just the rev

check out ship of fools website for the low down on the godpod.

Fountain was great last night. Below is a flavour of our worship but nothing can describe sensing the awesome presence of God in the way we knew it last night. (wonder whether the Spirit was kept to the boundaries by our 'performance'....sometimes with all the planning and techy bits its hard to be spontaneous):


THE MERCY OF GOD

1. on the screen - Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Plus background music
2. dvd clip of Maximus the Merciful. (Gladiator)
3. scripture – exodus 33:13 – end. invited people to read a verse each off the screen
4. THE MERCY OF GOD IS AN OCEAN DIVINE
Hymn read out with ocean image/sound and refrain on screen

The mercy of God is an ocean divine,
A boundless and fathomless flood.
Launch out in the deep, cut away the shore line,
And be lost in the fullness of God.

Refrain

Launch out, into the deep.
Oh let the shore line go.
Launch out, launch out in the ocean divine,
Out where the full tides flow.

But many, alas! only stand on the shore,
And gaze on the ocean so wide.
They never have ventured its depths to explore,
Or to launch on the fathomless tide.

Refrain

And others just venture away from the land,
And linger so near to the shore
That the surf and the slime that beat over the strand
Dash o’er them in floods evermore.

Refrain

Oh, let us launch out on this ocean so broad,
Where floods of salvation o’erflow.
Oh, let us be lost in the mercy of God,
Till the depths of His fullness we know.

Refrain

5. the invitation to take a stone and think of times when you’ve been hard-hearted and write something on the stone and put it into the fish tank.
6. Ezekiel 11. 19-20
7. Absolution based on cw p258
When we turn to Almighty God, when we are genuinely sorry and put our hope in him, in his great mercy he promises to wipe the slate clean when we have wronged him and others.

And so may God have mercy on us,
May he forgive, liberate and unshackle us
from all that we have done wrong;
May he encourage, strengthen and sustain us
in all righteousness and integrity;
and may bring us to never-ending life
through Jesus Christ our Lord and redeemer.

Amen

8. ‘The Lord is gracious and compassionate….” Words on screen
9. Break bread
Jesus on the night of his betrayal, took bread.
Having given thanks, he broke it and said

This is my body broken for you
Do this to remember me.

After supper he did the same thing with the cup

This is my blood, my new covenant with you
Each time you drink this cup remember me

What we must solemnly realize is that every time we eat this bread and every time we drink this cup, we re enact in our words and actions the death of the Master. We will be drawn back to this meal again and again until the Master returns.

So come all you who are thirst
All you who hunger for the bread of life
All you who souls cry out healing

Come all you who are weary
All you who are bowed down with worry
All you who ache with the tiredness of living

Come all you poor
All you who are without food or refuge
All you who go hungry in a fat land

Come all you who are lost
All you who search for meaning but cannot find it,
All you who have no place of belonging.

Jesus invites you
Draw near with faith


10. the challenge to be angels of mercy
the following to be read with image of angel on screen:-

Jesus said.. “ happy are the kind and merciful, for they shall be shown mercy.” This week the God who has shown us mercy sends out as angels of his mercy. We are called not to judge, not to cross over the road to the other side, not to ignore, not to beat down, not to calculate whether people are worthy enough of our help. We are called to lift people up and as we do we will rediscover how to smile and laugh and be at peace. We are called to angels of mercy.

11. Kanye West vid no.3 “Jesus Walks”
12. create a wristband
13. final prayer
As we open our eyes to the world of today, let us dream day dreams.
Today dreams.
For this is where we belong: right here, right now. we always will do.
Forever becoming, forever being transformed into the likeness of Another.
Of One who walked before us - who lived and loved before us. Who lived and
died before us. Who stands before us now, as we stand before him:
Alpha and Omega, the great I Am, who Is and was before the world was made.
Who is, and who always will be.
A presence that stretches from as far as the eye can see into the smallest
detail of the most insignificant day. That stretches from Eden to Sodom to
Calvary to God knows where and then right on to us. Here. Now.
God is present. God is with us. God is present, and we are present with God.

May we live this week as angels of mercy
May we love as if someone had loved us enough to die.
May we dream of transforming our relationships, our community and our world
before they’ve slipped away.
May we dream.
Amen.

thanks to Derek, Graham B, Felicity, Skye, Tink, Eleanor, Si, Seb and Jon Millin for being there last night.

Mark - we missed you buddy. Can you make the next one?

AND BIG CONGRATS TO MIKE AND KATE ON THE NEW JOB - REALLY THRILLED FOR YOU GUYS.

Got McLaren's conclusion to A New kind of Christian trilogy yesterday....it's a cracker and I was up until midnight reading!

Got a phone call from a mate of my bro's today called Jonathon and we had a good yack about emerging church stuff, footie and imacs. Nice talking to you Jonathon, do come and see us in Gloucester.

Good housegroup last night. Talked about Jesus getting angry in the temple with the money changers and dove sellers. These guys were taking up the space where the Gentiles should have been allowed to worship....no wonder Jesus threw a wobbly. Jesus pointed out that it was a house of prayer for all people. Have we the Church been guilty of this sort of thing? have we placed barriers/distractions in people's way/space?

the mercy of God is an ocean divine.....don't know the tune to this hymn but the words are awesome. in the midst of planning the next fountain around the theme of the mercy of God. Back in the Fountain Inn on Sunday 24th of this month from 8pm. All welcome. feeling brighter than I did on Monday afternoon and ready to look up and out for whatever is next. Thanks for all your love and support everyone. Congrats to me old study mate from ridley - Dan - on his new job and on the safe arrival of daughter number three! miss you very much Danny boy.

choices are tough. for those that make them and for those on the receiving end. I wasn't chosen for the Telford job. feeling physically and emotionally fried but slowly working my way through it all and beyond. For all who have said "God must have something better" - I don't doubt it. however the disappointment doesn't vanish overnight. very impressed with the other candidates and those from CMS involved the interview. time to let go.....

long time no blog. soz.

big build up to Easter. then on holiday. then big build up to all age service on last Sunday and now big build up to job interview on Sunday. A pioneer leader of a missional community in Telford. Excited and terrified. so apologies for no entries until next week.