Welcome to our virtual service!
We’re really glad you can join us for this service. Everything you need for the service is on this webpage. Simply press the play button on each of the videos as you come to them. You might like to print out the service sheet below and if you have children under the age of 14 with you – there are activities for them which you can also download below.
Today’s service sheet can be downloaded here
Today’s resources for E Kids can be downloaded here
This week’s service should be streaming live from 10:30 and can be accessed here:
The thinking behind the song choices is explained in italics
WELCOME by Ed Bowerman
SONG
To God be the glory, great things He has done.
So loved He the world that He gave us His Son
who yielded His life an atonement for sin
and opened the life-gate that all may go in.
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord!
Let the earth hear His voice.
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord!
Let the people rejoice.
Come to the Father through Jesus the Son
Give Him the glory; great things He has done.
Oh, perfect redemption, the purchase of blood,
to every believer the promise of God.
The vilest offender who truly believes,
that moment from Jesus a pardon receives.
Great things He has taught us, great things He has done,
and great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son.
But purer and higher and greater will be
our wonder, our worship when Jesus we see.
BITESIZE
We hear about our one of our children’s group, Rocks.
SONG
Holy Spirit, living breath of God
breathe new life into my willing soul.
Bring the presence of the risen Lord
to renew my heart and make me whole.
Cause Your Word to come alive in me.
Give me faith for what I cannot see.
Give me passion for Your purity.
Holy Spirit, breathe new life in me.
Holy Spirit, come abide within.
May Your joy be seen in all I do.
Love enough to cover every sin
in each thought and deed and attitude.
Kindness to the greatest and the least,
gentleness that sows the path of peace.
Turn my striving into works of grace.
Breath of God, show Christ in all I do.
Holy Spirit, from creation’s birth,
giving life to all that God has made,
show Your power once again on earth.
Cause Your church to hunger for Your ways.
Let the fragrance of our prayers arise.
Lead us on the road of sacrifice
that in unity the face of Christ
will be clear for all the world to see.
BIBLE READING by Jan McQueen
Acts 6:1-7
Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. 2 And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. 3 Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. 4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” 5 And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. 6 These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them.
7 And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.
BIBLE TALK by Colin Sedgwick
SONG
Hear the call of the kingdom lift your eyes to the King.
Let his song rise within you as a fragrant offering,
of how God, rich in mercy came in Christ to redeem
all who trust in his unfailing grace.
Hear the call of the kingdom to be children of light,
with the mercy of heaven, the humility of Christ.
Walking justly before Him, loving all that is right,
that the life of Christ may shine through us.
King of heaven, we will answer the call;
we will follow, bringing hope to the world,
filled with passion, filled with power to proclaim
salvation in Jesus’ name.
Hear the call of the kingdom to reach out to the lost,
with the Father’s compassion in the wonder of the cross,
bringing peace and forgiveness, and a hope yet to come;
let the nations put their trust in Him.
PRAYERS led by Jilly Tan
CONFESSION
As we come to the Lord’s table, we confess our great need of the death of Jesus which this bread and wine signify.
Heavenly Father.
we praise you for adopting us as your children
and making us heirs of eternal life in your Son Jesus Christ,
who has freed us from our sins by his blood.
We know that we still fail to love you with all our heart,
We know that we still fail to serve you as we ought.
We know we need the death of Jesus for us.
Thank you that in him you pardon our offences and make us clean.
May we continue as members of Christ,
in whom alone is salvation. Amen.
LOOKING BACK
We thank you, our loving heavenly Father, that you gave your only Son, Jesus Christ, to die upon the cross for us. By this offering of himself, once and for all time, Jesus made the perfect and complete sacrifice for the sins of the whole world, satisfying your just demands in full. Every time we eat this bread and drink this wine, we proclaim that glorious death.
LOOKING UP
Jesus is now seated at your right hand. And yet, by his Spirit he is with us now.
As we eat and drink, we feed on him in our hearts, by faith, with thanksgiving.
We thank you for genuine communion with him now.
LOOKING AROUND
And so gathered as God’s people, in sweet fellowship with one another,
forgiving one another as you forgave us, we join with all your people since time began, and with all the thousands upon thousands gathered now around your heavenly throne, to honour and glorify you, saying:
-
To him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb,
be blessing and honour and glory and might
for ever and ever. Amen.
You’ll be brought a container with a bread wafer and grape juice.
If you would like to be brought a gluten-free wafer, please tell the steward.
As the bread and wine are distributed, we sing of Jesus’ death for us.
SONG
Come and see, come and see, come and see the King of love;
see the purple robe and crown of thorns he wears.
Soldiers mock, rulers sneer, as he lifts the cruel cross;
lone and friendless now, he climbs towards the hill.
We worship at your feet, where wrath and mercy meet,
and a guilty world is washed by love’s pure stream.
For us he was made sin –oh help me take it in.
Deep wounds of love cry out ‘Father forgive.’
I worship, I worship, the Lamb who was slain.
Come and weep, come and mourn for your sin that pierced him there;
so much deeper than the wounds of thorn and nail.
All our pride, all our greed, all our fallenness and shame;
and the Lord has laid the punishment on him.
Man of heaven, born to earth to restore us to your heaven,
here we bow in awe beneath your searching eyes.
From your tears comes our joy, from your death our life shall spring.
By your resurrection power we shall rise.
On the night he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, ‘This is my body given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’
We remember Jesus as we eat this bread
In the same way he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’
We remember Jesus as we drink this wine
SONG
By faith we see the hand of God
in the light of creation’s grand design,
in the lives of those who prove His faithfulness,
who walk by faith and not by sight.
By faith our fathers roamed the earth,
with the power of His promise in their hearts
of a holy city built by God’s own hand;
a place where peace and justice reign.
We will stand as children of the promise.
We will fix our eyes on Him, our soul’s reward,
till the race is finished and the work is done,
we’ll walk by faith and not by sight.
By faith the prophets saw a day
when the longed-for Messiah would appear
with the power to break the chains of sin and death
and rise triumphant from the grave.
By faith the church was called to go
in the power of the Spirit to the lost,
to deliver captives and to preach good news
in every corner of the earth.
We will stand…
By faith this mountain shall be moved
and the power of the gospel shall prevail.
For we know in Christ all things are possible
for all who call upon His name.
CLOSING PRAYER
Some material in this service is © Used by permission CCL Licence # 1102690. The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. New International Version® Anglicized, NIV® Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.