Welcome

Passing the Peace

As we gather for worship let us remember that we are one people in Christ Jesus.  We are all welcomed by God into His presence and graced by His mercy.  Let us, then, be united in our worship of God and in our fellowship together, and uplift our hands to greet those both here and those in their homes with these words:

May the peace of God be with you.

And also with you.

Call to Worship    

  Clive Ayre, in a recent book of devotions titles, “Reflections  On Faith and Life”, recounts a story of a city church in London during World War II, which had been prepared for a Harvest Festival service.  In the middle of the produce displayed at the front of the church was a sheaf of corn.  But the service was never held, because on the Saturday evening there was an air raid and bombs destroyed the church.

  As time passed, the Winter turned into Spring, and where the church lay in ruins there appeared shoots of green.  In the course of time, the shoots were harvested as mature corn.  No bombs or ruins could kill the life of the corn and its seeds.  Life was stronger than death.

  (Clive Ayre in Reflections  On Faith and Life p35) 

  As I read this story, I saw a parallel with the risen Christ.  God’s grace and power are stronger than death.  Death could not hold the Son of God, who God raised to life.  God was triumphant over the power of sin, triumphant over the scheming of Satan, triumphant in His plan to redeem Humanity back to a right relationship with Himself.  Each of us is like that sheaf of corn growing from the ruins of our past life.  We come together to worship our God, our Lord and Saviour, to offer our thanks and praise for how He has worked in our life, renewing us, growing us in our life of worship and service for Him.

Prayer of Praise  

(based on Psalm 89: 1, 5a, 6a, 7b, 8a, 9a, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17b, & 18) 

O LORD, I always sing of your constant love,

I will proclaim your faithfulness forever.

The heavens sing of the wonderful things you do,

There is no-one like you, LORD, all stand in awe of you.

LORD God Almighty, no-one is as mighty as you,

You rule over all things.

Heaven is yours, the Earth also,

You made the World and everything in it.

How powerful you are,

How great is your strength.

Your Kingdom is founded on righteousness and justice;

Love and faithfulness are shown in all you do.

How happy are the people who worship you with songs,

Who live in the light of your kindness.

Because of you they rejoice all day long,

And they praise you for your goodness.

In your love you make us triumphant,

And you, LORD, are our protector.  Praise be given to you for all time.  Amen.

You are invited to listen to, or join in singing 2 Songs:

The first song is: ‘Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me’  (Scripture in Song volume 1 number 46) The words are printed below:

Verse 1 of 3

A pilgrim was I, and a wandering,

In the cold night of sin I did roam,

When Jesus the kind Shepherd found me,

And now I am on my way home.

Chorus

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

All the days, all the days of my life.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

All the days, all the days of my life.

Verse 2 of 3

He restoreth my soul when I’m weary,

He giveth me strength day by day,

He leads me beside the still waters,

He guards me each step of the way.

Chorus

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

All the days, all the days of my life.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

All the days, all the days of my life.

Verse 3 of 3

When I walk through the dark lonesome valley

My Saviour will walk with me there,

And safely his great hand will lead me

To the mansions he’s gone to prepare.

Chorus

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

All the days, all the days of my life.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

All the days, all the days of my life.

And I shall dwell in the House of the Lord forever,

And I shall feast at the table spread for me.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

All the days, all the days of my life.

John Peterson and Alfred Smith

John Peterson and Alfred Smith

The second song is: ‘Praise the name of Jesus’  (Scripture in Song volume 1 number 111) The words are printed below:

Praise the name of Jesus,

Praise the name of Jesus,

He’s my rock, he’s my fortress,

He’s my deliverer, in him will I trust.

Praise the name of Jesus.

Praise the name of Jesus,

Praise the name of Jesus,

He’s my rock, he’s my fortress,

He’s my deliverer, in him will I trust.

Praise the name of Jesus.

Roy Hicks

Prayer of Confession 

(from Moira Laidlaw in Liturgies On-Line Pentecost 2 & 3) 

Merciful God, we come to you knowing that we do not measure up to your standard, knowing that we have not completely surrendered all of our life to you. 

We confess that our behaviour is often contrary to all that you teach us, that there are times when we profess the Lordship of Jesus Christ with our words but deny it with our actions.  Lord, forgive us.

Merciful God, we confess our inaction and lack of involvement with people’s pain and problems.

We lack the courage to face up to injustice and discrimination and let it silently continue and grow.  Lord, forgive us.

We confess that there are times when we do not share your Good News with those still bound to their sin, and do not present to others the hope of release that You so freely and openly make available to all,

So that people look to other gods for relief or remain burdened by guilt.  Lord, forgive us.

We confess that fearfulness shapes much of our decision making, an unwillingness to being vulnerable to the unknown rather than depending upon your constant and boundless love.

Lord, forgive us.  Please empty us of habits that are destructive to ourselves and to others.  Empower us by your Spirit to be bearers of love and peace and reconciliation in the World in which we live.  In your name we pray.  Amen.

Assurance of Forgiveness 

(from Romans 6:18) 

The Apostle Paul reminds us that through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, our sins are forgiven, we have been set free from the bondage to sin, and have been put right with God.  Let us hold onto that promise, trusting that, having confessed our sins, we can accept with confidence that God has heard our prayers, that our sins are forgiven, and that we have been renewed in His sight.

Thanks be to God.

Prayer of illumination 

(from Uniting in Worship Book 1 number 13 & 14 p599) 

  Prepare our hearts, O Lord, to be guided by your Word and the Holy Spirit, that in your light we may perceive your mercy and grace, that in your truth we may find freedom, and that in your will we may discover peace, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Bible Readings

Jeremiah 25:

1  In the fourth year that Jehoiakim, son of Josiah, was King of Judah, I received a message from the LORD concerning the people of Judah.  (This was the first yar that Nebuchadnezzar was King of Babylonia.)  2  I said to all the people of Judah and of Jerusalem,

3  “For twenty-three years, from the thirteenth year that Josiah, son of Amon, was King of Judah, until this very day, the LORD has spoken to me, and I have never failed to tell you what He said.  But you have paid no attention.

4  You would not listen nor pay attention, even though the LORD has continued to send you His servants, the Prophets.  They told you to turn from your wicked way of life and from the evil things you are doing, so that you could go on living in the Land that the LORD gave you and your ancestors as a permanent possession.

6  They told you not to worship and serve other gods and not to make the LORD angry by worshipping the idols you had made.  If you had obeyed the LORD, then He would not have punished you.  7  But the LORD Himself says that you refused to listen to Him.  Instead, you made Him angry with your idols and have brought His punishment on yourselves.

8  So then, because you would not listen to Him, the LORD Almighty says,

9  ‘I am going to send for all the peoples of the North and for my servant, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia.  I am going to bring them to fight against Judah and its inhabitants and against all the neighbouring Nations.  I am going to destroy this Nation and its neighbours and leave them in ruins forever, a terrible and shocking sight.  I, the LORD, have spoken.’”

Romans 6:

12  Sin must no longer rule in your mortal bodies, so that you obey the desires of your natural self.  13  Nor must you surrender any part of yourselves to sin to be used for wicked purposes.  Instead, give yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life, and surrender your whole being to Him to be used for righteous purposes.  14  Sin must not be your Master; for you do not live under Law but under God’s grace.

15  What, then?  Shall we sin, because we are not under Law but under God’s grace?  By no

means!  16  Surely you know that when you surrender yourselves as slaves to obey someone, you are in fact the slaves of the Master you obey – either of sin, which results in death, or of obedience, which results in being put right with God.  17  But thanks be to God!  For though at one time you were slaves to sin, you have obeyed with all your heart the truths found in the preaching you received.  18  You were set free from sin and became slaves of righteousness.  19  (I use everyday language because of the weakness of your natural selves.)  At one time you surrendered yourselves entirely as slaves to impurity and wickedness for wicked purposes.  In the same way you must now surrender yourselves entirely as slaves of righteousness for holy purposes.

20  When you were the slaves of sin, you were free from righteousness.  21  What did you gain from doing the things of which you are now ashamed.  The result of these is death.  22  But now you have been set free from sin and are slaves of God.  Your gain is a life fully dedicated to Him, and the result is eternal life.  23  For sin pays its wage – death; but God’s free gift is eternal life in union with Christ Jesus our Lord.

This is the Word of God.

Praise to you Almighty God.

Matthew 7:

13  Jesus said to the crowd:

“Go through the narrow gate, because the gate to Hell is wide and the road that leads to it is easy, and there are many who travel it.  14  But the gate to life is narrow and the way that leads to it is hard, and there are few who find it.

15  Be on your guard against false Prophets; they come to you looking like sheep on the outside, but on the inside they are really like wild wolves.  16  You will know them by what they do.  Thorn bushes do not bear grapes, and briers do not bear figs.  17  A healthy tree bears good fruit, but a poor tree bears bad fruit.  18  A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a poor tree cannot bear good fruit.

19  And any tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown in the fire.  20  So then, you will know the false Prophets by what they do.

This is the Gospel of our Lord.

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

You are invited to listen to, or join in singing  the Hymn ‘Through all the changing scenes of life’  (Wesley’s Hymns No 562  MHB427  AHB30  TiS112). The words are printeed below:

Verse 1 of 6

Through all the changing scenes of life,

In trouble and in joy,

The praises of my God shall still

My heart and tongue employ.

Verse 2 of 6

Of His deliverance I will boast,

Till all that are distressed

From my example comfort take,

And charm their griefs to rest.

Verse 3 of 6

O magnify the Lord with me,

With me exalt His name,

When in distress to Him I called,

He to my rescue came.

Verse 4 of 6

The hosts of God encamp around

The dwellings of the just,

Deliverance He affords to all

Who in His mercy trust.

Verse 5 of 6

O make but trial of His love,

Experience will decide

How blessed they are, and only they,

Who in his truth confide.

Verse 6 of 6

Fear Him, ye saints, and you will then

Have nothing else to fear,

Come, make His service your delight,

Your wants shall be his care.

Nahum Tate and Nicholas Brady

Sermon

An American author, Andrew Mason, once remarked:

“Admit your errors before someone else exaggerates them.”  (Reader’s Digest Quotable Quotes p112) 

  Far be it for me to suggest that this may apply to anyone here in the Congregation, but perhaps you may know of an occasion when this was appropriate advice to someone with whom you are familiar.

  The Prophet Jeremiah, though, was earnest in his pleading with the people of Judah to admit their errors.  But the sad part of Jeremiah’s account, as we read today, was that there was no fear of others exaggerating the errors of the people of Judah, for the extent of their “wicked way of life and the evil things (they were) doing”  (Jeremiah 25: 5)  was all too obvious to others and to themselves.  In this passage, we see Jeremiah addressing three things.

  Firstly, Jeremiah and the other Prophets who had preceded him were consistent in their message to the people of Judah:

“not to worship and serve other gods and not to make the LORD angry by worshipping idols they had made”  (Jeremiah 25: 6) 

  The practice of idol worship and of worshipping other gods ran counter to the first four of the Commandments that the people of Israel received from God on Mount Sinai:

“Worship no god but me.  ..  Do not bow down to any idol and worship it.  ..  Do not use my name for evil purposes.  .  Observe the Sabbath and keep it holy.”  (Exodus 20: 2 – 11) 

  The practice of idol worship and of worshipping other gods indicated a rejection of the Great Commandment from God that Moses indicated that the people of Israel were to follow:

“Israel, remember this!  The LORD – and the LORD alone – is our God.  Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your strength.”  (Deuteronomy 6: 5, Matthew 22: 37 & 38) 

  It also ran counter to the promise that the people of Israel made before God towards the end of Joshua’s life, after they had settled in the Land of Canaan, and, as we read, after “the LORD gave Israel security from their enemies around them”  (Joshua 23: 1)  , when they promised that they “would never leave the LORD to serve other gods”, that they would “serve (only) the LORD their God and obey His commands”  (Joshua 24: 16,22 & 24)  ; a promise that each generation was to pass onto their descendants and ensure that they understood what the LORD their God had done for them.  (Deuteronomy 4: 9 & 10, 11: 18 – 20) 

  Joshua explained to the people:

“Every one of you knows in their heart and soul that the LORD your God has given you all the good things that He promised.”  (Joshua 23: 14) 

  So, any claim by the people of Israel, in the time of Joshua, that other gods deserved their worship for what these other gods had done for the people of Israel, was proven to be a false claim, not only because their written and oral history verified that it was God Almighty alone who had lead and supported them throughout their History to the present time  (Deuteronomy 8: 14 – 16)  , but, also, because the witness of what they themselves knew to be the truth “in their heart and soul” testified that only God Almighty was real and, therefore, that only God Almighty deserved their worship and service.  (Deuteronomy 4: 39, 7: 9) 

  Nothing had changed for the people of Judah later in their History, in the time of the Prophet Jeremiah, for what was in their heart and soul too testified to the truth that only God Almighty was the real God, and that only God Almighty deserved their worship and serve.  Anything else to which they sought to offer worship was, in reality, unreal, a figment of their imagination. 

  And it was incongruous for the people of Judah to seek to offer their worship to an idol, something that they had made with their very hands,  (Jeremiah 25: 6)  for, in doing so, that were attributing the infinite to something created from what was finite, and they were attributing the divine and immortality to something made by those who were themselves mortal creatures.

  Secondly, Jeremiah and the other Prophets who had preceded him were consistent in their message to the people of Judah:

“turn from your wicked way of life and from the evil things you are doing”  (Jeremiah 25: 5) 

  Such evil behaviour and wicked actions indicated that they had neglected to obey the last six of the Commandments:

“Respect your Father and your mother.  ..  Do not commit murder.  ..  Do not commit adultery.  ..  Do not steal.  ..  Do not accuse anyone falsely.  Do not desire anything someone else owns.”  (Exodus 20: 12 – 17)  

  Such evil behaviour and wicked actions indicated a rejection of the Commandment from God that Jesus identified as “the second most important Commandment  (Matthew 22: 38 & 39)  :

“love your neighbour as you love yourself.”  (Deuteronomy 19: 18) 

  Such evil behaviour and wicked actions indicated that the people of Judah had adopted the behaviour and actions of the non-Jews with whom they shared their land, neglecting the command from God given to them prior to them crossing the Canaan River:

“don’t follow the disgusting practices of the Nations that are there.”  (Leviticus 18: 3, Deuteronomy 18: 9) 

  Writers note that “(the) lifestyle (of the Canaanites) was deplorably immoral” and were wholly “condemned and prohibited” by the Leaders.  (Study Note in NIV Study Bible p170, p265) 

  Moses indicated to the people of Israel that these elements of the daily lives of the peoples of Canaan that God did not want them to copy stemmed from elements of the religious life of the Canaanites:

“Do not worship the LORD your God in the way they worship their gods, for in the worship of their gods they do all the disgusting things that the LORD hates.”  (Deuteronomy 12: 31) 

  And Moses reminded the people of Israel that this was a motivation for God to drive the people of Canaan out of Canaan so that people of Israel could claim the Land as their own:

“”the LORD is going to drive these people out (of the Land of Canaan) for you because they are wicked.”  (Deuteronomy 9: 4 & 5) 

  Such evil behaviour and wicked actions indicated that the people of Judah had also neglected the command from God to live a life that mirrored His nature and His qualities:

“I am the LORD your God, and you must keep yourselves holy, because I am holy.  I am the one who brought you out of Egypt so that I could be your God.  You must be holy, because I am holy.”  (Leviticus 11: 44 & 45, 19: 2, 20: 7 & 8) 

  Such evil behaviour and wicked actions indicated that the people of Judah had turned their back upon God, wilfully and intentionally neglecting His call to live a personal life and to interact with others according to the standards that God desired, and which Paul later encouraged the Church at Philippi to follow:

“fill your minds with those things that are good and that deserve praise: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honourable.”  (Philippians 4: 8) 

  How easy it is to lower your standards so as to match those around you, rather than to strive to live a life that is pleasing and acceptable to God.  How easy it is to be enticed away from a life of worship and service of the God who continues to demonstrate His love for you and patience with you.

  And this brings us to Jeremiah’s third issues with the people of Judah.

 “you have refused to listen to the LORD Almighty”  Jeremiah 25: 8

  Jeremiah brings an accusation upon the people of Judah.  He accuses them of wilfulness and obstinacy, of not heeding the continued warnings and pleadings from God.

“You would not listen or pay attention, even though the LORD has continued to send you His servants, the Prophets.”  (Jeremiah 25: 3 & 4) 

“You refused to listen to the LORD Almighty.”  (Jeremiah 7 & 8) 

  God had continued to warn the people of Judah of His displeasure and anger over their religious life and of their social life.  Time and again God had sent His Prophets, which included Jeremiah, with His messages to the people of Judah clearly identifying those behaviours and actions that ran counter to His will and purpose for them, that differed markedly to the life of “physical and moral purity”  which He sought for them to exhibit as the chosen “People of God”  (Exodus 19: 6)(The New Oxford Annotated Bible p109)  .  Yet, they had refused to listen or to pay attention, and, now, Jeremiah states that they will stand accountable before God and deserving of God’s punishment.

  Frederick Cawley and Alan Millard, in their Commentary on the Book of Jeremiah, write how Judah’s obstinacy had withstood God’s patience so long, (but) now the end (to their national independence and ownership of their Land) was beginning.  (Frederick Cawley and Alan Millard in Jeremiah in the New Bible Commentary p642) 

  Robert Davidson writes that the people of Judah had “repeatedly ignored the Lord’s warnings and had been deaf to His call to repent, (and now) they had provoked the Lord’s anger and had sealed their fate.”  (Robert Davidson in Jeremiah volume 2 p41) 

  But what of us?  To whose voice do we listen?  Do we seek to pay attention to the voice of God speaking to us or do we listen to an alternative voice?  The account of Adam and Eve indicates only too well how easy it is to be enticed away from close fellowship with God.  Is it a passive drifting away from God, or is it an active seeking to satisfy “the desires of our natural self”, as Paul writes.  (Romans 6: 12) 

  Paul continues by saying that our calling is clear.

“At one time you surrendered yourselves entirely as slaves to impurity and wickedness for wicked purposes.  In the same way you must now surrender yourselves entirely as slaves of righteousness for holy purposes.”  (Romans 6: 19) 

  We are the ones to whom God is now calling to live in a right relationship with Him.  Paul explains that sin has no hold on us anymore, “we are dead to sin”  (Romans 6: 11)  .  Instead, we are to dedicate our lives to God, to live in fellowship with God,  (Romans 6: 11 & 22a)  and in so doing gain eternal life  (Romans 6: 22b)  .

  But, in our listening for the voice of God, Jesus warns us to” be on your guard against (the voices of) the false prophets”, to be aware of the proverbial “wolves in sheep’s clothing”.  (Matthew 7: 15) 

  We are to gauge from where the voice comes by “what they do”, by the “fruit that it bears”.  (Matthew 7: 16 – 20) 

Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill meets with Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, archbishop of Bologna and the Head of the Italian Catholic bishops’ conference, at the Patriarchal Residence in Danilov Monastery, in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, June 29, 2023.  Photo by Moscow Patriarchate

(https://religionnews.com/2023/06/30/catholics-and-orthodox-join-forces-for-peace-amid-russian-and-ukrainian-skeptics/)

  Recently, Cardinal Zuppi, Roman Catholic Bishop of Bologna and Head of the Italian Catholic Bishops’ Conference, journeyed to Moscow to hold talks on behalf of the Vatican with the Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill on the war in Ukraine, with specific reference to the providing of humanitarian aid and of endeavouring to arrange a peaceful settlement. 

  I have copied passages from two articles that I found on the Web.  The first is part of a statement by the Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, which I found instructive, and which needs to be read in full.

“I believe that in the current conditions, marked by great risks and dangers, the church can, through joined efforts, prevent the negative development of the political circumstances,” Kirill said at the meeting, according to a statement.

Noting that “great problems have arisen in the relationship between Russia and the West,” Kirill said in a statement that at a time when there is “the real threat of a large armed global conflict, it’s very important that all parties involved in maintaining peace and justice come together to prevent such a development.”  He called on the church to “serve the cause of justice and peace.”

(https://religionnews.com/2023/06/30/catholics-and-orthodox-join-forces-for-peace-amid-russian-and-ukrainian-skeptics/)

  Note the words that he chose:

“prevent the negative development of the political circumstances”, and

“it’s very important that all parties involved in maintaining peace and justice come together to prevent the development of the great problems (which) have arisen in the relationship between Russia and the West”.

  They sound very affirmative statements, especially about “maintaining peace and justice”.  But they need to be considered in the light of another article which also needs to be read in full.

“Speaking to Vatican News, Archbishop Paolo Pezzi of the Catholic Archdiocese of the Mother of God in Moscow, said that such a meeting would be “a truly important occasion”.

“The Christian faith knows the path of reconciliation and forgiveness, it knows that witness of peace lived in one’s own heart, in families, among people,” he said.

Senior Bishops of the patriarchate had been quick to back the Russian Government last weekend during the short-lived mutiny by Wagner Group mercenaries under Yevgeny Prigozhin, which Kirill called “the greatest crime with no justification”.

The head of the patriarchate’s department for cooperation with the armed forces, Metropolitan Kirill of Stavropol, pledged support for Vladimir Putin and condemned “sins of treason and betrayal”.”

(https://www.thetablet.co.uk/news/17298/zuppi-meets-kirill-on-moscow-peace-mission)

  It is in this article that we see the discrepancy between the stance of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Moscow, in his reference to reconciliation and forgiveness and the Church’s witness of peace, and that of the Russian Orthodox church in its backing of the Russian Government and its pledge of support for Vladimir Putin, in effect, it’s open support for the ongoing actions by the Russian State to use violent means to illegally and immorally appropriate the territory of a neighbouring Nation state, Ukraine.  This reveals how false is its pledge to the “maintaining of peace and justice”, for it is a reference to “peace and justice” on Russian terms only, not on that professed in the Word of God.

  From my point of view the fruit displayed by the Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill is not the “good fruit” which the Church should produce.

  Clarence Hall in his book titled “Adventures for God”, which is available to be borrowed in our library, writes of two female linguists from the Summer Institute of Linguistics, also known as Wycliffe bible Translators, travelled to the village of a tribe in the Peruvian jungle named the Shapras.  Clarence Halls calls them “vicious killers and head hunters, (who) were among the most feared of Peruvian tribes”  (in Adventures for God by Clarence Hall p101)  He writes how, in time, through the work of these linguists, the chief of the tribe, Tariri, was converted, and professed his faith in Jesus Christ, to the extent that he forbade continued violence against neighbouring tribes.

  He writes:

“The quality of Tariri’s commitment to Christian precepts underwent a fiery test when, ( in around 1957 when ) returning to his jungle fastness, he was attacked by an enemy group.  He was shot through the chest, and others of his Shapras were slain.  Jungle Law called for reprisal, but Tariri’s faith was strong.  He issued an order for his revenge-hungry Shapras to simmer down, called the girls to him and said, “Read, please, where God says, ‘Return not evil for evil’.”  (Romans 12: 17, 1 Peter 3: 9 Deuteronomy 32: 35)  (in Adventures for God by Clarence Hall p104 & 105) 

  This is an amazing account of someone who has heard the voice of God, who has listened and obeyed the call of God, and produces the “good fruit” sought by God.

So, what of us?  Of what type of fruit do we bear?  Are we able to recognise the voice of the Shepherd and separate out the voices of the wolves?  Do we listen to the voice of the Shepherd once we hear him, or do we continue on our way to sin and ruin?  My we, like Chief Tariri, be directed by the Word of God in all that we do and say.  May we not fail like the people of Judah to listen and to pay attention to the voice of God calling us to fellowship with Him, to righteous living.  May we enjoy the fruits of time spent in worship and service of God, to His glory and honour.

“Living for Jesus a life that is true” by Thomas Chisholm (verse 1):

Living for Jesus a life that is true,

Striving to please him in all that we do,

Yielding allegiance, glad-hearted and free,

This is the pathway of blessing for me.”

(https://hymnary.org/text/living_for_jesus_a_life_that_is_true)

Amen.

Offering

Offering Prayer    

‘For the life that you have given’  TiS774  

The YouTube clip is for another hymn, but is used here for the tune so disregard the words – only the one verse is needed. The words are printed below:

or the life that you have given,

For the love in Christ made known,

With these fruits of time and labour,

With these gifts that are your own:

Here we offer, Lord, our praises;

Heart and mind and strength we bring;

Give us grace to love and serve you,

Living what we pray and sing.

Ralph Vaughan Williams

Prayers for Others

Almighty God, knowing of your love for all of Humanity, especially of your compassion for the needy, we come to you with our cares and our concerns.

We bring to you our prayers for the World around us and for people individually.

We pray for wisdom:

that we may embrace the paradox that our effort to control life produces no results while surrendering to you will provide abundant life.

We pray for the grace of insight:

that we may love our family and neighbours as you love them and be a source of encouragement toward a fuller response to all that you ask of them.

We pray for a spirit of hospitality:

that we may welcome all who enter our lives as we would welcome Christ with great love and generously share our time and talents with them.

We pray for greater perseverance:

that you will give strength and hope to all who suffer because they practice the values and principles of the Gospel and help them never to give up.

We pray for the grace to live the Gospel:

that we may love you with our whole heart and strength and learn to love everyone in our lives as you love them.

We pray for a reordering of our pursuits:

that you will free us from idolatrous struggles for power, fame, social status, and possessions, and help us find fulfillment in loving service and life-giving relationships.

We pray for all who are struggling with addictions, particularly with opioids:

that you will free them, help them find the assistance they need, and restore them to their families.

We pray that you will touch the hearts of public officials:

help them to speak respectfully and truthfully in pursuing their programs and policies.

We pray for our youth:

that you will guide them through the challenges and confusion of life and help them grow to their fullest potential.

We pray that you will lead us and guide us to care for our World:

that we may recognize that it is your gift to us and to our descendants, so that we may work to preserve it so that all of earth’s inhabitants may be blessed by it.

We pray for all who are suffering:

that you will strengthen all who are facing the effects of age and infirmity, guide all who are in difficult relationships, and give peace to all who are wrongly judged or misunderstood.

We pray for our Nation:

that you will guide us in living the values which you proclaim so that all may experience life in its fullness and justice.

Copyright © 2023. Joe Milner. All rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to reproduce for personal or parish use.  https://liturgy.slu.edu/13OrdA070223/ideas_other.html

Lord God, we bring these prayers to you, trusting in your lovingkindness.  To your glory we pray.

You are invited to listen to, or join in singing the Hymn ‘Hallelujah!  Sing to Jesus’  (AHB439  TiS517). The words are printed below: 

This hymn is sung to the tune Ode to Joy.]

Verse 1 of 4

Hallelujah!  Sing to Jesus,

His the sceptre, his the throne.

Hallelujah!  His the triumph,

His the victory alone.

Hark: the songs of peaceful Zion

Thunder like a mighty flood:

‘Jesus out of every Nation

Has redeemed us by his blood!’

Verse 2 of 4

Hallelujah!  Not as orphans

Are we left in sorrow now.

Hallelujah!  He is near us,

Faith believes, nor questions how.

Though the cloud from sight received him

When the forty days were o’er,

Shall our hearts forget his promise,

‘I am with you evermore.’?

In the World’s despair and turmoil

One firm anchor holds us fast,

God is King, His throne eternal,

God the first, and God the last.

Verse 3 of 4

Hallelujah!  Bread of Heaven,

And on Earth our food, our stay.

Hallelujah!  Here the sinful

Flee to you from day to day.

Intercessor, friends of sinners,

Earth’s Redeemer, plead for me

Where the songs of all the sinless

Sweep across the crystal sea.

Christ, the everlasting Son,

God from God, ere Time began,

Light from Light, to Earth descending,

God, revealed as Son of Man.

Verse 4 of 4

Hallelujah!  King eternal

You the Lord of lords we own.

Hallelujah!  Born of Mary

Earth your footstool, Heav’n your throne.

You within the veil have entered,

Robed in flesh, our greatest Priest;

You on Earth both Priest and victim

In the eucharistic feast.

Through the rise and fall of Nations

One sure faith yet standing fast,

God is King, His Word unchanging,

God the first, and God the last.

William Dix and George Briggs

Sacrament of Communion 

(following Uniting in Worship 2 p162 to p222) 

The Peace

The peace of the Lord be always with you.

And also with you.

The Invitation

Christ, our Lord, invites to his Table all who love him, all who earnestly repent of their sin and who seek to live in peace with one another.

Prayer of Approach

Lord God, we come to your Table, trusting in your mercy and not in any goodness of our own.  We are not worthy even to gather up the crumbs under your table, but it is your nature always to have mercy, and on that we depend.  So, feed us with the body and blood of Jesus Christ, your son, that we may for ever live in him and he in us. Amen.

Narrative of the Institution of the Lord’s Supper

Hear the words of the institution of this Sacrament as recorded by the Apostle Paul:

  “For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night when he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, broke it and said, ‘This is my body which is for you.  Do this in remembrance of me.’  In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new Covenant in my blood.  Do this, as often as you drink it, for the remembrance of me.  For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.’”  (1 Corinthians 11: 23 to 26) 

  And, so, according to our Saviour’s command, we set this bread and this cup apart for the Holy Supper to which he calls us, and we come to God with our prayers of thanksgiving.

Great Prayer of Thanksgiving

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts.

We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right to give our thanks and praise.

With all we are, we give you glory, God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the one and holy God, Sovereign of all Time and Space.  We thank you for this wide red land, for its rugged beauty, for its changing seasons, for its diverse people, and for all that lives upon this fragile Planet.  You have called us to be the Church in this place, to give voice to every creature under Heaven.  We rejoice with all that you have made, as we join the company of Heaven in their song:

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, Heaven and Earth are full of your glory.  Hosanna in the highest.  Blessed be the One who comes in the name of the Lord.  Hosanna in the highest.

We thank you that you called a covenant people to be the light to the Nations.  Through Moses you taught us to love your Law, and, in the Prophets, you cried out for justice.  In the fullness of your mercy, you became one with us in Jesus Christ, who gave himself up for us on the cross.  You make us alive together with him, that we may rejoice in his presence and share his peace.  By water and the Spirit, you open the Kingdom to all who believe, and welcome us to your Table: for by grace we are saved through faith.  With this bread and this cup we do as our Saviour commands: we celebrate the redemption he has won for us.

Christ has died.  Christ is risen.  Christ will come again.

Pour out the Holy Spirit on us and on these gifts of bread and wine, that they may be for us the body and blood of Christ.  Make us one with him, one with each other, and one in ministry in the World, until at last we feast with him in the Kingdom.  Through your Son, Jesus Christ, in your holy Church, all honour and glory are yours, Father Almighty, now and for ever.

Blessing and honour and glory and power are yours for ever and ever.  Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil,

For the Kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,

now and forever.  Amen.

Breaking of the Bread

The bread we break is a sharing in the body of Christ.

The cup we take is a sharing in the blood of Christ.

The gifts of God for the People of God.

Lamb of God

Jesus, Lamb of God,

Have mercy on us.

Jesus, bearer of our sins,

Have mercy on us.

Jesus, redeemer of the World,

Grant us peace.

The Distribution

Receive this Holy Sacrament of the body and blood of Christ, and feed upon him in your hearts by faith with thanksgiving.

(after all have received the bread)

The body of Christ keep you in eternal life.

(after all have received the juice)

The blood of Christ keep you in eternal life.

Prayer after Communion

Blessed be God who calls us together.

Praise to God who makes us one People.

Blessed be God who has forgiven our sins.

Praise to God who gives us hope and freedom.

Blessed be God whose Word is proclaimed.

Praise to God who is revealed as the One who loves.

Blessed be God who alone has called us.

Therefore, we offer to God all that we are and all that we shall become.

Accept, O God, our sacrifice of praise.

Accept our thanks for we have seen the greatness of your love.  Amen.

You are invited to listen to, or join in singing the Hymn ‘He will hold me fast’  (Alexander’s Hymns No. 3 number 1). The words are printed below:

Verse 1 of 3

When I fear my faith will fail,

Christ will hold me fast;

When the Tempter would prevail,

He will hold me fast.

I could never keep my hold

Through life’s fearful path;

For my love is often cold;

He must hold me fast.

Chorus

He will hold me fast,

He will hold me fast;

For my Saviour loves me so,

He will hold me fast.

Verse 2 of 3

Those he saves are his delight,

Christ will hold me fast;

Precious in his holy sight,

He will hold me fast.

He’ll not let my soul be lost;

His promises shall last;

Bought by him at such a cost,

He will hold me fast.

Chorus

He will hold me fast,

He will hold me fast;

For my Saviour loves me so,

He will hold me fast.

Verse 3 of 3

For my life he bled and died,

Christ will hold me fast;

Justice has been satisfied;

He will hold me fast.

Raised with him to endless life,

He will hold me fast

‘Till our faith is turned to sight,

When he comes at last.

Chorus

He will hold me fast,

He will hold me fast;

For my Saviour loves me so,

He will hold me fast.

He will hold me fast,

He will hold me fast;

For my Saviour loves me so,

He will hold me fast.

Ada Habershon

Benediction    

  In the latest edition of Eternity Magazine  (Winter 2023 p4 & 5)  is an account of an interview with an author named Collin Hansen, who writes:

‘The Gospel saves and sustains us for our entire life.  Jesus Christ is our everything.  That’s the core.  From there, through him and by him and for him, we learn. .. We’re the same person, who is utterly dependent at the core on Jesus, but we continue to expand and grow through a lifetime process of learning.

  We are not to be satisfied with standing still in our faith, but, rather, let us accept this challenge of a lifetime process of learning, so that we develop a greater understanding of what and in whom we believe as the means to grow closer to Almighty God in every aspect of what and who we are.’ 

  And may the blessing of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, rest upon you and remain with you always.  Amen.

You are invited to listen to, or join in singing the last verse of the Benediction Song ‘I am His, and He is mine.’  Alexander’s Hymns No. 3 number 193. The last verse is printed below:

His forever, only His,

Who the Lord and me shall part?

Ah, with what a rest of bliss

Christ can fill the loving heart!

Heaven and Earth may fade and flee,

First-born light in gloom decline;

But while God and I shall be,

I am His, and He is mine.

But while God and I shall be,

I am His, and He is mine.

Wade Robinson