To watch this week's service on Youtube, please click here:
https://tiny.cc/walkleystmary-youtube
The order of service can be found here:
The Readings
Revelation 4
After this I looked, and there in heaven a door stood open! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, ‘Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.’ At once I was in the spirit, and there in heaven stood a throne, with one seated on the throne! And the one seated there looks like jasper and cornelian, and around the throne is a rainbow that looks like an emerald. Around the throne are twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones are twenty-four elders, dressed in white robes, with golden crowns on their heads. Coming from the throne are flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and in front of the throne burn seven flaming torches, which are the seven spirits of God; and in front of the throne there is something like a sea of glass, like crystal.
Around the throne, and on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with a face like a human face, and the fourth living creature like a flying eagle. And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and inside. Day and night without ceasing they sing,
‘Holy, holy, holy,
the Lord God the Almighty,
who was and is and is to come.’
And whenever the living creatures give glory and honour and thanks to the one who is seated on the throne, who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall before the one who is seated on the throne and worship the one who lives for ever and ever; they cast their crowns before the throne, singing,
‘You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honour and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they existed and were created.’
Luke 8.22-25
One day Jesus got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, ‘Let us go across to the other side of the lake.’ So they put out, and while they were sailing he fell asleep. A gale swept down on the lake, and the boat was filling with water, and they were in danger. They went to him and woke him up, shouting, ‘Master, Master, we are perishing!’ And he woke up and rebuked the wind and the raging waves; they ceased, and there was a calm. He said to them, ‘Where is your faith?’ They were afraid and amazed, and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that he commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him?’
New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
The Sermon
By Lizzie I.
Will be uploaded shortly.
The Prayers
Prepared by Oli G.
Lord of hope, as we experience this unsettled weather, we pray that you be with those who have suffered damage to their homes over the past few days, and that they are able to rebuild quickly and in partnership with one another. Help us to be mindful of climate change and the effects that it has, and will have, on the poorest in our globalised world. We pray that you will help us to work together locally, nationally and internationally to limit the effects of global warming.
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Lord of peace, we pray you are with the peoples and communities of eastern europe as political tensions run high and the possibility of bloodshed is present. We pray you will be with the leaders of these nations, helping them to resolve disputes without violence and to seek reconciliation and mutual understanding.
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Lord of love, we pray that you are with all those who find refuge in your church. May your loving presence be felt by all who enter sacred spaces kept in your name. We pray that all can feel accepted into our christian community regardless of background, sexual orientation or theology. May you help us to speak out against all those who reject the premise of your all encompassing unconditional love,
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Lord of light, as we look toward the start of Lent next month, help us to reflect on what has felt like a period of lenten living, with restrictions; times of grief, and often anxiety, thus making celebration difficult. Help us to approach this period of fasting with a gentle heart, helping us do what we can but giving ourselves permission to do what we need to make it through the current hardships.
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Lord of resurrection, we pray for our community. We pray you will be with those who feel lonely or isolated and for those who are grieving or feel lost. We pray you are with those who cannot currently carry out their livelihoods or are struggling with different ways of working. We pray you will be with community leaders as we rebuild after the pandemic subsides, helping us to make our community a rejuvenated space for healthy living and spiritual growth.
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Lord of joy, as the days get longer and lighter, remind us of your never ending and all-encompassing light. Allow us to open up and empty ourselves in order to be filled with your unconditional love. We thank you for the simple things we can enjoy - the early spring flowers, the cheerful birdsong and our green spaces.
Merciful Father,
accept these prayers
for the sake of your Son,
our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Amen.