Worship at Home

Worship at Home – W/B Sunday 27thJuly 2025

As we come to worship God, let us hear these words from scripture:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

Our first hymn invites us to approach God without fear, but confident in his love for each one of us.

Hymn: StF 34 O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness

https://youtube.com/watch?v=wXBL5nk0MJk&si=VCx6jZIbJ-Voo7bM

Prayer

Loving Father, we praise and adore you, for you have called us your children. As we come to you now, your arms open wide in welcome. We praise you that you love us with an everlasting love, and that in your son Jesus Christ you have revealed to us the costly nature of that love, through his life, death and resurrection. As we offer you our worship, may we receive from you a fresh outpouring of your Holy Spirit, that we may be strengthened for the tasks you would have us do. We make this prayer in the name of your son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Amen.

Bible reading: Luke 11:1-13

Message:

The disciples come to Jesus with a simple but powerful request: “Lord, teach us to pray.”They had seen Jesus perform miracles, preach to crowds, and cast out demons—but what they wanted most was to learn how to pray like him. This tells us something important: prayer was at the heart of Jesus’ life, and should be at the heart of our life too.

Jesus responds by teaching them what we now call the Lord’s Prayer—not just words to recite, but a pattern to follow. “Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come…”It begins with worship and surrender. It reminds us who we’re talking to: not a distant deity, but a loving Father. We pray not for our will to be done, but his. We acknowledge our daily dependence: “Give us each day our daily bread.”We seek forgiveness, and we extend it to others. And we ask for protection from temptation and evil. But Jesus doesn’t stop there. He tells a story—one that might seem odd at first. He speaks of a man knocking on a friend’s door at midnight, asking for bread. The friend is annoyed, but eventually gets up and gives him what he needs—not because of friendship, Jesus says, but because of the man’s shameless persistence.

What’s the point? God is not annoyed by our prayers. In fact, he welcomes them. Jesus is showing us that persistence in prayer is not only acceptable—it’s encouraged. “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened.” These are not to be one off actions. Jesus’s words imply ongoing activity: keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking. God isn’t a vending machine—but he is a Father who delights in giving good gifts to his children. Verse 13 makes this clear: “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts… how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Notice that the ultimate gift we’re invited to ask for is the Holy Spirit—God’s own presence and power in our lives. Prayer is not just about asking God for the things we need; it’s about being open to God’s presence in our lives. It’s about aligning our hearts with his, being shaped by his will, and learning to trust in his timing.

So what can we learn from this?

Firstly, to pray simply. Jesus gave us a model that’s direct and heartfelt. Secondly, to pray persistently. Don’t give up just because the answer doesn’t come quickly. And thirdly, to pray confidently—knowing that your heavenly Father loves you more than you can imagine and delights in meeting your needs. May we, like the disciples, come to Jesus daily and say, “Lord, teach us to pray.”And may our lives be marked by the kind of prayer that draws us closer to the heart of the Father.

Amen.

Hymn: StF 518 Father, hear the prayer we offer

https://youtube.com/watch?v=CFoactKMJHQ&si=DIwBsY8SYeh-LDN_

Prayer

God of compassion hear our prayers for your world and its people. As we watch the news on television and read it online, or in the newspapers, we can so easily feel overwhelmed by the scale of the challenges the world is facing. There are so many wars, and so many people are suffering. Help us not to be overcome by compassion fatigue but to be persistent in our prayers for justice and peace for all people.   

As we feel the impact of global warming in our own country, help us not to forget its impact upon those countries where the situation is already dire.  We remember especially the people of the Pacific islands who lives and livelihoods are at risk from rising sea levels, and rural communities who fear the impact of wildfires.  

We pray for all people who are struggling to find sufficient money for the basic necessities of life. For individuals and families who will go hungry today, and those whose health is at risk through poor housing or having no home at all.  

We bring before you all who are unwell at this time, whether in hospital or at home.

We pray for your church, that we may be faithful to our calling to be a beacon of hope in a dark world. Keep us close to your heart, and grant us grace to be persistent in these our prayers, which we ask in the name of your son, Jesus Christ our Lord, 

Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

Our final hymn is itself a prayer that God would grant us all that we need to daily live out our faith in Jesus.

Hymn: StF 520 Give to me, Lord, a thankful heart.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=u_-G_uCowhU&si=2UzneTl_WpZPTvJB

Blessing:

May the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord look on you with kindness and give you peace.

Amen