Printed Service – Sunday 27th October 2024
Prepared by Rev Saul Tadzaushe
The Greatest Prayer Ever Prayed.

Call To Worship Psalm 100
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Hymn ST535 : God, when I came into this life  
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God, when I came into this life
you called me by my name;
today I come, commit myself,
responding to your claim.

You give me freedom to believe
today I make my choice
and to the worship of the Church
I add my learning voice

Within the circle of the faith,
as member of your cast,
I take my place with all the saints
of future, present, past.

In all the tensions of my life,
between my faith and doubt,
let your great Spirit give me hope,
sustain me, lead me out.

So help me in my unbelief
and let my life be true:
feet firmly planted on the earth,
my sights set high on you.

Fred Kaan (1929-2009)

Prayer
Loving God, we pray for those many churches which have experienced divisions among themselves, split apart over issues of doctrine, worship and authority.

We pray for those whose faith has been undermined by such disputes, who feel hurt and let down by what has taken place.

We pray for those outside the church who have witnessed such division, those who have been put off by what they have seen.

As I will be preaching about the unity of the church open our eyes and ears that we can hear you speaking to each one  of us in a special way, for we have made many mistakes in thinking of  ourselves more than others Amen.

Hymn SFT611 : Brother, sister, let me serve you
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Brother, sister, let me serve you;
let me be as Christ to you;
pray that I may have the grace to
let you be my servant too.

We are pilgrims on a journey,
and companions on the road;
we are here to help each other
walk the mile and bear the load.

I will hold the Christlight for you
in the night time of your fear;
I will hold my hand out to you,
speak the peace you long to hear.

I will weep when you are weeping;
when you laugh, I’ll laugh with you;
I will share your joy and sorrow,
till we’ve seen this journey through.

When we sing to God in heaven,
we shall find such harmony,
born of all we’ve known together
of Christ’s love and agony.

Brother, sister, let me serve you;
let me be as Christ to you;
pray that l may have the grace to
let you be my servant too

Richard Gillard

Bible Reading : John17:11
‘I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one.’’

Reflections on the title The Greatest Prayer Ever Prayed

God desires unity of us all, as his people. The mission of God is in the world, that the world may be reconciled to him through his son Jesus Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit.

We are all invited to participate in this great commission as we serve God in our communities.

Among the disciples there were those who were fast to respond to things, there were those who were very slow to respond to the task and those who were always with the ministry of presence without being known. Jesus valued them all.

If I were to name all the disciples of Jesus, I would forget some of the names of the disciples. But he prayed for them all that they may be one.

Jesus prayed for them that they may be one. In their diversity of gifts and backgrounds, Jesus is praying for unity among the believers. United we stand against the forces of darkness but when we are divided, we destroy the work of God with our own hands and leave a legacy of failure.

Let the prayer of Jesus be our mirror of where we are with our desire to serve him.

2 Corinthians 4:11 God chose the imperfect humans to carry the message of the gospel. We are all like jars of clay. We are all qualified by the grace of God to serve him in whatever way we are serving our Lord.

May the love of God be our spiritual mark as we respond to the prayer of JESUS CHRIST that we may be one.   Amen

Prayer
Loving God, unite your people in every place, drawing together those of different temperaments, outlooks and traditions.

May there be a respect between all, a willingness to work together, and a sense of faithfulness at work and unity that speaks beyond such differences Amen.

Hymn STF707 :  Make me a channel of your peace
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Make me a channel of your peace
Where there is hatred let me bring your love
Where there is injury, your pardon Lord
And where there is doubt true faith in You

Make me a channel of your peace
Where there is despair in life let me bring hope
Where there is darkness only light
And where there’s sadness ever joy

Oh, Master grant that I may never seek
So much to be consoled as to console
To be understood as to understand
To be loved as to love with all my soul

Make me a channel of your peace
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned
It is in giving to all men that we receive
And in dying that we are born to eternal life

Oh, Master grant that I may never seek
So much to be consoled as to console
To be understood as to understand
To be loved as to love with all my soul

Make me a channel of your peace
Where there’s despair in life let me bring hope
Where there is darkness only light
And where there’s sadness ever joy

Lord’s prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven …..

Dismissal.