A Service of Thanksgiving to Mark the 75th Anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, 11am on Friday 8th May, with readings, poems, prayers and an act of Rededication.
See it live streamed on Wales Parish Church News Facebook page by clicking the link below:
75th Anniversary Facebook Live Service – Friday, May 8, 2020 at 11am
Follow along with the service, either by down loading the the pdf or the text below:
Download text:
VE Day 75th Anniversary Service
A SERVICE OF THANKSGIVING AND REDEDICATION FOR VE DAY 75
The Greeting and Introduction
Heaviness may endure for a night:
But joy comes in the morning.
God has been our refuge and our strength:
A present help in time of trouble.
Dear friends, we have come together on this day to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe, when the sounds of war fell silent on this continent.
We come together conscious of our need for God’s forgiveness for the sin and the desire to dominate others that leads to conflict between people, and war between nations.
And as we remember the many soldiers, sailors, and airmen who gave their lives restraining evil and opposing tyranny, so we also come in thanksgiving for the years of peace that the nations of Europe have enjoyed since the Second World War.
We gather joyfully today, as those who gathered on that first Victory day, glad of each other’s company, and grateful for the laughter and love that follows times of sadness and loss.
But above all things, let us pray that God’s will may be done on earth as it is in heaven, as we join our voices together and say:
The Lords Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever. NI
Amen.
Hymn
Praise, my soul, the King of heaven;
to his feet your tribute bring.
Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
evermore his praises sing.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Praise the everlasting King!
Praise him for his grace and favor
to his people in distress.
Praise him, still the same as ever,
slow to chide, and swift to bless.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Glorious in his faithfulness!
Fatherlike he tends and spares us;
well our feeble frame he knows.
In his hand he gently bears us,
rescues us from all our foes.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Widely as his mercy flows!
Angels, help us to adore him;
you behold him face to face.
Sun and moon, bow down before him,
dwellers all in time and space.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Praise with us the God of grace!
Henry Francis Lye (1793-1847)
Old Testament Reading
Micah 4.1–4
God’s promised time of peace
4 In the last days
the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established
as the highest of the mountains;
it will be exalted above the hills,
and peoples will stream to it.
2 Many nations will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the temple of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law will go out from Zion,
the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
3 He will judge between many peoples
and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide.
They will beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
nor will they train for war anymore.
4 Everyone will sit under their own vine
and under their own fig tree,
and no one will make them afraid,
for the Lord Almighty has spoken.
The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
New Testament Reading
2 Corinthians 5.16–21
The call to be reconciled
16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view.
Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come.
The old has gone, the new is here!
18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ
and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:
19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,
not counting people’s sins against them.
And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors,
as though God were making his appeal through us.
We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.
21 God made him who had no sin to be sin[b] for us,
so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Your salvation is near to those who fear you,
that glory may dwell in our land.
Mercy and truth have met together;
righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
that glory may dwell in our land.
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.
Your salvation is near to those who fear you,
that glory may dwell in our land.
Address
Two minute Silence
An Act of Rededication
Let us pledge ourselves anew to the service of God
and our fellow men and women: that we may help,
encourage and comfort others, and support those working
for the relief of the needy
and for the peace and welfare of the nations.
Lord God our Father,
we pledge ourselves to serve you and all humankind,
in the cause of peace,
for the relief of want and suffering,
and for the praise of your name.
Guide us by your Spirit;
give us wisdom;
give us courage;
give us hope;
and keep us faithful now and always.
Amen.
The Prayers
O Lord our God,
as we remember, teach us the ways of peace.
As we treasure memories, teach us to hope.
As we give thanks for the sacrifices of the past,
help us to make your future in this world,
until your kingdom come.
Amen.
Almighty God,
from whom all thoughts of truth and peace proceed:
kindle in the hearts of all people the true love of peace;
and guide with your pure and peaceable wisdom
those who take counsel for the nations of the earth;
that in tranquillity your kingdom may go forward,
till the earth is filled with the knowledge of thy love;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Almighty God, the fountain of all goodness,
bless our Sovereign Lady, Queen Elizabeth,
and all who are in authority under her;
that they may order all things
in wisdom and equity, righteousness and peace,
to the honour of your name,
and the good of your Church and people;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
The National Anthem
God save our gracious Queen,
Long live our noble Queen,
God save the Queen!
Send her victorious,
Happy and glorious,
Long to reign over us,
God save the Queen!
Poem
The Blessing
God grant to the living, grace;
to the departed, rest;
to the Church, the Queen,
the Commonwealth and all people,
peace and concord;
and to us and all his servants,
life everlasting;
and the blessing of God almighty,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
come down upon you
and remain with you always.
Amen.
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