Today is Trinity Sunday when we give special attention to God the three in one – Father, Son AND Holy Spirit together in love, in unity and in diversity. Together in common purpose but showing differences too. We tend to make a big deal about our differences, using them as reasons for distancing ourselves from others. Today, we will think about God the Trinity, about the unity and diversity BUT in the context of MISSION - God sends us out, in his common love and with our differences to share and live out the love of Jesus to whole world.
Call: Be still, listen, can you hear it? Hear what? Be ready, prepared, can you hear the voice?
Whose voice? Over the waters, breaking the cedars, shaking the wilderness, can you hear the voice of God? The voice of the Lord is powerful and full of glory, we hear it and rejoice. The Lord gives strength to you all! May the Lord bless us; we worship the Lord!
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Listen to the 1st Prayer
Pray : Lord God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we praise and adore you that the perfect love which exists in your own being and which we probably see most clearly in the love of the Father for the Son and the devotion of Jesus towards his Heavenly Father spills over to all who love and trust the Lord Jesus. Maybe the idea of the Trinity isn’t the easiest to understand but we can understand something of the overwhelming extent of your love. Help us not to take that love for granted. Help us to accept and appreciate it, praise you for it and live in the light of it, sharing it with others in as generous a measure as we have received it. And help us to remember that as with all your gifts – it doesn’t come because we have earned it or because we deserve it – but simply because you delight to be generous in and through Jesus. We praise you once again for Jesus – for his love and dedication to you, his Heavenly Father, and to the task you set him; for his love and commitment, not only to his friends but to all who would follow after them; for his death on the cross and all that it achieved and for the demonstration of his victory over the powers of evil by his rising again from the dead. Thank you that we have a risen Saviour who reigns and continues to intercede for us. We bless you for your Holy Spirit who binds us together, to you and to one another, in loving fellowship and who equips us to rise to the task of sharing in your mission of love and salvation. Enable us both to see where he is at work and to join in that work to the praise of your Holy name – we pray in Jesus’ name and join our prayers with those of the Christian family worldwide saying: Our Father…
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Matthew 28:16-20 Sent out with the gospel.
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Thought- Mention the word Trinity and you’re likely to see eyes glazing over or the need for folk to suddenly feel the need to look at their shoes! It isn’t a subject we’re terribly comfortable with. But at its heart is simply the way God is in loving relationship. There is a marvellous combination of unity and diversity – of shared mutual love with space for difference and diversity. I want to suggest that we can take inspiration from the relationship of love that is God’s – love among God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit – the deeply shared mutual love AND the space for difference. Rather like a fizzy drink that spills over, God’s generous loving relationship (The Father loving the Son, the Son honouring the Father, the Spirit binding them together in love) spills over and endues us with love not only for God but for one another and for our neighbour. In the verses at the end of Matthew’s gospel Jesus commissions his disciples (and us) to go out into all the world and continue his mission of love – and he promises his abiding presence. Can we take encouragement from the fact that the love that is experienced among God, Father, Son and Spirit can bubble over and be found among us as we tell out and live out the good news. What an empowerment for mission! Trinity isn’t mere theory – it needs to be practical reality. What a difference it would make if the same relational love that is found in God would bubble over to be found among us his people – not for our own sake, but so that we can live it out for others in mission!
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Listen to the 2nd Prayer
Pray: Holy God, Father, Son and Spirit, Three in One we offer our prayers in the knowledge and firm belief that you long to answer the prayers of your people; indeed it is you who prompts us to pray. So with confidence in your grace and mercy We pray for the peace and unity of the Church – locally in our own congregation and the congregations round about; nationally in our denomination the Church of Scotland and ecumenically and throughout the world. Help us to hold to the truth in love and to be as interested in one as the other. Show us how to keep loving one another when our views however deeply held differ.
We pray for the world – for the needs of peace and justice especially in war torn countries like Syria, Lebanon and Afghanistan; for the many who do not know peace in any sense; who are in desperate need of food, shelter, and the basic provisions for human life; for those who are oppressed or have little or no freedom. For the outbreaks of violence that impinge so intrusively in our normally quiet streets – such as in Woolwich and Paris last week or in Boston last month. Work among all people of goodwill to dispel the hatred that brings about such wanton destruction.
We pray for those in need – for those who feel the pain of loss and sorrow; for those who contend with pain and suffering or the prospect of it, and those who care for the sick and infirm; for those who have cause to worry or who fear the future; for all in need of your peace, consolation and love.
We pray for ourselves, our loved ones and our community here in Montrose – including the visitors here for the Music Festival – and in our prayer walk especially this week for those who live or work in Wellington Park, Jack Smith Rd.
We pray in silence – opening our hearts to the leading of your Spirit SILENCE.
All our prayers spoken and unspoken those remembered by us and those unrecalled by us but held dear by you we offer in the precious name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
Blessing - May the Lord bless you. Amen.