Sunday March 29th Service - Passion Sunday

Welcome to St. Catherine's

Today is Passion Sunday.

This Sunday we start on the path that leads us to Easter. From here, we walk with Jesus towards Jerusalem. Next week is Palm Sunday and then follow the events of Holy Week.

>>CLICK HERE TO GO TO TODAY'S SUNDAY CLUB ACTIVITY PAGE<<

We meet in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit

Amen

Song: Light of the world

Almighty God,

to whom all hearts are open,

all desires known,

and from whom no secrets are hidden:

cleanse the thoughts of our hearts

by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,

that we may perfectly love you,

and worthily magnify your holy name;

through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Let us admit to God the sin which always confronts us.

Lord God,

we have sinned against you;

we have done evil in your sight.

We are sorry and repent.

Have mercy on us according to your love.

Wash away our wrongdoing and cleanse us from our sin.

Renew a right spirit within us

and restore us to the joy of your salvation,

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord have mercy

Lord have mercy

Christ have mercy

Christ have mercy

Lord have mercy

Lord have mercy

Hear the forgiveness that God proclaims over us:

May the God of all healing and forgiveness

draw you to himself,

and cleanse you from all your sins

that you may behold the glory of his Son,

the Word made flesh,

Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

The Collect (our special prayer for today):

Gracious Father,

you gave up your Son

out of love for the world:

lead us to ponder the mysteries of his passion,

that we may know eternal peace

through the shedding of our Saviour’s blood,

Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Song: Only By Grace

Bible Reading: John 11:1-45

Sermon: A Declaration of Life

The Creed:

Let us affirm our faith in Jesus Christ,

the Son of God.

Though he was divine,

he did not cling to equality with God,

but made himself nothing.

Taking the form of a slave,

he was born in human likeness.

He humbled himself

and was obedient to death,

even the death of the cross.

Therefore God has raised him on high,

and given him the name above every name:

that at the name of Jesus

every knee should bow,

and every voice proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father. Amen.

Our Prayers:

Hallelujah! The sun has risen again and it is morning! And we have awoken into it, alive, breathing, thinking, knowing that your Son will rise again and we will be saved. What did we do to deserve this day? It is a gift from you. Glory and praise to you, our God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, for filling us with life to live another day, for it is you who made us and not us ourselves.

We resolve to spend this day in the presence of the Holy Spirit, filled with his joy and energy, that we might accomplish your will, my God, and do what we can to deserve the joys of the day, for we know our time here is short. Be with us, oh Holy Spirit, to fill us with the energy and positivity and comfort that only you can bring. In Christ’s name we pray that thy will be done.

Lord in your Mercy

Hear our prayer

.

Father, thank you for bringing us into your family. May we never disappoint you in the way we treat others. Teach us to show love, patience, and acceptance to all who come to us; let us show peace of soul and firm conviction that your will governs all. And we pray that others may see in us the qualities of character that can only be attributed to your presence in our lives.

Make our lives a window for your light to shine through and a mirror to reflect your love to all we meet. To you be the glory and the honour, forever and ever, through Jesus my Lord.

Lord in your Mercy

Hear our prayer

Compassionate Lord, we pray for those who have been devastated by recent natural disasters and especially those who are affected by the corona virus. We remember those who have lost their lives so suddenly. We hold in our hearts the families forever changed by grief and loss. Bring them consolation and comfort. Surround them with our prayer for strength. Bless those who have survived and heal their memories of trauma and devastation. May they have the courage to face the long road of rebuilding ahead.

We ask your blessing also on all those who have lost their homes, their livelihoods, their security and their hope. Bless the work of relief agencies and those proving emergency assistance. May their work be guided by the grace and strength that comes from You alone.

Help us to respond with generosity in prayer, in assistance, in aid to the best of our abilities. Keep our hearts focused on the needs of those affected, even after the crisis is over. We ask this in Jesus' name.

Lord in your Mercy

Hear our prayer

Father, We come to pray for those who are caring for the sick. It takes a kind and selfless heart to care for those who are sick, and so Father we pray for them. We pray that You would be their source of rest, their source of replenishment when weary, and their source of hope in such overwhelming times. Lord we know that whosoever pours out shall be given back in proportion, so we pray blessings upon these caregivers. We also pray for their health that they may not fall ill. Father protect them with a hedge of protection against the germs of coronavirus and help those who are giving to be protected as they nurse others back to health. Bless them, oh Lord.

Lord in your Mercy

Hear our prayer

Finally we bring before you those who have died, we thank you Father for their lives. Comfort family and friends who mourn their loss.

Merciful Father accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen

Our Communion

Song: O Praise the name of the Lord our God

The Blessing:

May the peace of God,

which passes all understanding,

keep our hearts and minds

in the knowledge and love of God

and the blessing of God Almighty,

Father Son and Holy Spirit,

be among us and remain with us always.

Amen.

And our final song is to help us remember the key verse from today’s reading. Everyone on their feet, please.

Song: I am the Resurrection

>>CLICK HERE TO GO TO TODAY'S SUNDAY CLUB ACTIVITY PAGE<<

Sunday March 29th - Sunday Club - The Raising of Lazarus

RESOURCES

You will need

• one 'parcel' with nothing inside it for the 'PASS THE PARCEL' game. Normally, to make the 'parcel' a prize is wrapped in several layers or wrapping paper or fabric. Each layer wrapped as if you were wrapping a gift. If possible, use a different fabric or paper for each layer so you can see the different layers when each one is unwrapped. This time, do not put a prize inside and use only a few layers, perhaps 2 - 3.

• a Gingerbread person or some form of biscuit, a bit of icing and, if possible, “red shoe laces” to wrap round

• a happy and a sad face to hold up. You can print and cutout the faces below or draw your own

• A small box with a lid

• A piece of paper with Jesus written on it

• Paper and pens

SUNDAY CLUB ACTIVITIES

The Raising of Lazarus

Game…

We are going to play a game… PASS THE PARCEL...

'PASS THE PARCEL' is a British party game. During the game, music is played as

the parcel is passed around. Whoever is holding the parcel when the music

stops removes one layer of wrapping. The music is then restarted and the

game continues until every layer is removed.

The stopping and starting of the music is done by an adult who is not

taking part in the game.

Before the game, ask the question, do you feel happy or sad? (Have the children hold up the happy or sad face to answer).

Play 'PASS THE PARCEL'

Choose your own music and pass the parcel around 2 to 3 times

until all layers have been removed.

After the game, ask the question, how do you feel now? Happy or sad?

I would feel that too!

In our story today people are feeling happy and sad.

Watch this video clip - The Raising of Lazarus

Ask the following questions. Hold up the happy and sad faces to answer.

1. Jesus was great friends with Mary, Martha and Lazarus. Do you feel happy or sad?

2. One day Lazarus fell ill. Do you feel happy or sad?

3. Mary and Martha sent a message to Jesus to tell him to come. They thought Jesus could help their brother. Do you feel happy or sad?

4. Jesus did not come straight away, he waited days. Do you feel happy or sad?

5. When Jesus arrived, Martha told Jesus his friend Lazarus had died. Do you feel happy or sad?

6. Jesus went to the tomb and called Lazarus. Lazarus came back from the dead and was completely healed. Do you feel happy or sad?

In the box

Reflect that Jesus is with us in prayer

You will need the small box with a lid, a piece of paper with the

word ‘Jesus’ written on it placed upside-down in

the box, paper and pens.

Remind the children that Mary and Martha felt let down because Jesus had not been able to help them as he was not beside them when Lazarus was ill. Sometimes it feels that Jesus is not around to help us. But Jesus promised he would always be with us when we pray.

Invite the children to think of people or places where they would like Jesus to be present in some way.

Write down the names or situations on pieces of paper, then place them in the box and put on the lid.

Invite the children to join in a brief time of silence. Then open the box, take out all the pieces of paper and turn them over so that the word ‘Jesus’ is visible.

Say: Help us to know that Jesus is with us and in all the situations where people need him. Amen.

Fun Stuff

You will need the gingerbread person, the icing if there is not a

face on it and the red shoe laces.

1. Take the gingerbread person

2. Put a face on it

3. Wrap up the gingerbread person completely in the red shoe laces (just like Lazarus).

Our sending prayer...

Father God, show us how to heal the world you made. Son of God, teach us to walk with those who suffer.

Holy Spirit, fill our mouths with the right words.

Father, Son and Holy Spirit, help us to show your love to all people. Amen.

And finally a song…

With actions……

Eat your gingerbread person.

Friday 27th March - Daniel in the Lion's Den

Welcome to GLU

Last week we looked at the first part of Daniel’s story and this week we are going to look at probably the most famous story about Daniel

Daniel in the Lion’s Den

I wonder if you have ever found yourself in a difficult situation- one that you wished you weren’t in- one to be rescued from.

Daniel was popular with king Darius but not with all the king’s men.

This is his story…

Can you fill this in- you can just say the answers…

So the other servants of the king wanted to get rid of Daniel- they certainly explored all the options as this next video shows…

Time for a song… are you ready to join in?

The one important thing Daniel hung onto was his faith in God. Even when all about him seemed doom and gloom. Sometimes life is really hard and we think we are not going to get through something. That is where the world finds itself at the moment. That is where we find ourselves at the moment…

People are frightened, people are worried about getting ill.

The hospitals are doing all they can to nurse sick people, but they are very very busy.

We can help them by doing what?

(Please discuss this together in your families)

We can also pray to God which we will do right now.

Prayers

We are going to use the handwashing routine to pray- so that when you do this you can pray for others at the same time. Just to remind you…

Palms prayer

Lord Jesus, please protect and keep safe all who we hold dear to us. Please keep safe those we hold in the palm of our hands and in our hearts too.

Fingers prayer

Loving Lord please protect all those individuals who are working hard to keep us safe. Be with the nurses and doctors as they try to heal and look after other people. Keep them safe always.

Finger tips

Lord as our nails protect the ends of our fingers, please protect all who are vulnerable at this time. We pray especially for all who have been isolated due to their age or their health condition. Help us to realise we are all connected together as one great world-wide community.

Thumbs

Lord as we wash our thumbs- turning our other hand around and around, we pray for all who are keeping this country turning. For all key workers- shop staff, chemists, delivery drivers, transport drivers and essential care workers. Be with them in their daily work- keep them safe.

Rinsing

Lord as we rinse our hands to make them clean once more, help us to remember that through your sacrifice on the cross, you have made us clean again from our sins. Help us always to listen to your voice telling us the right way.

And the people said…

Amen.

The only one who could rescue Daniel from being eaten by lions was God himself. He is our “go to” rescuer from all that troubles us.

Our final song…up on your feet and join in with “Rescuer”.