Services

Sunday 28 April Easter 5

Thursday 4 April 2024 Silent Prayer from 1-1.30pm

You are invited to join others in church on 4 April for our monthly silent prayer session. You may find this prayer sheet helpful – please bring a copy with you. If you are not able to join us, we hope you will pray with us wherever you are.

Our text for April, Jesus said ‘I give you a new commandment that you love one another as I have loved you. By this everyone will know you are my disciples if you have love one for another.’   John 13 34-35

Let us pray for the church and the world and thank God for his goodness. Heavenly Father we pray for the fellowship of the church that supports and helps us to put our faith into practice.

Strengthen us Lord in your service that we may be an encouragement to others and hold fast to all that is good.

We pray for Christians worldwide as we continue our journey with Christ during Eastertide, from his glorious resurrection on Easter Day to the day of his Ascension on 9th May and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost on 19^th May. Christ has risen. Alleluia

We pray for our troubled world where, war, conflict, violence and injustice are seen around the globe. We pray that the leaders of the nations will come together to work for peace and reconciliation in the Middle East, Ukraine, Sudan, Haiti and all other areas of conflict.

We remember the 7 staff of the Four World Central Kitchen charity and their Palestinian driver who were killed delivering food, medicine and other essentials to the people of Gaza.

We pray for young people caught up in drug dealing, gang violence and death in the UK, and for the devastation and fear caused to families and communities where this occurs.

We pray for refugees and asylum seekers now forced to sleep on the streets because of a lack of suitable housing for them and for the charities and local councils trying to help and support them despite cuts to local council budgets.  

Comfort and heal all those who suffer in body, mind, and spirit, remembering King Charles, Catherine the Princess of Wales and all those undergoing cancer treatment and for those who care for them. Give them courage and comfort in their troubles and bring them the joy of your salvation.

We pray for those known to us who need our prayers and for those who have asked for our prayers on our church prayer board. 

We give thanks and praise for the wonder of God’s world around us in our parks and gardens, for the hope of warmer weather so we may enjoy and find joy, peace and refreshment outside in these beautiful places.

Give grace to us, our families, our friends and all our neighbours that we may serve Christ in one another and love as he loves us.

Lord in your mercy hear our prayers. Amen  

We finish by saying the Lord’s Prayer.

A Prayer for all the people of the Holy Land

God of mercy and compassion, of grace and reconciliation, pour down your power upon all your children in the Holy Land: Jews, Muslims, Christians, Palestinians, Israelis.

Let hatred be turned into love, fear to trust, despair to hope, oppression to freedom, occupation to liberation, that violent encounters may be replaced with loving embraces, and peace and justice can be experienced by all. Amen

Prayer for Peace in Ukraine 

God of peace and justice, we pray for the people of Ukraine today.

We pray for peace and the laying down of weapons.

We pray for all those who fear for tomorrow, that your Spirit of comfort would draw near to them.

We pray for those with power over war or peace, for wisdom, discernment, and compassion to guide their decisions.

Above all, we pray for all your precious children, at-risk and in fear, that you would hold and protect them.

We pray in the name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace. Amen 

Lectionary for Sundays in April and May 2024. 

28th April Easter 5

Acts 8. 26-40

Psalm 22. 25-31

1 St John 4.7-21

St John 15. 1-8

5^th May Easter 6

Isaiah 55. 1-11

Acts 10. 44-48

John 15. 9-17

12^th May Sunday after Ascension Day

Ezekiel 36. 24-28

Acts 1. 15-17, 21-26

John 17. 6-19

19^th May Pentecost

Acts 2. 1-21

Romans 8. 22-27

John 15. 26-27,; 16. 4b-15

26^th May Trinity Sunday

Isaiah 6. 1-8

Romans 8. 12-17

John 3. 1-7