Sunday Service from Hillside Circuit for February 25th 2024:
Lectionary Theme: Through faith, God’s promises are fulfilled
Youth Sunday Theme: A faithful ambassador brings healing
Occasion: 2nd Sunday in Lent / Youth Sunday
Lectionary readings:
Psalm 22: 23-31
Genesis 17: 1-7, 15-16
Romans 4: 13-25
Mark 8: 31-38
Youth Sunday readings:
Proverbs 13: 17
2 Kings 5: 2-3
2 Corinthians 5: 20
[Click or tap on a Bible reference above to jump down the page to the Bible reading to read it for yourself (and/or to listen to it) 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.
Ukholo lwami ngonyuka Lalo.
Great is the darkness that covers the earth.
Mwari muri Zuva redu.
I, the Lord of sea and sky.
What a friend we have in Jesus.
Shine Jesus shine.
Will you come and follow me.
May the Lord.
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:
Sermon:
Bible readings:
Psalm 22
23 All who worship the LORD, now praise him!
You belong to Jacob’s family and to the people of Israel,
so fear and honour the LORD!
24 The LORD doesn’t hate or despise the helpless
in all of their troubles.
When I cried out, he listened and did not turn away.
25 When your people meet, you will fill my heart
with your praises, LORD,
and everyone will see me keep my promises to you.
26 The poor will eat and be full,
and all who worship you will be thankful
and live in hope.
27 Everyone on this earth will remember you, LORD.
People all over the world will turn and worship you,
28 because you are in control, the ruler of all nations.
29 All who are rich and have more than enough
will bow down to you, LORD.
Even those who are dying and almost in the grave
will come and bow down.
30 In the future, everyone will worship
and learn about you, our LORD.
31 People not yet born will be told,
“The LORD has saved us!”
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Genesis 17
1 Abram was ninety-nine years old when the LORD appeared to him again and said, “I am God All-Powerful. If you obey me and always do right, 2 I will keep my solemn promise to you and give you more descendants than can be counted.” 3 Abram bowed with his face to the ground, and God said:
4-5 I promise that you will be the father of many nations. That’s why I now change your name from Abram to Abraham. 6 I will give you a lot of descendants, and in the future they will become great nations. Some of them will even be kings.
7 I will always keep the promise I have made to you and your descendants, because I am your God and their God.
15 Abraham, your wife’s name will now be Sarah instead of Sarai. 16 I will bless her, and you will have a son by her. She will become the mother of nations, and some of her descendants will even be kings.
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Romans 4
13 God promised Abraham and his descendants that he would give them the world. This promise wasn’t made because Abraham had obeyed a law, but because his faith in God made him acceptable. 14 If Abraham and his descendants were given this promise because they had obeyed a law, then faith would mean nothing, and the promise would be worthless.
15 God becomes angry when his Law is broken. But where there isn’t a law, it cannot be broken. 16 Everything depends on having faith in God, so that God’s promise is assured by his great kindness. This promise isn’t only for Abraham’s descendants who have the Law. It is for all who are Abraham’s descendants because they have faith, just as he did. Abraham is the ancestor of us all. 17 The Scriptures say that Abraham would become the ancestor of many nations. This promise was made to Abraham because he had faith in God, who raises the dead to life and creates new things.
18 God promised Abraham a lot of descendants. And when it all seemed hopeless, Abraham still had faith in God and became the ancestor of many nations. 19 Abraham’s faith never became weak, not even when he was nearly a hundred years old. He knew that he was almost dead and that his wife Sarah could not have children. 20 But Abraham never doubted or questioned God’s promise. His faith made him strong, and he gave all the credit to God.
21 Abraham was certain that God could do what he had promised. 22 So God accepted him, 23 just as we read in the Scriptures. But these words were not written only for Abraham. 24 They were written for us, since we will also be accepted because of our faith in God, who raised our Lord Jesus to life. 25 God gave Jesus to die for our sins, and he raised him to life, so that we would be made acceptable to God.
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Mark 8
31 Jesus began telling his disciples what would happen to him. He said, “The nation’s leaders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law of Moses will make the Son of Man suffer terribly. He will be rejected and killed, but three days later he will rise to life.” 32 Then Jesus explained clearly what he meant.
Peter took Jesus aside and told him to stop talking like that. 33 But when Jesus turned and saw the disciples, he corrected Peter. He said to him, “Satan, get away from me! You are thinking like everyone else and not like God.”
34 Jesus then told the crowd and the disciples to come closer, and he said:
If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself. You must take up your cross and follow me. 35 If you want to save your life, you will destroy it. But if you give up your life for me and for the good news, you will save it. 36 What will you gain, if you own the whole world but destroy yourself? 37 What could you give to get back your soul?
38 Don’t be ashamed of me and my message among these unfaithful and sinful people! If you are, the Son of Man will be ashamed of you when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.
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Proverbs 13
17 Whoever delivers your message
can make things better or worse for you.
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2 Kings 5
2 One day while the Syrian troops were raiding Israel, they captured a girl, and she became a servant of Naaman’s wife. 3 Some time later the girl said, “If your husband Naaman would go to the prophet in Samaria, he would be cured of his leprosy.”
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2 Corinthians 5
20 We were sent to speak for Christ, and God is begging you to listen to our message. We speak for Christ and sincerely ask you to make peace with God.
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[Did you miss last week’s Sunday Services? They can now be found at Worship Archive – February 18th 2024.]
Methodist Church: Hillside Circuit 
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