Preparing for worship
You’ll need a table, set with a piece of bread and a glass of wine or juice.
A cross.
A candle, lit on the table – or in your Easter garden if you still have it.
We join, if possible at 10am, for worship for the Fourth Sunday of Easter
Alleluia! Christ is risen! Risen indeed! Alleluia!
Across the miles, we are together with all our sisters and brothers in the faith,
as we worship and give thanks. In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
PRAYER OF PREPARATION
Lord, we are your church: we come to worship you.
You give us your Word: we come to listen.
You inspire us with the Breath of Life: we come to be open.
You call us your family: we come to belong.
You touch us with your cleansing fire: we come for forgiveness
You give the gift of life: we come to receive.
You shower us with riches: we come to give thanks.
We are your church: we come to worship you.
We say the Song of the Word of the Lord, printed on the front of the pewsheet
PRAYERS OF PENITENCE
After a moment of quiet reflection, we confess our sins to God with this prayer;
Forgive us, merciful Lord, when we do not love ourselves or each other as you love us.
Christ have mercy, forgive us and heal us.
Forgive us when we do not provide a seat at the table for those who have none.
Christ have mercy, forgive us and heal us.
By your grace, change our hearts to be more like yours, always open, always ready and always loving.
Christ have mercy, forgive us and heal us.
O God, you wait for us to turn again to you.
You offer us love and forgiveness, freely and without reserve.
You welcome us at your table.
We say this assurance of God’s forgiving grace (from Isaiah 40)
Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He neither faints nor grows weary, his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, and strength to the powerless. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall stumble and fall, but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
We say the Gloria, in the traditional words, or sing it in the version below
Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth.
Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father,
we worship you, we give you thanks,
we praise you for your glory.
Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God,
you take away the sin of the world, have mercy on us;
you are seated at the right hand of the Father:
receive our prayer.
For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord,
you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
Or sing:
Glory be to God in heaven, peace to those who love him well;
on the earth let all his people speak his grace, his wonders tell:
Lord, we praise you for your glory, Mighty Father, heaven’s King
hear our joyful adoration and accept the thanks we bring.
Only Son of God the Father, Lamb who takes our sins away,
now with him in triumph seated, for your mercy, Lord, we pray:
Jesus Christ, most high and holy, Saviour, you are God alone,
in the glory of the Father, with the Spirit, ever One!
THE COLLECT and the two readings for today are printed on the pewsheet
The first scripture reading. 1 Peter 2.2-10
At the end, there may be a short period of silence followed by this response:
For the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
HYMN (said or sung)
All my hope on God is founded; he doth still my trust renew.
Me through change and chance he guideth, only good and only true.
God unknown, he alone calls my heart to be his own.
Human pride and earthly glory, sword and crown betray his trust;
what with care and toil he buildeth, tower and temple, fall to dust.
But God’s power, hour by hour, Is my temple and my tower.
God’s great goodness aye endureth, deep his wisdom, passing thought:
splendour, light, and life attend him, beauty springeth out of naught.
Evermore from his store new-born worlds rise and adore.
Still from earth to God eternal sacrifice of praise be done,
high above all praises praising for the gift of Christ his Son.
Christ doth call one and all ye who follow shall not fall.
THE GOSPEL John 14.1-14
The Good News of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John. Glory to you, O Lord.
At the end for the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.
REFLECTION (on the website, attached to the email, or printed for you at the end of these sheets)
EXPRESSION OF FAITH (from Ephesians 1 and 2)
We declare our faith in the resurrection victory of Christ:
We place our trust in you, O God,
for by your mighty power
you raised Jesus Christ from the dead
and seated him at your right hand in glory;
far above all rulers and authority,
powers and dominions,
and above every title that can be given,
in this present age or in the age to come.
By that same power, you placed all things under his feet
and appointed him to be the head of all things;
of the universe and all of creation;
and of the Church which is his body,
the fullness of him who fills everything, everywhere.
By that same power, you enlighten the eyes of our hearts
and kindle in us the hope of glory,
the inheritance to which you call us in Christ.
For you have raised us up with Christ
and seated us with him in the heavenly realms,
and so you have reveal the incomparable riches of grace,
by which we have been saved.
PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION
1. God of all creation, we thank you for the gift of learning, and the progress of scientific discovery and understanding; for the universe and all its wonders, the atom and its unfolding secrets. Give us wisdom to use all that we learn in the service of health, justice and peace. We pray especially for those working with such dedication and sacrifice to protect us and heal us in this crisis and to seek for a vaccine and cure.
Lord of all Life
In your mercy, hear us
2. God of justice, we thank you for all the resources and bounty of the world. Rich forests and open plains, the treasure of the mine and the miracle of energy, life and growth. Give us wisdom to use all that you have given in compassion for all people. We thank you for the ways in which nature is recovering and flourishing in this enforced pause from human activity.
Lord of all Life
In your mercy, hear us
3. God of compassion, we thank you for the precious gift of water. Lakes and oceans, rivers and streams, blood and sap sustaining all life around us, for wells and dams, irrigation and canals, bringing its renewing power to places in need. Give us wise and generous hearts to bring the gift of clean water and the protection of a simple bar of soap to all people.
Lord of all Life
In your mercy, hear us
4. God of all people, we thank you for those who work to bring real change to those who are needy throughout the world. We thank you, even in the midst of Coronavirus, for the discovery of a microbe in Kenya that may bring protection from malaria. Thank you for all who believe in the power of prayer and all who keep hope alive. Give us wise and generous hearts to hear the cry of all suffering people.
Lord of all Life
In your mercy, hear us
5. God of all who suffer, we thank you for Jesus, who walks with us on this often painful journey, knowing our weakness and bearing our burdens. We pray for all we know who are in need today, near and far ……………… We remember all who have died, and especially those for whom a loved one could not be close. Give us wise and generous hearts to rise above our grief and bring the good news of your love to all creation.
Lord of all Life
In your mercy, hear us
6. God of all creation, we lay our prayers, spoken and unspoken, before your generous heart of love, alongside the prayers of all our sisters and brothers across the world who seek your grace in our time of need, in the name of Jesus, who fed the hungry and was a friend to the poor.
Lord of all Life
In your mercy, hear us
THE PEACE
Jesus came and stood amongst his disciples and said, “Peace be with you”,
and they were filled with joy when they saw the Lord.
Alleluia! The peace of the risen Lord be always with you.
and with all our sisters and brothers, near and far. Alleluia!
We share a sign of peace with all people of faith throughout the world, by clasping our hands together and bowing our heads saying the word “Shalom”, peace.
HYMN
Dear Lord and Father of mankind, forgive our foolish ways;
re-clothe us in our rightful mind, in purer lives thy service find,
in deeper reverence, praise.
In simple trust like theirs who heard beside the Syrian sea
the gracious calling of the Lord, let us, like them, without a word
rise up and follow thee.
O Sabbath rest by Galilee, O calm of hills above,
where Jesus knelt to share with thee the silence of eternity,
interpreted by love!
Drop thy still dews of quietness, till all our strivings cease;
take from our souls the strain and stress, and let our ordered lives confess
the beauty of thy peace.
Breathe through the heats of our desire thy coolness and thy balm;
let sense be dumb, let flesh retire; speak through the earthquake, wind, and fire,
O still, small voice of calm!
SHARING THE FEAST
Gracious God, we welcome your presence with us. May the table at which we share, nourish our bodies, hearts and minds, and may our spirits be refreshed, as we live in the light of your presence, with us now and at all times and places. Amen.
We come to your table, Lord,
not because we are strong, but because we are weak.
We come not because any goodness of our own gives us the right to come,
but because we need your mercy and grace.
We come because you love us, and gave yourself for us.
Take and eat a piece of the bread. If you are with another, give the bread to each other. As you give and receive the bread, say this prayer:
As we break this bread, and as we share it, we thank you, God, that you give us this day our daily bread.
For the food which delights and nourishes us and for the companionship that sustains us as your people.
Drink a sip of the wine or juice. If you are with another, give the wine to each other. As you give and receive the wine, say this prayer:
We thank you for drink to quench our thirst and for the Living Water with which you surprise and enrich and transform our lives.
We give thanks for this feast at which all can share, though separated now. A foretaste of the kingdom of heaven. Amen.
As our Saviour taught us, so we pray:
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 forever. Amen.
HYMN (said or sung)
O Jesus I have promised to serve you to the end.
Be now and ever near me, my Master and my Friend;
I shall not fear the battle if you are by my side.
Nor wander from the pathway if you will be my guide.
O let me feel you near me the world is ever near;
I see the sights that dazzle, the tempting sounds I hear.
My foes are ever near me, around me and within;
but Jesus, draw still nearer, and shield me soul from sin.
O let me hear you speaking in accents clear and still;
above the storms of passion, the murmurs of self-will:
O speak to reassure me, to hasten or control;
and speak to make me listen, O Guardian of my soul.
O let me see your footmarks and in them plant my own;
my hope to follow truly is in your strength alone;
O guide me, call me, draw me, uphold me to the end;
and then in heaven receive me, my Saviour and my Friend.
A Pilgrim Prayer
Lord Jesus,
you have opened the scriptures for us,
and made yourself known
in the breaking of bread.
Abide with us, we pray,
that we may walk with you
all the days of our life
and come at last to the glory of your kingdom
where you reign with the Father and the Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Blessing
May the Lord bless us and keep us.
May the Lord make his face to shine upon us and be gracious to us.
May the Lord lift up the light of his countenance upon us and give us peace. Amen.
DISMISSAL
May we, now and always, abide in the peace of Christ, alleluia, alleluia!
Thanks be to God, alleluia, alleluia!