On Sunday, 5th July at 4pm (GMT+1) we will gather on Facebook Live (or on YouTube) with interactive discussions afterwards in Zoom. You can follow along with the running order below and find any links that you need.
We have an online worship gathering every Sunday at 4pm and we are also meeting for a weekly online prayer gathering Wednesdays at 7:30 via Zoom. If you would like to ALSO connect with one of our mid-week Zoom Community Groups email newchurchbirmingham@gmail.com.
When we gather in person we always have cake and a creative/ mindfulness area with activities. You’ll have to grab your own snack this time, but if you fancy doing some mindfulness colouring as you watch/ listen/ engage with our worship gathering, you can download and print this. Here’s what else to expect:
Welcome (Danielle)
Song (IGB Band) Who You Say I Am
Prayer (David)
Loving, Creating, Giving, and Compassionate God,
You hear the cries of 147 million victimised by the cruel and brutal avalanche of poverty.
We confess that too often our prayers are but empty phrases, sounding brass, tinkling cymbals, vain repetitions, pious irrelevancies, and sanctimonious trivialities.
We cannot merely pray to you, O God, to end war;
For we know that You have made the world in a way that people must find their own path to peace within themselves and with their neighbours.
We cannot merely pray to You, O God, to end poverty;
For You have already given us the resources with which to feed the entire world, if we would only use them wisely.
We cannot merely pray to You, O God, to root out prejudice;
For You have already given us eyes with which to see the good in all people, if we would only use them rightly.
Give us the courage to continue to pray with our feet, shout with our votes, dance with our protest, speak with the tongues of resistance, preach with the rhetoric of redemption, sing with the urgency of now, and love in the language of our ancestors.Question for Sharing (Matt & Nathan):
What’s the longest journey you’ve ever been on? It can be a physical journey, an emotional or spiritual journey, or perhaps a car trip that just felt like it took forever.Song (Ellie & Ali) – Defender
Scripture Reading (Lin):
Then Jesus turned to his disciples and said,
“God blesses you who are poor,
for the Kingdom of God is yours.
God blesses you who are hungry now,
for you will be satisfied.
God blesses you who weep now,
for in due time you will laugh.
What blessings await you when people hate you and exclude you and mock you and curse you as evil because you follow the Son of Man. When that happens, be happy! Yes, leap for joy! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, their ancestors treated the ancient prophets that same way.
“What sorrow awaits you who are rich,
for you have your only happiness now.
What sorrow awaits you who are fat and prosperous now,
for a time of awful hunger awaits you.
What sorrow awaits you who laugh now,
for your laughing will turn to mourning and sorrow.
What sorrow awaits you who are praised by the crowds,
for their ancestors also praised false prophets.
“But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also. Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don’t try to get them back. Do to others as you would like them to do to you.
“If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them!
(Luke 6:20-32– part of Jesus’ ‘Sermon on the Plain’)Reflection– (Danielle) – Blessings, Woes & Understanding Context
Love Feast (Lizzie & Gordon)
Song (Ellie & Ali) – Build Your Kingdom Here
What’s Coming up (Danielle) *
Blessing: “May we live fully, love wastefully and have the courage to be all that God has created us to be.”
*If you are part of our community and would like to make a gift toward Inclusive Gathering Birmingham, you can do that here. Anything you give helps to support the costs of making church happen and allows us to be generous as a community. There’s no pressure to give!
After our Worship Gathering, at 5:15 we will move over to Zoom to chat about how we’re doing and discuss some of the themes from today. If you are in a regular Inclusive Gathering Community Group, please join your regular group. If you are not, please pop in to any of the groups below by clicking the link. If you enjoy the chat, you are very welcome to meet up with your group again, later in the week. If there isn’t a group near you, that’s okay – join whichever one. You can read more about Community Groups here:
Edgbaston Community Group (Pete & Eunice – also meets Mondays – FULL)
Coventry Community Group(Ali & Ellie – also meets Mondays)
Moseley Community Group(Danielle & Joel – also meets Tuesdays)
West Brum Community Group – (Adam & Rachel – also meets Thursdays)
(Our Summerfield/ Winson Green group meets on Tuesdays and our Worcester Community Group meets on monthly Saturdays – but neither gather on a Sunday evening. So if you are in one of those groups usually, join the West Brum group tonight.)
Here’s the questions the groups will be discussing this evening:
- Where have you seen glimpses of beauty this week?
- If you feel comfortable sharing, what have been the difficult moments this week?
- Was there anything that stood out to you from the reflections today? What challenged you? What encouraged you?
