New Patterns for Worship (paperback) (Common Worship: Services and Prayers for the Church of England)

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These may be used at any suitable point in A Service of the Word, but they are particularly appropriate for use as the climax to the service or part of the response to the Liturgy of the Word.

let us exalt his name together. Sermon Response to God’s Word Song(s) or Hymn Thanksgiving for the Healing Ministry of the Church look at the readings for the service and especially the psalm as a possible source for words and ideas;

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This Affirmation of Faith, or the Apostles’ Creed, or another authorized Affirmation of Faith is used DO find out about particular needs, who is ill or what church meetings or organizations need prayer this week. Watch the news, and vary the way in which international topics are prayed for; DON’T be out of date! But remember also the need for balance and breadth. As Note 15 to Common Worship Holy Communion says, ‘the prayers of intercession are normally broadly based, expressing a concern for the whole of God’s world and the ministry of the whole Church’.

The phrase ‘in this holy night’ makes this prayer particularly appropriate for use on Christmas Eve during the night.With the omission of this phrase (or its replacement with ‘at this holy time’) it is suitable for use on other occasions during the Christmas season. time to get straight with God before coming to communion (so you may need to be on your own, perhaps grappling with something from the sermon); Because a service like this might not be the principal service of the day, and might well not take place on a Sunday, an Affirmation of Faith is not required and has not been included, though a point in the service at which it might appropriately come has been indicated. Facing Pain: a Service of Lament These may be used on their own to conclude the act of worship, or they may precede or follow a blessing. If one of these is used with a dismissal, the dismissal should come at the very end. Prayers suitable for use at the end of a service of Holy Communion, either as Post Communion prayers, or as part of the sending out;We praise you, our God, for all mothers who have loved and laughed and laboured as they cared for their children; Both St Ann’s and St Bartholomew’s use the Corporate Renewal of Baptismal Vows ( here), with the interrogative form of the Apostles’ Creed, at Easter and sometimes at New Year. In previous years, the popularity of the corporate renewal of baptismal vows prompted the clergy at St Bartholomew’s to use it at almost every opportunity. This led to some objections that it was becoming meaningless, and the more regular pattern of using it only once or twice a year, with appropriate warning and chance for preparation, has left the congregation feeling much happier and valuing it even more. However, some saints are missionaries, others teachers, others bishops, others martyrs and so on. The content, style and ethos of each service should reflect the saint who is being celebrated. For example, if the saint is a martyr, the service might focus on commitment and use elements from the Thanksgiving for Baptism. This may vary from a simple comment by the leader, or some other suitable person, to a dramatic presentation of the saint’s life by a number of people.

DO remember what was prayed for last week: should there be thanksgiving for prayer being answered? What other thanksgiving should there be? Again, as Note 15 says, ‘intercession frequently arises out of thanksgiving’. Children in the church school at St Bartholomew’s have been learning this week how to write collects. They have used a very simple formula (see here) which shows them how to take a verse of Scripture, thank God for something about himself and then pray for something connected with that aspect of God’s character. The teacher hopes it will help them in making up their own prayers at home (and the vicar secretly thinks some of the adults would find this a help too!). He recently preached on the prayer of the believers in Acts 4.24-31, pointing out how many lines of the prayer were taken up with telling God how great he was and what he had done, using that as the reason why God should take notice of their request, which was to result in ‘wonders and miracles … through the name of Jesus’. Compare this with the pattern in the ‘Collect construction’ section here. Four of the children’s collects are going to be used in the worship this month. A Service of the Word provides the structure which holds everything together, including some dance to the psalm, interviews with a couple just moving to a new job and wanting to thank the congregation for their support, some praise songs and a time of extempore thanksgiving. The service moves to a climax of sung and spoken praise using one of the longer Thanksgivings, ending with the Sanctus. Other things they have used at the climax of the service have been traditional sung texts like the Te Deum and the Gloria, and the first section of one of the Eucharistic Prayers, ending with the Sanctus.

One or more readings from the Bible. A Psalm or scriptural Song Sermon An authorized Affirmation of Faith, or Creed Prayers of Intercession