And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18

God, faithful and loving, though we lose our way you seek us and call us back. Give us the courage to face our faults. Help us to repent, reconcile, and amend our ways that we may find our peace. Through Jesus Christ our Liberator, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen

And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. Genesis 45:5

God of welcome, we encounter you in those different from us; enlarge the tent of our lives to embrace both friend and foe, so that we grow to be more like you; through Jesus Christ our Liberator, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

If you wish, open with a song/s.

The leader says

E te whānau / My brothers and sisters,
our help is in the name of the eternal God,
who is making the heavens and the earth.

Eternal Spirit,
flow through our being and open our lips,
that our mouths may proclaim your praise.
​
Silence
Let us worship the God of love.
Alleluia. Alleluia. ​

Share this extract of Psalm 119 (89-96) together - perhaps take turns to read a verse each.

Dear God, your eternal word of love
endures for ever in the universe.

Your trust stands fast from one generation to another.
You have laid the foundations of the earth, and it abides.

In fulfilment of your purpose it continues to this very day,
for all things serve you.

If my delight had not been in your wisdom,
I should have perished in my trouble.

I shall never forget your truths,
for with them you have given me life.

I belong to you: save me;
for I have sought your counsel.

The ungodly laid wait for me to destroy me,
but I will meditate on your law.
​
I see that all things come to an end,
but your commandment is exceeding broad.

We encourage you to share prayers of thanksgiving and gratitude.
We conclude our prayers with the following:

Christ is the good shepherd
who knows and cares for every one of the sheep
in different folds.
In Christ there is neither Jew nor Gentile;
in Christ there is no discrimination
of gender, class or race.
In Christ the poor are blessed,
the simple receive truth hidden from the wise.
​
Alleluia!
God of justice and compassion,
you give us a work to do
and a baptism of suffering and resurrection.
From you comes power to give to others
the care we have ourselves received
so that we, and all who love your world,
may live in harmony and trust. ​

We encourage you to use the Gospel reading from the Lectionary for today. Feel free to add in other readings as you wish.

An online version of the Lectionary can be found right here.

You may wish to take turns reading portions of the Scripture with your group. ​

The leader prays
​
Lord have mercy.
E te Ariki kia aroha mai.
Kyrie eleison.
Christ have mercy.
E te Karaiti kia aroha mai.
Christe eleison.
Lord have mercy.
E te Ariki kia aroha mai.
Kyrie eleison.


We encourage you to enter a time of prayer for our world, our communities and for each other, concluding with one of the following prayers:

1.
​O God of many names,
lover of all peoples;
we pray for peace
in our hearts and homes,
in our nations and our world;
the peace of your will,
the peace of our need.
Dear Christ, our friend and our guide,
pioneer through the shadow of death,
passing through darkness to make it light,
be our companion that we may fear no evil,
and bring us to life and to glory.
​
O God of peace and justice,
of holiness and love;
knit us together in mind and flesh,
in feeling and in spirit,
and make us one,
ready for that great day;
the fulfilment of all our hopes,
and the glory of Jesus Christ.
Keep us in the spirit of joy and simplicity and mercy.
Bless us and those you have entrusted to us,
in and through Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen. ​


2.
Let us be at peace within ourselves.

Silence

Let us accept that we are profoundly loved and need never be afraid.

Silence

Let us be aware of the source of being that is common to us all and to all living creatures.

Silence

Let us be filled with the presence of the great compassion towards ourselves and towards all living beings.

Silence

Realising that we are all nourished from the same source of life, may we so live that others be not deprived of air, food, water, shelter, or the chance to live.

Silence

Let us pray that we ourselves cease to be a cause of suffering to one another.

Silence

With humility let us pray for the establishment of peace in our hearts and on earth.

Silence

May God kindle in us
the fire of love
to bring us alive
and give warmth to the world.
Lead me from death to life,
from falsehood to truth;
lead me from despair to hope,
from fear to trust;
lead me from hate to love,
from war to peace.
Let peace fill our heart,
our world, our universe. ​​

The leader shares a common blessing

May the Creator
bless us and keep us;
may the beloved companion face us
and have mercy upon us;
may the eternal Spirit’s countenance
be turned to us and give us peace;
may the Three in One bless us.

The service concludes
​
The divine Spirit dwells in us.
Kia noho te Wairua o te Runga Rawa ki a tātou.
Thanks be to God.
Whakamoemititia a Ihowā.

As you conclude your time together, we encourage you to discuss together any local needs you have identified in your group or wider neighbourhood, and what your response to those might be. ​

Bible Explore - Prayer resources for children
Bible Explore contains the collect for each week, as well as prayer activity options to help our children engage with prayer.

YouTube Channels with worship lyric videos:

• iWorship Lyrics
• Hillsong Worship
• Bethel Music

The following links are other YouTube playlists of contemporary worship videos with Lyrics.:

Hymns Without Words is a service providing quality Free MP3 recordings of hymns and other music for services to accompany choirs and congregations.

This site also offers suggestions of hymns to follow the lectionary:

With the wide variety of music in our churches, this site seeks to provide a number of recording styles.
The site allows you to search for hymns/songs alphabetically or via the search bar. Music styles range from pipe organ, piano, band, and piano and instramental.
Lyrics for each song are also provided.

https://www.smallchurchmusic.com/