11th October 2020 – Emma Haggis
Welcome
Welcome to our on-line service this week. Our preacher today is Emma Haggis the Children and Families worker for Hatfield Road and Marlborough Road Methodist churches in St Albans.
Call to Worship
Let us exalt God and praise his name, for he has done wonderful things
Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say: REJOICE!
Lord God, faithful and loving, We do not always feel like rejoicing.
Even as we gather to worship you, our minds are sometimes distracted & elsewhere, weighed down by the burdens of our lives.
Help us, in this moment, to find it within our hearts to REJOICE in your constancy and loving care for us.
People of God, let us rejoice.Amen.
Hymn 1 – Singing the Faith 335 – Rejoice, the Lord is King
Opening Prayers
Prayer of Approach & Thanksgiving
Lord God, We never know what the future holds or where life will take us next. We never know what is just around the corner and
what the outcomes of things will be. But we know that whatever follows on from this moment, you are here with us, by our side, above
and beneath us, entwining your life with ours, surpassing all human understanding. In this moment, bless us and awaken us to your
abiding presence.
For eternal hope that comes from you, almighty God,
we give you thanks and praise.
For your gentleness and compassion when things seem to go wrong
we give you thanks and praise.
For your peace within times of turmoil
we give you thanks and praise.
For your light in the darkest places and situations
we give you thanks and praise.
For hope when all seems hopeless
we give you thanks and praise.
For the love you have for us which is beyond measure
we give you thanks and praise Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Generous God, you invite us to share in your banquet,
but we can be so busy with our own affairs that we say no.
Generous God, you honour us and call us, but sometimes,
when the moment comes, we say no.
Generous God, you ask us to be ready; you ask us to share in your work;
you desire us to play a part, but sometimes, we say no.
Eternal God, so often we give up if something goes wrong or doesn’t go our way.
So often we are overwhelmed by our own problems that we forget to look out for others.
So often we are consumed with negatives and endings that we lose sight of the positives and beginnings.
Eternal God, forgive us for our self-centredness, our blindness and our deafness, and reawaken your Spirit within us.
Forgive us, and inspire us with the generosity of your love that we may live and love and share your feast Amen
Reading – Matthew 22 v 1 – 14
Address
Hymn 2 – Singing the Faith 531 – What a friend we have in Jesus
Prayers of Intercession
Lord, We pray for your peace for those who are burdened with stress & anxiety.
Come into our turmoil, & may your presence give strength & calmness.
May your peace, which passes all understanding, keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
We pray for your peace for those who suffer from the wounds of war, violence & hatred.
May they know healing, & be inspired by the hope of your kingdom.
May your peace, which passes all understanding, keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
We pray for your peace for all who bear ancient grudges or bitter hatreds, held & nurtured over generations.
Wash away the memory of hurt & neglect, that they may know unity & wholeness.
May your peace, which passes all understanding, keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Send your peace, Lord, that we may think, act & speak harmoniously.
Take away our selfishness, so that we can share the joys, & feel the sorrows, of our neighbours.
May your peace, which passes all understanding, keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus Amen.
Hymn 3 – Singing the Faith 254 – The Kingdom of God is justice and joy
Full Service
Copyrights
Images where used are from Pixabay.com and are licensed for free commercial use.
Bible Readings are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Hatfield Road Methodist Church are covered by the following licences
CCL: 4495
Streaming Licence: 989812
