Family Service
at
St. Augustine's

August 31, 2008


Key :

directions
instructions for congregation
movements during service
prayers and readings
sections of the service

Other information :

There are some notes on our production of the service.

A rough plan of the church is available.

A note on copyright.


THE SERVICE

The Bible

Reader We welcome you here in the name of Jesus; may He encourage us to read and understand the Bible more and more.
Narrator No collection will be taken during this service. There is a donation box at the back of the church for anyone who would like to give a donation.

If anyone would like the music for our hymns today, please put your hand up and we will bring it to you.

Please don't feel embarrassed if the children are a bit noisy - we welcome everyone here.

Reader Our theme for today is

"The Bible".

Our sentence for today is :

"Your Word is a lamp to guide me and a light for my path." ( Psalm 119 verse 105 )..

Narrator Why would we want to talk about the Bible ? Doesn't everyone know about the Bible ?

Well, perhaps they do, but most people know very little about the Bible, and sometimes what they do know about the Bible turns out to be wrong. We haven't time to tell you much about the Bible, but we'll try to get it right, and we think it's interesting.

Perhaps one of the things that everyone does know about the Christian Bible is that most of it is Jewish. The first part of the Bible is the Old Testament, and that's all Jewish scripture. The last part is the New Testament, and most of that was written by Jews who'd chosen to follow Jesus.

That's what our first hymn is about. It's an echo song. Some of the actors will sing the line then we invite you to join in the echo.

Please stand to sing the hymn

A.D. - B.C..

Singers stand by lectern ready to sing the lines of this song;

Organist start CD Player.

During this hymn Child 1, Child 2, Child 3 Child 4, Child 5, Child 6 stand near flowers on organ side with the Bibles ready to bring them to front, assisted by teacher with the eight cards, Helper ready to put cards on wall.

What is B.C. ? What is B.C. ?
  B.C. is before Christ. B.C. is before Christ.
  What is A.D. ? What is A.D. ?
  A.D. is anno domini. A.D. is anno domini.
  What's anno domini ? What's anno domini ?
  In the year of the Lord. In the year of the Lord.
  Who is the Lord ? Who is the Lord ?
  The Lord Jesus Christ, praise God. The Lord Jesus Christ, praise God.
 
What is O.T. ? What is O.T. ?
  O.T. is Old Testament. O.T. is Old Testament.
  What is N.T. ? What is N.T. ?
  N.T. is New Testament. N.T. is New Testament.
 
The Old Testament tells us what God is like.
The Old Testament tells us what God is like.
  The Old Testament is B.C. The Old Testament is B.C.
  The New Testament shows us God born as man.
The New Testament shows us God born as man.
  The New Testament is A.D. The New Testament is A.D.
 
O.T.is B.C. O.T.is B.C.
  N.T. is A.D. N.T. is A.D.

Organist turn CD Player off;

Singers return to their places.

Narrator Please sit for the play about the Bible.

The Bible : for some it is a family heirloom that sits on the shelf gathering dust.

Child 1 brings up Family Bible and places it on the prayer desk and returns to by the flowers organ side.
Narrator For others it is alive and vibrant, bringing new insight and greater understanding of God every time it is read.

Some never read it.

Others read it every day.

( pointing to the family Bible ) It might be very large.

It might be very small.

Child 2 brings up small Bible and places it on the altar and returns to by the flowers organ side.
Narrator It might be in English or Maori or Welsh or any other of two thousand languages.
Child 3 brings up Maori Bible and leaves on the altar and returns to by the flowers organ side.
Narrator Some Bibles are printed on good paper, others on cheap paper. Nowadays you can find it on the Internet with no paper at all.

Whatever text, language or form the Bible comes in, the content is the same.

It carries within its pages the knowledge and teachings of our God and a history of His people, the Jews.

The Old Testament.

The Jewish people collected their writings about God together and they became what we now know as the "Old Testament", a collection of 39 books which were carefully copied and preserved from generation to generation.

Jesus knew these writings and often quoted from them.

The first five books of the Old Testament contain THE LAW - and also the Jewish understanding of how the universe began, and of how the Jewish nation came into being and settled in the land of Israel.

Teacher carrying the eight cards sits on bottom step facing altar and the children stand facing the congregation between teacher and altar.

Teacher whispers the name of the book of the Bible to each child in turn who shouts the name out. In all cases, particularly for the long lists, the names should follow as quickly as possible.

Child 4 The Law.
Child 5 Genesis.
Child 6 Exodus.
Child 1 Leviticus.
Child 2 Numbers.
Child 3 Deuteronomy.
Child 4 takes Card 1 from Teacher and shows the card to the congregation, then takes it to helper who is standing on Hospital side ready to stick card on the wall; Child 4 returns to front.
Narrator The next twelve books contain the history of the Jewish people and the way they chose to follow or to disobey God.
Teacher whispers the names of card 2 to the children who shout their names out.
Child 5 The history of the Jewish people.
Child 6 Joshua.
Child 1 Judges.
Child 2 Ruth.
Child 3 1 Samuel.
Child 4 2 Samuel.
Child 5 1 Kings.
Child 6 2 Kings.
Child 1 1 Chronicles.
Child 2 2 Chronicles.
Child 3 Ezra.
Child 4 Nehemiah.
Child 5 Esther.
Child 6 takes Card 2 from Teacher and shows the card to the congregation, then takes it to helper who is standing on Hospital side ready to stick card on the wall; Child 6 returns to front.
Narrator The five books of poetry.
Teacher whispers the names of card 3 to the children who shout their names out.
Child 1 Poetry.
Child 2 Job.
Child 3 Psalms.
Child 4 Proverbs.
Child 5 Ecclesiastes.
Child 6 Song of songs.
Child 1 takes Card 3 from Teacher and shows the card to the congregation, then takes it to helper who is standing on Hospital side ready to stick card on the wall; Child 1 returns to front.
Narrator The 17 books of prophecy.
Teacher whispers the names of card 2 to the children who shout the names out.
Child 2 The writings of the prophets.
Child 3 Isaiah.
Child 4 Jeremiah.
Child 5 Lamentations.
Child 6 Ezekiel.
Child 1 Daniel.
Child 2 Hosea.
Child 3 Joel.
Child 4 Amos.
Child 5 Obadiah.
Child 6 Jonah.
Child 1 Micah.
Child 2 Nahum.
Child 3 Habakkuk.
Child 4 Zephaniah.
Child 5 Haggai.
Child 6 Zechariah.
Child 1 Malachi.
Child 2 takes Card 4 from Teacher and shows the card to the congregation, then takes it to helper who is standing on Hospital side ready to stick card on the wall; Child 2 returns to front Helper moves to organ side.
Narrator This completes the 39 books of the Old Testament. These books were written before Jesus was born.

Between the Old and New Testaments there is a gap of about 400 years.

The Jews didn't go to sleep during this time, and produced some other religious writings, including the fourteen books of the Apocrypha, which are accepted as worthy by most of the Christian church. We don't hear much about them, perhaps because they don't introduce much that's new, but they do include some lovely poetry and two detective stories.

The really new event that came along was Jesus.

It was during the Roman era that Jesus was born, and the writing of the New Testament began. These 27 books were written in the period between 60 and 100 AD.

The New Testament.

Teacher whispers the names of card 5 to the children, who shout their names out.
Child 3 The Gospels - the story of Jesus.
Child 4 Matthew.
Child 5 Mark.
Child 6 Luke.
Child 1 John.
Child 2 takes Card 5 from Teacher and shows the card to the congregation, then takes it to helper who is standing on Organ side ready to stick card on the wall; Child 2 returns to front.
Narrator A book about the history of the early church.
Teacher whispers "ACTS" to Child 3, who shouts it out.
Child 3 Acts - The history of the early church.
Child 4 takes Card 6 from Teacher and shows the card to the congregation, then takes it to helper who is standing on Organ side ready to stick card on the wall; Child 4 returns to front.
Narrator The 21 letters written to the early church.
Teacher whispers the names of card 6 to the children who shout their names out.
Child 5 The Letters to the early church.
Child 6 Romans.
Child 1 1 Corinthians.
Child 2 2 Corinthians.
Child 3 Galatians.
Child 4 Ephesians.
Child 5 Philippians.
Child 6 Colossians.
Child 1 1 Thessalonians.
Child 2 2 Thessalonians.
Child 3 1 Timothy.
Child 4 2 Timothy.
Child 5 Titus.
Child 6 Philemon.
Child 1 Hebrews.
Child 2 James.
Child 3 1 Peter.
Child 4 2 Peter.
Child 5 1 John.
Child 6 2 John.
Child 1 3 John.
Child 2 Jude.
Child 3 takes Card 7 from Teacher and shows the card to the congregation, then takes it to helper who is standing on Organ side ready to stick card on the wall; Child 3 returns to front.
Narrator One book of prophecy.
Teacher whispers "REVELATION" to Child 5, who shouts it out.
Child 5 Revelation, a book of prophecy.
Child 5 takes Card 8 from Teacher and shows the card to the congregation, then takes it to helper who is standing on Organ side ready to stick card on the wall; Children and teacher and helper return to their seats.
Narrator The Old Testament section of the Bible points towards the coming of the Messiah, the promised one, whom Christians believe to be Jesus. The New Testament section of the Bible tells about the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, the Messiah, and the growth of the Christian church.

The Bible is a truly wonderful book, and for those who read it seriously and prayerfully it has the power to change their lives. The next reading tells us how this happened to one of the Jewish kings at a time when the Jews had forgotten their relationship with God, and let the temple fall into disrepair.

Reader This reading is selected verses taken from 2 Chronicles Chapter 34., pages 508 to 509 of the church Bibles.

King Josiah makes a covenant to obey the Lord God.

Josiah was eight years old when he became king of Judah. In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young he began to worship God. In the eighteenth year of his reign he sent three men to repair the Temple of the Lord God.

Whilst they were clearing the money from a store room, Hilkiah, the high priest, found the book of the Law of the Lord that God had given to Moses.

He said to Shaphan, "I have found the Book of the Law here in the Temple".

He gave the book to Shaphan, who took it to the King. When the king heard the book being read, he wept and tore his clothes in dismay, and repented and humbled himself before the Lord.

Then King Josiah summoned all the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, and together they went to the Temple, accompanied by the priests and the Levites and all the rest of the people, rich and poor alike. Before them all the king read aloud the whole book of the covenant, which had been found in the Temple. He stood by the royal column and made a covenant with the Lord to obey Him, to keep His laws and commands with all his heart and soul, and to put into practice the demands attached to the covenant as written in the book. He made the people of Benjamin and everyone else present in Jerusalem promise to keep the covenant. And so the people of Jerusalem obeyed the requirements of the covenant they had made with the God of their ancestors. King Josiah destroyed all the disgusting idols that were in the territory belonging to the people of Israel, and as long as he lived, he required the people to serve the Lord, the God of their ancestors.

Narrator That's just one example of how reading the Bible can change lives. It teaches us about God's ways of doing things, and about our relationship with Him.

Please stand to sing the hymn

"The B I B L E" -

which says much the same sort of thing, but in a much simpler way.

During this hymn -

costumes on - Mrs Evans, Mary, Mr Charles.

Mrs Evans to lectern, Mary to front by flowers organ side, Mary's Father and Mr Charles ready at back.

1.   The B I B L E -
  Yes, that's the book for me !
  I stand alone on the Word of God,
  The B I B L E.

2.   The B I B L E
  I'll take along with me,
  I'll read and pray and then obey
  The B I B L E.

3.   The B L O O D
  That Jesus shed for me
  Cleansed me from sin, I belong to Him -
  says the B I B L E.

4.   By G R A C E
  We are S A V E D
  By F A I T H in Christ -
  says the B I B L E.

Narrator Please sit for the play

"The story of Mary Jones".

And now we'd like to tell you the story of how the Bible came to be translated into many different languages. Often the spoken language had to be turned into a written language before the translation could be written down.

Mary Jones was born in Wales over 200 years ago.

Mrs Evans sits in the easy chair. Mary comes and stands beside her on Hospital side. Mary gazes reverently at the Bible.
Mary Mrs Evans, isn't the Bible a wonderful book ?
Mrs Evans Yes, indeed! You may touch it if your hands are clean, Mary.
Mary looks at her hands and moves across and touches the Bible.
Mrs Evans And if you work well today, I will read a story to you.
Mary How I wish I could have a Bible of my own! But even if I did, what use would it be to me ? I can't read.
Mrs Evans Now listen, Mary, if ever you come to me and tell me you can read, then I will let you turn the pages of the Bible and read all the stories that you love.
Mary moves to the centre in front of the altar.
Mary I must pray about this. God will surely listen to me if I ask Him to help me read His Bible.
Mary kneels down in front of altar in an attitude of prayer.
Mrs Evans So each night Mary knelt down to ask God for what she most wanted to be able to read.

A month went by, six months, a year - two years. And still Mary could not read. She went on with her nightly prayer.

Mary gets up and moves to beside the organ.
Mrs Evans Then at last the answer came.
Father comes quickly up centre aisle.
Father Mary, Mary, where are you ?
Mary comes hurrying out and meets her Father on the front step.
Mary Here I am, Daddy !
Father I've some great news for you ! Guess what - there's to be a school opened two miles away over the hills !
Mary A school - Ohhh!
Father Do you still want to learn to read ?
Mary Oh, yes - you know I do !
Father Then you may go to school.
Mary flings her arms around her father.
Mary Oh thank you, thank you, thank you !
Mary holds her father's hand and they go to stand by the organ - Mary skips - too excited to walk.
Mrs Evans Mary was ten years old now. She joyfully walked the two miles to school each day. She was a good pupil and soon learnt to read. Then came the day when Mary could read. She came running to tell me.
Mary running across from organ side. Mrs Evans, Mrs Evans - I can read, I can read ! Please can I read your Bible ? Look - my hands are clean. ( showing Mrs Evans her hands ). Please can I read it now ?
Mrs Evans Of course you can ! Come and read it now. Read it aloud to us now.
Mary and Mrs Evans go across to the Bible.
Mrs Evans You can come whenever you like, Mary. The Bible will always be waiting for you.

( to the congregation ). So Mary came as often as she could. She read every story in it but still wasn't satisfied.

Mary moves across towards the organ and her father comes out to meet her.
Mary ( to her Father ) I do wish I had a Bible of my own, Father, then I could read to you and my mother. There are so many stories in the Bible that we don't know yet. How can I get one ? Are they very hard to buy ?
Father If you save every penny that you earn for a long time maybe you could buy one for yourself, but you will have to work very hard. Bibles cost a lot of money.

( Father goes across to organ and gets small wooden box. )

Look, Mary! Here is a box that I have made. You can save your money in it.

Mary Thank you, Father ! I'll begin saving right away. I will save enough for a Bible even if it takes me years. I'll ask all the neighbours for work. But there isn't much spare time what with school and helping at home. There are always the school holidays to work in. But I'll do it somehow, you'll see.
Father goes back to organ. Mary goes over to Mrs Evans.
Mary ( to Mrs Evans ) You know, Mrs Evans, I'm trying so hard to save enough money to buy a Bible. Father has given me a little box to put the money in and I'm doing as much work as I can for the neighbours so I can earn money to put in the box. But everyone around here is poor and they can't pay much. But I'm determined to do it.
Mrs Evans Mary, listen! I have a cock and two or three hens to spare. I will give them to you, then you can sell the eggs and get more money that way.
Mary returns to beside organ with her imaginary hens, quietly fills box with coins.
Mrs Evans Mary went home a lot happier that night. The hens laid well, but the eggs didn't sell for much. Slowly the wooden box got heavier and heavier.
Mrs Evans ( leaning forward ) Do you know how long it took Mary to save up ?

Pause.

Six years ! Now she was sixteen and she had been working and saving since she was ten.

Mary comes back to see Mrs Evans, waving and shaking her box.
Mary I've done it! I've got enough money to buy a Bible. Where can I buy one ? It must be a Welsh Bible, for that's the only language I know.
Mrs Evans You know the town of Bala ? It's forty kilometres away. The minister there is called Mr. Charles and he has some Bibles for sale.
Mary I'll go there right away.
Mrs Evans So Mary put her money and a little food in her bag ...

( Mary goes to organ side and packs her bag. )

... and walked the forty kilometres to Bala. Perhaps she sang as she went -

ALL ( sitting ) repeat the song as many times as necessary as Mary walks down the organ aisle and up the centre aisle.
I'm going to get my Bible today,
My Bible today, my Bible today;
I'm going to get my Bible today,
Lord, I pray.

Mrs Evans ( down Hospital aisle ) and Father ( down organ aisle ) return to their seats.
Mr Charles comes to front up Hospital aisle and closes the altar rail "gate".

Mary Please, Sir, I have come to buy a Welsh Bible. I have learnt to read, and then I saved up my money for six years. Now I have enough to buy a Bible. See, here it is. ( Takes box out of bag and shakes it. ) Now may I have a Bible ? It's what I want most in the whole world.
Mr Charles looks more and more unhappy as Mary speaks, now he shakes his head.
Mr Charles You can't have one. I have only three Bibles left and those are promised to other people.
Mary Can't I have one ?
Mr Charles It is difficult to get Welsh Bibles and I don't know when I shall get any more.
Mary ( rubbing her eyes and beginning to sniff ) But I've walked all that way !
Mr Charles Come in and sit down. Somehow I must get you a Bible.
Mary moves towards the altar.
Mr Charles ( to himself ) I must get one. Perhaps someone here will be willing to share for a while longer.

( to Mary ) Don't cry any more. I'll see what I can do.

Mr Charles goes behind lectern and collects the Welsh Bible; Mary kneels down in front of altar.
Mary Please, O Please God, find me a Bible of my own.
Mr Charles comes in with a Welsh Bible in his hand and gives it to Mary.
Mary excitedly. O thank you, thank you, Mr Charles ! I am so happy ! Now I have a Bible of my own and I can read it whenever I like. It's mine !
Mary hands over her money and skips down the centre aisle waving her new Bible.

Mr Charles moves to lectern.

Mr Charles When Mary had gone I began to think how important it was that she and many others like her should have a Bible in their own language. So I went to London to tell my friends about it. We held a great meeting and agreed to form a special society to print Bibles for people in their own languages.
Narrator That was in 1804. Today, 200 years later, that society is known as the Bible Society. It has branches in nearly every country in the world - even countries that would surprise you. The Bible Society has printed and translated Bibles in over 2500 of the world's 7000 languages. Every year it raises millions of dollars all over the world for people like Mary. What a wonderful work! All because Mary Jones wanted a Bible in her own language so much.
Narrator Please stand for the hymn

"Read your Bible, pray every day"

which we'll sing twice.

During this hymn Mr Charles goes to back down Hospital aisle.

Tarore and tribe and warriors and Ripahau, Uita ready at back with costumes on;

Ngakuku ready at Hospital side with costume on.

Stage hand places small chair in front of altar.

Read your Bible, pray every day,
Pray every day, pray every day;
Read your Bible, pray every day,
As you follow Me,
As you follow Me,
As you follow Me,
Read your Bible, pray every day,
As you follow Me.
Narrator Please sit for the play about Tarore.
Tarore comes to the centre between altar rails. Ngakuku stands Hospital side of altar.
Narrator ( pointing to Tarore ) This is Tarore. She was born in 1824 near Matamata.
Narrator ( pointing to Ngakuku ) This is her father Ngakuku, who is the chief of his tribe, and they live near Matamata.
Tarore Kia ora, my name is Tarore.
Ngakuku We live in dangerous times.

Now we have guns and our tribal warfare is increasing, especially with the Te Arawa warriors from Rotorua.

When our people are killed we are expected to take revenge, it is our way of life. Things are very bad.

Tarore ( running up to Ngakuku ) Dad, did you know that Mr and Mrs Brown have opened a school in Matamata ?

Please can I go to it ? Please, please, please !

Ngakuku Yes, my child, you may go.
Tarore skips to back down centre aisle.
Narrator Tarore went to school where she learned to read. But she also learned about Jesus.

She learned that Jesus was different. He had great mana.

He loved people. He didn't fight back, even when His enemies were going to kill Him.

"No revenge" was one of His teachings. "Love your enemies" was another.

Mr and Mrs Brown gave Tarore a copy of the newly printed "Te Rongopai A Ruka", the Gospel of Luke in Maori.

Tarore runs to front carrying her new Gospel.
Tarore ( to congregation ) Look, look what Mr and Mrs Brown have given me !

Everyone come and listen !

Tribe come to front up centre aisle and sit on the floor in front of altar to listen;

Tarore sits on low chair in front of altar, opens book and pretends to read;

Ngakuku continues to stand by altar, not joining in but obviously listening.

Narrator Tarore read to the people from Luke's Gospel. They all heard the message of love and peace and began to change their thoughts from war towards peace. But the raids continued and in 1836, when Tarore was 12, Ngakuku decided that it was no longer safe to remain near Matamata.
Ngakuku ( stepping forward towards altar rail, to the tribe ) We must leave here. We will go over the Kaimai Ranges to somewhere safer.
Stagehand puts campfire in front of altar and turns it on, as Ngakuku, Tarore with her precious book, and the tribe go quietly down the Hospital aisle to the back and come up the organ aisle to the front; they settle round the camp fire.
Narrator That night they camped at Wairere Falls. As they settled down to sleep Tarore placed her Gospel under her head before going to sleep.
Tarore puts her book under head and they all go to sleep. Stagehand turn campfire off.
Narrator During the night the Te Arawa warriors crept up on them.
Te Arawa warriors come creeping up centre aisle.

Stagehand : sound effect CRACK ( breaking twig ) as warriors reach middle of aisle.

Ngakuku lifts his head listening intently.

Te Arawa warriors move nearer.

Stagehand : sound effect CRACK ( breaking twig ) as warriors reach front pew.

Ngakuku jumps up grabs his son.

Ngakuku (  shouts ) Quick, into the bush and hide !
Ngakuku carrying his son and the tribe ( except Tarore ) jump up and run to the sides. Tarore remains asleep.

Te Arawa warriors creep closer.

Narrator Uita, the Te Arawa chief killed Tarore, ( Uita kills Tarore ), grabbed the book, ( Uita grabs the book ), and all the warriors ran away.
The warriors hurry away, to back down centre aisle.
Narrator When it was safe Ngakuku and the tribe crept back. They found Tarore dead but no sign of the book.
Ngakuku and tribe creep back and find Tarore.
Tribe Revenge, revenge - we'll pay them back !
All pause, and look to Ngakuku for a lead. Ngakuku pauses, wrestling with emotions. Then -
Ngakuku No. No revenge, there's been enough killing.
Tribe 1 Where's the book ?
Tribe hunt around.
Tribe 2 We can't find it.They must have taken it.
Tribe 3 Do you think they'll read it ?
Tribe ( except Tribe 3 ) I hope so.
Ngakuku Then there may be peace.
Ngakuku carrying Tarore and tribe return to back down Hospital aisle.
Narrator Uita took the book back to Rotorua thinking it must be a great treasure. But no one could read it.
Uita and the warriors come to front and Uita places the book on the altar.
Uita I wish we could read the book.
Warriors 1 and 2 So do I.
Other warriors I'm more interested in fighting.
Narrator One day Ripahau, who had been a slave, came through Rotorua. He had been taught to read by missionaries. His master had died and he was on his way back to his home on the Kapiti coast.
Ripahau comes down centre aisle.

Uita and Warriors 1 and 2 show him the book.

Ripahau I'll read it for you.
They settle down to listen. Uita and Warriors 1 and 2 sit down around Ripahau in front of altar. Ripahau mimes reading.

The other warriors pretend not to be interested but they listen too.

Narrator As Uita listened to the words he thought, " 'Love my enemies' - but I murdered the girl who owned this book. What shall I do ? I want the peace of Jesus." So Uita sent a message to Ngakuku asking for forgiveness.

Uita hands a note to Warrior 3 who takes it to the back down the centre aisle

Some years later in 1842 Uita and Ngakuku were seen at a prayer meeting praying together.

Meanwhile Ripahau returned, with the book, to Otaki.

Ripahau goes down centre aisle carrying the book.

He taught people there to read from the book, and by 1841 many people in the South of the North Island were Christians, and the message of peace through Jesus Christ was being spread to the South Island by the Maori people.

Tarore's Gospel of Luke had a huge impact on the Maori tribes in the South of New Zealand.

PAUSE.

Narrator Please stand for the hymn :

"Tell me the old, old story".

During this hymn Uita and the warriors go to back down Hospital aisle.

1.   Tell me the old, old story
  Of unseen things above;
  Of Jesus and His glory,
  Of Jesus and His love.
  Tell me the story simply,
  As to a little child,
  For I am weak and weary
  And helpless, and defiled.

  Chorus :
   Tell me the old, old story,
   Tell me the old, old story,
   Tell me the old, old story
   Of Jesus and His love.

2.   Tell me the story slowly,
  That I may take it in -
  That wonderful redemption,
  God's remedy for sin.
  Tell me the story often,
  For I forget so soon;
  The early dew of morning
  Has passed away at noon.

  Chorus

3.   Tell me the story softly,
  With earnest tones and grave;
  Remember, I'm the sinner
  Whom Jesus came to save
  Tell me the story always,
  If you would really be
  In any time of trouble
  A comforter to me.

  Chorus

4.   Tell me the same old story
  When you have cause to fear
  That this world's empty glory
  Is costing me too dear.
  Yes, and, when that world's glory
  Shall dawn upon my soul,
  Tell me the old, old story -
  Christ Jesus makes me whole.

  Chorus

Narrator Please sit for the reading.
Reader This reading is taken from Luke's Gospel, Chapter 6, verses 27-36, page 1133 of the church Bibles.
 

Love for Enemies

But I tell you who hear Me : Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you. If anyone hits you on one cheek, let him hit the other cheek too; if someone takes your coat, let him have your shirt as well. Give to everyone who asks you for something, and when someone takes what is yours, do not ask for it back. Do for others just what you want them to do for you.

If you love only the people who love you, why should you receive a blessing ? Even sinners love those who love them! And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you receive a blessing ? Even sinners do that! And if you lend to those from whom you hope to get it back, why should you receive a blessing ? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount! No! Love your enemies and do good to them; lend and expect nothing back. You will then have a great reward, and you will be children of the Most High God. For He is good to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful just as your Father is merciful.

Message.
Narrator Please sit or kneel for our prayers.
Pray-er 1, Pray-er 2, Pray-er 3 to lectern.
Pray-er 1 Thank You, Jesus, for our schools.

Thank You for the teachers and others who taught us to read.

We pray for people in countries where there are no schools or not enough teachers that You would help make it possible for more schools and teachers to be provided. Amen.

Pray-er 2 Thank You for Bible translators who have spent many years translating the Bible into many different languages.

Thank You for those who distribute these Bibles, often travelling in rough and difficult countries.

Thank You for those who give their time and money to help these things happen. Amen.

Pray-er 3 We thank You for the way the Bible, Your Word, can change peoples thoughts and attitudes.

We pray that Your Word will continue to have a powerful effect in our lives and in the lives of other people. Amen.

PAUSE

Together we sing -

ALL Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come, Your will be done, in earth, as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread;

Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial, and deliver us from evil,

for the Kingdom, the power, and the glory are Yours, now and for ever.

Amen.

PAUSE.
Narrator Please stand to sing the final hymn :

"Thanks to God Whose Word was spoken".

Pray-er 1, Pray-er 2, Pray-er 3 return to their seats.
Omitted for copyright reasons; further details.
Narrator Please remain standing for the Blessing

BLESSING


Those taking part :

Child 1, Child 2, Child 3, Child 4, Child 5, Child 6, Father, Mary, Mr Charles, Mrs Evans, Narrator, Ngakuku, other warriors, Pray-er 1, Pray-er 2, Pray-er 3, Reader, Ripahau, Tarore, Tribe, Tribe 1, Tribe 2, Tribe 3, Uita, Warrior 1, Warrior 2, Warrior 3