Sunday Worship 26 October 2025
Today’s service is led by the Revd Adam Payne
Welcome
Good morning. My name is Adam Payne. I am the minister at Godalming United Church in beautiful Surrey. And I am honoured that you are joining with us today for worship wherever you are in the country or the world. Let’s begin our time of worship with a word of prayer: O Giver of dreams and visions, pour out your Spirit upon our fellowship, for we earnestly seek your presence in our lives. Manifest your portents in the heavens and set your signs upon the earth and seas. Touch our spirits with the awe of your majesty, that we may humbly dwell within your courts in peace and harmony. Amen.
Call to Worship
Rejoice in the Lord and be glad. God is our hope and our salvation.
The Lord blesses the earth with rain. God crowns the year with bounty.
The Lord makes old men dream dreams. God makes young girls see visions.
Rejoice in the Lord and be glad. God is our hope and our salvation.
Hymn Father We Praise You, Now the Night Is Over
Attributed to Pope Gregory the Great, translated by Percy Dearmer (1867-1936). Public Domain sung by Chris Brunelle and used with his kind permission.
Father, we praise you, now the night is over;
active and watchful stand we all before you;
singing we offer prayer and meditation: thus we adore you.
Maker of all things, fit us for your mansions;
banish our weakness, health and wholeness sending;
bring us to heaven, where your saints united joy without ending.
All holy Father, Son and equal Spirit,
Trinity blessèd send us your salvation;
Yours is the glory, gleaming and resounding through all creation.
Confession
Gracious God, you call us to offer our lives in joyful service, but we confess that we hold back – from others, from sacrifice, even from you.
We are slow to give, quick to complain, and afraid to trust fully in your love. Forgive us. By your mercy, fill us again with your Spirit, that we may be poured out in love, as Christ was poured out for us. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon
Christ offers a crown of righteousness to those who love him
and long for his appearance. Rejoice and be glad!
Prayer for Illumination
Gracious God, as we come to your Word, open our ears to hear your voice, our minds to understand your truth, and our hearts to receive your call. May the same Spirit that strengthened Paul to run his race with joy and faith now stir in us a desire to follow you with all we are – to offer our lives, poured out in love and service. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, the Living Word – Amen.
Reading 2 Timothy 4:6-8
As for me, I am already being poured out as a libation, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
Hymn All I Once Held Dear
Graham Kendrick (born 1950) © 1993 Make Way Music. OneLicence No. 178345 sung by Michael Lining
All I once held dear, built my life upon,
all this world reveres, and wars to own,
all I once thought gain I have counted loss;
spent and worthless now, compared to this.
Knowing You, Jesus, knowing You, there is no greater thing.
You’re my all, You’re the best, You’re my joy, my righteousness,
and I love You, Lord.
Now my heart’s desire is to know You more,
to be found in You and known as Yours.
to possess by faith what I could not earn,
all-surpassing gift of righteousness.
Knowing You, Jesus, knowing You, there is no greater thing.
You’re my all, You’re the best, You’re my joy, my righteousness,
and I love You, Lord.
Oh, to know the power of Your risen life,
and to know You in Your sufferings.
To become like You in Your death, my Lord,
so with You to live and never die.
Knowing You, Jesus, knowing You, there is no greater thing.
You’re my all, You’re the best, You’re my joy, my righteousness,
and I love You, Lord.
Sermon
In our scripture reading this morning, we are stepping into the final chapter of a deeply personal letter. Paul’s second letter to Timothy. It’s a message written from prison, likely in Rome, as Paul faces the end of his life. And what we’re reading today isn’t just theological instruction. It’s a spiritual farewell full of emotion and urgency. Paul is writing to a younger friend and coworker and the faith offering final encouragement, wisdom, and a challenge to carry the Gospel forward with courage and faithfulness.
In our scripture reading this morning, we see how Paul realized that his time was short. He was in trial in Rome, on trial in Rome, and had already been through his first hearing. He knew that the end was near, and so he’s trying to get all of our, all of his last thoughts so that Timothy can carry on Paul’s ministry. All the little nuggets of, of wisdom that Paul felt Timothy would need to carry on his work. Paul knows that the end is near, and he writes of this in verse six of chapter four. I’m already being poured out as a drink offering and the time of my departure has come. Now this sounds almost like a resignation speech, like he’s giving up. I’ve done all I can here. It’s time for me to move on. But the key word though in this section, which is sometimes translated into English, is as a drink offering.
Now the word that Paul is drawing on here is the word that might be better known in English as a libation, a word that we unfortunately associate with, with drinking. The word libation though comes from a Latin word, meaning to pour out. A libation was an offering of wine that was poured out to a god, literally a, a sacrifice of drink. This drink offering had two effects, a physical effect and a theological effect. And we’re going to first look at the, the theological. Now, I said that Paul’s words here almost sound like a resignation speech, almost melancholy in nature. However, using the word drink offering shows that this was not to be the, the case.
A drink offering was never about sadness. It wasn’t like the sin offering, which was an offering of repentance and guilt. A drink offering was only done at the completion of something, a celebration of something. The drink offering was one of joy and joyous abandonment, and so when to Paul talks about being a libation here, he’s in effect saying, Caesar is not going to kill me. Instead, I am going to give my life as a sacrifice to Jesus Christ. I have been a living sacrifice. Now I’m going to complete that sacrifice. This completing that which has already started is part of Paul’s words Here. He says, I have become, not I will become, but I have become. Paul’s entire life has been about this sacrifice of joy.
Sacrifice for the gospel. Sacrifice for what Paul calls the elect. Sacrifice for his God. James Moffitt, a 19th century theologian, translates verse six rather touchingly, where he says, “the last drops of my own sacrifice are falling.” Paul is at the end of his pouring out here, the end of his sacrifice, the end of his life, but it’s not a sacrifice of regret or bitterness, but a libation of joy. Paul is not telling Timothy that he is giving up, rather, that he is giving over himself fully to God. Even if he believes that the time of his departure may be near.
So that’s the, the theological effect. Now, let’s look at the, the physical effect. An altar in the ancient world would have been a large block of stone that was not quite flat. Instead, it would’ve had horns at the four corners, and so it would’ve formed a, a slight depression or a slight cup effect in the middle. Food crops, sacrificial animals, even wine could be laid or poured into this depression for burning. In fact, most of the time, the altar would’ve already been burning as each new sacrifice was brought forward to be laid upon the altar. And so, what would’ve happened when a drink offering was brought, brought forward, is it would’ve been poured onto this flame that would’ve already going, and if you’ve ever poured water on a campfire, you know what, what happens. There is this puff and lots of smoke. And the aroma spreads everywhere. Now, if Paul himself was a libation. If he’s giving his us an example of him being a libation, I think this spreading is significant as we sacrifice. And our sacrifice may not mean our lives as Paul did, but it could mean a sacrifice of our time, our sacrifice of our money, our sacrifice of giving up those activities that keep us away from God. But wherever they are, as we sacrifice, we need to do so with joy as the drink offering was poured out. We need to sacrifice in a way that affects not only ourselves, but reaches out around us. Just as that aroma of that wine would’ve reached out to those in the temple.
Paul tells Timothy that the time of his departure is near. The word that Paul uses here for departure is a, a nautical term. It speaks of taking a journey of embarking on a new adventure, and Paul looks at his death as a release from the world, an opportunity to set sail in into eternity. And so, as he began this journey, he was able to look back without any regrets. And as he goes, he encourages Timothy to give it his all, to pour out his best, to offer it all to God with joyous abandon, to let the sacrifice of the gospel, the fragrance of the gospel to spread everywhere through you, even if it does mean that Timothy would also depart in peace.
Paul saw his life as a sacrifice to God, a sacrifice that affected others. And the question I want to leave you with today is how can you allowed yourself to be poured out? Poured out, joyous service, poured out and sacrificed to God. Poured out to affect the world and the people around you each and every day.
Hymn When I Survey The Wondrous Cross
Isaac Watts (1674-1748). Public Domain. Courtesy of St Andrew’s Cathedral & Choir, Sydney, Australia
When I survey the wondrous cross
on which the prince of glory died,
my richest gain I count but loss,
and pour contempt on all my pride.
Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast
save in the cross of Christ my God;
the very things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to his blood.
See from his head, his hands, his feet,
sorrow and love flow mingled down:
did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
or thorns compose so rich a crown?
His dying crimson, like a robe,
spreads o’er his body on the tree;
then am I dead to all the globe,
and all the globe is dead to me.
Were the whole realm of nature mine,
that were an offering far too small;
love so amazing, so divine,
demands my soul, my life, my all.
Prayers of Intercession
Let us pray to the God who calls us to pour out our lives in faith, hope, and love.
Faithful God, strengthen your Church in every place.
Help us to run the race before us with courage and joy,
and to offer our lives in loving service, as Paul did.
Raise up faithful leaders,
and encourage all who serve in your name.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer.
God of peace, pour out your justice on the nations.
Where there is conflict, bring healing.
Where there is suffering, bring relief.
Where there is despair, bring hope.
Let your love spread through every act of compassion.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer.
Loving God, we pray for those who are in need today —
the sick, the lonely, the grieving, the afraid.
Pour out your Spirit upon them,
and surround them with your care.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer.
Gracious God, teach us to offer ourselves with joy,
to live lives that bless others,
and to trust in the hope of eternal life,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Offering Prayer
Oh, God of endless blessings,
You shower the earth with life-giving rain;
You dress the meadows in vibrant flowers;
You adorn the valleys with abundant grain;
You crown the year with your shining blessings;
You light the gateways of evening
And the morning with joyful shouts.
What can we offer you?
How can we ever repay you for your grace and mercy?
Accept the fruits of our hard work.
And please accept the gift of our humble thanks,
And keep our hearts safe in your Spirit. Amen.
Hymn Abide With Me
Henry Francis Lyte (1847) Public Domain, sung by the Antrim Mennonite Choir
Abide with me; fast falls the eventide:
the darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide:
when other helpers fail, and comforts flee,
help of the helpless, O abide with me.
I need thy presence every passing hour;
what but thy grace can foil the tempter’s power?
Who, like thyself, my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.
Hold thou thy cross before my closing eyes;
shine through the gloom, and point me to the skies;
heaven’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee;
in life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.
Benediction
Fight the good fight. Finish the race. Keep the faith.
Love deeply and live well. Claim the crown of righteousness,
which is given to all who love God
and who yearn for Christ’s appearance. Amen