Sunday 6th September 2020 (13th Sunday after Trinity)
From today we have re-started Sunday services inside our church building. For those who are unable to attend we will still have an online service available each week. Here you will find the sermon, prayers and final blessing from the morning service. The welcome video was recorded before today.
Before you begin, take a moment to pray. Ask your heavenly Father to show you the grace of Jesus, and to fill you afresh with his Holy Spirit. Think of a few other members of the church (if you are from St George’s) and pray also for them.
Start of Service
We love you, O Lord our strength.
The Lord is our rock, our fortress and our deliverer;
our God is our rock, in whom we take refuge, our shield, our salvation, our stronghold.
You reached down from on high and took hold of us,
you drew us out of deep waters, you rescued us because you delight in us.
The Lord lives!
Praise be to our Rock! Exalted be God our Saviour!
Therefore we will praise you, O Lord, among the nations;
We will sing the praises of your name. [Based on Psalm 18]
We now turn to Almighty God to confess our sins.
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
Against you, you alone, have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are justified in your sentence
and blameless when you pass judgment.
You desire truth in the inward being;
therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and put a new and right spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence,
and do not take your Holy Spirit from me. [Based on Psalm 51]
The almighty and merciful Lord
grant you pardon and forgiveness of all your sins,
time for amendment of life,
and the grace and strength of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
God’s mercy is new every morning. During September and (probably) October we will have this song each week.
“Oh perfect redemption”. We are all guilty of breaking the law. We all need a Redeemer!
bible reading and sermon
The sermon is based on Acts 9:32-43. At the moment our daily Bible readings (in the morning) are taking us through the book of Acts. The Sunday sermon will pick up on something read the previous week. For our daily Bible readings and reflections click here.
The Bible passage can be read here (at Bible Gateway).
After the sermon, take time to respond to God’s Word to you. Whenever we hear from God a good practice is to think of TSP (“teaspoon”):
T for Thank You - what do you need to praise God for?
S for Sorry - what do you need to confess?
P for Please - what do you need to ask of God, for yourself and others?
creed and prayers
The Prayers from our morning service.
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 forever.
Amen.
blessing
commissioning
With minds prepared for action, and being fully sober,
set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed.
As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires
you had when you lived in ignorance.
But just as he who called you is holy,
so be holy in all you do. [1 Peter 1:13-15]
God of love,
as in Jesus Christ you gave yourself to us,
so may we give ourselves to you,
living according to your holy will.
Keep our feet firmly in the way
where Christ leads us;
help our lips speak the truth
that Christ teaches us;
fill our bodies with the life
that is Christ within us.
In his holy name we pray.
Amen.
blessing
Behold, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord,
who by night stand in the house of the Lord!
Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord.
The Lord who made heaven and earth
bless you from Zion. [Psalm 134]
The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face towards you and give you peace. [Numbers 6:24-26]
The blessing of God Almighty,
the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you always. Amen.
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
In the name of Christ. Amen!
if you are able to attend the morning services, please come along!
Read the important letter so you know how we are keeping people safe.
Click HERE for the letter.
This week we have “The Blessing” from Japan. The church is very small in Japan - after watching this take a moment to pray for growth.
If you are not a regular member of St George’s but want to connect with us, please please contact us via this page. We have Evening Prayer using Zoom every day (except Saturdays) at 5pm and you are welcome to join us. Contact us for details. Our Prayer page gives you Bible readings and reflections for each day and many of us are finding these such an encouragement.
Find out more about hope during the coronavirus pandemic.
hymns and song to learn for the future
This is a lovely song to express faith in God when life is very hard.
“My Hope is Built On Nothing Less” - what a great hymn. Do you know it? Click the ‘Settings’ icon (gear-wheel) at the bottom of the video and turn on the English Subtitles if you want to see the words.
Most of you will know this well but it is good to be reminded.