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PPS (Powerpoint slide) 1
Service outline, Theme: Choices
Call to Worship
Come, you are created in God’s image- you are welcome in this place.
Let us affirm the dignity of all people.
Let us reject all forms of discrimination and stigma.
Come, we are all God’s people, many and diverse.
We are called to live out a gospel of love.
Let us enter into this worship with open minds and hearts.
Let us be prepared and challenged and moved to action.
© Rosie Venner/ StopAIDScampaign
Welcome
PPS 2 Hymn 1 (see list of suggested hymns)
PPS 3-8
Prayer of resolution (inspired by Joshua 24:14-16, Luke 10:26-28 and Amos 5)
Leader:
All:
Leader:
All:
Leader:
All:
Choose today whom you will serve
We choose to serve the Lord
Choose today whom you will worship
We choose to worship the Lord
Choose today whose laws you will follow
We choose to obey the Lord
Leader:
Today we choose to serve you Lord – with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength.
We choose to follow your law – and worship you in the way we know you require.
We choose to love our neighbours – even as we love ourselves.
We choose to reject the empty religion you despise that prays with beautiful words but
continues to pursue self-promotion at the expense of the poor and the weak.
We choose to turn our backs on the gods of our land and our time – materialism and
self-sufficiency.
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God of the humble heart, the poor, and the broken – it is you, and our neighbours, we
choose to serve.
Leader:
All:
Leader:
All:
Choose today whom you will love
We choose to love the Lord, and the neighbours he has given us
Choose today who rules your decisions
We choose to have no god before you Lord – come and reign in our hearts, our minds,
and over our resources
Leader:
Choose today how you will live
All:
We choose to live generously – giving all we have to God and our neighbour – for the
sake of him who gave himself for us.
©www.thesanctuarycentre.org/whereworldandworshipmeet
Lord’s Prayer
Theme introduction
Welcome to this Commitment for Life service. As I imagine you have already realised we are going to be
thinking about choices. This morning before we came here we have already made many choices,
whether to get up or not, what to wear, what to eat, whether to come here at all. We will hear the
stories of those for whom poverty means no choice and how our support of Commitment for Life has
given hope.
PPS 9 Drama- Choices
PPS 10 Hymn 2 (see list of suggested hymns)
Family activity
Offertory
(if Commitment for Life envelopes are being returned please use the prayer below)
God of free choice
We ask you to bless these contributions to Commitment for Life that Christian Aid and the World
Development Movement make the right choices so that people across your world can have the
opportunity to make choices.
PPS 11 Reading: Matthew 25: 14-30
PPS 12 Partner country story- select the story from your partner country
Leader or reader: This story shows how the money you contribute to Commitment for Life has made a
real difference to the life of ........( insert name of the person in your story).
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PPS 13 Hymn 3 (see list of suggested hymns)
Talk- See sermon notes
Prayer of thanksgiving and commitment
Thank you Lord for the food I eat;
The clothes I wear;
The house I live in;
Everything I own;
And the choices I have.
Lord I commit to you the food I eat;
The clothes I wear;
The house I live in;
Everything I own;
And the choices I have.
Lord I surrender to you the food I eat;
The clothes I wear;
The house I live in;
Everything I own;
And the choices I have.
Lead me and guide me to use everything I own as you direct
So the hungry are fed;
The naked are clothed;
The homeless are sheltered;
And those with no choice are liberated to choose.
Amen.
©www.thesanctuarycentre.org/whereworldandworshipmeet
Prayer for wisdom in the midst of consumer choices
Holy Spirit, Counsellor and Friend,
Grant me the wisdom to choose as you would
At the supermarket, in the bank, in the travel agents,
On the high street and at my computer.
Holy Spirit, Counsellor and Friend,
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Grant me the wisdom to choose as you lead
Which supermarket, which bank, which investments,
Which, if any holiday, shop, or purchase I make.
Holy Spirit, Counsellor and Friend,
Grant me strength as I wrestle with competing priorities –
buying fairly priced products; spending less so I have more to give; reducing my impact on the
environment
And remind me that what you ask for is a simply a heart that chooses you.
Holy Spirit, Counsellor and Friend,
Fill me with your love as I seek to live for you my Lord
So in all I do, spend, save, give, keep and seek
I choose out of a heart that prefers my neighbour, and honours my Lord. Amen.
©www.thesanctuarycentre.org/whereworldandworshipmeet
PPS 14 Prayer for ourselves- Let us pray together
Help us to continue our support for Commitment for Life
As we seek to stand alongside those who need our commitment to long term development.
Give us a heart that is open
Ears that listen
And hands to pray for your kingdom coming on earth.
PPS 15 Hymn 4 (see list of suggested hymns)
Blessing
Justice-loving Lord, since Adam and Eve you gave us freewill to choose.
We ask for knowledge, to make the right choices in our consumer led society.
Choices,
that give a brighter secure future for all,
that give empowerment to producers,
that give choice to those who have no choice.
Now is a time of choice.
May we choose you, to follow your ways of compassion and justice.
Justice-loving Lord.
©Prayer Partners 2008
PPS 16 website address and contact emails
PPS 17 Black slide
© Service outline compiled by Commitment for Life 2011
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