Sunday 14th June 2020
This short act of worship has been prepared for you to use whilst you are unable to attend church. If you are well enough why not spend a few moments with God, knowing that other people are sharing this act of worship with you
This is the day that the Lord has made
Let us rejoice and be glad in it
Hymn: Singing the Faith 87 Praise to the living God
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0u6diH2jVlI
Praise to the living God! All praised be his name,
who was, and is, and is to be, for e'er the same!
The one eternal God
ere aught that now appears:
the First, the Last, beyond all thought
his timeless years!
Formless, all lovely forms declare his loveliness;
holy, no holiness of earth can his express.
Lo, he is Lord of all!
Creation speaks his praise,
and everywhere, above, below,
his will obeys.
His Spirit flowing free, high surging where it will:
in prophet's word he spoke of old,
is speaking still.
Established is his law,
and changeless it shall stand,
deep writ upon the human heart, on sea, on land.
Eternal life has he implanted in the soul;
his love shall be our strength and stay,
while ages roll.
Praise to the living God! All praised be his name,
who was, and is, and is to be,
for e'er the same.
Mediaeval Jewish Doxology
translated byMax Landsberg (1845-1928) and Newton Mann (1836-1926)
Let us pray together
Living Lord, we gather together across time and space to worship you; united by the words we read; united by our love for you. We celebrate your awesome majesty, your holiness, and your amazing love. We acknowledge you as Lord of our lives. We sing your praise and we bless your name. Living Lord, we give thanks for all that you have done in our lives and pray that we will continue to be open to your work in us in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Today’s Gospel Reading: Mt 9:35 – 10:8
Time to Reflect
Every year we tell the story of Jesus ... through Advent to Christmas ... through Lent to Easter ... through the Easter season to the Ascension and on to Pentecost when we celebrate the birth of the church and the coming of the Spirit. And it’s a glorious story ... full of challenges and hard choices and wonders, and betrayal and suffering. And it’s a story that ends with joy, hope, forgiveness and new life.
But today the story has been told and we move back into what the lectionary calls “ordinary time”. The story’s been told but it hasn’t ended. In many ways it’s just begun. You and I, together with all those who worship across the world today ... whether we’re reading and reflecting on written services like this one, or sharing in streamed services on the internet, or gathered in households for prayer, or alone in our homes ... we are the church, and we live in ordinary time ... we live with the joyful knowledge of the resurrection, and there is work to be done.
In our Gospel reading it was compassion for those in need that moved Jesus to commission the twelve disciples and send them out to help with the work. He sent them out to those who needed the message of hope, to those who needed healing, and he sent them out to love and bring healing to those whom society considered untouchable and unlovable – the outsiders and the outcasts. To such as these the disciples were called to proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God.
And it’s the same today. Our buildings may be closed but the people are still here. For some the needs are obvious, for others they are hidden, invisible to casual observation. And society still has its outsiders and outcasts.
Healing takes many forms – physical, emotional, mental, spiritual. There are people who need our prayers. There are people who need us to reach out to them ... to hear a friendly voice on the phone or receive a card or a letter or a ‘hi’ across the internet. There are people who need more practical help. Some encounters will be easy and pleasant ... others will not.
So, as the church year moves once again past Trinity Sunday and back into ordinary time, we’re reminded afresh that every day is a new beginning. Our buildings are closed but the Church is not, and Jesus, filled with compassion, is still calling workers to the field to proclaim the Kingdom of God in word and deed. And the field to which he calls us is all around us.
Take a time to sit quietly
A time of prayer
Our Father in heaven we lift our world to you today, knowing that you have called us to do so and knowing that you care about even the smallest detail of that world.
We lift to you all who suffer today at the hands of others, through war, greed, the abuse of power, or the abuse of words. May they find you standing with them, giving them strength. May they find your people upholding them and giving them a voice, that your love may be seen and known.
We lift to you all those who find themselves in positions of authority today, whether it be by choice, or because their skills have been recognized and needed, or because there is no one else available. May they seek wisdom in the right places and have the humility to know when they need help.
We lift to you all who suffer today as a result of this pandemic; through sickness, through the loss of loved ones, or through the exhausting workload of caring for others. May they know comfort, healing, reassurance and hope.
And we lift to you all those known to us personally who are in need today … (name them) … May they find grace, healing, and blessing.
We bring all these prayers in the name of Jesus who taught us when we pray to say …
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father ……
Hymn: STF 407 Hear the call of the kingdom
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDfuGb89x_8
Hear the call of the kingdom,
lift your eyes to the King;
let his song rise within you
as a fragrant offering
of how God, rich in mercy,
came in Christ to redeem
all who trust in his unfailing grace.
Hear the call of the kingdom
to be children of light
with the mercy of heaven,
the humility of Christ;
walking justly before him,
loving all that is right,
that the life of Christ may shine through us.
King of heaven, we will answer the call.
We will follow, bringing hope to the world,
filled with passion, filled with power to proclaim
salvation in Jesus' name.
Hear the call of the kingdom
to reach out to the lost
with the Father's compassion
in the wonder of the cross,
bringing peace and forgiveness,
and a hope yet to come:
let the nations put their trust in him.
King of heaven, we will answer the call ...
Keith Getty (b. 1974), Kristyn Getty (b. 1980) and Stuart Townend (b. 1963)
A prayer of blessing
May the One who makes all things new fill us with grace, hope, peace and joy that together we may live and work to God’s praise and glory in our world. Amen.
Original Materials by Mary G Elms