Worship at Home
Worship for the week beginning 15th May 2022
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Sunday 15th May
Rev Francis M’Itiiri has prepared this week’s message.
This short act of worship is for use from home. Please use this service whenever you like during the week.
Pause to settle yourself in God’s presence, knowing that other people are sharing in worship with you.
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Gathering of God’s people:
We come from scattered lives to meet with God. Send your Holy Spirit upon this place.
That, though we are separated by many miles,
yet, joined together by his love.
Let us be still in his presence,
Let us worship God in spirit and in truth.
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful people, kindle in us the fire of your love.
Amen
Let us pray together:
Merciful and loving God, we thank you that you have brought us safely to this day. Keep us from falling into dangers of sin. Guide us to always do your will, through the help of the risen Christ, our Lord.
Amen.
STF 15: The splendour of the King
The splendour of the King, clothed in majesty; let all the earth rejoice,
let all the earth rejoice.
He wraps himself in light
and darkness tries to hide,
and trembles at his voice,
and trembles at his voice.
How great is our God, sing with me,
how great is our God, and all will see
how great, how great is our God
And age to age he stands,
and time is in his hands;
beginning and the end,
beginning and the end.
The Godhead, Three in One,
Spirit, Son,
the Lion and the Lamb,
the Lion and the Lamb. Refrain
Name above all names,
worthy of our praise.
My heart will sing, how great is our God
name above all names,
Worthy of all praise, my heart will sing.
How great is our God. Refrain
Today’s Reading:
Jesus predicts Peter’s denial
31 When he was gone, Jesus said, ‘Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in him. 32 If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.
33 ‘My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: where I am going, you cannot come.
34 ‘A new command I give you: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.’
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Time to Reflect:
In the gospel of John 13, we see Jesus approaching the end of his earthly ministry. He goes ahead to bestow his last blessings to his disciples as we read from verses 34-35.
As I reflect in today’s message, I am reminded of special moments during the end of life of an elder in the traditional life of the ameru people back in my little village in Kianjai, Meru Kenya. when an elderly person knew they were drawing close to the end of their life, he or she summoned all members of the family to come wherever they were scattered for one primary message, the traditional last words of the departing. The message entailed instructions with a strict caveat, the family to be united and corded in love. Once that was communicated to the family members, the elderly person found themselves at peace. The rest, they say is history.
Similarly, in today’s text, we find Jesus approaching the end of his earthly ministry, telling his disciples what they must do before he is taken into glory, Jesus tells his disciples, “A new command I give you: Love one another; as I have loved you, so you are to love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another”.
This new commandment is also paralleled in John 15:12-14: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you.”
We are today as God’s children commanded not begged, but commissioned, to Love as Jesus had loved us.
It might be too difficult to try to fulfil this command as it has its own challenges. Imagine what it means to love people when so many injustices exist in our society today. It is disheartening to see, hear and read sad things that human beings commit against each other. How can God’s love be expressed under such circumstances? And how can people claim to love God when they do such things against those created in the very image of God they claim to confess? We must pray for God’s strength to help us overcome the human nature so that the inner spirit might be enabled to fulfil the law of God.
Apostle Paul mentions of three laws that are at conflict against each other within the human nature and stand on the way of Love. These are the law of the mind, the law of sin, and the law of the flesh (Romans 7:22-24). Paul’s answer is that only God can help us and save us from this body of sin. May God’s Spirit guide us in demonstrating that love as Jesus offered his own life to people like Simon Peter, Judas Iscariot, among many others who abandoned and betrayed him during his worst moments of his vulnerability.
Jesus still expressed his love to them in the most humane way. Sometimes, it is up to everyone, to find the best way possible to expressing God’s love to those they find struggling to love. May you likewise find that strength to fulfil God’s command to love others as Jesus loved you. Read Romans 12:20-21.
Quietly, we pray together:
God of love, peace, and justice. We pray for those living under oppression and fear. We seek your intervention in bringing an end of conflict, violence, and war between Russia and Ukraine. We pray for an end of civil war in Afghanistan and Yemen and other parts of the Middle East. We pray for peace and the laying down of arms, and an end to human suffering.
God of Love, have mercy upon us
God of peace, your prophet Isaiah promised that swords would be turned into ploughshares. Loving God, restore order and justice among nations.
Bring de-escalation of these crises and rebuild peace to your children.
God of Love, have mercy upon us.
Compassionate God, strengthen the hand of all volunteers risking their life on the frontline of war. Protect them and comfort their families.
God of Love, have mercy upon us.
Prince of peace thwart evil and nurture goodness, kindness and love in all people. Make this moment of peril an occasion for your holy spirit to show us our dependence on you and to one another.
In Silence, feel free to bring your needs to God in prayer.
The Lord's Prayer
Please use the version that you prefer
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.
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.
Save us from the time of trial
And deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power
and the glory are yours
Now and for ever.
Amen.
STF 30: Jesus stand among us
Jesus, stand among us
at the meeting of our lives,
be our sweet agreement
at the meeting of our eyes.
O Jesus, we love you, so we gather here,
join our hearts in unity and take away our fear.
So, to you we’re gathering
out of each and ev’ry land.
Christ the love between us
at the joining of our hands.
O Jesus, we love you, so we gather here.
Join our hearts in unity and take away our fear.
A prayer of blessing:
In peace we will lie down and sleep.
For you alone, Lord, make us dwell in safety.
Abide with us, Lord Jesus.
For the night is at hand and the day is now past.
As the night watch looks for the morning.
So do we look for you, O Christ.
Amen
The Lord blesses us and watch over us. The Lord make his face shine upon us, and the Lord be gracious to us; the Lord look kindly on us and give us peace.
Amen
Service prepared by Rev Francis M’Itiiri
Webpage: Paul Deakin