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[0:00] books in Sing Sam's Psalm 98. Sing Sam's Psalm 98, that's a page 129. Psalm 98, page 129.

[0:16] And we can sing verses 1 down to the end of verse 3. Psalm 98, page 129, and verses 1 down to the end of verse 3.

[0:34] O sing a new song to the Lord, for wonders he has done, his right hand and his holy arm, the victory have won.

[0:45] Psalm 98, verses 1 down to the end of verse 3, to God's praise. O sing a new song to the Lord, for wonders he has done, his right hand and his holy arm, the victory have won.

[1:24] The Lord be clear this saving word, and give it to the Lord.

[1:40] For all the nations of the Lord, his righteous death is shown.

[1:56] His death was not a faithfulness, he has remembered hell.

[2:12] Let the Lord be made with him, the house of Israel.

[2:27] His right hand and his holy arm, and all the nations of the earth, have seen what God has done.

[2:44] I want to praise. He will never ask, by his right hand and all.

[3:01] Amen. Okay, boys and girls, mums and dads, we now pray together for a wee while. Okay, let's pray. Lord, thank you for our time together today.

[3:15] Thank you for everyone here. Thank you that we can come just now, and we can know that you are God. That you see us, and that you know us, and that you are here with us today.

[3:26] Thank you, Lord, for not just the boys and the girls, and mums and dads, but thank you for everyone who is in this place today. Thank you for bringing us here together. Thank you, Lord, for this gift of a short time just to sing your praises.

[3:43] A short time to think about who you are, and what you have done. To think about your goodness and your love towards us, towards your people. We pray especially today, Lord, for the boys and the girls and our teenage friends.

[3:58] For those who have been in Sunday school for the last while, and those who have recently joined us. Lord, we thank you for them. We thank you for all of our hard work over the last year and the last few weeks.

[4:10] We thank you for what we hear, that they are good listeners and hard workers, and that they are there to learn well. We thank you, Lord, for the good news that they have done so much hard work this year.

[4:26] For the teachers tell us of how good they are, and of how proud they are of the boys and the girls. Thank you, Lord, for giving us boys and girls who care. Lord, we give you praise that we have, a year ago just now, we prayed for an increase in our number.

[4:42] We pray to see more boys and girls. And this past year, you have heard our prayer, and we see and we know you have answered our prayer. I see more faces and more boys and more girls and more young friends come out and to hear the word.

[4:58] We ask, Lord, that you would hear the same prayer once more. We would again see an increase of all the worries and problems and complications that we'll bring with space and with organizing.

[5:10] We ask for an increase. We ask, Lord, we would see more and more. Not for our glory, not for the glory of this church or this congregation, but for your glory. That more and more people would hear the life-giving good news.

[5:25] That Jesus was sent to save sinners. That with Jesus for his hope. With Jesus for everyone who comes to trust in him and believe in him.

[5:35] He hears. He saves. He rescues. And he gives us new life. Thank you, Lord, for the end of a year. Not just in Sunday school, but also for the boys and the girls.

[5:46] And the end of a year in school. Thank you for all the hard work they have done in school. Thank you just now especially for all we heard the other day. And back all the achievements, both academic and in sport and in music and Gaelic and everything else the boys and the girls done all year.

[6:07] Pray just now especially for all the new P1s coming in. Look after them and be with them. We pray also for their mums and dads and those who love them. Who be worried for them. Lord, give them peace.

[6:19] We also pray just now, Lord, for those going in to the Nicholson. Those leaving P7 and going and starting a new part of their journey. Give them peace.

[6:30] That they would know that although it's a big move and at times a scary move. It's one you've given them the skills and the talents and the abilities to work through.

[6:42] We ask for you to be with them and encourage them. And keep them looking to you. Pray just now for Sunday school teachers. Those who have taught faithfully this past year.

[6:52] We thank you for them. We ask you to encourage them. Ask, Lord, that you would remind them that the work they do, it is no small work. That every single lesson they teach.

[7:03] Every single hour they put into preparing these lessons. It is blessed by you. They're engaging in the same work we all engage in. Of building up the kingdom. Whether from pulpit or in Sunday school class.

[7:16] It is your work we do. Thank you, Lord, for just now those at home who love the boys and the girls. Those who perhaps don't come to church. Or those who don't often come to church.

[7:28] But who nonetheless love the boys and the girls. We ask for them. We thank you for them. Looking after these young friends. But we ask, Lord, that they would come to know themselves. And come to love you themselves also.

[7:39] We pray on top of all these things. Most importantly. We thank you for the fun we've had this year. The friends and the new friends we've made this year. But we pray especially for every one of us.

[7:53] Boys and girls. Mums and dads. Grannies and granddads. Great-grannies and great-granddads. Everyone here who loves and who looks after. Everyone here, part of this congregation.

[8:04] Our biggest and highest prayer is we would all come to know Jesus as our friend. As our Lord. And as our saviour. As we ask that for ourselves.

[8:15] We ask the same thing for the whole of North Tulsa. We ask, Lord, that every home here. Every family. Every individual. Would come to know Jesus as our friend.

[8:26] As our Lord. And as their saviour. Help us, Lord, as a congregation to be faithful. Help us week by week and month by month. Hour by hour at times. To go out into this world.

[8:39] To live lives that glorify you. To be good friends. To be good neighbours. In all our conduct. Everything we say and think and do. To be witnesses of our risen saviour.

[8:51] Lord, we confess at times we are poor witnesses. We say the wrong things. We act in ways that bring shame to the gospel. Rather than bring the hope and peace of the gospel.

[9:03] Lord, forgive us for that we ask. Pray just now for every congregation across our island. And across our nation. Not just praying for our own denomination. We pray for every congregation today.

[9:15] Across the denominations. That is worshipping you in spirit and in truth. Lord, we ask your gospel blessing on them. We ask that you would increase your power amongst them.

[9:26] We ask for days of gospel flourishing in Scotland. Gospel flourishing in our island. Gospel flourishing in our village. For the name of Jesus would be known in every home.

[9:37] For every home we would be praising the risen Lord. Until we see these days of gospel hope. We thank you for the place you have put us. We understand, Lord, there are many things we wish to be different.

[9:51] We wish for these pews all to be full. We wish for ourselves and our own hearts to be more filled, perhaps, with the joy and the peace and the enthusiasm of the gospel.

[10:03] But we are where we are in all these things. And we take them to you. We cannot save anyone. We can't bring any more numbers into this building.

[10:13] We can't do any work in anyone's life. It is all you. We are here to point the way to our glorious saviour. But it is his finished work that saves his people.

[10:27] Help us, Lord, then with confidence to go out this new week. Sharing the good news. Boldly, gently, in love. Sharing the good news that with Jesus there is hope and there is help.

[10:39] That with Jesus there is life eternal. That without Jesus there is no hope. There is no help. That without Jesus there is only a lost eternity.

[10:51] Help us to be solemn enough to understand our calling. To be gentle enough to share the good news carefully. To be firm enough not to be swayed or moved.

[11:03] But those who stand against the good news. And to be filled, so filled, with the love of our saviour. We are willing to share the good news. In and out of season. In every circumstance.

[11:14] In every situation. As we thank you for all your goodness shown to us. We pray just now for the other congregation in our village. We pray just now for our brothers and sisters next door.

[11:25] Pray for them especially in their time of vacancy. Their time without a minister. We ask you to bless them. We ask you to increase their number also. We ask you to encourage them.

[11:35] And we ask that in your plan, in your way, you would provide for them a minister. We remember also brothers and sisters across the world. Who are being persecuted right now.

[11:46] Brothers and sisters who are facing a horrendous time. Brothers and sisters who love you. But who right now are in prison or worse.

[11:57] Simply for daring to share the good news. Be with them Lord and encourage them where they are. Help us Lord then to have our minds and our hearts focused on you for this short time together.

[12:10] Ask all of these things. Looking and putting all our hope and all our strength in Jesus our Saviour. In his name and for his sake. Amen.

[12:22] Let's read in the Bible. And we can read in the book of John. The Gospel of John. The Gospel of John and Chapter 3.

[12:34] This will be verses I'm sure we've all heard, boys and girls too, before. The amazing thing of the Bible is, even if we've heard or read a verse before, it's always still amazing.

[12:46] John Chapter 3. It's on page 834. John Chapter 3. Page 834.

[12:57] The page as you see at the top of the Bible. In quite small wee numbers. Page 834. John Chapter 3. John Chapter 3.

[13:11] We're going to read verse 1 down to verse 17. John Chapter 3. Let's hear together God's Word. Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.

[13:26] This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, Rabbi, which means teacher, we know that you are a teacher come from God. For no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.

[13:40] Jesus answered him, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus said to him, How can a man be born when he is old?

[13:52] Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born? Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

[14:05] That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit. Do not marvel what I said to you, you must be born again. The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear it sound.

[14:20] But you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit. Nicodemus said to him, How can these things be?

[14:32] Jesus answered him, Are you the teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony.

[14:49] If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.

[15:04] And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

[15:24] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

[15:43] And so on. And we give thanks to God that he gave us the Bible, which is true and which is perfect in everything that it says.

[15:56] We can sing one more time just now. After we sing, we're going to have a few minutes thinking about what we read in the Bible. The same psalm again, Psalm 98.

[16:06] So sing psalms, Psalm 98. And we're singing this time verses 4 down to verse 9. So Psalm 98, page 129.

[16:22] Psalm 98, page 129. So lots of boys and girls finding their own pages. Well done, it's not easy. Psalm 98, page 129.

[16:32] And we're singing verses 4 down to the end. This psalm is all about praising God, saying thank you to God because he is so, so good.

[16:47] Acclaim the Lord, O all the earth. Shout loudly and rejoice. Make music and be jubilant. To him lift up your voice.

[16:57] It's Psalm 98, verses 4 to the end of the psalm to God's praise. Let's sing fully로ES.

[17:16] Thank you.

[17:46] Thank you.

[18:16] Thank you.

[18:46] Thank you. Thank you.

[19:46] Thank you. Thank you.

[20:18] Thank you. Thank you. Okay. Try and help us to understand this verse. There's a few things behind me to help us hopefully understand what God is saying to us in this verse.

[20:33] So first of all, we're going to think about the love of God. The love of God. For God so loved the world.

[20:44] Now, last time we did a talk, remember, we're going to be much more serious today, aren't we? Much more complicated. We're going to be ready for ages today.

[20:54] I'm seeing Ben going, oh no. Lots more talking. We're going to learn all about Greek and Hebrew. I'm joking. We're going to spend a wee time together. God so loved the world. So first of all, it tells us, doesn't it, that God loves who?

[21:09] Who is in the world, boys and girls? It's not a trick question. Who's in the world? All of us, aren't we? Yes? No? Yes? Thank you. We're all in the world. God loves, okay.

[21:21] Does God just love really, really smart people? No. Does God only love people who get lots and lots of prizes at their school prize giving?

[21:35] No. Good. Because I don't think I ever got a prize in primary school. I got one prize in my whole 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13 years in school.

[21:48] I got one single prize. That wasn't maths. I got one prize for a Gaelic prize. And boys and girls, you know, that's secret. I was in the learner's class in Gaelic. And really, I probably should have been in the fluent class.

[22:00] But don't tell the teachers that. They've probably forgotten that. So God loves who? Smart people only? No. Does God only love people who know the Bible, every single word, who memorize every word?

[22:11] Of course not. Does God only love ministers and elders? Of course not. Does God love all sorts of people?

[22:25] Yeah. Young people? Old, old, older people? People who have different languages and different cultures? Who perhaps look very different to us and speak very different to us?

[22:39] Yeah. If you remember in the prayer just now, we prayed for what the Bible says, brothers and sisters. So other Christians, other people who come to church and who love Jesus. And right now, there are Christians everywhere in the world.

[22:52] In India, in almost all of the countries in Africa, even up the furthest northern parts of this world. All of the cold, cold parts. There's Christians up there.

[23:05] There's Christians in some of the deep jungles in South Africa. There's some Christians there. There's Christians everywhere. Different colours and different cultures, different languages.

[23:16] And God loves all his people. The thing is, I can't really show you that, can I? Because the best way to show you the love of God, it's Jesus.

[23:28] The Bible says God loves us so much, he sent us his son, Jesus. Now the Bible tells us, and boys and girls, you know us from Sunday school, but just mums and dads, granddads, a reminder for all of us.

[23:44] The Bible says that we aren't really good. We do what we do, and we say, and we think bad things. And the Bible calls that sin. The Bible says God is perfect, isn't he?

[23:54] God's incredible. God's amazing. And because we do and think and say bad things, it means we are not perfect. Boys and girls, do you guys do bad things ever?

[24:10] Some of you shook your head. You've all just told a lie there. So that's a, yeah, okay, we all do bad things, don't we? Yes, we do. And God is perfect. The Bible says that because he's perfect, because we're not, we can't get to him.

[24:26] But God sends Jesus. God loves us so much, he sent his son, Jesus, to come down, to become like us. He was born as a wee boy.

[24:38] He grew up as a wee boy. He learned to speak and to read and to write, we maybe think. Who knows? He learned to walk and to talk and to sing.

[24:48] He learned from his dad how to do his job, how to build things. He became like us. And God loves us so much, he sent his son, even though Jesus came.

[25:05] Of course, he died, didn't he? He was killed. But we'll see more of that in a second. So God loves us. But God also loves Jesus, doesn't he?

[25:17] God loves Jesus. His only son. Now think how much you love your mum or dad or granny or granddad or great granny or great granddad. Or think how much you love your brother or sister, parents, grannies and granddads, everyone here.

[25:33] Think how much you love your children or your friends or your family. The love that we have, boys and girls, for those around us, the love we have for our parents, is a very big love, isn't it?

[25:45] It's a heart. I don't like this very much, sorry Emma. It's a heart made of shells. It's, yeah, it's a heart made of shells.

[25:58] It looks nice on a wall far away. Up close, it's quite, yeah. It's a heart made of shells, boys and girls. This is love. Now this isn't just a heart made of shells we got in other pool. This is actually a bit more important.

[26:09] And although I'm not the biggest fan of it, it's actually quite special. We bought this, I think, coming home from our honeymoon after our wedding. So we got married and we came home. And away home in other pool, we bought this heart made of shells.

[26:24] Now of course, Emma and I are married and we love each other very much. And boys and girls, you love your parents very much. And the person you love most in this world, the love that God has for Jesus, is so, so much bigger than that.

[26:38] And boys and girls, the Bible tells us the love God has for everyone who believes in him is so, so much bigger than all of that love.

[26:50] God loves the world. He loves everyone who comes to him. All types of people. Boys and girls, young and old, mum and dad. God loves us so much, he does something.

[27:04] For God so loved the world, what? He gave his only son. He sent Jesus into the world. And what does that mean? That whoever believes in him should not die, but have eternal life.

[27:18] God gives us an invite. He says, I love you so much, I sent Jesus. Now I forgot to print it off. On my phone here is an invite.

[27:29] This invite I got the other day, I'll read out to you. Dear Reverend MacLeod, On behalf of the staff and pupils of Sola Vahk, I'd like to formally invite you to attend the school's annual prize giving.

[27:45] Would you please if you would be the prize giving at 9.15am with the other VIPs? Boys and girls, I was a VIP. What does that mean?

[27:56] A very important guest. Boys and girls, mums and dads, other prize giving. I was on the stage beside Reverend MacLeod, Colin and back. And two seats specially for us.

[28:08] It was great in front of the whole school. Two seats specially for us there. Our names were there. We had a wee sheet with our names in it just for us. Only we could sit there.

[28:19] Only we were invited to be there. And because we were invited and we were special guests, we got to sit on the stage and see all the boys and the girls and all the amazing things you guys have done, or some of you guys have done this past year.

[28:32] But that invite, if anyone else arrived that day and said, Hi, I'm Donald. Would they be allowed on the stage? Of course not. If Emma went and said to me and said, Hi, I'm Donald.

[28:45] Can I go on the stage and sit beside Colin? They'd say, get lost. You're not allowed here. You aren't invited. This is the only invite for me. For the Reverend Donald MacLeod.

[28:56] The Bible says here that God invites us to love him and to come to him. And God's invite isn't just to one person.

[29:08] What does the Bible say? That God's invite is to whoever. Big huge word there. To everyone. Everyone who wants to believe in Jesus.

[29:19] The invite is for you. Boys and girls. Mums and dads. Guys and granddads. The invite is for you. To come and to believe in Jesus. But what does it mean to believe in someone?

[29:34] Okay. Here's a question. Okay. So. Where do I live? Just point. Where do I live? Roughly. Okay. Good.

[29:45] Okay. What's my job? Go on. It's not a question. Shut it. Someone shut it. It is dark. How old am I? Oh. How old am I?

[29:57] I'm almost a big age. 30? Oh, go for it. I'm 40. We'll say 30. Okay. Right. Who am I married to? Emma.

[30:09] Yes. Okay. So you know some facts, don't you? Right? A hard fact. Where do I come from? What's a village where I come from? Get this wrong and you're in trouble.

[30:22] Grab are the best village in the whole wide world. Okay. Facts. Do you know more things about me? What is my favourite type of crisps?

[30:33] I mean... Ah, I'm here. To be fair, my favourite crisps in the whole wide world is Doritos.

[30:45] But the problem is when we buy them, I eat them. So I don't have any to show you. But this is... Well, actually, Emma's crisps. More than my crisps. Because Emma's far better at not eating crisps than I am.

[30:56] So I like crisps. I like these crisps. I like them very much. I have them for my lunch sometimes. With my lunch. Okay. What do I like to read? Any guesses? Go on.

[31:08] Bible, yes. Of course. Do you think I sit all day and read really serious big books? Really complicated books? Boys and girls, I didn't do very well in school.

[31:19] I like to read fun books too. In fact, my favourite book to read is very serious. A very serious author called Andy McNabb. Mums and dads will understand this more, perhaps boys and girls.

[31:32] This is a very serious author who writes very serious books about very serious things. And he doesn't. This is all about guns and stuff and war. And he's a soldier. And he goes and explores and does things.

[31:44] I like reading lots of books like this. I also have a big collection and grabber of the Commando comics. Which I forgot to take over with me. I like lots of things. Okay.

[31:57] What about hobbies? What's the best thing I love in the whole world? What's my most favourite hobby? Not hobby. Biggest interest. Biggest interest. Is it watching telly?

[32:08] Is it languages? My biggest interest is actually history. I like Gaelic history. I like island history. And this book is actually really cool. I've got a collection of quite cool books.

[32:19] This is a book. Andrew, hands off. This is a book from 1941 that was given to Gaelic-speaking soldiers. This is the actual book. Gaelic-speaking soldiers to go and to read.

[32:33] It's encouragement from the Bible. It's some prayers and some Bible readings and some sermons. And lots of soldiers had this with them in the war. This book was given to me by my great, great auntie.

[32:45] Who had lots of things, cool things like this. So you guys know something about me. But really, no one really knows me. Do we?

[32:56] Emma does. And the Bible says we have to believe in Jesus. And believing in Jesus isn't just knowing all the facts and figures. You say, well, I know he's God. I know he's God's son.

[33:08] I know he came to die for me. I know this. I know that. That's all good. We have to know these things. But it's about knowing him. It's like your teachers, boys and girls, isn't it?

[33:20] You know about your teachers. You know perhaps their second names, their surnames. Some of you know their first names. But you don't know really what their life is like or what fun things they do. The Bible says we have to get to know Jesus personally.

[33:35] It's not just about knowing about him. We actually have to get to know him. And we do that by talking to him, by praying to him, and by reading the Bible.

[33:46] And as we read the Bible, we learn all about him. And as we talk to him, as we pray, we speak to him. Boys and girls, don't answer this. You don't have to. I won't look up.

[33:56] I wonder if you guys have ever prayed. Not at Sunday school. Not at home, maybe. Not doing grace. Have you ever actually prayed? Boys and girls and teens, I was 11 or 12, I think, when I first time I actually prayed for myself.

[34:12] And I just said a few words. I said something really small. And the thing is, when you pray, it's not about special words or fancy words. It's about talking to God.

[34:23] And God says he hears his people when we pray to him. So God says to come and to believe in Jesus. To get to know Jesus. And what does God say he gives us if we come and believe in Jesus?

[34:39] Whoever believes in him will not die, but have eternal life. Will not die, but have eternal life.

[34:53] So you guys, some of you guys are right, I'm 30. Mums and dads will agree here. Grans and granddads will agree even more. Boys and girls, life goes by so quick.

[35:05] You think, oh, I can't wait until I'm 20. Can't wait until I'm 15. Can't wait until I'm older. I can do more fun things. Boys and girls, I think a lot of the mums and dads here wish they were your age again sometimes.

[35:18] Life goes by so quickly. In my mind, I still think I'm 16, 17, 20 maybe. I realise, oh, I'm married. And oh, my hair's falling out.

[35:29] And oh, I'm a minister now in North Tolstain. Wow, life is going by really fast. Imagine if this is life. Where's Donald? I'll drop it in here. Life is really fast.

[35:40] Now, this is our life, right? Maybe you're 10 and you're 20 and you're 30, 40, 50. And life goes by really quickly.

[35:51] But God says if we believe in him, life doesn't stop when we die. The Bible says if we love Jesus, life goes on how long?

[36:02] Well, forever and forever and forever and forever and forever. The Bible says life with Jesus is life forever.

[36:16] And this bit of string ends ends here. And this bit of string ends here.

[36:29] The Bible says life with Jesus. The Bible says life with Jesus. If we love him and believe in him, we go to heaven and we're with him forever and ever and ever.

[36:40] Never stops. Never stops. Always happy. Always happy. Always good. But even more amazing, the Bible says if we love Jesus now, he is with us now. All the scary times, going to the Nicholson, scary.

[36:53] Going up a class in school, scary. When sad things happen perhaps at home or scary things happen at home, the Bible says he's with us. Beside us, every single step of the way.

[37:05] When people we love perhaps are ill or aren't feeling well and we're scared, the Bible says we can say these things to God and ask him for help and he hears us and he cares.

[37:16] Boys and girls, mums and dads, grannies and granddads, God so loves the world. Every type of person, big or small, young or old, he is there for you.

[37:31] And why and how has he shown that love? He sent Jesus who died for us and we've learned about this before. And because he died and he rose again from the dead, he gives us eternal life.

[37:45] But we have to get to know him. Not just know about him, we have to get to know him personally as our friend, as our saviour. If we get to know him, he gives us what?

[37:57] Life that lasts how long? Life that lasts forever. Boys and girls, you guys have listened so well. You sat through hours and hours of prize giving the other day.

[38:10] Honestly, parents, guys, granddads, you should so proud of your boys and girls babies. Colin McLeod and myself sat far less quietly and carefully than the boys and girls did.

[38:22] They did so well. And you guys sat so well just now. It was a long time, half an hour where you sat just now for almost. So the plan now is go home and think about these things and ask the big questions.

[38:33] And if you haven't tried yet, boys and girls, go home and in your own mind sometime close your eyes later on today and pray and talk to God and say whatever you want to. And God promises he hears the prayers of those who talk to him.

[38:48] The plan is we're now going to close in a second. I'm going to say a benediction. When I say a benediction, I won't.

[39:02] I'll pray. I'll pray just now. I'll leave that to the end. I'll pray just now. When I pray, Ben will come down. Ben gets mic'd up. Remember to do that. Ben will come down and then Ben's in charge and we'll close at the end.

[39:16] I'm off now for the next wee while. So I'll pray just now Ben can come down and do the rest for us. Let's pray together. Lord, thank you for the boys and the girls. Thank you for our time together. Thank you, Lord, for the reminder that in Jesus we have hope.

[39:29] That he promises to give us and he promises to look after us and he promises to be with us if we come to him. We pray just now, Lord, the boys and the girls would all come to know Jesus and come to love Jesus and come to believe in him and come to follow him as their Lord and their Saviour.

[39:49] To turn away from themselves and to turn to him. And to know that even in their young days he says to us, Come. Come and know what it is to follow me and to have life.

[40:02] Thank you, Lord, that no one here is too young to be saved and no one here is too old to be saved and no one here is too far away from you to be saved. You're able to save any and everyone who comes to you.

[40:15] Ask all of these things in Jesus' precious name and for his sake. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[40:26] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[41:00] Amen. So I've got the honour and the privilege of standing up in front of you all again. So it seems like I say this every year, but I can't quite believe that another year has passed by since we last did this.

[41:14] We've been very blessed this year, and it's been great to have our children of our Sunday school here today and be able to give you a small gift from the church to you guys for coming to Sunday school this year.

[41:26] As I mentioned, we've been very blessed this year in that we're actually finishing this year with a lot more children than we started with. And we have to be thankful to God for this. It was our prayer at the start of the year that our Sunday school would grow, not for our benefit, as Donald said, but for the benefit of the children in North Tolstair, and that's happened this year.

[41:43] And as this year has progressed, the children have been learning more and more about Jesus and what he's done for them. So hopefully today we'll re-infirm that as well. Before we hand out some gifts to the kids, we also just want to say a thank you to the congregation who have been contributing money this year for AWECA.

[41:59] So for those of you who don't know, the Sunday school and the church sponsor a child through the charity Compassion. I say he's a child, he's recently had his 17th birthday, so he's getting a bit older.

[42:12] He lives in Ethiopia and he attends the project centre there every week, and he takes tutorial classes and attends the Sunday school there. And as a Sunday school, we exchange letters with him a few times a year, so it's always really encouraging to hear how he's doing, and then we remember him in prayer as well.

[42:28] So you may have noticed in the front entrance there is a small black box. It costs us £32 a month to sponsor the child. So we are really grateful for all the donations that people have been giving, and we encourage you to keep going as we sponsor AWECA through to his young adulthood.

[42:44] So I've got an example. So during the year, our children have been going through various lessons, some of which are in the Old Testament, and some in the New Testament.

[43:00] And we've been going through GoTeach, as our Sunday school materials, and as we've been doing the course, as we've been doing the lessons even, the kids have been filling in this book going along to help them try and remember what they've been doing.

[43:12] So there's arts and crafts and sheets and pictures and everything there, so that's going to be kicking around if anyone wants to have a look. But instead of me doing all the talking, we've got three very nice volunteers.

[43:24] So if I can ask Kayleigh, Sarah and Liam to come up, they're going to tell you a little bit more about what they've been learning this year and what they've been doing. You guys are almost in order.

[43:43] I'll hold the mic and then that won't be wrong. Ready? This year we have been learning about some important people from the Old Testament. We've been learning about Isaac and his son Jacob, who had 12 sons and one of them called Joseph, ended up sold as a slave in Egypt.

[44:04] We then learned about all that happened to Joseph and how God used him for good in Egypt. After that we learned about Moses and how God protected him as a baby and then gave him a very important job to lead the people out of slavery in Egypt.

[44:28] We learned about how God provided for them by the parting of the Red Sea and providing quail and manna and then water to drink from a rock.

[44:42] We've also been learning about some of what happened at the beginning of the New Testament with the first Christians who followed Jesus. This included some stories of the miracle of the wine at the wedding at Cana, how Jesus calmed the storm and some of the people healed.

[44:58] As these amazing things were happening, the news of Jesus was spreading. Thanks guys. Thank you for sharing. Don't go too far.

[45:09] I think I speak for all the teachers as well and think it's been a real joy and a privilege this year to be able to spend time with the children and to be teaching them about the Bible and helping them to learn more about God. And we're really thankful that they're part of our church family.

[45:22] Whether they've been with us for years or just a short while we're really thankful that they're here and really enjoyed spending time with them. So now we're going to ask Donald to come up and if all the kids want to come up to the front as well we'll start handing out some gifts to you all.

[45:37] We might need two pews.

[45:52] You've got a second pew. Go on, you can do it. So first up we've got Noah.

[46:05] Thank you. And then next up Sandy. And Alfie.

[46:20] Thank you. Thank you. Just making sure I'm getting the names in the right order. Kyle. Ewan.

[46:37] Jessica. Liam. Liam. Sarah. Sarah. Sarah. Carly next.

[47:00] Ian James. Kaylee. Lucy.

[47:10] Lucy. And Mia. Up your hands.

[47:23] We've managed to get everyone. Yeah, this is a small gift to you guys from the church. We want to say thank you for coming to Sunday School this year and we hope that you enjoy the summer holidays and we hope to see you during the summer.

[47:34] But we're going to finish off by singing the psalm that we've been practising in Sunday School. So Psalm 23. So you guys are going to lead the congregation and then the congregation are going to jump in. So we're going to start, the kids are going to sing verses 1 and 2 and then the adults can join in.

[47:47] So it's Sing Sounds, Psalm 23. Thank you.

[48:19] So. So. So we're going to play the games. Boys and girls, we're very brave. We do the first verse. And mums and dads, we're going to get us fired up then and finish off for the rest of the psalm with the boys and the girls.

[48:31] Help them out as best you can. There's a second. 20, page 28.

[48:44] So page 28. You're all good to go. The Lord is my shepherd, no one shall I know.

[49:04] He makes me blind and clear, the king pasture's full. He leads me to rest where the camp waters go.

[49:24] My wondering sins he brings back to his way. This race of righteousness made him be safe.

[49:45] Unless the eyes of this great came to despair.

[49:56] Though I walk in death's valley where darkness is near, Because you are with me, no we could have fear.

[50:18] Your walk and your stop bring me comfort and cheer. In the sight of my enemies that evil you spread, The oil of rejoicing you pour on my head, My God, O earth, whose hand I'm graciously bear, So I surely hear heaven and mercy and grace, With the fall of me, God speaking all of my grace,

[51:21] I am heaven and earth, I saw the Lord all my days.

[51:33] Good job guys, amazing. They think good. Ok, if we all stand in the benediction then, Then we can make a way back to the Lord of Christ. In the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, In the love of God and the Father, In the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, In the grace of the Lord, In the grace of the Lord, Amen.