Sitting in different chairs, joining in at different times throughout the day, God’s people still gather for worship on this, the Lord’s day. Welcome, to Sunday worship.
Call to Worship with parts in bold to say aloud:
Based on Psalm 145.
We will extol you, O Lord our God and king,
and bless your name for ever.
Great is the Lord,
and greatly to be praised,
God’s greatness is unsearchable.
We celebrate your mighty deeds,
and proclaim your abundant goodness.
For you, O Lord, are gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
Let us worship God,
let us praise God
in heart, soul, mind and strength.
HYMN Jesus is the Name we Honour
All-Age Prayer
God of love,
thank you for this
wonderful world
we live in.
Thank you for
all the animals,
wild and tame,
on land and in sea
that you have made.
Thank you for
all the amazing
places and people
you have made.
You love it all
you have no
favourites,
everything is equal
in your eyes.
Help us see it all
as you see it
and love it all
as you do.
Amen.
Reading: Matthew 20:1-16 read by Sheila Black
Dramatised reading:
Reflection:
Sunday School for all ages:
Clocks
You will need: paper plates, felt tip pens, card, scissors, split pins, stickers, hole punch.
Give each person a paper plate and ask them to write the numbers around the edge to make a clock face. Give each person some card and ask them to draw, colour and cut out ‘hands’ for the clock. At the base of each hand punch a hole.
Attach the ‘hands’ to the centre of the plate using a split pin.
Ask the children to decorate the clock face with stickers and felt tip pens.
Use the clocks the children have made to tell the story.
Discuss with the children what seems fair and unfair to them in the story. Talk about the story helping us to understand how God loves each of us equally and how we can work together so that everyone has what they need.
Rice Man Social Experiment – Would a Child Help the Homeless?
Do children have the same thoughts and approaches to wealth and poverty that adults do?
HYMN – Christ be Our Light
Prayers for Others and Ourselves
Generous God,
thank you for loving us
and for eternally being willing to forgive us
and let us rebuild our relationship with you.
Lord Jesus, you showed us
by your life how we can let go of hate
and choose to love
and reconcile with our enemies.
As we look at our broken world
we see so many people
who have inherited
centuries of hate and violence
and can see no way out
except through a continuation of
hate and violence.
We thank you for the people
engaging in the hard work
of peace and reconciliation
a work that needs everyone
to sit at the table and be open to each other.
We pray for the people
whose lives have been destroyed
by hate and violence
who continue to live in fear and anxiety
and see no way to peace and safety.
We thank you for the people
using their gifts to enable people
to find safe places to live
and work to feed their families.
We pray for the people
whose lives have been impacted
in so many different ways
by the pandemic of Covid-19;
for the radical changes
that have forced them to adapt and cope
with this new way of living.
We thank you for the people who have led
and advised us through these strange days,
for all who have worked hard to help us
find a way forward and who have put aside
any differences they may have had
and chosen to work together with others
who can bring the changes we need.
Lord, may we be willing to make the changes we need
and to let go of our fears and mistrust of others,
so that together we can all move forward
and find a way of peace and reconciliation
that works for everyone,
whoever and wherever they are.
Amen.
Offering – you can now give safely and securely to the church online via the donate button:
HYMN – Give Thanks
Prayer of Dedication
Generous One,
we cannot thank you enough
for all that you have given to us.
In return for your love and generosity
we bring before you
our offerings of money:
they are but signs and symbols
of our very lives
which we offer freely to you,
today and always.
Amen.
HYMN – Lord for the Years
Sending
God’s unlimited love and grace be with us
as we close our time of worship.
Let us commit ourselves
to taking this love and grace
out into the world in which we live and move.
The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
the love of God
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit
be with us all,
this day and always. Amen