Notices
Opening Worship
This morning’s service has been put together by Alison Mullens
Psalm 114 (GNT)
1 When the people of Israel left Egypt,
when Jacob’s descendants left that foreign land,
2 Judah became the Lord’s holy people,
Israel became his own possession.
3 The Red Sea looked and ran away;
the Jordan River stopped flowing.
4 The mountains skipped like goats;
the hills jumped around like lambs.
5 What happened, Sea, to make you run away?
And you, O Jordan, why did you stop flowing?
6 You mountains, why did you skip like goats?
You hills, why did you jump around like lambs?
7 Tremble, earth, at the Lord’s coming,
at the presence of the God of Jacob,
8 who changes rocks into pools of water
and solid cliffs into flowing springs.
We thankyou God our Father For Your mighty power that is at work in our lives, For protecting us, providing for us and helping us through our difficulties Thank you, that just as you have helped us in the past, we can trust you to be with us in all the challenges that lie ahead. Help us to praise you today with thankfulness and joy. Amen.
Song of worship
Be still… for the presence of the Lord is here….
Confession
Heavenly Father We are sorry for all the ways in which we have not lived as you have shown us You have loved us, but we have not always shared that love You have shown us kindness and mercy, but we have often been judgemental and unforgiving. Help us to become more like you and to be able to forgive others, just as you forgive us. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
Children and Family activities
- How many sweets do you think are in the jar?
- Is your ‘Jar’ of forgiveness always full, like this one?
- What things can we do to nurture a forgiving attitude?
Bible Reading
Read by Diana Tollman
Matthew 18:21-35 NIV
The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant
21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
23 “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
26 “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ 27 The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
28 “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.
29 “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’
30 “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.
32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
35 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
Sermon
Song of Worship
Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression
of the remnant of his inheritance?
You do not stay angry for ever but delight to show mercy. Micah 7:18
Intercessions
Prepared by Bob Hansford
Let us pray now for the Church, the world, the community we live in and for ourselves.
Forgiveness. Heavenly Father, praise you for the great truth of forgiveness that we have been reminded of today – that you are always willing to forgive those who confess their wrong-doing and turn back to you. Forgive us, we pray for our sins and failures of the past week, and forgive us too for the times when we have harboured anger and lack of forgiveness towards others. Help us to be more willing to forgive those who hurt or offend us, and not to allow bitterness to take root in our hearts.
Lord in your mercy – hear our prayer.
Church. Father, we thank you for the joy of being able to resume worship together in recent weeks. We pray for all the activities of the church, for wisdom especially in knowing which ones can happen face to face and which to continue virtually. Help churches around our diocese and nation as they grapple with similar issues and seek ways to worship and witness in our changed world.
Lord, we pray too for the Church overseas, and especially where our link missionaries are based – the Fletchers in Bangkok, the Ray family with Neema Craft in Iringa, Jean Bosco & the Kimbilio team in Lubumbashi & LAMB Hospital in Bangladesh. Strengthen & encourage them we pray and help them especially as they serve those affected by the Covid virus.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Young People. Lord God, we pray for the children and young people of our community, especially those who belong to the Church family, and all involved with the St James pre-school. We pray your protection over them as the new school term gets underway; help them and their teachers to adjust to new ways of doing things. Please help especially those moving to a new school, or moving on to College or University, or perhaps still unsure what to do in the light of exam results. May they learn that you are the God who loves them, who doesn’t change and can always be trusted, whatever is happening around them.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Covid 19 pandemic. Heavenly Father, thank-you for progress made in controlling the Covid virus and the selfless service of health professionals and other key workers. As the number of cases creeps up again, we pray for your guidance for Govt leaders in the restrictions they impose, and for continued vigilance for all of us to keep ourselves and those we love safe from the disease. We ask you to encourage those who have lost their job or business as a result of the virus, and to comfort those who have lost loved ones.
We pray, Lord, for countries where the disease is still rampant, for health services ill-equipped to cope & for the poor who are made poorer when work opportunities dry up. And we cry to you Lord, for places where natural disasters and conflict continue, seldom in the news, but people’s suffering made worse by the Corona virus – thinking especially of the flooding in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Niger; of Haiti in the Caribbean after 13 tropical storms already this year and for Syria and Yemen, still torn by conflict.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Needs in our Community. Finally, Lord we bring to you our own needs and those of family and friends in Woodley and further afield.
We pray for the sick, especially Michael Patterson and for Mick Wise, and for Joan as she cares for him; also for Eddie Fowler (Jeanette Winsor’s father). And then, in our own hearts, for others known to us.
We pray also for those who mourn the loss of a loved one, a recent event or an anniversary, remembering especially the family and friends of Jean Bird who passed away last week.
We pray too for the house-bound, the lonely, those with tensions at home, job worries or struggling financially – and in a moment of silence, for those particularly known to us.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Merciful Father,
accept these and all our prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Song of worship
Hallelujah, praise the one who set me free. You have broken every chain. There’s salvation in Your Name. Jesus Christ MY living hope.
Final Blessing
Almighty God, Whose only Son has opened for us a new and living way into your presence: Give us pure hearts and steadfast wills to worship you in spirit and truth; through Jesus Christ your son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. The Lord God Almighty is our Father He loves us and tenderly cares for us The Lord Jesus Christ id our Saviour He has redeemed us and will defend us to the end. The Lord, the Holy Spirit, is among us: He will lead us in God's Holy way. To God Almighty, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, be praise and glory today and forever. Amen.
