Invocation
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Pause for reflection
Good morning, heavenly Father.
We worship you, the creator and sustainer of the universe.
Good morning, Lord Jesus.
We worship you, Saviour and Lord of the world.
Good morning, Holy Spirit.
We worship you, sanctifier of the people of God.
Opening sentences
One thing I have asked of the Lord,
this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life;
to behold the beauty of the Lord
and to seek him in his temple.
Who is it that you seek?
We seek the Lord our God.
Do you seek him with all your heart?
Amen. Lord, have mercy.
Do you seek him with all your soul?
Amen. Lord, have mercy.
Do you seek him with all your mind?
Amen. Lord, have mercy.
Do you seek him with all your strength?
Amen. Christ, have mercy.
Declaration of faith
To whom shall we go?
You have the words of eternal life,
and we have believed and have come to know
that you are the Holy One of God.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ,
King of endless glory.
Hebrew Bible reading
Psalm 81
1 Sing for joy to God our strength;
shout in triumph to the God of Jacob.
2 Lift up a song – play the tambourine,
the melodious lyre, and the harp.
3 Blow the ram’s horn on the day of our feasts
during the new moon
and during the full moon.
4 For this is a statute for Israel,
an ordinance of the God of Jacob.
5 He set it up as a decree for Joseph
when he went throughout the land of Egypt.
I heard an unfamiliar language:
6 ‘I relieved his shoulder from the burden;
his hands were freed from carrying the basket.
7 You called out in distress, and I rescued you;
I answered you from the thundercloud.
I tested you at the Waters of Meribah. Selah
8 Listen, my people, and I will admonish you.
Israel, if you would only listen to me!
9 There must not be a strange god among you;
you must not bow down to a foreign god.
10 I am the Lord your God,
who brought you up from the land of Egypt.
Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.
11 ‘But my people did not listen to my voice;
Israel did not obey me.
12 So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts
to follow their own plans.
13 If only my people would listen to me
and Israel would follow my ways,
14 I would quickly subdue their enemies
and turn my hand against their foes.’
15 Those who hate the Lord
would cower to him;
their doom would last for ever.
16 But he would feed Israel with the best wheat.
‘I would satisfy you with honey from the rock.’
New Testament Reading
John 14:14-31, 37-39
14 When the festival was already half over, Jesus went up into the temple and began to teach. 15 Then the Jews were amazed and said, ‘How is this man so learned, since he hasn’t been trained? ’
16 Jesus answered them, ‘My teaching isn’t mine but is from the one who sent me. 17 If anyone wants to do his will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own. 18 The one who speaks on his own seeks his own glory; but he who seeks the gloryof the one who sent him is true, and there is no unrighteousness in him.19 Didn’t Moses give you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why are you trying to kill me? ’
20 ‘You have a demon! ’ the crowd responded. ‘Who is trying to kill you? ’
21 ‘I performed one work, and you are all amazed,’ Jesus answered. 22 ‘This is why Moses has given you circumcision – not that it comes from Moses but from the fathers #– #and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. 23 If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses won’t be broken, are you angry at me because I made a man entirely well on the Sabbath? 24 Stop judging according to outward appearances; rather judge according to righteous judgement.’
The Identity of the Messiah
25 Some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, ‘Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill? 26 Yet, look, he’s speaking publicly and they’re saying nothing to him. Can it be true that the authorities know he is the Messiah? 27 But we know where this man is from. When the Messiah comes, nobody will know where he is from.’
28 As he was teaching in the temple, Jesus cried out, ‘You know me and you know where I am from. Yet I have not come on my own, but the one who sent me is true. You don’t know him; 29 I know him because I am from him, and he sent me.’
30 Then they tried to seize him. Yet no one laid a hand on him because his hour had not yet come. 31 However, many from the crowd believed in him and said, ‘When the Messiah comes, he won’t perform more signs than this man has done, will he? ’
The Promise of the Spirit
37 On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus stood up and cried out, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me[a] and drink. 38 The one who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, will have streams of living water flow from deep within him.’ 39 He said this about the Spirit. Those who believed in Jesus were going to receive the Spirit, for the Spirit[b]had not yet been given[c] because Jesus had not yet been glorified.
Pause for reflection
Prayer of Confession
Gracious God, source of all life, Lord of mercy and grace,
hear our prayer.
We come before you in need of healing:
The healing of our bodies and souls,
The healing of our relationships,
The healing of our pride and fear and apathy.
We know that with you, nothing is impossible,
not even our healing,
Not even the restoration of the whole world.
We pray that you will heal us, that you will heal our world,
So that we will be freed to serve and love and dream and be,
as Christ calls us. Amen.
Prayers of Intercession
Today, we are praying for Ireland; United Kingdom: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.
We give thanks for:
- the many distinct cultures in these islands and how literature, music, dance, and other traditions rooted here, have enriched people around the world
- the economic and other aid that consistently have come from the area to those in the world who are most in need
- the many who have emigrated to other parts of the world, and in turn, the immigrants from these lands who are now turning the United Kingdom and Ireland into increasingly multi-ethnic, multireligious societies
- the positive contributions Great Britain has made in world history and that church leaders have played in the ecumenical and interfaith movements.
We pray for:
- the healing of scars and memories that linger after times of colonization
- overcoming barriers so that all might experience welcome as these countries become more genuinely multi-ethnic and multi-faith
- resolving differences and political tensions over how Great Britain should relate to the rest of Europe
- dealing with the challenges of increasing secularism and the emergence of new ways of expressing religion and spirituality.
In our own place in the world, we pray for:
- all whose decisions involve questions of justice, mercy and peace
- federal, state and local politicians
- church leaders, ministers, pastors, teachers, and missionaries
- all the churches of our city or region
- our local congregation and its ministries
- our local communities, businesses, and schools
- the needs of our families and friends
- our personal needs, challenges and opportunities
Pause for reflection
Classic Prayer
O God, seeing as there is in Christ Jesus
an infinite fullness of all that we can want or desire,
May we all receive from him, grace upon grace;
grace to pardon our sins, and subdue our iniquities;
to justify our persons and to sanctify our souls;
and to complete that holy change, that renewal of our hearts,
Which will enable us to be transformed
into the blessed image in which you created us.
O make us all acceptable to be partakers
of the inheritance of your saints in light. Amen.
– John Wesley
Contemporary Prayer
God, I’m tempted to give up hope.
Remind me that you are faithful and that my waiting is not wasted.
Strengthen my heart to trust you even in the delay.
Help me to see this season as an opportunity for growth,
not just an obstacle to endure.
Renew my hope each day and give me the endurance
to keep believing in your goodness.
Father, your ways are higher than mine.
Give me eyes to see how you might be working beneath the surface.
Help me walk by faith, even when I can’t see the outcome.
Expand my perspective beyond my current circumstances
to see your eternal purposes.
Transform my uncertainty into an opportunity for deeper faith
and greater dependence on you. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Matthew 6:9-13, NIV
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come, your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
For yours is the kingdom and the power
and the glory forever. Amen.
Pause for reflection
Sending Prayer
Heavenly Father, we pray
that we may live this day in your presence
and please you more and more.
Lord Jesus, we pray that this day
we may take up our cross and follow you.
Holy Spirit, we pray that this day
you will fill us with yourself
and cause your fruit to ripen in our lives:
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Holy, blessed and glorious Trinity,
three persons in one God,
have mercy upon us. Amen.
Canticle
Christ, as a light,
illumine and guide me.
Christ, as a shield,
overshadow me.
Christ under me;
Christ over me;
Christ beside me
on my left and my right.
This day be within and without me,
lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.
Be in the heart of each to whom I speak;
in the mouth of each who speaks unto me.
This day be within and without me,
lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.
Christ as a light;
Christ as a shield;
Christ beside me
on my left and my right.
Blessing
May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you,
wherever he may send you.
May He guide you through the wilderness,
protect you through the storm.
May he bring you home rejoicing
at the wonders he has shown you.
May he bring you home rejoicing
once again into our doors.
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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