Churches open for private prayer:
Monday 23rd – Holy Trinity Tarleton, 10am-2pm
Tuesday 24th – St. Mary’s Rufford, 12noon-2pm
Wednesday 25th – Holy Trinity Tarleton, 11am-2pm
Thursday 26th – St. Mary’s Rufford, 10am-2pm
Friday 27th – Holy Trinity Tarleton, 10am-2pm
Saturday 28th – St. Mary’s Rufford, 10am-2pm
The week in Bible reading and prayer:
Sunday 22nd November – CHRIST THE KING
Worship online – 10.30am on our Facebook page.
Today’s readings – Ezekiel 34. 11-16, Psalm 95.1-7, Ephesians 1.15-end & Matthew 25.31-end.
The Collect
Eternal Father, whose Son Jesus Christ ascended to the throne of heaven that he might rule over all things as Lord and King: keep the Church in the unity of the Spirit and in the bond of peace, and bring the whole created order to worship at his feet; who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Old Testament – Ezekiel 34.11-16, 20-24
34: 11 For thus says the Lord God: I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. 12 As shepherds seek out their flocks when they are among their scattered sheep, so I will seek out my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. 13 I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited parts of the land. 14 I will feed them with good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel shall be their pasture; there they shall lie down in good grazing land, and they shall feed on rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15 I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord God.
16 I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with justice. 20 Therefore, thus says the Lord God to them: I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. 21 Because you pushed with flank and shoulder, and butted at all the weak animals with your horns until you scattered them far and wide, 22 I will save my flock, and they shall no longer be ravaged; and I will judge between sheep and sheep.
23 I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. 24 And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them; I, the Lord, have spoken.
Psalm 95.1-7
Refrain: We are his people and the sheep of his pasture
Gospel – Matthew 25.31-46
25: 31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33 and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. 34 Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ 40 And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ 41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
A prayer for Psalm 95: Accept our praise and thanksgiving, O God, creator and redeemer of all, and inspire us to open our hearts to receive the blessing of your love, that we may worship you through our words, our actions, and our attitudes, and that in the fullness of time we may know the joy of your peace.
Prayer intentions
🙏🏼 We pray for all who live in fear of death, or who are gripped by anxiety or despair.
🙏🏼 In our cycle of prayer, we Pray for those living in The Mews and The Spinney.
🙏🏼 For the sick and those in need: Zena Ashcroft, Margaret Baxter,
Margaret Bolton, Colin Brown, Jack Dalton, Bill Duggan, Jimmy Johnstone, Paddy MacDonagh, Tony Morgan, Ruth Middlesborough & Donald Sephton.
🙏🏼 For the recently departed: Ian MacLeod & Alan Sidney Smith.
Year’s mind: Robert Bromilow, Dennis Fairbrother, Gladys Jarvis, Mary Frances Jackson, Henry Taylor Johnson, Frederick Merrills, Albert Powell, John H Riley, Lois Southworth, Matthew Sutton & Ernest Richard Williams.
May they Rest in Peace and Rise is Glory.
Monday 23rd November – Clement, Bishop, Martyr, c100
Open Church – Holy Trinity Tarleton, 10am-2pm.
Today’s readings – Revelation 14.1-5, Ps.24.1-6 & Luke 21.1-4.
🙏🏼 We pray for prisoners and all working in prisons & the justice system; especially for chaplains.
Tuesday 24th November
Open Church – St. Mary’s Rufford, 12noon-2pm
Today’s readings – Revelation 14.14-19, Ps. 96 & Luke 21.5-11.
🙏🏼We pray for all schools across the diocese.
Wednesday 25th November – Catherine, Martyr, 4th Century & Isaac Watts, Hymn Writer, 1748.
Open Church – Holy Trinity Tarleton 11am – 2pm.
Today’s readings – Revelation 15.1-4, Ps. 98 & Luke 21.12-19.
🙏🏼 We give thanks for our cathedral church and all who work there, and for all involved in church music.
Thursday 26th November
Open Church – St. Mary’s Rufford – 10am – 2pm.
Today’s readings – Revelation 18.1-2,21-23, 19.1-3,9, Ps.100 & Luke 21.20-28.
🙏🏼 We give thanks for the ways we can come together virtually.
Friday 27th November
Open Church – Holy Trinity Tarleton, 10am-2pm.
Today’s readings – Revelation 20.1-4,11-21.2, Ps. 84.1-6 & Luke 21.29-33.
🙏🏼 We pray for all parish clergy and office holders.
Saturday 28th November
Today’s readings – Revelation 22.1-7, Ps. 95.179 & Luke 21.34-36.
🙏🏼 We pray for northern England, especially the communities that feel marginalised, over-looked, or ignored.
Next Sunday 29th November – ADVENT SUNDAY.
Worship online 10.30am
Today’s readings – Isaiah 64.1-96, Psalm 80.1-8, 1 Corinthians 1.3-9 & Mark 13.24-end.
🙏🏼 We pray that in this holy season we may welcome into our hearts afresh the Christ who came as a child in Bethlehem and who will come again in glory.
