[Did you miss last Sunday’s services? They can still be found at Worship Archive – April 25th 2021.]
Sunday Service from Connexion for May 2nd 2021:
Sunday Services from Hillside Circuit for May 2nd 2021:
Theme: Bearing the fruit of love
Occasion: Fifth Sunday of Easter
Psalm 22
Acts 8: 26-40
1 John 4: 7-21
John 15: 1-8
[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.
Shine, Jesus, shine.
We bow down.
Come, let us sing of a wonderful love.
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 22
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!”
Acts 8
26 The LORD’S angel said to Philip, “Go south along the desert road that leads from Jerusalem to Gaza.” 27 So Philip left.
An important Ethiopian official happened to be going along that road in his chariot. He was the chief treasurer for Candace, the Queen of Ethiopia. The official had gone to Jerusalem to worship 28 and was now on his way home. He was sitting in his chariot, reading the book of the prophet Isaiah.
29 The Spirit told Philip to catch up with the chariot. 30 Philip ran up close and heard the man reading aloud from the book of Isaiah. Philip asked him, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
31 The official answered, “How can I understand unless someone helps me?” He then invited Philip to come up and sit beside him.
32 The man was reading the passage that said,
He was led like a sheep on its way to be killed.
He was silent as a lamb whose wool is being cut off,
and he did not say a word.
33 He was treated like a nobody
and did not receive a fair trial.
How can he have children,
if his life is snatched away?
34 The official said to Philip, “Tell me, was the prophet talking about himself or about someone else?” 35 So Philip began at this place in the Scriptures and explained the good news about Jesus.
36-37 As they were going along the road, they came to a place where there was some water. The official said, “Look! Here is some water. Why can’t I be baptized?” 38 He ordered the chariot to stop. Then they both went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.
39 After they had come out of the water, the LORD’S Spirit took Philip away. The official never saw him again, but he was very happy as he went on his way.
40 Philip later appeared in Azotus. He went from town to town, all the way to Caesarea, telling people about Jesus.
1 John 4
7 My dear friends, we must love each other. Love comes from God, and when we love each other, it shows that we have been given new life. We are now God’s children, and we know him. 8 God is love, and anyone who doesn’t love others has never known him. 9 God showed his love for us when he sent his only Son into the world to give us life. 10 Real love isn’t our love for God, but his love for us. God sent his Son to be the sacrifice by which our sins are forgiven. 11 Dear friends, since God loved us this much, we must love each other.
12 No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is truly in our hearts.
13 God has given us his Spirit. That is how we know that we are one with him, just as he is one with us. 14 God sent his Son to be the Saviour of the world. We saw his Son and are now telling others about him. 15 God stays one with everyone who openly says that Jesus is the Son of God. That’s how we stay one with God 16 and are sure that God loves us.
God is love. If we keep on loving others, we will stay one in our hearts with God, and he will stay one with us. 17 If we truly love others and live as Christ did in this world, we won’t be worried about the day of judgment. 18 A real love for others will chase those worries away. The thought of being punished is what makes us afraid. It shows that we have not really learned to love.
19 We love because God loved us first. 20 But if we say we love God and don’t love each other, we are liars. We cannot see God. So how can we love God, if we don’t love the people we can see? 21 The commandment that God has given us is: “Love God and love each other!”
John 15
1 Jesus said to his disciples:
I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts away every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit. But he trims clean every branch that does produce fruit, so that it will produce even more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of what I have said to you.
4 Stay joined to me, and I will stay joined to you. Just as a branch cannot produce fruit unless it stays joined to the vine, you cannot produce fruit unless you stay joined to me. 5 I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you stay joined to me, and I stay joined to you, then you will produce lots of fruit. But you cannot do anything without me. 6 If you don’t stay joined to me, you will be thrown away. You will be like dry branches that are gathered up and burned in a fire.
7 Stay joined to me and let my teachings become part of you. Then you can pray for whatever you want, and your prayer will be answered. 8 When you become fruitful disciples of mine, my Father will be honoured.
Text version of Children’s Address for Hillside Circuit on May 2nd 2021, with Mrs Ngonidzashe Mariga:
Readings
Acts 8vs 26-40
1John4vs7-21
John 15vs1-8
Theme: Bearing the fruits of love
Now that Jesus Christ died for us and all our sins have been forgiven we must continue with this mission of love till we die .The reason for his death is mainly for you and me to be free. His love is great and wonderful that failing to love is failure to obey.
1John 4 verses 7 to 21 talk about God’s love and ours. God gave us his son as a sign of love, not because we love him but because he loved us . We were shown an expression of love through giving. There are a lot of things we can offer to others; time, belongings and even food. As little children we may spend time helping those in need at home or at school . Helping others who struggle to do school and homework is an expression of love that we ought to do
In order for you to respond to God’s love you must not hate, you must not record wrongs and you must always forgive. Once you feel hatred towards a fellow friend, know that you have removed God from your heart.
_Love is there on any situation and in any condition ;be it under persecution or trial, love must lead.
_Love does not look down upon others.
_Love is patient ,tolerant and it acts upon those in need .
In John15 vs 1-8 we are told that we are branches and God is the gardener. A gardener waters, prunes and adds manure and awaits a bumper harvest. Same with us boys and girls. God always watches over us, day and night. He guides us rebukes and rewards us with love. He speaks and listens to us every time. Therefore let us continue with the good ways if we want to be called God’s children.
Let us pray
Father we thank you for loving us Thank u Lord for giving us your son Jesus Christ to die for us. Help us love one another and teach us to continue to do good. Amen
Text version of message for Hillside Circuit on May 2nd 2021 in English, with Mrs Gloria Nyamambi:
CALL TO WORSHIP:- PSALMS 22:1 & 5 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me. Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning.
Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help
Prayer: O Lord my God, We come before your throne of grace to worship and honour you. You are the Almighty, the Alpha and Omega. We thank you for this beautiful day and time to listen to your word. May you open our ears and hearts so that we can hear and receive your message to us. Bless each and every one of us, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, amen
THEME:- BEARING THE FRUIT OF LOVE
Today is the fifth Sunday after Easter and we remember very well when we commemorated the death and celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ the Son of God. As Christians we hold on to this truth that Jesus rose from the grave, and went back to the Father. He promised that he will come again and it is our duty as Christians as we wait for the second coming to be watching and praying. And as we watch and pray we do all the good that pleases God and all the Glory will be unto Him. John 15:8 reads, “ This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” It follows therefore that Bearing the fruit of love as is our theme today, should be every Christian’s objective, and the bible readings shows us how we can achieve this.
We understand that we bear fruit from the seed, which is the word of God. Therefore bearing fruit refers to doing works such as honesty, modesty, love, etc by applying the word of God in our lives, or fruit bearing is the good deeds that result from the application of the word of God in one’s life. One important trait of Christian character is love, a fruit indicating the presence of the Holy Spirit. Christian based love always seeks to do the right thing. 1 Corinthians 13, also known as the love chapter, tells us that love is patient, kind, does not envy, does not boast, is not proud, is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not easily angered, keeps no record of wrongs, does not delight in evil, rejoices with the truth, always protects, always trust, always hopes, always perseveres and never fails. Spiritual fruit is therefore an expression of what is in a person’s spirit or heart and how it manifests into external actions, words and attitudes and how we love and serve others.
What Jesus says in the parable John 15:4-5, is simplifying his point about bearing fruit, which depends on dependence. He says “Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. It is very clear then that whatever we do if not out of love, is counted as nothing. We need therefore to look at our lives, just like the crops and see the fruit that we bear, and how we might bear that fruit more abundantly. We must examine our hearts and tend them with the same care we tend the gardens, being careful to prune, cut and even burn the unproductive branches, that we too may yield in our lives a worthy harvest of the risen life to which Jesus calls us. Pruning is not a punishment for Christians, it is actually a reward. God is the vinedresser who prunes the life of everyone who abides in Christ and bears the fruit of Christ. Spiritual pruning enhances spiritual growth by removing whatever inhibits spiritual growth.
When you abide in Jesus and He abides in you, you learn to love like him. As we know that God is love, and that He loved us first, we also ought to love one another as Jesus commanded. We need to show the love of God in us by loving our brothers. John explains in his letter that whoever does not love does not know God. It follows therefore that if we do not know God, we cannot bear the fruit of love that comes from Him. And if we fail to bear any fruit, we shall be cut off, thrown away to wither, picked up and thrown into the fire and burned. Now God has given us this escape route that is in Jesus Christ, if we believe he is the Son of God, we shall not perish. When we remain in Him and He in us, he will cause us to bear the fruit of love to God’s glory. In the book of Acts, we read of a man named Philip, the evangelist. He was one of the seven chosen to care for the poor of the Christian community in Jerusalem. He preached and performed miracles in Samaria. One day he was told by an angel, “Go south to the road, the desert road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” The bible says he started out and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. Again when the Spirit told Philip to go to the chariot and stay near it, he went without asking. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, Philip obediently overcomes any social barriers, approaches the wagon and engages the eunuch in conversation. Finally he found the opportunity to preach the good news about Jesus to the eunuch which led to him confessing that Jesus is the Son of God. So Philip baptized him and he went on his way rejoicing. I would like to commend the Ethiopian eunuch for his humility, for someone with a high position as his, to be able to listen to someone like Philip. It teaches us that God will use anyone to preach His word anywhere and anytime. We should love one another for we do not know the one who brings the message of our salvation. Many times we fail to reach out to those that need our help because of our pride, and that pride hinders us from getting the help we need from those that are reaching out to us. Many of us are so boastful we fail to listen to good ideas from others, and because we keep records of wrongs of our brothers and will not fellowship with them. This only shows that the love of God is not in us.
Finally, may I exhort you all to remain in Jesus Christ so that he remains in you and cause you to bear the fruit of love that is expected of us. Allow God to prune those bad attitudes and behaviours in you so that you bear fruit more abundantly. Let us therefore continue to pray for open doors and stay alert to the opportunities God presents to us, not forgetting that apart from Him, we can do nothing.
In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen.
Let us pray: We thank you Lord for your presence in this service today, for each and every word spoken in your name. May it heal the sick, comfort those that are mourning, strengthen the weak and give hope to the hopeless, I pray in Jesus Christ’s name, Amen.
And now may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all now and forever more Amen.
Text version of message for Hillside Circuit on May 2nd 2021 in Ndebele, with Mrs Angela Penduka:
Ngiyalibingelela Ngegama loMkululi wthu u Jesu Kristu Amen
Asithandazeni;
Sizaphambi ko buso bakho Nkosi ,wena Mdali wethu .Tixo olothando olukhulu Siyakudumisa mhlekazi wezulu ekuseni lokhu sisezindaweni ezuhlukeneyo. Siyakubonga Somandla ithuba osiphe lona ukuba sizwe ilizwi lakho .Sibonga isipho sempilo. Sibonga ithemba owasinika lona elokuthi uzabe ulathi zonke izikhathi. Siziletha kuwe sithandaza ukuthi ududuze abakhalayo welaphe abagulayo phezu kwakho konke sambulele ilizwi lakho inhliziyo zethu zamukele, inqgondo zethu zivuleke.Khuluma kithi somandla khuluma Jehova wothando. Sigxile othandweni lwakho. Kuze kube na phakade. Siyathandaza ngegamaa elihle lomkhululi wethu u Jesu Kristu AMEN
Izifundo zalamhla sizithola
ku Imisebenzi -8 26-40
Incwadi ka Johane wokuqala 4 -7-21
Johane 15 1-8
Inhloko Ye Ndaba : Ukuthela Izithelo Zothando
Izihlahla zithela izithelo ezehlukeneyo kusiya ngomhlobo wesihlahla I lemon lithela ama lemon I Orange ama orange uxakuxaku ama xakuxaku.Ukunambitheka lobuhle bezithelo sokusiya ngokuthi isihlahla sinakekelwa njani njalo sisemhlabathini ovunde kangakanani. Amakholwa kumbe ngithi abantu lathi singa faniswa lezihlahla lezithelo zayo. I orange nxa lingathelelwanga loma lithi kere libe munyu.Ungeke ukhangelele ukukha I apuli esihlahleni se orange. Lamuhla sihamba ngesihloko esithi ukuthela izithelo zo Thando ,Kambe ungazithela lezi zithelo ungelalo uthando? Nxa ukhangelela ukuthola izithelo zothando emntwini ongela thando kufana loku dinga insiba empankweni .
U thando yiso isiqokoqela so kholo, lu yikubeka abanye phambili ungakazicabangeli wena ngazo zonke izikhathi .
Incwadi ka Johane sibale ukuthi uthando luvela ku Nkulunkulu. Lowo olothando uvela ku Nkulunkulu. Ngakho ukuze sithele lezizithelo zothando kumele sibengabaka Nkulunkulu sibelothando lwakhe esizaludlulisela kwabanye sithele izithelo ezinhle . U Jesu ucasisa ubudlelwano bomuntu lo Nkulunkulu nge zinto ezine
* Umlimi onakelayo- yena engu Nkulunkulu vs1
* I Vini eliqotho – yena u Jesu vs 5
* Ingatsha ezilezithelo – abafundi (amakholwa) vs5
* Ingatsha ezingelazithelo –labo abangahlali kuJesu vs6
Lowu mzekeliso kwakuyinto abayaziyo njalo ababeyenza . Nxa silapha kwelakithi singanika umzekeliso wokulima I rape amaxakela siyawa khipa siwalahle umbida omuhle siwuthelele siwuhlakulele.Ugatsha olungatheliyo luya khitshwa lutshiswe alula sizo nanzelela ukuba luyalahlwa. It’s of no other use to anyone.
Oluthelayo luya nakelelwa luthele “more”. Kuyisiqokoqela bazalwane makholwa ukuhlala ku Jesu sonke isikhathi ngoba laye uzahlala lathi sibe ngabaka Nkulunkulu ngeqiniso besesithela izithelo zothando lazozonke izithelo zika Moya ongcwele ezifana lokuthokoza ,ukuthula,ububele,ukulunga ,ukuthembeka ukuzithinta lobunene. Nxa silothando kubasobala ukuba singabaka Nkulunkulu ngoba yena uluthando njalo uthando luvela kuye. Nxa ulothando awenzeli abanye okubi kodwa uyabanakekela ngazo zonke indlela.
The word love is a verb not just a noun so it is practical. Luyisenzo kumele lubonakale ngokwenza. Yikho UNkulunkulu waveza u thando lwakhe ngokusinika I Ndodana yakhe U Jesu ukuba nxa sikholwa singabhujiswa yisono. Wasithanda thina kungasikho ukuthi thina sasimuthanda. Loluthando bazalwane kasilu dlulise kwabanye kasilutshengise kuwo wonke umuntu. Kasibheke ngokuloba kuka Luka kuMisebenzi 8 u Filipi indoda eyatshengisa uthando ingakhangeli ukuthi lo muntu ngo wangaphi kasiyo class yami U Filipi ulaywa yi ngilosi ukuba asuke ahambe , kathandabuzi. Njalo sibala ukkuthi waholwa ngumoya o Ngcwele uvs 29 uthi
“UMOya wathi ku Filipi “sondela uhambe lalinqola” Ngenxa yokuthi uholwa nguMoya kakudingi ukuthi lo uvele eEtiyopiya, kasi mu Juda njalo ungumthenwa ,kungasikho kodwa theEunich of great authority in his country he is of a high class
Sikhumbuzane ukuba ngosiko, lokholo, lwamaJuda u Mthenwa wayeseyiswa engavunyelwa ukungena ebandleni le Nkosi lokutshisa umnikelo—Deute 23 vs 1 lo (Levi21:17-21} Kukhanya
um Ethiyopia Wayeyisimpatsha elezinto zakhe, ngoba phela wayelenqola yakhe elama Scrolls phela lokhu kwakubiza. He is standing for two groups the outcasts on one side and the rich on the other. Kodwa ku Nkulnkulu akutsho lutho.Ku Filipi kakubanga lesithiyo, isiqokoqela wayekhonza uMlimu . Mzalwane akula kuthi ungowangaphi ulani nxa ugxile ku Nkulunkulu u Musa uyakulandela. Uzibone uthola usindiso,uzibone uthela izithelo ezinhle Aleluya bazalwane. What manner of love that knows no bounderies. U Filipi wasindisa lowomuntu ngokuvuma ukuthunywa yiNgilosi ,ukulalela uMoya ongcwele, langokunga bandlululi muntu .Kodwa watshengisa uthando. . Love holds all the other Christian character qualities together (Col. 3:14).Luyisibopho sokuzwan okupheleleyo Lathi singazithela izithelo zo Moya oyiNgcwele. Kasihlale kuye laye uzohlala kithi.
Nxa ibandla le ngatsha zalo linga hlali ku Kristu asoze sizibone izithelo .Sizabona ama bench ebetha u moya .Laleyo minikelo ifiphala .Singakhangwa ngezomhlaba lokubandlulula ukwehlukanisa abantu ngokuthi balani kumbe bavela ngaphi siza thela ama orange ababayo aqinileyo. Sizaku ganyulwa sitshiswe ngoba asila sizo kumlimi(U Nkulnkulu) Umbuzo kithi njenge bandla le Hillside Society uthi, zikhona izithelo zika Moya ezifana lothando? Kumbe sesa qakathekisa imihlangano ,izikhundla, ukubhadala izimali ukunxiba amaunifomu. Yebo kuhle kodwa akungabi yisiqokoqela masibabise eNkosini abalahlekileyo. UJesu uthi Hlala kimi ukuze uthele izithelo ezothando ezinhle. U Moya ongcwele ukhona ukusi khokela ukuba sihlale silothando sithelaizithelo ezothando. Masitshumayele usindiso kulabo abalahlekileyo njengo Filipi bangabhubhi babelokuphila okuphakade Amen
Asithandaze Siyabonga Simakade Ngonyama yezulu izwi lakho. Kalibengumphako wethu sabelane labanye ukuze u Thando lwakho luzwakale kithi sonke kungabi lofa engalizwanga ilizwi losindiso . Ibalathi sonke kuze kube phakade
Methodist Church: Hillside Circuit 