BOOKING ESSENTIAL FOR LIVE WORSHIP
For Rufford call Roy on (01704)821464 and for Tarleton call Neil on (01772)816390
Churches open for private prayer
Monday – Tarleton, 10am-3pm
Tuesday – Rufford, 10am-3pm
Wednesday – Tarleton, 10.30am-3pm
Thursday – Rufford, 10am-5pm
Tarleton 7am-10pm
Saturday: Rufford, 10am-3pm
Sunday 2nd May – 5th Sunday of Easter
8am Eucharist – Holy Trinity, Tarleton
10.30am Eucharist – St Mary the Virgin, Rufford
The Collect
Almighty God, who through your only-begotten Son Jesus Christ have overcome death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life: grant that, as by your grace going before us you put into our minds good desires, so by your continual help we may bring them to good effect;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
First Reading – Acts 8.26-end
8 26 An angel of the Lord said to Philip, ‘Get up and go towards the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ (This is a wilderness road.) 27 So he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship 28 and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah.
29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go over to this chariot and join it.’ 30 So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ 31 He replied, ‘How can I, unless someone guides me?’ And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him.
32 Now the passage of the scripture that he was reading was this: ‘Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and like a lamb silent before its shearer, so he does not open his mouth. 33 In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.’
34 The eunuch asked Philip, ‘About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?’ 35 Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus. 36 As they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, ‘Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?’ 38 He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. 40 But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he was passing through the region, he proclaimed the good news to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.
From Psalm 21
Refrain: You are my praise, O Lord, in the great assembly.
My vows I will pay before those who fear him. The poor shall eat and have their fill. They shall praise the Lord, those who seek him. May their hearts live for ever and ever! Refrain. All the earth shall remember and return to the Lord, all families of the nations worship before him. They shall worship him, all the mighty of the earth; before shall bow all who go down to the dust. Refrain. And my soul shall live for him, my children serve him. They shall tell of the Lord to generations yet to come, declare his faithfulness to peoples yet unborn: ‘These things the Lord had done‘. Refrain.
New Testament – 1 John 4.7-end
Gospel – John 15.1-8
15 1 Jesus said to his disciples: ‘I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine-grower. 2 He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. 3 You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. 6 Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.
🙏🏼 We pray for all leading and enabling worship today, especially Fr Mark and our wardens.
🙏🏼 We pray for all in the Indian sub-continent, living through increased Covid infection.
🙏🏼 For those preparing to be confirmed on May 7th – Marie, Harry, Neve, Leah, Amy, Isabella, James, Emily & Shaunah
For the sick and those in need – Zena Ashcroft, Margaret Baxter, Colin Brown, Bill Duggan, Wayne Jackett, Jimmy Johnstone, Paddy MacDonagh, Lillian Magrath, Ruth Middlesborough, Roland Orr, Donald Sephton, Mary Sephton, Amanda Soady & Mark Kinsley.
Year’s mind – Barbara C. Bell, June Marion Dangerfield, Dorothy Halsall, Annie Marsden, Reg Soady, Edna Tongue & Charles Yates. May they Rest in Peace and Rise in Glory.
🙏🏼 In our cycle of prayer we pray for those living in Haig Avenue and Hazel Grove.
Monday 3rd May
Today’s readings – Acts 14.5-18, Psalm 118.1-3,14-15 & John 14.21-26
🙏🏼 We pray for those standing for elections locally.
Tuesday 4th May – English Saints and Martyrs of the Reformation Era
Today’s readings – Acts 14.19-end, Ps. 145.10-end & John 14.27-end.
🙏🏼 We give thanks for those who lived up to their beliefs even unto death.
Wednesday 5th May
10am Eucharist – Holy Trinity, Tarleton
Today’s readings – Acts 15.1-6, Ps. 122.1-5 & John 15.1-8
🙏🏼 We pray for our wardens and PCC members.
Thursday 6th May
7.00pm Eucharist – St Mary the Virgin, Rufford
Today’s readings – Acts 15.7-21, Ps. 96.1-3, 7-10 & John 15.9-17.
🙏🏼 We pray for all casting votes today; that they may vote for candidates offering help for the whole community.
Friday 7th May
7pm Joint Confirmation with Bishop Philip – candidates and families only in Church (virtual on our Facebook page).
Today’s readings – Acts 15.22-31, Ps. 57.8-end & John 15.12-17
🙏🏼 We pray for those being confirmed today.
Saturday 8th May – Julian of Norwich, Spiritual Writer, c1417
Today’s readings – Acts 16.1-10, Ps. 100 & John 15.18-20
🙏🏼 We give thanks for the example of Dame Julian, giving us encouragement that ‘all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well’.
Sunday 9th May – 6th Sunday of Easter
8am Eucharist – St Mary the Virgin, Rufford
10.30am Eucharist – Holy Trinity, Tarleton (also virtual on our Facebook page.)
Today’s readings – Acts 10.44-end, Psalm 98, 1 John 5.1-6 & John 15.9-17
🙏🏼 We give thanks for the Easter message as we move towards Ascension.
🙏🏼 In our cycle of prayer we pray for those living in Heritage Way.
