Sunday Service from Hillside Circuit for November 3rd 2024:
Lectionary Theme: There is gain in giving up everything for God
Occasion: 5th Sunday before Christmas
Lectionary readings:
Psalm 146
Ruth 1: 1-18
Hebrews 9: 11-14
Mark 12: 28-34
[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.
Tell out my soul.
O my soul, arise.
Great is thy faithfulness.
O perfect love.
Blessed assurance.
Alleluia, sing to Jesus.
Day by day.
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 146
1 Shout praises to the LORD!
With all that I am, I will shout his praises.
2 I will sing
and praise the LORD God for as long as I live.
3 You can’t depend on anyone, not even a great leader.
4 Once they die and are buried,
that will be the end of all their plans.
5 The LORD God of Jacob blesses everyone
who trusts him and depends on him.
6 God made heaven and earth;
he created the sea and everything else.
God always keeps his word.
7 He gives justice to the poor and food to the hungry.
The LORD sets prisoners free 8 and heals blind eyes.
He gives a helping hand to everyone who falls.
The LORD loves good people 9 and looks after strangers.
He defends the rights of orphans and widows,
but destroys the wicked.
10 The LORD God of Zion will rule forever!
Shout praises to the LORD!
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Ruth 1
1-2 Before Israel was ruled by kings, Elimelech from the tribe of Ephrath lived in the town of Bethlehem. His wife was named Naomi, and their two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. But when their crops failed, they moved to the country of Moab. And while they were there, 3 Elimelech died, leaving Naomi with only her two sons.
4 Later, Naomi’s sons married Moabite women. One was named Orpah and the other Ruth. About ten years later, 5 Mahlon and Chilion also died. Now Naomi had no husband or sons.
6-7 When Naomi heard that the LORD had given his people a good harvest, she and her two daughters-in-law got ready to leave Moab and go to Judah. As they were on their way there, 8 Naomi said to them, “Don’t you want to go back home to your own mothers? You were kind to my husband and sons, and you have always been kind to me. I pray that the LORD will be just as kind to you. 9 May he give each of you another husband and a home of your own.”
Naomi kissed them. They cried 10 and said, “We want to go with you and live among your people.”
11 But she replied, “My daughters, why don’t you return home? What good will it do you to go with me? Do you think I could have more sons for you to marry? 12 You must go back home, because I am too old to marry again. Even if I got married tonight and later had more sons, 13 would you wait for them to become old enough to marry? No, my daughters! Life is harder for me than it is for you, because the LORD has turned against me.”
14 They cried again. Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-by, but Ruth held on to her. 15 Naomi then said to Ruth, “Look, your sister-in-law is going back to her people and to her gods! Why don’t you go with her?”
16 Ruth answered,
“Please don’t tell me to leave you and return home!
I will go where you go, I will live where you live;
your people will be my people,
your God will be my God.
17 I will die where you die and be buried beside you.
May the LORD punish me if we are ever separated,
even by death!”
18 When Naomi saw that Ruth had made up her mind to go with her, she stopped urging her to go back.
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Hebrews 9
11 Christ came as the high priest of the good things that are now here. He also went into a much better tent that wasn’t made by humans and that doesn’t belong to this world. 12 Then Christ went once for all into the most holy place and freed us from sin forever. He did this by offering his own blood instead of the blood of goats and bulls.
13 According to the Law of Moses, those people who become unclean are not fit to worship God. Yet they will be considered clean, if they are sprinkled with the blood of goats and bulls and with the ashes of a sacrificed calf. 14 But Christ was sinless, and he offered himself as an eternal and spiritual sacrifice to God. That’s why his blood is much more powerful and makes our consciences clear. Now we can serve the living God and no longer do things that lead to death.
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Mark 12
28 One of the teachers of the Law of Moses came up while Jesus and the Sadducees were arguing. When he heard Jesus give a good answer, he asked him, “What is the most important commandment?”
29 Jesus answered, “The most important one says: ‘People of Israel, you have only one Lord and God. 30 You must love him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.’ 31 The second most important commandment says: ‘Love others as much as you love yourself.’ No other commandment is more important than these.”
32 The man replied, “Teacher, you are certainly right to say there is only one God. 33 It is also true that we must love God with all our heart, mind, and strength, and that we must love others as much as we love ourselves. These commandments are more important than all the sacrifices and offerings that we could possibly make.”
34 When Jesus saw that the man had given a sensible answer, he told him, “You are not far from God’s kingdom.” After this, no one dared ask Jesus any more questions.
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[Did you miss last week’s Sunday Services? They can now be found at Worship Archive – October 27th 2024.]
Methodist Church: Hillside Circuit 
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