'We will look and listen for God in Scripture and the world'

Welcome to worship.
We come to worship.
We come - as we are - with all our concerns, our regrets, our joys
We come - as we are. to worship God who is here, who hears us, who loves us.
Come, now is the time to worship.

STF  24    Come, now is the time to worship, Frodsham Methodist Worship Band.

Reading:   Psalm 107 v 1-15

The Psalms are poems and songs that capture the range of our human experience.
Those times when we feel downcast, despairing or desolate.
Those times when we feel angry,
Those times when we are happy,
Those times of celebration.
This psalm is a psalm of thanksgiving.
It resonates with assurance and praise:
Give thanks to the Lord for he is good.
His steadfast love endures for ever.
And the psalmist recalls different situations to be thankful for.
Remember those desert times: remember how God was good
and brought us to a place of safety. Give thanks.
Remember those difficult distressing times, when our bad decisions landed us in
trouble, and God was good and brought us out of that dark place. Give thanks.
In other psalms the writer gives thanks for the beauty of nature,
for good things in our lives.
For so many things.
Give thanks.

So I invite you to to think about the things that you would like to give thanks for.

Give thanks to the Lord for he is good:
His love endures for ever.

Prayer of confession.
If we are honest, we know that we have all done wrong - in our attitudes, in our words
and our actions. Maybe we have been too hasty, maybe we have not done something we
should have done.
In a moment of quiet we bring those things to God.
Loving Lord, forgive us.
In Psalm 32 we read “Blessed is the one whose sins are forgiven”.
Loving Lord. We thank you for your amazing grace, for forgiveness, and for your invitation
to follow you. Amen.​

StF 82: O Lord my God  150 voice Mass Choir sing the hymn " O Lord My God"  . Recorded live at the Outdoor set at St Andrew Kirk Chennai, India in 2008.

Reading:          Isaiah 35 v.1-10.

Reflection  on 'We will look and listen for God in Scripture and the world' with Morag Walder.

StF 481:     The Lord’s my shepherd  Recorded remotely by members of Victoria Methodist Church, Bristol, UK during Lockdown 2020/21.​

Prayer. 
Let us pray for all people everywhere according to their need.
Silence
We pray for your church; that we may work together to show our love of God and neighbour.
Silence
We pray for your world and all in power; that all may work together for peace and justice.
Silence
We pray for the communities in which we live;
that all people may find comfort in their need.
Silence
We pray for all those who suffer and bring before you those on our minds today; that they may find comfort and peace in their troubles.
Silence
We remember those who have died, giving special thanks for that great cloud of witnesses who have lived lives of faith. May we be reunited with them in your eternal kingdom. In the name of Christ we pray.
Amen.​

StF 469: I watch the sunrise. Performance by Joy and Ruth Everingham​

The dismissal.
May we know the presence and the peace of God today and in the days ahead,
And may our lives reflect His love and his values that others may know his presence and his
peace. Amen, thanks be to God.