[0:00] But we wanted to take the opportunity to meet together, to raise funds for Brideswood, particularly for the support that they're giving in Ukraine. And it's a wonderful opportunity for us to come together and to praise the Lord and also to remember those who are in need throughout the world.
[0:16] So just really thankful to you all for being here tonight. And we're really looking forward to this hour together. Well, just a wee note that if anybody wants to stay connected with the news for our church family, for prayer or to keep in touch with information, we send out an email every week with our church news.
[0:35] Let me know if you'd like to be signed up for that. And we'd be delighted to add you to it. It's great to see so many here in the building, but we also welcome those joining us online. And we're very thankful that you're here with us.
[0:46] And we pray that this hour together will be a time of great encouragement as we lift up our voices to praise Jesus together. So I'll be leading us through the evening, but Jeremy will be coming up and he'll be sharing a little bit about Brideswood and the work that they're doing across the world.
[1:03] And also he'll be sharing a little bit from God's word later on as well. We're going to sing lots of songs tonight, more than usual. And we're going to be singing all our songs in pairs.
[1:15] So we'll be singing two, two and two and two and two and two. So our opening hymn is going to be He Calls Me Friend. And this is just a wonderful hymn that in many ways echoes what we spoke about this morning.
[1:32] We were thinking about the thief on the cross and Jesus spoke those amazing words to him. Today you will be with me in paradise. And it's an amazing reminder that Jesus is calling us to come to him and to know and enjoy his amazing friendship.
[1:50] It's a huge privilege to welcome our musicians tonight. And it's a special delight to have David Lee with us, helping us out on the piano again. And they've, well, you all know that they're amazing and we're looking forward to hearing them very much indeed.
[2:04] So please stand and we'll sing together and we'll just stay standing and we'll sing I Have a Friend. And then we'll go straight into our next song, which is We Will Feast in the House of Science.
[2:14] So the musicians will lead us and we'll praise God together. We'll sing together and we'll sing.
[2:47] We'll sing together and we'll sing together and we'll sing together and we'll sing together.
[3:17] I have a friend, a mighty friend, and Jesus is his name.
[3:34] I shall not fear, he holds me near, his strength will keep me safe.
[3:45] His name is true King, Lord of creation, ruler with a name.
[3:57] I call him holy, wonderful Savior, and what joy that Jesus calls me for.
[4:15] I have a friend, a kindest friend, and Jesus is his name.
[4:27] He hears my cry by day or night, and whines my tears away.
[4:38] His name is true King, Lord of creation, ruler with a name.
[4:49] I call him holy, wonderful Savior, and what joy that Jesus calls me for.
[5:04] I have a friend, a Savior friend, and Jesus is his name.
[5:19] He fought for me on Calvary, and trampled on the grave.
[5:30] His name is true King, Lord of creation, ruler with a name.
[5:42] I call him holy, wonderful Savior, and what joy that Jesus is.
[5:54] He is true King, Lord of creation, ruler with a name.
[6:05] I call him holy, wonderful Savior, and what joy that Jesus calls me for.
[6:20] He will feast in the hearts of Zion.
[6:39] We will feast in the hearts of Zion. We will sing with our hearts restored. He has done great things we will say together.
[6:56] We will feast in the hearts of Zion. We will feast, and we no more. We will not be burned by the fire.
[7:11] He is the Lord our God. We are not once served by the fire.
[7:24] Of hell protected gathered up. We will feast in the hearts of Zion.
[7:36] We will feast in the hearts of Zion. We will feast in the hearts of Zion. We will feast in the hearts of Zion.
[7:50] We will feast in the hearts of Zion. We will feast in the hearts of Zion. In the dark of night before the dark.
[8:03] My soul be not afraid. For the promised morning o'er how long.
[8:15] O God of Jacob be my strength. We will feast in the house of Zion.
[8:28] We will sing with our hearts restored. He has done great things. We will sing together.
[8:39] We will feast and reap no more. Every life we've broken and betrayed.
[8:53] You are the faithful one. And from the garden to the grave.
[9:06] Find us together. We shall grow. We will feast in the house of Zion.
[9:19] We will sing with our hearts restored. He has done great things. We will sing together.
[9:30] We will feast and reap no more. Please be seated.
[9:42] Let's pray together. Dear God our Father, we are so thankful that we can come to worship and praise you together this evening. And we come to lift up our voices to you because you are so good and wise and glorious.
[9:56] You are powerful, majestic and holy. You are gracious, gentle and kind. And we just thank you for that so, so much.
[10:09] Thank you for who you are. And thank you for everything that you've done for us through your son, our Lord Jesus. Thank you that as we gather here tonight, we gather as your people. And we gather knowing that you have promised to be with us as we come together to worship you.
[10:25] And so we bow down before you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And we thank you for your extraordinary love and goodness towards us. We thank you, Lord Jesus, that you call us your friend.
[10:38] And that we are invited to come to you. We thank you, Holy Spirit, that you've come to dwell in our hearts. To turn us to you, away from darkness and into light.
[10:50] And we thank you, Father, that you pour your love into our hearts. And that your commitment to us is unrelenting. And your power and grace towards us is everything that we need.
[11:06] And so we pray that as we gather here this evening, that you would draw us all closer to each other. And all closer to you. That we'd be gathering before you.
[11:17] And just seeking to worship you. And that we will be prepared and equipped to serve you. And the songs that we sing this evening, the prayers that we pray. And the time that we spend around your word.
[11:29] We offer all of that to you, Father, as an offering of our thanksgiving in return for all that you've done for us. Through your son, our Lord Jesus. And we thank you that we can have this opportunity this evening to express our support for the work of Blytheswood.
[11:45] We thank you so much that Jeremy's here with us tonight. We pray that you would bless him and all his colleagues. Those who work here in Scotland and those who they partner with overseas.
[11:56] And for the support that they give to your people and to communities and nations that are in need. We pray that they would be encouraged and helped by you.
[12:09] We thank you for all the work that's done. We thank you for all the ways in which people in our own communities have supported that work. And we pray that that beautiful expression of the grace and kindness of the gospel would go from strength to strength in the months and years to come.
[12:25] We thank you that we have this opportunity to support that work tonight. And we thank you for everybody who's given generously to help the work of Blytheswood. And we pray that this evening would be an encouragement for them.
[12:37] And we pray especially that the people they partner with across the world would be encouraged as they continue on and as they look to you. And we pray, Father, that you would help these nations where there is poverty, where there's a lack of access to education, where life can be so difficult for people, for the elderly, for children, for families, for workers.
[13:02] We especially remember people in Ukraine tonight. We pray again for peace. And we pray, Father, that what to us seems like such a senseless conflict would come to an end.
[13:16] And we pray that there would be an end to conflict, a resolution and a de-escalation of what seems like such unnecessary tension between nations.
[13:28] And we pray, Father, for all those who are caught up in the midst of that, that you'd help them. And especially we pray for people who have lost their loved ones in that conflict. Please comfort them with the devastation that they faced.
[13:41] And for your people, for your church in Ukraine, we pray that that church would be hugely blessed and encouraged. And that this difficult providence for them would actually be an amazing means for your power to be seen at work among them.
[13:56] And what we pray for that nation, we pray for our own nation. And we pray that you would be turning the hearts of men and women, boys and girls, to trust in you. And we pray, Father, that even though we live in a place of peace and in so many ways we live in a place of abundant comfort and provision, we pray, Father, that the need for Jesus that every single person has, that that will become more and more apparent to people.
[14:22] And that people would hear the good news and put their trust in you. And we pray that for our own community and even for anyone here tonight who knows that they need you and who longs to have that peace that only you can give.
[14:34] We pray that they would hear your voice, that you'd draw them to you, and that they would just know the amazing peace and joy that comes from knowing you. Thank you so much for everyone who's here tonight.
[14:46] Thank you that we can share this time together. Thank you for our dear brothers and sisters in the Church of Scotland. We pray that you would bless and encourage them. Thank you for all the opportunities our two congregations have to work together.
[14:58] And thank you for everybody else here who's come from other churches. We thank you for the connections and the fellowship we share in the Gospel. And we pray that these would deepen and that we would serve and honour you and glorify you as we go on together as your people.
[15:12] So bless us in our time together tonight. Thank you that we have this opportunity. And may everything that we do just be to the praise and glory of your name. And we ask it all through our Saviour, our risen Saviour, Jesus Christ.
[15:24] Amen. We're going to sing another couple of songs. The first one we're going to sing is, it's going to take us into Sing Psalms 130.
[15:35] We're starting off, am I right? Yes? Yes. So it starts off with, I will wait. Yes? No? Or just sing Psalms? Start with Sing Psalms. Back into the hymn. Then into the hymn.
[15:46] Oh, then into the hymn. Back into Sing Psalms. Start with Sing Psalms. Back into the hymn. Then into Sing Psalms. So we know the psalm. We've done it loads of times. The hymn is very easy. You'll pick it up.
[15:57] We'll stay seated for this one. So this is kind of a little medley of the psalm into the hymn into the psalm. And then after this, we're going to sing Living Waters and we'll stand up for that one.
[16:09] So we'll stay seated to sing this one. It's just very powerful and beautiful. And then we'll stand up for Living Waters, which is an amazing hymn, speaking about how Jesus just quenches our thirst and meets all our deepest needs.
[16:21] Good to go? So we'll stay seated to begin with. Let's sing to God's praise. Lord, from the days I come to you.
[16:39] Lord, hear me from the night. And give attention to thy voice, When I for mercy guide.
[17:08] Lord, give your praise, Lord, put in love with you.
[17:19] Let's sing with you. Let's sing with you. Let's sing with you. Let's sing with you.
[17:39] I'll leave you alone. The darkness I'm rising, the darkest places I hold on, with my miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle I will wait for you, I will wait for you, on your word I will rely.
[18:44] I will wait for you, surely wait for you, till my soul is satisfied. I will wait for you, won't you cry in love, won't you cry in love, won't you cry in love, won't you cry in love, won't you cry in love, won't you cry in love, won't you cry in love, won't you cry in love, won't you cry in love, won't you cry in love, won't you cry in love, won't you cry in love, won't you cry in love, won't you cry in love, won't you cry in love, won't you cry in love, won't you cry in love, won't you cry in love, won't you cry in love, won't you cry in love, won't you cry in love, won't you cry in love, won't you cry in love, won't you cry in love, won't you cry in love, won't you cry in love, won't you cry in love, won't you cry in love, won't you cry in love, won't you cry in love, won't you cry in love, I will wait for Him, on Your Word I will rely.
[19:31] I will wait for Him, surely wait for Him, till my soul is satisfied. I will wait for Him, Lord, I will rely.
[20:09] I will wait for Him, on Your Word I will rely. I will wait for Him, surely wait for Him, till my soul is satisfied.
[20:27] I will wait for Him, I will wait for Him, through the storm and through the night. I will wait for Him, surely wait for Him, for Your love is dying.
[20:45] I will wait for Him, for Your love is dying. I will wait for Him, for Your love is dying.
[20:57] I will wait for Him, for Your love is dying. For mercy is within.
[21:10] I will wait for Him, and full redemption from their sins.
[21:22] I will wait for Him, for Your love is dying. I will wait for Him, for Your love is dying. I will wait for Him, Tammy.
[21:39] Thank you.
[22:09] Thank you.
[22:39] Thank you. Thank you.
[23:39] Thank you. Thank you.
[24:11] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
[24:23] I'm going to sing, I'm going to sing, Come, I'm going to sing, I'm going to sing. My witness, I'm going to sing, Rise, be it, I'm going to sing.
[24:45] There's a rhythm of those that bless me and love, In joy to see of our God.
[24:57] There are all who sing good, do not fear anymore, Praise the Lord of the Lord.
[25:08] There are all who sing good, do not fear anymore, Praise the Lord of the Lord of the Lord.
[25:21] That was amazing, thank you. So later on, Jeremy's going to come and share a bit from God's word, But I want to invite him up just now to come and just to share a few minutes About the work of Blytheswood, give us a little bit of an update about the work that you're doing.
[25:40] So Jeremy, we are delighted to welcome you. Thank you very much. And I will stop talking. I'm going to say thank you, but not to Thomas for stopping talking, Just in case you think that's rude.
[25:51] But it's good for me to be here. Thank you for having me. And just want to give you a few images and a couple of videos that show what our work is about. So hopefully just now, if you recognize Blytheswood, you probably think of Blytheswood as having a green cross, Because that's what's been on the charity shops for years and vans.
[26:11] That's changing. What you're supposed to see in our new logo is the world, a cross and an arrow. And that explains what our work is. We go motivated by the cross of Jesus.
[26:25] Because of what Jesus has done for us, we go to the world to change lives for good, through education, poverty relief, psycho-spiritual support, I'll tell you what that is, and through other kinds of kindness, like the shoebox appeal.
[26:41] But we also go with the message of the cross to change lives forever. The good news of Jesus, we believe, is what people need more than anything.
[26:51] There's a verse in the Bible that says, What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet loses his soul? We don't want people to be billionaires through anything that we do.
[27:03] We want them to have something that lasts forever and forever. So our message is, and I think I can change this myself now. Can I, yes, we're changing lives for good and forever. What does that look like?
[27:14] Let me show you this girl here. This girl lives in a village called Kubanka. It's 15 kilometers from Odessa in Ukraine. When we arrived in that village to distribute shoeboxes, the school was closed because it didn't have a bunker.
[27:30] So there was no basement for the children to be protected if there was an air raid. So the children didn't go to school. At that point, we understood the school bus was broken anyway and things like that.
[27:42] But these people are living in fear and not really having a great life. If you go around the village, you find very few men, lots of women and children and older men and maybe ladies.
[27:56] And we gave this girl a shoebox. She brought it into her garden. And in her garden, there so happened to be what we're told is the largest well in the village. So families are still taking their water from a well there.
[28:09] And this girl proceeded to open her shoebox on top of the village well. I would say she rifled through it. You know what you do when you get something. And she pulled everything out and looked through it.
[28:20] She got her hairbrush, her hat, her scarf, her toothpaste, some girly things that she would like because the box has been made for someone like her. And then she got engrossed in the story.
[28:31] And the story in her language is about Jesus, the risen savior. That was what was in the shoeboxes last year. And my hope, and I'm sure you'll understand, is that she becomes like another lady that met Jesus at a well.
[28:48] In John chapter 4, Jesus meets a lady at a well and he asks her for a drink. And he promised her that if she drank the water from the well, it would run out.
[28:59] It wouldn't do her good forever. But if she drank the water that he gave her, it would last forever. And we want people to find out about something that lasts forever. Things, gifts and shoeboxes last for a while.
[29:12] They're good, they're loved, they're appreciated. But the thing that lasts forever, that changes lives, is the good news of Jesus Christ as he changes people.
[29:23] So tonight we're raising funds for Ukraine. Thank you for doing that. Let me tell you what we're doing in Ukraine. We are working with three partners. One in Ternopoul, in the sort of southeast.
[29:36] One, southwest, sorry. One in the west near Kyiv in a town called Irpin. So when the Russians came, they got stopped at Irpin, basically. And that town, the partner that we work with, her house was blown to smithereens.
[29:51] It's been rebuilt and she's in a different home now. But it was that bad in that place. And so lots of people lost their lives and people are traumatized. And we're working also in Odessa with a charity called Heritage Ukraine.
[30:05] And what they're doing. So I'm trying to think where you are. So Odessa's here, if you think. And Heritage are going over here to where the Russian border is. And today and yesterday and for the past few weeks, they've been helping people to move out of some border villages as the Russians come and take a little bit more.
[30:25] So people are still on the move. It's not millions. It's not like it was at the very start, but people are still on the move. And so we're helping these three partners. A couple of experiences from Ukraine that I don't think I ever want to forget.
[30:42] A room this size, maybe a little bit bigger. Eight or ten tables. Eight or ten people around each table. All of them widows.
[30:56] And all of them made widows in the past two years. Can you think of what that would be like? Everybody in this room. This number of people. All of you lost dad or husband in the past two years.
[31:11] It's hard when there's one or two of you that that's happened to. But everybody. And all the children in the room. Their dad isn't coming home. If the war stops tomorrow, that doesn't change.
[31:24] And so the sort of help that we're giving is called psycho-spiritual help. So helping people with their trauma. With the psychological effects of it.
[31:34] But also pointing them to Jesus who is their help. And so we're working with the churches to do that kind of thing. Another memory from Ukraine.
[31:45] Tarnopol. Student town. Student dormitories. Eight floors up in the student dormitory. The lift's not working.
[31:57] We go into a room. We're taken into a room to visit a lady. She shares our room with another woman. Both of them last year were 73 years old.
[32:10] They'd come from the border regions. The one that we were there to see especially had no family. No pictures of grandchildren in the wall.
[32:21] She had a few boxes of belongings that not much. All that was on her wall was the calendar that came in her shoebox. It had a picture on it of the red roofed cottage between Apple Cross and Shieldig on the Coast Road.
[32:38] If you've never seen it, go and do the North Coast 500. You'll see it. And on that, there's a Bible verse that says there's a gift of God that gives eternal life.
[32:49] Or the gift of God is eternal life. That's all she had on her wall. You go home. Some of you maybe aren't that great at interior decoration or whatever. But go home and look at your walls.
[33:00] You've got memories. You've got friends. You've got people around here that have supported you. And that lady, all she had was from her shoebox. And that was in the month of September.
[33:12] So the shoeboxes go to people. We try and look for the people in greatest need. If I take you to Ukraine. So there's a Ukrainian. There's a Ukrainian.
[33:23] And that girl's a Ukrainian. Do they look very poor? No. No. I haven't seen many very poor looking people in Ukraine. Apart from in Roma communities.
[33:35] But the reason we're giving a lot of shoeboxes to Ukrainians just now is to say, we're still thinking of you. We want to help you. But we also go to other places where folks are poorer.
[33:46] These are Roma children in Kosovo. And we try and help them as well. So the shoeboxes you give. The money you give.
[33:58] The support you have. I don't always know who I'm speaking to when I come into a room full of people in this area. But one or two of you will have supported Blysewood perhaps longer than I've been alive.
[34:10] I don't know or for a long time. And I want to say thank you because of the help that you give. But we've gone further than Eastern Europe. So let me take you to a slum called Navimum.
[34:22] No, the slum is in the city of Navimumbai. It's called Turba. And this is the view from the rooftop of our child development center called the Beacon Center that we run with our partners.
[34:34] What you see in this photo is about 20 children, a little bit more. They're one of the group of children that come in the morning or the afternoon when schools and two shifts.
[34:50] But all of the children that you see in that photo are the children of prostitutes. How do you change that?
[35:05] What do you do? Did you just go and take the women away from that community? Well, they were grabbed before. They were trafficked from Sri Lanka or from Bangladesh or other parts of India.
[35:17] They weren't free to leave. And then when they become mothers, they're much less free to leave. What are we trying to do? We're trying to make it possible for their children to have a different choice.
[35:32] And education and the Christian good news makes it possible for people to make different choices. It takes a long time, but it's worth doing.
[35:45] Now, I'm going to ask everybody here, what's Thomas like as a minister? Any good? He's tall. We'll give him that, won't we?
[35:56] And I don't know if there's any other ministers here. But this is Pastor Yogesh. Pastor Yogesh serves in Navi Mumbai. He earns 150 pounds a month as a security guard.
[36:10] His wife earns about another 70 pounds a month also as a security guard. And they have twin boys. They live in a studio apartment.
[36:20] So think of the prayer room through there or creche or Sunday school room, whatever it is. They live in a room about that size. We like to support pastors and help them do their work. So we gave him an extra 150 pounds a month.
[36:32] He said, find somewhere bigger to live. And he didn't listen. But the last time I saw him, he said, thank you for your support. It helps me to do extra programs in the church.
[36:44] He goes and reaches out. One of the people he reaches out to, or one of the groups, are in this slum called Dagri Chol. And you're not going to hear anything here because we're not getting the sound through. But hopefully, yeah, hopefully you see me this walk through Dagri Chol slum.
[37:02] It's a 15 year old slum. I'm going to try and make my voice sound good as it moves the music. I can't do that kind of thing. But it's the sort of slum that could be knocked down any time.
[37:14] We're going to speed up soon and rush through it. There we go. So that is, first time I was in that slum, that well wasn't there.
[37:50] The women would gather in the evening and just fill containers with water. They still do that because the water in the well is not drinkable. We can make it drinkable for around 13,000 pounds, which we have, thankfully, in our fund specifically for water projects.
[38:09] But the local Hindu elders will not let us do it. Why not? Because people will become Christians if the Christians put the well in.
[38:21] So would you pray that these elders would back down, that would let us do that? Because when they let us do that, one of the things that Sam wants to do is go into another, go in with containers, two shipping containers, turn them into classrooms.
[38:39] And then we will have an opportunity to help the children in that slum as well. We've got one other slum we work in in that town called Shramik Nagar.
[38:51] This is how it came about. We worked in this one. Pastor Yogesh was running a Sunday school and he needed help because 104 children registered for Sunday school. It was just him and a few other people.
[39:03] He asked for help. Our partners there, Sam and Azmita, went, started running another development centre or trying to help children with homework to stay in school, give slum children the opportunity.
[39:16] Just could show you on my phone after if you really want to see Indian builders knock down holes and walls and make holes and walls and stuff like that. We've got a property in the slum that will turn into a development centre for these children.
[39:31] But that will help them. I'm going to come back. What we'll do is we'll finish with a video from Sargi School. But I'll just take you to our shops.
[39:44] Now, Stornoway has always been different from everywhere else, hasn't it? Because you're a holier island than the rest of the mainland and things like that. But in all of our shops, Blysewood, so let's go back to the beginning.
[39:57] In 1966, it's not famous because England won the World Cup, but because Blysewood Care was formed. And the people that started Blysewood started it to reach people around the streets of Glasgow, around Blysewood Square, to tell these people about Jesus.
[40:14] There were guys that were training to be ministers, and somebody gave them a row and said, you expect people to come and listen to you, but you never go and speak to them. So go and speak to them. So they started Blysewood.
[40:26] The Blysewood Tract Society, it was called. Now we're just calling ourselves Blysewood. We have 16 charity shops in Scotland, 8 in Northern Ireland, none in England just now. But between these shops, we will see around 18,000 people a week, around 12,000 customers, and 6,000 people dropping off black bags or furniture or whatever.
[40:49] And what we want to do in all of these shops in the years to come is tell people about Jesus, to offer Christian literature, to have signs in our shops that make it much more apparent that we're Christians.
[41:01] And I'd love you to pray for that. And if anybody's got somebody that's looking for a job in Inverness or Dingwall, please say, hey, think about this, especially if they are Christians who would be glad to share the good news.
[41:15] We're going to go back and I'm going to sit down. Hopefully you'll be able to see a video from Kenya. So in Kenya, Blysewood are supporting two schools with school meals, with education, with teaching staff, chaplains, paying for the wells, paying for some of the renovation.
[41:36] And you'll see a little bit of that just now. And if anybody's got any questions about Blysewood after this, then feel free to ask at the end. Thank you. Is there sound?
[41:59] If you want me to fill in anything that's happening there. Today we're in Sardi School on Rasinghe Island.
[42:10] Rasinghe Island is on Lake Victoria in Kenya. Blysewood Care is pleased to feed 300 children each day as they come to the school. When they arrive in the morning, they get porridge for breakfast.
[42:23] And at lunchtime, they get meals like you're seeing today, rice and beans, and other simple meals that really help the children. The teachers tell us that the children are able to concentrate in class and able to stay awake in school.
[42:37] And it also makes a massive difference to the families. My name is Dalisara. I have to walk two hours from school. What is your favourite lunch in the school?
[42:50] Rice and beans. My favourite lunch is rice and beans. Today is a happy day.
[43:09] Today is a happy day. Today is a happy day. Today is a happy day.
[43:22] Today is a happy day.
[43:52] Thank you. I think that's my new favourite song in the whole world. That is awesome.
[44:02] Thank you, Jeremy. And it's just amazing to hear of the work that's been done. And it's such a privilege for us to be part of that, to connect to that with our players and with our financial support.
[44:12] Thank you to everybody who has contributed. Thank you. You're going to Ukraine in a couple of weeks' time. Is that right? Well, we will be praying for you and we wish you well. And we're very, very thankful for you and your colleagues and partners there supporting everybody there.
[44:25] Okay, we're going to sing a little bit more. And we're now going to sing Behold Our God. And then after that, I think we're going to do a Gaelic Psalm. So we're going to do Behold Our God.
[44:36] So we're going to stand for this one as the musicians lead us. And then after, we'll take a seat. And I'll introduce the Gaelic Psalm so I can explain to you how it works, if anybody has not sang a Gaelic Psalm before or in a long time.
[44:48] But this is our beautiful hymn that just really speaks to us so powerfully about God, his nature, his attributes, his power, his glory.
[45:00] And that's what gives us hope for ourselves, for Ukraine, for the world. So the musicians will lead us and we'll stand and sing together. Thank you.
[45:48] Thank you.
[46:18] Thank you. We won't put in Amen.
[47:48] Amen. Amen.
[48:46] That was brilliant, thank you. We're going to sing a Gaelic psalm now, and we're singing the opening two verses of Psalm 103. Let me just show you, we've got the Gaelic and the English beside each other. So if you don't know Gaelic, the words we're singing are, O thou, my soul, bless God the Lord, and all that in me is, be stirred up his holy name to magnify and bless.
[49:05] Bless O my soul, the Lord thy God, and not forgetful be of all his gracious benefits he hath bestowed on thee. So these Gaelic words are speaking about how worthy God is of praise.
[49:15] The Gaelic psalm now is calling us to praise him and to thank him and to remember the wonderful gifts and blessings that he's given to us. So we're going to sing the opening two stanzas of this, and we will sing the first two lines together.
[49:28] O manam b'yarnachus anish, and jia Yehovah mor. O my soul, bless God the Lord, bless the great God. And Mordor's going to lead us, we'll all sing those lines together.
[49:42] And then from the third line, where it says, Mordor will sing that on his own, and then we'll sing it back to him. And we'll follow that pattern of repeating the line as we continue on together.
[49:54] Gaelic psalm singing is a beautiful part of our heritage. It's not often that you get this many people singing Gaelic psalm, a Gaelic psalm together. So even if you've never sung a Gaelic psalm before, I want you just to go for it and to sing it as loud as you can.
[50:07] You'll be fine. Just go for it. Just do what Mordor does. And as long as you do that, then you'll be fine. And, you know, as we sing these words, we just are being reminded that God is so worthy of our praise.
[50:18] He's blessed us in so many ways, and we never want to forget that. So we'll stay seated. O manam b'anachus anish, and jia Yehovah mor. O manam b'anachus anish, and jia Yehovah mor. O manam b'anachus anish, and jia Yehovah mor.
[50:55] O manam b'anachus anish, and jia Yehovah mor.
[51:25] O manam b'anachus anish, and jia Yehovah mor.
[51:39] O manam b'anachus anish, and jia Yehovah mor. O manam b'anachus anish, and jia Yehovah mor.
[51:59] O manam b'anachus anish, and jia Yehovah mor.
[52:13] O manam b'anachus anish, and jia Yehovah mor. CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS
[53:20] CHOIR SINGS Jesus replied, on wine, putting on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper saying, take care of him and whatever more you spend I will repay you when I come back.
[54:38] Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbour to the man who fell among the robbers? He said, the one who showed him mercy. And Jesus said to him, you go and do likewise.
[54:49] Amen, this is God's word. We're going to sing again. This time we're singing a new hymn, a beautiful hymn called Gentle and Lowly. And again we're just going to stay seated as we sing this one together. And these words are speaking about the description that Jesus gives of himself.
[55:12] Jesus says, I am gentle and lowly in heart. And so this hymn captures that truth very powerfully. So we'll stay seated. The musicians will lead us as we sing together.
[55:24] Amen. Let's pray.
[55:55] Let's pray.
[56:25] All of my weakness needs your embrace. Favourite and sin with compassion and grace.
[56:38] Drifted and loyed, patient and kind. Ever-approachable Savior of mine.
[56:50] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[57:02] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[57:14] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Humble Redeemer, lay on the tree Nothing can stop you from suffering for me Speechless and wonder, angels above Never had seen such a guilty in love Humble Redeemer, lay on the tree
[58:18] Nothing can stop you from suffering for me Gentle and lowly, patient and kind No other Savior like Jesus I find Though my heart changes, yours never does Ever unchanging compassion and love Gentle and lowly, patient and kind No other Savior like Jesus I find No other Savior like Jesus I find That was beautiful, thank you.
[59:32] I'm now going to ask Jeremy to come up and share a wee bit from God's Word. Thank you. So I'm sure you're all quite familiar with that story that Jesus told But I don't know if you've noticed the question at the start of it What must I do to inherit eternal life?
[59:52] And the answer is, in summary, you've got to be perfect. Love the Lord your God with just a little bit, a little bit more?
[60:03] No, love the Lord your God with all of your heart, all of your soul, all of your mind, all of your strength and love your neighbor as yourself.
[60:13] How can you get to heaven when you haven't been perfect? Well, if you want to be like the lawyer and just try and wriggle your way out of it, you'll ask a technical question.
[60:27] But we're so glad the Bible has more answers than you've got to be perfect to get to heaven. But you've got to be perfect to get to heaven. I've got to be perfect to get to heaven.
[60:40] And you've already seen that I am imperfect. I can't make videos work properly. I can't run things on time. And there's all sorts of things imperfect about me. So how do I get to heaven?
[60:51] Well, God so loved the world that he sent his one and only Son so that whoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life. I have to believe in the Son. The disciples asked Jesus one day, What is the work that God requires?
[61:06] And Jesus said, The work that God requires is this, To believe in the one he has sent. Believe in Jesus. And that's how you get to heaven.
[61:18] So why am I going to tell you about the Good Samaritan? Because I want you to see in the Good Samaritan a picture of what Jesus has done for you.
[61:31] And for that to be your motivation for helping people. If I was to ask you a question, In the parable of the Good Samaritan, Which one is you?
[61:42] Who are you? Well, the parable is written really to make this lawyer think that religious people aren't that good. They're not as good as they thought they were.
[61:53] The two religious leaders, Well, they just walked by on the other side. You better watch in case I walk down there. But they ignored the man that's lying in the gutter, didn't they? And the man that's lying in the gutter is helpless.
[62:04] And the people who were good, The church of the day, you might say, They didn't help him. And then this Good Samaritan does.
[62:15] And I'd love to think of myself as the Good Samaritan, wouldn't you? Yep. A few months ago I was walking into church somewhere And there was a beggar sitting outside the church.
[62:29] I wasn't a local in the place. Some of the people I followed into church walked past her, didn't help her. Guess what I did? I walked past her and I didn't.
[62:40] Who am I in the story? I'm not the Good Samaritan that I really want to be. Who am I in the story? Who are you in the story? You're the one in the gutter.
[62:53] You're the one that has made a foolish decision. That's what the man who walked down from Jerusalem to Jericho did. He went somewhere dangerous. He could have known that. He should have known it.
[63:03] He made a bad choice. Wasn't all his fault though, was it? It's never all just your fault. He was a victim of evil. He was people who should have been kind to him, were horrible to him.
[63:17] They stripped him of his clothes. And they left him half dead. And to be honest, if you were a priest or a Levite, if you touched him, you'd have made yourself unable to work for a whole week.
[63:30] Which of you would give up a week's salary just to help somebody like me? It's a big ask, isn't it? So they didn't do it, but this man did.
[63:41] But this man, he has somebody that comes to him. And you think of the Good Samaritan. It doesn't tell us it's just a parable. It could be a true story. But what a traveling pack this man's got.
[63:54] He's got oil. He's got bandages. And he's got a big purse. And he's obviously got some strength. Because at some point he went down on the ground.
[64:05] And he lifted this man up. Do you want to practice with me if I pretend to be the man? Get me on the donkey. And it's going to be... And then he puts him on the donkey.
[64:16] And he takes him to the inn. And he says... He says, whatever he needs, I'll pay for it. When I come back. Who am I in this story?
[64:28] I'm the man that's fallen on the ground. Who has come to rescue me? Jesus has come to rescue me. Jesus has come with everything I need.
[64:42] Jesus has come and he hasn't just given his strength to lift me from the ground. He's given his life as he dies on the cross. For my sins. In my place.
[64:53] He pays the price. He bears that cost that I could not bear. I'm helpless. I'm naked. I'm half dead. I've got nothing to offer. And he gives everything for me.
[65:07] And what does he say? I've died for you. I've forgiven you. Now keep yourself perfect.
[65:17] He's forgiven me. And you'll get in. No. He's died for me. He's forgiven me. He's made me perfect. And whatever I need.
[65:29] He gives me. So that I can be perfect forever. There's lovely words in the parable of the Good Samaritan. And when I come back.
[65:42] Hear these words from Jesus. And when I come back. He's going to make your salvation. Full. And final. And bring you to be with him forever. Who are you in the parable of the Good Samaritan?
[65:55] Well. When Jesus rescues me. And changes me. Kind of transform hopefully into some.
[66:06] Somebody like him. Somebody who wants to copy him. Somebody who wants to help people who are down in the ground. But doesn't do it perfectly. But what's your motivation to give? You're not perfect.
[66:20] You're not getting into heaven. Because you're perfect. You're getting into heaven. Because Jesus has come down. And has lifted you up. And he has made you perfect.
[66:32] By paying for your sins. And you're getting into heaven. Fully and finally. Because when he comes back. He's going to bring you to be with him.
[66:43] Where he is. That's your motivation. That's my motivation. For trying to be better than I was. For understanding. That because he has done it all for me.
[66:58] I can try and be like him. And he is going to make me. Fully and finally perfect. So I wonder. If there's anybody here.
[67:10] Who are you in the parable? If you're still the one. That's on the ground. If you're still the one. can't rescue yourself imperfect would you look to this Jesus so that he can do for you everything that you need paying for it with his life and coming back to bring you to be with him where he is thank you thank you so much Jeremy and we're going to sing two songs to finish off with which just capture what Jeremy's been saying so powerfully because the songs that we're going to sing are songs about the resurrection of Jesus the fact that Jesus came he died and he rose again and it's that resurrection that gives us hope because in his resurrection he brings with him all who come to him and who are trusting in him and that gives us so much joy and so much hope and so we're going to sing come people are the risen king and then we're going to sing because he lives and these are the last last two songs we're going to sing so we can sing them out with all our hearts and we can praise our amazing saviour together so let's stand and sing sing so so so so
[68:55] Oh, praise. Holy shaming shadows on the earth, we will live in our eyes to Him. Where steady arms of praise, we reach to God, who will be.
[69:12] Rejoice! Rejoice! And every touch, rejoice! One heart, one voice, O church of passion, joy.
[69:35] From boats and joy, a sparring sun, and the sweet in the night. From boats and dead, all battles, one of the sun in the night.
[69:51] For His pride in the world never changed, and His blessings never sing. From boats and dead, all of us through all our days to the circle of peace.
[70:08] Rejoice! Rejoice! And every touch, rejoice! One heart, one voice, O church of passion, joy.
[70:25] A miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle The kingdom rise to every inch, our love is full in all.
[71:05] Rejoice, rejoice, let every tongue rejoice, one heart, one voice, O church of Christ rejoice.
[71:19] Rejoice, rejoice, let every tongue rejoice, one heart, one voice, O church of Christ rejoice.
[71:49] Amen. Amen.
[72:49] Amen. Amen.
[73:49] Amen. Amen.
[74:49] Amen. Well, as you step into tomorrow and as we look ahead to our future, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all and all God's people say, Amen.
[75:33] Please take a seat just for now.