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St. Luke’s Church

Family Service 4th October 2009

WELCOME

We’re glad

you made it

here!

+Our theme - humility

+St Luke’s Family Service

+

+Call to worship

When we are happy

When we are full of fun and laughter

GOD WELCOMES US

When we are angry

When people let us down and make us sad

GOD WELCOMES US

When we are tired

When we need to stop and curl up and rest

GOD WELCOMES US

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Though we might wish we were

still in bed

With a cup of coffee and the

Sunday papers

GOD WELCOMES US

+When we would prefer to be at home

Watching ‘Charlie and Lola’ on TV

Or on building Lego cars

GOD WELCOMES US

+When our team wins 5-1 (yes 5-1!)

And also the many times when

they don’t.

GOD WELCOMES US

+Call to worship

When we are tired

When we need to stop & curl up & rest

GOD WELCOMES US

God of welcome

God whose door is always open

WE ARE GLAD TO MEET YOU HERE

+Confession

God, we live in a world that needs to changeWe are part of the worldWe do things that hurt each otherThings that are wrong.There are things we need to sort out.

Silent reflection to think about these things

GOD WE ARE SORRYWE WANT TO DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY

+Confession

Let us listen to God’s word’s

Words for those who want to change.

In Jesus, God says to us

‘I know you are sorry

I forgive you

I love you

Don’t be afraid’

GOD THANK YOU

THANK YOU FOR YOUR LOVE. AMEN

+Let us pray together

+What you find when you google:

St Luke was demolished in 1989, and replaced with this

pleasing new building which is at once typical of the following

decade, and an adornment to what is a relatively

architecturally insignificant area of Norwich. The long, red

brick structure shelters a covered area at ground level into

which the congregating plaza feeds, as though this was

perhaps a lecture hall of a campus university. The low hipped

roof with its wide eaves gives the building an elegance which

is almost oriental in character. At the southern end of the

frontage is a curious pagoda-like structure, presumably a

reception area for the door below. Judging from the notice

board, this building is used a great deal for a wide variety of

church and secular activities, and must be a real asset to its local

area. And, after twenty years, it still looks thoroughly

contemporary.

+Give us, Lord, a humble spirit that never

takes your mercy for granted, but which

keeps us mindful of all we have been

forgiven. Make us tender & compassionate

towards those who fall into temptation,

mindful of our own weakness now and in the

future.

The light of Christ is in our midst.

Thanks be to God!

+Dear God, help me to be human.

Help me to be able to appreciate and

bring out the best in everyone around

me.

You have created us in your image and

likeness; each reflecting in our own

way something of You.

Fill our minds with the love

of Christ. Amen

+Let’s pray together

+For our children, present & not present.

God our Father, You see Your children and young

people growing up in an unsteady and confusing

world. Show them that Your ways give more life

than the ways of the world, and that following You is

better than chasing after selfish goals. Help them

to take failure, not as a measure of their worth, but

as a chance for a new start.

Give them strength and humility to hold

their faith in you, and to keep alive their

joy in your creation.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

+For small strength

Father, make us worthy to serve you

Make us deeply humble and full of love.

Make us small, so that no human name is

honoured.

We want to honour Jesus alone.

Lead us all to be a Church of small strength

So that the power of Jesus can be

victorious.

We can no great things

Only small things, with great love. Amen

+Let’s pray together

+Philippians 2 (The Message)If you've gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his

love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, — then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don't push your way to the front; don't sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don't be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn't think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.

+Philippians 2 (The Message)

Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and

honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that

all created beings in heaven and on earth will bow in

worship before this Jesus Christ. Be energetic in your

life of salvation, reverent and sensitive before God. That

energy is God's energy, an energy deep within you, God

himself willing and working at what will give him the

most pleasure. Do everything readily and cheerfully—no

bickering, no second-guessing allowed! Go out into the

world uncorrupted, a breath of fresh air in this polluted

society. Provide people with a glimpse of good living and

of the living God. Carry the light-giving Message into the

night so I'll have good cause to be proud of you on the day

that Christ returns.

+Our theme - humility

+Blessed are.

Jesus said: the strong and powerfulwill inherit the earth.RHS – OH NO HE DIDN’T!LHS – OH YES HE DID

Jesus said: blessed are the winners,For they will inherit everythingRHS – OH NO HE DIDN’T!LHS – OH YES HE DID

+Blessed are.

Jesus said: Look after yourself, then if you

have something left over, give a coin to the

poor.

RHS – OH NO HE DIDN’T!

LHS – OH YES HE DID

Jesus said: God is a nice old man,

Who doesn’t want anyone to rock the boat

RHS – OH NO HE DIDN’T!

LHS – OH YES HE DID

+And Jesus blessed them saying:

Blessed are those who are spiritually

needy. Heaven belongs to them.

Blessed are those who are free of pride.

They will be given the earth.

+And Jesus blessed them saying:

Love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don't push your way to the front; don't sweet-talk your way to the top.

Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don't be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.

Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself.

+And Jesus blessed them saying:

Go out into the world uncorrupted,

a breath of fresh air in this polluted

society. Provide people with a

glimpse of good living and of the

living God.