Today service continues our Easter witness series. Our reading is taken from Acts 5: 17-32 as we look at the start of the persecution of the apostles. The service is designed to be used in conjunction with the order of service email earlier but also available to download here.
Watch the whole service on YouTube by following this link.
Call to worship
Today we continue our Easter Witness series and look at the persecution of the Apostles. It was the Apostles who later wrote,
`We are hard-pressed on every side, but not crushed;
perplexed, but not in despair;
persecuted, but not abandoned’ (2 Corinthians 4:8).
Opening song
God is our strength and refuge
Opening prayer
Encircle us Lord, as we come to you in worship. Keep love within, keep hatred out.
Keep joy within, keep fear out. Keep peace within, keep worry out. Keep light within, keep darkness out.
May you surround us, today and always.
Through our lives and by our prayers
Your Kingdom come. Amen
Confession
There is one God and one mediator between heaven and earth,
The man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for many.
Whoever is on the Lord’s side, let them join with me,
That we may come to the visions of God.
Create a clean heart within me, O God,
So that I may become your chosen shelter, and the resting place of your Holy Spirit. May the Light of Lights fill my heart, so that I may live in the power of Your love. Pour down upon me from heaven, the rich blessing of Your forgiveness, that I may live in the power of Your Grace. Amen.
Praise be to Christ, in His forgiving power
Praise be to Christ, in His releasing power
Praise be to Christ, in His victorious power
Praise be to Christ, in His renewing power
Amen.
Reading
Acts 5: 17-32
17 Now the high priest rose up, and all those with him (that is, the religious party of the Sadducees and they were filled with jealousy. 18 They laid hands on the apostles and put them in a public jail. 19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison, led them out, and said, 20 “Go and stand in the temple courts and proclaim to the people all the words of this life.” 21 When they heard this, they entered the temple courts at daybreak and began teaching. Now when the high priest and those who were with him arrived, they summoned the Sanhedrin —that is, the whole high council of the Israelites —and sent to the jail to have the apostles brought before them. 22 But the officers who came for them did not find them in the prison, so they returned and reported, 23 “We found the jail locked securely and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened them, we found no one inside.” 24 Now when the commander of the temple guard and the chief priests heard this report, they were greatly puzzled concerning it, wondering what this could be. 25 But someone came and reported to them, “Look! The men you put in prison are standing in the temple courts and teaching the people!” 26 Then the commander of the temple guard went with the officers and brought the apostles without the use of force (for they were afraid of being stoned by the people). 27 When they had brought them, they stood them before the council, and the high priest questioned them, 28 saying, “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name. Look, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood on us!” 29 But Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than people. 30 The God of our forefathers raised up Jesus, whom you seized and killed by hanging him on a tree. 31 God exalted him to his right hand as Leader and Saviour, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 32 And we are witnesses of these events, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.” (NET)
This is the Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
Reflection part 1 by Mike Gibbs
Persevering through Persecution
Song
Reflection part 2 by Mike Gibbs
Prayers of intercession
Lord, we pray for those who are persecuted for their faith in you, our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world. Give them the gift of perseverance and resilience in times of persecution, trouble and danger. We also pray for the work of Open Doors.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We continue to pray for our government and all governments at this time, praying for wisdom in their decision making during this period of lockdown and wisdom to know what steps to take to bring us out of lockdown.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We thank you for the care homes here in Bowthorpe and thank you for the dedication of staff to those in their care. We pray for protection, perseverance and hope for staff and residents.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Finally, we pray for ourselves, that we may learn how to pace ourselves and learn how to walk in step with you each and every day.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
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 for ever. Amen.
The peace
Deep peace be in your thinking, deep peace be in your hearts,
Deep peace between you and God’s good earth, deep peace be between you and your neighbour,
The deep peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
Holy communion
The Lord is with us and by His grace,
His Spirit rests among us.
Lord, look with kindness on Your people gathered here before You.
Send forth the power of Your Spirit so that these gifts may become for us the Body and Blood of Your beloved Son, Jesus, the Christ in whom we have become Your own.
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
Heaven and earth are full of Your glory,
Hosanna in the highest.
On the night before he died he had supper with his friends and, taking bread, he praised you. He broke the bread, gave it to them and said: Take, eat, this is my body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me.
As we bring this bread to you, Lord of the Elements. We offer up to you our hearts, our energies, our labour, our leisure, our relationships, our minds, our thoughts, time and talents. All that we create and all that we possess. We offer our souls, our coming, our going, our strength, our days and nights. Our hopes and fears, the day of our birth and the moment of our death, O bread and breath of life.
When supper was ended he took the cup of wine. Again he praised you, gave it to them and said: Drink this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.
We pour out this wine, O Lord, and offer to you the woes of life poured out: Disappointment, disease, hurt, or handicap. As grapes are crushed to make this wine so we offer to you all who are crushed by hunger, homelessness, violence or abuse. You who put beam in sun and moon.Take all this and transform it into the deep, rich wine of everlasting life.
Blessed are You, Lord God of all, our Father for ever and ever, For through Your goodness we have these gifts of bread and wine. Which earth has given and human hands have made. May they become for us the food and drink of eternal life.
Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord: May His body and blood transform us in purity of heart.
Distribution of the bread and wine
If you are hungry, eat the Bread of Life.
If you are thirsty, drink the Fount of Life.
Blessed are all who hunger for this Bread
And thirst for this Fount.
We thank you Lord for Your love.
The Body of Christ broken for you.
The Blood of Christ shed for you.
Prayer after communion
Heaven is intertwined with earth.
We have taken divine life into ours. Therefore: We rise up today clothed in the strength of Christ.
We go freed to weave Christ’s patterns
We shall not fear.
We go loved to serve Christ’s weak ones
We shall not be overwhelmed.
We go armed to rout Christ’s foes
We shall not be alone.
The saving streams from the pierced side
of Christ cleanse us.
The Sacred Three in One shield us,
protecting us from all that destroys;
And lead us, always along Christ’s Path.
Amen.
Closing song
Closing prayer and blessing
May the road rise up to meet you,
May the wind be ever at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face and the rain fall softly on your lands.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the hollow of his hand.
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
In the name of Christ. Amen.