A message of Welcome from Caroline Wickens, Superintendent Minister
Invitation to Worship
God, creator and parent of all
we come to worship you.
God, you nourished and rescued your people
we come to worship you.
God, you care for us like a mother
we come to worship you.
God, you give strength and love to all who care for children
we come to worship you.
God, you support us in good times and hard times
we come to worship you.
Help us to listen to the story of your saving love
to share in your love,
and to carry that love to all your people.
We ask this in the name of Jesus, your Son.
Amen.
A centring prayer
Pause, take a deep breath, quieten your mind and focus on God.
Here we are Lord, present to you.
Here we are, seeking to know more of you.
Here we are, bringing all sorts of emotions, doubts and fears to you.
Lord of all nature, calm me now, as you calmed the storm.
Lord of all love, inspire and encourage me, by your Spirit.
Lord of all life, open my heart and my mind to you, to your people and to your world.
Here we are Lord, together in Spirit and in truth.
Come amongst us, Lord Jesus.
Amen.
A hymn to join in with:
Lord Jesus Christ, you have come to us Singing the Faith 594
Available on Youtube via this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QA_g98O42Q4
Music for praising God
Matt Redman, We Praise you
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDSoMLnUwJA
Words for praising God
A prayer of wonder and joy
Litany: Mothering God
Today we thank God for the gift of mothers
and mothering around the world.
As one whom a mother comforts,
so I will comfort you – Isaiah 66:13. (RSV)
Gentle, patient God,
thank you for your tender care.
Can a mother forget the baby at her breast
and have no compassion on the child she has borne?
Though she may forget,
I will not forget you! Isaiah 49:15 (NIV)
Loving, caring God,
thank you for your compassionate care.
But I have calmed and quieted myself,
I am like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child I am content. Psalm 131:2
Protecting, embracing God,
thank you for your nurturing care.
How often have I longed to gather your children together,
as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings… Matthew 23:37
Comforting, warmhearted God,
thank you for your gentle care.
God was like an eagle hovering over its nest,
overshadowing its young,
Then spreading its wings, lifting them into the air,
teaching them to fly. (Deuteronomy 32:11 The Message)
Ever present, sustaining God,
thank you for your enduring care
I have cared for you since you were born.
Yes, I carried you before you were born. (Isaiah 46:3 NLT)
Sustaining, all sufficient God,
thank you for your satisfying care
I will be your God throughout your lifetime—
until your hair is white with age.
I made you, and I will care for you.
I will carry you along and save you. (Isaiah 46:4 NLT)
Faithful, providing God,
thank you for mothers and their love
Everlasting and eternal One,
thank you for your mothering love.
Amen, Amen and Amen
~ compiled by Christine Sine.
See link to video version on YouTube here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_SqJRpdwU4#t=62
A hymn to join in with:
Father, I place into your hands the things I cannot do StF 519
Youtube link here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBfRNrvvUfc
Reading: Exodus 2:1 – 10
Birth of Moses
Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was a fine baby, she hid him for three months. When she could hide him no longer she got a papyrus basket for him, and plastered it with bitumen and pitch; she put the child in it and placed it among the reeds on the bank of the river. His sister stood at a distance, to see what would happen to him.
The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her attendants walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid to bring it. When she opened it, she saw the child. He was crying, and she took pity on him. ‘This must be one of the Hebrews’ children,’ she said. Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, ‘Shall I go and get you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?’ Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, ‘Yes.’ So the girl went and called the child’s mother. Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, ‘Take this child and nurse it for me, and I will give you your wages.’ So the woman took the child and nursed it. When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and she took him as her son. She named him Moses, ‘because’, she said, ‘I drew him out of the water.’
A song to join in with:
He’s got the whole world in his hands StF 536
Youtube link available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAzBOGA2JPA
Reading: Luke 2:33 – 35
And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, ‘This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.’
Some images to help you think about this reading:
https://www.artbible.info/art/large/598.html
Reflection (click to follow link)
A song to share:
Faithful one, so unchanging StF 628
Youtube link available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HROSwkRwpPI
A prayer activity
Cut three pieces of wool or string (different colours are best).
Choose one to represent people who are struggling at this time
Choose one to represent those who are working as hard as they can to help
Choose one to represent the love of God
Plait them together as you pray for those who are sick or fearful, those who care for them. Remember that the love of God winds through all that we do and all that we are.
Prayers from All We Can
Prayers for the world
Gracious God, wherever we are today, we come in prayer for a world facing much uncertainty, much anxiety and much pain in light of the spread of coronavirus.
Into all that doubt, we pray for your miraculous, transformative presence.
Into all the darkness, come, Light of the World.
Gracious God, we offer our prayers for all the leaders in our society and nations, who must seek the wisest path, when every choice seems uncertain, unknown and imperfect.
May you give them the courage they need to take difficult decisions,
The grace to consider those in their care,
And the compassion to reach out to the most vulnerable in society.
Into all the darkness, come, Light of the World.
Gracious God, we pray for all who are feeling the symptoms of Coronavirus today.
For all who carry those symptoms with anxiety about their future, for all of us who are worried about how this will work itself out.
We offer to you in prayer all who are trying to treat, ease the effects of or tackle the causes of the virus – doctors, nurses, chemists, scientists and researchers.
Into all the darkness, come, Light of the World.
Gracious God, we pray for people all over the world whose cause or situation is now more likely to be overlooked, because attention and resources are turned towards fighting coronavirus.
We pray for all living in poverty, recovering from humanitarian crises or living as refugees and forced migrants. All who fear for their future.
We give you thanks for the work of organisations like All We Can, which continues despite the impact of the virus, and for all who continue to seek justice in your world.
Into the darkness, come, Light of the World.
In Jesus’ name we pray,
Amen.
A prayer to use if you are self-isolating
If you have access to some tea lights, these may help to serve as a focus for the prayer.
Lord of light, in these dark times of anxiety, loneliness and fear,
We come to you.
This day, I am thinking of many people, many of whom I would normally have seen in recent days. I call their names and faces now to mind, bringing them in prayer.
Call aloud the names of people you are thinking of, and light a candle for each one.
God, who is Spirit, you connect us in mysterious and inexplicable ways. Here, surrounded by light, I hold before you the faces, the names and the stories of all these people.
God, who is unity, hold us together, in these difficult times.
God, who is incarnate Christ, you know the fragility and the pain of human flesh. You know our weaknesses, and the anxieties we have about the future.
Give me courage for this day.
Light another candle, to represent yourself.
God who is love, help me to show your love in the decisions I make this day, in the choices I have made and in how I seek to protect those near me.
God who is light, bring us through the time of trial.
In Jesus’ name I pray,
Amen.
It may be helpful to sit, with the candles still lit, either in quiet or with some of your favourite uplifting music (this might be a worship song, a piece of classical music or a Bob Marley tune!)
A prayer for strength in difficulties from the Roots website
Lord,
when times are hard,
when we wait for a rescue but do not know how long we must wait,
sustain us with the knowledge of your love.
Remind us of the signs of your presence we have known in the past.
Assure us that you have not abandoned us
and give us your strength.
Amen.
A prayer for health workers
O God, we thank you for our healthcare systems and those who work in them.
We pray for healthcare workers known to us that through their love and compassion, those who are vulnerable and needy might come to know healing and peace in their lives. We pray for those who have to make difficult decisions about resources or treatments that they will do so with care and integrity.
Lord, continue your ministry of healing in the lives of those who are broken, vulnerable and in need.
We pray this in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
The 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.
A hymn to join in with:
Christ, be our light StF 706
Youtube link here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJq3bhdgQoc
A prayer of blessing
Go into your week,
knowing that you are embraced by the love of God;
a love that is sweeter and more tender
than any you have ever known.
Carol Penner, Leading in Worship
