This Sunday we held a prayer and worship service for both our 10am and 5.30pm congregations.

Tim created a beautiful service based around the ACTS rhythm of prayer and Darren led us through a time of Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication.

Below you’ll find both a video recording of our 10am service as well as an edited version of the service that you might like to use for your own personal time of prayer and worship.

While the service this week was something we did together as a community - you might also like to do it by yourself or in a small group.

Below is an edited version of this week's service, which has been adapted for personal use.

Personal Time of Prayer and Worship

As you begin this personal time of devotion, take a moment to invite God into this space. Quiet your heart and focus on being intentional in this time with Him.

Scripture Reflection: Drawing Near to God

Scripture tells us that when we seek God we will find him. When we draw near to God, God draws near to us.

• James 4:8: “Come near to God, and He will come near to you.”

• Jeremiah 29:13-14: “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord.

Reflect on these promises. God is not distant—He is waiting for you to seek Him with your whole heart.

Questions for Reflection:

• How are you feeling as you come into this time of devotion?

• What do you need to let go of in order to focus fully on God?

• What are you seeking from God today?

Take a moment to surrender any distractions or burdens to Him. Invite Him to meet you where you are.

Pray the Lord’s Prayer

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins

as we forgive those who sin against us.

Lead us not into temptation

but deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power,

and the glory are yours

now and forever.

Amen.

Adoration

Adoration is often defined as praising God for who God is.

In adoration, the Triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is the object of our worship and exaltation.

We humble ourselves and praise the nature of God, reminding ourselves that the

• Father is the most holy, almighty creator of the universe.

• Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

• The Holy Spirit is the life-giving counsellor and guiding advocate, our helper.

These are just words though.

Think of the relationships we have with those we adore.

How do we adore them?

We celebrate them, we make time for them, we put aside other things to give sacred space to those we love, to honour their presence and their value in our lives.

In a sense, this is what we do when we adore God. We express with our voices, our hearts, and our bodies – that God is the most important and exalted person in our lives.

And yet, God comes close to us. Despite our smallness in comparison to His immensity, even so, Jesus does not call us servants but ‘Friends’.

Take a moment in your own way to give thanks to God for the friendship you have with Jesus.

A Prayer of Adoration based on Psalms 71, 95, 108 and 115.

O Lord, my lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you,

I, whom you have redeemed.

My mouth will tell of your righteous acts all day long.

My heart is steadfast, O God;

I will sing and make music with all my soul

I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations;

I will sing of you among the people.

For great is your love, higher than the heavens;

Your faithfulness reaches to the skies

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens,

And let your glory be over all the earth

Not to us, O LORD,

But to your name be the glory,

Because of your love and faithfulness

For the Lord is the great God,

The great King above all gods.

In his hand are the depths of the earth,

And the mountain peaks belong to him.

The sea is his, for he made it,

And his hands formed the dry land.

Come, let us bow down in worship,

Let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker;

For he is our God

And we are the people of his pasture,

The flock under his care.

Amen.

Confession

Recognizing God's power, beauty, and holiness causes us to recognize how much we need healing and forgiveness.

On seeing a vision of God, the prophet Isaiah confessed he was a man of unclean lips. In response, God purified him with a hot coal.

After seeing Jesus's power, Peter told him to go away because he was a sinful man. Jesus invited Peter to be a disciple and later washed his feet.

When he encountered the risen Christ on the Damascus Road, Paul fell on his face like a dead man, and his life was completely transformed.

When we confess our sins, we take a moment to be honest before God about our lives, to acknowledge our weakness and our need of grace, and to ask for strength to overcome our temptations.

Take a few moments to quietly confess your heart to God.

Prayer of Confession

Father eternal, giver of light and grace,
We have sinned against you and against our neighbour,
In what we have thought,
In what we have said and done,
Through ignorance, through weakness,
Through our own deliberate fault.
We are sorry and repent of all our sins.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, who died for us,
Forgive us all that is past;
And lead us out from darkness to walk as children of light.
Amen.

1 John 1:8-9: “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

If anyone is in Christ they are a new creation, to old has gone and the new has come! Hallelujah!

Thanksgiving

Take a moment to thank God for His amazing grace.

Reflect on Psalm 100, which encourages us to enter God’s presence with joy and thanksgiving.

Psalm 100

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Supplication

In this quiet moment, present your needs to God. 

Reflect on the words from Philippians 4:6-7:

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!  The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition [or supplication], with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Whether you are praying for yourself or others, ask God for His peace and provision in your life and theirs.

Closing Prayer

Gracious God,
As we conclude this time of reflection and worship,
We thank You for Your presence with us.
May the peace we’ve found here stay in our hearts,
And the insights we’ve gained guide our paths.
Strengthen us to carry Your light into the world,
And grant us wisdom, courage, and faith as we go.
In Your holy name we pray,
Amen.