Welcome to the CHS Vientiane Worship Service Resources
“Awake sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine upon you.” (Ephesians 5: 14 )
Almighty God,
give us grace to cast away
the works of darkness
and put on the armour of light,
now in the time of this mortal life,
in which your Son Jesus Christ
came to us in great humility;
that on the last day,
when he shall come again in his glorious majesty
to judge both the living and the dead,
we may rise to the life immortal;
through him who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Approach to God
Even if we cannot all gather in person
Emmanuel, God with us
Even if some Christmas traditions have had to go
Emmanuel, God with us
Even if we might not get to hug family and friends
Emmanuel, God with us
Even if we cannot sing carols beside each other
Emmanuel, God with us
Even if Christmas cheer is harder this year
Emmanuel, God with us
1. Come, thou long expected Jesus,
born to set Thy people free,
From our fears and sins release us,
let us find our rest in Thee.
2. Israel’s strength and consolation,
hope of all the earth Thou art,
Dear Desire of every nation,
joy of every longing heart.
3. Born thy people to deliver,
born a child and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever,
now Thy gracious kingdom bring.
4. By Thine own eternal Spirit,
rule in all our hearts alone;
By Thine all sufficient merit,
raise us to Thy glorious throne.
Confession
Our heavenly Father
thank you that you love us
and care for us all the time.
We know that this week
we have not always lived the way you tell us.
We have done wrong things
and not done all the good things we should have done.
Only you can save us,
so please forgive us
and help us to live as your friends.
We ask this in Jesus’ name.
Amen
Lord, in your mercy, forgive us and restore us to your fellowship.
‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.’
Hear the word of grace,
and receive the assurance of pardon:
Your sins are forgiven,
for the sake of Jesus Christ our Saviour.
Saviour Christ,
you take upon yourself all our burdens.
You free us from all that weighs us down,
so that we constantly begin anew.
You lead us on, with lightened step,
from worry towards trusting,
from weariness towards well-being,
from our own will towards the vision
of your coming kingdom.
Make us servants of your gospel,
that we may know your peace
and the world be bright with hope.
1 O come, O come, Emmanuel,
and ransom captive Israel,
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice, rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel.
2 O come, O come, Thou Lord of might,
who to Thy tribes, on Sinai’s height
in ancient times didst give the law
in cloud and majesty and awe.
Rejoice, rejoice . . .
3 O come, Thou rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan’s tyranny;
from depths of hell Thy people save,
and give them victory o’er the grave.
Rejoice, rejoice . . .
4 O come, Thou dayspring, come and cheer
our spirits by Thine advent here;
disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
and death’s dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice, rejoice . . .
5 O come, Thou key of David, come
and open wide our heavenly home;
make safe the way that leads on high,
and close the path to misery.
Rejoice, rejoice . . .
A Prayer from Ethiopia
Verse 1
A thousand times I’ve failed, still your mercy remains.
And should I stumble again, still I’m caught in your grace.
Everlasting, your light will shing when all else fades.
Never-ending, your glory goes beyond all fame.
Chorus
In my heart, in my soul, Lord I give you control.
Consume me from the inside out, Lord.
Let justice and praise, become my embrace,
To love you from the inside out.
Verse 2
Your will above all else, my purpose remains.
The art of losing myself in bringing you praise.
Everlasting, your light will shing when all else fades.
Never-ending, your glory goes beyond all fame.
Chorus
In my heart, in my soul, Lord I give you control.
Consume me from the inside out, Lord.
Let justice and praise, become my embrace,
To love you from the inside out.
Bridge
Ever-lasting, your light will shine when all else fades.
Never-ending, your glory goes beyond all fame.
And the cry of my heart is to bring you praise,
From the inside out, Lord my soul cries out.
Chorus
In my heart, in my soul, Lord I give you control.
Consume me from the inside out, Lord.
Let justice and praise, become my embrace,
To love you from the inside out
Bridge
Ever-lasting, your light will shing when all else fades.
Never-ending, your glory goes beyond all fame.
And the cry of my heart is to bring you praise,
From the inside out, Lord my soul cries out.
(repeat bridge)
From the inside out, Lord my soul cries out.
God of all goodness and grace,
give us such confidence,
such peace, such happiness in you,
that your will
may always be dearer to us
than our will,
and your pleasure than our pleasure.
All that you give is your free gift to us,
all that you take away is your grace to us.
May you be thanked for all,
praised for all,
loved for all;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Prayers
How great is our God (MP 1227)
And the blessing of God, who creates, redeems and sustains us, be with us always as we share in God’s mission to the world.
Amen
