11th October 1998 (Proper 24)

Readings:  

          Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7 a letter from Jeremiah to the exiles
Psalm 66:1-12 a hymn of praise for God's deliverance
Luke 17:11-19 Jesus cleanses ten, but heals only one
2 Timothy 2:8-15 "...the word of God is not fettered"

Hymns:

          R&S 114 Let all the World in every corner sing (Ps 66:4)
R&S 646 Help us accept each other (alt. tune Nyland - R&S 529)
R&S 648 Kneels at the feet of his friends (healing through service)
R&S 653 We cannot measure how you heal (healing)
R&S 649 Let the world rejoice together! (reconciliation)


All-age talk based on the Jeremiah reading


Prayers:

         

Opening Sentences:

Let all the world in every corner sing:
My God and King!
The Church with psalms must shout!
No door can keep them out!
Let all the world in every corner sing:
My God and King!

         

Prayers as we approach God:

Loving God, every corner of the world should be singing your praise,
for you have made it so.
The richness and the diversity, the beauty and the grandeur, the power and the splendour of the whole created order should sing harmoniously of your creative love.
But it is not so.
We have destroyed the harmony of your world, we have set it in opposition to itself.
We have destroyed and depleted, plundered and profited.
Lord, forgive us.   (silence)

Loving God, every corner of the fellowship of humankind should be singing your praise,
for you have made it so.
The bonds of equality, justice, peace, love, joy and hope should bind us all together in praise of the One who makes us one.
But it is not so.
We have sown envy and greed, prejudice and pride, division and contempt.
Lord, forgive us.   (silence)

Loving God, every corner of my life should be singing your praise,
for you have made it so.
You have made me in your image, a little higher than the angels; you have made me your child.
But it is not so.
I have held so much back, I have kept so much from you.  I have allowed selfishness and pride to impoverish my relationship with you.
Lord, forgive me.   (silence)

Loving God, our prayer is this,
that you would pour your Spirit afresh into your world, our communities and my life so that we may truly say that the whole, wide world in every corner sings, "My God and King!"

         

Prayer of Dedication:

Loving God,
take from our lives our spirit of selfishness
put into our lives your spirit of community

take from our hearts our spirit of stubborness
put into our hearts your spirit of generous love

take from our hands these gifts of money
put into our hands your gifts for the building up of  your people.