Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him.

As surely as the sun rises, he will appear;

He will come to us like the winter rains,

like the spring rains that water the earth. Hosea 6:3

Dear Father,

Thank you for the rain today:

for the way the earth is softer and the the roots of weeds easier to pull up,

for the life the moisture brings to germinate the seeds,

,and for the growth in the fields and gardens.

Please send your Spirit in these exceptional times,

to soften our hard hearts and remove deep rooted selfishness

and grow daily in patience and kindness.

Please show us who among our contacts is ‘germinating’ in faith

and show us how to be a support as they grow.

In your name,

Amen.

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You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope.

With less of you there is more of God and his rule.

You’re blessed when you care.

At the moment of being ‘care-full’,

you find yourself cared for. Matthew 5:3&7 [Message]

Lord Jesus,

Thank you that you care for us like a shepherd

giving up your life for your flock.

We pray today for all those who are caring for loved ones at home

especially parents of children with autism and behavioural difficulties.

Please let the children feel safe in the new routines of life without school

and give the parents infinite patience and stamina to cope during the lock-down.

Give the other children in the family a quiet space to be alone

and pour your deep peace into the hearts of each family member

so they feel safe and completely loved.

In your mercy Lord,

Amen.

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The Lord is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life - of whom shall I be afraid?

Psalm 27:1

Lord Jesus,

I ask that the light of your love will come into my mind and make every thought captive to you.

As anxious thoughts assail my mind, please dispel them with the light of your salvation.

When the enemy takes advantage of my weakness, remind me of your promises that

I am perfectly loved and that you are the stronghold of my life and my great deliverer.

Please come to those suffering from mental illness:

those imprisoned in their minds,

those captive to their thought life.

Release the prisoners and set the captives free.

Give them a sound mind and shine your light into their minds to break negative cycles of thought.

Heal the memories of those who were sinned against.

May they run to you - the Stronghold of their life and

lead them out into a spacious place.

Lord have mercy,

Amen.

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But the Counsellor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your heart be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:26-27

Heavenly Father,

We come with thanksgiving today for the immeasurable blessings that you have poured out on us through your son Jesus, who gave His everything for us.

Thank you that by His death and resurrection, we now have the Holy Spirit to be with us always.

In these fearful days, we ask that you give us the constancy to wait for you

just as the disciples waited in the upper room

before entering into a season of the unknown.

Teach us how to rest in your love

and to trust you with all the unknowns of this time.

We declare that you are a good, good Father

and your love never fails.

Please keep us sustained by your word which gives us the hope and peace.

Amen.

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The Lord is close to the brokenhearted

and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18

Our Father,

We pray for grieving families who have lost loved ones to the corona virus.

Even as their hearts are breaking, may they know the nearness and comfort

of your Holy Spirit.

In this strange time when families cannot gather round their loved one to say goodbye,

please be their solace as they commit them into your loving arms,

and be their refuge through the raw days of grief.

Thank you that love is stronger than death.

Amen.

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….I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one other in love.

Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

Ephesians 4:1-3

Lord Jesus,

We pray today for families and groups of friends who live together.

For parents and children sharing a small house or flat,

please give each one their own ‘spacious place’ in their heads

and strengthen the love bond between them.

Please be especially close to those parenting alone

and families without an outdoor space.

Send your peace to families shattered by addiction and domestic violence

and protect the lives and mental health of children and young people

living in harms way.

Please show us how to ‘live in love and peace with all’

and be Christ to each other.

In your name Jesus,

Amen.

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‘Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears',

for your work will be rewarded.’declares the Lord. Jeremiah 31:16

Lord Jesus,

Today we lift to you all our business leaders and entrepreneurs

Thank you for the skills and ingenuity you have given them to create employment for others.

Please guide them as they make decisions and plan for a very uncertain future

for their companies, their employees and themselves.

Be with them when they feel overwhelmed by their responsibilities

and give them compassion for, and generosity to, those they employ.

Please help them to rely on you and not their own understanding.

Give them hope for new beginnings

and your profound peace in their hearts.

Thank you Lord,

Amen.

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Search me , O God,and know my heart;

test me and know my thoughts.

See if there is any offensive way in me,

and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:23-24

Lord Jesus,

Please use these new circumstances we live under,

whether it’s: trying to work from home with a houseful of children,

the boredom of too many hours to fill

or the isolation of those who live alone,

to highlight our selfish attitudes and negative thought patterns.

Give us the courage to lay our lock-down lives before you.

Spring clean our hearts and minds.

Show us how to live in the light of Christ

and lead us in the way everlasting.

Amen.

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Lord Jesus,

Today we lift to you all front line health care workers.

Please provide the correct P.P.E. they need to be properly shielded from the virus

and the patience to wear it through a long, hot shift.

Deliver them from anxiety about passing infection on to loved ones;

aged parents, children,partners and housemates.

Be especially close to medical staff who have chosen to live separate from their families during the crisis

and be their comfort and close companion every day.

Please encourage all our brothers and sisters who serve in the NHS,

May they be clear minded and focused,

bringing your resurrection presence and hope onto the wards where they work

and the patients they care for.

In your name Jesus,

Amen.

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Peace I leave you; my own peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27

Lord Jesus,

Thank you that the peace you give us is ‘not as the world gives’: not a comfortable bank balance, a secure job,

a happy family and a healthy body.

Your peace is ‘peace in the storm and we pray today for all who are facing their own storms and are distressed and distracted by concern for their themselves and their families.

Surprise them with your presence as you did when you appeared to the locked-down disciples saying, ‘Peace be with you.’

Your peace is:

our rock to stand on,

our home to hide in,

our comfort and our freedom.

Please be close to us today and let your peace rule in our hearts.

In this world you will have trouble. But take heart!

I have overcome the world. John 16:33

Amen.

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Peace I leave you; my own peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27

Lord Jesus,

Thank you that the peace you give us is ‘not as the world gives’: not a comfortable bank balance, a secure job,

a happy family and a healthy body.

Your peace is ‘peace in the storm and we pray today for all who are facing their own storms and are distressed and distracted by concern for their themselves and their families.

Surprise them with your presence as you did when you appeared to the locked-down disciples saying, ‘Peace be with you.’

Your peace is:

our rock to stand on,

our home to hide in,

our comfort and our freedom.

Please be close to us today and let your peace rule in our hearts.

In this world you will have trouble. But take heart!

I have overcome the world. John 16:33

Amen.

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Surely your goodness and love will follow me

all the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23:6

Lord Jesus,

Thank you that, even though we can’t be physically together to worship you today, we can meet to pray, praise and hear your word via technology.

Thank you for our wonderful church family: the oldies and the babies,the young people and the children,

the middle aged and the young adults.

Thank you for all the ethnicities represented in our church and the gift that everyone brings by just being themselves.

In this time apart, increase our love for each other and our passion for you

and open or hearts and our arms to embrace all who will find faith during this time.

Amen.

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The Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.

Psalm 147:11

Father God,

Today we choose to look to you and put our trust in your unfailing love.

We pray for those who are struggling today:

those who find it hard to lift their eyes from the difficulties of living under lock-down,

and those who are overwhelmed by anxiety.

We ask that,in your mercy, you will visit them today with hope.

Give them courage to rise each day knowing that:

Great is the Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.

Psalm 147:5

Amen.

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Your sun will never set again,and your moon will wane no more; the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of sorrow will end. Isaiah 60:20

Lord Jesus,

We ask that your everlasting light will shine into the hearts of our political leaders,

bringing wisdom and insight;

into the hearts of all those working to find vaccines and medicines,

that you would guide their work and give them inspiration.

Thank you that scientists are collaborating with colleagues throughout the world

to bring healing;

that our days of sorrow will end.

Amen.

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The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness;

the darkness couldn’t put it out. John 1:5 MSG

Lord,

Thank you that the bright sunshine we have been experiencing reminds us of you.

Yet your glory shines even brighter.

May your love shine even more brightly into the darkness of loneliness, bringing comfort;

into the gloom or grief,bringing hope;

into the fear of the unknown, bringing the joy of life lived with you.

We pray for all who are lonely,grieving and fearful that they may know your light in these dark days.

we thank you that your light always shines brighter!

Amen.

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When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognised him,and he disappeared from their sight.They asked each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the scriptures to us? Luke24:31-32

Keep your eyes open for God,watch for his works:

be alert to signs of his presence. Psalm 105:4 MSG

Father,

We’re living through dark and frightening times:

the whole world is in crisis,

the future of our economy is grave.

We took our freedom and our safe, predictable lives for granted,

and now we walk into the unknown.

We fear for ourselves and those we love.

Thank you for walking alongside us as you did with your grieving friends on the road to Emmaus.

Even if we don’t recognise you, may the truth of who you are burn in our hearts as we make this journey.

And as we invite you into our locked down lives, energise us with your holy,life giving presence.

Amen.

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For the Whole Christian Community

We are not a people of fear:

we are a people of courage.

We are not people who protect our own safety:

we are a people who protect our neighbours’ safety.

We are not a people of greed:

we are a people of generosity.

We are your people God,

giving and loving,

wherever we are, whatever it costs.

For as long as it takes,

wherever you call us.

Amen.

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Common Worship Collect for Easter

Lord of all life and power,

who through the mighty resurrection of your Son

overcame the old order of sin and death

to make all things new in him:

grant that we, being dead to sin

and alive to you in Jesus Christ,

may reign with him in glory;

to whom be praise and honour, glory and might,

now and in all eternity.

Amen.

We pray today for:

the Prime minister as he convalesces at Chequers, thanking God for his healing,

families living in small homes without a garden - peace for the children and great patience and creativity for the parents,

new believers - that they will seek out the teaching, support and encouragement they need to live life in the light of the resurrection.

Amen

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Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!

In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. 1 Peter 1:3-4

Lord Jesus,

On this glorious Resurrection Day when we’re not able to celebrate with our church family,please keep our hearts full to overflowing with thanks for all you’ve done.

You killed death forever and put us on the guest list for heaven.

The thick, heavy curtain in the temple was torn - top to bottom - so there is no barrier between us: nothing can separate us from your love.

You rose with a body still bearing the wounds of the nails - so we have the freedom to follow you bearing our own scars.

You broke out of the cold darkness of the tomb - so we can walk in the light and warmth of your presence all the days of our life.

As we travel through this dark valley, you are our hope, our joy, our Resurrection!

We bless your Holy Name,

Amen.

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Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man, who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea, and he himself was waiting for the kingdom of God. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body. Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid. Luke 23:50

Lord Jesus,

Thank you for the example of Joseph of Arimathea; that even in all his anguish at your crucifixion and the seeming failure of the Kingdom you had announced, he offered what he could - his own tomb. And did what he could - taking down your tortured body from the cross, wrapping it in a shroud and placing it in the tomb.

In this dark time of lock - down, when people are sick and dying in large numbers, job have been lost, businesses fail, our economy is faltering and there is fear everywhere, show us how to do what only we can do.

Help us to listen to your voice telling us who needs a phone call, some shopping, financial help or some meals delivering.

Help us to give what we have so we too, like Joseph, can be part of the resurrection story this Easter.

WE pray for:

The people helping us - shop workers, refuse collectors, teachers and the police - give them protection and your affirmation every day.

Those who are watching church services online who don’t know you yet - revelation and new beginnings.

Thank you Jesus,

Amen.

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