weekly service

Good Morning and welcome to New Horizons Church UK This service today represents the third Sunday in Easter We start this morning with a special prayer of the day God our Father, may we look forward with hope to our resurrection, for you have made us your sons and daughters, and restored the joy of our youth. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen. I would now like to say a prayer for our patron saint Saint Francis Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury ,pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy. O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you Alland also with you. This is the day that the Lord has made. AllLet us rejoice and be glad in it. Hymn or song Prayers of Penitence Christ our passover lamb has been sacrificed for us. Let us therefore rejoice by putting away all malice and evil and confessing our sins with a sincere and true heart. cf 1 Corinthians 5.7,8 AllLord God, we have sinned against you; we have done evil in your sight. We are sorry and repent. Have mercy on us according to your love. Wash away our wrongdoing and cleanse us from our sin. Renew a right spirit within us and restore to us the joy of your salvation; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. May the Father of all mercies cleanse you from your sins, and restore you in his image to the praise and glory of his name, through Jesus Christ our Lord. AllAmen. Collect Almighty Father, who in your great mercy gladdened the disciples with the sight of the risen Lord: give us such knowledge of his presence with us, that we may be strengthened and sustained by his risen life and serve you continually in righteousness and truth; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. AllAmen. Gloria in Excelsis AllGlory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth. Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory. Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world: have mercy on us; you are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen. Kyrie Eleison Lord, have mercy. AllLord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. AllChrist, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. AllChrist, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. AllLord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. ¶ The Liturgy of the Word Our first Reading today comes from the book of Acts Acts 9.1-6(7-20) 1Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’ 5He asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ The reply came, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.’ 7The men who were travelling with him stood speechless because they heard the voice but saw no one. 8Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9For three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank. 10Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, ‘Ananias.’ He answered, ‘Here I am, Lord.’ 11The Lord said to him, ‘Get up and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul. At this moment he is praying, 12and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.’ 13But Ananias answered, ‘Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints in Jerusalem; 14and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who invoke your name.’ 15But the Lord said to him, ‘Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel; 16I myself will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.’ 17So Ananias went and entered the house. He laid his hands on Saul and said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.’ 18And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he got up and was baptized, 19and after taking some food, he regained his strength. For several days he was with the disciples in Damascus, 20and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, ‘He is the Son of God.’ Our Psalm this morning is Psalm 30 Refrain: You brought me up, O Lord, from the dead. 1 i will exalt you, O Lord, because you have raised me up ? and have not let my foes triumph over me. 2 O Lord my God, I cried out to you ? and you have healed me. 3 You brought me up, O Lord, from the dead; ? you restored me to life from among those that go down to the Pit. 4 Sing to the Lord, you servants of his; ? give thanks to his holy name. 5 For his wrath endures but the twinkling of an eye, his favour for a lifetime. ? Heaviness may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. R 6 In my prosperity I said, ‘I shall never be moved. ? You, Lord, of your goodness, have made my hill so strong.’ 7 Then you hid your face from me ? and I was utterly dismayed. 8 To you, O Lord, I cried; ? to the Lord I made my supplication: 9‘What profit is there in my blood, if I go down to the Pit? ? Will the dust praise you or declare your faithfulness? 10‘Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me; ? O Lord, be my helper.’ R 11 You have turned my mourning into dancing; ? you have put off my sackcloth and girded me with gladness; 12 Therefore my heart sings to you without ceasing; ? O Lord my God, I will give you thanks for ever. Refrain: You brought me up, O Lord, from the dead. Lord, you hide your face when we trust in ourselves; strip us of false security and re-clothe us in your praise, that we may know you as the one who raises us from death, as you raised your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Hymn or song Our second Reading today is from john John 21.1-19 1Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. 2Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. 3Simon Peter said to them, ‘I am going fishing.’ They said to him, ‘We will go with you.’ They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. 4Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5Jesus said to them, ‘Children, you have no fish, have you?’ They answered him, ‘No.’ 6He said to them, ‘Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some.’ So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. 7That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, ‘It is the Lord!’ When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the lake. 8But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off. 9When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. 10Jesus said to them, ‘Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.’ 11So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. 12Jesus said to them, ‘Come and have breakfast.’ Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ because they knew it was the Lord. 13Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. 15When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’ 16A second time he said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Tend my sheep.’ 17He said to him the third time, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ And he said to him, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep. 18Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.’ 19He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God. After this he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ Sermon With my sermons I try to concentrate on issues around us or in the community. A short while back I was listening to another sermon one that I must say quite touched on my own thoughts and my beliefs. The subject I am going to talk about, is I know quite a controversial one. It concerns the ordaining and consecration of Women to the priesthood . First of all should women be allowed to become ordained to the priesthood? In my answer to this is yes. The next question is should women be allowed to be consecrated to a Bishop? Again my answer is yes. I think that women have as much right to serve God as men do.  This next extract is from mark 16 verses 9-11 9 When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. 10 She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping. 11 When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it. So we see here that it was Mary that first saw Jesus upon his resurrection and it was Mary that first told the others of what she had seen though they did not believe her. When we give communion we are but a vessel through which the Holy Ghost flows, it is not us giving the communion it is the Holy Ghost or Spirit, so whether we are male or female in the eyes of God we are the same and have the same rights to worship. I know that as I write this there are many that would not agree with for whatever reason with this but this is what I believe. Before God man and woman are equal and should have equal rights to serve in the priesthood. It is God after all who gives this calling to both man and women and it is God himself that ordains to the Priesthood. I know that the above subject caused a stir some years ago when the first women was ordained. I am a big Vicar of Dibley fan and often watch this charming comedy. But this has had a more serious side to it and did cause a stir when first Broadcast. I know that when Geraldine first went to her new parish she was met with some uncertainty. But within a short time the villagers accepted her for who she was, a servant of God our Father and that is what we all are Servants, those who serve God to help others. Through the week I do a lot of travelling around my home county and as far as Reading. The other day I was driving back up the M40 motorway coming from Reading, I looked up as I normally do and was filled with wonderment. The sky ahead of me was so wonderfully caught in sun and shadow. I often drive around and see sites that amaze me even now. All this was created for us by God, for us to enjoy what he has created. Everything is special right down to a blade of grass and as far as the sunset and sunrise. When I can I often go to a local mound that was an old castle and watch the sun set. The site always fills me amazement. We should all appreciate the world around us a bit more. Will you please now join me in The Nicene Creed We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father; through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became truly human. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father [and the Son], who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen ¶ Prayers ¶ Prayers Prayers of Intercession The prayers usually include these concerns and may follow this sequence: ¶The Church of Christ I would like us know to say a prayer for all involved with the New Horizons network of ministries, I would like to say a special prayer for our Patriarch Dr Peter Edwards and his wife Gene from Yeshua International and the Old Roman Catholic Church In England and all the Ministries and Churches that are a part of this ministry, God Bless him in all that he does and may he continue the to do the good work that he does. For Pastor Jay with the TGCM God bless him in the good work that he does and also God bless all those who are a part of the TGCM, for pastor Wayne Thorn and his family with Hiding place ministries, for Pastor Dilliram with our mission in Nepal may the Lord help to provide for the needs of his ministry so that he is able to reach many others , I would like to say also a special prayer for Pastor Apostle Prophet James out in Greenville and I would like to pray for Rev. Maurisa Brown-Latham from Unitarian ministries with who New Horizons Church UK is in communion with. Please join me in these prayers   Father we ask you to watch over us and to guide us in our daily Tasks. We ask you to give us the strength to continue to help all those who are in our care. Amen   Father in Heaven, You made me your child and called me to walk in the Light of Christ. Free me from darkness and keep me in the Light of Your Truth. The Light of Jesus has scattered the darkness of hatred and sin. Called to that Light, I ask for your guidance. Form my life in Your Truth, my heart in Your Love. Through the Holy Eucharist, give me the power of Your Grace that I may walk in the Light of Jesus and serve Him faithfully. Please pray for our most Gracious Majesty Queen Elizabeth the 2nd may she rain for many more years. ¶The local community I would like to pray for all our friends and families for Audrey, Pam, June, and also for the Walton Family for ALL THERE SUPPORT . And for all those within the community. Please also remember the Old and the Vulnerable  and those who are at this time on their own. Last of all let us not forget our Troops who are at this time serving in another country many thousands of miles from their home and families. I would like us all to pray for the victims of the air crash in Poland and for all the friends and families of the victims, I would also like us all to pray for those in Iceland land following the eruption of their volcano. Heavenly Father, of all the changes we have to face as we journey through life, the hardest of all is the loss through death of someone we love. LORD, you know everything about each one of us and you see and feel our pain, our tears, our loneliness, our regrets and our despair. Comfort us in our sorrow and help us to move on. Change the, at times, overwhelming grief and sadness to peaceful acceptance and our weakness to strength. Help us to cope and to adjust to a different pattern of life, never for a moment forgetting those who have gone, but trusting You to keep them safe for us. Help us to remember that Spring always follows Winter. Through dying for us on the cross, Jesus has conquered death and opened the gates of glory. May we know, through your grace, the sure and certain hope of the Resurrection and new life. We ask these prayers in the Name of our LORD and Saviour, Jesus Christ.                  AMEN   Lord Jesus, Who went about doing good and healing all, we ask you to bless your friends who are sick. Give them the strength in body, courage in spirit, and patience in pain. Let them recover their health, so that, restored to the Christian community, they may joyfully praise Your Name, for you live and reign forever and ever. Amen. Father, Your Son accepted our sufferings to teach us the virtue of patience in human illness. Hear the prayers we offer for our sick brothers and sisters. May all who suffer pain, illness or disease, realize that they are chosen to be saints, and know that they are joined to Christ in His suffering for the salvation of the world, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.     Lord, in your mercy All hear our prayer. And at the end Merciful Father, All accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. Please would you join me in:- The Lord’s Prayer 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 Would you Please join me in the Prayer of Serenity God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will; That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him Forever in the next. Amen. Hymn or Song ¶ Conclusion Blessing The God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the eternal covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight; and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. AllAmen. Go in the peace of Christ. Alleluia, Alleluia. AllThanks be to God. Alleluia, Alleluia. Thank you all for joining me this morning. The next service will be on Saturday the 24th of April