Author: Bellshill Central

Gathering prayer/Call to worship

From Psalm 8

O Lord, our Sovereign,
how majestic is Your name in all the earth!
You have set Your glory above the heavens.

When I look at Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
the moon and the stars that You have established;
what are human beings that You are mindful of them,
mortals that You care for them?

O Lord, our Sovereign,
how majestic is Your name in all the earth!

Confession/Repentance

Glorious God,
it is the aim of our lives to worship You,
the crown and glory of our souls to adore You,
heavenly pleasure to approach You.
Give me power by Your Spirit to help us worship now,
so that we may forget the world,
be brought into fullness of life,
be refreshed, comforted, and blessed.

Give us knowledge of Your goodness
that we might not be overawed by Your greatness;

Let us draw near with holy boldness, given to us through us Jesus.
Let us approach in the power of the Holy Spirit,
who is our Mediator, Comforter, Interpreter.

Let us live wholly to our Saviour,
free from distractions,
from being hindered by the pursuit of what does not matter.

Remind us, we pray, that we are pardoned through the work of Jesus –
give us a new sense of it,
may we come every day,
that we may worship You always
in spirit and in truth.

For these things we ask in Jesus’ name
Amen

Psalm 8

¹ O Lord, our Sovereign,
   how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory above the heavens.
²   Out of the mouths of babes and infants
you have founded a bulwark because of your foes,
   to silence the enemy and the avenger.

³ When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
   the moon and the stars that you have established;
⁴ what are human beings that you are mindful of them,
   mortals that you care for them?

⁵ Yet you have made them a little lower than God,
   and crowned them with glory and honour.
⁶ You have given them dominion over the works of your hands;
   you have put all things under their feet,
⁷ all sheep and oxen,
   and also the beasts of the field,
⁸ the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,
   whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

⁹ O Lord, our Sovereign,
   how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Thanksgiving/Gratitude

O Lord God,
we praise You that in all things
we can know the guiding and comfort of Your Holy Spirit.
Give us, we pray, not our own weak desires
but the power of Your presence,
for this is the surest way to live in the truth.

Save us from all that hinders,
from being content with too little of Your Spirit,
from thinking that You will not give us more.
When we feel our lack of You, light up life and faith,
for when we lose sight of You,
we cannot truly see.
Teach us then what to do,
depending only upon, and waiting always for,
Your light.
Teach us to find and know fullness of Your Holy Spirit
only in Jesus.
Amen

Prayer for others/Intercession

Lord God,
we lift before You those who carry heavy burdens,
those who find each day a challenge,
those who struggle to see hope for the future.
Lord, we thank You that You are the ultimate source of all hope,
and we ask that You would use Your people, Your Church
to bring hope, healing and light into the darkness today.

Lord, we lift before You those who carry heavy burdens of responsibility –
for our leaders: local, national and around the world,
for those whose decisions will affect the lives of many,
give wisdom and compassion we pray.

Lord, we give You thinks for those who carry burdens of responsibility in our Church –
locally, nationally and globally.
May the spirit of truth and wisdom guide and protect all who serve,
in whatever capacity,
that You might be glorified in all our world.
For we ask this in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ
Amen