap on a Bible reference above to jump down the page to the Bible reading to listen and/or read it for yourself and then click or tap on Back to top to come back here.]
Songs:
Here are the songs for Sunday morning service. Click or tap on a song to open it in YouTube, or go to the Songs for worship webpage to find them embedded.
Come, people of the Risen King.
Turn your eyes upon Jesus.
Crown Him with many crowns.
Prayers:
You can listen and join in with prayers from the English Methodist Service Book. They can be found at the Prayers for worship webpage.
Sermons:
Bible readings:
Psalm 133
1 It is truly wonderful
when relatives live together in peace.
2 It is as beautiful as olive oil poured on Aaron’s head
and running down his beard and the collar of his robe.
3 It is like the dew from Mount Hermon,
falling on Zion’s mountains,
where the LORD has promised to bless his people
with life forevermore.
Acts 4
32 The group of followers all felt the same way about everything. None of them claimed that their possessions were their own, and they shared everything they had with each other. 33 In a powerful way the apostles told everyone that the Lord Jesus was now alive. God greatly blessed his followers, 34 and no one went in need of anything. Everyone who owned land or houses would sell them and bring the money 35 to the apostles. Then they would give the money to anyone who needed it.
1 John 1 – 2
1 The Word that gives life was from the beginning,
and this is the one our message is about.
Our ears have heard, our own eyes have seen,
and our hands touched this Word.
2 The one who gives life appeared! We saw it happen, and we are witnesses to what we have seen. Now we are telling you about this eternal life that was with the Father and appeared to us. 3 We are telling you what we have seen and heard, so that you may share in this life with us. And we share in it with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 We are writing to tell you these things, because this makes us truly happy.
5 Jesus told us that God is light and doesn’t have any darkness in him. Now we are telling you.
6 If we say that we share in life with God and keep on living in the dark, we are lying and are not living by the truth. 7 But if we live in the light, as God does, we share in life with each other. And the blood of his Son Jesus washes all our sins away. 8 If we say that we have not sinned, we are fooling ourselves, and the truth isn’t in our hearts. 9 But if we confess our sins to God, he can always be trusted to forgive us and take our sins away.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make God a liar, and his message isn’t in our hearts.
1 My children, I am writing this so that you won’t sin. But if you do sin, Jesus Christ always does the right thing, and he will speak to the Father for us. 2 Christ is the sacrifice that takes away our sins and the sins of all the world’s people.
John 20
19 The disciples were afraid of the Jewish leaders, and on the evening of that same Sunday they locked themselves in a room. Suddenly, Jesus appeared in the middle of the group. He greeted them 20 and showed them his hands and his side. When the disciples saw the Lord, they became very happy.
21 After Jesus had greeted them again, he said, “I am sending you, just as the Father has sent me.” 22 Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, they will be forgiven. But if you don’t forgive their sins, they will not be forgiven.”
24 Although Thomas the Twin was one of the twelve disciples, he wasn’t with the others when Jesus appeared to them. 25 So they told him, “We have seen the Lord!”
But Thomas said, “First, I must see the nail scars in his hands and touch them with my finger. I must put my hand where the spear went into his side. I won’t believe unless I do this!”
26 A week later the disciples were together again. This time, Thomas was with them. Jesus came in while the doors were still locked and stood in the middle of the group. He greeted his disciples 27 and said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and look at my hands! Put your hand into my side. Stop doubting and have faith!”
28 Thomas replied, “You are my Lord and my God!”
29 Jesus said, “Thomas, do you have faith because you have seen me? The people who have faith in me without seeing me are the ones who are really blessed!”
30 Jesus worked many other miracles for his disciples, and not all of them are written in this book. 31 But these are written so that you will put your faith in Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of God. If you have faith in him, you will have true life.
Text version of the message for Hillside Circuit on April 11th 2021 in English with Dr Themba Hwalima:
Theme: One heart, one soul.
Good morning sisters and brothers in Christ. Our theme for today represents the whole of Christianity in a nutshell. It is virtually the whole Christian doctrine. It is about Christ and His mission here on earth. Yes, my sisters and brothers, today’s theme is a summary of the message, the inspiration and the Word we came away with from Easter. It is the Word, the Message; and the bread of life that the Lord Jesus Christ came to deliver here on earth, and to die for on the cross.
What did we come away with from our Easter services and festivities?
The psalmist in PSALM 133 summarizes the message:
1 How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!
2 It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down upon the collar of his robes.
3 It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.”
It is a word of love, a message of peace, unity and a life of faith and loyalty to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Yes,
“One heart, one soul” is our theme for today.
This is what our Lord Jesus Christ came to deliver to the world. This is what Christ came into the world to die for on the cross.
Yes; this is what Christ sent Christians into the world for, to be of one heart, and of one soul. When you are of one heart and one soul you are one. You are of one love, you care for each other, you are just towards each other
and you live in peace and harmony with each other.
This is what Christ came into the world for.
As Christ prays to the Father:
“As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.” (John 17:18)
As He prayed for us:
“20 My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message,
21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” (John 17:20-21)
One heart, one soul is our call as Christians.
Yes indeed, after Christ conquered death, after His resurrection we see Him appearing before His disciples and declaring:
“21 ……, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”
22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
23 If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” (John 20: 19 – 31)
Yes, sisters and brothers in Christ, disciples, apostles; indeed, all Christians were sent out into the world to love all mankind, to be concerned about the welfare of all humanity. We were commissioned to be just to all human kind. We were commissioned to be of one heart and one soul.
As the Book of Acts tells us:
“32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.
33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all.” (Acts 4:32-33)
This is the message, the Word we are coming away with from Easter.
Christ came into the world because the world had fallen. Christ came into the world to save mankind. For this reason and for this purpose he died on the cross to pay for our sins. He shed His blood on the cross to cleanse us of our sins.
Christ came into the world to effect change in humanity and to achieve and deliver holiness. The first step was to conquer death, it was to defeat sin through the resurrection of Christ as we learnt in the Easter message.
The second step was to despatch the disciples, the apostles and indeed the whole of Christianity into the world to do battle with the enemy. In this regard, we see Christ empowering His servants
“18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Mathew 28:18-20)
It is indeed with confidence and conviction that we go out to preach and proclaim the Word of God after Easter, after the resurrection of Christ in victory; and His baptizing us and anointing us in the power and authority of the Holy Spirit. Christ has sent us into the world to proclaim the gospel of love, peace and unity of all mankind in the Holy Spirit. Christ has sent us out into the world as Christians and to be Christians of one heart and one soul.
As the Apostle Paul tells us:
“4 There is one body and one Spirit–just as you were called to one hope when you were called–
5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.” (Ephesians 4:4-7)
This is the message we are coming away with from Easter. This is the Word of Life we are walking away with from the crucifixion, death and resurrection of Christ. This is the bread of life we have taken home from the Easter celebrations.
Do not go away empty handed my fellow Christian. Do not go home hungry my sister and brother. Be cleansed by the blood of Christ oozing down from the cross. Repent of your sins that you may receive salvation from the Lord Jesus Christ. Receive the Holy Spirit as Christ has generously apportioned Him to all His followers.
Let us all be one in love, peace and harmony. Let us not be found wanting in standing up for freedom, equity and justice for all mankind. Let us all be of one love, one soul; one heart and one body in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. May the Church of God not be found wanting or falling short in any one of all these spiritual assignments bestowed upon us by our Heavenly Father.
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all from now and forever more.
Amen
Methodist Church: Hillside Circuit 