Sunday 27th September 2020: 10 a.m.
Welcome!
This morning we come together in the name of Christ
to offer our praise and thanksgiving,
to hear and receive God’s holy word,
to pray for the needs of God’s world,
and to seek the forgiveness of our sins,
that by the power of the Holy Spirit
we may give ourselves to the service of God.
Call to worship
Psalm 99 says:
1 The Lord
reigns,
let the nations tremble;
he sits enthroned between the cherubim,
let the earth shake.
2 Great
is the Lord in Zion;
he is exalted over all the nations.
3 Let
them praise your great and awesome name—
he is holy. Amen
let the nations tremble;
he sits enthroned between the cherubim,
let the earth shake.
2 Great is the Lord in Zion;
he is exalted over all the nations.
3 Let them praise your great and awesome name—
he is holy. Amen
Preparation
Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father
And the Lord Jesus Christ be with you
All And also with you.
Opening prayer
God of our days and years, we set this time apart for you.
Form us in the likeness of Christ, so that our lives may
glorify you
Amen
A prayer for all of us in this unpredictable environment of the coronavirus pandemic:
Keep us, good Lord,
under the shadow of your mercy.
Sustain and support the anxious,
be with those who care for the sick,
and lift up all who are brought low;
that we may find comfort
knowing that nothing can separate us from your love
in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Amen.
under the shadow of your mercy.
Sustain and support the anxious,
be with those who care for the sick,
and lift up all who are brought low;
that we may find comfort
knowing that nothing can separate us from your love
in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Amen.
Song:
Faithful One
Faithful
one, so unchanging
Ageless one, you’re my rock of peace
Lord of all I depend on you
I call out to you, again and again
I call out to you, again and again
You are my
rock in times of trouble
You lift me up when I fall down
All through the storm
Your love is, the anchor
My hope is in You alone
Ageless one, you’re my rock of peace
Lord of all I depend on you
I call out to you, again and again
I call out to you, again and again
You lift me up when I fall down
All through the storm
Your love is, the anchor
My hope is in You alone
Prayers of Penitence:
Jesus says, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at
hand.’
So let us turn away from our sin and turn to Christ,
confessing our sins in penitence and faith.
In a moment’s silence let us confess our sins…
Lord Jesus, you wept over the sins of your city.
On our city: Lord have mercy
Lord have mercy
Lord Jesus, you heal the wounds of sin and division,
jealousy and bitterness.
On us: Christ have mercy
Christ have mercy
Lord Jesus, you bring pardon and peace to the sinner.
Grant us peace: Lord have mercy.
Lord have mercy
Absolution:
The Lord enrich you with His grace, and nourish you with His
blessing;
the Lord defend you in trouble, and keep you from all evil;
the Lord accept your prayers, and absolve you from your
offences,
For the sake of Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen.
Prayer of Thanksgiving: Psalm 103
1 Praise the Lord,
my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2 Praise
the Lord, my soul,
and forget not all his benefits—
3 who
forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
4 who
redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who
satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the
eagle’s.
20 Praise the Lord,
you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his bidding,
who obey his word.
22 Praise
the Lord, all his works
everywhere in his dominion.
Praise the Lord,
my soul.
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2 Praise the Lord, my soul,
and forget not all his benefits—
3 who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
you mighty ones who do his bidding,
who obey his word.
22 Praise the Lord, all his works
everywhere in his dominion.
Scripture Readings:
Philippians 2:1-13 (New International Version)
Imitating Christ’s Humility
2 Therefore if you have any encouragement from
being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing
in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then
make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in
spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain
conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not
looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
5 In
your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature[a] God,
did not consider equality with God something
to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather,
he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature[b] of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And
being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every
name,
10 that
at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and
every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature[b] of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Do Everything Without Grumbling
12 Therefore,
my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much
more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for
it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfil his good
purpose.
Matthew 21:23-32 (New International Version)
The Authority of Jesus Questioned
23 Jesus
entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and
the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority are you doing these
things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?”
24 Jesus
replied, “I will also
ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am
doing these things. 25 John’s
baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?”
They discussed it among themselves and said,
“If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 26 But
if we say, ‘Of human origin’—we are afraid of the people, for they all hold
that John was a prophet.”
27 So
they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”
Then he said, “Neither
will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
The Parable of the Two Sons
28 “What
do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said,
‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’
29 “‘I
will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.
30 “Then
the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will,
sir,’ but he did not go.
31 “Which
of the two did what his father wanted?”
“The first,” they answered.
Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are
entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you to show you the way of
righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the
prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe
him.
Intercessions:
Everlasting God, thank you for Jesus:
Who, being in very nature[a] God, did not consider equality with God something
to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself
nothing
by taking the very nature[b] of a servant, being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!
Therefore God, you exalted him to the highest
place and gave him the name that is above every
name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and
every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the
Father.
Let us pray trustfully to the God who loves and cherishes us.
Lord in your mercy: hear our prayer.
Almighty God, we pray for your Church across the world; for Bishops,
Priests and Deacons; remembering especially those being ordained at this time.
We pray for Readers and Lay Ministers; for Churchwardens, deacons and ministry
teams as they have worked so hard during this pandemic and lockdown, trying to
find ways of making sure that everyone is looked after. Give them your grace
and your continued strength and presence. We pray that You will give them
courage when they need to make decisions; reassurance when that it’s okay to
rest, and always reflecting the love of Your Son, Jesus Christ in all they do.
We thank you for Stella who has worked so hard for the past six months
without a break. We pray that you give her a good rest and refreshment these
next two weeks.
Lord in your mercy: hear our prayer.
Creator God, refugees continue to flee from crisis throughout the world,
and over half of them are children. Lord God, we pray for all those who have
willingly invested their time and energy in serving the most vulnerable in the
world, that they will find opportunities to rest, and will be strengthened for
their work. We also remember aid workers throughout the rest of the world
working in places and situations that are no longer newsworthy because of the
Pandemic; give them the encouragement to continue their invaluable contribution
of love and care for those people rebuilding their lives after man-made or
natural disasters.
Lord in your mercy: hear our prayer.
Merciful God, we pray for our country in this new threatening situation
with increasing numbers of coronavirus infections and as we go towards the
winter season. We pray for healing for those who are sick with Covid-19. We
pray for the government that they will make the right decisions and at the
right time. We pray for everyone in our nation that we will all unite and work
together to beat this virus. We pray protection for the elderly, the vulnerable
and all key workers. We pray that we will never again see the kind of death
rates that we saw earlier this year. Have mercy on our nation Lord and protect
your people.
Lord in your mercy: hear our prayer.
And now we pray for our church family.
(Call out names of those requesting prayer)
May they know your presence, your healing, your strength, help and
comfort at this time and in the months and years to come.
And now in silence we pray for ourselves…
Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer
We
remember all those who have died and we pray that we with them might be united
in that place beyond the time and tears of this world and know the joy of
living in your presence.
Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer
Darkness
may cover our world at this time, but we know that:
Jesus
Christ is the Light of the World, a light which no darkness can quench
The Light of Christ shines for ever and gives us hope.
Lord in your mercy: hear our prayer.
Holy God, as we prepare for the week to come, help us to know Christ and
the power of his resurrection day by day and in the sharing of his sufferings
to become more like him in his death.
Merciful Father: accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our
Saviour Jesus Christ.
Gathering our prayers and praises into one, let us
pray as our Saviour taught us.
by taking the very nature[b] of a servant, being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!
in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
The Light of Christ shines for ever and gives us hope.
The Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever.
Amen.
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever.
Amen.
