Welcome to our morning worship, Rev Stephen Haward is leading today.

All hymns can be found on YouTube.

HYMN Mission Praise 1341 ‘O God beyond all praising’
Music Gustav Holst, Words Michael Perry

Welcome and Call to Worship, Prayer and Bible Reading Mark 2:13-20

‘I have loved you with an everlasting love’, says the Lord.
In this the love of God was revealed among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.
(We say together) 
‘COME DOWN, O LOVE DIVINE,
  SEEK THOU THIS SOUL OF MINE
  AND VISIT IT WITH THINE OWN ARDOUR GLOWING.
  O COMFORTER DRAW NEAR,
  WITHIN MY HEART APPEAR,
  AND KINDLE IT, THY HOLY FLAME BESTOWING’.
         (Sentences Jeremiah 31:3, 1 John 4:9, verse by RF Littledale)

HYMN Mission Praise 272 ‘I have decided to follow Jesus’
Anon Copyright control

Church News and Bible Reading Romans 13:7-12

HYMN Mission Praise 1282 ‘Hear the call of the kingdom’
Music and Lyrics: Stuart Townend, Keith Getty & Kristyn Getty Copyright: © 2006, Thankyou Music

Sermon, Prayers, Act of Dedication and Blessing

HYMN ‘The golden rule’
Nick and Becky Drake, CCL 53960

Mark 2:13-20

Jesus calls Levi and eats with sinners
¹³ Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them. ¹⁴ As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth. ‘Follow me,’ Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.
¹⁵ While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. ¹⁶ When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: ‘Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?’
¹⁷ On hearing this, Jesus said to them, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but those who are ill. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.’
Jesus questioned about fasting
¹⁸ Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came and asked Jesus, ‘How is it that John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?’
¹⁹ Jesus answered, ‘How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them. ²⁰ But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast.

Romans 13:7-12

⁷ Give to everyone what you owe them: if you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honour, then honour.
Love fulfils the law
⁸ Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. ⁹ The commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not covet,’ and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ ¹⁰ Love does no harm to a neighbour. Therefore love is the fulfilment of the law.
The day is near
¹¹ And do this, understanding the present time: the hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. ¹² The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armour of light.