大象传媒

Please note:

This script cannot exactly reflect the transmission, as it was prepared before the service was broadcast. It may include editorial notes prepared by the producer, and minor spelling and other errors that were corrected before the radio broadcast.

It may contain gaps to be filled in at the time so that prayers may reflect the needs of the world, and changes may also be made at the last minute for timing reasons, or to reflect current events.

Opening Announcement [from Continuity] (For programmes on Radio 3, 4 and 4 Extra)
Sunday Worship this morning comes from Cornwall and is introduced by Pastor Richard Curnow.

IN:听听 Fx sea wash + seagulls + 1 verse Fisherman鈥檚 Friends singing 鈥淓ternal Father鈥� 鈥�. Fade at end of v 1 鈥�

RC: 鈥溾�� the first verse of the traditional hymn 鈥淓ternal Father strong to save鈥� sung by the Cornish singing group Fisherman鈥檚 Friends听 鈥� you鈥檒l be hearing more from them later as part of our service this morning.

Good morning. You join me live at Wadebridge Christian Centre in Cornwall on Sea Sunday for a service of worship.听 It鈥檚 a day when Christian churches up and down the country give thanks for seafarers and their families and support their work through prayer.

Wadebridge in North Cornwall鈥檚 a 14th Century town a little further inland than Port Isaac where the Fisherman鈥檚 Friends are based. Wadebridge was once a thriving port and a market town and is now a busy holiday destination. Formerly known as Wade the town was a crossing point because of a ford in the beautiful river Camel.听 The ford had a chapel on each side 鈥� people prayed for a safe crossing at one chapel before giving thanks in the other after wading across at low tide. It was such a dangerous journey that in the middle of the 15th century the vicar of the town who was concerned about the number of deaths planned a stone bridge. When it was built the town鈥檚 name was changed to Wadebridge.

Wadebridge Christian Centre is a lively Pentecostal church situated in the main street, and our congregation welcomes you 鈥�the church was founded 40 years ago this year.

It is not only seafarers who face storms at sea. We can all face storms at various times in our lives too. Jesus doesn鈥檛 promise us an easy life but he does promise those who love Him that he will be with them through the storms. Our first song is In Christ alone my hope is found, and it expresses this Christian conviction that God is with us through everything.

Music - In Christ Alone听听听听听(Stuart Townend)

The worship group leading our music this morning perform regularly at the Church. It includes some members of The Claze who take their music around the county and at various Christian events.

Christine: Let us pray.
Heavenly Father we acknowledge you as Lord over the earth and the sea. We are sorry that in our weakness we often look to our own strength to sort things out instead of turning to you first. Forgive us. Help us to draw closer to you, trusting in the power that raised Jesus from the dead will strengthen and comfort us during the storms of life.

听

RC: There are a number of references in scripture to the sea, sea farers and boats. Our reading this morning, from Acts chapter 27, has a sadly contemporary ring as we think of the human tragedy of shipwrecked refugees in the Mediterranean.听

The Apostle Paul is being taken by boat with experienced sailors and guards across the Mediterranean sea as a prisoner of the Romans to await trial - for preaching about the saving grace of Jesus. On his way they encounter a storm and Luke takes up the story

Emma: Reading Acts 27 :18-27 and 39-44

鈥淲e took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard.听 On the third day, they threw the ship鈥檚 tackle overboard with their own hands.听 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.听
After the men had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: 鈥淢en, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss.听 But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed.听 Last night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve stood beside me and said 鈥淒o not be afraid, Paul.听 You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.鈥澨� So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me.听 Nevertheless we must run aground on some island.听听 On the fourteenth night we were still being driven across the Adriatic Sea when about midnight the sailors sensed they were approaching land.听

When daylight came, they did not recognise the land but they saw a bay with a sandy beach, where they decided to run the ship aground if they could.听 Cutting loose the anchors, they left them in the sea and at the same time untied the ropes that held the rudders.听 Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and made for the beach.听 But the ship struck a sand-bar and ran aground.听 The bow stuck fast and would not move and the stern was broken to pieces by the pounding of the surf.听

[The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from swimming away and escaping.听 But the centurion wanted to spare Paul鈥檚 life and kept them from carrying out their plan.听 He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land.听 The rest were to get there on planks or on pieces of the ship.听 In this way everyone reached land in safety.鈥漖

RC Our next song 鈥淥ceans - where feet may fail鈥� speaks about the Holy Spirit leading and guiding us even in those areas of life where we feel we might be drowning under pressure and the fear creeps in.

Music - Oceans 听听听听听听听听(Hillsong Utd)

RC: Sea Sunday is an opportunity to think about some of the most forgotten men and women in the world 鈥� they are an invisible work force 鈥� sea farers. There are over 1.6 million of them and it鈥檚 estimated that 90% of the world鈥檚 trade is conducted by sea

Seafarers traveling bring us the goods that we rely on every day. They鈥檙e often away from home and families for long periods of time and it can be a very lonely as well as a dangerous time.

Right round the coast of Cornwall our fishermen can live a precarious existence, hereabouts听 and further along the coast at Port Isaac where the choir of Fisherman鈥檚 Friends are based. There鈥檚 a side to our County that not many visitors experience. Music has always played an important part in helping Fishermen keep going on board the boats 鈥� it provides a rhythm for the work, and perhaps it lifts the spirits too, as the Fisherman鈥檚 Friends would be the first to acknowledge:

Brightly Beams Mix (with extra music) FINAL Pull for the Shore (Long/Short)
IN: The Fisherman鈥檚 Friends started off鈥�
EOS: You鈥檇 definitely help them out
OUT: FINAL MUSIC LONG

Sermon

Spring in Cornwall sounds wonderful. People come from far and wide to spend time here and we are grateful that they do as tourism is the backbone of our economy, but living and working here can often be a challenge.

Just a few weeks ago after a particularly harsh spell of relentless wind and rain and the 鈥楤east from the East鈥� had been lashing at our shores the foodbank which we run from our church had a visit from a very reluctant customer.听 He looked around 40 and was a well-built man鈥檚 man.

When we took his details and saw his address, which was very close to the millionaire properties which many people associate with Cornwall, you could have been forgiven for thinking 鈥� What is he doing here? Surely he doesn鈥檛 need the help of the foodbank.
He told us that he was a fisherman and had been going to sea since he was 12 years old. He had never had to rely on anyone else for anything.听 He lived in a tiny fisherman鈥檚 cottage but now even that was proving too expensive to heat. He never had much to call his own but loved being a fisherman and had managed to get by in the past.

This spring however things took a turn for the worst. The wind and rain never seemed to stop and the fishing boats were not able to get out to sea. He鈥檇 been trying to manage but had used up what little savings he had on essential things.

By the time he plucked up courage to come to the foodbank he hadn鈥檛 eaten anything for days, had run out of money for light, heat and cooking and in his words couldn鈥檛 understand how he鈥檇 been听 鈥榬educed to this鈥�.听 This tough hard working man was reduced to tears in front of a complete stranger in the foodbank through no fault of his own.

He sat with our manager, had a cup of tea and a chat. They talked things over, they shed some tears together and later a bit of laughter and he received prayer there and then.
Thanks to local people helping their own community we were able to send him off with love and prayers. He also received food and hygiene products for himself, food for his dog his constant companion, and money from a Cornish charity to enable him to top up the electricity.

The following week he came back to the Foodbank and seemed a different man. He had a spring in his step and was pleased to say a skipper had called him to say they would be going to sea at the end of the week.听听

He thanked us for all we鈥檇 done and said things seemed to turn around after his visit to us. We hope he鈥檒l chose to pop in to see us again but not because we鈥檙e the last resort.

The great Apostle Paul knew what it was like to be at sea he knew what it was like to be in a ferocious storm at sea as well. When the boat he was in as a prisoner taking him to Rome started sinking off the coast of Malta and the crew threw all of the non essentials overboard to lighten the load it seemed that all would be lost.

But Paul had had an amazing experience of God. A few years earlier he鈥檇 been plotting to kill those who followed Christ; those who had made a commitment to choose Jesus to be the Lord of their life. Because of his ruthless acts of purging Christians he was, in his words, the chief amongst sinners yet he had an encounter with the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus, recognised that he had been persecuting Jesus, asked听 for forgiveness and turned away from his past. He had the realisation that Jesus had suffered the punishment that is due to all sinners and he knew that God had forgiven him. He knew that God would take care of his ultimate destiny

And so in that ship that was sinking fast Paul had a real sense of security in God. In fact he urges the crew, his guards, despite being their prisoner to keep up their courage. The very presence of God was with them although there was a fierce storm that was raging around them. In times of chaos, when things are looking really bleak we can have the assurance that Jesus is in the storm with us.

And just as the Foodbank was able to help our local fisherman with what he needed so when Paul and all of the crew, not one was missing, were washed ashore at Malta they found the locals providing food and warmth and shelter.

The Sailors Society founded 200 years ago this year has chaplains around the world providing a lifeline for seafarers and their families often helping them through loneliness poverty and trauma. It is because of the love that God has for us through Jesus that we extend our love to those who are connected to the sea, helping where we can, and providing both spiritual and physical nourishment.
听
Paul had his eyes set on Jesus. We are going to sing our next song Be thou my vision o Lord of my heart

Music - Be Thou my vision

Christine - Prayers

A Prayer for Those at Sea
Almighty and Eternal God, Maker of Heaven and Earth, Creator of the oceans, hear our prayer for all those who serve in the Naval, Merchant and Fishing Fleets.听 Preserve them from the dangers of rock and tempest, fire and foe; we pray that they may reach in safety the harbour to which they voyage.听 We pray too for those who serve in the coastguard, lifeboat, surf life-saving, coastal watch, cliff rescue and other rescue services.听 We thank you for the many lives they have saved through their faithful and courageous service.听 Finally, we would pray for sea farers鈥� Chaplains, may they encourage seafarers to know that, whatever the storms of life, Jesus is always with them, even as He was with His disciples in the storm of the Sea of Galilee.听 AMEN.

We need a couple more prayers - how about something for the sick, and something for our national leaders in this time of uncertainty.

We say the Lord鈥檚 prayer together:
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be 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.

MUSIC:听 My Jesus, my saviour听听听听Michael W Smith

鈥�

RC: Blessing
Loving Lord God, you created the heavens and the earth. You divided the sea from the land and have power over all things.听 We give thanks to all who are prepared to work at sea. We acknowledge our need for the food and raw materials they transport. We ask that you protect and preserve all sea farers especially when there are storms at sea or indeed when they experience storms in their lives on land. Help each one of us to show our gratitude not only in our words but in our actions and may each of us wherever we are know the love and grace that you have poured out on us through your son Jesus. Amen.

Music (to fade out on) My Lighthouse听听(Rend collective)

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