Collect, Readings and Prayers for the Sixth Sunday of Easter.

Collect

God our redeemer,

you have delivered us from the power of darkness

and brought us into the kingdom of your Son:

grant, that as by his death he has recalled us to life,

so by his continual presence in us he may raise us

to eternal joy;

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.

Readings

Genesis 8:20-9:17

God’s Promise to Noah

²⁰ Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt-offerings on the altar. ²¹ And when the Lord smelt the pleasing odour, the Lord said in his heart, ‘I will never again curse the ground because of humankind, for the inclination of the human heart is evil from youth; nor will I ever again destroy every living creature as I have done.

²² As long as the earth endures,
    seedtime and harvest, cold and heat,
summer and winter, day and night,
    shall not cease.’

The Covenant with Noah

9 God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. ² The fear and dread of you shall rest on every animal of the earth, and on every bird of the air, on everything that creeps on the ground, and on all the fish of the sea; into your hand they are delivered. ³ Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you; and just as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. ⁴ Only, you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. ⁵ For your own lifeblood I will surely require a reckoning: from every animal I will require it and from human beings, each one for the blood of another, I will require a reckoning for human life.

⁶ Whoever sheds the blood of a human,
    by a human shall that person’s blood be shed;
for in his own image
    God made humankind.

⁷ And you, be fruitful and multiply, abound on the earth and multiply in it.’

⁸ Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, ⁹ ‘As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you, ¹⁰ and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the domestic animals, and every animal of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark. ¹¹ I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.’ ¹² God said, ‘This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: ¹³ I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. ¹⁴ When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, ¹⁵ I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. ¹⁶ When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.’ ¹⁷ God said to Noah, ‘This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.’

Acts 17:22-31

²² Then Paul stood in front of the Areopagus and said, ‘Athenians, I see how extremely religious you are in every way. ²³ For as I went through the city and looked carefully at the objects of your worship, I found among them an altar with the inscription, “To an unknown god.” What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. ²⁴ The God who made the world and everything in it, he who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by human hands, ²⁵ nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mortals life and breath and all things. ²⁶ From one ancestor he made all nations to inhabit the whole earth, and he allotted the times of their existence and the boundaries of the places where they would live, ²⁷ so that they would search for God  and perhaps grope for him and find him—though indeed he is not far from each one of us. ²⁸ For “In him we live and move and have our being”; as even some of your own poets have said,

“For we too are his offspring.”

²⁹ Since we are God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the deity is like gold, or silver, or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of mortals. ³⁰ While God has overlooked the times of human ignorance, now he commands all people everywhere to repent, ³¹ because he has fixed a day on which he will have the world judged in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.’

1 Peter 3:13-22

¹³ Now who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good? ¹⁴ But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated, ¹⁵ but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defence to anyone who demands from you an account of the hope that is in you; ¹⁶ yet do it with gentleness and reverence. Keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame. ¹⁷ For it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be God’s will, than to suffer for doing evil. ¹⁸ For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, ¹⁹ in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, ²⁰ who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight people, were saved through water. ²¹ And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you—not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for^[ a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, ²² who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him.

John 14:15-21

The Promise of the Holy Spirit

¹⁵ ‘If you love me, you will keep my commandments. ¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you for ever. ¹⁷ This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.

¹⁸ ‘I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. ¹⁹ In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. ²⁰ On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. ²¹ They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.’

Prayers

Centre us now, O God,

on your presence

as we lift up to you our hearts desires,

our soul’s deep needs,

our hungers, fears and failures.

• Lord Jesus we praise you that you promise to be with us to comfort us and to strengthen us in your service. Now we pray that your Holy Spirit would so direct and govern our lives that we might at all times show forth our love for you in acts of obedience and faithfulness. Give us insight to discern your will for us, to give up what harms us, and to seek the perfection we are promised in Jesus Christ our Lord. May the boldness of your Spirit transform us, may the gentleness of your Spirit lead us, and may the gifts of your Holy Spirit equip us to serve and worship you, now and always. Amen

• Lord as we pray for an end to conflict, strengthen those working for peace and justice across the world. We pray especially for peace in the war with Iran and the surrounding area. May all people in the region be protected, safe from harm. We pray that the proposed negotiations for peace may go forward and be successful so that the crisis may end. God, may the injured and distressed know your healing presence. May the powerful and the decision-makers follow the paths of justice, mercy and peace. We pray for recognition of the dignity and value of every life. May the clamour of violence cease, replaced by the beating of swords into ploughshares.

      God, in your name, Amen

-----------------------------------------------

PRAYERS FOR CHRISTIAN AID WEEK

• We give thanks for the vital work of Christian Aid and for all those who pour themselves out for the cause of justice.  Lord, hear us as we pray for those with power: for governments, leaders, lawmakers, and those who speak with loud voices on the public stage. May those who have power and influence love mercy, act justly and walk humbly. We pray for governments to take action to end economic inequality. We pray especially for countries like Kenya, who are carrying an unjust debt burden. Instil in us the prophetic voice that speaks truth to power. Lord, you are faithful and just. In your mercy, hear our prayer. Amen

Specific prayers for Kenya requested by Christian Aid.

• We pray for our global neighbours in Kenya and especially for the residents of the sprawling urban settlement of Dagoretti in Nairobi. We hold before you all people forced to live in inadequate housing, without reliable access to running water, sanitation or electricity. We pray for those who live with uncertainty and the threat of hunger each day. Help us to hear clearly the voices of our neighbours when they share their experiences. Inspire us to action, as we respond to your command to love one another. Lord, you are faithful and just. In your mercy, hear our prayer. Amen

• Lord, hear us as we pray with thanksgiving for changemakers. We are thankful for bold and courageous urban farmers, such as Fridah Moraa and Belinda Kasudi, urban farmers living in Dagoretti, who show us what is possible. We pray for Beacon of Hope, Christian Aid’s partner in Nairobi. We ask that you sustain and guide urban farmers as they grow food, protect their children from hunger, and nurture hope. We thank you for all who are giving, acting and praying this Christian Aid Week. May we see your image in these acts of generosity and love, and may we find new ways to live out our faith through service to others. Lord, you are faithful and just. In your mercy, hear our prayer. Amen

---------------------------------------------------------

• We pray for those around us who need your care,

and ask that you would make of us your instruments

of healing, peace and redemption.

We pray especially for those we name before you this day, comfort them and surround them with your healing presence. Amen

• Lord Jesus, we listen to your words today which call for us to live in a radically different way. Help us to be conscious of our thoughts and feelings in our hearts and minds and how they can become hurtful words and wrongful deeds. By your Holy Spirit cleanse the thoughts of our hearts and lead us into right thinking and loving actions. Amen

• We pray that the way in which we live would reflect our Christian calling as we relate to our family and friends, in the way we spend our money and in all of the different parts of our lives. May our fellowship with one another be occasions in which we are encouraged and equipped to make a difference in our world. Give us courage to be bold in our witness to the Good News of the Gospel. As you have welcomed us, may we seek out others that more may be blessed with the knowledge of your unfailing love. Amen

------------------------------

PRAYERS on the Ascension of our Lord, celebrated on 14^th May.

• Lord of life,  
  We do not know the face of the future, 
  any more than your disciples did.  
  Like them, we have many questions: 
  how to live  
  how to bear witness.  
  Like them, we thirst for the spring waters of the Spirit  
  to inspire us in our living  
  to give us a heart language in our testimony. 

You have been raised in glory 
that we might rise with dignity  
You live in power that we might live in peace  
You are present everywhere 
that we might be fully present in our own lives  
This we believe  
This we step out on. Amen  

• Lord, be the Ascended One in our society.  So often it feels as if our culture is tired, adrift in its own relativism, not knowing what to value and what to live by.  We pray for those who influence the health of our society – the government and Parliament, journalists and broadcasters, writers and film-makers, local councils and voluntary organisations and in particular those recently elected to local councils and the Welsh and Scottish Parliaments and the elected mayors. We pray for them all and ask you to give them courage to stand for something, lest they fall for anything, and may that “something” be good, just and true, in terms of your kingdom. Amen

---------------------------------------------------

• Receive these prayers, O God,
  and transform us through them,
  that we may have eyes to see and hearts to understand
  not only what you do on our behalf,
  but what you call us to do
  so that your realm will come to fruition in glory. Amen.