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The service begins inside the church
Introduction:
Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
And also with you.
This is the day that the Lord has made
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
O God, you are Lord of heaven and earth;
you made the world and everything in it.
Let the peoples praise you, O God
Let all the peoples praise you.
You give to all mortals life and breath;
in you we live and move and have our being.
Let the peoples praise you, O God
Let all the peoples praise you.
May all the earth rejoice in you,
breaking forth into joyous songs of praise.
Let the peoples praise you, O God
Let all the peoples praise you.
Hymn: All people that on earth do dwell
Let us confess our sins to God:
God of compassion,
hear us and forgive our sins.
We acknowledge with penitence that we have broken your commandments,
we have sinned and fallen short of your glory.
In words and actions, in heart and in mind,
we have gone astray.
Have mercy upon us, deliver us from our sins,
and wash away all our guilt;
for the sake of your son our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Amen.
May the God of love and power
forgive us and free us from our sins,
heal and strengthen us by his Spirit,
and raise us to new life in Christ.
Amen
Reading: Matthew 7: 7-11
Prayers:
Eternal God, whose Son Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life: grant us to walk in his way, to rejoice in his truth, and to share his risen life; who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Lord God, as we go from this place, lead us by your spirit into the knowledge of truth and love so freely given to us by your son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Let us now go forth in peace and in the name of Christ.
We proceed from the church outside to the village green
Reading: John 15: 1-8
Hymn: O Worship the King
Prayers are said with time for silent reflection
God our father, we give thanks for the gift of your son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who was content to share the life of his village in Nazareth.
We ask you to bless the life of this village and this parish.
We pray for all who live in this place
For all who work here in their different ways
For all who regard this place as home (wherever they may now live)
And for all who simply pass through.
May your blessing rest upon us all as we live together in your peace.
We pray in the name of Jesus our peace
Lord in your mercy
Hear our prayer
We proceed from the village green to the rectory garden
Reading: Matthew 6: 25-34
Hymn: The King of love my shepherd is
Prayers are said with time for silent reflection
Creator God, Jesus teaches us through the beauty and abundance of creation to put our trust in you for all things.
We ask you now to bless our fields and gardens
Our hills and streams
Our rivers, lakes, reservoirs and seas
That in all these things we might glimpse a reflection of your glory and your gracious love for each one of us.
Bless, O Lord, the houses and farms and all the homes of this valley.
Give us good health
Purity of spirit
Strength and humility
Hospitality
A spirit of forgiveness
And firm knowledge of our need to seek you in all things
We pray in the name of Jesus, creative Word of God
Lord in your mercy
Hear our prayer
We proceed from the rectory garden onto the road
Reading: Matthew 13: 1-13
Hymn: For the beauty of the earth
Prayers are said with time for silent reflection
Almighty God, whose will it is that the earth and sea should bear fruit in due season, bless the labours of all those who work on land and sea.
Grant us a good harvest
And the grace always to rejoice in your care.
Lord you have ordered our life that we are dependent on one another
Prosper those engaged in commerce
Direct our minds and hands in the service of you and all with whom we live and work
Grant O Lord that whatever gifts we have, they may be used to the full, for the enrichment of our lives together and for the coming of your kingdom.
We pray in the name of Jesus, the good shepherd.
Lord in your mercy
Hear our prayer
We return to outside the Church
Reading: Matthew 6: 19-24
Hymn: Lord thy word abideth
Prayers are said with time for silent reflection
Lord we give you thanks for the gift of your church
For those who first brought the Good News of Jesus Christ to this place
For those who built this building
And for those who have acted as good stewards
So that each generation might discover,
hear, and respond to your saving call
And Father we remember in your presence all those who have passed this way before us
Some are known to us, some are not
Grant them rest and peace in that place which you have prepared for us all, where pain and tears are no more
And where we will share eternity with you
We make these prayers to God our beginning, God our end, and through Christ our true companion on the way.
Lord in your mercy
Hear our prayer
Inside the church
Reading: Matthew 7: 24-27
Brief reflection
Rogation time means asking time. Traditionally it was the time when all those who work the land, accompanied by the clergy and villagers, went out into the fields and byways to ask God’s blessing on the weather, the pastures, the growing crops, and the whole agricultural industry.
Thus the farmer acknowledged total dependence on God.
It was also a way of defining the parish boundaries - and was sometimes called ‘beating the bounds’ ( which may have its origins in pagan pre-Christian times) - so that people would remember where the boundaries were, and gain a sense of living within a community.
Rogation comes just before Ascension day, when the disciples of Jesus learned that, instead of seeing Jesus the man, he was indeed glorified as the Son of God, and they could depend on the power of his spirit.
That it was indeed a firm foundation on which to stand. They reflected on just who it was that they had followed, and they gave strength to one another as they told and re-told the stories of his ministry and its effect on their lives.
Today, unusually in our worship, we have had the opportunity to engage in conversation with one another as we walked and prayed for this village. Some of these will be stories of our faith journey, others will be concern for people and situations we know about, or problems we ourselves are facing.
Let this not be an isolated event. Let us seek opportunities to tell our stories of our faith journey as we live and work in this place. Let us not be afraid to acknowledge publicly our dependence on God.
We have Good News, let’s share it.
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
Offertory Hymn: Praise my soul the King of Heaven
Blessing:
May our feet follow the footsteps of God this day
O God may we do your will this day.
May our mouths praise the love of God this day
O God may we do your will this day.
May our ears hear the words of God and obey them
O God may we do your will this day.
May the God who shakes heaven and earth,
whom death could not contain,
who lives to disturb and heal us,
bless us with the power to go forth
and proclaim the gospel.
Amen
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