That Good News - Sermon for The First Sunday of Lent - 21st February 2021

Service for the 22nd February 2021

First Sunday of Lent

Hymns in Most Hymnals and on Spotify

Prayers For Use Below The Order Of Service

Order of Service

 

Call to Worship: Psalm 25

Hymn: Lead us Heavenly Father Lead Us

Prayers

Lord’s Prayer

Hymn: Forty Days and Forty Nights

1st Reading: 1 Peter 3:18-22

2nd Reading: Mark 1: 9-15

Hymn: God’s Spirit is in my heart (tune only on Spotify, words here)

Sermon

Hymn: Seek ye first the Kingdom of God

Prayers of Intercession

Hymn: At the Name of Jesus

The Grace

 

Prayers:

Prayers of Adoration and Thanksgiving

O Lord our God, we come before You this day, to praise Your name. For Your love and greatness are so far beyond our understanding, yet You are always with us, guiding and sustaining us. You made the heavens and the earth, and set them in their places, for from You all blessings flow. You came amongst us in your Son Jesus Christ, to suffer for our sins, and grant us forgiveness in Grace. Still Your Holy Spirit, poured out amongst us is within us even now, drawing us ever nearer to You. For all these gifts, through which we can know You, we praise You, Adore you and Thank You, O Lord Our God,

Amen.

 

Prayers of Confession

Father God, on this first Sunday in Lent, we bring before you our sins. Lord You know what temptation is, and that we have succumbed to sin. We have not followed in Your teaching as we ought, we have sinned in thought, word and deed. We have failed to love others as ourselves, we have not thought of the needs of others in pursuit of satisfying our own. In the silence, we call to mind those sins that weigh heavily upon us.

 

For all our sins, those we can remember and those we have forgotten, we ask You Lord to forgive us. We know that in the Grace and Love of Your Son Jesus Christ, Our Sins are forgiven. Amen.

 

And we say together the Prayer that Jesus taught us:

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 that 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.

 

Prayers of Intercession

Gracious God, we come before You in Prayer for the sake of the World around us.

We pray for the World, asking for the knowledge of your Love and Grace to go out with your Church to every corner of the world. In this difficult time, we pray for all our Christian Kin to heed the Holy Spirit within them, and that all may hear Your message of Love and reassurance in this difficult time.

We pray for those abroad, who struggle under cruel and vicious tyranny, those who endure poverty, the ones who have heard your calling, and followed despite terrible risks. Lord we ask that they may know better times soon.

We pray particularly for those who are stricken with Covid, and all who are struggling with other illnesses at this time, and all who are trying to offer the help of health in these days.

We pray for all the lands suffering under the cruelty of humanity’s wickedness, we pray especially for the Victims of China, for those killed in Myanmar/Burma, those who live in fear in Russia, and for all the places without peace, Lord, restore calm and order, and help heal those nations wounded by violence and devilry.

We pray for our leaders, our Royal family, praying for them as Prince Philip lays in hospital, Lord, grant Him restoration to his family, and uphold Her Majesty the Queen and all the Royals at this time of worry, Lord, Grant them hope. We pray too for our politicians, Grant them wisdom and obedience to your laws O God, so that they will do Your will, and serve Your people faithfully.

We pray for our nation, in all its difficulties, may the Good News of Christ, come unto all who are desperate to hear some Good News in these times.

We bring before you those known to us

(here pray for those who are worried for, and bring to God your own worries)

Lord we pray for them all, trusting in Your power, mercy and Love to comfort and help them, and us. We pray that we may be used to help those around us, ever more to do Your work.

Amen.