[Did you miss last Sunday’s services? They can still be found at Worship Archive – November 28th 2021.]

Sunday Service from Connexion for December 5th 2021:

Sunday Services from Hillside Circuit for December 5th 2021:

Theme: The forerunner

Occasion: 2nd in Advent

Psalm 18
Malachi 3: 1-4
Philippians 1: 3-11
Luke 3: 1-6

[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.

On Jordan’s bank the Baptist’s cry.
Unto us a Boy is born.
King of kings, Majesty.
O Come O Come Emmanuel.
Long ago, prophets knew.
As with gladness men of old.

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.

Children’s Address:

Sermons:

[Click or tap here to jump down the page to the text version of the above message so that you can read it for yourself.]

Bible readings:

Psalm 18

1 I love you, LORD God, and you make me strong.
2 You are my mighty rock, my fortress, my protector,
the rock where I am safe, my shield,
my powerful weapon, and my place of shelter.

3 I praise you, LORD!
I prayed, and you rescued me from my enemies.
4 Death had wrapped its ropes around me,
and I was almost swallowed by its flooding waters.

5 Ropes from the world of the dead had coiled around me,
and death had set a trap in my path.
6 I was in terrible trouble when I called out to you,
but from your temple you heard me
and answered my prayer.

7 The earth shook and shivered,
and the mountains trembled down to their roots.
You were angry 8 and breathed out smoke.
Scorching heat and fiery flames
spewed from your mouth.

9 You opened the heavens like curtains,
and you came down with storm clouds under your feet.
10 You rode on the backs of flying creatures
and swooped down with the wind as wings.
11 Darkness was your robe; thunderclouds filled the sky,
hiding you from sight.
12 Hailstones and fiery coals lit up the sky in front of you.

13 LORD Most High, your voice thundered from the heavens,
as hailstones and fiery coals poured down like rain.
14 You scattered your enemies with arrows of lightning.
15 You roared at the sea,
and its deepest channels could be seen.
You snorted, and the earth shook to its foundations.

16 You reached down from heaven,
and you lifted me from deep in the ocean.
17 You rescued me from enemies,
who were hateful and too powerful for me.
18 On the day disaster struck, they came and attacked,
but you defended me.
19 When I was fenced in,
you freed and rescued me because you love me.

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Malachi 3

1 I, the LORD All-Powerful,
will send my messenger to prepare the way for me.
Then suddenly the LORD you are looking for
will appear in his temple.
The messenger you desire is coming with my promise,
and he is on his way.

2 On the day the LORD comes, he will be like a furnace that purifies silver or like strong soap in a washbasin. No one will be able to stand up to him. 3 The LORD will purify the descendants of Levi, as though they were gold or silver. Then they will bring the proper offerings to the LORD, 4 and the offerings of the people of Judah and Jerusalem will please him, just as they did in the past.

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Philippians 1

3 Every time I think of you, I thank my God. 4 And whenever I mention you in my prayers, it makes me happy. 5 This is because you have taken part with me in spreading the good news from the first day you heard about it. 6 God is the one who began this good work in you, and I am certain that he won’t stop before it is complete on the day that Christ Jesus returns.
7 You have a special place in my heart. So it is only natural for me to feel the way I do. All of you have helped in the work that God has given me, as I defend the good news and tell about it here in jail. 8 God himself knows how much I want to see you. He knows that I care for you in the same way that Christ Jesus does.
9 I pray that your love will keep on growing and that you will fully know and understand 10 how to make the right choices. Then you will still be pure and innocent when Christ returns. And until that day, 11 Jesus Christ will keep you busy doing good deeds that bring glory and praise to God.

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Luke 3

1 For fifteen years Emperor Tiberius had ruled that part of the world. Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was the ruler of Galilee. Herod’s brother, Philip, was the ruler in the countries of Iturea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was the ruler of Abilene. 2 Annas and Caiaphas were the Jewish high priests.
At that time God spoke to Zechariah’s son John, who was living in the desert. 3 So John went along the Jordan Valley, telling the people, “Turn back to God and be baptized! Then your sins will be forgiven.” 4 Isaiah the prophet wrote about John when he said,

“In the desert someone is shouting,
‘Get the road ready for the Lord!
Make a straight path for him.
5 Fill up every valley and level every mountain and hill.
Straighten the crooked paths
and smooth out the rough roads.
6 Then everyone will see the saving power of God.’ “

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Text version of message for Hillside Circuit on December 5th 2021 in Ndebele, with Ms Sihle Sibanda:

Kungumlandu wakho lami ukuba sigime phambili ngokufakaza ilizwi lokusiliswa esonweni.Incwadi kaMalakhi okhuluma ngosuku ubani lobani ongumkhristu alumeleleyo ,alulungiselelayo esemhlabeni.Kulusuku lokwahlulelwa omunye lomunye ngemisebenzi yakhe.Isithunywa siyathunywa ukulungisa indlela yenkosi eza masinyane.Kambe wena usuyilungisile yini indlela yokwamukela inkosi ezayo enhliziyweni yakho,sokudinga ukuthi kanti elakho ithemba kungaphi ngoba kulusuku olwesabekayo oludinga ukuqina lokugobela intando kababa.
Ibhayibhili lithi lolosuku lufana lompheki wensimbi ohlala esihlalweni sakhe ahlambulule , ancibilikise inhliziyo zethu njengegolide lesiliva sizesinikele iminikelo efaneleyo enkosini.UNkulunkulu uyathokoza ngokuzinikela kwakho ngokupheleleyo ekumkhonzeni.uPhawuli uyabonga abasefiliphu ngokuhlanganyela evangelini okumele kube njalo lakithi lamhlanje.UPhawuli ukhulunyiswa luthando okumele lubekhona kubazalwane oluyilo olubumba ibandla.
Uthando yilo oluzasenza sazi njalo sibelokuqedisisa konke, kodwa umasingelalo uthando olonguNkulunkulu siyize sifana lokholo olungelamsebenzi.Thelani izithelo zokulunga Phambi kwenkosi ukuze lenqabele ukulahlwa.
Kuyafika ilizwi kusithunywa sikaNkulunkulu enkangala ukuba sicente lokuqondisa indlela yenkosi.Nxa elifakaza ilizwi uthi kukhona ubhaphathizo lokuphenduka ngokuthethelelwa izono.Izono zithethelelwa kulabo abavumayo ukuzidela banamathele kukhristu oyinkosi.Sezilungisiwe yini indlela ,lamazombezombe enhliziyweni yakho, asegqitshiwe amagodi ,lamaxhakaxhaka aslungisiwe yini?.Kudingeka uthando kuqala ukuze senelise ukulungisa izenzo zethu Phambi kwenkosi.
Siyambona uJohn Wesley loCharles phakathi komkhumbi sokuvunguza isiphepho baba lokwesaba ngoba babengakapheleli, babengakakhudunywezwa enhliziyweni okuyikuphenduka uthembele enkosini. Lawe kuyadingeka ukuthi ithole ukukhudunyezw enhliziyweni yakho ukuze senelise ukuqondisa indlela yenkosi kubekhona ukupheleliswa entandweni kababa.
Sonke sidinga ukusindiswa ,kungabakhona ukusindiswa njalo singasindiswa ngokupheleleyo nxa singakhupha amgodi lezintaba ezisenhliziyweni zethu sihambe ngokuqonda enkosini.Balekela ububi besono uphenduke ngokupheleleyo uthole ukusiliswa enkosini Amen.