Welcome and Notices
The Greeting
Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
All: And also with you
The Peace
We are the body of Christ.
In the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body.
Let us then pursue all that makes for peace
and builds up our common life.
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
All: And also with you.
Let us offer one another a sign of peace.
(Please turn to those around you, offering your hand, and say ‘The peace of the Lord be with you’)
Prayer of Preparation
All: Almighty God,
to whom all hearts are open, all desires known,
and from whom no secrets are hidden: cleanse the thoughts of our hearts ” by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy name; through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Our Lord Jesus Christ said: The first commandment is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is the only Lord. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’
The second is this: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
All: Amen. Lord, have mercy.
God so loved the world
that he gave his only Son Jesus Christ
to save us from our sins,
to be our advocate in heaven,
and to bring us to eternal life.
Let us confess our sins in penitence and faith,
firmly resolved to keep God’s commandments
and to live in love and peace with all.
All: Father eternal, giver of light and grace,
we have sinned against you and against our neighbour,
in what we have thought,
in what we have said and done,
through ignorance, through weakness,
through our own deliberate fault.
We have wounded your love
and marred your image in us.
We are sorry and ashamed
and repent of all our sins.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
who died for us,
forgive us all that is past
and lead us out from darkness
to walk as children of light.
All: Amen.
Almighty God,
who forgives all who truly repent, have mercy upon you, pardon and deliver you from all your sins, confirm and strengthen you in all goodness, and keep you in life eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.
Collect for the Seventeenth Sunday of Trinity
Almighty God,
You have made us for yourself,
and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in you:
pour your love into our hearts and draw us to yourself,
and so bring us at last to your heavenly city
where we shall see you face to face;
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.
Our First Reading is taken from – James Chaps: 3 and 4
Chap: 3
13 Are there any of you who are wise and understanding? You are to prove it by your good life, by your good deeds performed with humility and wisdom.
14 But if in your heart you are jealous, bitter, and selfish, don’t sin against the truth by boasting of your wisdom.
15 Such wisdom does not come down from heaven; it belongs to the world, it is unspiritual and demonic.
16 Where there is jealousy and selfishness, there is also disorder and every kind of evil.
17 But the wisdom from above is pure first of all; it is also peaceful, gentle, and friendly; it is full of compassion and produces a harvest of good deeds; it is free from prejudice and hypocrisy.
18 And goodness is the harvest that is produced from the seeds the peacemakers plant in peace.
Chap: 4
1 Where do all the fights and quarrels among you come from? They come from your desires for pleasure, which are constantly fighting within you.
2 You want things, but you cannot have them, so you are ready to kill; you strongly desire things, but you cannot get them, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have what you want because you do not ask God for it.
3 And when you ask, you do not receive it, because your motives are bad; you ask for things to use for your own pleasures.
4 Unfaithful people! Don’t you know that to be the world’s friend means to be God’s enemy? If you want to be the world’s friend, you make yourself God’s enemy.
7 So then, submit yourselves to God. Resist the Devil, and he will run away from you.
8 Come near to God, and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners! Purify your hearts, you hypocrites!
This is the word of the Lord.
All: Thanks be to God.
Hymn – O For A Closer Walk With God
- O for a closer walk with God,
a calm and heav’nly frame,
a light to shine upon the road
that leads me to the Lamb!
- Where is the blessedness I knew
when first I sought the Lord?
Where is the soul refreshing view
of Jesus and His Word?
- What peaceful hours I then enjoyed!
How sweet their mem’ry still!
But they have left an aching void
the world can never fill.
- Return, O holy Dove, return,
sweet messenger of rest;
I hate the sins that made Thee mourn,
and drove Thee from my breast.
- The dearest idol I have known,
whate’er that idol be,
help me to tear it from Thy throne
and worship only Thee.
- So shall my walk be close with God,
calm and serene my frame;
so purer light shall mark the road
that leads me to the Lamb. (by William Cowper – 1731 – 1800)
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to – Mark Chap: 9
All: Glory to you, O Lord.
30 Jesus and his disciples left that place and went on through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where he was,
31 because he was teaching his disciples: “The Son of Man will be handed over to those who will kill him. Three days later, however, he will rise to life.”
32 But they did not understand what this teaching meant, and they were afraid to ask him.
33 They came to Capernaum, and after going indoors Jesus asked his disciples, “What were you arguing about on the road?”
34 But they would not answer him, because on the road they had been arguing among themselves about who was the greatest.
35 Jesus sat down, called the twelve disciples, and said to them, “Whoever wants to be first must place himself last of all and be the servant of all.”
36 Then he took a child and had him stand in front of them. He put his arms around him and said to them,
37 “Whoever welcomes in my name one of these children, welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me, welcomes not only me but also the one who sent me.”
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
All: Praise to you, O Christ.
Sermon
Have you ever wondered why the gospels draw the disciples in such a poor light?
They rarely miss an opportunity to make a mess. It’s good to remind ourselves that they were figuring it out as they went along – every day witnessing a miracle, hearing a parable, marvelling at the crowds. But never knowing what would come next, they got to know Jesus little by little, mile by mile. They were faithful followers, but also human. Mark and the other gospel writers give us fully human disciples, who make mistakes and learn from them. I find stories like today’s encouraging, Jesus calls flawed people, just like us, to walk with him.
Today we hear how Jesus caught the disciples out.
Jesus is trying to tell the disciples what is going to happen to him. Although Jesus uses the third person, the disciples would have been particularly dense not to get it.
They didn’t get it. Perhaps the disciples argument about who was the greatest was about who’d lead them if things got out of hand in Jerusalem, if Jesus died. Or who would get the best seat in the coming kingdom. Sadly, they didn’t understand.
Whatever they were ‘discussing’ they feel caught out when Jesus asks them – ‘they were silent’
Have you ever been caught out.
Perhaps you can still remember the feeling you had as a child or as an adult when you were found out for stealing a biscuit or breaking something, fill in whatever…
We can imagine them looking sheepish, avoiding eye contact, going red
Feeling really stupid, as they think, ‘Jesus overheard us arguing about that!’
Jesus doesn’t rebuke them, instead he puts a young child in the centre of them.
‘See this child’ he says, this face, keep them in front of you. Let them guide you. Don’t do anything that will hinder or harm them. That’s all you need. If you welcome them, you welcome me and the one who sent me.
I started to think of moments when we have been caught out as a nation and made to feel ashamed before a child.
The picture of a dead Syrian toddler, 3 year old Aylan Kurdi, washed up on a Turkish beach, briefly pricked the conscience of the nation regarding our attitude to refugees.
In 1972, at the height of the Vietnam War, Associated Press photographer Nick Ut, Vietnamese himself and just 19 years old, was ready to pack up and go back to the office after shooting some fighting when a plane sprayed napalm. He watched as a throng of screaming children ran toward him, one girl in the middle naked..
The day after publishing the photograph, anti-war demonstrations were held all over the world.
In 1984, pictures of starving children shocked us into a response over the Ethiopian Famine, Live Aid.
And today, we hear that children are among the 31 dead in the latest attacks on Beirut.
Now I know that some of the pictures I’ve referred to are ethically questionable, but there is something about seeing or hearing about a child suffering as a result of adult war, violence, neglect, etc. that makes us feel ashamed.
So what?
It is what it is. As humans we’re wired that way. What’s so special about Jesus’ suggestion that we welcome a child.
So here is something for you to take away and think about.
A Christian congregation such as this one is a place for spiritual experience, a place to grow towards spiritual greatness. Spiritual greatness begins with our own experience of God, but then as we are transformed into the likeness of Christ we start to reach out to the world around us.
Our experience is enlarged to include the interests of all human beings and creation itself. As we mature we start to see God everywhere. For example,
Julian of Norwich saw the fullness of God in a hazelnut; St Francis of Assisi saw God in a disfigured leper; Mother Teresa met Christ in the dying on the streets of Calcutta.
Spiritual greatness is an ability to see God in all things. Overcoming prejudices and principles to experience Christ hidden within everyone and everything.
To let our light shine and look for the light of Christ in all we meet. To treat everyone we meet as Christ.
To serve others, be hospitable, defend the weak, as we respond to Christ in others.
This is our aim, to be transformed by the Holy Spirit from those interested primarily in our individual well-being and progress, into those these who live for the flourishing of others.
Jesus knows we find this difficult, start with a child!
I pray that God will work in you to expand your heart beyond self-interest towards solidarity with the suffering of human-kind and move you to act.
35′ Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all
36Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them,
37 ‘Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.’
So go well into the future.
Amen.
We say together
The Creed
Let us declare our faith in God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit
All: 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.
Amen.
Prayers of Intercession
During the intercession this response is used: Lord, in your mercy
All: Hear our prayer.
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 Ruth 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.
Bless and guide Charles our King; give wisdom to all in authority; and direct this and every nation in the ways of justice and of peace; that we may honour one another, and seek the common good.
Give grace to us, our families and friends, and to all our neighbours, that we may serve Christ in one another, and love as he loves us.
Comfort and heal all those who suffer in body, mind,
or spirit……;
Give them courage and hope in their troubles; and bring them the joy of your salvation.
Hear us as we remember those who have died in the faith of Christ……;
According to your promises, grant us with them a share in your eternal kingdom.
Rejoicing in the fellowship of St. Laurence, St. John and all your saints, we commend ourselves and the whole creation to your unfailing love.
Merciful Father,
All: Accept these prayers
for the sake of your Son,
our Saviour Jesus Christ.
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 God, and your Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.
Hymn – Tell Me the Stories of Jesus
- Tell me the stories of Jesus
I love to hear;
things I would ask Him to tell me
if He were here;
scenes by the wayside,
tales of the sea,
stories of Jesus,
tell them to me.
- First let me hear how the children stood round His knee;
that I may know of His blessing
resting on me;
words full of kindness,
deeds full of grace,
signs of the love found
in Jesus’ face.
- Tell me, in words full of wonder,
how rolled the sea,
tossing the boat in a tempest
on Galilee.
Jesus then doing
His Father’s will,
ended the storm saying,
‘Peace, peace, be still.’
- Into the city I’d follow
the children’s band,
waving a branch of the palm-tree
high in my hand;
worshipping Jesus,
yes, I would sing
loudest hosannas,
for He is King!
- Show me that scene in the garden,
of bitter pain;
and of the cross where my Saviour
for me was slain;
and, through the sadness,
help me to see
how Jesus suffered
for love of me.
- Gladly I’d hear of His rising
out of the grave,
living and strong and triumphant,
mighty to save:
and how He sends us
all men to bring
stories of Jesus,
Jesus, their King. (by William Henry Parker (1845-1929) & Hugh Martin (1890-1964)
Yours, Lord, is the greatness, the power;
the glory, the splendour, and the majesty;
for everything in heaven and on earth is yours.
All: All things come from you,
And of your own do we give you.
The Eucharistic Prayer
The Lord is here.
All: His Spirit is with us.
Lift up your hearts.
All: We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
All: It is right to give thanks and praise.
It is indeed right,
it is our duty and our joy,
at all times and in all places
to give you thanks and praise,
holy Father, heavenly King,
almighty and eternal God,
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord.
For he is your living Word;
through him you have created all things from the beginning, and formed us in your own image.
All: To you be glory and praise for ever.
Through him you have freed us from the slavery of sin, giving him to be born of a woman and to die upon the cross;
you raised him from the dead and exalted him to your right hand on high.
All: To you be glory and praise for ever.
Through him you have sent upon us your holy and life-giving Spirit, and made us a people for your own possession.
All: To you be glory and praise for ever.
Therefore with angels and archangels, and with all the company of heaven, we proclaim your great and glorious name, for ever praising you and saying:
All: Holy, holy, holy Lord,
God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Accept our praises, heavenly Father, through your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ,
and as we follow his example and obey his command, grant that by the power of your Holy Spirit these gifts of bread and wine may be to us his body and his blood; who, in the same night that he was betrayed, took bread and gave you thanks; he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying:
Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me.
In the same way, after supper he took the cup and gave you thanks; he gave it to them, saying: Drink this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.
All: To you be glory and praise for ever.
Therefore, heavenly Father, we remember his offering of himself made once for all upon the cross; we proclaim his mighty resurrection and glorious ascension; we look for the coming of your kingdom, and with this bread and this cup we make the memorial of Christ your Son our Lord.
All: Christ has died: Christ is risen: Christ will come again.
Accept through him, our great high priest, this our sacrifice of thanks and praise, and as we eat and drink these holy gifts in the presence of your divine majesty, renew us by your Spirit, inspire us with your love and unite us in the body of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. All: To you be glory and praise for ever.
Through him, and with him, and in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, with all who stand before you in earth and heaven, we worship you, Father almighty, in songs of everlasting praise:
All: Blessing and honour and glory and power be yours for ever and ever.
Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us
All: 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.
Amen.
Breaking of the Bread
We break this bread to share in the body of Christ.
All: Though we are many, we are one body, because we all share in one bread.
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world, Have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world, Have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world Grant us peace.
Giving of Communion
Draw near with faith,
Receive the body of our Lord Jesus Christ
which he gave for you,
and his blood which he shed for you.
Eat and drink
in remembrance that he died for you,
and feed on him in your hearts
by faith with thanksgiving.
Prayer after Communion
All Lord, we pray that your grace
may always precede and follow us,
and make us continually to be given to all good works;
through Jesus Christ our Lord
Amen.
The Blessing
The God of peace,
who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus,
that great shepherd of the sheep,
through the blood of the eternal covenant,
make you perfect in every good work to do his will,
working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight;
and the blessing …
All: Amen.
The Dismissal
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
All: In the name of Christ.
Amen.
© 702211