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.‘I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing your praise; I bow down towards your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness; for you have exalted your name and your word above everything.’(Psalm 138:1-2)Hymn: As the deer pants for the water...Isaiah 6:1-8; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11The Spirit of the Lord fills the world and knows our every word and deed. Let us confess our sins: 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: Lord of the hosts of heaven, our salvation and our strength, without you we are lost: guard us from all that harms or hurts and raise us when we fall; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.Luke 5:1-11Please see the Message from the Minister.Let us join in prayer, asking for the light of the Lord to be known to everyone:We pray for the members of St Peter’s Church, that we will grow in faith and service;We pray for our planet, that all people will thrive and work together in peace;We pray for our friends, families and neighbours - that we may build relationships;We pray for people who are sick or suffering, for God’s healing touch to be known;We pray for the departed, that all who mourn will be comforted.Let us pray as Jesus taught us: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen.Hymn: All my hope on God is founded...May Christ’s holy, healing, enabling Spirit be with us and guide us on our way at every change and turn; and may the blessing of God Almighty who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit rest upon us and remain with us always.Let us go in peace to love and serve the Lord, in the name of Christ. Amen.
Congratulations to Angela, our Lay Minister who was commissioned as our Anna Chaplain during this morning’s service! Anna Chaplains offer care to older people in the community. 🙏 With thanks to God for calling Angela into this very valuable ministry.
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.‘Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory.’ (Ps 24:9,10)Hymn: Thou, whose Almighty word...Psalm 24:1-10The Spirit of the Lord fills the world and knows our every word and deed. Let us confess our sins: 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: Lord Jesus Christ, light of the nations and glory of Israel: make your home among us, and present us pure and holy to your heavenly Father, your God, and our God. Amen.Luke 2:22-40Please see the Message from the Minister.Let us join in prayer, asking for the light of the Lord to be known to everyone:We pray for St Peter’s Church and the Church throughout the world, that people will be drawn together by and share with others the love of God;We pray today for Angela as she is commissioned as an Anna Chaplain, and for her ongoing ministry;We pray for our planet, that lessons will be learned so that the Earth and all of its creatures will thrive, and that people will work together in peace;We pray for our friends, families and neighbours - that we may build relationships;We pray for people who are sick or suffering, and for those on our hearts and minds today, that they will know our Lord’s healing presence;We pray for the departed, remembering all who mourn.Let us pray for the coming of God’s kingdom in 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: Purify my heart, let me be as gold and precious silver...May Christ’s holy, healing, enabling Spirit be with us and guide us on our way at every change and turn; and may the blessing of God Almighty who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit rest upon us and remain with us always.Let us go in peace to love and serve the Lord, in the name of Christ. Amen.
Candlemas - the Presentation of Christ in the TempleHere endeth Christmas!The Christmas Season has taken us from the Birth of Jesus in a stable at Bethlehem, through the visits of the Shepherds and the Wise Men, then onwards through those moments of the Epiphany Season when we come face to face with our God. At first seen through the eyes of others but always raising the question, where do you and I meet our God. Today is the final Epiphany moment with Jesus being taken to the Temple in Jerusalem where his parents, Mary and Joseph, will give thanks to God by offering a sacrifice for their new-born son. Then two unexpected things happened: first the blessing of Jesus by Simeon, but note it was not all good news; second the prophetic words of Anna.As Simeon said to Mary, “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.”And as Anna said, “she began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.”One of the reasons why Simeon and Anna were listened to by his parents and the people in the Temple was that they were elderly. In Jewish Society at that time there was a belief that with age there came wisdom. Wisdom was not just elderly people knowing more but that they had walked with God and had had their own Epiphany moments where they had experienced God being with them in their own lives and as a result had grown closer to God. In many ways I think the church has lost its way in this area both because we don’t encourage people to meet with God in their prayers and in their daily lives and also because the church then doesn’t want to hear what these people have to say. But for those of us who are elderly, age does not guarantee wisdom it is only when we allow God to be the centre of our lives and then allow him to guide and change us to be his disciples in this complex world. At least the Gospel writer understood words of wisdom when he heard them and recorded them so that through the ages, right down to this present day, we might give thanks to God for our Epiphany moments and the growth of wisdom they bring. Andrew SSL
