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
Based on Psalm 149 parts in bold to say aloud:
Praise the Lord!
Sing to the Lord a new song!
We are glad in our Maker
and we rejoice in our King.
We praise our Lord with melodies
and dancing!
May we bring pleasure to our Lord,
and seek out his most holy way.
And when we find ourselves amidst
argument and division,
conflict and disagreement,
may we return to your presence
resolved to find a better way.
Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord in all we do!
HYMN – Sing of the Lord’s Goodness
All-Age Prayer
God of love,
we join together in the church
or in our homes, with our friends,
or our families because we love you
and you love us.
We do not always know what to do
because our world is a complicated place,
but you have shown us how to be good people,
so, we try to be kind, to be generous,
and to treat other people as we want to be treated.
Help us to see that when we do this—
when we are online, or in the playground,
or in our homes—
that when we talk to each other
with kindness and love
we can live like you told us,
and make the world a better place.
We want to thank you for being in our lives,
for being there when we are sad
for laughing with us when we are happy,
for loving us always.
Help us to be better friends to each other
just like you are to us.
Amen.
Reading: Matthew 18 v 15-20 read by Sandra Marshall
Dramatised Reading:
Reflection:
Sunday School for all Ages:
How To Talk To Each Other
You will need: a balloon that has not been inflated.
Talk with the group about how they speak to their parents, friends, teachers/leaders. Explore if they use good words, kind words, smile or do they cry, scream, shout, say horrible words, hurtful words. As they speak to you and of course you give them ideas, every time they tell you something positive about the way they speak to others, congratulate and affirm them and blow the balloon up. Let all the air out and start again with bad ways they speak to people. Blow the balloon up with a breath every time they suggest a bad way to speak to people. When the balloon is blown up a bit burst it.
Talking nicely to someone can fill them with love but when you say horrible or cruel things about a person it can fill them with so much hurt that they might burst just like our balloon did! Their confidence is gone and they will feel really bad. Jesus does not want that: he wants us to speak nicely to each other even if we disagree so that we share the love together and pass it on to others.
HYMN – I am the Church
Prayers for Others and Ourselves
Ever-living God,
Creator and Sustainer of all that we perceive,
guide us always towards
peace, hope, and the promise of a
new way of life in your church,
a community united in love of you and each other.
As we move through the seasons of the year,
as we wait for the landscape to change,
we are shown the beauty of our world.
We give thanks, and we pray
for the wisdom to listen to experts,
to see the impact we have on your
awesome creation, that we might
unify and makes changes now,
for the generations to come.
As our world continues to grapple with the
unimaginable loss and pain experienced
by hundreds of thousands of families,
we pray, individually and as a church
for compassion and the ability
to comfort, support,
and to have patience and empathy in the
grief of others no matter how it
is manifest or how long it lasts.
As our church seeks its own way forward
in a changed and changing world,
we pray for strength
to build on what is good,
to prune what is dead,
and to find new ways to
unite in our mission to
spread your love to the world around us.
As inequality, fear, and hate
continue to plague our society,
we pray for the boldness
to stand up to the evils of this world,
to live the new life promised and
given through our saviour Jesus,
to turn from inaction to action,
and to work for justice for all
as one body of Christ,
in the full knowledge and confidence
that you are with us now and forever.
Amen.
The Offering – you can now make a donation for the work of the church online. If you would like to do this, please click on the “donate now” on the main page of the website.
HYMN – First
Prayer of Dedication
Generous God,
we give thanks and praise,
today and every day
for the gift of community
in the church and beyond
for the joy of all ages
coming together to listen and learn
to grow and to thrive
in your love and the love of each other.
We make this offering,
tokens of our commitment to you
and to the mission and ministry
of this community of your people
ever seeking to grow your kingdom.
Amen.
HYMN – When I Needed a Neighbour
Sending
Go into this new week
seeking peace in your heart.
Let go of the grudges,
the resentment that holds you back,
know that Jesus loves you
and those with whom you struggle.
May God’s peace,
Jesus’ love,
and the Spirit’s presence go with you. Amen.