Trinity 15 Morning Worship at St Laurence

Hymn – The Lord is King! Lift up Thy voice

The Lord is King! lift up thy voice,
O earth, and all ye heavens, rejoice;
from world to world the joy shall ring,
‘The Lord omnipotent is King!’

The Lord is King! who then shall dare
resist his will, distrust his care,
or murmur at his wise decrees,
or doubt his royal promises

He reigns! ye saints, exalt your strains;
your God is King, your Father reigns;
and he is at the Father’s side,
the Man of love, the Crucified

Alike pervaded by his eye
all parts of his dominion lie:
this world of ours and worlds unseen,
and thin the boundary between!

One Lord one empire all secures;
he reigns, and life and death are yours;
through earth and heaven one song shall ring,
‘The Lord omnipotent is King!’ (by Josiah Conder – 1989 to 1855)

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 – Teach me Thy way, O Lord, teach me Thy way!

Teach me Thy way, O Lord,

teach me Thy way!
Thy guiding grace afford,

teach me Thy way!
Help me to walk aright,

more by faith, less by sight;
Lead me with heav’nly light,

teach me Thy way!

When doubts and fears arise,

teach me Thy way!
When storms o’erspread the skies,

teach me Thy way!
Shine through the cloud and rain,

through sorrow, toil, and pain;
Make Thou my pathway plain,

teach me Thy way!

Long as my life shall last,

teach me Thy way!
Where’er my lot be cast,

teach me Thy way!
Until the race is run,

until the journey’s done,

until the crown is won,

teach me Thy way! (Benjamin M Ramsey – 1849 to 1923)

Collect for the Fifteenth Sunday of Trinity –

God, who in generous mercy sent the Holy Spirit

upon your Church in the burning fire of your love:

grant that your people may be fervent

in the fellowship of the gospel

that, always abiding in you,

they may be found steadfast in faith and active in service;

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 – Just as I Am, Without One Plea

1 Just as I am, without one plea,
but that thy blood was shed for me,
and that thou bidd’st me come to thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

2 Just as I am, and waiting not
to rid my soul of one dark blot,
to thee, whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

3 Just as I am, though tossed about
with many a conflict, many a doubt,
fightings and fears within, without,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

4 Just as I am, thou wilt receive,
wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
because thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come. (Charlotte Elliott – 1789 to 1971)

Our First Reading is taken from Romans Chap: 14

1 Welcome those who are weak in faith, but do not argue with them about their personal opinions.

2 Some people’s faith allows them to eat anything, but the person who is weak in the faith eats only vegetables.

3 The person who will eat anything is not to despise the one who doesn’t; while the one who eats only vegetables is not to pass judgment on the one who will eat anything; for God has accepted that person.

4 Who are you to judge the servants of someone else? It is their own Master who will decide whether they succeed or fail. And they will succeed, because the Lord is able to make them succeed.

5 Some people think that a certain day is more important than other days, while others think that all days are the same. We each should firmly make up our own minds.

6 Those who think highly of a certain day do so in honour of the Lord; those who will eat anything do so in honour of the Lord, because they give thanks to God for the food. Those who refuse to eat certain things do so in honour of the Lord, and they give thanks to God.

7 We do not live for ourselves only, and we do not die for ourselves only.

8 If we live, it is for the Lord that we live, and if we die, it is for the Lord that we die. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

9 For Christ died and rose to life in order to be the Lord of the living and of the dead.

10 You then, who eat only vegetables – why do you pass judgment on others? And you who eat anything – why do you despise other believers? All of us will stand before God to be judged by him.

11 For the scripture says, “As surely as I am the living God, says the Lord, everyone will kneel before me, and everyone will confess that I am God.”

12 Every one of us, then, will have to give an account to God.

This is the Word of the Lord

All: Thanks be to God

Hymn – Take My Life and Let It Be

Take my life and let it be
consecrated, Lord, to thee.
Take my moments and my days;
let them flow in endless praise,
let them flow in endless praise.

Take my hands and let them move
at the impulse of thy love.
Take my feet and let them be
swift and beautiful for thee,
swift and beautiful for thee.

Take my voice and let me sing
always, only, for my King.
Take my lips and let them be
filled with messages from thee,
filled with messages from thee.

Take my silver and my gold;
not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use
every power as thou shalt choose,
every power as thou shalt choose.

Take my will and make it thine;
it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart it is thine own;
it shall be thy royal throne,
it shall be thy royal throne.

Take my love; my Lord, I pour
at thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be
ever, only, all for thee,
ever, only, all for thee. (by Frances R. Havergal – 1838 to 1870)

Hear the Gospel our Lord Jesus Christ According to Matthew Chap:18

21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, if my brother keeps on sinning against me, how many times do I have to forgive him? Seven times?”

22 “No, not seven times,” answered Jesus, “but seventy times seven,

23 because the Kingdom of heaven is like this. Once there was a king who decided to check on his servants’ accounts.

24 He had just begun to do so when one of them was brought in who owed him millions of dollars.

25 The servant did not have enough to pay his debt, so the king ordered him to be sold as a slave, with his wife and his children and all that he had, in order to pay the debt.

26 The servant fell on his knees before the king. “Be patient with me,’ he begged, “and I will pay you everything!’

27 The king felt sorry for him, so he forgave him the debt and let him go.

28 “Then the man went out and met one of his fellow servants who owed him a few dollars. He grabbed him and started choking him. “Pay back what you owe me!’ he said.

29 His fellow servant fell down and begged him, “Be patient with me, and I will pay you back!’

30 But he refused; instead, he had him thrown into jail until he should pay the debt.

31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were very upset and went to the king and told him everything.

32 So he called the servant in. “You worthless slave!’ he said. “I forgave you the whole amount you owed me, just because you asked me to.

33 You should have had mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you.’

34 The king was very angry, and he sent the servant to jail to be punished until he should pay back the whole amount.”

35 And Jesus concluded, “That is how my Father in heaven will treat every one of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.”

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

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?

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 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 and Intercessions

Prayers for King Charles

Through this tritium of prayer we ask God’s continuing blessing on our new King Charles

Prayer

O God, to whom every human power is subject,
grant to your servant our sovereign Charles
success in the exercise of his high office,
so that, always revering you and striving to please you,
he may constantly secure and preserve
for the people entrusted to his care
the freedom that comes from civil peace.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

All: Amen

Prayer for the Royal Family

Almighty God, the fountain of all goodness,

we humbly beseech thee to bless

Queen Camilla, William Prince of Wales, the Princess of Wales, and all the

Royal Family:

Endue them with thy Holy Spirit; enrich them with thy heavenly

grace; prosper them with all happiness;

and bring them to thine everlasting

kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

In the power of the Spirit and in union with Christ, let us pray to the Father.

Almighty God, our heavenly Father,

you promised through your Son Jesus Christ

to hear us when we pray in faith.

Strengthen Sophie our bishop and all your Church in the service of Christ, that those who confess your name may be united in your truth, live together in your love, and reveal your glory in the world.

All: Amen.

We pray for God to fill us with his Spirit.

Generous God,

we thank you for the power of your Holy Spirit.

We ask that we may be strengthened to serve you better.

Lord, come to bless us