Achieving the Vision : Aldersgate Sunday 2013
Suggested liturgical and worship material for use in a Sunday Service
Personal Piety and Social Action - the Wesleyan Way
Love of God and Love of Neighbour
Call to worship
Jesus said: “Go further beyond boundaries of nations and cultural identities and invite people in, welcoming them into the community of faith, the Church, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
Preparation and Gathering
Songs StF 27 : Jesu tawo pano
StF 20 : Come all you people
StF 770 : Holy, holy, holy
Prayers of Adoration and Thanksgiving
Eternal God, who called us into being;
We praise you for the world you have created in all its diversity and colour.
We praise you for each person of the human family – unique and yet made in your image.
We praise you for the glimpses we have of you here on earth and for the vision of your Kingdom which you are continually revealing to us.
Jesus, Saviour of the world;
We praise you for leaving your Father’s throne above and emptying yourself of all but love.
We praise you for calling such a variety of people to be your disciples.
We praise you for enabling us to see the face of God in our neighbour.
Holy Spirit, who comforts and disturbs us;
We praise you for that deep sense of unity we feel with our sisters and brothers in Christ across the world.
We praise you for inspiring John & Charles Wesley to begin the Methodist movement.
We praise you for the strength you give us to achieve the vision and complete what you have begun in us.
Collect
Holy God, Spirit, Son and Father;
One in self-giving, self-receiving love and unity.
You raised the People called Methodists as a family
To look upon the whole world as their parish.
Grant that we in communion with one another
May come to know and achieve the vision of your perfect love
And draw all people to you, to whom we offer all praise and thanks
through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen
The Ministry of the Word
Fasting:
Reading Matthew 6 : 16-18
Comment
Hymn
Prayer of Confession
Gracious God,
As we hear your call to fast, we confess our greed.
As we hear your call to prayer, we confess our indifference.
As we hear your call to give, we confess our selfishness.
We have put our own needs before the needs of others.
We have ignored the cries of other members of our global family.
We have been slow to achieve the vision which you invite us to share.
Merciful God, may our hearts be strangely warmed in this moment as we receive the assurance that our sins – even ours – are forgiven through Jesus Christ our Saviour, Amen.
Chant StF 750 Kyrie eleison
Praying
Reading Matthew 6 : 5-8
Comment
Hymn
Prayers of Intercessions:
Let us pray for the member churches of the World Methodist Council and the Wesleyan family that we may strive for perfection in love, justice and peace:
Bless, loving God, the work of the World Methodist Council.May it grow in its ecumenical relations, in campaigning for justice and peace, in supporting education, family and youth ministries, and in sharing in the task of evangelism throughout the World.
Chant: StF 761 : Merciful Lord
Strengthen, loving Spirit, the ecumenical bilateral dialogues in which the World Methodist Council is involved, with the Roman Catholic Church and with the Anglican Communion. Sustain the World Methodist Council’s representation in Geneva and in Rome. We give thanks in particular for the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification that affirms a common understanding by the Roman and Protestant Churches in relation to the affirmation of salvation by Grace through Faith in Jesus Christ for good works.
Chant:
Give courage, loving Spirit, for the prophetic ministry of the Wesleyan family, through the World Methodist Council’s statements and advocacy work, that challenges injustice, that takes the cause of the poor before the powerful, that seeks the salvation and preservation of the planet and the future of humankind. May the hungry be fed and may disease be overcome. We pray in particular for the work of the World Methodist Office in Jerusalem. Defend it from danger and make its work effective in offering solidarity to the Palestinian people and support for lasting peace in Israel.
Chant:
Inspire, loving Spirit, the family, youth and liturgical ministries of the World Methodist Council. May love be taught and lived out in words and in deeds. May the energy young people have be shared, respected and appreciated. May we learn to pray for what we believe and to find joy in singing the faith. May we rejoice in thinking and letting others think. In your infinite love and grace, maintain the integrity of our faith. We give thanks in particular for the opportunities the World Methodist Council offers people to live on a bigger map and to experience the one community that is the Church across national and cultural boundaries.
Chant:
Deepen, loving Spirit, the educational ministry of the Methodist movement in the whole world. May educational institutions be a testimony to a church serving the wider community; may education serve those who need it most. May it lift up the lowly; may it be an open door to enquiry and curiosity, knowledge and meaning. As channels of exchange and support are created, may learning anticipate the new world which is still to come. We pray in particular for the ministerial exchange programme that it may reach the ends of the world.
Chant:
Giving
Song StF 758 : Alleluia!
Reading Matthew 6 : 1-4
Comment
Hymn (during which an offering will be made for the Work of the World Methodist Council or the announcement of a retiring collection)
Prayer of Dedication
Eternal God, with these gifts we bind ourselves together in love with the people called Methodist throughout the world. We are one body – for better, for worse; for richer, for poorer; in sickness and in health – and we endow these gifts as symbols of our desire to achieve the vision and live for ever in perfect love and peace. Amen.
Concluding worship
Hymn
Blessing
Suggestions for Wesley hymns (taken from Hymns and Psalms)
Suitable for Adoration (A), Confession (C), Dedication (D), Intercession (I), Praise (P)
21 Father of all, whose powerful voiceI
35 vv 1,3,4 Glory, love, and praise, and honourA
278 Ye servants of God |P
287 Granted is the Saviour’s prayer I
291 I want the Spirit of power within A
300 Father of everlasting grace A
316 Head of thy Church A
318 Jesus the gift divine I know D
569 O what shall I do C
690 Being of BeingsC
703What shall I render to my God?C
719 Soldiers of Christ I
767Give me the faith which can remove D