(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 with the congregation at St Andrews Methodist Church and led by Rhona North one of our Circuit Local Preachers.
Click on the blue links to follow them for bible readings and associated links
Come and take a seat, bench among the snowdrops.
we invite you Holy Spirit to come and help us worship. A Read Psalm 8 v 1: “O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your gloryabove the heavens.” There is an amazing beauty in God creating the frail snowdrop growing through hard ground. His glory heralding the end of winter.
There is no ice, rejoice and walk firmly with God our Father by your side. There is very little sunshine, rejoice and let Jesus, the light of the world shine upon you. There is still the winter cold, like tentacles, chilling our bones, rejoice in the warmth of the Holy Spirit. Come and worship our Godhead, three in one. Come and take the path of worship that leads to His love and His heart, Amen
Song – 100 StF – All things Bright and Beautiful
Think indeed of God’s amazing creation in each little tiny flower opening. How the beautiful snowdrop reminds of God, 3 petals in one, beauty as we get near the centre.
Prayers:
Father God we come and sit before you, You are glorious in heaven sitting on your throne beside your only begotten Son Jesus. Holy be Your names across the whole earth.
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be your name,
Heaven is such a beautiful place, angels worshipping you, worship bursting forth, plans being fulfilled. May we catch the atmosphere and the beauty here on earth. May our lives reflect it
thy kingdom come; thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven.
Thank you Father for our homes, family, friends and church fellowship. Thank you, thank you for supplying our every. Red, for our food and spiritual growth.
Give us this day our daily bread.
As we gaze on your perfection Father and Son, we think in this second Sunday in Lent, of your deep love and sacrifice on the cross.. We say sorry for the frailty of our love, our worship, the frailty of our prayer lives. We confess the grudges that have hurt us, cross words we’ve stored up and failed to forgive
And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.
Keep us in the circle of your love, help us start our day with you, reading your word and deep in prayer. Give us all we need to do that , the mechanisms of grace: away from the ways of the world but close to you.
Lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
Jesus your blood has washed us clean, you have prepared a path for me to heaven where I will live forever with you and my Father, not because of my frailty but because of your love Father and you dying for me Jesus. How that speaks of Your glory, kindness, love and compassion!
For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
Song – StF 548 – Blessed assurance Jesus is mine
Reading
Background: God loved Israel so much and used the young prophet, Jeremiah, to warn them that, if they kept going away from God, which they had been for some time, then God would let Babylon come and overpower them and take them off into exile.
- God says that the unhappy state of Jerusalem is a warning to the people all is not right. There is oppression, destruction, dishonesty, cheating priests who ignore the depth of the problem, illnesses and wounds from fighting
- God says if Jerusalem keeps being like this He will abandon them and let them be exiled. Is there anything in UK that we are not walking the right paths? Warning signs?
- God asks them to stand at the crossroads and look at the coming end of his mercy and take the ancient paths, paths that are obedient to His commandments.
Conclusion: is the path you are on just now take you closer to God or further away? This Lenten time is there anything you need to stop or start doing? Let the living Holy Spirit show you how to come closer to Jesus.
Song – StF 248 – I heard the voice of Jesus say
Reading 2:
Background: Here Jesus gives us a helping hand on how to pray: pray in the pattern of the Lord’s Prayer, be persistent and know that God is a good, good Father who loves to give us all the spiritual gifts we need in prayer.
- As we enjoy cosy one to one chats do God adores it when we come close to Him and talk to him. It’s the language He loves to hear!
- As you stand at the crossroads and look at your prayer life what do you see? Wesley said that the means of grace are: prayer, reading God’s word and communion. How much is your spiritual life being nurtured by the means of grace?
- Perhaps you just need to tweak your means of grace: 5/10 minutes longer, leave silence for God to speak for 5/10 minutes? Write the 7 themes from the Lird’s prayer and write your own prayer, Pray for the leaders (1Tim 2 v 1) Need to get back to reading the Bible daily ? Need to get a daily Bible or reading notes? Need to add in prayer for nation and the church? Join a prayer group? Start a prayer triplet? Come alongside others and encourage and help them?
Conclusion: The one promise is God hears our prayers. He loves to show us why a prayer is unanswered and how to pray differently. The Holy Spirit loves to work in our prayer / Bible / communion times! Will you and I use this Lenten time to come closer to God to help our church and nation?
Song – 523 StF – Lord of all hopefulness
Reflection; Increasing our prayer in Lent.
Light a candle and ask God to show you how He can help in your prayer life. He’s holding your candle. He loves you and it will surprise you the love and freshness He has for you.
Prayers of intercession:
Father God, We pray for the world leaders, that we see in the news: stay your hand against war and corruption. Let them act justly, love mercy and walk humbly
Lord in Your mercy, Hear our prayer
We pray for our own nation, For King Charles and Camilla, For Prince William and Catherine, for difficult times for Andrew and Sarah,
For our government: For Keir Starmer, John Swinney ( Scotland) Eluned Morgan (Wales) Michelle O’Neill (NI)
For finance: Rachel Reeves, For the NHS Wes Streeting, for Defence John Healey: For the Church across the nation
Lead them from temptation to your will Lord
Lord in Your mercy, Hear our prayer
For Yorkshire West, Kerry Tankard: For Bradford North, for Phil, Joy, Lisa and Nick and Jane as she prepares. For the pillars in the county, may God be the most important pillar. Increase our study of your word and our prayer lives Lord
Lord in Your mercy, Hear our prayer
For our friends, neighbours, colleagues and family who struggle……. May they exchange their struggle for you at the centre of their lives. May our prayers help them find you Jesus. May they be filled with your Holy Spirit to give them ease
Lord in Your mercy, Hear our prayer
This Lent we pray for all we need for you to be our central pillar, for us increase our prayer, making it a priority. For ease…
Lord in Your mercy, Hear our prayer We ask our prayers in the name of Jesus, Amen.
Song – StF 545 – Be thou my vision
Blessing. May you know the joy of Jesus in your prayer life, in your relationships, in your church and nation, In the name of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen!!
