Gathering

Here today there is love, freely available to all. Not our human loving, fragile and intermittent, but God’s supreme love.

Here today is love, higher than our loftiest hopes, deeper than the immensities of time and space, God’s inclusive love.

Here today we gather in the name of the God of love. Come let us worship.

Hymn

Confession & Words of Assurance

O Lord,
we have not lived our lives
as kingdom people.
We place our crowns
on hopelessness, fear,
and selfishness.
We are ruled by our schedules
and our need for control.
We are obsessed with the things we acquire
and focus only on our immediate desires.
We forget that Your kingdom
draws near to us on earth,
as it is in heaven.

Forgive us, we pray.

Come, Lord, and open in us to this new life in You. Amen.

We are the people called to help create a new world here on earth. Even though we fail, we are always given new opportunities. Failure is not the end, it’s just a chance to do better next time. God has given us that gift.

Story Time

Scripture

Last moments with the disciples

Luke 24 ⁴⁴ Jesus said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the Law from Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” ⁴⁵ Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures. ⁴⁶ He said to them, “This is what is written: the Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, ⁴⁷ and a change of heart and life for the forgiveness of sins must be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. ⁴⁸ You are witnesses of these things.⁴⁹ Look, I’m sending to you what my Father promised, but you are to stay in the city until you have been furnished with heavenly power.”

Ascension of Jesus

⁵⁰ He led them out as far as Bethany, where he lifted his hands and blessed them. ⁵¹ As he blessed them, he left them and was taken up to heaven.⁵² They worshipped him and returned to Jerusalem overwhelmed with joy.⁵³ And they were continuously in the temple praising God.

Sermon

 Prayers

Christ, Your Ascension has set You free from the constraints of human existence, outside the limitations of time and space; free to be here with us now, in our worship and fellowship; and free to be with us always; for in Your freedom You have bound yourself to us with a promise. 

We pray, Lord, for those who need to feel You close, who need the assurance of your love, the encouragement of your Spirit.

We pray for those who are persecuted, who are discriminated against, who are mocked because of their faith or race or colour or identity.  

We pray for those who are imprisoned, who are tortured, who are exiled, because they have fought, struggled and spoken out for the rights of their people.

Be with us, Lord, in all our daily struggles as we seek to follow You. Be with us, Lord, in our periods of doubt and despair; and in our times of happiness, health and loving. Be with us.

All of these prayers and so may more we pull together and pray the prayer tradition has taught us…

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.