[Did you miss last Sunday’s services? They can still be found at Worship Archive – June 13th 2021.]
Sunday Service from Connexion for June 20th 2021:
Sunday Services from Hillside Circuit for June 20th 2021:
Theme: Face your Goliath
Occasion: 4th after Pentecost
Psalm 9: 9-20
1 Samuel 17: 1-11, 19-23, 32-49
2 Corinthians 6: 1-13
Mark 4: 35-41
[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.
Good good Father.
Father me.
In Christ alone.
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:
Bible readings:
Psalm 9
9 The poor can run to you
because you are a fortress in times of trouble.
10 Everyone who honours your name can trust you,
because you are faithful to all who depend on you.
11 You rule from Zion, LORD, and we sing about you
to let the nations know everything you have done.
12 You did not forget to punish the guilty
or listen to the cries of those in need.
13 Please have mercy, LORD! My enemies mistreat me.
Keep me from the gates that lead to death,
14 and I will sing about you at the gate to Zion.
I will be happy there because you rescued me.
15 Our LORD, the nations fell into their own pits,
and their feet were caught in their own traps.
16 You showed what you are like,
and you made certain that justice is done,
but evil people are trapped by their own evil deeds.
17 The wicked will go down to the world of the dead
to be with those nations that forgot about you.
18 The poor and the homeless won’t always be forgotten
and without hope.
19 Do something, LORD! Don’t let the nations win.
Make them stand trial in your court of law.
20 Make the nations afraid and let them all discover
just how weak they are.
1 Samuel 17
1 The Philistines got ready for war and brought their troops together to attack the town of Socoh in Judah. They set up camp at Ephes-Dammim, between Socoh and Azekah. 2-3 King Saul and the Israelite army set up camp on a hill overlooking Elah Valley, and they got ready to fight the Philistine army that was on a hill on the other side of the valley.
4 The Philistine army had a hero named Goliath who was from the town of Gath and was over nine feet tall. 5-6 He wore a bronze helmet and had bronze armour to protect his chest and legs. The chest armour alone weighed about one hundred twenty-five pounds. He carried a bronze sword strapped on his back, 7 and his spear was so big that the iron spearhead alone weighed more than fifteen pounds. A soldier always walked in front of Goliath to carry his shield.
8 Goliath went out and shouted to the army of Israel:
Why are you lining up for battle? I’m the best soldier in our army, and all of you are in Saul’s army. Choose your best soldier to come out and fight me! 9 If he can kill me, our people will be your slaves. But if I kill him, your people will be our slaves. 10 Here and now I challenge Israel’s whole army! Choose someone to fight me!
11 Saul and his men heard what Goliath said, but they were so frightened of Goliath that they couldn’t do a thing.
19 They’re with Saul’s army, fighting the Philistines in Elah Valley.”
20 David obeyed his father. He got up early the next morning and left someone else in charge of the sheep; then he loaded the supplies and started off. He reached the army camp just as the soldiers were taking their places and shouting the battle cry. 21 The army of Israel and the Philistine army stood there facing each other.
22 David left his things with the man in charge of supplies and ran up to the battle line to ask his brothers if they were well. 23 While David was talking with them, Goliath came out from the line of Philistines and started boasting as usual. David heard him.
32 “Your Majesty,” he said, “this Philistine shouldn’t turn us into cowards. I’ll go out and fight him myself!”
33 “You don’t have a chance against him,” Saul replied. “You’re only a boy, and he’s been a soldier all his life.”
34 But David told him:
Your Majesty, I take care of my father’s sheep. And when one of them is dragged off by a lion or a bear, 35 I go after it and beat the wild animal until it lets the sheep go. If the wild animal turns and attacks me, I grab it by the throat and kill it.
36 Sir, I have killed lions and bears that way, and I can kill this worthless Philistine. He shouldn’t have made fun of the army of the living God! 37 The LORD has rescued me from the claws of lions and bears, and he will keep me safe from the hands of this Philistine.
“All right,” Saul answered, “go ahead and fight him. And I hope the LORD will help you.”
38 Saul had his own military clothes and armour put on David, and he gave David a bronze helmet to wear. 39 David strapped on a sword and tried to walk around, but he was not used to wearing those things.
“I can’t move with all this stuff on,” David said. “I’m just not used to it.”
David took off the armour 40 and picked up his shepherd’s stick. He went out to a stream and picked up five smooth rocks and put them in his leather bag. Then with his sling in his hand, he went straight toward Goliath.
41 Goliath came toward David, walking behind the soldier who was carrying his shield. 42 When Goliath saw that David was just a healthy, good-looking boy, he made fun of him. 43 “Do you think I’m a dog?” Goliath asked. “Is that why you’ve come after me with a stick?” He cursed David in the name of the Philistine gods 44 and shouted, “Come on! When I’m finished with you, I’ll feed you to the birds and wild animals!”
45 David answered:
You’ve come out to fight me with a sword and a spear and a dagger. But I’ve come out to fight you in the name of the LORD All-Powerful. He is the God of Israel’s army, and you have insulted him too!
46 Today the LORD will help me defeat you. I’ll knock you down and cut off your head, and I’ll feed the bodies of the other Philistine soldiers to the birds and wild animals. Then the whole world will know that Israel has a real God. 47 Everybody here will see that the LORD doesn’t need swords or spears to save his people. The LORD always wins his battles, and he will help us defeat you.
48 When Goliath started forward, David ran toward him. 49 He put a rock in his sling and swung the sling around by its straps. When he let go of one strap, the rock flew out and hit Goliath on the forehead. It cracked his skull, and he fell facedown on the ground.
2 Corinthians 6
1 We work together with God, and we beg you to make good use of God’s kindness to you. 2 In the Scriptures God says,
“When the time came, I listened to you,
and when you needed help, I came to save you.”
That time has come. This is the day for you to be saved.
3 We don’t want anyone to find fault with our work, and so we try hard not to cause problems. 4 But in everything and in every way we show that we truly are God’s servants. We have always been patient, though we have had a lot of trouble, suffering, and hard times. 5 We have been beaten, put in jail, and hurt in riots. We have worked hard and have gone without sleep or food. 6 But we have kept ourselves pure and have been understanding, patient, and kind. The Holy Spirit has been with us, and our love has been real. 7 We have spoken the truth, and God’s power has worked in us. In all our struggles we have said and done only what is right.
8 Whether we were honoured or dishonoured or praised or cursed, we always told the truth about ourselves. But some people said we did not. 9 We are unknown to others, but well known to you. We seem to be dying, and yet we are still alive. We have been punished, but never killed, 10 and we are always happy, even in times of suffering. Although we are poor, we have made many people rich. And though we own nothing, everything is ours.
11 Friends in Corinth, we are telling the truth when we say that there is room in our hearts for you. 12 We are not holding back on our love for you, but you are holding back on your love for us. 13 I speak to you as I would speak to my own children. Please make room in your hearts for us.
Mark 4
35 That evening, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the east side.” 36 So they left the crowd, and his disciples started across the lake with him in the boat. Some other boats followed along. 37 Suddenly a windstorm struck the lake. Waves started splashing into the boat, and it was about to sink.
38 Jesus was in the back of the boat with his head on a pillow, and he was asleep. His disciples woke him and said, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re about to drown?”
39 Jesus got up and ordered the wind and the waves to be quiet. The wind stopped, and everything was calm.
40 Jesus asked his disciples, “Why were you afraid? Don’t you have any faith?”
41 Now they were more afraid than ever and said to each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
Text version of Children’s Address for Hillside Circuit on June 20th 2021, with Mrs Chipo Marara:
Good morning girls and boys. Lets give thanks to the Lord, let’s sing praise to thy name, for He gave us power in Genesis when He created man in His own image and gave him power to control every situation , power to face our Goliath in life, not to fear anything for He will be with us all the time.
WHO IS GOLIATH girls and boys? Goliath is any challenge, or problem you face in life , be it small or big. 1 Samuel 17: 1-23 gives us a description of how big Goliath can be in our lives. It shows us how powerful , equipped and dangerous Goliath can be in our lives. His height very abnormal, six cubits and span, a helmet of bronze on his head for protection, his coat weighed five thousand shekels of bronze, his legs protected with greaves of bronze , a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron, this shows how dangerous and prepared Goliath was to fight Saul and the men of Israel and if the Israelites were to be defeated they became servants of the Philistines and serve them .Boys and girl if we do not pray all the time we become servants of the devil. Goliath was a champion fully equipped for the war, but the question is He was fully equipped with WHOSE POWER. Girls and boys we need God’s power to conquer Goliath, who is devil. We need to pray all the time, read our Bible every time, if there is anything we do not understand we should ask our parents.
Children of God, lets have faith like David. He was an anointed man of God, very faithful. If we remain faithful our God will be always with us even when we get sick. Covid 19, corona virus, a deadly disease, how should we protect ourselves from this deadly disease, we should adhere to all the rules and regulations, wash our hands with soap using running water, wear our mask properly, keep social distance from our friends. In 1 Samuel 17: 1 – 23 David conquered Goliath because he was faithful to God. We also need to be faithful children of God for us to be able to FACE OUR GOLIATH. AMEN.
Let’s pray
We want to thank you Lord for giving us the strength to face our Goliath . You are a wonderful God. We glorify your name. Amen.
Methodist Church: Hillside Circuit 