The Greeting

As we come to worship and praise

Father God, we welcome you!

As we come together in friendship

Father God, we welcome you!

As we come to listen and learn

Father God, we welcome you!

As we bring our worries and problems

Father God, we welcome you!

Lord, we invite you into our church,

We invite you into our minds,

We invite you into our hearts.

Hymn 360 Luckington

Let all the world in every corner sing

‘My God and King!’

The heav’ns are not too high,

his praise may thither fly:

the earth is not too low,

his praises there may grow.

Let all the world in every corner sing

‘My God and King!’

Let all the world in every corner sing

‘My God and King!’

The Church with psalms must shout,

no door can keep them out;

but above all the heart

must bear the longest part.

Let all the world in every corner sing

‘My God and King!’

We say sorry for the things we have done wrong

Almighty God, my heavenly Father, I am sorry for the things I have done wrong this week, which have pained your heart of love. I am sorry for the unkind things I have said or done, that have hurt my family and friends. Forgive me Lord for the times I’ve let you down, or let myself down, or let others down, and help me to be the best that I can be. Amen.

We are forgiven

May the God of love forgive us, lift our burdens from us, heal and strengthen us by his spirit; that we may journey in love to live our lives freely and lightly, through our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.

The Collect

Almighty and everlasting God,

who gave to your apostle Bartholomew

grace truly to believe and to preach your word:

Grant that your Church may love that word which he believed

and may faithfully preach and receive the same;

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah

Bring forth the people who are blind, yet have eyes,

   who are deaf, yet have ears!

Let all the nations gather together,

   and let the peoples assemble.

Who among them declared this,

   and foretold to us the former things?

Let them bring their witnesses to justify them,

   and let them hear and say, ‘It is true.’

You are my witnesses, says the Lord,

   and my servant whom I have chosen,

so that you may know and believe me

   and understand that I am he.

Before me no god was formed,

   nor shall there be any after me.

I, I am the Lord,

   and besides me there is no saviour.

I declared and saved and proclaimed,

   when there was no strange god among you;

   and you are my witnesses, says the Lord.

I am God, and also henceforth I am He;

   there is no one who can deliver from my hand;

   I work and who can hinder it?

This is the word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.                                       Isaiah 43: 8-13

Hymn 518 Bind us together

Bind us together, Lord,

bind us together

with cords that cannot be broken.

Bind us together, Lord,

bind us together,

O bind us together with love.

There is only one God.

There is only one King.

There is only one body;

that is why we sing: Refrain

Made for the glory of God,

purchased by his precious Son.

Born with the right to be free,

for Jesus the vict’ry has won. Refrain

We are the fam’ly of God.

We are the promise divine.

We are God’s chosen desire.

We are the glorious new wine. Refrain

A reading from the Gospel according to St Luke.

A dispute also arose among them as to which one of them was to be regarded as the greatest. But he said to them, ‘The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those in authority over them are called benefactors. But not so with you; rather the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.

‘You are those who have stood by me in my trials; and I confer on you, just as my Father has conferred on me, a kingdom, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.’

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.               Luke 22: 24-30

What do we believe? (we say together)

We believe in God the Father, the source of all life, by whom every family in heaven and earth has been created.

We believe in God the Son, our friend and brother Jesus, who lives in our hearts through faith and fills us with his love.

We believe in God the Holy Spirit, who strengthens us with his power, and makes Jesus known in the world.

We believe and trust in one God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Hymn 562 Blessed assurance

Blessèd assurance, Jesus is mine:

O what a foretaste of glory divine!

Heir of salvation, purchase of God;

Born of his Spirit, washed in his blood.

This is my story, this is my song,

Praising my Saviour all the day long. (twice)

Perfect submission, perfect delight,

visions of rapture burst on my sight;

angels descending bring from above

echoes of mercy, whispers of love.

Perfect submission, all is at rest,

I in my Saviour am happy and blessed;

watching and waiting, looking above,

filled with his goodness, lost in his love.

We say our prayers

As brothers and sisters in one loving family, together let us pray to our heavenly Father.

Sometimes, Lord, we see praying for people as a duty, not a joy.  Then we read your word, and we see how you prayed to the Father, not only for us but for those we reach through your word, and that gives new life to our prayers.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Lord, we thank you this morning that we are here as your family.  We thank you for the connection we feel with each other, and with you.  We pray for any who feel on the outside, that we will welcome them in.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We pray for people who don’t know you, or perhaps once did, but have lose their sense of your reality, lost their way.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We pray for people who have experienced life events that have separated them from you; for those who have had relationship breakdowns, for those who have lost loved ones to death, leaving emptiness or bitterness, or uncertainty.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We thank you for the times when others have prayed for us.  We think of people who feel they cannot pray, that they will have people to pray for them; of people who don’t think they have time to pray, that they may understand how vital prayer is.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Knowing that our heavenly Father is listening, in the silence of our hearts let us share our own unspoken prayers with him.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Thank you, God, that we belong to you, that we are connected to you and to each other, like leaves to a twig, like twigs to a branch, like branches to a tree.  You are our roots; we receive everything we need from you, and we thank you, Lord.

Merciful Father, accept these our prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ.  Amen.

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.

Hymn 605 (and collection) (omit v 4) Will you come and follow me

Will you come and follow me

if I but call your name?

Will you go where you don’t know

and never be the same?

Will you let my love be shown,

will you let my name be known,

will you let my life be grown

in you and you in me?

Will you leave your self behind

if I but call your name?

Will you care for cruel and kind

and never be the same?

Will you risk the hostile stare

should your life attract or scare?

Will you let me answer prayer

in you and you in me?

Will you let the blinded see

if I but call your name?

Will you set the prisoners free

and never be the same?

Will you kiss the leper clean,

and do such as this unseen,

and admit to what I mean

in you and you in me.

Lord, your summons echoes true

when you but call my name.

Let me turn and follow you

and never be the same.

In your company I’ll go

where your love and footsteps show.

Thus I’ll move and live and grow

in you and you in me?

We pray together

Be with us Lord, as we go out into the world.

May the lips that have sung your praises

always speak the truth;

may the ears that have heard your Word

listen only to what is good;

and may our lives as well as our worship

be always pleasing in your sight,

for the glory of Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

The Blessing

Lord, together today we have been blessed and strengthened in our connection, not only with each other but also with you: so may the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, be with you and remain with you always. Amen.