Sunday 12th July 2020 (5th Sunday after Trinity)
During June and July the words of the liturgy (confession, creed etc) will be the same each week. Words should appear on the videos but if you wish to print them off you can download the file by clicking on this text.
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
Let us worship the eternal Father,
the source of love and life, who creates us.
Let us worship Jesus Christ,
the risen one, Lord of heaven and earth.
Let us worship the Holy Spirit,
the comforter and guide, who renews us.
To the one true God be praise,
in all times and places,
in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
We have sung of The Almighty, the King of Creation. Yet week by week we deny his rule as we try to live life our own way. It is right to confess our sins to God and seek his forgiveness.
Almighty God, our heavenly Father,
we have sinned against you
and against our neighbour
in thought and word and deed,
through negligence, through weakness,
through our own deliberate fault.
We are truly sorry
and repent of all our sins.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
who died for us,
forgive us all that is past
and grant that we may serve you in newness of life
to the glory of your name.
Amen.
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. Amen.
The grace, mercy and forgiveness we find in Jesus makes us a people of praise. With the next hymn we use words that were written thousands of years ago in Psalm 100.
God is the Creator. And, by his kindness seen in his Son, we are adopted as his children. We can now look at creation and say “My Father made that!”.
bible reading and sermon
The sermon is based on Matthew 13:1-23. You can read the text at Bible Gateway.
During July we are having a variety of ‘guest preachers’. A few of these have been put together by Church Society (of which Tim is a member) and we are grateful for them! Rt Rev Rod Thomas is the Bishop of Maidstone.
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?
We sung this next hymn last week but, by singing it again this week, we acknowledge the sovereign rule of God over our lives. And we make sure this song becomes familiar!
creed and prayers
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only son of God, eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God,
begotten, not made, of one being with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven,
he became incarnate from the Holy Spirit
and the Virgin Mary and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son
is worshipped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy
catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism
for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
We are now turn to a time of prayer.
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.
We sing again - a hymn of confidence in God.
blessing
commissioning
Keep alert, stand firm in the faith,
be courageous, be strong.
Let all that you do be done in love. 1 Corinthians 16:13-14
Almighty God, your ascended Son has sent us into the world
to preach the good news of your kingdom:
inspire us with your Spirit and fill our hearts with the fire of your love,
that all who hear your Word may be drawn to you,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
blessing
May God, the Holy Trinity,
make you strong in faith and love,
defend you on every side,
and guide you in truth and peace;
and the blessing of God Almighty,
the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you always. Amen.
Live in peace to love and serve the Lord.
In the name of Christ. Amen!
fill out the ‘back to church’ survey
This week we have “The Blessing” from Singapore. Afterwards scroll down for some new songs to learn and a preview of “Virtually Keswick” - something Tim will be recommending to you.
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.
The Keswick Convention has been taking place in Keswick for over 140 years - a time of teaching, praising God and being encouraged to live for Christ, all set amidst beautiful Lake District surroundings. A number of St George’s people have attended in the past. Tim and his family attend most years. This year it is going online. The next two short videos give you a taste.
Virtually Keswick will have material for all ages and stages. Many children around the world LOVE the songs from the strangely named Awesome Cutlery…
hymns and song to learn for the future
This hymn is perfect for singing before Bible readings and/or the sermon. Let’s learn it.
God willing we will have Glen Scrivener preaching next week (Sunday 19th July). Some years ago he wrote a meditation on Revelation 7:17. He later turned it into a poem which has been turned into a song by Phil Moore of Cornerstone Worship.
For the Lamb at the centre of the throne
will be their shepherd;
‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’
‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’
Revelation 7:17