Voice Assembly

CALL TO WORSHIP

O Lord, open our lips, and our mouth will proclaim your praise.

It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High, to proclaim your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night.

Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.

Beautiful Land

A GATHERING PRAYER

Creator God, because you make all that draws forth our praise and the forms in which to express it, we praise you.

Because you make artists of us all, awakening courage to look again at what is taken for granted, grace to share these insights with others, vision to reveal the future already in being, we praise you.

Because you form your Word among us, and in your great work embrace all human experience, even death itself, inspiring our resurrection song, we praise you. Yours is the glory. Amen.

A PRAYER OF CONFESSION

Lord, you have called us to worship you. We gladly gather! As we praise you, though, our own inadequacy reminds us of how we have broken our relationship with you. Because we have sinned against you, even our worship fails to be what it could. We often treat it as a show. We simply go through motions, failing to recognise that you want to engage us deeply. Renew us, we pray, according to your steadfast love. Remind us of your covenant faithfulness and have mercy on us in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

ASSURANCE OF FORGIVENESS

Receive the good news of the Gospel: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven. Alleluia!

THE LORD’S PRAYER

My World Needs You

READING 1

Psalm 150 ESV

Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!

Trust Me

Reading 2

Rev 5: 8-14 “And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing…”

Soon Be Done

SERMON

What is it about music that can lift our spirits, and at the same time can move us to tears.

In Europe music is based on seven notes, and yet there are so many ways that it can be ordered, it can create so many different songs and music.

But what is it that moves us?

It’s said that even in the womb an unborn child can hear, there was an idea some years ago, and I don’t know if that is still the case that playing classical music to the unborn baby will make them more intelligent, not sure if that true.

But I will ask the question is there any song or hymn, or piece of music that moves you?

Video:

Be, Thou, my Vision.

Adagio for strings by Barber

Another favourite is Beethoven’s Moonlight sonata 14:

I do have an eclectic mix of music that I like, and for various reasons some I like for the words and the essence of the song, sometimes it’s the tune that speaks to me, I guess it’s the same for all of us.

You will find music everywhere in most if not all programs on TV and film. It is used to create atmosphere; you only have to think of the music by John Williams for Jaws to understand how music can create a feeling, did you realise the shark does not fully appear until 1hr 21min in a 2-hour film, it is the music that causes the tension and drives it along.

The Bible is filled with music, in fact the Oldest musical instrument ever found comes from Abraham’s home city of Ur. So, for virtually the beginning man has made music to worship God.

The largest book in the whole Bible is Psalms, which are all songs. They are songs of praise and worship to God.

David is famed for writing a great amount of them, he may have been a king but he was first of all a great musician who wrote and sang to God from being a young shepherd, we also find passages such as in Act 16:25 About midnight. Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Here they were stuck in prison they had travelled to Philippi, and due to there preaching that upset some locals they were arrested. Their future unsure, what did they do they prayed and sang.

Music can quiet our inner being even in the hardest times.

What is it about music, well firstly it makes things easier to remember, I bet most of us if a recording is played can sing along happily.

There are people with server dementia, who’s ear will prick up at the sound of a familiar song.

So why is this, why do we react to music in such a way? What is it that has such a hold on us?

The description in revelations I think gives a clue that God the creator of everything, enjoys the sound we make when we sing praises to him.

I think this morning he will be pleased with this small Church in Royton, as the songs sung today are not only to us, but also to him who made each one of us.

But the earth is filled with sound it is all around us, there’s nothing better than when walking than hearing the sounds of nature.

For those who are deaf or suffering from hearing loss it must be hard living in a silent world.

Video:

They say that there is no sound in space, because there is no air, but that is not true the universe is full of noise:

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As father like son or daughter, we take traits even though we may be separated from our creator or if we walk with him each day, this is one part of his image we all share with our creator, to find joy, to moved and uplifted by music and sound.

Music is a gift of God and part of the creation story. Creation is musical all nature sings. all the universe sings.

Human music participates in that creation and reflects the beauty and diversity of God’s world.

Music has a transcendent property that connects you to something greater than yourself.

We can draw nearer to God through music more than anything else, with the exception of prayer.

Music is a gift; it is an important part of worship it is an important part of life, and as we read in our Bibles, we can find examples of singing in times of joy and in times of trouble and in times of need.

There is nothing better to connect us to our emotions than music. Within it we can at times glimpse the essence of God.

So, why are we as human beings so attuned to listening being moved in so many ways to music.

The only solution I have is simply this, as we are told in Genesis, we are created in God’s image.

OFFERING DURING HYMN

Worship the Lord

PRAYERS OF THANKSGIVING AND INTERCESSION

God in heaven,

We thank you for the gift of music,

We give thanks that we on earth may glimpse your beauty and bring us to the fulfilment of that hope of perfection which will be ours as we stand before your unveiled glory. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

INTERCESSION

God of the past and of the future, we bring to you in prayer those people and places on our hearts today:

We remember the parts of the world where people are being killed, oppressed and displaced. We pray especially for the people of Ukraine, Ethiopia, for the people of Dafur in the Sudan, for the Christian peoples in China. May those in power leave behind violence and follow your call to peace. Amen.

We pray for all young people caught up in and trapped by gang violence, for those who have been stabbed or shot and for their families, for those who live in fear of being attacked, for those who have been imprisoned, who have committed murder – and for their families, for all those who carry weapons. Help them to leave behind despair and to follow your call to hope. Amen.

We pray for one another, for our church families, our communities, and our loved ones, for those who feel overwhelmed by the challenges of each day, for those adapting to new ways of living, for those who are ill, for those close to death, for those who are grieving. Help us all to leave behind all that separates us from you and from one another and to follow your call to trust and to love – in Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Amen Medley

BLESSING

May the blessing of God, the giver of every good and perfect gift; and of Christ, who summons us to service; and of the Holy Spirit, who inspires generosity and love, be with us all. Amen.