Sunday 30th August
Blessed Lord, you are great, the heavens speak of your glory.
You do wonders in heaven and we see the signs on earth.
We the work of your hands worship you today,
accept our worship in Jesus name.
We have not forsaken the gathering of the congregation,
we have come to fellowship with each other in your presence,
come down and lord and let us feel your presence.
Giving
Thank you for all your support of Wrington Chapel and its work in the past.
We realise that many people are hard-pressed at the moment, and church may be the last thing on your mind. However, we are looking to the future when we can reopen and support each other in our usual way. Unfortunately, being closed does not mean our expenses are substantially less. If you already have a standing order set up, then thank you. But if you haven't, please consider getting in touch with Steve Osman and setting one up. If that is impossible, please continue to save up your collection money, and we will collect it all together when we reopen. Please note that the rules do not allow us to claim any Gift Aid on collections that are not taken up in church. So do NOT drop collection money off at Steve's house. Simply take out a standing order, or save it up for that great and glorious reopening day.
God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble. Psalm 46
Father God, we notice the light changing as the days get shorter. We notice the ripening fruits and wasps feeding. We see the spiders' webs decorating the garden plants. We notice the house martins flocking together ready to leave and we give you thanks. We thank you for the beauty and wonder and complexity and diversity of creation. We thank you that you have made us part of your creation and you care for each one of us.
As summer begins to fade and we look forward to the approaching autumn we thank you for being part of our lives in every season. We thank you that you are never changing , always trustworthy, always present. When we experience stormy times in our lives you are there to uplift and support us. When we experience sunny days, full of joys you are there to celebrate with us. When we grow old and tired, you are there to give us rest and lead us home.
Amen
We pray today for teachers and school staff making preparations for the start of a new term. We ask that you will guide their decisions and keep them safe. We lift to you all the children returning to school next week. They may have a mixture of excitement and apprehension and we pray that parents and teachers will be sensitive to their needs, help them re engage with learning and let them have fun. We bring to you all the mums and dads who will have their own emotions at this time.
Amen
We bring to you those known to us who need your touch
God of love, you watch with all who weep or worry.
You offer hope to those in despair and your calming presence to the troubled.
Give us peace.
Our prayer focus this week is inHope, the Bristol based charity we support who works with the homeless and vulnerable in the city. Please pray for all those who regularly volunteer with the charity.
Pray for those who use the services that they will have their needs met but also that they will meet with Jesus.
Justice and Mercy
Today we look at the biblical instruction to act justly, love mercy,
and walk humbly with God.
We see how important this is to God.
And we consider how difficult this might be -
especially to walk humbly.
It's a challenge.
Click the microphone above to go to this weeks recording.
Micah 6 verses 6 to 8
6 With what shall I come before the Lord
and bow down before the exalted God?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old.
7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousand rivers of olive oil?
Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.
ABBA: your children are learning the ABC.
ABBA: we start with your name as a first sound, a first thought.
ABBA: It is a hard way - not our way.
For we would start with ME or BEST or VERY IMPORTANT PERSON.
But you say the world is yours, and our dictionary must start with
ABBA - defined as YOU, LOVE, CARE, EQUALITY,
FINDING ANOTHER WAY.
And, when we look closely we see your name is where we begin.
ABBA: You turn our alphabet upside down
and we ask your help to learn your ABC.
Amen
