THURROCK: SHINE IN 2012! - Service Resource
a resource from More Than Gold, written by Lyndall Bywater from the Salvation Army
If you're thinking of doing a family (all age) service, or something to reflect the New Year, or a service for Epiphany, these three outlines may help to inspire you according to your needs and preferences. Mix and match!
Family Service
Call to worship:
- ‘Arise and shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you!’ Isaiah 60:1
- Setting the scene
Reflections:
- Place three large mirrors at the front of the church with candles or lights placed on a mirror tile in front of them creating a multitude of reflections of light.
- Have candles placed around the church – electric candles are safer if there are young children. Or have multiple tea lights placed in the form of a cross at the front of the church.
- Hold a form of guessing game with shadows (to illustrate the importance of light) using an old over head projector. The shapes could be e.g. medals, the More Than Gold logo, guess the sport -with various ball or bat shapes.
Short talks around the subject of ‘Arise and Shine’.
- These can be used between suggested worship songs – see a list at the end of this article.
Wake up!
- Illustrate with a camp bed and large alarm clock. Invite one child and one adult to pretend to be asleep and to wake up when the alarm sounds. What is different about the way they wake up?
- Talk with people about how people wake themselves up – radio, birds singing, mum shouting, children or pet jumping on their beds etc. What about in the countryside?
- How do people feel about getting up in the morning? Some bound out of bed, some are slower waking up, some moan, others happy to face a new day.
- When you train to be an athlete you often have to wake up really early.
- What you are getting up for makes it worth it – athletes have goals to reach. It’s easier to get up for something or someone you love.
- Jesus is telling His church in this New Year to wake up and get up! Get the sleep out of our eyes and be ready for what He will bring. He is saying ‘ready, get set, go!’ Are you ready?
Prayers could be centred around being awake and ready for all the adventure of 2012.
What does light do?
- Light helps us see clearly, shows us the way, lights up dark places, calms our fears, makes us feel good/ alive, brings comfort, helps things to grow and keeps us healthy.
- Talk about the Olympic flame that burns through the Olympics but at the end it is put out.
- Jesus is the Light that will never go out. ‘God is Light and there is no darkness in Him at all’
- When you shine a torch you don’t usually shine it behind you to see where you have been but in front of you to see where you are going- God wants to light our path in this New Year ahead. We may think we know where we are going but He may have other plans! Many new and fresh opportunities will light up for us this year – will we see them? We need light to see.
- Light is a form of energy that travels at an amazing speed. But nothing is faster or more powerful than God’s power through His Holy Spirit. If we want to shine this year we need His power in our lives.
Pray about seeing God’s plan clearly for the coming year and empowerment by His Spirit.
Looking at His face
- Athletes are often people who are so keen to do well that they become fixed on their goals in their lives and everything else becomes less important to them.
- The Bible says as we look to God we become radiant. Psalm 34:5.
- If we want to shine we have to spend time with God and in His presence- how do we do that? The more we fix our eyes on Him the more like Him we become. We will start to reflect His light like the mirrors at the front of the church. Moses spent time with the Lord and his face shone so much that he had to cover it up. Yet it was Joshua whom the Bible says in Exodus 33 spent his time in the ‘Tent of Meeting’ that led Israel to freedom.
- Place a picture on PowerPoint of the metal refining process.
- As we spend time with the Lord, He works on all the areas of our
- lives that need to change and refines us to make us like pure gold - 1 Peter 1:7. Gold can reflect the light more and more - Phil.2:15, 2 Cor.4:6
Pray about coming into the Lord’s presence and allowing Him to work in our lives so we can be effective witnesses to Him in the coming year.
Spectrum
- Have a glass prism and illustrate that white light is made out of the several colours of the spectrum – a rainbow.
- What is your favourite colour?
- When we want to go out in the community and shine His light, the Father needs all of us with our different gifts and personalities etc to work together so that His light can be seen.
- In the Olympics the athlete is the one who is seen, but they are supported by a whole team of other people. We have to work together to bring God’s kingdom to our communities. We are all important to God - be a part of His wonderful plans in 2012.
- Our communities need to know they are worth more than gold to God!
- Like the baton on a relay race we have to pass on the fire of love that God gives to us.
Pray about working together as a church with everyone using their gifts, about working in unity with other local churches in 2012 in order to bring God’s kingdom.
Pray about the torch relay and cascade of prayer and your church’s part in it.
Craft Ideas
- Make medal badges with Arise and Shine written on them
- Stained glass window pictures of candles or lanterns with tissue paper or cellophane
- Make torches with 1/2 kitchen roll, white card covering and base and red/ yellow/ orange tissue paper flames
- Decorate glass jars with paint and put a candle in each one
- Make a BIG FLAME picture with post it notes of various fiery colours on which people have written their prayers
Music
There are many familiar worship songs which would be suitable – here are a few songs that are suitable for singing or listening to.
- Singing:
- ‘Light of the World’ - Tim Hughes
- ‘Just One Touch from the King’ - Godfrey Birtill
- ‘Go Light Your World’ - Chris Rice
- ‘Jesus, Light of the Nations’ - Hillsongs for Kids
- ‘Lord, Look into my Heart’ - Powerpack songs
- ‘Let your Light Shine’ - Captain Alan Price
- ‘Let the Son Shine’ - Trevor Ranger
- Listening to:
- ‘Great Light of the World’ - Bebo Norman
- ‘Light of Your face’ - Kim Walker
Final Blessing
Have pre-prepared cards with the blessing from Numbers 6:25-26. Everyone take a card and go find someone to give it to. Pray the blessing over one another especially that the light of His face will shine upon us in 2012.
Service to use early in the New Year
Opening Sentence & Greeting
Leader 1: The Lord knows the path I take: When he has tried me I shall come forth as gold (Job 23:10).
Leader 2: Arise, shine, for your light has come
All: And the glory of the LORD rises upon you (Isaiah 60:1).
Prayer of Preparation and Confession
Leader 1: As we anticipate the coming 2012 Games, recognising the example of those who are training to compete, we pray that we may be ready, as we respond to God’s call on our lives.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who, for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." (Hebrews 12:1-3 NIV)
Leader 2: We are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses.
Leader 1: As athletes have coaches and supporters who encourage them, Lord, may we receive support from you, from the Bible and from other Christians.
All: As we fix our eyes on Jesus, may we learn from His example. May we receive encouragement, and be ready to support those around us.
Leader 1: Let us throw off everything that hinders, and the sin that so easily entangles.
Leader 2: Just as athletes make sure they are ready to compete, Lord, may our lives not be cluttered by sin or wrong burdens.
All: As we fix our eyes on Jesus, determined to live in obedience to Him, may our sins be forgiven and our burdens lifted.
Leader 1: Let us run with perseverance.
Leader 2: As athletes keep going despite sometimes feeling like giving up, may we be willing to keep going, even when it's tough.
All: As we fix our eyes on Jesus, may we remember all He endured, and be encouraged not to give up.
Leader 1: Let us run the race marked out for us.
Leader 2: As athletes know the course they are to run, may we have confidence to know God’s calling upon our lives each day.
All: As we fix our eyes on Jesus as our guide, may we become more and more like Him.
Leader 1: Lord Jesus, may we live with our eyes fixed on you, not growing weary or losing heart, but running with perseverance the race marked out for us.
All: Amen.
Activity for use in all age setting
How does London 2012 inspire your goals or vision for 2012 – individually, in your family or as a church. Ideas include:
- Getting fit
- Looking for someone to coach or mentor you in Christian faith
- Hospitality and welcome to strangers
- Being a light in your community
- Praying for individual athletes
Intercessions
See the accompanying prayer resource article (link to left of screen)
Ideas for Readings/ talk
- Philippians 3:7-14 – Knowing Jesus / not looking back / winning the prize so we shine
- Matthew 6:25-34 – Athletes focus V our focus so we shine
- Galatians 5:7-10 – Run a good race this year so we shine
Closing Prayer and Response
Leader 1: See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples,
All: but the LORD rises upon you and His glory appears over you.
Leader 2:
Nations will come to your light
and to the brightness of your dawn.
Lord in this New Year may our nation, our church and our lives shine with the light of Christ so that those who walk in darkness may experience the light of Christ. We pray in Jesus’ name Who is the light of the world.
Amen
Epiphany Service
Opening Sentence & Greeting
On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him. Matthew 2:11
or
My name will be great among the nations, from the rising to the setting of the sun. Malachi 1:11
Leader: Arise, shine, for your light has come,
Response: and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. Isaiah 60:1
Prayer of Preparation and Confession
As the Wise Men travelled to worship Jesus we pray for those who will travel to the United Kingdom for the Olympics.....
As the Wise Men persevered in their travels we pray for all who are challenged in their preparations for London 2012.....
As the Wise Men brought what was of value to them as gifts for the Baby Jesus we pray for all giving their gifts this year in London 2012...
As the Wise Men followed the star may we follow the Light of Christ....
Where we have struggled to persevere, to share our gifts or to follow Christ in 2011, may God strengthen us in this New Year.
Activity
- Treasure hunt with clues and gold, silver and bronze prizes
- Obstacle course – challenges related to the wise men’s journey – arrive at the Nativity?
Intercessions
See the accompanying prayer resource article (link to left of screen)
Ideas for readings / talk
- Matthew 2:1-12 – Welcome and celebrate Jesus
- John 3:16-21 – Gifts – God’s gift to us / Light comes into the world
Closing Prayer and Response
See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the LORD rises upon you and His glory appears over you.
Nations will come to your light
and to the brightness of your dawn.
or
Jesus, You are the light of the world.
Response: May we shine with a light that is not hidden.
Jesus, You are the light of the world.
Response: May we shine your light in our home and neighbourhood.
Jesus, You are the light of the world.
Response: May your light shine in us that people may see our good deeds and praise You.
For PDFs of the this and other resources, please go to www.morethangold.org.uk (this can be found under 'prayer')
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