Sunday Service - 12 July

Welcome to our Service - 12 July

This service sheet can be used individually or with households.
We would encourage you to say (or even sing) hymns and songs out loud.
Prayers, other liturgy or readings can be said out loud or silently, corporately or individually.

To the right is Alistair’s talk. It can be watched separately or as part of the rest of the service.

If you are able, we would also like invite you to join us for our main Sunday service, 10am, live on Zoom. Even if you have never been to St Gabriel’s before we would love you to join you. Please get in touch with the vicar Alistair (vicar@saintgs.co.uk) and he will send you the Zoom details.

NOTICE:

NOTICE: Opening the church for private prayer and public worship.

Many will be aware that the government announced 6th June that church buildings may re-open for individual prayer from Monday 15th June and public worship to take place from 4th July. The diocese has made it clear that there is no pressure to re-open the church building and they will support us in whatever decision makes the best sense for us locally.

Further to our notice last week, the wardens, PCC and the vicar have made the decision to open the church for personal and private prayer on Sunday afternoons, 4 - 5:30pm in July and August. Please do join us if you can.

Furthermore we have also decided to continue with our current pattern of online and remote worship throughout July and August. We anticipate that this will continue in July and August with a likely new pattern of public worship at St Gabriel’s starting in September. This will likely include offering worship provision for those who choose to stay at home. However, we will also offer a simply Holy Communion in the church building each Sunday. The first Sunday for this will be the 6th September. The time is still to be confirmed

We understand that this decision will be met with sadness by some who have been particularly missing gathering in the church building for prayer and worship. Thank you for your patience and your continued prayers. We are very thankful for the way that many have continued to worship and gathered through our online services and Zoom services and for those who have contributed to these services.

SERVICE

Opening Prayer:

Praise the name of the Lord;

ascribe greatness to our God.

Lord, open our lips

and we shall praise your name.

SING: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQeIGbKqiw8

And can it be that I should gain

an interest in the Saviour's blood?

Died He for me, who caused His pain?

For me, who Him to death pursued?

Amazing love! how can it be

that Thou, my God,

shouldst die for me!

2 'Tis mystery all! The Immortal dies;

who can explore His strange design?

In vain the first-born seraph tries

to sound the depths of love divine.

'Tis mercy all let earth adore,

let angel minds inquire no more.

3 He left His Father's throne above -

so free, so infinite His grace -

emptied Himself of all but love,

and bled for Adam's helpless race.

'Tis mercy all, immense and free;

for, O my God, it found out me!

4 Long my imprisoned spirit lay

fast bound in sin and nature's night;

Thine eye diffused a quickening ray -

I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;

my chains fell off, my heart was free.

I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.

5 No condemnation now I dread;

Jesus, and all in Him is mine!

Alive in Him, my living Head,

and clothed in righteousness divine,

bold I approach the eternal throne,

and claim the crown,

through Christ, my own.

Charles Wesley (1707-88)

CONFESSION

The word of God is living and active.

It judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

All is open and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we give account.

Lord God, our maker and our redeemer,

this is your world and we are your people: come among us and save us.

We have wilfully misused your gifts of creation;

Lord, be merciful:

forgive us our sin.

We have seen the ill-treatment of others and have not gone to their aid;

Lord, be merciful:

forgive us our sin.

We have condoned evil and dishonesty and failed to strive for justice;

Lord, be merciful:

forgive us our sin.

We have heard the good news of Christ,

but have failed to share it with others;

Lord, be merciful:

forgive us our sin.

We have not loved you with all our heart, nor our neighbours as ourselves;

Lord, be merciful:

forgive us our sin.

ASOLUTION

May God who loved the world so much

that he sent his Son to be our Saviour

forgive us our sins

and make us holy to serve him in the world,

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

COLLECT

Almighty God,

send down upon your Church

the riches of your Spirit,

and kindle in all who minister the gospel

your countless gifts of grace;

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

SING

THY WORD is a lamp unto my feet

And a light unto my path.

(Repeat)

When I feel afraid,

Think I’ve lost my way,

Still You’re there right beside me.

And nothing will I fear

As long as You are near;

Please be near me to the end.

I will not forget

Your love for me, and yet

My heart forever is wandering.

Jesus, be my guide

And hold me to Your side,

And I will love You to the end.

Amy Grant & Michael W. Smith.

READINGS

Romans 8:1-11 New Living Translation (NLT)

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.

Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.

But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.

Matt. 13. 1 - 9, 18 - 23 New International Version UK

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Such large crowds gathered round him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. Then he told them many things in parables, saying: ‘A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop – a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Whoever has ears, let them hear.’

‘Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: when anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.’

This the word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

TALK written by Peter Smithers

THE APOSTLES’ CREED

I believe in God, the Father almighty,

creator of heaven and earth

I believe in Jesus Christ,

his only Son, our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

born of the Virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died, and was buried;

he descended to the dead.

On the third day he rose again;

he ascended into heaven,

he is seated at the right hand

of the Father,

and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic Church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting. Amen

O LORD, HEAR MY PRAYER,

O Lord, hear my prayer:

When I call answer me.

O Lord, hear my prayer,

O Lord, hear my prayer:

Come and listen to me.

Jacques Berthier/Taizé.

PRAYERS - written by Linda Chambers

Eternal Father, strong to save … hear us when we cry to Thee, for those in peril on the sea. Today is Sea Sunday, so we thank you for seafarers the world over, who work tirelessly to bring us goods we rely on every day. Thank you especially for their vital role in transporting PPE, medical equipment and food supplies during the coronavirus pandemic. We pray for their safety and protection as they frequently face many dangers including shipwreck, piracy and fear of being abandoned in ports. Grant them strength and energy as they cope with poor working conditions, fatigue, loneliness, months away from home. Thank you for the Mission to Seafarers and The Sailors Society with their global networks of chaplains providing practical, emotional and spiritual support to seafarers and their families.

We pray for all who give help to those in difficulty around our coastline or out at sea – the Lifeboat service, air-sea rescue, coastguards and lifeguards, especially as lockdown eases and people flock to the beaches. Please give them courage and patience in their work.

We pray for migrants who continue to take massive risks crossing the sea in search of a new life. We pray for countries affected by coastal erosion such as Bangladesh, many island nations and some coastal communities in the UK. And we remember all those in Japan currently suffering from flooding and landslides due to severe weather.

Eternal Father, thank you for the opportunities many of us have to enjoy the beauty of the countryside, but for many farmers life in the country can be a daily grind. We pray for farmers as they face unseasonal weather affecting crops and pasture for livestock, unforeseen expenses and the current shortage of seasonal labour due to travel restrictions from abroad.

Draw near and comfort those farmers struggling with mental health issues, often due to loneliness and isolation, now exacerbated by the virus pandemic. Thank you for the support from agricultural chaplains across the country.

And we pray for farmers in many parts of Africa such as Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, having to cope with fluctuating weather patterns and the constant threat of hunger.

Eternal Father, we have remembered those on land and sea who provide for our physical needs, we pray now for those who care for our spiritual needs. We pray for Bishop Pete and his staff team working from home during lockdown. Thank you for their ongoing guidance for churches and their preparation of sermons and other materials for us to use during this time.

Thank you for our own church of St. Gabriel’s and those who lead and provide pastoral support. May we have a sense of togetherness over the summer through the newly established small groups, despite being physically apart. Grant us wisdom and practical common sense as we open the church for private prayer and plan the resumption of public worship in September. Bless those preparing packs of activities and zoom gatherings for our holiday club in August – and may the children who participate learn more about following Jesus and his love for them.

We pray for local businesses during this difficult time – and schools this week, facing the end of a very strange academic year. We commit to your loving care those who are unwell, those fearful of an uncertain future, those continuing to care for COVID patients in hospital, care homes and in the community.

Eternal Father, thank you, that through Christ Jesus, we have been set free from sin and that in Him alone our hope is found. AMEN

LORD’S PRAYER

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 for ever.

Amen

SING: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16KYvfIc2bE

In Christ alone my hope is found.

He is my light, my strength, my song;

this Cornerstone, this solid ground,

firm through the fiercest drought and storm.

What heights of love, what depths of peace,

when fears are stilled, when strivings cease!

My Comforter, my all in all,

here in the love of Christ I stand.

2. In Christ alone! - who took on flesh,

Fullness of God in helpless babe!

This gift of love and righteousness,

scorned by the ones He came to save:

till on that cross as Jesus died,

the wrath of God was satisfied -

for ev’ry sin on Him was laid;

here in the death of Christ I live.

3. There in the ground His body lay,

Light of the world by darkness slain:

then bursting forth in glorious Day

up from the grave He rose again!

And as He stands in victory

sin's curse has lost its grip on me,

for I am His and He is mine -

bought with the precious blood of Christ.

4. No guilt in life, no fear in death,

this is the power of Christ in me;

from life's first cry to final breath;

Jesus commands my destiny.

No power of hell, no scheme of man,

can ever pluck me from His hand;

till He returns or calls me home,

here in the pow’r of Christ I'll stand!

Words: Stuart Townend

Music: Keith Getty

OFFERTORY - Take a moment to consider how you are going to continue to give to the life of the church and support other aid agencies and mission organisations.

Yours, Lord, is the greatness, the power,

the glory, the splendour, and the majesty;

for everything in heaven and on earth is yours.

All things come from you,

and of your own do we give you.

SING:

JUST AS I AM, without one plea: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxA0TFe3-Uo

But that Thy blood was shed for me,

And that Thou bid’st me come to Thee,

O Lamb of God, I come.

Just as I am, and waiting not

To rid my soul of one dark blot,

To Thee, whose blood can cleanse each spot,

O Lamb of God, I come.

Just as I am, though tossed about

With many a conflict, many a doubt,

Fightings and fears within, without,

O Lamb of God, I come.

Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind;

Sight, riches, healing of the mind,

Yea, all I need in Thee to find,

O Lamb of God, I come.

Just as I am, Thou wilt receive,

Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve,

Because Thy promise I believe,

O Lamb of God, I come.

Just as I am, Thy love unknown

Has broken every barrier down;

Now to be Thine, yea, Thine alone,

O Lamb of God, I come.

Just as I am, of that free love

The breadth, length, depth and height to prove,

Here for a season, then above,

O Lamb of God, I come.

Charlotte Elliott (1789–1871)

BLESSING

Eternal God, giver of love and power, your Son Jesus Christ has sent us into all the world to preach the gospel of his kingdom: confirm us in this mission, and help us to live the good news we proclaim; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Father, whose glory fills the heavens, cleanse you by his holiness and send you to proclaim his word. Amen

The Son, who has ascended to the heights, pour upon you the riches of his grace. Amen.

The Holy Spirit, the Comforter, equip you and strengthen you in your ministry. Amen.

And blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen

The access the children's activities click here