'The losing and gaining of lives'

​Welcome to worship today – whether in the building for the first time in months, or at home using paper copies or online or joining via Zoom. It’s so good to connect in all these different ways but in the same Spirit.

​Prayer of adoration
Lord God you invite us to come and share your story. We stand amazed in your presence, wondering at the lengths to which you have gone to make it possible for us self-seeking creatures to know the vastness of your forgiving love. Jesus you are our saviour and our friend and we adore you. Amen.

We cannot yet sing out loud in church but our souls can still sing, as this favourite hymn says -
Stf 82 O Lord my God when I in awesome wonder

​Bible Readings
Matthew 16:21-28
Romans 12: 9-21

​Message - 'the losing and gaining of lives' - Rev Christine Fox

Stf 693 Beauty for brokenness

​Prayers of intercession

As we bring you our prayers for others, we first must give thanks that after 6 months we are able to come together and worship you in this place. So we must give thanks for the wonders of technology and the clever people in our church able to do this for us; but for this it would have lost out in bringing your word to us in our own homes.

We pray for the world in general and ask you to bring peace to those countries in conflict and also struggling with this pandemic. We ask you to remember especially the USA at this because of the recent troubles. Just be a beacon of hope to all those in despair and to all the needy.

We pray for the church in all our troubled world who too are suffering because of this pandemic, plus those who are persecuted and in poverty.

We pray for family and friends who are special to us especially those who have lost people either from Covid-19 or from other causes. Shine your light of hope on these people and help them all through their sad losses.

We pray for all our schools as they return to the class rooms and that the restrictions put in place will go smoothly. Be with all parents of these children as they send them to school.

We now pray for ourselves as we face any particular issues this week. Help us with your love to be able to overcome them, and all our pressures that are becoming so overwhelming. Shine your light of hope in the midst of these problems standing strong and true. In silence we name our own problems.......pause.

O God we ask you for peace and hope, guidance, joy, and thanksgiving that despite this pandemic there has been the love to get us through these times. So dear Lord we now bring you these our prayers, as we now say the prayer that your Son gave to us. Amen.


The Lord’s Prayer

​StF 440 Amazing grace

​Blessing - Let the grace of Christ redeem you, the power of Christ renew you, the example of Christ inspire you, and the love of Christ shine from you.
Go in faith to walk his way and make him known, to his glory. ​Amen