The Big Idea
Faith is about more than just belief. It’s about action.
Music
Songs at the start:
- Forever (give thanks to the Lord) – Chris Tomlin
- Great is thy faithfulness
Song in the middle:
- Mighty to save (everyone needs compassion) – Hillsong
Song at the end:
- Be bold, be strong – Morris Chapman
Other songs you could consider:
- All through history – Nick and Becky Drake
- If faith can move the mountains (waiting here for you) – Martin Smith
- Our God is greater – Matt Redman and Chris Tomlin
- Indescribable – Chris Tomlin
- Our God is a great big God – Vineyard
- Oceans – Hillsong
- Waymaker – Leeland
- By Faith – Keith and Kristyn Getty
- Yet not I, but through Christ in me – City alight
- Just as I am (traditional hymn)
- Just as I am (modern version with chorus) – Travis Cottrell
- What a friend we have in Jesus
Prayers
Follow the format of A TSP, but invite people to do some simple actions as they pray, either led from the front or in small groups in the congregation.
- Adoration – raise one hand up
- Thank you – hold hands out in front of you
- Sorry – place hand over heart
- Please – hold hands together in traditional “praying” position
Activity
Show the linked video clip of Indiana Jones who is hunting for treasure. He has reached the final obstacle by following the instructions of his father who hasn’t let him down so far. There comes a point where the journey forward seems impossible and he needs to decide whether to step into the unknown.
Introduce the clip by asking if anyone can think of a time when they were faced with something they thought was impossible, but they managed to do by trusting. If possible, briefly tell a story of a time you were in this situation.
Readings
We used Psalm 33:4-5 as the call to worship.
The main reading is Matthew 9:18-26, which tells the stories of the man whose daughter was raised to life, and the woman healed from a bleeding disorder.
Talk
The talk contrasts the man and woman in the story. One is respected as a community leader, the other is excluded due to her illness. Although they are different in many ways, on the day they met Jesus, they both made a decision to act in faith. Jesus responded to both with kindness and compassion.
This passage highlights how our own faith requires action. If the characters had not acted as they did, Jesus would not have responded as he did. We need to not just believe that God exists, but act on it too.
A full talk is available to download.
Response
There are 4 different responses for this service. Set up all four and then the congregation members can choose which is best for them.
- A prayer trail (see download files for the trail and the prayers) that uses physical actions to pray. Alongside each elements of the trail is a short prayer suggestion. It reminds you how God helps you, gives you chance to tell God what makes you nervous, has opportunity to ask God to help you be brave and ends with chance to make a promise to be faithful. This video shows it in action.
- Set up for prayer stations, each of which has a prayer suggestion and simple action. This is a less active version of the prayer trail and has slightly deeper instructions. The final station requires some images of the woman touching Jesus’ robes, which can be taken away. These can easily be found online, either via art gallery websites or a store like Etsy.
- A journal sheet asks questions about faith. Print this (see download) and provide pens/pencils. People may want to answer the questions in the service or take them away to reflect on later.
- Playdough mats. These need printing and ideally laminating. Provide playdough (either homemade or bought). Invite people to shape the playdough into the footprint shapes on the mat while discussing the questions.
Play: If Faith Can Move the Mountains (Martin Smith), Oceans (Hillsong) or Miracle Maker (Delirious?)