(All our songs this morning are from Singing the Faith (StF) numbers will be given where available)
Welcome to our Sunday Service, today shared on paper across our circuit and written by Rhona North one of our circuit Local Preachers.
Click on the blue links to follow them for bible readings and associated links
You might like to use the 3 activities to write a psalm to worship God or say it in your mind. Psalm start with praise then telling God the difficult things then praise for who He is.
Intro: Now is the time for you to come and sit, rest, breathe in deeply and feel God welcoming you to come and worship Him. He’s already on the bench loving the thought of you joining Him. See Him smile at you, hold out His hand beckoning you to come close. See the wonderful autumn colours of His paintbox: the oranges, reds and yellows, golden sunshine lighting up the leaves, some swirling down slowly, others crumbling beside and underneath your feet, The wind’s gentle rustling reminds you of the Holy Spirit and His gentleness. Come Holy Spirit of Jesus come! Come and inspire, reassure, convict and restore this time of grace and love, the two of us together. Hear God saying in Rev 4, “ Come up higher, then I saw the throne with Him seated upon it shining like jasper and carnelian, a green iridescent rainbow behind the throne. 24 elders were worshipping, the living creatures proclaiming, “ Holy, holy, holy is God, who was and is and is to come!” What a privilege to be invited to join in the worship!
Song: StF 11 – Holy, holy, holy
Prayers: Thank you Father for being our God, our strong tower and our refuge when things in our nation and world feel so unsafe. We thank you are a God of perfection, strong in righteous and love, the only God we can trust to bring justice and truth. Thank you for your perfection and allowing us to be washed clean and declared free and not guilty, not through our own efforts but only through the blood of Jesus Your son. We bring our sins to you Jesus, some from years ago that shame has allowed us to cling onto, some recent. We know because we are human you expect us to sin and love to forgive and forget them.
Confess:… for things we have done and said, not done and said
Hear the assuring words of Jesus that He is quick and just to forgive.
Lift up your face to heaven as you say, “ Come Holy Spirit come and fall afresh, come and remove the dust, grit and sharp stones of wrongness and untruths that have tried to stick to us. Come Spirit of freshness free all that holds us back and let ourselves see us as Your children, adopted into your family of believers. Let’s join together in declaring with the Christian family across the world the prayer Jesus taught….
The Lord’s Prayer ….
Song – StF 395 – Spirit of the Living God
Reading 1:
Psalm 96: 1-13
This psalm can be found in 1 Chronicles 16 when David wrote the longer version when he became king and the Ark of the Covenant (All that is wonderful about God is symbolised in the Ark) was returned to Jerusalem and it also prophesied when Jesus in person will return to the world. What good news have you shared with someone recently? The birth of a child? Wedding? Holiday? Baptism? Meal out? The date of an op? How excited and good did you feel and yet those pale compared with the good news of what Jesus is doing in your life, in the nation, in the world. Come Holy Spirit inspire to share the love of Jesus.
Activity 1: You might like paper and a pen). what phrases do you love about Jesus, where do you see Him active in others, church, nation or the world. Start with Our Father, Thank you for Jesus! He is my….
Song – StF 113 – Oh worship the King
Reading 2:
1 Thessalonians 1 – 10
Paul and Silas started this church filled with new believers on Paul’s second Journey. The joy Paul got seeing them come to know Jesus was beautiful. Paul was saddened as he had to leave soon after as the locals rioted and he didn’t want such young Christians to be put off. Timothy sent him good news though that the members were standing firm in their new found faith. Paul writes to them thanking them for the amazing welcome he found in Thessaloniki. Who in the people you know makes you most welcome and wanted? Say a prayer of thanks for them.
Paul then goes on to praise them. What would Jesus be praising you for? For the fact that He loves you just as you are, that you still: worship, sing hymns, read the Bible? Can you feel Him smiling down upon you that, despite any of your difficulties just now you worship him.
Activity2: What difficulties do you have just now, what burdens are you carrying for others? Underneath where you’ve written your praises about Jesus write a new short section: Start with: Jesus please have compassion on me. Jesus you said my yoke would be light because you carry my burdens for me. Now add: Jesus I roll onto your shoulders the things I’m worried about ….
Back to Thessalonika…..
Paul reminds them that they are all constantly praying for the Thessalonians, thanking God for their faith, love and hope that they have in Jesus. He commends them for the work of the Holy Spirit and how they are still full of joy despite their afflictions.
Song – StF 531 – What a friend we have
Gospel Reading:
John 17 – 20
“ I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in me through their word, that they may be one!” See Jesus praying for you in heaven because you are part of a chain of believers that has come from Jesus through the disciples!
Activity 3: End your psalm with a few sentences thanking Jesus for His prayers, for His qualities that you trust.
Prayers of Intercession for Freedom Sunday
There are some 120,000 adults and children trafficked each year in UK for sex, forced labour, criminal exploitation and slaves in households.
Father God, We pray for people across the world and in the UK who are trafficked. May they find freedom from burdens of fear and harm, courage to live in hope and safety to live and worship
We pray for them, (Silence) Lord have mercy
All: Christ have mercy
We pray for people who traffick others in the world and UK
May they find freedom from greed and violence And courage to live with justice, and a nearness of your saving Grace,
We pray for them (Silence) Lord have mercy
All: Christ have mercy
We pray for people who work to prevent trafficking;
May they find freedom from threats and webs of untruths and courage to live in peace
We pray for them. (Silence) Lord have mercy
All: Christ have mercy
God of compassion and mercy,
who heard the cry of your people
and sent your servant Moses to lead them out of slavery to freedom in the promised land: free us from the tyranny of sin and death
and, by the leading of your Spirit, bring us to our promised land;
We offer you all our burdens through Jesus Christ our Lord. All: Amen
Offering: Into your hands
Lord we place all that we have and all who we are for Jesus’ sake.
Song – StF 345 – And can it be
Blessing
The Lord bless you and keep you, may His glorious face shine on you melting all your chains away, May His loving look reassure you, in Jesus’ name, Amen
