The Greeting
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit
be with you
and also with you.
We come from scattered lives to meet with God.
Let us recognise his presence with us.
Silence is kept.
As God’s people we have gathered:
let us worship him together.
Words of Welcome and Introduction
Hymn
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation;
O my soul, praise him, for he is thy health and salvation;
All ye who hear,
now to his temple draw near,
praise him in glad adoration.
Praise to the Lord, who o’er all things so wondrously reigneth,
shelters thee under his wings, yea, so gently sustaineth:
hast thou not seen
how thy heart’s wishes have been
granted in what he ordaineth?
Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper thy work and defend thee;
surely his goodness and mercy here daily attend thee:
ponder anew
what the Almighty can do,
if to the end he befriend thee.
Praise to the Lord, O let all that is in me adore him!
All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before him!
Let the Amen
sound from his people again:
gladly for aye we adore him.
Prayers of Penitence
What God has prepared for those who love him, he has revealed to us through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything. Therefore, let us in penitence open our hearts to the Lord, who has prepared good things for those who love him.
cf 1 Corinthians 2: 9
Most merciful God,
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
we confess that we have sinned
in thought, word and deed.
We have not loved you with our whole heart.
We have not loved our neighbours as ourselves.
In your mercy
forgive what we have been,
help us to amend what we are,
and direct what we shall be;
that we may do justly,
love mercy,
and walk humbly with you, our God.
Amen.
May the God of love and power
forgive us and free us from our sins,
heal and strengthen us by his Spirit,
and raise us to new life in Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Collect
For The Eighth Sunday after Trinity
Let us pray.
Silence is kept.
Lord God,
your Son left the riches of heaven
and became poor for our sake:
when we prosper save us from pride,
when we are needy save us from despair,
that we may trust in you alone;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Reading from the Bible
A reading from St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans.
I am speaking the truth in Christ. I am not lying; my conscience confirms it by the Holy Spirit. I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my own people, my kindred according to the flesh. They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; to them belong the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, comes the Messiah, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.
Romans 9.1-5
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Hymn
Be thou my guardian and my guide,
and hear me when I call;
let not my slipp’ry footsteps slide,
and hold me lest I fall.
The world, the flesh, and Satan dwell
around the path I tread;
O save me from the snares of hell,
thou quick’ner of the dead.
And if I tempted am to sin,
and outward things are strong,
do thou, O Lord, keep watch within,
and save my soul from wrong.
Still let me ever watch and pray,
and feel that I am frail;
that if the tempter cross my way,
yet he may not prevail.
Gospel
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew
Glory to you, O Lord.
When Jesus heard that Herod had beheaded John the Baptist, he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick.
When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, ‘This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.’ Jesus said to them, ‘They need not go away; you give them something to eat.’ They replied, ‘We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.’ And he said, ‘Bring them here to me.’
Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
Matthew 14.13-21
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
Sermon
Preached by The Venerable Paul Ayers, Archdeacon of Leeds.
An Affirmation of Faith
Let us declare our faith in God.
We believe in God the Father,
from whom every family
in heaven and on earth is named.
We believe in God the Son,
who lives in our hearts through faith,
and fills us with his love.
We believe in God the Holy Spirit,
who strengthens us
with power from on high.
We believe in one God;
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Prayers of intercession
Written and led by Chris Peat, and ending with…
United with the Church across the world, let us pray with confidence using the words our Saviour taught us:
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
Hymn
I, the Lord of sea and sky,
I have heard my people cry.
all who dwell in dark and sin
my hand will save.
I who made the stars of night,
I will make their dark ness bright.
Who will bear my light to them?
Whom shall I send?
Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord?
I have heard you calling in the night.
I will go, Lord, if you lead me.
I will hold your people in my heart.
I, the Lord of snow and rain,
I have borne my people’s pain.
I have wept for love of them.
They turn away.
I will break their hearts of stone,
give them hearts for love alone.
I will speak my word to them.
Whom shall I send?
Here I am, Lord…
I, the Lord of wind and flame,
I will tend the poor and lame.
I will set a feast for them.
My hand will save.
Finest bread I will provide,
till their hearts be satisfied.
I will give my life to them.
Whom shall I send?
Here I am, Lord…
Closing Prayer and Responses
Let us pray
Silence is kept.
Loving God, throughout this day and week,
enliven our minds,
inspire our conversations,
inform our decisions,
and protect those we love.
And should today bring
what we neither anticipate nor desire,
increase our faith and decrease our pride
until we know that,
when we face the unexpected,
we do not stand alone but in the power of the Holy Spirit
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
The love of God has been poured into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
We dwell in him and he in us.
Give thanks to the Lord and call upon his name,
make known his deeds among the peoples.
Sing to him, sing praises to him,
and speak of all his marvellous works.
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty,
who was and is and is to come.
In darkness and in light,
in trouble and in joy,
help us, heavenly Father,
to trust your love,
to serve your purpose,
and to praise your name;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Hymn
Guide me, O thou great Redeemer,
pilgrim through this barren land;
I am weak, but thou art mighty;
hold me with thy powerful hand:
bread of heaven, bread of heaven,
feed me till I want no more,
feed me till I want no more.
Open now the crystal fountain,
whence the healing stream doth flow;
let the fire and cloudy pillar
lead me all my journey through:
strong deliv’rer, strong deliv’rer,
be thou still my strength and shield,
be thou still my strength and shield.
When I tread the verge of Jordan,
bid my anxious fears subside;
death of death, and hell’s destruction,
land me safe on Canaan’s side:
songs of praises, songs of praises,
I will ever give to thee.
I will ever give to thee.
The Grace
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the love of God
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit
be with us all now and always.
Amen.
We go into the world
to walk in God’s light,
to rejoice in God’s love
and to reflect God’s glory.
Go in the peace of Christ.
Thanks be to God.
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“I the Lord of Sea and Sky”
© 1981 Daniel L. Schutte and New Dawn Music
CCL licence: 668063