Pray with us on Ascension Day: “Thy Kingdom Come” (listen to our podcast)

21st May 2020

Today is Ascension Day so our prayer today focuses on this great festival of the church, please follow the words below and join in with those in bold:

God has gone up with a shout.

the Lord with the sound of a trumpet. Psalm 47:5

In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit

Amen.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, for forty days we have been

celebrating with joyful hearts the resurrection of our Lord Jesus

Christ, his bursting from the tomb and his defeat of the power of

sin and death. He appeared to his disciples many times and told

them about the kingdom of God.

Today we recall how he left this earth and returned to his Father,

ascending into heaven to take his throne over all dominions and

powers. Trusting in his reign over all creation, and submitting to his

kingly yet loving rule, let us hear the story of his parting.

Collect for Thy Kingdom Come

Almighty God,

your ascended Son has sent us into the world

to preach the good news of your kingdom:

inspire us with your Spirit

and fill our hearts with the fire of your love,

that all who hear your Word

may be drawn to you,

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Ascension Reading

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles 1.1-11

“In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do

and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving

instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. After

his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing

proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days

and spoke about the kingdom of God.While staying with them, he ordered

them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the

Father. ‘This’, he said, ‘is what you have heard from me; for John baptized

with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days

from now. ’So when they had come together, they asked him, ‘Lord, is this

the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel? ’He replied, ‘It is not

for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own

authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon

you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria,

and to the ends of the earth. ’When he had said this, as they were

watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. While

he was going and they were gazing up towards heaven, suddenly two men

in white robes stood by them. They said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you

stand looking up towards heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from

you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into

heaven.“ ’

Alleluia. Christ is risen.

He is risen indeed. Alleluia.

Canticle from Revelation

All nations shall come and worship You, O Christ,

and share in the feast of Your kingdom.

1 Great and wonderful are Your deeds,

Lord God the Almighty.

2 Just and true are Your ways,

O ruler of the nations.

3 Who shall not revere and praise Your name, O Lord?

for You alone are holy.

4 All nations shall come and worship in Your presence:

for Your just dealings have been revealed.

Revelation 15.3,4

To the One who sits on the throne and to the Lamb

be blessing and honour and glory and might,

for ever and ever. Amen.

All nations shall come and worship You, O Christ,

and share in the feast of Your kingdom.

Intercessions

A Key feature of Thy Kingdom Come is the commitment to pray for five

people to come to know Jesus. The intercessions include space for people

to pray silently for their five people, or to consider who the five we are

praying for might be.

Merciful Father,

accept these prayers for the sake of Your Son,

our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen

Being made one by the power of the Spirit,

let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us:

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 for ever.

Amen.

Responsory

As we wait in silence,