Trinity 2 Morning Worship at St Laurence

Preparation

The night has passed, and the day lies open before us; let us pray with one heart and mind.

Grace mercy and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you

All: And also with you.

This is the day that the Lord has made.

All: Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

We have come together in the name of Christ to offer our praise and thanksgiving to hear and receive God’s holy word, to pray for the needs of the world, and to seek the forgiveness of our sins, that by the power of the Holy Spirit, we may give ourselves to the service of God.

All: We say Sorry

Jesus says, ‘Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is close at hand.’

So let us turn away from our sins and turn to Christ, confessing our sins in penitence and faith.

All: 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 to us the joy of your salvation;

Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

May the Father of all mercies cleanse us from our sins, and restore us in His image to the praise and glory of His name through Jesus Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

Blessed is the Lord,

All: For He has heard the voice of our prayer;

Therefore shall our hearts dance for joy

All: And in our song will we praise our God.

Blessed are you, Lord our God, creator and redeemer of all;

to you be glory and praise for ever.

From the waters of chaos you drew forth the world, and in your great love fashioned us in your image. Now, through the deep waters of death, you have brought your people to new birth by raising your Son to life in triumph.

May Christ your light ever dawn in our hearts as we offer you our sacrifice of thanks and praise.

Blessed be God, Father Son and Holy Spirit.

All: Blessed be God for ever.

Hymn – Jesus is King and I Will Extol Him

Collect for the Second Sunday of Trinity

Lord, you have taught us

that all our doings without love are nothing worth:

send your Holy Spirit

and pour into our hearts that most excellent gift of love,

the true bond of peace and of all virtues,

without which whoever lives is counted dead before you.

Grant this for your only Son Jesus Christ’s sake,

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

All: Amen

Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead.

All: And Christ shall give you light.

You have died and your life is hid with Christ in God.

All: Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead.

Set your minds on things that are above,

not on things that are on the earth.

All: And Christ shall give you light.

When Christ our life appears

you will appear with him in glory.

All: Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light.

Hymn We have a gospel to proclaim

Our First Reading is taken from Romans Chap: 5

1 Now that we have been put right with God through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 He has brought us by faith into this experience of God’s grace, in which we now live. And so we boast of the hope we have of sharing God’s glory!

3 We also boast of our troubles, because we know that trouble produces endurance,

4 endurance brings God’s approval, and his approval creates hope.

5 This hope does not disappoint us, for God has poured out his love into our hearts by means of the Holy Spirit, who is God’s gift to us.

6 For when we were still helpless, Christ died for the wicked at the time that God chose.

7 It is a difficult thing for someone to die for a righteous person. It may even be that someone might dare to die for a good person.

8 But God has shown us how much he loves us – it was while we were still sinners that Christ died for us!

This is the Word of the Lord

All: Thanks be to God

Benedicitus

Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel,

All: who has come to his people and set them free.

He has raised up for us a mighty Saviour,

All: born of the house of his servant David.

Through his holy prophets God promised of old

All: to save us from our enemies, from the hands of all that hate us,

To show mercy to our ancestors,

All: and to remember his holy covenant.

This was the oath God swore to our father Abraham:

All: to set us free from the hands of our enemies,

Free to worship him without fear,

All: holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life.

And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High,

All: for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,

To give his people knowledge of salvation

All: by the forgiveness of all their sins.

In the tender compassion of our God

All: the dawn from on high shall break upon us,

To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,

All: and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

All: Glory to the Father and to the Son

and to the Holy Spirit;

as it was in the beginning is now

and shall be for ever.

Amen.

Hear the Gospel our Lord Jesus Christ According to Matthew Chap:9 and 10

35 Jesus went around visiting all the towns and villages. He taught in the synagogues, preached the Good News about the Kingdom, and healed people with every kind of disease and sickness.

36 As he saw the crowds, his heart was filled with pity for them, because they were worried and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

37 So he said to his disciples, “The harvest is large, but there are few workers to gather it in.

38 Pray to the owner of the harvest that he will send out workers to gather in his harvest.”

Chap 10

1 Jesus called his twelve disciples together and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and every sickness.

2 These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James and his brother John, the sons of Zebedee;

3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew, the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;

4 Simon the Patriot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus.

5 These twelve men were sent out by Jesus with the following instructions: “Do not go to any Gentile territory or any Samaritan towns.

6 Instead, you are to go to the lost sheep of the people of Israel.

7 Go and preach, “The Kingdom of heaven is near!’

8 Heal the sick, bring the dead back to life, heal those who suffer from dreaded skin diseases, and drive out demons. You have received without paying, so give without being paid.

This is the word of Christ

All: Thank be to God

Sermon –

Romans 5: 1-8

Have you ever read through the whole of Paul’s letter to the Romans?

It can be hard work. It is the Bible’s book of theology, where Paul goes to great lengths to explain what Jesus did, and what it means for us, both then and today.

And there are few passages that hold more healing than this one, both in the letter, and in the Bible as a whole. He writes:

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ…”

Repeat.

That one line carries a great miracle: We have peace with God. Not because we’ve earned it. Not because we’ve cleaned up our act. But because Jesus made peace with His own body and blood.

We live in a world where peace feels scarce. Between nations. Between neighbours. Even inside our own minds. But this passage says that, in Christ, we already have peace with God. That peace is not a feeling—it’s a fact. It’s a foundation we can stand on, no matter what is happening in the world.

Then Paul goes further, and says:

“We rejoice in our sufferings, because suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope.”

That’s not the false hope of toxic positivity. It’s not denial. It’s a deep-rooted promise: God wastes nothing. Even suffering becomes sacred soil in which hope grows.

And the anchor of all of it? Paul tells us:

“God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.”

And:

“While we were still weak…”

“While we were still sinners…”

Christ died for us.

Not when we were strong.

Not when we got it together.

But in our mess, in our lostness, in our failure—that’s where God’s love found us.

This isn’t a transactional God. This is a pursuing God. A rescuing God.

A God who doesn’t wait for perfection, but moves first in mercy.

Stand in peace.

Let us take a few moments in silence today and simply breathe in this truth: “I have peace with God.” Let that become the ground you walk on today.

Let suffering speak—not silence you.

If you’re walking through hardship, don’t rush past it. Ask: What might God be growing in me through this? Look for the quiet roots of endurance and hope.

Reject shame, receive grace.

If guilt is whispering bad ideas to you today, answer it with Romans 5:8: “While I was still a sinner, Christ died for me.” Grace always moves first.

Pour out love to others

God has poured His love into your heart. Can we pout out God’s love to others? Who needs to feel that love through you today? A simple call, kind word, or act of mercy can be the gospel in action.

Prayer:

Jesus,

You didn’t wait for us to come to You.

You came for us.

You saw us in weakness, in sin, in silence—and still, You died for us.

That kind of love changes everything.

Thank You that we have peace with God—not because we’re worthy, but because You are faithful.

Thank You that suffering isn’t wasted. That hope is not wishful thinking, but a deep-rooted promise from you.

Pour Your love into our hearts again today—fresh and full.

Let it overflow into every conversation, every choice, every place we walk.

Make us a vessel of peace. A carrier of hope. A reflection of grace.

Even when the world is at war,

Even when we’re tired or unsure—

Let us live like someone deeply loved, fully known, and eternally held.

Amen.

Exercise:

Let us take a few moments in silence today and simply breathe in this truth: “I have peace with God.” Let that become the ground you walk on today.

Today, we walk in peace.

We rest in grace.

And we rise with hope—because love met us when we were at our worst.

And it still carries us now.

Amen

Time of Silence ….

We Say Together:

The Creed.

I believe in God, the Father almighty,

creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

born of the Virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died, and was buried;

he descended to the dead.

On the third day he rose again;

he ascended into heaven,

he is seated at the right hand of the Father,

and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic Church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting.

All: Amen.

Prayers and Intercessions

Prayers for King Charles

Through this tritium of prayer we ask God’s continuing blessing on our new King Charles

Prayer

O God, to whom every human power is subject,
grant to your servant our sovereign Charles
success in the exercise of his high office,
so that, always revering you and striving to please you,
he may constantly secure and preserve
for the people entrusted to his care
the freedom that comes from civil peace.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.
All: Amen

Prayer for the Royal

Almighty God, the fountain of all goodness,

we humbly beseech thee to bless

Queen Camilla, William Prince of Wales, the Princess of Wales, and all the

Royal Family:

Endue them with thy Holy Spirit; enrich them with thy heavenly

grace; prosper them with all happiness;

and bring them to thine everlasting

kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

We pray for God to fill us with his Spirit.

Generous God,

we thank you for the power of your Holy Spirit.

We ask that we may be strengthened to serve you better.

Lord, come to bless us