Mark 4:1-33

The Week Ahead Mon 7th March 7.30pm - Church cleaning in preparation for the Communions No monthly meeting this month. Tues 8th March 7.30 - Midweek prayer meeting at the church hall. Please note change of day due to Communions. Wed 9th Mar No Women’s bible study this week. Friday 10th Mar No Rock Solid this week. The Spring Communions will start on Thursday 10th March, and run until Monday 14th. Everyone is very warmly invited to all of the services. Details and times on the attached sheet. The Kirk Session will be opened for business on Thursday night before the first service. The Session will meet thereafter after all the services, with the sole purpose of meeting with anyone who desires to profess their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and become communicant members of the Congregation. If anyone would like to discuss this matter privately before the Communion service please get in touch with any of the elders. Services next Sunday 13th March 2016 Sunday 13th 12pm midday Communion Service led by Rev Murdo Smith. During this service the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper will be celebrated. No crèche this week. No Sunday school this week Sunday 13th 6.30pm Rev Murdo Smith. Dates for your Diary Christian Youth Conference on the Fri 25th – Sat 26th March at Martins Memorial Church, Stornoway. Open to all young people aged S1+. 6th March 2016 A very warm welcome to our services of worship today. We pray that you will all know God’s blessing as we meet together. Worship this morning is led by Rev Iain Alasdair MacLeod and this evening by Rev Iain Alasdair MacLeod. Induction loops are fitted in both the Church and hall for the hard of hearing. Please set your hearing aid to position ‘T’. Recordings of all our services are available on our website www.crossnesschurch.com as free Podcasts. CD recordings are also made of the services and are made available free of charge to the housebound and elderly. Please ask one of the office bearers if you would like a copy. On crèche: Shona & Catriona Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/eaglaisnis or via Google by entering ‘@eaglaisnis’ www.crossnesschurch.com for more information and audio content. If you would like information posted on the website, please contact Chris on 810112 or email the website crossnesschurch@gmail.com Cross Ness Church of Scotland is a registered Scottish Charity No.SC000991 11 o’clock service led by Rev Iain Alasdair MacLeod Despise not the day of small things! Praise: – all from NEP 8 All hail the power of Jesus name 94 Immortal, invisible 10 All I once held dear Reading: Mark 4:1-33 (NIV) 4 Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered round him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. 2 He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: 3 ‘Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.’ 9 Then Jesus said, ‘Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.’ 10 When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. 11 He told them, ‘The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables 12 so that, ‘“they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!”[a]’ 13 Then Jesus said to them, ‘Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? 14 The farmer sows the word. 15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop – some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.’ 21 He said to them, ‘Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand? 22 For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.’ 24 ‘Consider carefully what you hear,’ he continued. ‘With the measure you use, it will be measured to you – and even more. 25 Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.’ 26 He also said, ‘This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. 27 Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28 All by itself the soil produces corn – first the stalk, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. 29 As soon as the corn is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.’ 30 Again he said, ‘What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. 32 Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.’ 33 With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. 6pm service – led by Rev Iain Alasdair MacLeod Praise: Psalm 100 Paraphrase 63 Psalm 25: 1-7 Hymn 413 Rock of ages Please continue to pray for our congregation, that we would know the Lord’s blessing at this time. We continue to pray for all in our congregation and community who are in hospital or are ill in any way. If you know of someone who needs prayer at this time, please let one of the Elders know.