Here you can find resources for our liturgy to pray at home or wherever you are.
The readings for today and some of the prayers of our liturgy are on the downloadable pew sheet.
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known,
and from whom no secrets are hidden:
cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,
that we may perfectly love you,
and worthily magnify your holy name;
through Christ our Lord. Amen.
God is love and we are God’s children, there is no room for fear in love.
We love because God loved us first. Let us confess our sins in penitence and faith.
Silence
God our Father, we confess to you
and to our fellow members in the Body of Christ
that we have sinned in thought, word and deed,
and in what we have failed to do.
We are truly sorry.
Forgive us our sins,
and deliver us from the power of evil.
For the sake of your Son who died for us,
Jesus Christ, our Lord.
God, who is both power and love,
forgive us and free us from our sins,
heal and strengthen us by the Holy Spirit
and raise us to new life in Christ our Lord. Amen.
O God,
it is your will to hold both heaven and earth in a single peace.
Let the design of your great love
shine on the waste of our wraths and sorrows,
and give peace to your Church,
peace among nations,
peace in our homes,
and peace in our hearts;
through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Refrain: The Lord comes to judge the earth and the peoples with equity.
Sing to the Lord a new song, *
for he has done marvellous things.
With his right hand and his holy arm *
has he won for himself the victory.
The Lord has made known his victory; *
his righteousness has he openly shown in the sight of the nations.
He remembers his mercy and faithfulness to the house of Israel, *
and all the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.
Shout with joy to the Lord, all you lands; *
lift up your voice, rejoice, and sing.
Sing to the Lord with the harp, *
with the harp and the voice of song.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn *
shout with joy before the King, the Lord.
Let the sea make a noise and all that is in it, *
the lands and those who dwell therein.
Let the rivers clap their hands, *
and let the hills ring out with joy before the Lord, when he comes to judge the earth.
In righteousness shall he judge the world *
and the peoples with equity.
Refrain: The Lord comes to judge the earth and the peoples with equity.
We meet in the presence of God.
We commit ourselves to work in penitence and faith
for reconciliation between the nations,
that all people may, together, live in freedom, justice and peace.
We pray for all who are in bereavement, disability and pain
continue to suffer the consequences of fighting and terror.
We remember with thanksgiving and sorrow those whose lives,
in world wars and conflicts past and present,
have been given and taken away.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
we will remember them.
We will remember them.
A two-minute silence is held.
We meet in Christ's name.
Let us share his peace.
In church, we continue with the Liturgy of the Sacrament
Let us present our offerings to the Lord.
Yours, Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory,
the splendour and the majesty;
for everything in heaven and on earth is yours.
All things come from you, and of your own we give you.
Please join in the prayer Jesus himself taught us:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
Do not bring us to the time of trial
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power
and the glory are yours,
now and for ever.
Amen.
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
In the name of Christ. Amen.
Monday 14th November
Wednesday 16th November
Thursday 17th November
Sunday 20th November
Pentecost 24 – Christ the King
Readings: Jeremiah 23.1-6; Colossians 1.11-20; Luke 23.33-43
online resources will be available on this website
We’ll have a Community Lunch after the service on Sunday, 20th November (including a craft stall). Do make sure to attend – a sign-up sheet for contributions is at the back of the church. Contact Helen Piper for more information: helenshofarsounder@gmail.com or 07870 989133.
This year, we’ll be focussing on Mary (and see what the Bible tells us about her) and studying Mary’s Song found in Luke’s Gospel, which has been very influential on Christian theology, art and music.
Two groups will run for 3 weeks in December: Wednesday mornings at 10.30 a.m. (7th, 14th & 21st December) and Thursday evenings at 8 p.m. (8th, 15th & 22nd December).
Sign-up sheets are at the back of the church.
There will be another block of 6 weekly meetings to continue, or explore for the first time, the way of praying known as Lectio Divina (Holy Listening).
This practice comes from the early monasteries when few monks could read. They learned the Scriptures by listening, at different times of the day and sometimes with the same passage being read by the monk who was able to do this. A frequent kind of private prayer is what we call intercession – praying for others and also praying for something specific for ourselves.
Lectio Divina, however, is the practice of listening, firstly to Scripture, then through reflecting on particular words which speak to you, we learn that we are, in fact, listening directly to God.
Reverend Joan Lyon is offering this on 6 consecutive Wednesday evenings beginning on Wednesday 12 October at 7.30 pm in her home at 17 Randolph Court, Stirling FK8 2AL.
This will last about an hour, and all are welcome to stay for a cup of tea or coffee.
Please use the sign-up sheet at the back of the church or send an email to joanblyon@gmail.com.
The maximum number is 9.
You might be interested in how best to help people in crisis in Ukraine.
The College of Bishops have highlighted these two organisations:
The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal:
https://donation.dec.org.uk/ukraine-humanitarian-appeal
Among the DEC partners are Christian Aid, the British Red Cross, and Tearfund. The UK Government has pledged to match donations from the public to the DEC fund, pound-for-pound, up to £20 million.
The UK for UNHCR:
https://www.unrefugees.org.uk/where-help-is-needed/ukraine-situation/
