Were You There? - Stations of the Cross Service
Were You There? - Stations of the Cross Service
by Christine Odell
Were you there…? A service of meditations based on the Stations of the Cross including an order of service, suggested hymns, Bible readings and 14 meditations. 2. Jesus bears his cross I watched his father, Joseph, As he fashioned the boy’s cradle. His cradle was made of the fine…
Good Friday Service
Good Friday Service
by Christine Odell
Good Friday Service A service of linked Call to Worship, hymns, Old and New Testament readings, prayers and meditations Call to Worship: Today is a solemn day. The day when we remember the sufferings and death of Christ our Lord upon the cross: the total self-giving of Love for t…
Simple Ways - Towards The Sacred - Closing
Simple Ways - Towards The Sacred - Closing
by SPCK - Gunilla Norris
God is a word we use, and we think we know what it means. But, in truth, God is always far beyond our understanding. We can only know God by unknowing. We can only offer our willingness and our wonder. This kind of constant and open inquiry is an intense intimacy through which we…
Open with God Book - May - Christian Aid Week (week 20)
Open with God Book - May - Christian Aid Week (week 20)
by Christine Odell
May – Christian Aid Week (week 20) Calendar of Prayers Reading Psalm 146.5-9 Our God, we praise and thank you for the abundant love you pour out upon us: for giving us this world to provide for our needs; for giving us free will so that we can choose to express our humanity by lo…
Open with God Book - May - International Day of the Family (May 15)
Open with God Book - May - International Day of the Family (May 15)
by Christine Odell
May – International day of the Family (15 May) Calendar of Prayers Reading Ephesians 3.14-19 God, our heavenly Father and Mother, we thank you for families: for the family of humankind rich in its diversity; for the family of the church, sisters and brothers in Jesus; for our own…
Open with God Book - March - World Environment Week
Open with God Book - March - World Environment Week
by Christine Odell
March – World Environment Week (week 10) Calendar of Prayers Reading Psalm 8.3-9 Ask people to think about how they have experienced the beauty of creation recently, and to share those sights and sounds. Then ask them what they have seen or heard that spoilt creation’s beauty. Du…
Open with God Book - November - Children in Need
Open with God Book - November - Children in Need
by Christine Odell
November – “Children in Need” Calendar of Prayers Reading Nehemiah 5.1-6 God, our father and our mother, we thank you for the gift of children; bringing love, with all its joys and demands, to their families, hope and challenge to their communities, and new life and insights to t…
Open with God Book - May - Amnesty International Day (28 May)
Open with God Book - May - Amnesty International Day (28 May)
by Christine Odell
May – Amnesty International Day (28 May) Calendar of Prayers Reading Isaiah 61.1-3 God of justice, giver of courage, we praise you for the strength you give us in the face of evil. We praise you that, just like a candle flame that continues to shine through the bars of a prison,.…
Open with God Book - November - All Saints' Day (1 November)
Open with God Book - November - All Saints' Day (1 November)
by Christine Odell
November – All Saints Day (1 November) Calendar of Prayers Reading Revelation 7.9-17 God of the living and the dead, we praise and thank you that we belong to that great multitude which no-one can count, who worship, love and serve you...
Prayer/Reflection: Of whom shall I be afraid?
Prayer/Reflection: Of whom shall I be afraid?
by Marjorie Dobson
Prayer/Reflection: Of whom shall I be afraid? ‘The Lord is the stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid? Tell that to the sufferers of domestic violence; to the children neglected or abused; to the women raped by men with guns; to the families left homeless by floods; to…
Open with God Book - Drama
Open with God Book - Drama
by Christine Odell
DRAMA Prayers for Various Occasions Reading Job 38.1-11 or another dramatic reading Creator God, we worship and praise you for speaking into being such a dramatic world: full of noise – thunder crashing and waves roaring; full of light – the flash of lightning and reflections of …
Open with God Book - Elections
Open with God Book - Elections
by Christine Odell
ELECTIONS Prayers for Various Occasions Reading Isaiah 11.1-5 Display a variety of election pamphlets and posters, newspaper articles etc. Sovereign and all-knowing God, we pray that we may be given wisdom, vision and compassion as we consider our votes in this election...
Open with God Book - Divorce or the ending of a relationship
Open with God Book - Divorce or the ending of a relationship
by Christine Odell
DIVORCE or the ending of a relationship Prayers for Various Occasions Reading Psalm 89.1, 2 Faithful God, we love and adore you because your love for us is never ending; because in Christ you gave everything to bring us back to you; because your Holy Spirit fills our lives with f…
Responsive prayer: God is our refuge