Sundays at All Hallows (Sunday, March 10, 2024)
Welcome to Sundays at All Hallows.
This Sunday, the Fourth Sunday in Lent, in The Church of England, The Church of Ireland and The Methodist Church in Britain is Mothering Sunday. In England and Ireland in the past apprentices and servants were customarily given the day off so they could visit the church where they were baptized or their parish church or the cathedral of the diocese. Apprentices and servants would use this occasion to visit their mothers and other members of their family and to bring them food and money. In the present day Mothering Sunday is used to honor mothers.
The Fourth Sunday in Lent is also known as Laetare Sunday, or Refreshment Sunday, so named as it at one time served as a break from the fasting and other austerities of Lent. The Simnel Cake, a type of fruit cake topped with marzipan, or sweet almond paste, was baked for this particular Sunday.
GATHER IN GOD’S NAME
The Lord be with you.
The Lord bless you.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Fred Kaan’s “God of Eve and God of Mary.”
Verse 1
God of Eve and God of Mary,
God of love and mother-earth,
thank you for the ones who with us
shared their life and gave us birth.
Verse 2
As you came to earth in Jesus,
so you come to us today;
you are present in the caring
that prepares us for life's way.
Verse 3
Thank you that the Church, our Mother,
gives us bread and fills our cup,
and the comfort of the Spirit
warms our hearts and lifts us up.
Verse 4
Thank you for belonging, shelter,
bonds of friendship, ties of blood,
and for those who have no children,
yet are parents under God.
Verse 5
God of Eve and God of Mary,
Christ our brother, human Son,
Spirit, caring like a Mother,
take our love and make us one!
God has promised forgiveness
to all who truly repent,
turn to Christ in faith
and are themselves forgiving.
Let us confess our sins to almighty God.
Silence
God of grace,
we have sinned against you and against our neighbour
in thought and word and deed,
through negligence, through weakness,
through our own deliberate fault;
by what we have done
and by what we have failed to do.
We are truly sorry and repent of all our sins.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ who died for us,
forgive us all that is past;
and grant that we may serve you in newness of life
to the glory of your name. Amen.
Merciful Lord,
grant to your faithful people pardon and peace,
that we may be cleansed from all our sins,
and serve you with a quiet mind;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Agus McDonell’s “We Ever Wil Praise You.”
Intro
We ever will praise you;
we ever will sing
sweet psalms of joy
to you, our king
O Maker of heaven,
of earth and the sea,
sweet psalms of joy,
we ever will sing.
Refrain
We ever will praise you;
we ever will sing
sweet psalms of joy
to you, our king
O Maker of heaven,
of earth and the sea,
sweet psalms of joy,
we ever will sing.
Verse 1
Happy are those
whose help is the Lord
who ever was
and evermore shall be.
All who are blind,
well, they shall see,
the prisoners set free,
the hungry, they shall eat.
Refrain
We ever will praise you;
we ever will sing
sweet psalms of joy
to you, our king
O Maker of heaven,
of earth and the sea,
sweet psalms of joy,
we ever will sing.
Verse 2
Blessed are those
Whose hope is in the Lord;
the lowly shall be raised,
the fatherless sustained.
Loved are the ones who live in righteousness,
the widowed and the orphaned,
they are not forsaken.
Refrain
We ever will praise you;
we ever will sing
sweet psalms of joy
to you, our king
O Maker of heaven,
of earth and the sea,
sweet psalms of joy,
we ever will sing.
Outro
We ever will praise your name
We ever will praise your name.
We ever will praise your name.
We ever will praise your name
We ever will praise your name.
We ever will praise your name.
We ever will praise your name
We ever will praise your name.
We ever will praise your name.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Jean Janzen’s “Mothering God, You Gave Me Birth.”
1 Mothering God, you gave me birth
in the bright morning of this world.
Creator, source of every breath,
you are my rain, my wind, my sun,
you are my rain, my wind, my sun.
2 Mothering Christ, you took my form,
offering me your food of light,
grain...of life, and grape of love,
your very body for my peace,
your very body for my peace.
3 Mothering Spirit, nurturing one,
in arms of patience hold me close,
so that in faith I root and grow
until I flower, until I know,
until I flower, until I know.
Let us pray.
Silence
God of compassion,
whose Son Jesus Christ, the child of Mary,
shared the life of a home in Nazareth,
and on the cross drew the whole human family to himself:
Strengthen us in our daily living
that in joy and in sorrow
we may know the power of your presence
to bind together and to heal;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD
A reading from the New Testament (John 9:1–41)
As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. “Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?”
“It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him. We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work. But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world.”
Then he spat on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and spread the mud over the blind man’s eyes. He told him, “Go wash yourself in the pool of Siloam” (Siloam means “sent”). So the man went and washed and came back seeing!
His neighbours and others who knew him as a blind beggar asked each other, “Isn’t this the man who used to sit and beg?” Some said he was, and others said, “No, he just looks like him!”
But the beggar kept saying, “Yes, I am the same one!”
They asked, “Who healed you? What happened?”
He told them, “The man they call Jesus made mud and spread it over my eyes and told me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash yourself.’ So I went and washed, and now I can see!”
“Where is he now?” they asked.
“I don’t know,” he replied.
Then they took the man who had been blind to the Pharisees, because it was on the Sabbath that Jesus had made the mud and healed him. The Pharisees asked the man all about it. So he told them, “He put the mud over my eyes, and when I washed it away, I could see!”
Some of the Pharisees said, “This man Jesus is not from God, for he is working on the Sabbath.” Others said, “But how could an ordinary sinner do such miraculous signs?” So there was a deep division of opinion among them.
Then the Pharisees again questioned the man who had been blind and demanded, “What’s your opinion about this man who healed you?”
The man replied, “I think he must be a prophet.”
The Jewish leaders still refused to believe the man had been blind and could now see, so they called in his parents. They asked them, “Is this your son? Was he born blind? If so, how can he now see?”
His parents replied, “We know this is our son and that he was born blind, but we don’t know how he can see or who healed him. Ask him. He is old enough to speak for himself.” His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who had announced that anyone saying Jesus was the Messiah would be expelled from the synagogue. That’s why they said, “He is old enough. Ask him.”
So for the second time they called in the man who had been blind and told him, “God should get the glory for this, because we know this man Jesus is a sinner.”
“I don’t know whether he is a sinner,” the man replied. “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!”
“But what did he do?” they asked. “How did he heal you?”
“Look!” the man exclaimed. “I told you once. Didn’t you listen? Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?”
Then they cursed him and said, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses! We know God spoke to Moses, but we don’t even know where this man comes from.”
“Why, that’s very strange!” the man replied. “He healed my eyes, and yet you don’t know where he comes from? We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but he is ready to hear those who worship him and do his will. Ever since the world began, no one has been able to open the eyes of someone born blind. If this man were not from God, he couldn’t have done it.”
“You were born a total sinner!” they answered. “Are you trying to teach us?” And they threw him out of the synagogue.
When Jesus heard what had happened, he found the man and asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
The man answered, “Who is he, sir? I want to believe in him.”
“You have seen him,” Jesus said, “and he is speaking to you!”
“Yes, Lord, I believe!” the man said. And he worshipped Jesus.
Then Jesus told him, “I entered this world to render judgement—to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.”
Some Pharisees who were standing nearby heard him and asked, “Are you saying we’re blind?”
“If you were blind, you wouldn’t be guilty,” Jesus replied. “But you remain guilty because you claim you can see.
Silence
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The Dangers of Spiritual Blindness
Today’s reading (John 9: 1-41) is one of seven miracle stories found in the Gospel of John. Each miracle story sets the stage for one of Jesus' spoken discourses that are a major feature of John's Gospel.
The question Jesus’ disciples ask him about the blind man reflects what was a common belief among the Jews at that time. Blindness and various other physical disabilities were caused by sin, either the sin of the individual affected or the sin of the individual’s parents. Jesus’ response is that the disciples are mistaken in their belief. Rather the man’s blindness provides an opportunity for the power of God to be made visible in him. Jesus then proceeds to give sight to the blind man. While it may be tempting to read too much into how Jesus performed the miracle, even to allegorize it, what is most significant about it other than the blind man was given sight is that the details show that John is recounting an eyewitness account of a miracle Jesus performed.
The miracle caused a heated debate among the Pharisees. The Pharisees were one of the three main religious parties in Judaea at that time The other two main religious parties were the Sadducees and the Essenes. Each party had its own particular set of beliefs and practices based on its interpretation of the Herew Bible, the Christian Old Testament. One of the things that set the Pharisees and the Sadducees apart is that the Pharisees believed in a general resurrection of the dead and the Sadducees did not. The Essenes would withdraw from larger Jewish society and form their own religious communities in the desert, as did the Christian Desert Fathers and Mothers at a later time.
At the center of the controversy was whether Jesus was a righteous man since he had performed the miracle on the Sabbath. Some Pharisees believed that in performing the miracle on the Sabbath, Jesus had broken the fourth commandment and had committed blasphemy. “Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you.” (Exodus 20: 8-10). In their minds showing mercy and compassion to the blind man and giving sight to him was working and not keeping the day holy to God. In their minds Jesus was a sinner. He could not be a man from God.
Others argued that Jesus could not have performed a miracle if he was a sinner. Only a righteous man could perform miracles.
The miracle so shook their preconceptions of how God worked that they refused to believe that the man had been blind in the first place. After twice questioning the man who had been blind and displeased with his answers to their questions the Pharisees ejected him from the synagogue.
What happens next is important because of the claims that Jesus makes about himself and his mission.
When Jesus heard what had happened, he found the man and asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
The miracle caused a heated debate among the Pharisees. The Pharisees were one of the three main religious parties in Judaea at that time The other two main religious parties were the Sadducees and the Essenes. Each party had its own particular set of beliefs and practices based on its interpretation of the Herew Bible, the Christian Old Testament. One of the things that set the Pharisees and the Sadducees apart is that the Pharisees believed in a general resurrection of the dead and the Sadducees did not. The Essenes would withdraw from larger Jewish society and form their own religious communities in the desert, as did the Christian Desert Fathers and Mothers at a later time.
At the center of the controversy was whether Jesus was a righteous man since he had performed the miracle on the Sabbath. Some Pharisees believed that in performing the miracle on the Sabbath, Jesus had broken the fourth commandment and had committed blasphemy. “Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you.” (Exodus 20: 8-10). In their minds showing mercy and compassion to the blind man and giving sight to him was working and not keeping the day holy to God. In their minds Jesus was a sinner. He could not be a man from God.
Others argued that Jesus could not have performed a miracle if he was a sinner. Only a righteous man could perform miracles.
The miracle so shook their preconceptions of how God worked that they refused to believe that the man had been blind in the first place. After twice questioning the man who had been blind and displeased with his answers to their questions the Pharisees ejected him from the synagogue.
What happens next is important because of the claims that Jesus makes about himself and his mission.
When Jesus heard what had happened, he found the man and asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
The man answered, “Who is he, sir? I want to believe in him.”
“You have seen him,” Jesus said, “and he is speaking to you!”
“Yes, Lord, I believe!” the man said. And he worshipped Jesus.
Then Jesus told him, “I entered this world to render judgement—to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.”
Some Pharisees who were standing nearby heard him and asked, “Are you saying we’re blind?”
“If you were blind, you wouldn’t be guilty,” Jesus replied. “But you remain guilty because you claim you can see.
We are made third parties to the conversation between Jesus and the man born blind and the conversation between Jesus and the Pharisees. We are overhearing what they are saying but not taking part in the conversations. At the same time these two conversations affect us. Throughout his Gospel John repeats the claim that Jesus is the Holy One of God, inviting the readers of his Gospel and those to whom it is read to respond to that claim. He shows us how spiritual blindness can not only can keep us from recognizing Jesus for who is but also prevent us from truly following Jesus.
Spiritual blindness is not confined to those who do not identify themselves as Christians and do not profess to follow Christ. Like the Pharisees, Christians can fail to see where God is active in the world because a particular activity does not fit with the way that they conceive God works. They can have their own particular set of beliefs and practices based upon their interpretation of the Bible and be too quick to criticize anyone who does not share this set of beliefs and practices. They can be unkind and unforgiving in their judgment. They can think of themselves as better than most and not hesitate to express the negative opinion that they have formed of others. The Christ they follow may not be the Christ of the Gospels, but a Christ of their own imagining.
The Pharisees accused Jesus of being a Samaritan and being demon-possessed. Today we hear self-identified Christians dismissing Jesus’ teachings as weak and unsuited for today’s world, calling those whom they have come to regard as enemies the modern-day equivalent of Samaritan, and representing them as evil and demonic. At the same time, they are blind to the harmful spiritual forces that are manipulating and exploiting them, promoting suspicion, distrust, hatred and ill-will, and damaging the cause of the true gospel—Jesus’ message and teaching.
What Jesus told the disciples in the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew 7: 3-5 warrants our attention at a time when what psychologists call the “negativity bias,” the inclination to see other people in the worst possible light and give credence to negative reports about them over anything else, has become serious problem affecting all spheres of life in our society and is contributing to its division into opposing groups.
“And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye [or your brother’s eye] when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, [or brother] ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye [or brother’s eye].
We can become so preoccupied with the real or imagined faults, mistakes, and weaknesses of others that we are blind to our own faults, mistakes, and weaknesses, which may upon close examination be far greater than theirs—a huge sequoia log to the tiny fleck of sawdust in their eye.
Jesus’ words about opening the eyes of the blind and show those who can see how blind they are words which we need to think about seriously. We would do well to make it our prayer to ask God to take away any spiritual blindness that is hindering us from becoming a true disciple of Jesus and to enable us to walk so closely with Jesus that other people do not see us. They see only him.
Silence
Open this link in a new tab to hear Sam Brewster and Tom Brewster’ “Jesus I will walk with you.”
Verse 1
Jesus I will walk with you
Companion for the way
My constant friend and faithful guide
Beside me every day
Through times of winter harsh and bare
Through summer’s gentle breeze
I’ll walk with faith and hope and love
For Jesus walks with me
Verse 2
Jesus I will walk with you
Attentive to your voice
In every written word you speak
And make my heart rejoice
Though now I walk an unseen road
In prayer I know your peace
And walk with persevering faith
For Jesus walks with me
Verse 3
Jesus I will walk with you
The way of victory
The stranglehold of sin is gone
Your blood has set me free
And though my sin is deep and dark
Your spirit’s power will be
My daily strength to walk with you
For Jesus walks with me
Verse 4
Jesus I will walk with you
Salvation’s ancient way
Where countless saints have walked before
And triumphed by your grace
Your faithfulness their victory song
One joyful voice agrees
There is no better way to walk
For Jesus walks with me.
There is no better way to walk
For Jesus walks with me.
Let us affirm with Christians across the ages what we believe about God
and his love for us.
We believe in one God,
who made us and loves all that is.
We believe in Jesus Christ,
God’s only Son, our Lord,
who was born, lived, died and rose again,
and is coming to call all to account.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
who calls, equips and sends out God’s people,
and brings all things to their true end.
This is our faith, the faith of the Church:
We believe in one God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
THE MINISTRY OF PRAYER
Let us pray for the Church and the world.
Father, we pray for your holy catholic Church
that we all may be one.
Grant that every member of your Church may truly and humbly serve you:
that your name may be glorified by all people.
We pray for all ordained and licensed ministers of the Church
that they may be faithful ministers of your word and sacraments.
We pray for all who govern and hold authority in the nations of the world
that there may be justice and peace on the earth.
Give us grace to do your will in all that we undertake
that your glory may be proclaimed through our lives.
Have compassion on those who suffer from any grief or trouble
that they may be delivered from their distress.
We praise you for your saints who have entered their eternal joy
may we also come to share in the fulness of your kingdom.
We pray for our own needs and for those of others:
Silence.
“You have seen him,” Jesus said, “and he is speaking to you!”
“Yes, Lord, I believe!” the man said. And he worshipped Jesus.
Then Jesus told him, “I entered this world to render judgement—to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.”
Some Pharisees who were standing nearby heard him and asked, “Are you saying we’re blind?”
“If you were blind, you wouldn’t be guilty,” Jesus replied. “But you remain guilty because you claim you can see.
We are made third parties to the conversation between Jesus and the man born blind and the conversation between Jesus and the Pharisees. We are overhearing what they are saying but not taking part in the conversations. At the same time these two conversations affect us. Throughout his Gospel John repeats the claim that Jesus is the Holy One of God, inviting the readers of his Gospel and those to whom it is read to respond to that claim. He shows us how spiritual blindness can not only can keep us from recognizing Jesus for who is but also prevent us from truly following Jesus.
Spiritual blindness is not confined to those who do not identify themselves as Christians and do not profess to follow Christ. Like the Pharisees, Christians can fail to see where God is active in the world because a particular activity does not fit with the way that they conceive God works. They can have their own particular set of beliefs and practices based upon their interpretation of the Bible and be too quick to criticize anyone who does not share this set of beliefs and practices. They can be unkind and unforgiving in their judgment. They can think of themselves as better than most and not hesitate to express the negative opinion that they have formed of others. The Christ they follow may not be the Christ of the Gospels, but a Christ of their own imagining.
The Pharisees accused Jesus of being a Samaritan and being demon-possessed. Today we hear self-identified Christians dismissing Jesus’ teachings as weak and unsuited for today’s world, calling those whom they have come to regard as enemies the modern-day equivalent of Samaritan, and representing them as evil and demonic. At the same time, they are blind to the harmful spiritual forces that are manipulating and exploiting them, promoting suspicion, distrust, hatred and ill-will, and damaging the cause of the true gospel—Jesus’ message and teaching.
What Jesus told the disciples in the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew 7: 3-5 warrants our attention at a time when what psychologists call the “negativity bias,” the inclination to see other people in the worst possible light and give credence to negative reports about them over anything else, has become serious problem affecting all spheres of life in our society and is contributing to its division into opposing groups.
“And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye [or your brother’s eye] when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, [or brother] ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye [or brother’s eye].
We can become so preoccupied with the real or imagined faults, mistakes, and weaknesses of others that we are blind to our own faults, mistakes, and weaknesses, which may upon close examination be far greater than theirs—a huge sequoia log to the tiny fleck of sawdust in their eye.
Jesus’ words about opening the eyes of the blind and show those who can see how blind they are words which we need to think about seriously. We would do well to make it our prayer to ask God to take away any spiritual blindness that is hindering us from becoming a true disciple of Jesus and to enable us to walk so closely with Jesus that other people do not see us. They see only him.
Silence
Open this link in a new tab to hear Sam Brewster and Tom Brewster’ “Jesus I will walk with you.”
Verse 1
Jesus I will walk with you
Companion for the way
My constant friend and faithful guide
Beside me every day
Through times of winter harsh and bare
Through summer’s gentle breeze
I’ll walk with faith and hope and love
For Jesus walks with me
Verse 2
Jesus I will walk with you
Attentive to your voice
In every written word you speak
And make my heart rejoice
Though now I walk an unseen road
In prayer I know your peace
And walk with persevering faith
For Jesus walks with me
Verse 3
Jesus I will walk with you
The way of victory
The stranglehold of sin is gone
Your blood has set me free
And though my sin is deep and dark
Your spirit’s power will be
My daily strength to walk with you
For Jesus walks with me
Verse 4
Jesus I will walk with you
Salvation’s ancient way
Where countless saints have walked before
And triumphed by your grace
Your faithfulness their victory song
One joyful voice agrees
There is no better way to walk
For Jesus walks with me.
There is no better way to walk
For Jesus walks with me.
Let us affirm with Christians across the ages what we believe about God
and his love for us.
We believe in one God,
who made us and loves all that is.
We believe in Jesus Christ,
God’s only Son, our Lord,
who was born, lived, died and rose again,
and is coming to call all to account.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
who calls, equips and sends out God’s people,
and brings all things to their true end.
This is our faith, the faith of the Church:
We believe in one God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
THE MINISTRY OF PRAYER
Let us pray for the Church and the world.
Father, we pray for your holy catholic Church
that we all may be one.
Grant that every member of your Church may truly and humbly serve you:
that your name may be glorified by all people.
We pray for all ordained and licensed ministers of the Church
that they may be faithful ministers of your word and sacraments.
We pray for all who govern and hold authority in the nations of the world
that there may be justice and peace on the earth.
Give us grace to do your will in all that we undertake
that your glory may be proclaimed through our lives.
Have compassion on those who suffer from any grief or trouble
that they may be delivered from their distress.
We praise you for your saints who have entered their eternal joy
may we also come to share in the fulness of your kingdom.
We pray for our own needs and for those of others:
Silence.
The people may add their own petitions.
Gracious God, grant that the desires of your people’s hearts
may find favour in your sight,
through the intercession of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us:
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
THE SENDING FORTH OF GOD’S PEOPLE
Holy and everliving God,
by your power we are created
and by your love we are redeemed;
guide and strengthen us by your Spirit,
that we may give ourselves to your service,
and live each day in love to one another and to you,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
May the almighty and merciful God,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
bless us and keep us
now and forever. Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Ian Worsfold and Paul Wood’ “Beyond These Walls of Worship.”
Verse 1
Beyond these walls of worship
In the stress and joy of life,
Can we offer you our bodies
As a living sacrifice?
Will we keep you at the centre
Far beyond the Sunday call?
Will we turn to you, be transformed by you;
Still declare you God of all?
Verse 2
Beyond these walls of worship
In the times of work and rest,
Will we display your love for all
When our faith’s put to the test?
When the people that surround us
Deny that you are there,
Will we display our faith in you –
In life, in praise, in prayer?
Verse 3
Beyond these walls of worship
May your Spirit strengthen us
To make the whole of life our worship
As we witness to your love.
From this moment in your presence
Send us out now to proclaim
That we’ll live our life as a sacrifice
To the glory of your name.
Those present may exchange a sign of peace.
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
And also with you.
Gracious God, grant that the desires of your people’s hearts
may find favour in your sight,
through the intercession of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us:
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
THE SENDING FORTH OF GOD’S PEOPLE
Holy and everliving God,
by your power we are created
and by your love we are redeemed;
guide and strengthen us by your Spirit,
that we may give ourselves to your service,
and live each day in love to one another and to you,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
May the almighty and merciful God,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
bless us and keep us
now and forever. Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Ian Worsfold and Paul Wood’ “Beyond These Walls of Worship.”
Verse 1
Beyond these walls of worship
In the stress and joy of life,
Can we offer you our bodies
As a living sacrifice?
Will we keep you at the centre
Far beyond the Sunday call?
Will we turn to you, be transformed by you;
Still declare you God of all?
Verse 2
Beyond these walls of worship
In the times of work and rest,
Will we display your love for all
When our faith’s put to the test?
When the people that surround us
Deny that you are there,
Will we display our faith in you –
In life, in praise, in prayer?
Verse 3
Beyond these walls of worship
May your Spirit strengthen us
To make the whole of life our worship
As we witness to your love.
From this moment in your presence
Send us out now to proclaim
That we’ll live our life as a sacrifice
To the glory of your name.
Those present may exchange a sign of peace.
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
And also with you.
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