Weoley Hill Church order of service
Sunday 14 April led by Ann Evans
Notices
Call to worship
Come, all who are in need, all who are lonely. Come, young and old, and everyone in between. Come, if you are hurting and healthy, weary or happy. Come, whether you are joyful or sad. Come, to the ‘grace giver’, the one who welcomes us home. Come, and worship our God.
Generous God, who shares our life, pouring out the Spirit of Jesus, open our hearts and hands to reach out to one another, and to those we live or work among in caring and service, love and compassion. Amen
Hymn R&S 137 Hark the glad sound
Opening prayers
With word and silence, prayer and song we come together to worship, a worshipping people before our God. Risen Lord, be real and present with us in this time, teach us and encourage us, speak to us through stories old and new so that with fresh eyes we can see again the glories of your being. We stand, we kneel, we sit and we come with adoration, love and amazement at the sights you give us of your being, at the love you enfold us with, at the voices that speak your words, of the visions that reveal your presence, at the way you gently teach us and guide us. O Lord our God, in awe and wonder we adore you this day. Servant Jesus, Son of God, we thank you that when you walked the earth, you served those around you. You blessed them, you healed them, you cleansed them, you guided them, you washed their feet and, in accepting their hospitality, you acknowledged their worth.
A prayer of confession
Almighty God, we read the stories of old, of psalmists and prophets, of disciples and apostles, of followers and onlookers, and ask ourselves ‘Why did they do that, why did they make so many mistakes, why did they do bad things, wrong things?’ Help us to see that we too do things that are wrong, that are not good or right. Help us to see that we make mistakes, take wrong decisions because they somehow seemed the easiest things to do at the time. As you have forgiven those of old, so too, when we confess our failings, when we look at what we have really done and seen what we could have done better, you forgive us, you cleanse us and set us free. Amen.
Assurance of forgiveness
Almighty God, we have confessed to you and faced our failings, let us now in penitence hear your forgiving words that assure us of your love, your forgiveness and your patience with us. Take the burden from us and help us to face the future with a lighter load and clearer vision. Amen.
Introduction
A small group of us studied a Christian Aid lent course “Act on Poverty” which was over 6 weeks up to Holy week. This course was produced jointly by: Christian Aid; Church Action on Poverty; the Joint Public Issues Team of the URC, Baptist and Methodist churches; and the St Vincent de Paul Society. The course is part of a wider effort by these organisations, across 2024, to bring poverty, local and global, to the top of the political agenda. In the UK this year we will hold a general election. We believe that this is a critical moment to speak up about poverty and to call for those in power to act for change. Poverty is an outrage against humanity. It robs people of their dignity and lets injustice thrive. God’s love for all people shows us that poverty and the suffering it brings must stop. We believe an end to poverty is possible if those with power are held to account and challenged to act. The course has had an impact on me and I hope briefly I can get across the message of the course. We heard from people around the world and here in Birmingham about how they have been affected and what they ae doing to help those in poverty. Apologies to those who attended the sessions and have heard this before.
The 6 weeks were Prophetic, Broken, Generous, Located, Hopeful and Together and I am using small material based on some of these headings. Getting 9 Hours of listening and discussing into 2 10 minute sessions is a challenge. So the reflections later attempt to get the message across.
Sharing good news
LYCIG prayer
God of Mission,
Who alone brings growth to your Church,
Send your Holy Spirit to give,
Vision to our planning,
Wisdom to our actions,
Joy to our worship
And power to our witness.
Help our church to grow in numbers,
In spiritual commitment to you,
And in service to our local community,
Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Reading Luke 10.25-37
Reflection 1 The Good Samaritan
Hymn MP 806 Beauty for brokenness
Reading Luke 4.14-21, Matthew 26:6-13
Reflection 2 Can we end poverty?
Hymn MP 624 Take my life and let it be
Prayers for the people
Blessed are those who challenge unjust economic structures, for they will be signs of hope.
Blessed are those who amplify the voices and stories of others, for they will learn the wisdom of interdependence.
Blessed are those who recognize their vulnerability and brokenness, for they will resist being the saviours and heroes of other people’s stories.
Blessed are those who respond to the needs of others, without the need for recognition or reward, for they serve Christ himself.
Blessed are those who protest and campaign, for they draw attention to injustice.
Blessed are those who nurture friendship amongst diverse people, for they will become an inclusive community.
Blessed are those who rage with anger, for they challenge us to face uncomfortable truths.
Blessed are the curious, for they will see beyond the answers of the powerful.
Blessed are those who celebrate the worth, dignity and value of every human being, for they will recognize the face of God.
Blessed are those who work for racial justice, for they challenge the sin of racism and know the true richness and diversity of God’s image.
Blessed are those who enable the leadership of others, for they sustain the present and the future.
We bring before you, O Lord those who we know who particularly need our support and prayers, Alex and the Lukwago family, Chris Grubb, Barbara, Rosemary and anyone else known to anyone of us. Be with them and those who care for them. We pray for each other as we do not always know what support is needed but you do, O Lord.
Rejoice and be glad, for those who truly listen and learn from people experiencing poverty will share in the liberating, life-giving message of the gospel of Christ.
Deacon Eunice Attwood
Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen
Offertory prayer
Giving is part of our response to God. We give our time, our talents and our treasure. We give and we thank God for the opportunity to respond to the call to make a difference. God of all that is good, we thank You for the myriad gifts You give us, bless these gifts we offer now, that we may use them wisely and always hear where you are calling us to follow. Amen.
Hymn R&S 200 The kingdom of God is justice and joy
Dismissal and blessing
Lord, your generous love was showered upon us in Jesus. Help us to be generous to those among whom we live or meet. Guide us in building and becoming a generous community, as we seek to put our faith into action by being generous in many ways to those who are in poverty. We ask this in Jesus’ name and for his sake. Amen