March 29: Treasure in Jars of Clay
Welcome to St Mark’s Home Church, wherever you are in the world! As you scroll down you can follow the form of the service at your own pace with space for interaction, Bible readings, song and prayer as you feel led.
If you’re doing this with your family, head over here to access content appropriate for kid’s church today. You can work through together! Parents can come back to this page at a later time.
Take a moment to pray…
Pause for a moment to pray by yourself, with your family, or whoever your with as you prepare your heart to meet with Jesus.
Reading: 2 Corinthians 4:7-18
Crosswired (our 7-12 youth program) met on Friday night for our first edition of “ZoomYouth”, and did a scavenger hunt in their homes to create a picture of verse 7 in this reading!
“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.”
Message
For further reflection
If you’re with others, share the ways in which you’re going to look after your mind, body and spirit in these uncertain times. Pray together over these things.
If you’re by yourself today, find a journal and create a list of ways that you intend to care for your mind, body and spirit in these uncertain times. Spend some time in silence, and ask God to help you with these things.
Worship
Prayer
Take a moment to respond to these prayer requests and pray your own prayers.
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial,
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever.
Amen.
Collection
St Mark’s is now reliant upon electronic giving while we can’t meet in person. This will enable us to continue to pay our staff, run our ministries, care for others, and look after our building (for when we all meet there again).
For those at other churches who are using this as a resource, we encourage you to continue giving to your local church :) We continue to pray for those who are experiencing unemployment and financial strain at this time.
Community
We asked you to share some of your self-care strategies at this time. Have a look through the gallery, and thank God for the family in Christ that we have! (You can click on the images to enlarge them.)
Parish Council met online on Thursday night as well. We prayed and thanked God for all of you, did some planning for this coming period, as well as addressing all the usual things required to keep church happening.
In the coming week we ask you to encourage the children and youth in your life to write a letter to God, take a photo of the letter, and send it to homechurch@laurenipsum.co. We’ll include these in our Easter celebrations.
We finish with words from Ephesians 3:
14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family[a] in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
God bless you all!