Relationship with God now, and in whatever lies ahead – death included – is the overriding
theme of these prayers and reading. Each, in its own way, is a reminder that ours is not a God
enshrined solely in Scripture or to be found inside the walls of an institution, but a living,
moving, acting, listening, responding partner in our faith journey.
Call to Worship
Come, let’s praise God together!
For God is great, and worthy of our praise!
Let’s tell stories of God’s power and majesty,
God’s mighty acts throughout history:
for God is great, and worthy of our praise!
Let’s remember the compassion God has shown toward us;
God’s mercy and unfailing love, generation after generation:
for God is great, and worthy of our praise!
Let’s pass these stories to our children and grandchildren,
so that they, too, may come to know and love our God.
For God is great, and worthy of our praise!
Prayers
For ever and ever, Lord God.
That is Your promise to us.
A promise made before time began.
A promise kept until beyond eternity.
A promise that brings us here today.
Because forever starts today, God.
It rose with the first glimpse of dawn.
It breathed in the stirring of the morning air.
It sang in the waking chorus of creation.
And it lives in all of us
because You, in Your goodness,
have made it so.
This moment in time, God,
is nothing in the grand scale
of Your awesome plan.
But it is our opportunity
to recognise that every second,
of every minute of every hour,
of every day is everything,
because of Your limitless love.
We praise all that You are, Creator God.
We stand amazed at all that You give
and we celebrate Your faithfulness
to us in our failure to appreciate
the price of Your promises
and the cost of Your creativity.
When You created the world, Lord,
You presented it to us as perfect.
A place of growth and fruitfulness.
but we misused it and left it broken and disjointed.
When You breathed life into humanity
You chose and cherished us.
But we broke away from Your gentle arms
and dismissed Your love.
When You came to us,
You wept with us, You suffered for us
and You gave up Your all for us.
But we forgot the vastness of Your sacrifice
and took it for granted.
We cannot fathom the scale and the nature
Of Your forgiveness
Yet still we seek it and need it.
And still You offer it.
For ever and ever, God.
That is Your promise
as proclaimed in Your Son, Jesus Christ.
So here today, we proclaim ourselves
a forgiven people,
refreshed by Your grace
and ready to serve You.
We proclaim ourselves forever people.
Committed to sharing in Your work.
We proclaim ourselves Your people,
now and always. Amen
Psalm 17
A Prayer of David.
1 Hear a just cause, O Lord; attend to my cry;
give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit.
2 From you let my vindication come;
let your eyes see the right.
3 If you try my heart, if you visit me by night,
if you test me, you will find no wickedness in me;
my mouth does not transgress.
4 As for what others do, by the word of your lips
I have avoided the ways of the violent.
5 My steps have held fast to your paths;
my feet have not slipped.
6 I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;
incline your ear to me, hear my words.
7 Wondrously show your steadfast love,
O saviour of those who seek refuge
from their adversaries at your right hand.
8 Guard me as the apple of the eye;
hide me in the shadow of your wings,
9 from the wicked who despoil me,
my deadly enemies who surround me.
Prayers for others
Thank You, Lord God,
for promises made and kept
even when we have failed to keep
our side of the bargain.
Even when it feels the world teeters
on the brink of disaster
we know that You will never
abandon Your people
for You have shown us again and again
that You are a faithful God.
Hanging in there
can be tough, though.
We often feel like giving up.
at those times when life
seems too hard or too painful;
when those around us suffer.
Remind us of the words of prophets
that have sustained Your people
throughout generations
and have come true again and again
in Christ Jesus.
Today, loving God,
we pray for all those who are troubled
in body, mind and spirit.
May they know Your presence,
and be reassured by Your words.
We pray for our world,
its leaders, its policy makers
and its protectors.
Help them to make wise decisions
based on justice and tolerance.
We pray for ourselves
that we might see light
in dark and difficult places
and that we might be the light
when others grope for meaning.
And we pray for one another here, Lord.
Those beside, behind and before us,
that we might wait in trust and love together
and that we might go from here
to share Your promises
with all we meet.
In Jesus’ name. Amen
Closing Prayer
Go to celebrate the God
who is our home forever.
Go to follow Christ’s example
in loving God, self, and neighbour.
Go with the Holy Spirit
to change the world with love.
Go to seek God’s kingdom
in all you say and do.
AMEN
Bellshill Central Church 