Collect, Readings and Prayers for Seventh Sunday of Easter/Sunday after Ascension Day

Collect

O God the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven: we beseech you, leave us not comfortless, but send your Holy Spirit to strengthen us and exalt us to the place where our Saviour Christ is gone before, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen

Readings

Acts 1.6-14

So when they had come together, they asked him, ‘Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?’ He replied, ‘It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’ When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. While he was going and they were gazing up towards heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up towards heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.’ Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day’s journey away. When they had entered the city, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying, Peter, and John, and James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers.

Psalm 68.1-10,32-end

Let God arise and let his enemies be scattered; let those that hate him flee before him. As the smoke vanishes, so may they vanish away; as wax melts at the fire, so et the wicked perish at the presence of God.

But let the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; let them make merry with gladness. Sing to God, sing praises to his name; exalt him who rides on the clouds. The Lord is his name; rejoice before him. 

Father of the fatherless, defender of widows, God in his holy habitation! God gives the solitary a home and brings forth prisoners to songs of welcome, but the rebellious inhabit a burning desert. 

O God, when you went forth before your people, when you marched through the wilderness, The earth shook and the heav'ns dropped down rain, at the presence of God, the Lord of Sinai, at the presence of God, the God of Israel. 

You sent down a gracious rain, O God; you refreshed your inheritance when it was weary. Your people came to dwell there; in your goodness, O God, you provide for the poor. 

Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth; make music in praise of the Lord; He rides on the ancient heav'n of heav'ns  and sends forth his voice, a mighty voice. 

Ascribe power to God, whose splendour is over Israel, whose power is above the clouds.  How terrible is God in his holy sanctuary, the God of Israel, who gives power and strength to his people! Blessed be God. 

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be. Amen

1 Peter 4.12-14,5:6-11

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you are sharing Christ’s sufferings, so that you may also be glad and shout for joy when his glory is revealed. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory, which is the Spirit of God, is resting on you. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.  Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering.  And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the power forever and ever Amen.

The Gospel according to John Chapter 17.1-11

After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed.  ”I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and that you sent me. I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them.  And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.

Prayers

As the Church waits in prayer for the coming of the Holy Spirit, let us bring our needs before the Father with confidence and hope.

• Prayer of Adoration

God, greater than all our ideas of you, we praise you. We know of kings and presidents, we know bosses and bossy people, but you are greater than any of them. The universe is your realm, the human heart is your throne, and we praise you. Jesus, crucified, risen and ascended, we praise you. We walked alongside you. We saw you die. We found your empty tomb. Now we know God has welcomed you home, and we praise you. Spirit of God, go-between God, we praise you. You show us God’s wisdom. You show us God’s will. You give us hope of God’s kingdom here on earth, and we praise you. God, greater than we can imagine, Holy dance of new life, of transformation, lifting humanity into heaven, we praise you. Amen

• Risen, ascended Lord, as we rejoice at your triumph, fill your Church on earth with power and compassion, that all who are estranged by sin may find forgiveness and know your peace, to the glory of God the Father. Amen

• A prayer for an end to violence composed by David Hardman, Methodist Liaison Officer, Jerusalem

We pray for people around the world

Oh Bethlehem, house of bread,
under your skies the angels sang their song and in your humble surroundings the Creator’s life on earth began.

Oh Bethlehem’s child, Prince of Peace,
fill the world, we pray, with a hunger for justice that deep and lasting peace may come to the land of your birth.

Oh Jerusalem, city of God,
Outside these walls your divine hands were pierced, eternity held its breath as you were laid to rest in a borrowed tomb.

Oh Jerusalem, witness to your Resurrection,
we pray that new life may triumph over destruction, fear, violence, oppression and death, and radiate from these streets to the whole world.

In the name of the incarnate, crucified and risen God, Amen.

• Lord God we pray for all who work for peace and unity, and for all world leaders that they will continue to seek for an end to the suffering caused by war and violence, injustice and inequality, disease, prejudice, poverty and hopelessness and bring healing to the world. We pray especially for a settled agreement to end the war in Iran, for peace in the Holy Land and Lebanon, for a just end to the war in Ukraine.  We continue to pray for those who are refugees and seek safety in another country, despite the dangers of the journey. We pray for the leaders in Europe in dealing fairly with the issues caused by extensive immigration. We pray for them too as they deal with the current energy crisis caused by the war in Iran and as they reset relationships and priorities in the light of the changed attitudes and allegiances of the United States of America.  Amen

• Heavenly Father, we bring the needs of our government before You at this time of crisis. We ask for godly wisdom and righteousness to prevail. We pray that leaders may have the courage to make tough, righteous decisions and that the present uncertainty may be brought to an end as soon as possible in a dignified manner without manifestations of hostility and creation of yet more divisiveness. May stability return to our government and wise decisions be made which will enable the country to prosper in ways which are for the benefit of all. Amen 

• Father God we pray for our Church, so that each of us might make use of our individual talents enabling each church group to flourish as a witness to the “One Body” of the church. Help us all to spread the warmth of Your love to everyone we meet and help us to welcome all who come to our church no matter what their background, outlook on life, or outward appearance. There are so many who contribute to the life of our and Your church – help us all to appreciate the roles of each other. We pray too that we may always be ready to encourage gifts in others and not guard our roles possessively, if there are those who would welcome the opportunity to serve. Give us discernment and wisdom Lord, as to whom we should approach to take on responsibilities within our church family and prepare their hearts to be receptive to our invitation. Amen

• Loving God, we pray for our local community, our families, and friends. Provide for those who are struggling financially and open our eyes to the needs of the poor. Give us the generosity and strength to support those around us including the sick and the sad.  Your compassion and care for those in need come through the gifts of medicine and relationships. Soothe the anxious, protect the vulnerable, comfort those living with memory loss and their families, and heal those who are ill as we hold before you those known to us who are on our hearts at this time. Amen

• Merciful God, your love radiates from communities gathered in your name. Bless those experiencing significant transitions in life such as graduation, retirement, new employment, leaving or changing schools, embarking on careers, and give them courage and strength as they adapt to new circumstances. We pray for all our work across the Woodfield Team involving children and young people, including our  Open the Book team, King’s Kingdom and Little Fishes and Toasties, and this week we pray for your blessing on the visit of the local primary school pupils to Experience after Easter in Holy Rood Church Packington.  We pray that our various activities will stir the hearts of the children to want to know more about Jesus and how he can be their friend.  Amen

• God of resurrection power, use us and these prayers to proclaim the good news of new life to all the world, through Jesus Christ, our risen Saviour. Amen.
• Each day and each night, may the wisdom of the Wonderful Counsellor guide us, the strength of the Mighty God defend us, the love of the Everlasting Father enfold us and the blessing of the Prince of Peace rest upon us. Amen.