Church at Home – 15 November 2020

Intimations

  • Baptist Union of Scotland Prayer Livestream – The monthly prayer livestream takes place on Sunday, 6 December, 7.00–7.30pm. You can access the prayer livestream by going to the Baptist Union of Scotland YouTube channel.

Jam Kids

JAM young adults Ignite Live have a separate programme at 11:30am.  Please contact Gary Torbet on garytorbet@btinternet.com for more details.


Call to Worship

Give praise to the Lord, proclaim His name;
make known among the nations what He has done.
Sing to Him, sing praise to Him; tell of all His wonderful acts.
Glory in His holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always.

Psalm 105: 1-4

We are grateful to Moraig Piggot for selecting the songs for worship for this service


Opening Prayer


Opening prayer

Lord we come so conscious of our weakness and at times our sense of inadequacy in the face of all that is going on in the world. The all-pervasive impact of the Covid-19 virus pandemic has taken its toll on the physical, mental and emotional wellbeing of so many people both in our homeland and around the world.

Many of us come today feeling exhausted at the demands of the week that has passed, but we come with confidence to the God who loves and cares for us and who in previous months and years has provided the grace and strength we have needed to carry on through good times and tough.

We confess that it is difficult to see how things will go in the coming months, but we know that nothing takes You by surprise. Thank you Lord that throughout history You have been a faithful God. We come with real gratitude for the particular blessings we have received over the years.

In particular as we come to the season of Advent and remember the coming of Your Son our Saviour the Bible tells us that it was at just the right time that He came. However, we acknowledge that it is only with hindsight that we see the significance of how you worked at that time. Help us to catch a glimpse of how You are at work in our world in these momentous times today. Cleanse us afresh from our sins of the past week and equip us we pray for the challenges of the week before us, in Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Let us say together the words Jesus taught His disciples when He said:

‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.'”      
For Yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever Amen.

All Age talkMoraig Piggot

Today’s bible story that Brian will share with us today is about growing up. Boys and girls, I wonder if there are things you can’t do yet or are not allowed to do yet that you really want to be able to do? I remember when I was a wee girl I wanted to be allowed to pick my own clothes to wear, I also wanted to be able to go to the shops with my friends, I really wanted to have my own house so I could get a dog and I also really wanted to be teacher and I played schools in my bedroom all the time.

Today’s story is all about a time in which growing up had great significance in society, religion, and the law. Sometimes as children we are desperate to grow up and sometimes as parents, we can be desperate for our babies to sleep all night, walk, talk, become more independent and eventually move out of home!!

But do you know sometimes when we become old enough to get all these things we think we wanted to be able to do, we can after a while want to go back to when we were younger and we had someone to help us, someone to make the decisions for us, someone to sort things out when it all goes wrong and someone to be there all the time to listen. Basically, what we had when we lived at home.

In Galatians 4 Paul, who wrote this part of the bible talks about and describes how God sent his son Jesus to earth to make right our relationship with God so that we could become his children. God wants you to be his child. God wants that kind of relationship with you. He wants you to experience the kind of relationship you would have as child with your mum and dad and the privileges that come from being his child. “Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, everything he has belongs to you” Galatians 4:7

So sometimes we are desperate to grow up and sometimes once we are grown up we are desperate to be young again. As Christians we have this amazing opportunity to have a forever ‘childhood’ we have the reassurance of a heavenly father who wants to love us, wants to be there for us always, wants to help us, wants to listen to us, wants us to need him, wants us to always talk to him, wants us to be HIS child!

So this week let’s remember how fortunate we are to be part of this amazing family that God invites us into, young and old. We have this wonderful friend, this fantastic father and the opportunity to share this good news with everyone around us.

Boys and girls do you think you could draw a picture or make a list of everything being part of Gods family means to you?

We continue in worship as we sing an all age song: ‘Father God I wonder’


Prayers for Others

Lord Jesus we thank You for the privilege of prayer. We are very aware of how much time in Your earthly ministry that You spent in prayer and we are conscious of our own needs so we come to seek the guidance of our heavenly Father to work by the Holy Spirit in a world of so much need. We come today to bring before You so many needs on our hearts.

In our world we are aware of mass killings of Christians in Tigre and Mozambique in east Africa together with the emerging picture of atrocities by other Islamists in Nagorno-Karabakh, alongside the terrible flooding in areas of the Philippines after a series of typhoons and that is just a fraction of what is going on in the world. We bring before You the particular things of concern to us today…  

Lord we are thankful that the first concrete signs of a vaccine for the Covid-19 virus is emerging. We pray that the scientists involved will be able to resist the political pressures to rush all the necessary testing and safety procedures and only issue the vaccine for use when they are certain it is safe to do so. We pray too that when the time comes to offer vaccines that the world’s poorer countries will be able to have their needs met as well as the richer and more powerful ones. 

Our Father we also continue to pray for the necessary strength and resilience for our health service and social care workers as we enter the colder months of the year when there are always greater demands for their services. We pray too for those in education and other spheres where the heavy ongoing demands are causing many to struggle with the demands of their workplace and the loss of adequate time to relax and restore lost energy, as well as for those in hospitality and travel & tourism industries where there are genuine fears about future employment and business prospects.

We give thanks that God calls us all to be ministers of the good news of Jesus wherever we are. We pray in particular for those people who may be exploring a particular call to ministry in some form or another. We pray that God’s clear direction and leading will be found by those that seek it.

We pray for the Baptist Union of Scotland Board of Ministry which takes place online this coming week. We pray for the candidates exploring a call to accredited ministry and for the Board as they seek to conduct interviews through an online platform. We pray that the candidates and Board have a good time together despite the restrictions of an online meeting and trust that they can discern Your leading and guidance with clarity this week.

Pray also for the following churches:

Sheddocksley BC – We give thanks with them for the growing opportunity they have to love God and love their neighbours through the work of a local foodbank, providing emotional support to the vulnerable, and through their relaunched parent and toddlers group. We pray for wisdom and creative direction for their online ministry, through which God seems to be moving beyond their imagination.

Shettleston BC, Glasgow – At Shettleston they give thanks to God for His guidance in these difficult times. They thank Him that they have managed to negotiate the guidelines so that they could open their doors and start holding physical services. They continue to look to Him for wisdom for new ways to engage with the community around their church, especially under the present restrictions. They praise God that none of their members have succumbed to the virus and continue to pray that none will.

South Leith BC, Edinburgh – God has blessed the church with considerable growth over the last two years, and has sent Pastor Marinho from Brazil along with his associate Moises and their families to work with this congregation. Marinho will be installed as Pastor after the Pandemic restrictions are eased. We pray that the church will be effective in an extensive new project of outreach which has been launched in the community and for the Brazilian team as they adjust to language and culture.

We also remember in our prayers other people with particular needs that are connected to our own families or congregation: Lord today we particularly want to remember Nicola L and her family as her dad seeks to recuperate effectively from major surgery. We continue to pray for a restoration of health and strength for Betty W and Anne M at this time and thank you for the progress they have made on the journey to recovery.

Lord we are conscious of those like the S’s niece Rachel and Ann W’s sister Margaret in the most difficult of times and ask for your peace and strength to uphold them and their families at this time.  We continue to remember others in the congregation like Alva D undergoing medical treatments or facing surgery in the near future and pray that they may be restored to health and strength once again.

We continue to pray for those of our number who even without the virus-pandemic restrictions would be unable to meet with us for worship.  We pray Your blessing upon them at this time.  In particular, we bring before You …     

In addition, we bring our own and other needs on our hearts to You today…, in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, Amen.


Bible Reading

For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. 28 There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.

Think of it this way. If a father dies and leaves an inheritance for his young children, those children are not much better off than slaves until they grow up, even though they actually own everything their father had. They have to obey their guardians until they reach whatever age their father set. And that’s the way it was with us before Christ came. We were like children; we were slaves to the basic spiritual principles of this world.

But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir. (NLV)

Galations 3: 26-4:7

Before we come to listen to God’s Word let us sing:


The Message

Galatians 4 v 4 God’s work in God’s way in God’s timescale

Introduction

‘What good timing’ or words to that effect are common in our speech. It could be the golfer in the manner in which they address the ball with their club or putter; the cricketer with their angled bat responding to the rapidly approaching delivery from the bowler, attempting to place it out of reach of the fielders to enable them to score runs from that delivery.

But it is not only professional sportspeople who may exhibit this quality. A stand-up comedian skilled in that trade can make the most ordinary facts of life appear funny to an audience by the timing and nature of their utterances. Poor performers need smut and bad language to cover their limited abilities, but a gifted communicator is a joy to experience as they deliver well-chosen words. In everyday life all of us have to make choices that can exhibit this quality –or not as the case may be!

If we are honest some of the good choices we have made look far better with hindsight than they did at the time. The reason for this is simple. We see only part of the bigger picture and have to base many of our life choices on limited information. God, by contrast, knows the end from the beginning, and gives life its meaning and purpose.

The One who spoke and brought the Universe into being is the same God who planned the coming, life, death, resurrection and exaltation of Jesus, and at the right time will invite Him to return to earth as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The same God has His hand on your life and mine and on this congregation. Our times are within His control. God leaves nothing to chance. There is no luck or good / bad fortune in the world, even though it can look that way at times, all that happens is either permitted or directed in His providential care. Therefore, these verses that refer to the first coming of Jesus ought to be a great encouragement to us in our relationship with the Lord in the twenty-first century.

    At the current time, in the midst of the Covid-19 virus pandemic, the world feels very unstable. More people around the world will feel incredibly insecure. In the two-thirds world no work for day labourers means a struggle to get any food for millions of families in parts of Asia and Africa. In the Western world starvation is not an issue, but potential loss of careers or employment, especially but not exclusively in industries like travel and tourism can cause all kinds of financial worries. Even those in secure jobs, for example, in the health service and education the constant changes required in the working environment, even without considering increased personal health risks bring significant added pressures on the working day.

Many of us are aware that the restrictions on personal travel, and on meeting other family members or friends is increasingly affecting the emotional or mental health of a growing number of people. You may even be thinking is anything secure or guaranteed? The answer of course is ‘yes’. God’s work in His world continues in His way on schedule. The best example of this good news was the coming of Jesus into the world two thousand years ago.  

1. The Right Time (Galatians 4:4a) But when the time had fully come

In what way was the time right? (a) Political circumstances General security in the Roman Empire was at its best level in years. The Roman Emperor and his administration were in complete control over their realm and could see no significant threat to the Pax Romana (Roman peace) which was an incredible achievement at that time. The basic infrastructure of society was also at an incredibly high level. The Romans built high quality roads that outlasted their Empire in many places –possibly the best roads constructed prior to the twentieth century.

In addition, there were no local frontier crossings where taxes and bribes had to be paid. A citizen of the empire could freely travel wherever they wished within its borders. Only in the European Union in the present era was such a scenario experienced by European citizens. The advantages of this for businessmen and women was obvious; It was not just the military who gained from these arrangements; in fact the free flow of goods and ideas made it eminently suitable for the travel arrangements of the first Christian missionaries. Only the lack of finance could deter a person from travelling where they wished in the first century Roman world.

However, it has to be said that the vast majority of people lived all their lives in the same communities with no attempts to travel outside their own country. There is no doubt that the political time was ‘right’ for the coming of Jesus.  

(b)Cultural circumstances Since the extraordinary success of Alexander the Great in founding the previous military superpower the main culture and common language of that part of the world had been Greek. Greek philosophy and language had penetrated down to the ordinary people who spoke their own simplified ‘Koine’ (Common) Greek. In the law courts and Romans civil service the official language was Latin, but in ordinary conversations and in popular culture Koine Greek was the language of choice for the majority of the citizens.

In addition, many people who lived outside the borders of the empire also spoke Greek, not least the traders who passed through the empire. The gift of a common language was priceless. The first Christians in Jerusalem and Antioch had big decisions to take about the language in which they would evangelise and in which the New Testament books would be written and in which their Bible, the Old Testament would be quoted. I suspect it was a decision taken in multi-cultural Antioch first where the missionary movement was officially launched. The Bible of choice was the Septuagint, a standard Jewish translation of the Old Testament produced (or at least started as early as) the third century BC, in Alexandria, Egypt.

Septuagint specialist H J St John Thackeray wrote: The Jewish commercial settlers at Alexandria, forced by circumstances to abandon their language, clung tenaciously to their faith; and the translation of the Scriptures into their adopted language, produced to meet their own needs, had the further result of introducing the outside world to knowledge of their history and religion. Then came the most momentous event in its history, the starting-point of a new life; the translation was taken over from the Jews by the Christian church.

It was the Bible of most writers of the New Testament. Not only are the majority of their express citations from Scripture borrowed from it, but their writings contain numerous reminiscences of its language. Its words are household words to them. It laid for them the foundations of a new religious terminology. It was a potent weapon for missionary work, and, when versions of the Scriptures into other languages became necessary, it was in most cases the Septuagint and not the Hebrew from which they were made (H.J. St John Thackeray, ‘The Septuagint’, International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, 1915)’. 

In contrast to Mohammed and the formation of Islam, six centuries later, who insisted that the Arab language and Arabic cultural superiority be retained for Muslims around the region, the early Christians believed that their faith transcended any particular culture and could be proclaimed in any language and lived in any cultural context. However, possessing the common Greek language was a substantial aid to spreading the faith in the first few generations of the Christian Church. 

(c) Religious circumstances When the Romans conquered nations or people-groups as long as they paid their taxes and remained loyal to their Emperor there was no particular interest in their religious beliefs. The many local gods and goddesses could be worshipped as before. However, there were increasing attempts to claim that some of these local deities were actually the same ‘gods’ as the Romans worshipped under a different name. By the time of the birth of Jesus there was a growing sense of disillusionment with these gods. Increasingly people questioned their morality, or even their existence. After all, the lifestyles of their followers showed no discernible difference to the wider population. It was only the Jewish people whose family values and strict moral code won the respect of many good-living Gentiles. However, although they were willing to attend services in the synagogues and follow the ethical practices of the Jews, these ‘God-fearers’ did wish to adopt all the laws and traditions of Orthodox Judaism.

In the major urban centres of the Roman Empire there were dozens, possibly several hundred of these people who were very open to the good news of Jesus when Paul and his fellow missionaries preached in the synagogues. Luke, repeatedly in the book of Acts makes reference to them. Athens, as a stronghold of the old gods, was an unusual setting for the outreach ministry of Paul. His standard approach of beginning in the synagogue was not possible as so few Jews lived there. His lecture to the philosophers on Mars Hill was a very different kind of proclamation quoting not the Bible but their own authorities as credible witnesses to the points he was making.

All that learning of poetry and philosophy in school had come in useful! They were most surprised that the Jew Paul was familiar with their culture and beliefs. This earned him their respect. It was only near the end of his presentation when Paul turned to the themes of God’s judgement and the death and resurrection of Jesus- all absent from their world view – that the criticisms of his position were made. What is abundantly clear is that there was an opportunity in the first century AD to present the Gospel in a way that might not have been possible in previous centuries –the right time had come. 

2. The Right Person (Galatians 4:4b) God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law

There was a sense of expectancy that someone, a Messiah, a great leader, would emerge and do something to change the world. This was a common theme in many of the cultures of which the Roman Empire was composed. It was not merely wishful thinking amongst the oppressed slaves alone- things could only get better for them! But even amongst the elite of the establishment such as the poet and writer Juvenal and the Philosopher and formative Educational thinker Cicero, who was the Emperor Nero’s tutor in his earlier years.

No-one could pretend that the expectations of this mass of people were clear and consistent –this would be far from the truth, but a recognition that they were living in a time of change and openness to believe and do things differently provided an extraordinary opportunity for those who were claiming to offer a new message of hope for the future.

Therefore, the sense of timing of the birth of Jesus is abundantly clear. We must admit that most Jewish people at the time did not see it that way and as far as we know the religious leaders in Jerusalem never made a trip to Bethlehem to ascertain whether what they had heard concerning Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus was true or not! Given that the journey was no more than twelve miles it is truly astonishing if this assumption is correct. This is especially so when it is recognised that the wise men had travelled for weeks, if not months, to see the special child that had been born.

However, we too often only see things with hindsight. Looking back so many things are now obvious and we wonder how we could have missed them at the time. God’s timing is perfect. His planning of the coming of Jesus –first and second times- is a big encouragement to us regarding our own lives. We can otherwise be puzzled as to why things happen too slowly (or very occasionally too quickly) in our lives. He sees the bigger picture –we only see it in part.     

How did it happen? It was the fulfilment of prophecy. The nation of Judah in the eighth century BC was deeply troubled by the growing power of Assyria. At the time a weak secular ruler Ahaz was on the throne. The prophet Isaiah went to see him and offered to pray with him and to bring a message from God –and most remarkably reported that God wanted to give the King a miraculous sign to confirm that He was in control of things that were far from being controlled by the local earthly king Ahaz. It is astonishing that Ahaz did not accept the offer of miraculous intervention, seeing as he had no ‘plan B’ available at the time.

It was clear both that he had no time for the God of Israel, or His earthly representatives, and that he was totally pessimistic about the future for the nation. As a result he rejected the offer from God through Isaiah. If he foolishly though God would take his ‘no’ for an answer then he was in for a surprise. Isaiah 7:13-14 states: 13 Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of humans? Will you try the patience of my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virginwill conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

It was though more than seven centuries later that this prophecy was fulfilled. This fact reveals that God’s plans operate on a much larger timescale than ours and often what we see as a major crisis requiring urgent attention in the present, sometimes, is less significant that we had assumed. When the time was right in the first century AD God sent His Son…(Gal.4:4b); One commentator translated this phrase as: ‘God sent His Son on a mission’.

I suspect that this rendering would be more accurately viewed as a paraphrase, but one that is spot on in terms of its meaning. Only God had the power and ability to intervene in the human predicament in this way. God the Father sending His unique gift to the world, His beloved Son, the One with whom He had had unbroken fellowship from eternity past; Yet if this person was to intervene in our world there were two conditions that had to be fulfilled. First of all:

(a)Born of a woman (Galatians 4:4) To reconcile God to humanity and humanity to God was a unique challenge. Was there anyone who could meet the conditions required here, truly divine and yet born of a woman and therefore truly human? Hebrews 1:1-3 states these incredible words concerning Jesus:

In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom also He made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

At the Last Supper Philip one of His disciples made an amazing request to Jesus. He asked to see God the Father with his own eyes. John 14:6-10 records the exchange:

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you really know Me, you will know My Father as well. From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him.Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”Jesus answered: “Don’t you know Me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in Me?

Yet this same person, the creator of the Universe, fully divine, came to earth at a moment in time to be born as a helpless baby. How in the midst of a people tainted by sin could the perfect and holy Son of God be born in our midst? Mary asked that question and received a clear answer from Gabriel in Luke 1:34-38:

34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

Jesus became truly human at the time of His miraculous conception. He lived a life that experienced the full range of challenges we may experience, yet never succumbed to the pressures upon Him. Now as the perfect man in heaven we can come to Him in prayer with confidence because He understands everything we experience:

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet He did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need (Hebrews 4:14-16).

These are amazing and encouraging words to strengthen our resolve to pray to Him. Jesus fulfilled this condition. There was a second condition:

(b) Born under the law The Messiah was prophesied in Scripture as being a descendant of Abraham and therefore Jewish, a descendant of the great King David, of the tribe of Judah, and therefore, likely to be born in Bethlehem. His family were devout orthodox Jews. Their attendance at the local synagogue and when possible in Jerusalem at national festivals was regular and sincere; Jesus kept the Old Testament laws concerning the Jewish faith, but opted out of the requirement to follow the additional rules of the Pharisees.

Naturally, this decision provoked the negative reaction which most Pharisees had towards Jesus –at least in the early part of His ministry. The problem was that though later more of their number sensed something special about Jesus they were too afraid to speak out because the official line in their ranks was to oppose Jesus. The pressure on the blind man who was healed and his family in John chapter nine is a hint of the greater pressures that would have been brought to bear had a teacher of the Law been so vocal in recognition of Jesus. The conditions for His coming were fulfilled in Jesus.

God’s timing in the fulfilling of His will for His people on earth is perfect. He knows the fuller picture in the course of history whereas we catch only glimpses of it through what He has revealed to us. What is abundantly clear is that the course of events on earth in very confusing times of change was the right time for the coming of Jesus. It was the right era in which to launch the Christian Church both in fulfilment of biblical prophecy and in terms of the social and religious changes that were happening. The year 2020 has been a year of remarkable changes. Their impact will be profound and more evident in the coming years.

However, as Christians we need to focus more on asking what opportunities God may be giving us to do His work more effectively so we can communicate His Gospel to more people who don’t yet know Him. Likewise, as disciples of Jesus, to ask God how in these times of upheaval and rapid changes can we become more effective as His followers in living out our faith, both as individuals and as a congregation.

I believe that one generation from now, should the Lord delay His return that long, that observers will note a significant spiritual harvest will be reaped by those churches that focussed on going forward in faith expecting great things from God and attempting great things for Him, for Jesus’ name sake, Amen 


Our song before we come to communion is:


The Lord’s Supper

Jesus invites all Christian who have committed their lives to follow Him to participate in this act of worship. The apostle Paul wrote these words of Scripture in I Corinthians 11:23-26 to guide our observance of Communion.

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: the Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, ‘This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’ 25 In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of Me.’ 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.  

Prayer: Choose your own words of prayer to give thanks for the bread and wine that represent the costly gift of His body and blood for us.

Take the bread: Jesus said: ‘This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.

Take the wine: Jesus said: This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of Me.’


Our last song is:


Closing Prayer

Lord we rejoice that no problems are too difficult for You to handle. As we have reflected today on Your planning for the coming of Your Son our Saviour to earth two thousand years ago, we are also grateful that You have plans for our good in the coming days and through Your Holy Spirit will provide the strength we need for this coming week. We bring all our prayers and our praises to You today, in the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.