Morning Praise @ Home Sunday 13th September

Opening prayerLord, you opened your arms for us upon the cross, You welcome us into your kingdom:May your saving power be known among us, And lead us into the ways of peace,Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit in everlasting love. Amen Song: You’re the word of God the Father https://youtu.be/mVpkR4gYTlg

Angel voices ever singing https://youtu.be/nig-VqlyGzA

God shows his love for us in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.Let us then show our love for him by confessing our sins in penitence and faith. cf Romans5:8

Confession: Father, we have sinned against heaven and against you. We are not worthy to be called your

children. We turn to you again. Have mercy on us, bring us back to yourself as those who once were dead but now have life through Christ our Lord. Amen cf Luke 15

Bible Readings: Romans 14: 1 – 12 Do Not Judge Another14 Welcome those who are weak in faith, but not for the purpose of quarrelling over opinions. 2 Some believe in eating anything, while the weak eat only vegetables. 3 Those who eat must not despise those who abstain, and those who abstain must not pass judgement on those who eat; for God has welcomed them. 4 Who are you to pass judgement on servants of another? It is before their own lord that they stand or fall. And they will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make them stand.5 Some judge one day to be better than another, while others judge all days to be alike. Let all be fully convinced in their own minds. 6 Those who observe the day, observe it in honour of the Lord. Also those who eat, eat in honour of the Lord, since they give thanks to God; while those who abstain, abstain in honour of the Lord and give thanks to God.7 We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. 8 If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.10 Why do you pass judgement on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgement seat of God.11 For it is written,‘As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God.’12 So then, each of us will be accountable to God.

Song: The Lord’s my Shepherd https://youtu.be/-eIQQayhpak [Stuart Townend] https://youtu.be/GL47k2Io04I Crimmond

Matthew 18: 21 – 35 Forgiving21 Then Peter came and said to him, ‘Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?’ 22 Jesus said to him, ‘Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.

23 ‘For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. 24 When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; 25 and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. 26 So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, “Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.” 27 And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow-slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, “Pay what you owe.” 29 Then his fellow-slave fell down and pleaded with him, “Have patience with me, and I will pay you.” 30 But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he should pay the debt. 31 When his fellow-slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. 32 Then his lord summoned him and said to him, “You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Should you not have had mercy on your fellow-slave, as I had mercy on you?” 34 And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he should pay his entire debt. 35 So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister[e] from your heart.’

Ruth’s reflection This week marks the 19th anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Centre in New York.It is a day I will always remember because my brother was in the second tower when it was hit, and his office was in the direct path of the plane.Thankfully he survived, but for a whole day we thought he hadn't. When the first tower was hit, he was in his office and there were announcements over the loudspeakers that their tower was safe and they were not to evacuate.He decided to evacuate his team because the windows became too hot to sit near, and all the way down 40 flights of stairs there were announcements that people should go back to their offices because that building was safe.When the second plane hit, he was far enough down the stairs to make it out. He worked for a Japenese bank, and none of his bosses evacuated, and they didn't survive, He knew people who had made it down and then had gone back upstairs because they thought it was safe. And in 19 years I have never heard him pass judgement on those officials who were making the announcements, he has only said that they did what they thought was right at the time.When we do things that we believe are right at the time, we are upset if people judge us if it turns out to be a mistake, but how often do we do the same to others?Do we give people the benefit of the doubt or do we rush to judgement?It seems to me that the world has become very quick to judge people harshly for their mistakes. In our reading this morning Pauls asks the church in Rome, 'why do you condemn your fellow Christian? Or you, why do you despise a fellow Christian? We must all appear before the judgement seat of God' Paul is saying that God will judge each of us individually, our judgement will not depend on what others have done. Sometimes Christians are most judgemental of other Christians who believe in different interpretations of the bible. If we are to be different from the world, as we live out our Christian lives, not condemning, and not despising is key.The evangelist Billy Graham said this 'It is the Holy Spirit's job to convict, God's job to judge, and my job to love' So as we go about our daily lives, with all of the problems we face, with all the difficulties ahead - let us hold that one thought in our hearts……. it is our job to love.

Song: When I survey https://youtu.be/mvGS9aHUab8 choral https://youtu.be/SBdP9EsoDFQ contemporary

Affirmation of faith Do you believe and trust in God the Father, source of all being and life, the one for whom we exist? We believe and trust in him.Do you believe and trust in God the Son, who took our human nature, died for us and rose again?We believe and trust in him.Do you believe and trust in God the Holy Spirit, who gives life to the people of Godand makes Christ known in the world? We believe and trust in him.This is the faith of the Church.This is our faith. We believe and trust in one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Prayers of intercession led by John MB.Merciful God, we pray for the many people who have contracted the coronavirus in India, in Africa and in other parts of the world. Bring comfort to those grieving loved ones have died and peace to those worried, fearful and uncertain as the virus spreads.We also pray for governments and authorities who are developing strategies to contain and deal with the virus, and those in the health services who may be risking their own lives to care for sick patients.Here in the Burton & Shotwick we especially pray for all the procedures that have been put into force to try to halt its spread. Help us all to be responsible in the things that we do in our lives to prevent the spread of the virus by taking heed of the recommended precautions and avoiding situations which may make things worse.Everlasting God, Lord of compassion and gracious understanding, we come with an openness to express our concerns for the Church and the world, and to thank you, for your goodness.Merciful God, we recognise that the work of helping people through life can leave church leaders vulnerable to spiritual attack. We thank you for our church leaders and pray that they won’t allow criticism or negativity to blunt their ministry; that they will hear encouragement, and that they will always respond in love and forgiveness when difficulties arise.Lord in your mercy: hear our prayer.Creator God, we pray for our world, where through television, we see the misery and tragedy brought about by wrong choices and brought into our homes day by day. We pray for wisdom and compassion in all negotiations and decisions taken by our world and local leaders; and ask that there be humility in leadership and responsibility for right action shared by all and we particularly pray that this may apply to all things associated with the Pandemic.Lord in your mercy: hear our prayer.Father God, help and guide our schools, colleges and universities as they return for a new educational year, especially with all their concerns about the Coronavirus and how they will cope with social distancing but still be with one another and learn with and from one another. May their teachers inspire a love of learning for its own sake and kindle joy in all subjects and sports and help them to grow into caring and knowledgeable adults.Lord in your mercy: hear our prayer.Gracious God, we raise before you all those from our church who are ill, hospitalised or recuperating; and for those we know within our families and circle of friends. We bring them before you now in our prayers…Lord in your mercy: hear our prayer.Merciful God, give us ears to hear and minds to understand the message of immortality for the children of your kingdom so that we may look forward with patience and confidence to that time when we will join you in the peace of eternity. Lord in your mercy: hear our prayer.Faithful God, forgive us for those times when we treat ourselves and others with less kindness than you do.We want to believe in ourselves the way you believe in us and so as we go out to live the coming week show us more of the life you have designed especially for us to liveMerciful Father, accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer As our Saviour taught us, so we prayOur 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

Song: Lord of all hopefulness https://youtu.be/LCBjxVP6GWE Before the throne of God above https://youtu.be/-50pFs0hRpg

Closing prayer: The power of God be about you,The love of Christ enfold you,The joy of the Spirit be within you:and the blessing of God Almighty, Father, Son and Holy Spirit be with us and remain with us always.Amen.

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.

In the name of Christ. Amen