You can find the words of our opening song here.
The Gathering
Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
And also with you
The Prayer of Unity
Almighty and Everlasting God
As we come together as your Church, the Body of Christ,
We thank you that we can worship you together
even if we are not in the same place.
We thank you for this opportunity to pray together
and remember each other at this time.
Thank you that you have brought us safely to this day,
and we ask that you keep us from danger.
Guide us in all that we do, and may what we do
be righteous in your sight.
Bless us now we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
Welcome and Introduction
We have come together in the name of Christ
to offer our praise and thanksgiving,
to fear and receive God’s holy word,
to pray for the needs of the world,
and to seek the forgiveness of our sins
that by the power of the Holy Spirit
we may give ourselves to the service of God.
Amen
Confession
We confess to you our selfishness and lack of love,
fill us with your Spirit.
Lord have mercy
Lord have mercy
We confess to you our fear and failure in sharing our faith:
fill us with your Spirit
Christ have mercy
Christ have mercy
We confess to you our stubbornness and lack of trust;
fill us with your Spirit
Lord have mercy
Lord have mercy
The Collect
Faithful Lord,
whose steadfast love never ceases
and whose mercies never come to an end;
Grant us the grace to trust you
and to receive the gifts of your love,
new every morning,
In Jesus Christ our Lord
Amen
Readings:
Amos 5 6-7, 10-15
Seek the Lord and live, or he will sweep through the tribes of Joseph like a fire; it will devour them, and Bethel will have no one to quench it. There are those who turn justice into bitterness and cast righteousness to the ground.
I brought you up out of Egypt and led you for forty years in the wilderness to give you the land of the Amorites. ‘I also raised up prophets from among your children and Nazirites from among your youths. Is this not true, people of Israel?’ declares the Lord. ‘But you made the Nazirites drink wine and commanded the prophets not to prophesy.
‘Now then, I will crush you as a cart crushes when loaded with grain.
The swift will not escape, the strong will not muster their strength, and the warrior will not save his life. The archer will not stand his ground, the fleet-footed soldier will not get away, and the horseman will not save his life.
You can find the words of the hymn here.
Mark 10 17-31
As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. ‘Good teacher,’ he asked, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ ‘Why do you call me good?’ Jesus answered. ‘No one is good – except God alone. You know the commandments: “You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honour your father and mother.”’
‘Teacher,’ he declared, ‘all these I have kept since I was a boy.’ Jesus looked at him and loved him. ‘One thing you lack,’ he said.
‘Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’ At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
Jesus looked round and said to his disciples, ‘How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!’ The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, ‘Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.’
The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other,
‘Who then can be saved?’ Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.’
Then Peter spoke up, ‘We have left everything to follow you!’ ‘Truly I tell you,’ Jesus replied, ‘no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields – along with persecutions – and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.’
Sermon
Statement of Faith
Christ died for our sins
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he was buried;
he was raised to life on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures;
afterwards he appeared to his followers,
and to all the apostles:
this we have received,
and this we believe.
Amen.
You can find this week’s prayers here.
The Lord’s 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
The Peace
May the peace of God, which passes all understanding,
keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
And also with you
You can find the words of the song here.
Final Blessing
The Lord bless us, and preserve us from all evil,
and keep us in eternal life.
Amen
Let us bless the Lord
Thanks be to God
You can find the words of our closing hymn here.