Lord, direct our thoughts, and teach us to pray. Lift up our hearts to worship you in spirit and in truth, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.‘The Lord is king! Let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad! Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name!’ (Psalm 97:1,12)Hymn: Alleluia, Alleluia, give thanks to the risen Lord...Acts 16: 16-34Let us pray: Most merciful God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we confess that we have sinned in thought, word and deed. We have not loved you with our whole heart. We have not loved our neighbours as ourselves. In your mercy forgive what we have been, help us to amend what we are, and direct what we shall be; that we may do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with you, our God. Amen.May the God of love bring us back to himself, forgive us our sins, and assure us of his eternal love in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.Prayer for the day: Risen, ascended Lord, as we rejoice at your triumph, fill your Church on earth with power and compassion, that all who are estranged by sin may find forgiveness and know your peace, to the glory of God the Father. Amen.John 17: 20-26Please see the Message from the Minister.Hymn: And can it be that I should gain...Let us kneel before God in prayer, asking for his cleansing love to be known to all people. We pray for St Peter’s Church, that your will be done, and for our work to be blessed; We pray for our world, that all of its creatures will thrive, and for peace in Ukraine; We pray for our friends, families and community, that we may share in the love of Christ; We pray for people who are sick or suffering, that they will know healing and strength; We remember the departed, and pray for all who mourn.Let us join in the words of the Lord’s prayer, whoever and wherever we are, today and every day during this ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ period between the Ascension and Pentecost: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory for ever and ever. Amen.May the love of the Lord Jesus draw us to himself, the power of the Lord Jesus strengthen us in his service, the joy of the Lord Jesus fill our hearts; and may the blessing of God Almighty who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit rest upon us and and be with us always. Amen.Let us go in peace to love and serve the Lord, in the name of Christ. Amen.
In Acts the story is about capacity and conflict between Paul and an evil spirit that had taken over a slave girl, the struggle between the truth of God and the deceits of the devil. This story explores slavery and true freedom. This girl was a slave twice over, to her owners and to the evil spirit that possessed her. In our Gospel Reading Jesus prays for the generations of disciples, including us, who will witness love to others. The goal is for all to become one heart and mind. Just as you, Father, are in me and I in you (John17:21).However, the story in Acts is one of argument and conflict. At the centre is the slave girl who can see into the future and is exploited to make money for her owners. She is trapped by slavery of mind, body, spirit and emotions.Paul becomes annoyed and angry because she follows him with continual taunts and jibes, stirring him up. She tells him he is a slave to God and this is true, as he did describe himself elsewhere as ‘Paul, a slave of Jesus Christ.’However, slavery to God gives us freedom from being captive to our own thoughts and desires and into relationship with God, creator of the universe. Then we are able to rely on God and do all things through God’s power not our own. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom (2 Corinthians:3.17)Who or what are we captive to? We can be captive to our own deceiving spirits. We can become slaves to addictions such as drugs, alcohol, gambling, destructive relationships and online activities. Or slaves to an image, therefore not being true to our authentic self that God created us to be. We then become enslaved to a false image of ourselves based our own thoughts, choices and prejudices. People are slaves to whatever masters them. (2 Peter:2.19)Paul casts out her demon and the girl is healed. Her owners are furious to lose financial gain and they stir up trouble for the disciples. The disciples are convicted on trumped up charges, beaten and put into jail. However, even in these adverse circumstances Paul and Silas sing praises to God! Then the power of God acts through an earthquake and their chains fall off. Paul tells us to: Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstance. By staying put in prison Paul and Silas witness to the jailer who is ready to take his life rather than face the consequences of his prisoners escape. The jailer and his family become Christians and offer hospitality, a fruit of the Holy Spirit. Next Sunday we celebrate Pentecost, The Holy Spirit, who gives us freedom from our worst instincts and releases us from destructive impulses.Let us be thankful for the Holy Spirit who gives us true freedom from every kind of slavery. We see the power of the Holy Spirit at work throughout the book of Acts. The message is simply to believe in the Lord Jesus, be saved from ourselves and receive the gifts of relationship with The Holy Trinity.Angela Stewart, Lay Minister.
Lord, direct our thoughts, and teach us to pray. Lift up our hearts to worship you in spirit and in truth, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.‘The Lord is king, he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed, he is girded with strength.He has established the world; it shall never be moved; your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting... More majestic than the thunders of mighty waters, more majestic than the waves of the sea, majestic on high is the Lord! Your decrees are very sure; holiness befits your house, O Lord, for evermore.’ (Psalm 93)Hymn: At the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow...Acts 1:1-11‘If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’ (1 John 1:8-9). Let us confess our sins in penitence and faith:Most merciful God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we confess that we have sinned in thought, word and deed. We have not loved you with our whole heart. We have not loved our neighbours as ourselves. In your mercy forgive what we have been, help us to amend what we are, and direct what we shall be; that we may do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with you, our God. Amen.May the God of love bring us back to himself, forgive us our sins, and assure us of his eternal love in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.Prayer for the day: Risen Christ, you have raised our human nature to the throne of heaven: help us to seek and serve you, that we may join you at the Father’s side,where you reign with the Spirit in glory, now and for ever. Amen.Luke 24:44-53Let us pray:We pray for St Peter’s Church and the Church throughout the world, asking for the strength and courage to serve wherever we may be;We pray for the world’s leaders, asking for wisdom and compassion;We pray for our communities, families and friends, asking for relationships to thrive;We pray for all who are sick or suffering, asking for God’s healing presence to be known;We pray for people who have been bereaved, asking for comfort and peace.Let us pray the prayer that Jesus taught us:Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done;on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses,as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory for ever and ever. Amen.Hymn: Hail the day that sees him rise, alleluia!...May the love of the Lord Jesus draw us to himself, the power of the Lord Jesus strengthen us in his service, the joy of the Lord Jesus fill our hearts; and may the blessing of God Almighty who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit rest upon us and and be with us always. Amen.Let us go in peace to love and serve the Lord, in the name of Christ. Amen.
