Naaman healed of leprosy
(words for hymns and bible reading can be found below the order of service)
Welcome & Church News
Call to Worship
MP 23 – All things bright and beautiful
Prayer & Lord’s Prayer
CH4 96 – You are before me Lord
Reading – 2 Kings 5: 1-17
MP 51 – Be thou my vision
Reflection
CH4 527 – Lord make us servants of your peace
Prayers for the world
CH4 622 – We sing a love
Benediction
MP 23 – All things bright and beautiful
Chorus
All things bright and beautiful,
all creatures great and small,
all things wise and wonderful,
the Lord God made them all.
1 Each little flower that opens,
each little bird that sings,
He made their glowing colours,
He made their tiny wings.
Chorus
2 The purple-headed mountains,
the river running by,
the sunset, and the morning
that brightens up the sky;
Chorus
3 The cold wind in the winter,
the pleasant summer sun,
the ripe fruits in the garden,
He made them every one.
Chorus
4 He gave us eyes to see them,
and lips that we might tell
how great is God almighty,
who has made all things well.
Chorus
CH4 96 – You are before me Lord
1 You are before me, God, you are behind,
and over me you have spread your hand;
such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too high to grasp, too great to understand.
2 Then from your Spirit where, God, shall I go,
and from your presence where, God, shall I fly?
If I ascend to heaven you are there,
and still are with me, if in hell I lie.
3 If I should take my flight into the dawn,
if I should dwell on ocean’s farthest shore,
your mighty hand will rest upon me still,
and your right hand will guard me evermore.
4 If I should say, ‘Let darkness cover me,
and I shall hide within the veil of night’,
surely the darkness is not dark to you,
the night is as the day, the darkness light.
5 Search me, O God, search me and know my heart,
try me, O God, my mind and spirit try;
keep me from any path that gives you pain,
and lead me in the everlasting way.
Reading – 2 Kings 5: 1-17
2 Kings 5: 1-17
Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.
Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. She said to her mistress, ‘If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.’
Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. ‘By all means, go,’ the king of Aram replied. ‘I will send a letter to the king of Israel.’ So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothing. The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: ‘With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy.’
As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, ‘Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!’
When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: ‘Why have you torn your robes? Make the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.’ So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, ‘Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.’
But Naaman went away angry and said, ‘I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?’ So he turned and went off in a rage.
Naaman’s servants went to him and said, ‘My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, “Wash and be cleansed”!’ So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.
Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, ‘Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant.’
The prophet answered, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will not accept a thing.’ And even though Naaman urged him, he refused.
‘If you will not,’ said Naaman, ‘please let me, your servant, be given as much earth as a pair of mules can carry, for your servant will never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god but the Lord.
MP 51 – Be thou my vision
1 Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
naught be all else to me, save that Thou art –
Thou my best thought, by day or by night,
waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.
2 Be Thou my wisdom, Thou my true word;
I ever with Thee, Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.
3 Be Thou my battle-shield, sword for the fight,
Be Thou my dignity, Thou my delight.
Thou my soul’s shelter, Thou my high tower;
raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.
4 Riches I head not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine inheritance, now and always;
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of heaven, my treasure Thou art.
5 High King of heaven, after victory won,
may I reach heaven’s joys, O bright heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own hear, whatever befalls,
still be my vision, O ruler of all.
CH4 527 – Lord make us servants of your peace
1 Lord, make us servants of your peace;
where there is hate, may we sow love;
where there is hurt, may we forgive;
where there is strife, may we make one.
2 Where all is doubt, may we sow faith;
where all is gloom, may we sow hope;
where all is night, may we sow light;
where all is tears, may we sow joy.
3 Jesus, out Lord, may we not seek
to be consoled, but to console,
not look to understanding hearts,
but look for hearts to understand.
4 May we not look for love’s return,
but seek to love unselfishly,
for in our giving we receive,
and in forgiving are forgiven.
5 Dying, we live, and are reborn
through death’s dark night to endless day;
Lord, may us servants of your peace
to wake at last in heaven’s light.
CH4 622 – We sing a love
1 We sing a love that sets all people free,
that blows like wind, that burns like scorching flame,
enfolds like earth, springs up like water clear:
come, living love, live in our hearts today.
2 We sing a love that seeks another’s good,
that longs to serve and not to count the cost,
a love that, yielding, finds itself made new:
come, caring love, live in our hearts today.
3 We sing a love, unflinching, unafraid
to be itself, despite another’s wrath,
a love that stands alone and undismayed:
come, strengthening love, live in our heart’s today.
4 We sing a love, that, wandering, will not rest
until it finds its way, its home, its source,
through joy and sadness pressing on refreshed:
come, pilgrim love, live in our hearts today.
5 We sing a burning fiery, Holy Ghost
that seeks out shades of ancient bitterness,
transfiguring these, as Christ in every heart:
come joyful love, live in our hearts today.