Resources for 24th January

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity: The following resources are based upon the resources produced by Churches Together in Britain and Ireland

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in 2021 has been prepared by the Monastic Community of Grandchamp in Switzerland. The theme that was chosen, “Abide in my love and you shall bear much fruit”, is based on John 15:1-17 and expresses Grandchamp Community’s vocation to prayer, reconciliation and unity in the Church and the human family.

The Grandchamp Community has its origins in Europe in the 1930s, when a group of women of the Reformed tradition sought to rediscover the importance of silence and listening to the Word of God. Today the community has fifty sisters, all women from different generations, Church traditions, countries and continents. In their diversity the sisters are a living parable of communion. They remain faithful to a life of prayer, life in community and the welcoming of guests. The sisters share the grace of their monastic life with visitors and volunteers who go to Grandchamp for a time of retreat, silence, healing or in search of meaning.

Junior Church resources: Resources from Sermons4kids Bible Story Colouring page Activities (opens up the website Sermons4kids)

Call to Worship: 

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God
and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you always!

Hymn: Christ Is Made The Sure Foundation (The link opens up youtube in a separate window)

Opening prayers:

In peace let us pray to the Lord: Lord, you are the vinedresser who cares for us with love. You call on us to see the beauty of each branch united to the vine, the beauty of each person.
And yet, too often the differences in others make us afraid. We withdraw into ourselves. Our trust in you is forsaken. Enmity develops between us.
Come and direct our hearts toward you once again.
Grant us to live from your forgiveness so that we may be together and praise your name

You who call us to be praise in the midst of the earth: glory to you!
We sing your praise in the midst of the world and among all peoples,
We sing your praise in the midst of creation and among all creatures.
You who call us to be praise in the midst of the earth: glory to you!

We sing your praise among suffering and tears,
We sing your praise among promises and achievements.
You who call us to be praise in the midst of the earth: glory to you!
We sing your praise in the places of conflict and misunderstanding;
We sing your praise in the places of encounter and reconciliation.
You who call us to be praise in the midst of the earth: glory to you!

We sing your praise in the midst of rifts and divisions,
We sing your praise in the midst of life and death, the birth of a new heaven and a new earth.
You who call us to be praise in the midst of the earth: glory to you! Amen

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.

Abiding in Christ: the unity of the whole person

John 15: 1-17
(Link goes to Oremus NRSV online)

Reflection on Scripture: Jesus said to the disciples, “abide in my love” (Jn 15:9). He abides in the love of the Father (Jn 15:10) and desires nothing other than to share this love with us: “I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father” (Jn 15:15b). Grafted into the vine, which is Jesus himself, the Father becomes our vinedresser who prunes us to make us grow. This describes what happens in prayer. The Father is the centre of our lives, who centres our lives. He prunes us and makes us whole, and whole human beings give glory to the Father.

Abiding in Christ is an inner attitude that takes root in us over time. It demands space to grow. It can be overtaken by the struggle for the necessities of life and it is threatened by the distractions, noise, activity and the challenges of life.

We live in a time that is both troubling and magnificent, an often dangerous time where we are challenged by pandemics, wars, violence, poverty, racism and climate change. Yet as Christians seeking reconciliation, justice and peace, we also know the full value of a spiritual life, have an immense responsibility and must realize it, unite and help each other create forces of calmness, refuges of peace, vital centres where the silence of people calls on the creative word of God. It is a question of life and death.

Though we, as Christians, abide in the love of Christ, we also live in a creation that groans as it waits to be set free (cf. Romans 8). In the world we witness the evils of suffering and conflict. Through solidarity with those who suffer we allow the love of Christ to flow through us. The paschal mystery bears fruit in us when we offer love to our brothers and sisters and nurture hope in the world.

Spirituality and solidarity are inseparably linked. Abiding in Christ, we receive the strength and wisdom to act against structures of injustice and oppression, to fully recognize ourselves as brothers and sisters in humanity, and to be creators of a new way of living, with respect for and communion with all of creation. The summary of the rule of life that the sisters of Grandchamp recite together each morning begins with the words “pray and work that God may reign”. Prayer and everyday life are not two separate realities but are meant to be united. All that we experience is meant to become an encounter with God.

Hymn: In Christ There Is No East Or West (The link opens up youtube in a separate window)

Intercessions: God of love, through Christ you said to us: “You did not choose me but I chose you.” You  invite us to receive your friendship. Teach us to respond more deeply to this invitation, and to grow and grow in a life that is ever more complete.

 The joy of our heart is in God.

God of life, you call us to be praise in the midst of the world and to accept one another. May your loving gaze, which rests upon each person, inspire us to  celebrate  each other just as we are.

The joy of our heart is in God.

 God you who gather, you knit us together as one vine in Jesus. May your loving Spirit abide in us at church and in our community that together we may celebrate you with joy.

The joy of our heart is in God.

God of the one vineyard, you call us to live in your love in all we do and say. Touched by your goodness, grant us to be a reflection of that love in our homes, schools and workplaces.

 The joy of our heart is in God.

The visible unity of Christians

1st Corinthians 1:10-13a
(Link goes to Oremus NRSV online)

Hymn: We Are One In The Spirit (The link opens up youtube in a separate window)

Intercessions: Holy Spirit, you create and re-create the Church in all places. Come and whisper in our hearts the prayer which Jesus addressed to his Father on the eve of his passion: “that they may all be one… so that the world may believe”.

Thank you. Amen.

Lord Jesus, Prince of Peace, light the fire of your love in us so that suspicions and misunderstanding cease in the Church. May the walls that separate us fall.

Thank you. Amen.

Holy Spirit, Consoler of all, open our hearts to forgiveness and reconciliation and bring us back to you when we lose our way.

Thank you. Amen.

Lord Jesus, gentle and humble of heart, give us poverty of spirit so that we may be open to your grace.

Thank you. Amen.

Holy Spirit, you never abandon the men, women and children who are persecuted for their faithfulness to the gospel. Give them strength and courage, and support those who help them.

Thank you. Amen.

The unity of all peoples with all creation

Revelation 7: 9-12
(Link goes to Oremus NRSV online)

Hymn: Thy hand O God has guided (The link opens up youtube in a separate window)

Intercessions: God of life, you have created everyone in your image and likeness. We sing your praise for the gift of our many cultures and traditions. Grant us the courage to stand against injustice and prejudice

God of peace, God of love, in you is our hope!

Merciful God, you have shown us in Christ that we are one in you. Teach us to use this gift in the world so that believers of all faiths in every country may be able to listen to each other and live in peace

God of peace, God of love, in you is our hope!

O Jesus, you came into the world and shared fully in our humanity. You know the hardships of life for people who suffer in so many different ways. May the Spirit of compassion move us to share our time, gifts and resources with all those in need.

God of peace, God of love, in you is our hope!

Holy Spirit, you hear the fury of your wounded creation and the cries of those already suffering from climate change. Guide us toward new ways of living that are in harmony with all creation.

God of peace, God of love, in you is our hope! Amen

Blessing:

Be one, so that the world may believe! Abide in God’s love, go
into the world and bear the fruits of this love.

May the God of hope fill us with all joy and all peace in
faith, so that we may abound in hope by the power of the
Holy Spirit. In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy
Spirit. Amen

Additional resources:

Video service from St Peter’s Methodist Church Canterbury click here

Lectionary Leanings: Our friend the Revd Dr Paul Glass is recovering from a hip replacement and we hold him in prayer and look forward to reading his lectionary leanings soon.

Daily devotions from the United Reformed Church. A radio-style / podcast service with hymns, readings, prayers and a sermon. Sign up on the page to receive The Sunday Service email which will contain an order of service and words for you to sing along with the hymns.

Worship at home 24th January from the Methodist church. A really great way to follow along at home worshipping with other Christians at home.

Acknowledgements:

Churches Together in Britain and Ireland https://ctbi.org.uk/week-of-prayer-for-christian-unity-2021/