Opening Prayer

Loving God, You call us to turn away from our own selfish interests, to take up our cross, and to follow after You—to find our lives by giving them up to Your greater purpose.

So we come before You this morning with open hearts and open hands, eager to hear Your Word, and eager to know Your will.

Through the power of Your Holy Spirit, move within us and among us as we worship. Open our eyes to Your presence; open our ears to Your call, open our hearts to one another. And then send us back out into the world, to live and work as Your faithful disciples.

In the name of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer and Lord, Amen.

Children’s Time

Jesus starts towards Jerusalem

Confession & Words of Assurance

Merciful God,

You call us to follow; to turn away from our own selfish interests, and to take up our cross and follow after You, even if the path is difficult to see, or is heading in a direction we would never have chosen for ourselves.

Forgive us for being so quick to question and so hesitant to follow. Help us to see with the eyes of faith, rather than from our own human point of view.

Teach us to follow without fear, knowing that You are always with us, leading the way.

We are God’s children, called to be different, called to act different, called to live as new people. Thanks be to God. We are forgiven. Amen.

Scripture

Jesus predicts his death

Matthew 16²¹ From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

²² Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”

²³ Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

²⁴ Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. ²⁵ For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. ²⁶ What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? ²⁷ For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.

²⁸ “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

Sermon

Prayers of the People

(Please add your prayers aloud and in the comment in section below)

God of heroes and rebels, God of the silent and enthusiastic, we come before You as people looking for a way to better follow You and the challenges You continuously bring to us as we are called to be Yours.

We pray for the parents, partners, siblings and children in mourning for those they have lost to death, whether through violence, disaster or illness. As You welcome these souls home, those remaining on earth are hurting and looking for Your comfort. Help us show them Your love.

We pray for our own communities struggling with weather, political challenges, and how to move forward in a world that is still so uncertain. Help us pick up our responsibilities and carry them forward as You have asked us to do.

We pray for bravery to share Your word even if we are scared of the reception. Open hearts and minds, and smooth our tongues to know how to share Your message with all we meet.

We pray for the strength to resist our own temptations. We know we cannot do this alone and are trusting in Your promise to walk with us as we journey onwards.

Gathering all these prayers together, along with those in our hearts and minds, we say the prayer tradition has taught us:

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Benediction & Commission

As you leave this time of worship

Jesus knew how his story would unfold.

Our stories are unfolding in front of our eyes, stories tied up and entwined with Jesus, stories that show the world the love of God in our lives, the teaching of Jesus reflected in our decisions and the power of the Holy Spirit in our collective actions.

As we leave this time of worship, may this inspire us and comfort us.