Sunday Service - 2 August

Welcome to our Service - 2 August

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:

The church is open for personal and private prayer on Sunday afternoons, 4 - 5:30pm in July and August. Please do join us if you can.

SERVICE

Opening Prayer:

Faithful one, whose word is life:

come with saving power

to free our praise,

inspire our prayer

and shape our lives

for the kingdom of your Son,

Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

SING:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyRIVbdsi4c

Praise, my soul, the King of heaven;

to His feet thy tribute bring;

ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,

who like thee His praise should sing?

Praise Him! Praise Him!

Praise the everlasting King.

2. Praise Him for His grace and favour

to our fathers, in distress;

praise Him still the same for ever,

slow to chide, and swift to bless.

Praise Him! Praise Him!

Glorious in His faithfulness.

3. Father-like He tends and spares us;

well our feeble frame He knows;

in His hands He gently bears us,

rescues us from all our foes.

Praise Him! Praise Him!

Widely as His mercy flows.

4. Angels help us to adore Him;

ye behold Him face to face;

sun and moon, bow down before Him;

dwellers all in time and space.

Praise Him! Praise Him!

Praise with us the God of grace.

H F Lyte (1793-1847)

CONFESSION

God our Father,

we come to you in sorrow for our sins.

For turning away from you,

and ignoring your will for our lives;

Father, forgive us:

save us and help us.

For behaving just as we wish,

without thinking of you;

Father, forgive us:

save us and help us.

For failing you by what we do,

and think and say;

Father, forgive us:

save us and help us.

For letting ourselves be drawn away from you

by temptations in the world about us;

Father, forgive us:

save us and help us.

For living as if we were ashamed

to belong to your Son;

Father, forgive us:

save us and help us.

ASOLUTION

The almighty and merciful Lord

grant us pardon and forgiveness of all our sins,

time for amendment of life,

and the grace and strength of the Holy Spirit. Amen

COLLECT

Lord God,

your Son left the riches of heaven

and became poor for our sake:

when we prosper save us from pride,

when we are needy save us from despair,

that we may trust in you alone;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

SING: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VB17ibKf3XU

LIVING UNDER THE SHADOW OF HIS WING

We find security.

Standing in His presence we will bring

Our worship, worship, worship to the King.

Bowed in adoration at His feet

We dwell in harmony.

Voices joined together that repeat,

Worthy, worthy, worthy is the Lamb.

Heart to heart embracing in His love

Reveals His purity.

Soaring in my spirit like a dove,

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord.

David J. Hadden & Bob Silvester.

READINGS

Romans 9:1-5 New International Version - UK

I speak the truth in Christ – I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit – I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race, the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption to sonship; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, for ever praised! Amen.

Matthew 14:13-21 New International Version

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”

Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”

“We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.

“Bring them here to me,” he said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

This the word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

TALK written by Malcolm Chamberlain - See video above

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 Jo Chamberlain

With government advice still changing all the time, the one thing that remains steadfast is the love of God.

Lamentations 3:22-23

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,

his mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness

Loving God, thank you that you never change, that you are the same God who cared for the 5,000 people on the hillside, and met their needs abundantly. In these uncertain times, thank you that we can depend on you.

Lord, we pray for this holiday season. We thank you for those who have been able to go away and who have holidays planned. We pray for rest and relaxation, for fun and good times with friends or family. We pray for those whose plans have been disrupted, even while they are away. We pray for safe journeys home, and for peace in all the disturbance. And we pray for those who are unable to travel at this time, to find other ways to relax, have a change of scene, and find the restoration that a holiday usually brings. And we pray for holiday club. We pray that the word gets out, that lots of children and families are able to join in the activities on and off-line. For lots of fun, and that through it all, your steadfast love will shine through.

Lord, we pray for those facing struggle and suffering because of this global pandemic. Comfort those who are mourning, grieving for lost loved ones, or for lost opportunities. Restore and strengthen those who are still recovering from the virus, who are still feeling tired, or downhearted, or have still to recover their sense of smell and taste. Bring courage to those who face an uncertain future and guide their steps through the valley. We pray for those who have to make the decisions to lead us out of the valley – we pray for wisdom, we pray for decisions that prioritise justice and fairness, that help the most vulnerable, that prioritise people over profit.

Lord, we pray for some of the poorest countries in the world where they are still dealing with the acute stage of the pandemic, not yet in recovery. We ask for your protection on vulnerable communities, living in close proximity, such as refugee camps and on the edges of big cities. We pray for those who have nowhere to go when being on the streets is banned. We pray for people working in healthcare systems with limited resources dealing with lots of very sick people. And we pray for governments and other organisations working to deal with the situation as best they can.

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,

his mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness

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=TAZrT8SVYBM

BREAK THOU THE BREAD OF LIFE,

Dear Lord, to me,

As Thou didst break the bread

Beside the sea;

Beyond the sacred page

I seek Thee, Lord;

My spirit longs for Thee,

Thou Living Word.

Thou art the Bread of Life,

O Lord, to me,

Thy holy Word the truth

That saveth me;

Give me to eat and live

With Thee above;

Teach me to love Thy truth,

For Thou art love.

O send Thy Spirit, Lord,

Now unto me,

That He may touch my eyes

And make me see;

Show me the truth concealed

Within Thy Word,

And in Thy Book revealed,

I see Thee, Lord.

Bless Thou the Bread of Life

To me, to me,

As Thou didst bless the loaves

By Galilee;

Then shall all bondage cease,

All fetters fall,

And I shall find my peace,

My all in all.

Mary A. Lathbury (1841–1913) & Alexander Groves (1843–1909)

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: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56xKT8_mIQs

WITH A PRAYER You fed the hungry,

With a cry You stilled the storm;

With a look You had compassion

On the desperate and forlorn.

With a touch You healed the leper,

With a shout You raised the dead;

With a word expelled the demons,

With a blessing broke the bread.

Love incarnate, love divine,

Captivate this heart of mine

Till all I do speaks of You.

As a sheep before the shearer

You were silent in Your pain;

You endured humiliation

At the hands of those You’d made.

And as hell unleashed its fury

You were lifted on a tree,

Crying ‘Father God, forgive them,

Place their punishment on Me.’

Love incarnate, love divine,

I will feed the poor and hungry,

I will stand up for the truth;

I will take my cross and follow

To the corners of the earth.

And I ask that You so fill me

With Your peace, Your power, Your breath,

That I never love my life so much

To shrink from facing death.

Love incarnate, love divine,

Stuart Townend

BLESSING

You are called and loved by God the Father and kept safe by Jesus Christ. Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance, from God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

God the Father, who has given to his Son the name above every name, strengthen you to proclaim Christ Jesus as Lord. Amen.

God the Son, who is our great high priest passed into the heavens, plead for you at the right hand of the Father. Amen.

God the Holy Spirit, who pours out his abundant gifts upon the Church, make you faithful servants of Christ our King. Amen.

And the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among us and remain with us always.

To access the children's activities click here