Included here are the "sermon" parts of the service which was led by members and leaders of the youth group.

This was my first sermon and I include it on this website purely out of historical interest.

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Before this sermon the following songs were sung.

1

For the beauty of the earth

For the glory of the skies,

For the love which from our birth

Over and around us lies.

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Gracious God, to Thee we raise,

This our hymn of grateful praise.

2

For the beauty of each hour,

Of the day and of the night,

Hill and vale, and tree and flower,

Sun and moon, and stars of light.

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Gracious God, to Thee we raise,

This our hymn of grateful praise.

3

For the joy of ear and eye,

For the heart and mind's delight,

For the mystic harmony

Linking sense to sound and sight.

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Gracious God, to Thee we raise,

This our hymn of grateful praise.

4

For the joy of human love,

Brother, sister, parent, child,

Friends on earth and friends above,

For all gentle thoughts and mild.

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Gracious God, to Thee we raise,

This our hymn of grateful praise.

5

For each perfect gift of thine

To our race so freely given,

Graces human and divine,

Flowers of earth and buds of heaven:

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Gracious God, to Thee we raise,

This our hymn of grateful praise.

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F. S. Pierpoint (1835-1917) alt.

Hymns and Psalms C 1983 Methodist Publishing House.

CCL 302202

1

Think of a world without any flowers,

Think of a world without any trees,

Think of a sky without any sunshine,

Think of the air without any breeze:

We thank you, Lord, for flowers and trees and sunshine;

We thank you, Lord, and praise your holy name.

2

Think of a world without any animals,

Think of a world without any herd,

Think of a stream without any fishes,

Think of a dawn without any bird:

We thank you, Lord, for all your living creatures;

We thank you, Lord, and praise your holy name.

6.

Think of a world without any people,

Think of a street with no-one living there,

Think of a town without any houses,

No-one to love and nobody to care:

We thank you, Lord, for families and friendships;

We thank you, Lord, and praise your holy name.

Doreen Newport (1927 - )

Hymns and Psalms C 1983 Methodist Publishing House.

CCL302202

In that song we were thankful for things, but it had sinister undertones, didn't it. Think of a world without any flowers, or trees or seas with no fish. A field without herds.

For many people much of that is a living reality at this very moment. In 1950 Ethiopia had forests covering 40% of its land with a population of 5 million. Today trees cover less than 5% of the land and the population is 40 million.

There used to be rich rainforests throughout the equatorial zone - Africa, Asia and Central/Southern America. The root cause of their decline is the number of people in the world. In any one area, for instance, Panama, when the population gets congested in one place, the people move out into the forest. They chop down the trees and then either grow crops or graze cattle. This is what they have to do in order to try to survive. Central America has now lost almost two thirds of its rainforests to cattle ranching alone. Whilst endeavouring to survive, humanity tends to leave a trail of wreckage behind.

Let me continue the example of rainforests. You might imagine that since the rainforests are thousands of miles away they have no effect on us. But that is far from the truth. Many of the things we take for granted originated in the forests. For instances drugs to fight cancer or even the rubber of car tyres. Additionally, rainforests contribute to the natural cycles of air soil and water on which we all ultimately depend. But they are only available as long as they are intact. At the moment the rainforests are being destroyed at a fast rate. An area the size of England, Scotland & Wales is devastated each year. And with the land go the animals. Every thirty minutes one species of animal becomes extinct in the rainforest alone.

Within a short period of time the newly exposed land becomes infertile, and, lacking the cover of trees, rain and wind quickly remove the soil and the result is basically desert.

Rainforests bring about rainfall and so when they are no longer there the chances of drought increase.

The church must not relax its responsibility towards the physical world. I have mentioned only one area in which we affect the world. There are of course others. The unfortunate fact is that there appears no solution to wide-ranging problems we have created. There are only methods of controlling the damage. The physical world of the future will be a harder place.

But the church can help people face their difficulties I the best light. But the physical world is only one aspect of this world. There are also the aspects of friendship and our spiritual strength that is where the church can have its most effect. My feeling is that if the world of the future is going to be a worse place then facilities for friendship and strength must be needed more than ever.

However there is a definite decline in the quality of life on this side also.

Take for example the troubles that are to be found in football grounds. Or the tendency for some people to swear openly in public.

The implications for this kind of behaviour on the spiritual life of Britain in the future are equally as unpleasant as the implications that I have discussed for the physical world.

We are concerned about the decline in close-knit spiritual communities in many parts of the world and likewise for reverence for the teachings of Jesus. Few people have more than a passing interest in Jesus. This is how it has always been. Jesus himself knew there were people who were not interested in his message. This is why he used parables.

Parables are stories which are used to illustrate deeper meanings. They are used to help people who have some spiritual strength and want a bit more.

I have sometimes been a bit concerned about Jesus attitude when he told parables. He knew some people wouldn't understand their meaning. But in the light for the need for spiritual improvement in the present day I am beginning to understand it.

The key word is "resources". If you want to set about spreading the message of Jesus to others we have only limited resources. Knowledge, physical strength and time. We have a choice in how we use these resources. Either widely but in thin applications, or thickly but to a limited number of people. Jesus chose the later way. He had only twelve close disciples to whom he spoke in detail. By not speaking deeply to those who didn't want to be attracted Jesus was able to build a secure base for the future. The church of the present must emulate him in order to make the best use of resources, to enjoy life.

So how do we attract people to God in a climate of thought not entirely inclined that way? So that we can share our resources, deepen theirs and receive from them in return?

Some of us have been attending a course on Wednesday evenings which revolves about caring about people. Only last week we happened to be thinking about this subject: arousing an interest in God in other people. In short, evangelism.

It was suggested that to most people the first and most obvious way to begin was with caring friendliness for its own sake rather than talking God right away. As trust develops then perhaps life's problems might be shared in conversation. Then there may come the chance to say something about how God has helped us.

Sharing our resources of strength in the hope that it becomes theirs. Sometimes we're a bit shy about that, aren't we, myself included. We hear people say something in the shops and we know what we would like to say about God that helped us and we don't say it. But you know, it stuck me, we should be glad to say something about God to people. Because maybe God can't develop a deeper awareness of himself I our friend until we have opened up the way for him. So really we should give him a hand. But it does depend on our awareness of God, doesn't it. So that we have something positive to pass on at the opportune moment.

A lot more could be said about how a growing awareness lessen the tings that hold us back. Shyness, fears, our worst selves. We talked about that on Sunday evening and this awareness replaces those adverse feelings with a more solid feeling of confidence - the peace that passes understanding is the technical term. I can speak for that over the last ten years. I can honestly say now that God is to be recommended and that if everyone here has not given him a try yet, please do so. He won't let you down. He wants you to give him a try.

In this changing world where do don't quite know where it will all end up or what will happen next, this awareness of God is our one solid source of stability. The one we're meant to have. But so often do without. So I'd sum it up this way: Take care of what we have left of God's physical resources. Tap into his spiritual resources. Give him a hand and share his resources with others and enjoy a new deep down satisfaction despite what outward circumstances you happen to be in.

God bless us all.

Father we have heard how mankind has harmed your world in the interest of profit and so-called progress.

On behalf of mankind we confess our misuse of what you have provided.

We ask your forgiveness for all those who realise what they have done and are sorry about it. We ask that in our daily lives our attention may be turned from what is to our own advantage to what helps to share your love and is pleasing to you.

We are thankful for those who have responded to the suffering cries in other countries.

May we give our support to them in whatever way we can and not be indifferent to the conditions they are trying to improve.

We are thankful too for moves taking places to reduce weapons of war and ask that those engaged in talks between nations may perceive what is best for the whole world and not just for part of it.

We know that your ways are best for the world. That your way is best for us.

We thank you that you are available to us if only we would turn to you and learn of you.

We think of everything you are and mean to us as we say your prayer,

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory forever and ever,

Amen.