Opening Scripture
8 Among the gods there is none like you, Lord;
no deeds can compare with yours.
9 All the nations you have made
will come and worship before you, Lord;
they will bring glory to your name.
10 For you are great and do marvelous deeds;
you alone are God.
11 Teach me your way, Lord,
that I may rely on your faithfulness;
give me an undivided heart,
that I may fear your name.
12 I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart;
I will glorify your name forever.
13 For great is your love toward me;
you have delivered me from the depths,
from the realm of the dead.
Psalm 86:8-13 NIV
Songs:
Ideas for Prayer
As we pray this morning let’s remember:
1. Those who have been affected by the stabbings in both Glasgow and Reading this week. May others considering such crimes be stopped in their tracks and discover your love and a better way forward.
2. Those who live near beaches wher crowds have been flocking during this hot weather. Let’s pray for the local authorities as they deal with the situation and any wildlife which may have been affected by the rubbish left.
3. To ask God to give wisdom to all for the decisions we make as lockdown is eased and as that brings more freedom.
4. To pray for those who have lost jobs and who risk losing their jobs as furlough schemes end.
5. For all businesses that are preparing to open again on Saturday.
Looking to the Rainbow
Christian singer, Becky Drake wrote a song over lockdown called “Looking to the Rainbow” which a number of schools have engaged with during this time. Below is a video of her singing it with the Blue Coat School in Birmingham. I thought I’d include this today as the Rainbow is one of the messages from lockdown which I speak about in the sermon.
Sermon
Song:
The Blessing
Today’s blessing is a song which has been shared by our pianist, Gill. She writes,
Prayer of Blessing
Lyrics
“May the Father of life pour out His grace on you. May you feel His
hand on everything that you do and be strengthened by the things He
brings you through, this is my prayer for you.
May Jesus be Lord in all your ways, may He shepherd you all the length
of all of your days and in your heart may He receive the praise, this
is my prayer for you.
And despite how simple it may sound, I pray that His love will abound
and motivate everything you do and may the fullness of His love be
shared through you.
May His Spirit comfort you and make you strong. May He discipline you
gently when you are wrong. In your heart may He give to you a song.
This is my prayer for you.
May Jesus be Lord in all your ways, may He shepherd you all the length
of all of your days and in your heart may He receive the praise. This
is my prayer for you.”