Hymn – Come, you Thankful People Come
- Come, you thankful people, come,
raise the song of harvest home!
fruit and crops are gathered in
now, before the storms begin:
God our maker will provide
for our needs to be supplied;
come, with all his people, come,
raise the song of harvest home!
- All the world is God’s own field,
harvests for his praise to yield;
wheat and weeds together sown
here for joy or sorrow grown:
first the blade and then the ear,
then the full corn shall appear-
Lord of harvest, grant that we
wholesome grain and pure may be.
- For the Lord our God shall come
and shall bring his harvest home;
He himself on that great day,
worthless things shall take away,
give his angels charge at last
in the fire the weeds to cast,
but the fruitful ears to store
in his care for evermore.
- Even so, Lord, quickly come-
bring your final harvest home!
gather all your people in
free from sorrow, free from sin,
there together purified,
ever thankful at your side-
come, with all your angels, come,
bring that glorious harvest home! (by Henry Alford (1810 to 1871)
Preparation
The night has passed, and the day lies open before us; let us pray with one heart and mind.
Grace mercy and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you
All: And also with you.
This is the day that the Lord has made.
All: Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
We have come together in the name of Christ to offer our praise and thanksgiving to hear and receive God’s holy word, to pray for the needs of the world, and to seek the forgiveness of our sins, that by the power of the Holy Spirit, we may give ourselves to the service of God.
All: We say Sorry
Jesus says, ‘Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is close at hand.’
So let us turn away from our sins and turn to Christ, confessing our sins in penitence and faith.
All: Lord God, we have sinned against you;
We have done evil in your sight.
We are sorry and repent.
Have mercy on us according to your love.
Wash away our wrongdoing and cleanse us from our sin.
Renew a right spirit within us and restore to us the joy of your salvation;
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
May the Father of all mercies cleanse us from our sins, and restore us in His image to the praise and glory of His name through Jesus Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.
Blessed is the Lord,
All: For He has heard the voice of our prayer;
Therefore, shall our hearts dance for joy
All: And in our song will we praise our God.
Blessed are you, Lord our God, creator and redeemer of all;
to you be glory and praise for ever.
From the waters of chaos you drew forth the world, and in your great love fashioned us in your image. Now, through the deep waters of death, you have brought your people to new birth by raising your Son to life in triumph.
May Christ your light ever dawn in our hearts as we offer you our sacrifice of thanks and praise.
Blessed be God, Father Son and Holy Spirit.
All: Blessed be God for ever.
Hymn – Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!
- Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise Him, for He is thy health and salvation!
All ye who hear, now to His temple draw near;
Praise Him in glad adoration.
- Praise to the Lord, who o’er all things so wondrously reigneth,
Shelters thee under His wings, yea, so gently sustaineth!
Hast thou not seen how thy desires e’er have been
Granted in what He ordaineth?
- Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper thy work and defend thee;
Surely His goodness and mercy here daily attend thee;
Ponder anew what the Almighty can do,
If with His love He befriend thee.
- Praise to the Lord, oh, let all that is in me adore Him!
All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before Him;
Let the Amen sound from His people again,
Gladly for aye we adore Him. (by Joachim Neander – 1650 to 1680)
Collect for the Nineteenth Sunday of Trinity –
O God, forasmuch as without you
we are not able to please you;
mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit
may in all things direct and rule our hearts;
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.
All: Amen
Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead.
All: And Christ shall give you light.
You have died and your life is hid with Christ in God.
All: Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead.
Set your minds on things that are above,
not on things that are on the earth.
All: And Christ shall give you light.
When Christ our life appears
you will appear with him in glory.
All: Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light.
Hymn – Fair Waved the Golden Corn
1 Fair waved the golden corn
in Canaan’s pleasant land,
when, full of joy, some shining morn,
went forth the reaper-band.
2 To God so good and great
their cheerful thanks they pour;
then carry to his temple-gate
the choicest of their store.
3 Like Israel, Lord, we give
our earliest fruits to thee,
and pray that, long as we shall live,
we may thy children be.
4 Thine is our youthful prime,
and life and all its pow’rs;
be with us in our morning time,
and bless our evening hours.
5 In wisdom let us grow,
as years and strength are giv’n,
that we may serve thy Church below,
and join thy saints in heav’n. (By John Hampden Gurney – 1802 to 1862)
Our First Reading is taken from Psalm 65
1 O God, it is right for us to praise you in Zion and keep our promises to you,
2 because you answer prayers. People everywhere will come to you
3 on account of their sins. Our faults defeat us, but you forgive them.
4 Happy are those whom you choose, whom you bring to live in your sanctuary. We shall be satisfied with the good things of your house, the blessings of your sacred Temple.
5 You answer us by giving us victory, and you do wonderful things to save us. People all over the world and across the distant seas trust in you.
6 You set the mountains in place by your strength, showing your mighty power.
7 You calm the roar of the seas and the noise of the waves; you calm the uproar of the peoples.
8 The whole world stands in awe of the great things that you have done. Your deeds bring shouts of joy from one end of the earth to the other.
9 You show your care for the land by sending rain; you make it rich and fertile. You fill the streams with water; you provide the earth with crops. This is how you do it:
10 you send abundant rain on the plowed fields and soak them with water; you soften the soil with showers and cause the young plants to grow.
11 What a rich harvest your goodness provides! Wherever you go there is plenty.
12 The pastures are filled with flocks; the hillsides are full of joy.
13 The fields are covered with sheep; the valleys are full of wheat. Everything shouts and sings for joy.
This is the Word of the Lord
All: Thanks be to God
Hymn – Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father
- Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father.
There is no shadow of turning with thee.
Thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not.
As thou hast been thou forever wilt be.
Refrain: Great is thy faithfulness!
Great is thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed thy hand hath provided.
Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
- Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,
sun, moon, and stars in their courses above,
join with all nature in manifold witness
to thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love.
Refrain: Great is thy faithfulness!
Great is thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed thy hand hath provided.
Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
- Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide,
strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow;
blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
Refrain: Great is thy faithfulness!
Great is thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed thy hand hath provided.
Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me! ( by Thomas O. Chisholm – 1923)
Hear the Gospel our Lord Jesus Christ According to 2 Corinthians Chap:9
6 Remember that the person who plants few seeds will have a small crop; the one who plants many seeds will have a large crop.
7 You should each give, then, as you have decided, not with regret or out of a sense of duty; for God loves the one who gives gladly.
8 And God is able to give you more than you need, so that you will always have all you need for yourselves and more than enough for every good cause.
9 As the scripture says, “He gives generously to the needy; his kindness lasts forever.”
10 And God, who supplies seed for the sower and bread to eat, will also supply you with all the seed you need and will make it grow and produce a rich harvest from your generosity.
11 He will always make you rich enough to be generous at all times, so that many will thank God for your gifts which they receive from us.
12 For this service you perform not only meets the needs of God’s people, but also produces an outpouring of gratitude to God.
13 And because of the proof which this service of yours brings, many will give glory to God for your loyalty to the gospel of Christ, which you profess, and for your generosity in sharing with them and everyone else.
14 And so with deep affection they will pray for you because of the extraordinary grace God has shown you.
15 Let us thank God for his priceless gift!
This is the word of Christ
All: Thank be to God
Benedicitus
Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel,
All: who has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty Saviour,
All: born of the house of his servant David.
Through his holy prophets God promised of old
All: to save us from our enemies, from the hands of all that hate us,
To show mercy to our ancestors,
All: and to remember his holy covenant.
This was the oath God swore to our father Abraham:
All: to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
Free to worship him without fear,
All: holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life.
And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High,
All: for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
To give his people knowledge of salvation
All: by the forgiveness of all their sins.
In the tender compassion of our God
All: the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,
All: and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
All: Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever.
Amen.
Sermon
From the very beginning of everything when God created this earth and all that we know
hat surrounds it in the vastness of the universe. Part of God’s amazing creation was us — us humans who God created to be the kind of creature that had the brain power to recognise that God existed. What I mean is that when I look at my cat, I don’t really see in her any realisation of her situation in the order of things. I don’t think that she consciously knows God — but we do. We do recognise that God created all that we know about ad we know from our Bibles that God created us among other things to be the custodians of whatever else is on this earth — to be earth’s caretakers and protectors. To look after and nurture all the wonderful things around us that abound and harmonise together.
God gave us an awareness not only of his presence in our lives but of the honour and praise we owe for all that he has provided. God created and orderly world were doing one thing had a consequent? and made something else happen and the finest example of that is the way our need of food and drink is provided for.
I was brought up in a country Village and this is a rural parish much the same and I am sure all of you are well aware of the natural cycle of the farming year. The tilling and nurture and preparation of the soil, the planting of seed, the care of the crop until it is ready for collecting in and storing as a food resource until the next cycle. Equally, to the breeding and care of livestock which will in its proper time grow and be slaughtered to provide other foods for our survival. A massive and wonderful process of growth and harvest – and it’s that process we are celebrating here this morning. We’re giving praise and thanks for God’s creation and the way he has provided for us.
Spring sow, summer grow, autumn mow and winter arrange for the same thing next year. — everything interdependent and self-sustaining. That’s how God organised it. An idyllic, rosy picture.Don’t we all pray that it could be that simple — however in this and
in so many aspects of our increasingly complicated lives there is a threeletter word that always spoils the picture. You know the word well — It’s BUT! Followed closely by WHAT IF!
What if it’s a rotten wet cold spring and you can’t get the seed in the ground at the best time. What if the summer is wet too, or too baking hot like it was this year and the drops don’t grow to full capacity and others have to dip into winter feed because the meadows are too burnt -up to have enough grass for the animals. The autumn might have bad weather that spoils the harvest, the crops might have been affected by disease or insect invasion or all your worker go on strike!!! The potential spoilers are something our farmers have to face each year and do what they can with their knowledge and skills to get the best harvest they can.
What too if you have been so greedy for profit that you have worked the soil to death and not replaced the nutrients the new plans will need to grow and be healthy. What is you are too mean and greedy to maintain your herds and flocks properly and fail to take proper precautions against pests and diseases and they all die. What if, what if, what if— so many what ifs, not only in farming and agriculture in general but in almost everything else we are responsible for as God’s custodians of this earth that he gave us to look after.
I know Jesus taught that we should not worry about tomorrow because of loves us and ill provide like he does for the birds and butterflies and animals that put no effort into raising the own particular foods and like he did for the Israelites in the desert during the Exodus, sending down nourishing manna every morning. I’ve never seen a bird with a shovel or a tiger with a pruning hook but the earth provides for them in a balanced cycle of events that fill their needs, all arranged by Almighty God, the ultimate designer and creator.
But. God created us humans to be different. He created us to understand more the creation we live in. To know about and react to the ways of nourishment and provision, not only of ourselves but of all nature. To recognise how nature works its various elements together and using that knowledge to keep this earth healthy and self-sustaining.
Well, that’s how we would like it to be, I’m sure. That’s God’s plan and it is a good one — you remember the words from Genesis Chap:1 “God saw all that he had made and it was very good
I bet some of you are thinking that I’m now going to embark and a large rant about how we humans, through our greed and need and general depletion of the word’s resources, through the pollution We have caused created big problems for the future of this world. And you are right!!!! I’m not going to let this moment pass without asking the question “What on earth are we doing to ourselves and our world?”
Have we gone totally bonkers or got past caring considering the continually mounting evidence of how human intervention is ruining the sustainability of this earth? Are we impervious to what is happening to the earth even now, let alone what might happen in the future if things continue as they are. I’m not going to attempt to list all the things we are doing that accelerate the problems and the things we are failing to do to offset the damage already done. It would take far too long and you know exactly what I’m talking about — it there in the news day by day.
Some people, some governments, some regimes are on board and making some efforts to cut down on waste, pollution and the other major causes of global personal wealth and possessions and the abuse of our planet, pouring their toxic waste into rivers sending up poisonous emissions into our atmosphere. Too man, putting human greed before human survival. The warnings are all there.
The human race is the only animal of all the species I can think of that is consciously and actively pursuing its own disappearance from the face of the earth.
OK rant over – I could go on but I won’t. – It’s safe to say I blame James Watt and his steam engine for all this. That machine started the industrial revolution 200 years ago and its all been going downhill with the environment ever since.
I have a coffee mug at home with the message written on it “It’ll be alright in the end — and if it’s not alright, it isn’t the end.”
Well, it’s not alright. We celebrate our harvest today knowing there is a question mark hanging over future harvests. Now don’t get me wrong — it is entirely right and proper that we should give thanks and praise to God for this harvest. We are blessed by what has been produced and stored this year and we give thanks to all those who have produced that harvest. We should never forget what God has provided for us in the abundance of his love. Even so, it’s not alright but is also isn’t the end according to my coffee mug. It’s not the end — there is still time and as God’s faithful children and caretakers of earth and commanded by him to look after his creation it is our duty to, as we often say ‘At all times and in all places’ to live our lives in recognition of the damage being caused by pollution of water and air — we know how the earth’s mineral resources are being extracted without anything being put back, depleting and destroying. We need to live our own lives by God’s word and pass the message on.
We live in a wonderful and amazing world which becomes more amazing with each new discovery that science unwraps from its mysteries. I love coming here and walking along from the car park, gazing over the fields and hedgerows up to Rye Hill Farm on the hill, soaking in the sheer beauty of a simple rural scene.
There is a peace and solidarity in that view which changes as the ordained seasons pass. A simplicity that says to me we should by all means take from God’s provisions for us what we need
without causing wanton destruction and loss. I’m sure you’ve told your kids sometime or other “When it’s gone, it’s gone too’
well, there lies the danger for our future generations. What we have destroyed, they can never have as we had it, Things are definitely not right in God’s world, here at this moment, are they?
We must work together as members of the body of Christ, God’s appointed custodians of his creation to live and work to his praise and glory so that when the end comes — it is alright!
Romans 14:1-12:
Where do You Live?
In the irreverent comedy Monty Python and the Holy Grail, which is a send up of the King Arthur tales, there is a scene where one of the knights, Sir Bedivere is confronted by a group of villagers. It seems they have gripped one of the local women and claim she is a witch. It’s very obvious that her long crooked nose is fake and has been tied on and she’s been dressed up to look like a witch. Sir Bedivere questions the evidence, and the people confess that they made it all up. But they still want to burn the woman as a witch.
You know, we may not judge people as witches anymore, but we do judge them by everything else under the sun. We judge people by their clothing, jobs, friends, the kind of car they drive, the music they listen to, their hair style, their family and even where they live.
We love jumping to conclusions, don’t we? That’s what normal people do, right?
But don’t forget, we’re not the normal people. We’re the abnormal people. We’ve given our lives to Christ. And through Christ, we’re called to live by different standards. God calls us to love each other and treat each other the same, no matter what.
We’re not called to live in Judgment House where doors are locked and bolted; where there’s no handle on the outside of the door and you can only get in if somebody lets you in. We’re called to live in Grace and Mercy House, whose door is always open and a welcoming committee is there to greet you. And if they’re not there when you enter, it’s not because you’re not welcome, it’s because they’ve gone out in search of others like you who need a place to live.
As we continue our look at Romans, let’s see what Paul has to say about judging others and where we should live.
Paul, in essence asks,
“Where Do You Live?”
In which house do you live, the House of Judgment or the House of Mercy and Grace?
And it’s a subject most of us don’t want to hear about. Paul point blank talks about standing in judgment of others. You can almost hear the disbelief, sadness and spiritual amazement in his voice as he writes:
- Who are you to pass judgment on servants of another?
Why would he write something like that?
Well, you have to remember that the early church was made up of two distinct groups of people, the Jews and the gentiles. The Jews were those who had been raised with strict dietary laws, especially concerning meat offered to idols. In Rome, most of the butcher shops were run by the pagan temples. You offered an animal sacrifice and the meat was then sold to the public in their butcher shop. The money went into the temple coffers. For practicing Jews, eating that meat was a No-no! It was tantamount to worshiping the idol yourself.
They also lived by a strict, hard and fast rule that the Sabbath was the Seventh day (or our Saturday).
The gentiles, were raised without any knowledge of dietary laws and most of them, initially, had no concept of what Sabbath was all about. But when they accepted Christ, they began worshipping together on the First day of the week, or Sunday, the day which coincided with Christ’s resurrection. And they celebrated the Resurrection of Christ. Every Sunday was seen as a miniature Easter.
So, you had a group of well meaning, knowledgeable people, old timers who’d had a religious awakening, stirring up the newcomers, the new baby Christians, who were still growing, not just in their faith but in their knowledge of the faith and WHY certain things were done. The old timers weren’t being mean spirited. They simply thought they were right. That’s the way they’d always done it in the past.
This controversy over eating meat from idols and which day was the Sabbath was getting out of hand. So, Paul writes this portion of the letter to address that issue.
What difference does it make to us today?
Well, not much really, at least in answer to the questions of meat sacrificed to idols. The Sabbath question has pretty much been answered over the years simply by practice. But also, due to what Paul writes here. Paul was clear, it’s not about the day or the food. It’s about honouring God. Paul tells us basically, Quit fighting about the inconsequential. It’s all about honouring God.
Unfortunately, we still pass judgment on others all the time, even in the church. I just read about a Vicar who was confronted by a man after church one day. “Preacher,” the man said,
“I have two complaints about you. First, when I was chairman of the trustees, you tried to tell me how to do the job. You should just let the church leaders do their job the way they want.”
“What is the second complaint?” asked the vicar.
“Well,” said the man, “I don’t like the hymns that the choir director picks. I wish you’d would tell her to pick more of the old ones.”
Obviously, the man was not aware of the mixed message. He wanted the vicar to refrain from telling leaders people how to do their jobs, but he wanted the pastor to tell the choir director which songs to sing. People are amazing, aren’t we?
Paul says we should be careful about how we judge one another because
“Each of us will be accountable to God. We will all stand before the judgment seat of God.”
Paul really only reiterates what Jesus said and reminds us of one of the basic tenets of our faith. “Judge not lest you be judged.” And that’s not just a catchy phrase to put on a T-shirt or make a bumper sticker out of. It’s supposed to be a way of life and a mark of who we are. It’s supposed to be one of the signs that we’re abnormal.
Once we accepted Christ, we were evicted and moved out of Judgment House. And we’re challenged to move into Grace and Mercy House. Because, living in Grace and Mercy House proves
“We live to God and not to ourselves.”
It’s only in Grace and Mercy House that we can
“Live to the Lord.”
You see, it’s only through the Grace and Mercy of God that we were able to leave Judgment House. But we can’t do it on our own. We have to be set free by Christ.
The movie Coach Carter, starring Samuel L. Jackson, is based on a true story of a basketball Coach who locked his players out of the gym and the game until they focused on their schoolwork. But in the process taught them how to play, how to succeed and how to be champions on the court and in life. There’s one scene where, after quitting the team, Timo Cruz wants back on, but the price to rejoin the team is impossible to pay. Coach Carter requires him to do 2500 push-ups 1000 suicide sprints within a week. Committed, Cruz hits the deck and begins.
The week is over, and Coach Carter goes to Cruz to give him the assessment of his work. Carter tells him,
“I’m impressed with what you’ve done, but you’ve come up short. You owe me 80 suicides and 500 push-ups. Please leave my gym.”
Cruz is crushed. He’s worked hard every day to try to complete the impossible task, but he failed. Coach Carter turns to his team and says he’ll see them tomorrow. As the coach turns to leave the gym, one of the players says,
“I’ll do push-ups for him. You said we’re a team. When one person struggles, we all struggle. One player triumph, we all triumph, right?”
He goes to the floor with Cruz and begins doing push-ups.
A moment later, another teammate says,
“I’ll do some. I’ll run suicides too.”
And then, one by one, every player but one has begun to do push-ups or run for Cruz. And even though he is weary beyond belief, Cruz continues to participate along with his teammates.
And finally, the last player chooses to join in as well, saying,
“I’ll do some…”
While Carter is encouraged by their attitude, he doesn’t let them off the hook. He tells his assistant coach to,
“Keep counting’. Call me when it’s done.”
But as he leaves, you know he’s proud of the boys. And you know they finally get what being a team is all about.
That scene teaches us a couple of things. One, like Timo Cruz, the task of standing accountable and blameless before God is impossible. There is no way we can be perfect and not sin in a fallen world. We can give it our best shot, but we will always come up short and alone.
But the Good News is that we don’t have to do it alone. Christ Jesus stepped into the scene and said,
“I’ll take his burden of sin. I’ll take her burden of sin. When they triumph, we all triumph.”
Or as the apostle Paul writes:
“We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.
We need Christ but the second thing is that we need each other, too. Not only can’t we bring about our own salvation but we can’t live in Grace and Mercy House alone. One of the keys for living in Grace and Mercy House is to constantly show Grace and Mercy. That’s how we “live to the Lord,” as Paul says.
A certain vicar was visiting one of his parishioners, and as they were talking, the conversation began to lag. The lady of the house, wanting to pick up the conversation, pointed out her window to her neighbour’s back yard where the wash was hanging on the line. She said:
“See that lady next door and the wash she hangs out, see how dirty it is, she never hangs out a clean wash.”
The vicar felt somewhat uncomfortable and tried to change the subject and quickly drew the visit to a close. As he was departing from the house the lady of the house walked out on the front porch with him and again the washing next door was clearly visible to both of them. They both realized at the same time that this washing was sparkling white, just as white as any wash could ever be. The truth began to dawn on them that it wasn’t the neighbour’s wash which was dirty, rather it was the window through which they had viewed the wash.
How clean are our windows?
Where Do We Live?
Which house do we live in?
Judgment House or Grace and Mercy House?
You and I have been challenged to deviate from the world, to be abnormal. We’ve received a prescription for holiness and we’ve put on Christ. And now we are called and challenged to LIVE TO THE LORD.
But we can’t do it by ourselves and we sure can’t do it in Judgment House. We can only do it in Grace and Mercy House.
How clean are our windows?
Where Do We Live?
Amen
Collect:
Heavenly Father, grant us a humble heart that seeks to see the good in others. Help us understand that we are not without faults, just as no one else is perfect. Teach us to replace our critical thoughts with kindness and empathy. May we be beacons of acceptance and love, celebrating the uniqueness in every soul we encounter.
Thank you, God, for guiding me towards a path of compassion and understanding.
Amen.
Time of Silence ….
We Say Together:
The Creed.
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
All: Amen.
Prayers for Harvest
At this time of harvest, we thank God for all he has given using the words of the general thanksgiving.
Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants give you most humble and hearty thanks for all your goodness and loving kindness to us and to all men. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ, for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And give us, we pray, such a sense of all your mercies, that our hearts may be unfeignedly thankful, and that we Show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up ourselves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be all honour and glory, for ever and ever. Amen
Whilst the glorious weather of the past months has allowed the harvest to be gathered in record time, the lack of rain has caused some crops to be less than
normal and all reserves of water are Very low. We pray that sufficient rain will come soon to meet the needs of the farms and all water users. we pray for all those, throughout the world, who have been affected by the extremes of weather especially those who have lost their homes or livelihoods and for whom it will be months or years before any sort of normality will return. We pray that all nations will soon realise that their greatest enemy is the greed of mankind which is destroying the wonderful balance of nature and that it will require the resources and cooperation of all to prevent global warming from causing irreversible changes in climate.
All: Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer
Almighty God, the fountain of all goodness, bless our Sovereign Lord, King Charles, and all who are in authority under him; 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.
All: Amen
We pray for all areas of the world where there is conflict or strife, especially we pray
for the continuing situation in Ukraine, Gaza; Tran and the Sudan. We particularly
pray for all those who have needed, for whatever reason, to flee their own country to
face unknown difficulties elsewhere, and for those who despite many dangers strive to bring food and aid to the many in desperate need,
Lord, in your mercy
All: Hear our prayer
We pray for your Church throughout the world: guide and govern us by your Holy Spirit, that all who profess and call themselves Christian may be led into the way of truth, and hold the faith in unity of spirit, in the bond of peace, and in righteousness of life.
We pray for Steve, for all the lay leaders of our services and for all who are involved with the Christian life of this church and parish.
Lord, in your mercy
All: Hear our prayer
We commend to your fatherly goodness all who are anxious or distressed in mind or body; comfort and relieve them in their need; give them patience in their sufferings, and bring good out of their troubles,
Lord, in your mercy
All: Hear our prayer
We have a few moment silence as we bring our own personal prayers to the Lord
Lord, in your mercy
All: Hear our prayer
Almighty God, we thank you for the gift of your holy word. May it be a lantern to our feet, a light to our paths and a strength to our lives. take us and use us to love and serve all men in the power of the Holy Spirit and in the name of your son Jesus Christ our Lord Amen
Heavenly Father, you have promised through your Son Jesus Christ, that when we meet in his name, and pray according to his mind, he will be among us and hear our prayer: in your love and mercy fulfil our desires, and give us your greatest gift, which is to know you, the only true Cod, and your Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.
We gather our thoughts and prayers in the words our saviour gave us
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
All: Amen
Offertory Hymn – We Plough the Fields, and Scatter
- We plough the fields, and scatter
the good seed on the land,
but it is fed and watered
by God’s almighty hand;
he sends the snow in winter,
the warmth to swell the grain,
the breezes and the sunshine,
and soft refreshing rain.
Refrain:
All good gifts around us
are sent from heaven above,
then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord
for all his love.
- He only is the Maker
of all things near and far;
he paints the wayside flower,
he lights the evening star;
the winds and waves obey him,
by him the birds are fed;
much more to us, his children,
he gives our daily bread.
Refrain:
All good gifts around us
are sent from heaven above,
then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord
for all his love.
- We thank thee, then, O Father,
for all things bright and good,
the seed time and the harvest,
our life, our health, and food;
no gifts have we to offer,
for all thy love imparts,
and, what thou most desirest,
our humble, thankful hearts. - Refrain:
- All good gifts around us
are sent from heaven above,
then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord
for all his love. (by Matthias Claudius – 1782)
Closing Blessings
May the Father who created you in love,
the Son who redeemed you by grace,
and the Holy Spirit who empowers you with truth,
go with you into the world.
Walk in unity, live in peace,
and bear witness to the love that holds all things together.
All: Amen.
The Grace
All: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
And the love of God,
And the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,
Be with us all evermore.
Amen
Hymn – Now Thank We All Our God
- Now thank we all our God
with heart and hands and voices,
who wondrous things has done,
in whom his world rejoices;
who from our mothers’ arms
has blessed us on our way
with countless gifts of love,
and still is ours today. - O may this bounteous God
through all our life be near us,
with ever joyful hearts
and blessed peace to cheer us,
to keep us in his grace,
and guide us when perplexed,
and free us from all ills
of this world in the next.
- All praise and thanks to God
the Father now be given,
the Son and Spirit blest,
who reign in highest heaven
the one eternal God,
whom heaven and earth adore;
for thus it was, is now,
and shall be evermore. (by Catherine Winkworth and Martin Rinkart)
Go in joy and peace to love and serve the Lord
All: In the name of Christ Amen.
© 702211