大象传媒

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大象传媒 Radio 4. It鈥檚 ten past eight and time for Sunday Worship听 鈥� live from the Salvation Army鈥檚 Regent Hall in central London. The service is introduced by Major Richard Gaudion and begins with the hymn 鈥楶raise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation鈥�.

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Praise to the Lord the Almighty the King of Creation

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Richard Stock

Good Morning and welcome to Sunday Worship from the heart of London鈥檚 West End.

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You join us this morning at the Regent Hall church of the Salvation Army, the only church situated on one of the world鈥檚 busiest shopping streets 鈥� Oxford Street.听 We鈥檙e a thriving family church that aims to show God鈥檚 love to everyone who lives, works or visits the West End.

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Today many churches will be considering the role of John the Baptist, who not only prepared the way of the Lord, but also baptised Jesus as he began his ministry. So this morning we鈥檙e going to be thinking about the 鈥楲iving Waters鈥� of baptism which believers see as the gateway to new life in Christ.

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We have just sung a great song of praise which talks about God鈥檚 abundant power, and our songsters, which take part regularly in our Sunday services, will bring the song, 鈥楬oly Spirit rain down鈥�.

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Holy Spirit rain down, rain down,

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Luke Cozens:

Almighty God,

We want this morning to acknowledge your greatness, as creator of everything around us. In this Winter season we are reminded of the awesomeness of your creation, and also of its destructive power. 听Help us to cherish our role as guardian of the incredible environment you have provided for us, and help all those whose lives have been devastated by flood, cold or drought. Comfort them, protect them and give them hope.

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Joy Sewell:

We thank you that you are also a personal God, that you know each of us intimately, our concerns and worries, our strengths as well as our weaknesses. Help us to seek what it is that you would have each of us do, and help us to realise your plans for our lives. Enable us each day to be better people, tuned in to your will, sensitive to other's needs and not afraid to witness for you.听 Through Jesus Christ our Lord,

Amen

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A reading from the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 1.

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In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying,鈥漅epent, for the Kingdom of Heaven has come near.鈥�

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John鈥檚 clothes were made of camel鈥檚 hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptised by him in the Jordan River.

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He said to them,鈥滻 baptise you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

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Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptised by John. As soon as Jesus was baptised, he went up out of the water. At that moment Heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from Heaven said,鈥漈his is my Son, whom I love, with him I am well pleased.鈥�

As many will know from our ministry on high streets up and down the country during the run up to Christmas, music plays an important part in the life of The Salvation Army; our choirs and brass bands contribute to our weekly services. Here at Regent Hall our senior choir, or songster brigade, has around 50 members. They鈥檙e now going to bring a piece of music which talks about Jesus being the living water that satisfies our spiritual thirst for a real encounter with God.

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I heard the voice of Jesus say

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Richard Stock

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A reading from the gospel of John, chapter 4.

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Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptising more disciples than John鈥� although in fact it was not Jesus who baptised, but his disciples. So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.

Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob鈥檚 well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.

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When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, 鈥淲ill you give me a drink?鈥� (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)

The Samaritan woman said to him, 鈥淵ou are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?鈥� (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.

Jesus answered her, 鈥淚f you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.鈥�

鈥淪ir,鈥� the woman said, 鈥測ou have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?鈥�

Jesus answered, 鈥淓veryone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.鈥�

The woman said to him, 鈥淪ir, give me this water so that I won鈥檛 get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.鈥�

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My Jesus I love Thee I know thou art mine

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I have the privilege of leading the Regent Hall of The Salvation Army with our ministers, or officers as we call them, Majors Graham and Dawn Mizon. Graham and Dawn have been Salvation Army officers for 35 years, leading churches in many parts of the country, and abroad. Graham is our speaker this morning.

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Major Graham Mizon

But water鈥檚 also life-giving, and this can be seen throughout the Bible.听 In the opening words of Genesis water brings life to God鈥檚 creative work.听 In the New Testament, the baptism of Jesus by John brings to life the Lord鈥檚 three-year ministry.听 Just as the spirit hovered over the waters in Genesis at the dawn of time, now the Dove, representing the Holy Spirit, was evident at the dawn of Jesus鈥� ministry.

Another John 鈥� the apostle 鈥� records how Jesus offers a Samaritan woman living water.听 It was an encounter worth recording as it should never have happened.听 There had been animosity between Jews and Samaritans for centuries which caused a schism that separated them as two separate nations.听 So, it鈥檚 almost inconceivable that Jesus, a Jew, should talk to, let alone ask, a Samaritan woman for Samaritan water, drawn out of a Samaritan well with a Samaritan bucket!听 Unthinkable!听 Unbelievable!听 No wonder Jesus sent his followers off to buy bread; they would have been astounded at what Jesus was about to do.听 It鈥檚 therefore not surprising that the woman鈥檚 first words were: "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?"

It鈥檚 a hallmark of the ministry of Jesus that he includes all people, and especially embraced the social outcasts of his day.听 And without doubt, he was talking to a social outcast here.听 Not only was this woman a Samaritan, but we鈥檙e given two further pieces of information.

In Middle Eastern village life, women came to gather water early in the morning before the sun rises.听 These women would also travel in groups 鈥� for safety, as well as to help each other lift the heavy water jars onto their heads.听 John writes that Jesus encountered this woman at the 6th hour 鈥� which is around mid-day 鈥� and that she was alone; minor detail for us, maybe, but hugely significant in the culture of its day.听 No woman would go to fetch water in the heat of the day 鈥� and go on their own 鈥� unless, of course, she was rejected and a social outcast.

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If the church is to engage in the ministry of Jesus it must have an inclusive ministry that reaches out to people regardless of their colour, creed, religion, nationality or disposition.听 All children are God鈥檚 children and are entitled to know and experience the love of God.听 This is the Living Water of this story. That Jesus can bring new life to all his creation, without exception or discrimination.

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A few weeks ago I was in Brazil, with members of our Regent Hall band, visiting a favela in Cubatao.听 The shabbily erected wooden houses in this shanty town have been precariously built over a watery inlet from the river, creating a swamp into which all their sewage is deposited.听 Here, amongst the poverty and pollution, The Salvation Army delivers programmes and practical help for children and their families.

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As I observed the bright smiling faces of those children, and the determined dedication of the Salvationists ministering with them, I saw the ministry of Jesus at work.听 I also saw God鈥檚 love in action as he creates something beautiful in this ugly and deprived community.听 And, above the polluting waters beneath us, these beautiful Brazilian families were receiving God鈥檚 Living Waters.听 Out of the well of God鈥檚 love, spiritual water which is fresh, vibrant and life-giving is being ministered.听

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A verse of a song which will now be sung by our songsters makes the prayer that the well may be deep, but out of it we can all be spiritually refreshed.

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Life is a journey, long is the road,

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Part 2

Major Graham Mizon

Jesus, sitting beside Jacob鈥檚 well, about half a mile from the city of Sychar in Samaria, says to the woman:

听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淓veryone who drinks this water will be thirsty again,听but whoever drinks

听听听听听听听听听听听 the water I give them will never thirst.听 Indeed, the water I give them will

听听听听听听听听听听听 become in them a spring of water听welling up to eternal life.鈥澨�

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Here鈥檚 a different proposition 鈥� water that will never run dry; water from a well that tastes like a spring of water welling up; water that not only sustains life, but promises eternal life.听 And Jesus chooses to offer this 鈥済ift of God鈥� to a despised woman, ostracised by her own villagers.

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And Jesus still chooses to offer living water to the spiritually parched communities of our land today.听 And this offer is still made unconditionally to whoever will come to the well-spring of God鈥檚 deep love.听

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It鈥檚 the same 鈥渓iving waters鈥� which the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah spoke about to the exiled Jews:

听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淢y people have committed two sins,鈥� Jeremiah wrote. 鈥淭hey have forsaken me, the spring

听听听听听听听听听听听 of living water, and have dug their own cisterns that cannot hold water.鈥�

The contrast is stark.听 The eternal living waters from God have been ignored and instead the people have settled for temporal water.听 This is a picture of our world, too.听 A world where so often the temporal attractions of our modern age blind people to the offer of eternal 鈥渓iving water鈥� that God has to offer us today.听 This is the living water we all need.

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Just as the Holy Spirit was present at the baptism of Jesus, so the Spirit is evident here in Samaria.听 Jesus says to the woman, 鈥淕od is spirit, and his worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth鈥�.听 This wasn鈥檛 a sudden departure by Jesus, because three chapters later in John鈥檚 gospel, the author writes: 鈥淲hen Jesus said 鈥榣iving water,鈥� he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him.鈥�

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The Spirit of the creation story that hovered over the waters is now promised to every believer.听 No longer an external force, but an inner experience. 听We can drink in of God鈥檚 Spirit 鈥� of God鈥檚 presence 鈥� so we can be refreshed, restored, cleansed, healed and forgiven.听 It was a beautiful gift for this Samaritan outcast; the living waters still flow for us today, and as far as the future is concerned, in Revelation 7 we read:

鈥淭hey shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more 鈥� For the Lamb in
the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to
springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes鈥�

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The Samaritan woman returned to her village with her jar empty of water, but with her soul full of 鈥淟iving Water鈥�.

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An important part of our ministry here at The Salvation Army on Oxford Street is the practical advice, support and friendship offered to men and women who are homeless . The centre is run by Heidi who is going to lead our prayers.

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Dear Lord,

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We come before you this morning, praising you for your goodness and your kindness. You are always willing to refresh us, revitalise us, cleanse and renew us. We recognise our need for your living water in our daily lives and that we fall short in so many ways. Yet you love us, even in our imperfect state. Help us know that love in a deep way so it can become the well from which we can draw.

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We ask for your special blessing for our homeless project, where work is carried out with those at the very margins of our society. We pray for the staff and the volunteers and all those who come through our doors. We thank you for the many ways in which we鈥檝e worked in people鈥檚 lives, transforming them for the better. For you, nothing is impossible.

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We also pray for other agencies across this city and nation, that are engaged in ministries that strive to bring hope to those who are hopeless. We ask that you guide us, bless us, sustain and equip us. Help us to be a blessing, for we are so very blessed.

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Lord we also remember this morning all those adversely affected by water in the recent floods, whose homes and livelihoods have been lost. Comfort them as they begin the cleaning up process and piece their lives back together.

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We pray these things in Jesus鈥� name.

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And as we say together the prayer Jesus taught us, we bring before him all those suffering in situations of war and conflict, asking for the coming of God鈥檚 kingdom here on earth鈥�.

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Our Father,

Who art in Heaven,

Hallowed by thy name,

Thy Kingdom come

Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

And forgive us our trespasses,

As we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation

But deliver us from evil

For thine is the Kingdom

The power and the glory

For ever and ever

Amen

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Song

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Thank you for joining us this morning.

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After we have said the grace together our band will play us out with a piece of music which fits our theme perfectly.听 It鈥檚 associated with these words:

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I know a fount where sins are washed away,

I know a place where night is turned to day,

Burdens are lifted, blind eyes made to see,

There鈥檚 a wonder working power in the blood of Calvary.

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And so now the grace;

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The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore, Amen听

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