Worship for Sunday 10th January 2021 The First Sunday of Epiphany
Organ Prelude for Epiphany Sunday 2021
Performed by Mark Steiner: Partita on 'Songs of Thankfulness and Praise' - Johann Pachelbel
Psalm 29
A psalm of David.
1 Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due to his name;
worship the Lord in the splendour of his holiness.
3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the Lord thunders over the mighty waters.
4 The voice of the Lord is powerful;
the voice of the Lord is majestic.
5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes Lebanon leap like a calf,
Mount Hermon like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the Lord strikes
with flashes of lightning.
8 The voice of the Lord shakes the desert;
the Lord shakes the Desert of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the Lord twists the oaks
and strips the forests bare.
And in his temple all cry, ‘Glory!’
10 The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
the Lord is enthroned as King for ever.
11 The Lord gives strength to his people;
the Lord blesses his people with peace.
Prayer of Adoration, Thanksgiving and Confession
By Wellingtone Bawalya of the United Church of Zambia
Gracious God, our Creator, redeemer and sustainer of our lives, you have gathered us here from many parts of the country and you have made us one loving community. We have come to offer you our praise and thanksgiving, to confess our need for each other, to affirm our common faith and to seek your guidance as we work towards a community that is accepting, supporting, reconciling, and healing.
Forgive us for our ecological sins we have committed. There is a loud cry from mother earth crying for help because we have plundered nature in the name of development and civilization. Mainly when we destroy what is made by humanity, we call it vandalism and yet when we destroy what you created, God, we call it civilization. Due to our selfishness, have mercy upon us.
Give us love that we may protect nature–the world, and not prey on it, that we may sow beauty not pollution and destruction. Teach us to recognise that we are profoundly united with the creation as we journey towards your infinite light.
We thank you for being with us each day. Encourage us.
We pray for justice and peace.
Prayers of Confession
Together we pray:
Most merciful God,
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
we confess that we have sinned
in thought, word and deed.
We have not loved you with our whole heart.
We have not loved our neighbours as ourselves.
In your mercy
forgive what we have been,
help us to amend what we are,
and direct what we shall be;
that we may do justly,
love mercy,
and walk humbly with you, our God. Amen.
Almighty God,
who forgives all who truly repent,
have mercy upon us,
pardon and deliver us from all our sins,
confirm and strengthen us in all goodness,
and keep us in life eternal;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Apostles Creed
we say together
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.
The Word of God
Old Testament: Genesis 1 : v 1 – 5
Intercessions (Prayers for Others)
Let us pray for the Church and the World and let us thank God for his goodness,
Almighty God, our heavenly Father, you promised through Jesus Christ your Son, to hear us, when we pray in faith. We bring before you now in prayer our concerns for the world in which we live, its leaders and its people :
Let us remember before God all those who are suffering throughout the world from the effects of the Covid-19 Coronanvirus -
Those in hospital struggling for their lives and those on the road to recovery.Those who have lost loved ones, close friends or family. Those whose lives have been disrupted and are struggling to make ends meet
Lord in Your Mercy - Hear our Prayer
Let us remember before God all those who are working in the NHS, whether on the front line or in support roles. We thank you for their courage and fortitude - protect them and deliver them from the virus.
Lord in Your Mercy - Hear our Prayer
We pray for those who are close to us in Rastrick and who might be in need of a word of love and hope. in particular we pray for those who are living or working on Long Ridge, Toothill Lane, Toothill Bank, Toothill Avenue. Rastrick High School, The Care Homes in Rastrick
Lord in Your Mercy - Hear our Prayer
We pray for those in Care homes or at home who are lonely, having seen their world collapse during the Corona virus restrictions. We pray that volunteers, from whatever background, might come into their lives bringing joy and friendship.
Lord in Your Mercy - Hear our Prayer
We pray for those who are ill and known to us by name, and we also pray for the many people whom we do not know by name but need our prayers.
Lord in Your Mercy - Hear our Prayer
Keep us, good Lord, under the shadow of your mercy in this time of uncertainty and distress. Sustain and support the anxious and fearful, and lift up all who are brought low; that we may rejoice in your comfort knowing that nothing can separate us from your love in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Hymn:
by James Montgomery (1771-1854) Scottish Hymn Writer in 1821
Our service ends with the Grace,
The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and the Love of God,
and the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit,
be with us all evermore. Amen.
Organ Postlude on Ellacombe Arrangment by Jason D. Payne
performed on the 191 rank Rildia Bee O'Bryan Cliburn Casavant pipe organ of Broadway Baptist Church in Ft. Worth, Texas.