Service for Sunday 21st March 2021 – Geoffrey Webber

Servicing the Bald Hills and nearby Communities

Service for Sunday 21st March 2021 – Geoffrey Webber

Welcome:

Call to Worship  (Psalm 119: 9,11, 12 to 14):

How can someone keep their life pure?

By obeying God’s commandments.

I keep your Law in my heart, O God,

So that I will not sin against you.

I praise you, O Lord,

Teach me your ways.

I delight in following your commands,

More than in having great wealth.

I study your instructions,

I examine your teachings.

I take pleasure in your statutes,

I will not forget your judgements.

To the author of this Psalm, the Word of God is the decisive factor in every sphere of their life, not in a legalistic sense in the understanding that rules dictated and governed every facet of their actions and behaviour and personal interactions and relationships, but that the Word of God reveals the heart and the mind of God, it reveals the wondrous works of God, and it reveals the divine saving grace of God.

(Artur Weiser in Psalms p740 and Henrietta Mears in What the Bible is all about p189)

  It is upon that understanding that we gather here together today, to worship God, to sing our praise of God, to express our thanks for the divine saving grace of God, and to see what new and renewing revelations can be found in the Word of God for us. 

Prayer of Praise    

Almighty God, you are the one who seeks to be our God, to rule over us with care and compassion.  You are the one who seeks to accompany us in life, to guide us and to instruct us.  You pick us up when we fall, you hold us up when we falter, you weep with us when we are saddened, you cherish us when we despair.  Wherever we go, whether we are alone or with others, you are there with us.

Almighty God, we know that no place exists where your grace cannot touch.  We know that there is no-one beyond your reach.  We put our trust in your promise that if we repent of our sins and believe in Jesus Christ, you forgive our sins and you forget our sins.

Almighty God, in your wisdom you perceived our need for Jesus Christ, our need to feel his presence, our need for Jesus to touch our souls.  We know that we can offer love to others only because you first loved us. 

Almighty God, we gather in your presence with praise on our lips and thankfulness in our hearts.  We gather as your children, whom you have called to yourself and whom you hold as special to yourself.

May we be witnesses to your all-encompassing love.  May we be willing to serve you in a World that is in desperate need of your healing.  May we be faithful in our worship, never forgetting that you are our Creator and Redeemer.  To your glory and honour we pray.  Amen.

https://liturgy.slu.edu/ – Copyright © 2021, Anne M. Osdieck. All rights reserved.  Permission is hereby granted to reproduce for personal or parish use.

Hymn

‘O for a heart to praise my God’ TiS568 AHB476

O for a Heart to Praise My God – YouTube

Prayer of Confession  (Psalm 51: 3, 4, 1, 2, 7a, 9, 7b, 6, 10, 12) 

Merciful God, I recognise my faults, I am always conscious of my sins.

I have sinned against you, only against you, and have done what displeases you.

So, you are right in judging me,

You are justified in condemning me.

Be merciful to me, O God, because of your constant love.

Because of your great mercy wipe away my misdeeds.

Wash away all my guilt and cleanse me from my sin.

Remove my sin and I will be clean,

Turn your face away from my sins and blot out all my guilt.

Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

Sincerity and truth are what you require,

So, fill my mind with your wisdom.

Create a pure heart in me, O God, and put a new and loyal spirit in me.

Revive in me the joy that comes from your salvation and make me willing to obey you.  Amen.

Assurance of Forgiveness 

We read in the Letter to the Hebrews that Jesus “became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him”  (Hebrew 5: 9b)  .  Having confessed our sins before God, and trusting in the saving power of Jesus Christ, we have the assurance that God has heard our prayers, that God has forgiven us, and that God has welcomed us into His fellowship.

Thanks be to God.

Prayer for illumination

Holy God, through your Holy Spirit, instruct us that we might rightly understand the Word of Truth, and find ourselves as People who reflect the Living Word, Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Bible Readings

Jeremiah 31:

31  “The time is coming”, says the Lord, “when I will make a new Covenant with the People of Israel and with the People of Judah.  32  It will not be like the old Covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and led them out of Egypt.  [Exodus 19: 5]  Although they did not keep that Covenant, I was patient with them.” says the Lord.  33  “The new Covenant that I will make with them will be this: I will put my Law within them and write it on their hearts.  I will be their God and they will be my People.  34  No longer will they need to teach one another to know the Lord; all of them, high and low alike, shall know me,” says the Lord, “for I will forgive their sins and I will no longer remember their wrongs.  I, the Lord, have spoken.”

[Revised Standard Version, Today’s English Version, New English Bible]

Hebrews 5

5  In the same way, Christ did not take upon himself the honour of being a High Priest.  Instead, God said to him,

“You are my Son,

Today I have become your Father.”  [Psalm 2: 7]  ;

6  as God also said,

“You will be a priest forever,

in the priestly order of Melchizedek.”  [Psalm 110: 4]  .

7  In his life on Earth, Jesus made his prayers and requests with loud cries and tears to God, who could save him from death.  Because Jesus was humble, God heard him.  8  But, even though he was God’s Son, Jesus learnt through his sufferings to be obedient.  9  Once perfected, he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him,  10  and God declared him to be High Priest, in the priestly order of Melchizedek.

[Revised Standard Version, Today’s English Version, New English Bible]

This is the Word of God.

Praise to you Almighty God.

John 12

20  Among those who had gone to Jerusalem to worship during the Passover Festival were some Greeks.  21  They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.”

22  Philip went and told Andrew and the two of them went and told Jesus.  23  Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.  24  I am telling you the truth: a grain of wheat remains no more than a single grain unless it is dropped into the ground and dies.  If it does die, then it produces many grains.”

Mark 8

31  Then Jesus began to teach his Disciples: “The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the Elders, the Chief Priests and the Teachers of the Law.  He will be put to death, but three days later he will rise to life.”

34  Then Jesus called the crowd and his disciples to him.  “If anyone wants to come with me,” he told them, “they must leave self behind, take up their cross, and follow me.  35  For whoever cares for their own safety is lost, but if a person loses their life for my sake and for the Gospel, they will save it.  36  Does a person gain anything by winning the whole World at the cost of their true self?  Of course not!  37  There is nothing they can give to regain their life.  38  If a person is ashamed of me and of my teaching in this godless and wicked day, then the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

[Revised Standard Version, Today’s English Version, New English Bible]

This is the Gospel of our Lord.

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

Passing the Peace

We are one in fellowship and in worship of our God, whether we gather together in the Church building on Sunday morning or whether we worship in the ‘digital sphere’.  It is important that we recognise that, together, we remain one in Christ Jesus.  With that thought, let us uplift our hands and greet those both here and in their homes: May the peace of God be with you all.

And also with you.

For the Young at Heart

Screen 1

Hector Berlioz – Time is a great teacher, but… (brainyquote.com)

Hector Berlioz – Wikipedia

  Hector Berlioz, a 19th century French composer, shares with us this gem of wisdom.  And it is true, it is only over Time that we do learn many things.  You could suggest that, as a composer, Louis-Hector Berlioz would have many such ‘note-worthy’ sayings.

Screen 2

In memory of Maggie, who, in her time, kicked two colonels, four majors, ten captains, twenty-four lieutenants, forty-two sergeants, four hundred and thirty-two other ranks, and one Mills bomb.

(Nigel Rees in “Quote…Unquote” p123)

  Here is an epitaph on the grave of an army mule, which we read is located somewhere in France.  We gain an understanding that the mule developed an unsociable attitude towards people and learnt the bad habit of kicking them whenever they were given the opportunity if people were in the vicinity.  But it appears that the lesson of how to distinguish between what was easy to kick and what was dangerous to kick was something that the mule could not learn through being self-taught.

Screen 3

“How can a Society that exists on instant mashed potatoes, packaged cake mixes, frozen dinners, and instant cameras teach patience to its young?”

Paul Sweeney

(Reader’s Digest Quotable Quotes p76)

Paul Sweeney – Wikipedia

  Paul Sweeney is a Scottish politician.  Despite what opinion you may have about politicians in general, in this statement he has correctly highlighted the folly of our Society, saying one thing yet contradicting itself by its actions, and then expecting our young children and youth to listen to what we are saying to them, to follow what we are saying to them, and to learn good and effective personal and social behaviours.

  In today’s readings we come across just such an apparent contradiction.

Screen 4

Then I will teach sinners your commands, and they will turn back to you.” 

Psalm 51: 13

No longer will they need to teach one another to know the Lord; all of them, high and low alike, shall know me,” says the Lord, “for I will forgive their sins and I will no longer remember their wrongs.”  Jeremiah 31: 34

  How can you have one writer stating, quite emphatically, “then I will teach”, while another writer, just as emphatically, states, “No longer will they need to teach”.  Doesn’t this appear contradictory?

  You could argue that they are different authors, writing from their own personal experiences, David for the Psalm and the Prophet Jeremiah for the book bearing his name, or that many centuries separate the two writings, circa 1000bce for the Psalm and circa 630bce for Jeremiah.

  Different authors and different contexts of Time and Place would surely result in differing thoughts and conclusions.

  But both authors are writing from the identical personal experience of sins forgiven, of experiencing the divine saving grace of God and of the joy of God’s salvation and of knowing God.  On that understanding, should they not be saying the same things?

  Artur Weiser, in his writing about Psalm 51, talks of the joy from experiencing God’s forgiveness of sin and of a renewing of their mind and heart by God, compelling the person to seek to share this, ‘good news’ if you like, with those who have not experienced God’s saving grace, the “sinners” mentioned in the verse, so as to “bear witness to the way (in) which God has worked in their life and has taught them to walk through life according to His Laws and guidelines.

  Such an action, he writes, is a mark of the “genuineness of the worshippers experience of God”.  For did not Peter and John do the same when they appeared before the Jewish authorities, accused of preaching false teaching in the Temple about Jesus rising from the dead.  We read Peter and John answering their accusers, “You yourselves judge what is right in God’s sight – to obey you or to obey God.  For we cannot stop speaking of what we ourselves have seen and heard.”  (Acts 4: 19 & 20) 

  (Artur Weiser in Psalms p408) 

  George Guthrie, in his Commentary on the book of Hebrews, writes that the characteristic about the “new covenant” that is talked about in Jeremiah 34, is that “the Law of God will be internalised, (that is), placed on the minds and hearts of God’s people (through the work of God’s Holy Spirit).  The relationship between God and His followers will be firmly established, and everyone within this new covenant will know the Lord.  This relationship with God is connected to God’s decisive forgiveness of sins.”

  (George Guthrie in Hebrews in Commentary on the New Testament use of the Old Testament p971) 

  Jeremiah observed that God kept His Covenantal promises, whereas the People of Israel didn’t.  They were the ones who did not keep the Covenant agreement.

  This highlighted a problem for God.  Was he to lower His standards so as to make them easier for the People of Israel to obey them?  But how could He do this, for God’s Law reflects His nature and therefore is unchanging.  God cannot reduce His standards without ceasing to be Himself.

  The solution lay in remoulding the inner constitution of people, their hearts, “to be fashioned by God to match the requirements of His Law”.  (F Cawley and A Millard in Jeremiah in New Bible Commentary p645) 

  In effect, those living by and in this new covenant with God will demonstrate the very things about which the author of Psalm 51 seeks for themself:

“the sincerity and truth which God requires” – verse 6a,

“a mind filled with God’s wisdom” – verse 6b,

“expressing the joy and gladness from experiencing God’s salvation” – verses 8a,

“a pure heart” – verse 10a,

“a loyal attitude towards God” – verse 10b,

“a willingness to obey God” – verse 12b.

  So, there is not so much a contradiction between these two verses, but one verse complimenting the other.

  There is a place for being a ‘teacher’, witnessing to those who have not yet entered into this new covenantal relationship with God, a relationship “connected to God’s decisive forgiveness of (their) sins.”, a teaching based on one’s personal experience of God’s love and mercy.  

  There is a complimentary place for fellowship with others of God’s People, for a sharing of one’s new and renewed understandings of God’s Word received through a renewed heart and mind.

  The question remains then, how do we, individually, put into practice and to live out the contradiction in these two verses in our own lives; being a teacher to some and being in fellowship with others?  That is up to you to talk over with God.

Hymn

“Have mercy on us living Lord” TiS31 [sung to the tune St Peter]                       (Psalm 51)

Verse 1 of 5

Have mercy on us, living Lord,

Remember not our sin;

According to your steadfast love

Come, cleanse us deep within.

Verse 2 of 5

Our sin and guilt are heavy, Lord,

And evil in your sight;

Against you only have we sinned:

Your judgement, Lord, is right.

Verse 3 of 5

So come and purify our lives,

Our hearts with love redeem;

Restore us to your life-filled ways;

Come, Lord, and make us clean.

Verse 4 of 5

Your Spirit place within our hearts

That we may teach your ways,

And all the people of the Earth

Shall learn to sing your praise.

Verse 5 of 5

Rebuild your People with your love,

Renew us every day;

With hearts renewed, in all our work,

Our lives shall sing your praise.

Frederick Anderson

Sermon

Screen 1

Some Greeks went to Philip and said, “Sir, we want to see Jesus.”  John 12: 21

  John, in his Gospel, describes an incident involving some Greeks who were among those who had gone to Jerusalem during the Passover Festival, to worship in the Temple.  But, we need to ask ourselves a question:

  Why were Greeks journeying to Jerusalem for a Jewish religious festival? 

  Luke records the occasion when Paul spoke to the Civic Council in Athens, and he makes the remark,” “For all the citizens of Athens liked to spend their time telling and hearing about the latest philosophy or religion.”  (Acts 17: 21)  Perhaps, as William Barclay suggests, these Greeks were ‘early day tourists’, journeying to Jerusalem during a festival so as to witness the event and the experience.  (William Barclay in The Gospel of John Volume 2 p119 & 120) 

  In his first letter to the Church in Corinth, Paul commends the Church for “being rich in all things, including all speech and all knowledge”  (1 Corinthians 1: 5)  .  Perhaps these Greeks had come to Jerusalem seeking to further their knowledge and understanding of the Jewish faith, and what better time than during an important festival?

  Perhaps someone in the past, after reading Psalm 51 for example, shared with them their faith in the one true Creator God, and these Greeks had been led by the Holy Spirit to give up their old belief in many gods for a belief in one God.

  Perhaps they had been attracted by the goodness and the graciousness of God as reflected in His moral Laws and Statutes.

  Perhaps they recognised in the Jewish sacrificial system a means for the forgiveness of sins, something that was lacking in the former belief system.

  For whatever the reason, they were there in Jerusalem for the Passover Festival.

  John records them coming up to Philip and, with reverence towards Jesus, requested an opportunity to talk with him.  Now, we need to ask ourselves a second question:

  Why did they desire to talk with Jesus?

  Perhaps they recognised a special goodness about Jesus.

  Perhaps Jesus displayed the dynamism of someone who could lead others with a sense of purpose and fulfillment. 

  Perhaps they were seeking the special and gifted knowledge that Jesus may have had. 

  Perhaps they had heard stories about Jesus in their hometown or in their journeying, and, on seeing Jesus, saw the opportunity to hear from him firsthand.

  The previous verses of the chapter describe Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem, accompanied by the shouted praises of the people and the waving of palm branches.  Perhaps these Greeks had watched, entranced by what had just taken place, and sought to understand what it all meant.

  Perhaps they had stood in the Court of the Gentiles in the Temple on the previous occasion when Jesus drove out the animal sellers and the money changers, and, seeing Jesus once again, sought to find out more about the person who carried out such a daring act.  (William Barclay in The Gospel of John Volume 2 p 120)

  For whatever the reason, they were there seeking an audience with Jesus.

Screen 2

Engraving by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld (March 26, 1794 – May 24, 1872)

Jesus called the crowd and his disciples to him”  Mark 8: 34

  It is then that Jesus makes a puzzling response.  It is puzzling because John doesn’t record Jesus asking the Greeks to come and sit near him.  It is puzzling because there is nothing in John’s account to indicate that Jesus ever sought to hear about what these Greeks sought to discuss.  But, perhaps, whatever questions they may have had, what he had to say to everyone else who was then present was the answer that these Greeks needed to hear.

  John records Jesus telling Andrew and Philip that his time of being an itinerant preacher and healer were over:

“The hour has come for the Son of Man to receive great glory.”  (John 12: 23) 

  To the Jewish People, this was the long-expected good news of their deliverance and restoration as God’s chosen People, their justification for their long-held view that they, and they alone, were deserving of God’s grace and favour.  Long ago, the Prophet Daniel had described a vision of one “like a human being”, “surrounded by clouds”, and being presented to God, “the one who had been living forever” as Daniel describes Him.  (Daniel 7: 13)  Daniel continues saying that this “one like a human being”, or this “Son of Man” as the Gospel authors write of him, “was given authority, honour, and royal power, so that the People of all Nations, races, and languages would serve him.  His authority would last forever, and his Kingdom would never end.”  (Daniel 7: 14) 

  To the Jewish People, the Son of Man represented God’s champion intervening in their World on God’s behalf, to rid them of their foreign oppressors, to restore their status and their pride, to usher in a golden age of peace and prosperity, and, not just restore the greatness of their former Kingdom of Israel, but make the Jewish People the Masters of the whole World.  This was the future that they foresaw for themselves.  (William Barclay in The Gospel of John Volume 2 p 122) 

  We need to imagine the shock registered on the faces of the Disciples and the crowd around him, when Jesus said to them, as we read in Mark 8: 31:

“The Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected by the Elders, Chief Priests, and Teachers of the Law.  He will be put to death, but three days later he will rise to life.”

  William Barclay imagines that what they had just heard from Jesus would have “left them staggered and bewildered by their sheer incredibility, (for the words of Jesus) had turned their ideas upside down, speaking, not in terms of conquest, but in terms of sacrifice and death.  (William Barclay in The Gospel of John Volume 2 p 123) 

  To his listeners, what Jesus had said did not represent to them God’s power and victory, for “how can the life of the Messiah of God seemingly end in failure and disgrace?”  (John Reilly in Praying Mark p103) 

  And in these words of Jesus there is also an implied judgement against the Elders, the Chief Priests, and the Teachers of the Law, for in their deliberate rejection of the claim of Jesus to be the son of God, the Son of Man, the promised Messiah, is their rejection of God at work in the World, their rejection of the possibility that God could act in ways different to how they conceived of God at work, their rejection of God’s New Covenant foreseen by Jeremiah.  (Alan Cole in Mark p137) 

Screen 3

Vintage image depicting the scene of Jesus Christ being crucified on the cross.

“The hour has come for the Son of Man to receive great glory.”  John 12: 23

  From the beginning of his ministry, Jesus declared the message, “The Kingdom of God is near.  Turn away from your sins and believe the Good News.”  (Mark 1: 15) 

  Note the three aspects of his message:

  1. The message was all about the Kingdom of God,
  2. The message was directly linked with repentance, turning away from sinful habits and attitudes and a turning towards an obedience to God’s Word, and
  3. The message was directly linked with belief in God’s Good News of providing for the forgiveness of sins.

  Note also that the message of Jesus was not about the Earthly Kingdom of Judea nor the wider concept of the former Kingdom of Israel.  It was not associated with a continuance of the sacrificial system for the “washing away of sin”.  It was not associated with depending upon an observance of the letter of the Law for ‘making us right in God’s eyes’, that being socially respectable makes one also spiritually respectable.  It was not about the racial purity and superiority of the People of Israel. 

  Jesus was challenging all of that.  God was changing all of that.

  The writer of the Letter to the Hebrews notes that “ Because Jesus was humble, God heard him.”  (Hebrews 5: 7)  Jesus accepted the role of being a servant to all people, of sitting and eating with the lowly and the outcast, of demonstrating that the Samaritan and women are of value in God’s sight, of healing the leper, the lame, the blind, the crippled, and the demented.

  The writer notes that “ even though he was God’s Son, Jesus learnt through his sufferings to be obedient”  (Hebrews 5: 8)  Jesus did not claim an exemption to adversity based upon his birthright as the Son of God, or his ability to call up legions of angels to assist him, or his ability to perform miracles.  Jesus accepted the reality that he was to suffer physical, emotional and spiritual distress in being rejected and abused by the national, religious, economic and social leaders and authorities of the Jewish People, ultimately to be condemned to death, in obedience to the Will of God.

  The writer notes that as a result of the obedience of Christ, to the point of death on the cross, Jesus “became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him”  (Hebrews 5: 9)  .  Jesus stated that unless a grain of wheat drops to the ground and ‘dies’ it cannot produce ‘many grains.  (John 12: 24)  He was explaining that, in the same way, “eternal life for the many came through the sacrifice of the one”  and that the sacrifice of the one “opened up the Kingdom of Heaven to all believers, Greek as well as Jew.”  (Randolph Tasker in John p148) 

  Jesus was willing to “forget himself”, to “carry his cross” and to “obediently follow God”.  (Mark 8: 34)  He calls us to follow this example that he has set.

  Jesus is issuing a challenge to us. What is it that we hold dear to ourselves, what is it that is most important to us?  Do we crave social respectability and acceptability?  Do we put our utmost effort into obtaining power or prestige or privilege or property or prosperity?  Do we choose safety and security and satisfaction above all else?

  Jesus is issuing a call to a radical turning from self-centredness to God-centredness.  Jesus is saying that to be a Disciple means putting other things in second place; our comfort, our reputation, our social interests, our business profits, our pleasures.  Jesus is saying that our purpose in life is to know God, to obey God, and to serve God.  All other things get in the way of this purpose.  We must be willing to deny for ourselves all the other things that claim a priority in our life.  For it is in losing those things that we gain our true self.  (John Reilly in Praying Mark p105)  It is in letting those things die to us that we gain new life in God.

  Let us hold firmly to God’s word and put our trust in God’s promise.  Amen.

Hymn

“Take up your cross the Saviour said” TIS583 AHB496 [sung to the tune Melcombe]  (Mark 8) 

(The music covers 6 verses and not the 5 verses as set out below.  You have the option of stopping it after the 5th verse or playing it all the way through and repeating the 5th verse.)

Verse 1 of 5

‘Take up your cross,’ the Saviour said,

‘if you would my disciple be;

Take up your cross with willing heart

And humbly follow after me.’

Verse 2 of 5

Take up your cross; let not its weight

Fill your weak spirit with alarm;

His strength shall bear your spirit up

And brace your heart and nerve your arm.

Verse 3 of 5

Take up your cross, nor heed the shame,

And let your foolish pride be still;

Your Lord refused not even to die

Upon a cross, on Calvary’s hill.

Verse 4 of 5

Take up your cross, then, in his strength

And calmly every danger brave;

It guides you to a better home

And leads to victory o’er the grave.

Verse 5 of 5

Take up your cross and follow Christ,

Nor think till death to lay it down;

For only those who bear the cross

May hope to wear the glorious crown.

Charles Everest

Offering

Offering Prayer    

“For the life that you have given” TiS 774  [to be sung to the tune ‘Austria’ – refer to TiS 772]

[disregard the words – only the one verse is needed]

For the life that you have given,

For the love in Christ made known,

With these fruits of time and labour,

With these gifts that are your own:

Here we offer, Lord, our praises;

Heart and mind and strength we bring;

Give us grace to love and serve you,

Living what we pray and sing.

Ralph Vaughan Williams

Prayers for Others

Let us come before God with our cares and our concerns.

Loving God, we pray for the Church, that your covenant, which is written upon our hearts, may help us know you more deeply and guide us in serving you each day.

We pray for the grace of surrender, that we may let go of control, entrust our lives to you, and allow you to raise new life within us.

We pray for all who have faced loss, betrayal, or impairment, that they will surrender these wounds to you and allow you to bring forth new life in them.

We pray for the grace to be women and men for others, that you will guide us in laying down our lives in loving service and sharing our gifts to help others along life’s journey.

We pray for all who desire to see Jesus, that they may come to know and develop a relationship with Christ who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

We pray for a spirit of repentance, that you will free us from our false attachments and sinful actions, and open us to the power of forgiveness.

We pray for all who lay down their lives for others, that you will guide and strengthen parents, caregivers of the sick, and those who assist the marginalized to be instruments of your love and compassion.

We pray for all who are recovering from storms and natural disasters, that you will protect them from further danger, give them strength to rebuild lives and livelihoods, and speed the assistance which they need.

We pray for all who suffer each day, that you will give strength to those with chronic illnesses, hope and courage to those who have been abused, and open new resources for those who live on the streets.

We pray for those who are sick, that you will send healing and strength to all who are ill or recovering from surgery and fill their hearts with hope and courage.

We pray for the successful rollout of the Coronavirus vaccine, that you will guide the distribution and administration of the vaccine, particularly to the vulnerable and to those peoples who are least able to access it.

We pray for all searching for employment, that you will help them to recognize all the gifts that they possess, open new opportunities to use them, and give them confidence in presenting themselves to employers.

[ https://liturgy.slu.edu/ – Copyright © 2021. Joe Milner. All rights reserved.<br> Permission is hereby granted to reproduce for personal or parish use.]

Loving God, we bring these prayers to you, trusting in your compassion and care.  To your glory we pray. 

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil,

For the Kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,

Now and forever.  Amen.

Hymn:

Fill Thou my life O Lord my God” TiS596 AHB515

Benediction  (based on Titus 3: 5) 

Through God’s abundant grace, we have been saved from bondage to a sinful life.  Through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ we are reconciled to God and enjoy His abundant fellowship for all Time and the time after Time.  Through the Holy Spirit poured abundantly upon us we have new birth and new life.  Let us then live each day with joy and gladness and with mind and heart focussed on God and service for Him.

And may the blessing of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, rest upon you and remain with you always.  Amen.

Benediction Song

“Now to him who loves us saves us” TiS 771

https://hymnary.org/media/fetch/179720

(only the one verse is needed)

Now to him who loved us, gave us

Every pledge that love could give,

Freely shed his blood to save us,

Gave his life that we might live,

Be the Kingdom

And dominion

And the glory evermore.Samuel Miller Waring