Weoley Hill Order of service
Sunday 27 July led by Ann Evans
Welcome and notices given by Elder on duty Christine Marlow
Call to Worship
Let us tell of the ways of the Lord, for great is the glory of the Lord. Lord, we gather to worship you, for great is your glory and great is the love that welcomes us. You walk with us in our troubles and your love lasts for ever. So we bring you our praise and thanks.
Amen.
Hymn 476 Jesus where’er thy people meet
Opening prayers
Loving God, as we come today to hear your Word, to celebrate your love and to pray for your world, we ask you to deepen our faith, to refresh our spirits and to unite us in heart and mind.
In Jesus’ name. Everlasting God, our day begins with dawn, but our life truly begins when we receive Jesus into our hearts; for he with you and the Holy Spirit are our strength, our hope and our inspiration. And so we praise you for all the joys, the challenges and the blessings of life lived with you.
God of all that really matters, of all that is true and trustworthy. We praise you for being our strength, for calling us to follow you, for receiving our best and for showing us what life and love mean. We praise you for being bigger than our fears and deeper than our worries. We praise you for inspiring us with your living Word to trust in Christ, to be rooted in him and to serve him with hearts full of thankfulness.
Faithful God, forgive us when we lose sight of what really matters; when we get sidetracked by the trivial and the trite, the superficial and the shallow. Forgive us, and draw us back to your Son Jesus Christ, who embodies all that is truthful, vital and eternal. Amen
Assurance of forgiveness
Creator God, thank you for hearing our prayers and for your reassurance that we matter to you.
You love us so much and long for us to be fully rooted in you, to rely on you and to reflect your forgiveness, grace and redeeming love to all the world.
Amen.
Sharing Good News
LYCIG Prayer said together
God of Mission,
Who alone brings growth to your Church,
send your Holy Spirit to give
vision to our planning,
wisdom to our actions,
joy to our worship
and power to our witness.
Help our church to grow in numbers,
in spiritual commitment to you,
and in service to our local community,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Hymn 512 Seek ye the kingdom of God
Reading(s) Colossians 2.6-19; Luke 11.1-13 Cheryl Thornett
Hymn 84 Forgive our sins as we forgive
Reflection What really matters?
Hymn 303 Spirit divine attend our prayers
Prayers for the people
Faithful God, You created a beautiful world for us to enjoy and treasure and you surround us with Earth’s gifts to sustain us Though our planet is damaged by greed and our destructive choices and the resources meant for everyone to share are exploited by a few; your healing is seen in the small steps we make towards more equal sharing. Forgive our short-term thinking and inspire us in the work needed to renew the Earth and fill us with gifts of compassion, bravery, joy and love for your world as we seek to challenge the deep structural injustices
and build a fairer and more sustainable future.
Faithful God, your forgiveness towards us is limitless and though we often fail you, you give us strength to start again. We pray for a world in which we hold on to the things that unite us and where we seek the best for other people. We pray for our communities to be places of radical inclusion, where we look not on appearances but on the heart. May we show the same loving kindness to others that you have shown to us. May we be slow to judge other people and generous in our opinions of them.
Faithful God, your generosity to us is endless and you give us much more than we need or deserve. We cry to you on behalf of all who do not know where their next meal is coming from;
we cry for victims of a massacre claimed to have been carried out by Syrian forces at a hospital in Suweida city; we cry for the seemingly endless deaths of civilians, especially children, at food aid sites in Gaza and for the horror of people being killed there as they seek the essentials for survival. We pray for urgency in ending this war; we pray for Palestinians risking their lives daily just to find food; we pray for strength to carry on for all aid workers and medical staff in Gaza
and for humanitarian aid to be swift and generous. May there be justice for earth’s suffering and starving peoples.
Faithful God, Your love for us is unending and you are with us every step of life’s journey.
Though we walk through life’s troubles you give us the strength we need to face each day’s challenges. We pray for all in our community who are suffering in body or mind asking that you would surround them with your peace. In the quiet we name to you the people and situations we know who are in particular need today, our pastorate and ministers seeking other pastorates and ours may be the one for them and ask for courage and peace as they face illness or adversity. Barbara, Linda’s family, Sue’s brother, David, Gordon’s brothers, Azedeh and family and others known to us.
Faithful God, You restore us and give us rest. As school terms end and holiday season begins,
we pray for relaxation, peace of mind and fun for teachers, parents and students for time to think and to focus on what matters and for new energy to face the challenges of life as summer moves towards autumn.
We bring these prayers to you our saviour Jesus Christ with the words our Lord taught us:
Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen
Offertory prayer
Dear Lord, we thank you we are able to give what we can in monetary terms for the work of your church may we also offer to you our various gifts and talents that can be used in the building of your kingdom here in this place and throughout the world. Amen
Hymn 413 What a friend we have in Jesus
Blessing
Lord Jesus, as we leave this place, help us to leave behind things that don’t matter and won’t last, to keep you at the centre of our lives and to give ourselves afresh to what really matters.
Amen.