Introduction: As we commemorate the anniversary of Victory in Europe, we recall that on this day the sounds of war fell silent.Let us pray: Lord, as we remember, we call to mind our need of your God’s forgiveness – Lord have mercy. Cast out our sin of dominating others - Christ have mercy. Heal us from the desires that leads us into conflict with others and cause war between nations. Lord have mercy.Reading from Micah 4 v1-4 (NRSV): In days to come the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised up above the hills. Peoples shall stream to it, and many nations shall come and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between many peoples, and shall arbitrate between strong nations far away; they shall beat their swords into plough shares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore; but they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees, and no one shall make them afraid; for the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken.Reflection: This reading tells us that God promises that one day there will be a time of enduring peace. A peace that lasts forever. I hope for that time on earth and believe that time will be in heaven.Today we Remember: We remember the many people who gave their lives to restrain evil and oppose tyranny. We remember soldiers, sailors, and airmen who gave their lives that others may live. We remember all those who were hurt and maimed. Thanksgiving prayer: Lord, we give you thanks for the sacrifices of the past. We give you thanks for recent years of peace. We give you thanks for all who help, encourage and comfort others. We give you thanks for all who work for the relief of the needy. We give you thanks for all who work for peace and the welfare of all nations. Offering of ourselves: Lord, we offer ourselves to you, to serve you: in the cause of peace, for the relief of suffering and for praise of your name. Teach us the ways of peace and the ways of hope. Guide us by your Spirit, lend us your wisdom, give to us courage and keep us faithful now and in the years to come. Amen. Lord’s prayer: 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 them that 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.Prayer of Blessing: God grant to the living, grace; to the departed, rest; to the Church, the Monarch, the Commonwealth and all people, your gift of peace and concord; and to us and all your servants, life everlasting; and the blessing of God almighty, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, come down upon us and remain with us always.
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Join the global wave of prayer between Ascension and Pentecost in which Christians from many denominations pray for more people to come to know the love and peace of Jesus Christ. You are invited to take part during May for 10 days and to do so in your own way. We hope you do because you will be joining in with Christians from churches from over 85 different denominations and traditions in over 172 countries around the world.For those of you who need or want it, the Church of England website has a range of resources to support you in this wave of praying. See also what the Archbishop has to say about it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSa3TemZwS0
2nd Sunday of Easter Readings: Acts 5v27-32; Psalm 150; Revelation 1v4-8; John 20v19-end. Let us pray: May the words of my mouth and the thoughts and meditations of all our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer. A Word: In John we hear about two of Jesus’ resurrection appearances. In the first the disciples were meeting in a locked room when Jesus appeared amongst them and showed them signs of his crucifixion. After this Jesus breathed his Holy Spirit on them and commissioned them to go into the world with the power to forgive sins. Now, Thomas was not at this meeting, so when he was told about it, he was dubious and said he would not believe unless he saw and felt the marks of the crucifixion for himself. So when the second resurrection appearance happened a week later, when Thomas was present, it is surprising to hear that after Jesus’ invitation to see and feel the marks of crucifixion and Jesus’ instruction to stop doubting and believe, that Thomas simply declared that the one before him was his Lord and his God. I believe that this appearance to Thomas shows us that our ability to believe is not about finding proof but about setting aside the doubts that cloud our ability to dare to believe. For as Jesus told Thomas, people who have not seen him but believe in him are more blessed than those he has met with. In Acts we hear that Peter was a changed man. For the man who denied that he knew Jesus was now standing up for Jesus against the very same people he had been so afraid of before, This was even though Peter knew that what he was saying could get him killed. For Peter was so changed that he spoke up, even though he had been ordered to not speak about Jesus. Peter was so changed that he dared to obey God by standing up as a witness for Jesus and sharing his witness testimony about Jesus’ resurrection. For Peter believed beyond doubt: that Jesus had died to give God’s people the ability to change and be forgiven of all of their sins; and that God had raised Jesus back to life as the Leader and Saviour of God’s people; and that God had exalted Jesus and placed him at his right hand. I believe from all of this is that what Peter had witnessed was so compelling that he was no longer able to refuse what God required of him. In Revelation we hear a message about Jesus, a message given by the Alpha and Omega, the Lord God, the eternal one who always exists. This is a message for the 7 churches in Asia. A message telling us that Jesus is: God’s faithful witness; the firstborn of the dead; and the ruler of earth. A message telling us that: Jesus freed us from our sins because he loved us so much that he died for us. A message telling us that those who belong to the Church are Jesus’ people, a kingdom of priests serving his Father. A message telling us that one day Jesus will return and when he does that every human being - past, present and yet to come - will see him and be judged by God. I believe that what we hear in this message is that each and every one of us who join the Church is a priest serving the Father; and that the message we are called to share with the world is that one day we shall face judgement and that Jesus died to save us from our sins. These readings share with us the good news we are called to share with the world for the God that the psalm calls us to praise with songs and music and dancing. For as the psalmist tells us, God is worthy of praise because God is holy, powerful, mighty and great. The one true God who knew that the only way to save us was by allowing his son to come and show us the way to heaven. Let us Pray: Almighty Father and everlasting Lord, we thank you for Jesus who you permitted to come and save us from our sins by dying in our place for us. We thank you that Jesus rose again and ask you to help us to leave behind our wicked ways, to serve you because of all that Jesus has done for us and to assure the world that you are calling us to eternal life through Jesus. Amen Thanks for joining us today.
