Lord of change, of transfiguration and transformation, yet whose essence remains always the same, we worship and adore you and we kneel in awe before you. Amen. There are many people who have gone before us, they are the pillars of our faith; and Jesus is our greatest example.Let us come together to worship him […]

Approach to Worship Creator God, abundant giver, at a wedding in Cana you turned the ordinary into the extraordinary. We come to you, ready for you to turn our ordinariness into something extraordinary; we come to you, O God of change and transformation, seeking a drop of the divine, a glimpse of your glory. Transform […]

It’s time to celebrate, time to party. Come, see Jesus, the one who delights us, the one who delights in us, the one whose miraculous grace can change us into something beautiful. In the middle of the longest and darkest month of the year, on an ordinary Sunday, devoid of celebration or feast, we come […]

Call to Worship: (read Isaiah 42:6) Shout for joy to God, all the earth, sing the glory of his name, and give him glorious praise! Say to God, ‘How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you. All the earth worships you and sings your praises; they […]

Home Service 19/12/21 – Last one before Christmas! Call to Worship The God who speaks comfort to us calls us here.The God who addresses us with tenderness meets us here.The God who guides us with gentleness cares for us here.We come to prepare a way for the Lord.We come to ready ourselves for the transformation […]

Advent 3 – Gaudete Sunday Advent Candle Prayer As we light this Advent candle, may its flame be for us a sign of the light that reveals to us our path through life, that inspires us to live simply and generously, after the example and call of John the Baptist, that we ourselves may be […]

Waiting and anticipation Call to Worship Across the universe creation waits for the prophets to speak their words of expectation and their vision of renewalMay we gather round them today once more and let their longing grip us and lead us into birth and blessingSo come now my friends this is the meeting place of […]

Prayers of Approach Emmanuel, God with us, with excitement and anticipation we gather together, to watch and wait for the signs of your presence among us. Let the Advent adventure begin. The time of your birth is coming. We are waiting. The time of your birth is coming. We are watching. The time of your […]

Call to Worship  In awe, Almighty God, we praise you: maker of all, holy and true, just and wise. In awe, Almighty God, we praise you: born the Prince of Peace, in Christ as King, the Man of love. In awe, Almighty God, we praise you: your Spirit here with us: reigning in our hearts, touching earth with heaven.  Amen    A prayer […]

Call to Worship (inspired by Isaiah 2:4, Isaiah 52:7) How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news.Who publish peace, who bring good tidings, who publish salvation, and proclaim, “Your God reigns!”God will judge among many peoples, and they shall beat their swords into ploughshares and nation shall not lift […]

Approach to Worship: Psalm 119:1-5 Hymn: For all the saints who from their labours rest (R&S 658) Prayers of Approach Blessed are those who set their hearts on God and hold fast to his word. Blessed are those who are faithful in prayer, and whose songs are of praise. Blessed are those who listen to […]

Let all who believe in Jesus’ name gather now. Come from the places that shape you. Leave the learning that shapes your opinions. Leave the institutions that shape the boxes in which you live. Have courage to leave, and gather; gather here before the living God, to have your thinking reshaped. Teach us, Lord Jesus; we wait to learn from you. Amen.    […]

Prayers of Approach Let us come together to be still, to be known, loved, and held by God our creator, to be thankful for all that God gives us, to be healed and restored, that in our worship today joy and gladness may refresh and renew us God our creator, we are made in your […]

An opening prayer of thanks and intercession Loving God, thank you for the many ways in which you provide for us: food, family, friendship, housing, health, happiness, and ways to use our time and talents. We lift to you too the ways in which we remain in need of these things. We pray for people […]

Prayers of Approach Jesus calls us to come to him: to come whoever we are, to come wherever we are, to come as we are. So, let us come! Come to Jesus, for all are invited Lord Jesus, we praise and worship you. We look forward to learning more about you and what you show […]

Prayer of adoration  Stand up from your slumber, oh people of God. God calls us now into his service. Worship the God who waits for his children and delights in their progress. All are welcome here today to love and worship our God in heaven.  Prayer of confession  The Pharaoh decrees death to the foreigner. The power of fear and ‘hate-rage’ surround […]

Prayers of Approach God, giver of all life and of our lives,blessed are you in the fruits of the earthblessed are you in the work of human handsblessed are you in the harvest of human creativity. God of the poor and hungry,blessed are you in the striving for justiceblessed are you in the fragility of […]

Light of the world, shining in darkness, Light of the world, dwelling among us, Light of the world, guiding your people, Light of the world, freeing the captive, Light of the world, offering blessing, Light of the world, reflecting God’s glory, Open our eyes to bathe in your light.  Amen.    No one remembers you when he is dead. Who praises […]

  Prayers of Approach Welcoming God, you invite us to worship you and to be together. Sustain us with your presence, nourish us with your word, strengthen us in your service and send us out to live every day of our lives, in your name. Lord God, we come to you in so many different […]

Prayers of Approach Father of light, of truth and wisdom, we worship you and adore you. Turn us inside out as we come to you today. Let our light shine through you in the darkness, most merciful and gracious God. Amen. Unchanging God, refresher, healer and restorer, give us wisdom and discernment today, as we […]

Prayers of Approach Our God offers us hospitality, and God’s welcome is generous. God is here among us, meeting with us in our worship and in our fellowship. God longs to meet our needs as we come with hands open and arms outstretched.Welcoming God, we come to you with open hearts and with open hands. […]

Prayers of Approach Lord God, you have the bread of life for the hungry and living water for the thirsty. We come hungry and thirsty for your word, with a desire to know your will and to love with your unconditional love. Help us to be fed and to learn from you. Bread of life, […]

Prayers of Approach O God, giver of manna from heaven, you provided for Moses’ followers in the desert. O Christ, bread of life, you fed the five thousand with five loaves and two fish. O Holy Spirit of the living God, here with us as we come together today, we ask you to feed us […]

Home Service 25/7/21 He who made the Pleiades and Orion, who turns midnight into dawn and darkens day into night? Who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out over the face of the land? the LORD is his name (Amos 5:8). Psalm of the Cosmos (source unknown) Loving God, all creation […]

Hymn: Freedom is coming! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZgUC6YHC40) Help me GodHelp me be a prophet who seeks and speaks wisdomHelp me be an advocate who slays the dragons that threaten the weakHelp me be a teacher who introduces the wonders of GodHelp me be a witness who testifies with power and insightHelp me be a good neighbour who […]

‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked.“ ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,’ he replied. (Acts 22:8) Please read Acts 22:6-21 and Acts 9 I am SaulI am Paul I am passionate about my faithI am passionate about my faith I will work tirelessly for what I believe inand I recognize that may […]

Prayers of Approach   As we come together today, let us be mindful of our words and actions and the impact they have on those around us. Let us seek God’s wisdom and love to guide us in all that we seek to do, today and in days to come.  Almighty God, we praise you. We come to worship you, safe in the […]

Call to worship based on Psalm 123  O mortal, stand up on your feet, and I will speak to you. I am sending you to the people of Israel. To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens! As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, As the eyes […]

Opening prayer  Let us praise the God of life and death, whose mercies are new every morning. Let us wait for the salvation of our God, who turns our sorrow into joy, and sets our spirits dancing. Living God, we thank you that you greet us and call us by name. Touch us with your love, and help us to praise and […]

  Prayers of Approach  God of our ups and downs, we come into your presence, thankful to quieten our hearts and to wait for you to speak. We bring our joys, our challenges, and our questions. We open our hearts honestly to you, and we wait in that space beyond questions to feel you hold us in compassion.   We come together […]

  Approach  We join with you and with all the heavenly host to glorify your name our God. We live in hope that your word and direction will live within us. We acknowledge that only you can free us from the chains of captivity. Be with us in our waiting. We ask this in your son’s name; our Lord […]

Home Service 6/6/21   God of all, as one family we worship you. We are mothers and fathers, we are sisters and brothers, and we worship you. We are sons and daughters, aunts and uncles, grannies, granddads, and we worship you. We are cousins and neighbours, friends and colleagues, and we worship you.  As your family, as your church, as your community, we worship you. […]

  Prayer of Approach Holy, holy, holy is our wonderful God! Creator! Saviour! Sustainer! Let us worship our God of infinite mystery, yet who is closer to us than our own breath. Amen. Wonderful God, as we gaze at the miracle of your world, intricate and interconnected, huge in scope, microscopic in detail, we are […]

(Holy Spirit Coming – Ho Qi)    Come, Holy Spirit: The wind of God, the breath of Life. Come, Holy Spirit: Our Advocate, our Counsellor. Come, Holy Spirit: Teacher of Wisdom, Reminder of Christ. Come, Holy Spirit: Granter of forgiveness, giver of peace. Come, Holy Spirit: May we feel God breathing through our worship. Come, Holy Spirit: May we receive the Holy Spirit in […]

Call to Worship  God has gathered us to read his word. Even though we are far apart, we are brought together in his good news story. We hear those stories which show us what the kingdom of God is like. Stories which tell us how we can learn to serve our God without reservation, or hesitation. Jesus will send us out into our communities, to tell others of his hopes […]

  Prayers of Approach  Creator God, you have called us to worship you, chosen us to be your friends and invited us to extend that friendship to your people in all the world. May we live as Jesus lived, serve as he served, and love as he loved, to the glory of your name. Amen.  God of relationships, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, together and […]

  Prayers of Approach We gather here, O Lord, for you, the vine, to nourish us. May we, the branches, draw our strength from you, and grow in harmony, unity and love. May we find nourishment through our rootedness in the life, teachings and love of Christ. Receive the fruits of our worship and be […]

Call to Worship We gather at the voice of our Good Shepherd. Lord, we are prone to losing our way, but we know that you will never leave us. We will follow you wherever you take us. Be with us now as we worship you. Amen. Confession Lord, we would follow you wherever you might […]

Call to Worship Even though we are spread throughout the Fylde:We meet because the weeping Mary of Magdala once said: “I have seen the Lord!”We meet because Jesus still comes into our locked spaces and says: “Peace be with you. Receive the Holy Spirit.”We are here today like doubting Thomas who finally cried: “My Lord […]

Home Service 11/4/21 Lord Jesus, when I sit behind the closed doors of inadequacy, of anxiety, of doubt, speak to me through the life and witness of Thomas, that I may not withhold my love, praise and adoration, but in humility, joy and trustproclaim you as my Lord and my God. Amen. John 20:24-29 Jesus […]

Opening Prayers We worship together in spirit and in truth, though not in person. We pray and listen to God’s Word despite the fear that pervades our community. We trust Christ’s peace, a peace given freely, despite our doubts and fears. We know the Holy Spirit is among us, blowing with a hopeful wind of […]

Prayers of Approach Let us come with enthusiasm to meet the Lord today. Let us pour out our love and our praise and bring the best we can offer to our generous God.Lord of all, when Jesus entered into Jerusalem, the people welcomed him with praise and gave him the best they could offer. As […]

Call to worship  Be ready to rejoice. Be ready to be patient. Be ready to persevere. Rejoice, be patient, persevere in prayer. Praise God!  Reflection “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer”.  I make it Sunday, 22nd March, 2020, when we last met together to chat, sing, pray, brew and share communion with one another. We knew a great wave of illness […]

Call to worship God, creator and parent of all we come to worship you.  God, you nourished and rescued your people we come to worship you.  God, you care for us like a mother we come to worship you.  God, you give strength and love to all who care for children we come to worship you.  God, you support us […]

Home Service 7th March 2021Opening PrayerOur prayer today is that you would fill our heartswith an inspiration of love. Make us intoovergenerous friends. Teach us to sacrifice our livesfor others. So that they may see the extravagance ofyour love for them. Amen.Please read Mark 14:1-11 Jesus Is Anointed atBethanyReflectionWe are told the perfume cost more […]

Prayers of Approach Holy God, we come from our busy lives into your presence, Help us to still our hearts and listen to you.We often forget that you walk with us.As we gather now, help us to be more aware of who you are.Give us the courage to admit when we don’t understand,so that we […]

Call to Worship As Christian people we are called to worship God.As broken people we are called to worship God.As scared people we are called to rely on the Lord.As confused people we look to the Lord for answers.As we gather together may Christ’s healing presence be with us. Amen A prayer of confession For […]

  Call to Worship From time immemorial, God our Father has raised up prophets to proclaim his rule of love and justice. And in Jesus, we have even more than a prophet. Christ, the ruler of the earth and heavens, comes to scatter the shadows in our hearts. In his light shall we see light, […]

Prayers of Approach Great God, whose arms are wide open in welcome,we gather around you, because there is nowhere else we can go. Great God, whose love is broad enough to hold us all,we journey into you, because there is nowhere else to be. Gather us into your just community, Word of life,that we may […]

Call to Worship Renew, Relearn, Revise, Review, Reflect, Reconsider, Re-examine, Respond!This is what God calls us to do within a love that never changes.Let us worship! Jonah 3:1-5,10 Jonah Goes to Nineveh 3 Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message […]

Nathanael under the fig tree Prayers of Approach We come together into the presence of our Lord.So, let us quieten our hearts and minds,put aside our concerns and distractions.Let us open ourselves to listen for God’s voice,for the word God has for his people. God of awe and wonder,worthy of honour and praise,you know us […]

Prayers of Approach and Thanksgiving Jesus, we gather to meet youin word, in spirit and in community.Gather us, inspire us,be present to us in our worship,and send us out to see you at workin the world around us.Amen. Come, let us honour the powerful glory of our Creator God.Let us worship God’s majesty in the […]

Opening Prayer O God who is greater than the most powerful forces in this world,enable us to be still and know that You are God.O Lord who answers out of the whirlwind of everyday life,breathe in us Your Holy Spirit to strengthen, comfort, and guide us in the midst of the storm.O still, small voice, […]

Simeon and Anna Praise the infant Jesus by Arent de Gelder (1645 – 1727) Prayers of Approach Loving God, As Mary and Josephwent on a pilgrimage of faith to Jerusalem,so we, too, come on a pilgrimage of faithand worship.Meet us, O God, as we gather, spiritually in many different places,and open our eyesto see the eternal […]

Home Service 20/12/20      from Rev Jim Williams Fourth Sunday of Advent Call to Worship Across the universe creation waits for the prophets to speak their words of expectation and their vision of renewal.May we gather round them today once more and let their longing grip us and lead us into birth and blessing.So come now […]

Advent 3 – Joy 13th December 2020 Prayers of Approach Come, let us rejoice before God.Let us honour the name of the Most High.God has looked on us, and brought usto be a people of light celebrating the light.Our souls magnify God: blessed is the name of God for ever.Let us lift up holy hands […]

Call to worship God, you called and prepared your people through John, a strange man in a strange place. May we, sometimes strange, sometimes not, all gather to worship you, O God, who calls all kinds of people to gather together. We turn towards the eternal Word that does not fade, that welcomes all – […]

Prayer of approach and hope. God of light and longing, with hope we look to you this day.At this season of the year – this time of short days and long nights –we are looking for the turning of the tide,that movement which assures us that darknesswill not overcome the world. With an anticipation overflowing […]

(Picture by Chris Darley) Call to Worship We are called to love the Lord our God with all our heart and soulWe are called to love with all our mind and strengthAnd we are called to love our neighbour as ourselvesCome, let us Worship and love our God!Amen Prayer for support and encouragement Holy God, […]

(Picture by Chris Darley) Prayers of Approach and Thanksgiving We come to you, gracious God,we who have many talents and we who have few;we who have much confidence and we who have little;We come not to give and receive but because you call us and believe in us.We come in gratitude and in awe.We come […]

(Picture by Chris Darley) Opening Prayer God of peace, we acknowledge that we have not sought peace enough.God of love, we acknowledge that we have not always been loving.God of justice, we acknowledge that we have closed our eyes to injustice.God of heaven, we acknowledge that we have let the world around us shape us […]

Prayers of Approach and Thanksgiving Loving God, we come to you in answer to your call as so many have come before us,we come with Christians of all times and all places in praise and worship.We thank you for them and for all your saints.Thank you for those whose names and stories we know.Thank you […]

Call to worship Our God is faithful.God’s love for us is eternal.The Son of God, Jesus Christ our Lord, expressed God’s love in all he said and did. We stand firm in him.He has chosen us for his own and put his Spirit in our hearts, assuring us that all his promises will be fulfilled. […]

Prayers of Approach Sing to the Lord, and praise him,proclaim his glory to all the world,for the Lord is great and highly to be praised.Sing to the Lord, sing a new song to the Lord. Holy Spirit, be among us as we meet to worship,as we sing and as we read,as we listen and as […]

Call to Worship Come all who are weary:of wealth, of poverty, of power, of struggle, of divisionCome all who are heavy-laden:with too much, with too little, with anxiety, with fear, with angerCome all who have hope:for liberation, for peace, for freedom, for the kingdomHear these words: “See, I am making all things new.” Confession God […]

Opening Prayers Creator God, who calls us to follow,we are on journeys,individual journeys and shared journeys,experiences that are ours alone and ours together.Guide us on our journey this dayand help us to keep our eyes on the goal.Amen. Lord God,as we journey towards the goal you set before us,we see glimpses of who you are,often […]

Call to Worship If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens,come to me and I will give you rest.Take the yoke I give you.Put it on your shoulders and learn from me.I am gentle and humble, and you will find rest.This yoke is easy to bear, and this burden is light. Matthew 11: 28-30 Christ […]

Prayers of Approach God you call us to worship in spirit and in truth,you call us to worship from whatever situation of life we are in, from deep sadness or indescribable hope. We thank you, Lord,that you do not call us to anythingwithout also giving us the resources to cope.You do not ask us to […]

Welcome. Today we have returned from our journey round the Fylde to consider ‘home’. Our readings today help us to question who we think Jesus is. What does Jesus mean to us? What does this change in our lives? Call. When Jesus asked, Simon Peter answered:‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’Let […]

The Wyre at Stannah by Mr. McKnight Welcome. This week’s service focuses on our countryside. We have moved from the coast, through our towns and villages and now wander amongst the diversity of our lovely, Fylde countryside. In our readings today we consider our call to meet and serve all. Call. Come, with purpose,         into […]

Kirkham Welcome. Good morning! Last week we considered the sea and this week we turn to the towns and villages in our partnership. Our gospel is about stepping out from the boat and braving the storm on the waters. But I want to use these ideas within the context of built up areas – or […]

Sunset by Val Atkinson Welcome. Good morning! My name is Kate Hunt and I am studying to be a Minister of Word and Sacrament in the URC. I start 3rd year at Northern College in September. My sending church is St. Anne’s URC, but I have got to know quite a few churches around the […]

Introductory Hymn: Take my life, and let it be (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2zt7PzHPqk) Call to Worship Out of a world of cut-throat competition of winners-and-losers and too many left behind we come together to praise God. The world’s ways are not our ways. The world’s ways are not Christ’s ways. Out of a world of Hatred Violence Individualism […]

A gathering prayer Lord, we gather and we pauseto think about your world:such a beautiful place.We want everything to be perfect,but we accept it is far from that.So, bring us together to learn from youhow to be your presence in the world,how to create a right environmentand be fruitful for you in all we do.Keep […]

Prayer of Approach and Praise Loving God,We are here today to worship you,to praise you, to learn from you.Your wisdom, shown to us through Jesus,is far greater than that of the world.It has the power to confound all our expectations.As we come to you,we want to be amazed by your wisdom,bowled over by your love,and […]