Remembrance Sunday 2020
St. Matthew’s Church
Rastrick
Remembrance Service
Silence
This mornings service starts with a moment of quiet.
Hymn Abide with me
[Click on the links for hymns to move to YouTube. When the hymn is finished don't forget to come back to the service.]
Greeting
Welcome to our service of remembrance.
This morning we remember all those who have died in the service of their country, and those who are still fighting for justice and freedom in our name.
As we remember all those who have died in war, and all those whose lives have been touched by conflict, it can be hard to find the right words. So our Bible reading today begins with an apt question:-
“What then are we to say about these things?”
Bible reading (From Romans 8;31-37)
What then are we to say about these things? Who will separate us from the love of Christ?
Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life,
Nor angels, nor rulers,
Nor things present, nor things to come,
Nor powers, nor height, nor depth,
Nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Hymn Be still my soul
Prayer Action
God holds this war-torn world in his hands and looks with love on his suffering people. Today we pray for peace. After each prayer there will be a pause as crosses are brought forward. In that time of quiet we offer our own prayers in silence.
Let us pray.
God of peace,
We pray for all those who have died in war.
The first cross is brought forward and placed on 1.
May they rest in peace.
We pray for all those who are fighting in conflicts around the world.
The second cross is brought forward and placed on 2.
May they achieve peace.
We pray for all those who suffer as a result of active service.
The third cross is brought forward and placed on 3.
May they find peace.
We pray for ordinary people caught up in conflict.
The forth cross is brought forward and placed on 4.
May peace be with them.
We pray for those who live and work in war zones.
The fifth cross is brought forward and placed on 5.
Give them the peace which the world cannot give.
We pray for those who grieve or wait for news.
The sixth cross is brought forward and placed on 6.
May they know Christ’s peace in their hearts.
We pray for those in power who strive for peace.
The seventh cross is brought forward and placed on 7.
May you bless their peacemaking.
We offer these prayers in the name of Jesus.
Amen.
Invitation to confession
Let us confess to God the sins and shortcomings of the world;
Its pride, its selfishness, its greed;
Its evil divisions and hatreds.
Let us confess our share in what is wrong,
and our failure to seek and establish that peace
which God wills for his children.
Confession
Almighty God,
who forgives all who truly repent,
have mercy upon you,
pardon and deliver you from all your sins,
confirm and strengthen you in all goodness,
and keep you in life eternal;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Collect
God, our refuge and strength
Bring near the day when wars shall cease
And poverty and pain shall end,
That the earth may know the peace of heaven
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
Gospel
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John.
Glory to you, O Lord.
John 14:27
27 “I leave you peace. It is my own peace I give you. I give you peace in a different way than the world does. So don’t be troubled. Don’t be afraid.
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
Address [Click to download and open from your download folder]
The Creed
Do you believe and trust in God the Father, source of all being and life, the one for whom we exist?
We believe and trust in him.
Do you believe in God the Son, who took our human nature, died for us and rose again?
We believe and trust in him.
Do you believe and trust in God the Holy Spirit, who gives life to the people of God and makes Christ known in the world?
We believe and trust in him.
This is the faith of the Church.
This is our faith.
We believe and trust in one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Amen.
The Act of Remembrance
Let us remember with gratitude
those who, in the cause of peace
and the service of their fellow men,
died for their country in time of war.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old.
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun, and in the morning
We will remember them.
We will remember them.
The Last Post. followed by Silence and Reveille
When you go home
tell them of us and say,
for your tomorrow
We gave our today.
Ever-living God,
We remember those whom you have gathered from the storm of war
Into the peace of your presence;
May that same peace calm our fears,
Bring justice to all peoples
And establish harmony among the nations,
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Hymn O God our help in ages past
The Peace
To crown all things there must be love,
to bind all together and complete the whole.
Let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts.
Colossians 3.14
The peace of the Lord be always with you
And also with you.
Blessing
The peace of God,
which passes all understanding,
keep your hearts and minds
in the knowledge and love of God,
and of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord;
and the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you always.
Amen.
A minister says
Let us now go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
In the name of Christ. Amen.
As you leave church this morning, perhaps you would like to move to the page on our website 'The St Matthew's War Memorial', where you may find the story of the Fallen Soldiers of St Matthew's Church