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.
Confession:
We run the race set before us, surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. Therefore let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which clings so closely, bringing them to Jesus in penitence and faith.
Most merciful God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we confess that we have sinned in thought, word and deed. We have not loved you with our whole heart. We have not loved our neighbours as ourselves. In your mercy forgive what we have been, help us to amend what we are, and direct what we shall be; that we may do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with you, our God. 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. Amen.
.
Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth.
Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory.
Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world: have mercy on us; you are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer.
For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
Let us pray
Almighty Father, whom truly to know is eternal life: teach us to know your Son Jesus Christ as the way, the truth and the life: that we may follow the steps of your holy apostle Philip, and walk steadfastly in the way that leads to your glory; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord. Amen
Isaiah 30.15-21
Isaiah
For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength. But you refused and said, ‘No! We will flee upon horses’— therefore you shall flee! and, ‘We will ride upon swift steeds’— therefore your pursuers shall be swift! A thousand shall flee at the threat of one, at the threat of five you shall flee, until you are left like a flagstaff on the top of a mountain, like a signal on a hill.
Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.
Truly, O people in Zion, inhabitants of Jerusalem, you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when he hears it, he will answer you. Though the Lord may give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself any more, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. And when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’
This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God
Ephesians 1.3-10
Ephesians
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and insight he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John
Glory to you, O Lord.
John 14:1-14
John
Jesus said to his disciples, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe
also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you
that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I
will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the
way to the place where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you
are going, so how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the
truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me,
you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”
9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long
time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the
Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words
I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is
doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at
least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. 12 Very truly I tell you, whoever
believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than
these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so
that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I
will do it.
This is the Gospel of the Lord
Praise to you O Christ.
Sermon: PIP (& JIM?) (not at the Barn Church!), May 3 Revd Dr Nicholas Roberts
“Lord, show us the Father and we shall be satisfied.” John 14:8.
‘Unaccustomed as I am’ to delivering sermons by mail rather than face to face, I will do my best to imagine your looks of dismay or cries of “shame!” as you read this.
In my first job as a high church curate in the Black Country I made the mistake (never repeated) of asking a member of the congregation if she had enjoyed my Sunday evensong sermon. “Ooh no, Father, she replied, “You went on for 25 minutes, and my feet were hurting”. What follows should take less than 10 minutes to read, and you can do so lying down if necessary.
In the gospel for today Philip deserves some sympathy, if we are to take Jesus’ reply to his request at face value. He had asked a good and important question, “Jesus, you go on an awful lot about the person you describe as your father: well, where is he? What is he like? How can we tell?” And Jesus replies in what can seem a rather impatient or rejecting manner, “If you want to see the father, then look at me!”.
Maybe Philip felt a bit embarrassed, a bit ‘put down’ by this, perhaps rather tactless, reply. Jesus could be quite sharp at times, to his friends, and even, you may remember, to his mother – “Woman, what have you to do with me?”. Dress it up and sanitize it as much as you like with anodyne translations from the Greek, it wasn’t a ‘nice’ way to treat her! But the heartfelt plea “Show us the father” may be one that we know from our own experience. And I dare say that at the moment, as you read these thoughts of mine while at home, rather than through hearing them when attending a service in church, it may be a question that you very much want to ask, and have answered. Where is the Father, where is GOD, in other words, at this transformational moment in human history, when so many people are suffering and dying, and we suspect, probably correctly, that nothing will ever be quite the same again.
What we can put right out of our minds is the thought that God has deliberately sent this plague to us, perhaps as a test, or, even worse, as some kind of punishment for sinful human behaviour. I don’t believe in that kind of God at all, even though the Bible can sometimes seem to suggest it.
What I do believe, on the other hand, is that Jesus walked on earth as a man, a real, complete, full and genuine human being. He was never shielded from the awfulness, the tragedy and pain of human life. He was there in the middle of all the mess and the muddle. He certainly was not God, as it were, dressed up to look like a human being – but actually unaffected by what was going on in people’s lives around him. And learning of the death of his great friend Lazarus, “Jesus wept”.
When he replied to Philip he was saying, in effect, if you can see me as the person I really am (and not the person you want me to be) then in seeing me, you have access to seeing God: you can learn who and what God is, and how this encounter can transform your lives for the better. And, bearing in mind that the gospel of St John was written towards the end of the first century when the Church was spreading and preaching the gospel in many places, Philip and the other apostles were being commissioned to preach this loving, healing, risk taking, forgiving, even suffering, God, wherever they might go.
In Philip’s case, this may well have involved travel to Asia, and although we haven’t got much information about him, he probably died at Hierapolis, in Turkey. So he certainly did his share of missionary work, although he is of course chiefly remembered now for the various occasions in the Gospel when he played a leading role, such as in the story of the loaves and fishes.
But this leads us back, I think, to his profound request to be shown the Father. And to our own, perhaps agonised, question, “Where is God in this current crisis?” It is easy perhaps to be a bit dismissive about the impact of the virus on the economic welfare of the world, because we would rather concentrate on health and the avoidance of infection where at all possible. Mr Trump and other politicians – even our own – are sometimes, and perhaps rightly, thought of as hard headed and cynical. But of course for thousands, perhaps millions of people, that economic impact is real, and even perhaps as frightening, in its social consequences, as the disease itself.
But at a human level there may be many urgent questions that the current situation is asking. Questions about what kind of society we live in, and what kind of society we really want to be in. Is it possible that the situation with this virus is in fact asking some very profound questions about our responsibilities to one another, focussed at a physical level in the important demand that we protect others by things like washing our hands and social distancing?
Is a new understanding of our dependence on one another at least one possible good outcome of what is going on? There could be good news in that. And we can’t fail to salute the wonderful and sometimes risky commitment of hospital staff, and of course care home staff, in caring for the sick and dying, alongside other, perhaps less glamorous public servants such as bus drivers, in lonely self-isolation in their cabs.
And at a more mundane level perhaps, have you noticed how the pace of life in this city, with its empty roads and buses, has slowed down recently? More time perhaps to make that phone call, write that email, or just enjoy the environment which we don’t usually have the time to notice.
So – not a punishing God, but in spite of dreadful suffering, maybe a God of opportunity?
Please remember especially in your prayers through this week:
The Sick: Alan Hay, Julia Holboro, Annie Kunz, Luci Mitchell-Fry, Joan Pritchard, Johanna Procter, Kevin Willoughby, Max Weston
Those who have died: Mary Smith, Norma Williams
Prayers – with thanks to Beni Woolmer
Prayers
Compassionate Loving God, we pray for our world at this time of immense suffering and fear because of Covid 19. Lord, we have been forced into seclusion and isolation and have lost control of our normal lives. We pray for those whose suffering has taken them to the edge of their own inner resources, particularly doctors and nurses who are struggling to manage their own fear whilst remaining alongside those who are dying without any loved members of their families around them.
We bring to your loving gaze all those who are working to bring food into supermarkets all over the world, the lorry drivers, those who unload and pack food on to shelves, the cleaners and people at the tills. Teach us to humbly recognize how much we have not known about, and perhaps have chosen not to know, and to value more carefully those who are often overlooked and unseen.
We pray for those who are facing financial challenges; for those who have no safety net; for those whose marginalization has been made worse by the virus, particularly single parent families and those suffering from domestic violence.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer
We pray for the church and all places of worship which remain empty, except for a lone celebrant faithfully endeavouring to reach out to their communities. We pray for Christianity with its faltering model of institutional certainties. We pray that your Spirit will guide us to make this a time of transformation, a shift towards a more contemplative Christianity, where we can discover that you are the God of suffering love- you are suffering with us in this terrible time- and in all time. Etty Hillesum, a young Jewish woman who died in Auschwitz said: “ and that is all we can manage these days and also all that really matters: that we safeguard that little piece of you, God, in ourselves….there does not seem to be much You Yourself can do about our circumstances, about our lives. Neither do I hold you responsible. You cannot help us but we must help you and defend your dwelling place in us to the last” Help us to sift the wheat from the chaff; to know what we need to save and what we need to let go.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer
We pray for ourselves. Thank you for our heightened sense of gratitude for life and for all that we are coming to know about ourselves, about each other and about You, in this time of not knowing how and when this is going to end. Help us to process these life experiences we are going through humbly, and teach us to pay attention to each moment in front of us and within us. Recovery will be difficult. Help us to see more clearly how essentially connected we all are. Prompt us to pause in this solitude and to recognize the teaching hidden in this virus. Help us to let this crisis wake us up, so we can discover meaning in the pain of it.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer
We pray for those whose loved ones have had to go into hospital, into strange and unfamiliar territory, both within and without:
And all those who are grieving loved ones who have died.
We pray for those who have died:
We offer these prayers in all the holy names of God.
Merciful Father, accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen
The Peace
We are fellow-citizens with St Philip, all the saints and the whole household of God, through Christ our Lord, who came and preached peace to those who were far off and those who were near. The peace of the Lord be always with you: and also with you.
God our Father, keep us united in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and the prayers, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
It is indeed right and good that we should give you thanks, praise and glory, almighty and everlasting God, through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord. For after his resurrection he sent out Philip and all his apostles and evangelists to preach the gospel to all nations and lead us in the way of truth. Himself the chief cornerstone, he founded his Church upon the apostles firmly to stand for ever as a sign of your holiness upon earth and a living witness to all of the way that leads to heaven. And so with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven we lift our voices and join in their unending hymn of praise:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. +Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
As our Saviour taught us, so we pray
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.
God, who has prepared for you a city with eternal foundations, bring you, with St Philip and all the saints, to the eternal and triumphant joy of that city: and the blessing of God almighty, the +Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, be with you and those you love, today and always. Amen.
Parishes of St Philips and All Saints Kew with St Luke’s Kew
Where all God’s Children are Welcome
Section 1: Isaiah 30.15-21
Prayer: Loving God, thank you that we can read your word. By your Holy Spirit, help us to understand it, to meditate on it and to hear you speaking to us directly. Amen
Read the passage through twice:
For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength. But you refused and said, ‘No! We will flee upon horses’— therefore you shall flee! and, ‘We will ride upon swift steeds’— therefore your pursuers shall be swift! A thousand shall flee at the threat of one, at the threat of five you shall flee, until you are left like a flagstaff on the top of a mountain, like a signal on a hill.
Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.
Truly, O people in Zion, inhabitants of Jerusalem, you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when he hears it, he will answer you. Though the Lord may give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself any more, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. And when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’
Background
This passage comes three quarters of the way through the first section of the book of Isaiah. This is in the voice of the first prophet by that name, a priest in Jerusalem who had seen God in the Temple and been called to serve him (Chapter 6). Israel is threatened from the North by the Babylonians and from the south by the Egyptians. They have already seen the 10 tribes of the northern kingdom defeated and taken away into captivity. Now they fear that the enemy is coming for them. However, Isaiah speaks to them words of comfort and encouragement from God, that if they rely on Him, they will find peace.
Some questions
The first section of this prophecy is in a poetic form – note the balanced lines and carefully constructed contrasts (returning & rest, quietness & trust vs the deadly swiftness of the attackers and their cavalry). Why? How does the form add to the ideas expressed?
God’s position is stated first – returning to him (ie. worship & leading a holy life), resting in him (ie. living a life of faith and trust in the God who loves the nation). Why?
Is God’s offer particulary onerous? Does it involve new challenges?
God’s offer is rejected – why?
God appears to turn the tables on those of his people who turn away from his ways – if they try to escape on horseback, the horses of their attackers will be faster – why?
Fear multiplies fear – what is the idea behind the image of the flagpole on the mountain?
Poetry changes to prose. The people cry out to God, and his mercy covers them and brings relief. However, is the danger eradicated?
If the threat is still present, how are the people to cope with that threat? What does God offer to them to help them through difficult times?
One of the cries of the people of Israel is that God is hidden – yet here God promises to be visible, and to be audible in their everyday life. If God promises this to his people back in the 6th century BC, does that promise still hold true for us, today?
There is a serious challenge in this passage. It would be possible to read it as one long piece of re-assurance, but it is not. Suffering and pain will come upon his people, but if they rest in him, then they will find a way through these circumstances.
Where are we finding rest and quietness in these days of lockdown?
Is it easier to lead a holy life in the current circumstances?
Are you experiencing the “bread of tears” and the “water of affliction”? If so, do these words offer solace? A solution? A sticking plaster over a profound problem?
Is God visible to you in your everyday life? Can you hear him whispering in your ear, “This is the way; walk in it”?
Read the passage through again, out loud if possible
Review
What has this passage taught you about
God?
Jesus Christ?
The Church?
Our current situation?
Prayer: Still ourfears, loving God, and restore to us rest and quietness, we pray. Help us, by your Holy Spirit, so to see you in our lives and to hear you in our hearts, that we may walk in the way you have prepared for us, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Section 2: Ephesians 1.3-10
Prayer:
Read the passage through twice:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and insight he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
Background
The account of the Apostle Paul’s time in Ephesus can be found in Acts 19 & 20. Ephesus was a wealthy trading city, in the north west of modern Turkey. As a result, it had attracted tradespeople and merchants from across the ancient world, and was a very multicultural city. However, the worship of Diana dominated the spiritual life of the city, and it also had a hold on much of its commercial life too. Paul’s preaching in the city caused a riot, as silversmiths felt that they would lose business. This brought Paul up before the magistrates, where he was able to proclaim himself a Roman citizen, and therefore had to be treated fairly. His address to the faithful at Ephesus just before he left for Jerusalem went on all night. Paul was deeply involved in the spiritual life of this church, and his letter is one of encouragement and challenge.
Some questions
“in Christ”, “through Christ”, “in the beloved” – every sentence of this passage contains one of those phrases, but they include much more. There is a primary movement from God the Father to us, his creation, but it is all achieved in or through Christ. Chart how each sentence progresses and what is given/lavished upon us from God, in Christ
“blessed”, “chose”, “destined”: three extraordinary things that God the Father has done for us in Christ. Do you feel blessed, and chosen? How does the idea that God destined all this from before all eternity make you feel about your choice of faith? How free actually are we to believe?
“redemption”, “forgiveness”, “trespasses”, “grace” – each word has a specific meaning for Paul.
If we are “bought back” (redeemed), then we must have belonged to someone or soemthing else – who or what?
What is the difference between redemption and forgiveness?
Is “trespass” synonymous with “sin”? If not, what is the difference?
“Grace” is one of the hardest concepts of the New Testament, yet also one of the best. Grace means undeserved favour, or it can be defined by the acronym God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. It means that our holy God didn’t need to do any of what he has done for us, we who have turned our backs on him, gone beyond the bounds of his law or failed to achieve its standards. No wonder Isaac Watts could put the adjective “amazing” in front of the word “grace” in his hymn. Grace is a constant reminder that God forgave and restored us when we didn’t deserve it. Grace is the foundation of our Gospel, and the primary source of our worship and the main motivation behind our prayer.
That grace is “lavished” upon us, says Paul. How can we properly appreciate that? What holds us back? How can we fully express our gratitude to God for such lavish grace?
God in Christ has made known to us his plan – what exactly is that? Is it the plan of redemption, or is it more?
If God’s plan is more than the redemption of the human race, what else might his plan contain for his creation? And what might our part be in that plan, given our redemption?
Have we been “gathered up in him” yet? And what might that look like?
Throughout this passage there is a separation between the things of God and the human situation. That is not what God intended in creation – we are made for each other, God and humanity, and Christ bridges that gap, an expression of God’s grace. Paul will develop these ideas through the rest of the letter to the Church at Ephesus. It is worth reading on …. !
Read the passage through again, out loud if possible
Review
What has this passage taught you about
God?
Jesus Christ?
The Church?
Our current situation?
Prayer: God of love, by whose amazing grace we are redeemed, forgiven, chosen and destined to be your children. Give us grateful hearts and souls that praise you every day, and keep us ever faithful. Amen.
Section 3: John 14:1-14
Prayer:
Read the passage through twice:
Jesus said to his disciples, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe
also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you
that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I
will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the
way to the place where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you
are going, so how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the
truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me,
you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”
9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long
time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the
Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words
I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is
doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at
least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. 12 Very truly I tell you, whoever
believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than
these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so
that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I
will do it.
Background
This passage is part of the Upper Room experience for the disciples. They have gathered with Jesus to celebrate Passover together. This will turn out to be Jesus’s last opportunity to teach his disciples some fundamentals about himself and about humanity’s future relationship with God. He will institute the Eucharist and wash the disciples’ feet. And yet in the middle of that, Judas will slope out to betray him.
Some questions
This is a very well known passage. It is frequently used at funerals to provide comfort and re-assurance that we have a place with God in eternity. But it is about much more than that.
A very clear relationship between God the Father and Jesus his son is expressed in these lines. The Father has the house with many rooms, but Jesus prepares a place for us in it. Jesus will come back to take us to be with the Father, it is not the Father who comes for us.
Why don’t the disciples understand what he is talking about? Why does Thomas say, “we don’t know where you are going…”? He is speaking on behalf of all the disciples – have none of them understood what Jesus has been saying to them for the past 3 years?
“I am the way, the truth and the life” is possibly one of the best known sayings of Jesus, but what does it really mean? The “way” to what or to whom? The “truth” about what or whom? The “life” – as distinct from which life – human life?
“No one comes to the Father except through me”. Does this exclude all non-Christians from the presence of God? How do we deal with this in our multifaith society?
Jesus states that from that moment the disciples not only know the Father but have seen him as well – why is this so difficult for the disciples?
What does the Father look like?
From this point on, Jesus gets into deep theology – the theology of the incarnation. He is speaking quite clearly yet profoundly – the Father is in him and he is in the Father – God in human form, humanity fused with the divine in one person. It is possible to get tied up in all sorts of knots with this statement, yet it is very simple and central to our faith, so Jesus gives his disciples (and us, the readers) a second way in – his actions.
If the concept of the incarnation is a difficult one, purely as an abstract idea, if that notion is embodied in God-like actions, then the theology and the practice ought to coincide. Do they?
Which actions display the divine side of Christ and which his humanity? Is there any conflict between the two?
And then Jesus proceeds to say that if we, the reader, believe in what he, Jesus, is saying, then we will do even greater things than Jesus did – is this possible? Do you know any examples of Christians doing greater things than Jesus?
To top it all, Jesus adds answered prayer to this list of outcomes. If we pray “in Christ’s name” then Christ will answer that prayer, so that God, the author of all good things, will be glorified in Christ. Can we therefore pray for anything?
What precisely does it mean to pray “in Christ’s name”? It must mean more than adding that as a tag at the end of a prayer.
When Jesus says, “You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it” does he really mean it? Anything?
This is clearly teaching for after Christ’s death and resurrection. It even foresees the Ascension and the gift of the Holy Spirit. How much of this sinks in to the disciples’s consciousness? This is Thursday evening, and the risen Jesus will appear to them just three evenings later – and the disciples struggle with what has happened. Thomas, who was asking searching, pleading questions in the upper room, won’t believe until he has seen Jesus for himself. Why are words not enough for faith? Why must grace be experienced before we can truly trust what Jesus is saying to us?
Does this passage build up your faith? Does it encourage you to pray? Does it give you comfort and direction for the future?
As a way of celebrating our Patron Saint, how can this text be made central to our church life?
Read the passage through again, out loud if possible
Review
What has this passage taught you about
God?
Jesus Christ?
The Church?
Our current situation?
Prayer: Creator God, who came to us in human form to demonstrate your extraordinary love, open our hearts to your generosity, and enable us to respond by your Spirit with deeds of grace and prayers of trust, through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. Amen.
I have always been a bit of a hoarder. I have been using some of the time in quarantine to go through boxes and boxes of old papers I have been meaning to “get round to sometime”. My shredder has been working overtime. But I have also been having a lovely time reminiscing to myself over lots of adventures and happy memories, of places and of people.
I was very fortunate that my career took me to all sorts of different places in the World. I started thinking about all the church communities I have been part of over the years and where they met. I have praised God in grand Cathedrals, but also in churches held in school class rooms, a restaurant and on one occasion in a community centre built of old shipping containers, to name a few. Wherever I have been I have tried to find a church to call my spiritual home while I have been in that place.
And then I arrived in Mongolia! Now, despite the fact that Genghis Khan’s mother in law was a Christian (bet you didn’t know that!) Mongolian religious tradition is primarily Buddhist. There was simply no Anglican congregation there that I could find. I started going to the very occasional English-speaking services in the new Roman Catholic Cathedral. But I could not participate fully and then, sadly, the Cathedral closed for repairs due to construction faults. After that I went a few times to one of the several Pentecostal services held in Mongolian, but the language difficulties and the completely different worship structure were not for me.
Then my old University friends Sue and Eric came to visit. Sue is an Anglican Vicar in Hampshire and we managed to get permission in advance from the Diocese in Europe, which strangely covers Mongolia, for her to celebrate the Eucharist in my Residence. I advertised this to the British Community and was greatly encouraged by the turnout. This seemed to get Mongolia onto the radar of the Diocese in Europe and we subsequently had visits from the Bishop and then the Rural Dean of Moscow. Before long we had quite a good-sized group of Anglicans and American Episcopalians gathering weekly in my house for worship.
Why am I telling you all this? Well I suppose it is just to illustrate once again that, while a church building is a great asset, we don’t necessarily need one to be a church community. We can’t use our church buildings at present, though I hope this will not be for long. But Fr Peter and many others are doing magnificent work to make sure that services and worship material are on line for everyone who can access them.
Wherever we are and whatever we are doing, we can worship God. Hymns are very important to me and some of you will have noticed that I like to quote from them in my sermons and reflections. So, for today:
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.
Confession:
Christ died to sin once for all, and now lives to God. Let us renew our resolve to have done with all that is evil and confess our sins in penitence and faith.
Most merciful God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we confess that we have sinned in thought, word and deed. We have not loved you with our whole heart. We have not loved our neighbours as ourselves. In your mercy forgive what we have been, help us to amend what we are, and direct what we shall be; that we may do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with you, our God. 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. Amen.
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Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth.
Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory.
Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world: have mercy on us; you are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer.
For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
Let us pray
Almighty Father, who in your great mercy gladdened the disciples with the sight of the risen Lord: give us such knowledge of his presence with us, that we may be strenthened and sustained by his risen life and serve you continually in righteousness and truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Acts 2: 14a, 36-41
Acts 2: 14a, 36-41
Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. “Let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God
1 Peter 1: 17-23
1 Peter 1: 17-23
Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors,but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God. Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John
Glory to you, O Lord.
Luke 24: 13-35
Luke 24: 13-35
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke:
Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him. He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”
They stood still, their faces downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, asked him,
“Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”
“What things?” he asked.
“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.”
He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight.
They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.
This is the Gospel of the Lord
Praise to you O Christ.
Sermon from Richard Austen
Today’s gospel tells us an interesting and rather meaningful story. Two disciples, Cleopas and a friend are journeying from Jerusalem to a village seven miles away on the day of the Resurrection. They were not of the twelve, or rather now the eleven, but they were clearly close followers of Jesus and known to the eleven. It’s a well-known story, one of misery turning to joy; desolation to elation. And it is a story many of us face in our own lives: when hopes and dreams are dashed, but then we find that things turn out well in the end.
Have you ever felt like you just had to get away? Have you ever been bitterly disappointed, when expectations have come to nothing? When you have felt let down? When it feels as if your world has turned to ashes? I expect we all have in one way or another and that is what Cleopas and his companion must have been feeling. It was Easter day and it seems that these two disciples were off! Who can blame them? Jerusalem had proved to be a place of pain and loss; of death, unmet expectations and disappointment. As they made their way, they were talking about all the things that had happened, and, probably, the things that hadn’t turned out quite as they expected. About Jesus’s arrest, crucifixion and death. They would have been disappointed, bewildered and sad. They had hoped Jesus was the one, but he was now dead. Surely there was nothing to keep them in Jerusalem, especially as they were not of the inner circle of disciples. Their lives had been shattered and there was the danger from the Jewish authorities too. They had heard the claims of Mary and the other women that an angel had told them of the Resurrection, but they were clearly doubtful and confused and felt the need to get away.
I don’t know why they chose to go to Emmaus or what they planned to do there. But went they did. Going to Emmaus was perhaps an escape from everything that had not gone right, or so they thought.
But here again we find Jesus looking after his people. Jesus listened to their fears, then explained the scriptures and why the Messiah had to die. He steered them away from pain and misery and back to life. He surprised them and he showed that he was there for them and, actually, that he needed them.
How often Jesus surprises us. We feel that things are pretty dire – they certainly are in the World at present. We need, we long for so much, not just material things. We need Jesus to be with us and to surprise us and to protect us.
“When Jesus was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognised him.” They recognised him as the one they had left for dead in Jerusalem. They recognised him as the one who had accompanied them on the road to Emmaus. They recognised him as the one they had hoped he would be. Jesus wasn’t just giving them bread; he was giving them back themselves. This was their restoration, their resurrection perhaps. Jesus was supporting them with himself: with his body, his life, his love, his compassion, with all that he is and all that he has.
They returned to the place from which they had to get away. Cleopas and his companion arrived back in Jerusalem in the middle of the night with news of their Emmaus experience and when they got there, they heard that others had also had resurrection experiences of Jesus. Jesus was alive, seen, and present in Jerusalem. They had left Jerusalem only that morning as a place of horror and death and they returned that evening to a place now full of joy and hope. Jesus had surprised them, Jesus had not left them, Jesus was there for them.
We do not hear of Cleopas again, but after such a tremendous experience of the risen Jesus one can only assume that he and his companion became part of that great missionary effort that spread Christianity so widely in such a short time. Cleopas and his friend had had their doubts satisfied. Their fears were overcome, they had seen the Risen Lord. And he had not let them go, he had a purpose for them and he brought them back to their Christian community.
We all have doubts and fears. We all have to face losses and shattering events in our lives. The same Jesus who appeared to them is there in the background looking after us. Whatever we go through, he is there, whenever things are dark, he is there. We may not have quite the striking revelation as these two disciples did, but he can surprise us with his love. I am reminded of the lines in the old hymn “Hark my Soul”, where it says – Sought me wandering, set me right, turned my darkness into light. Jesus surprises us and he brings us back – always has, always will. We all can and we all will have our own Emmaus experiences. We can be comforted at all times by the words soon to come at the Ascension. “Be assured, I am with you always, to the end of time”. Amen
If people have the virus, please let them survive.
Please watch over everyone,
Please let the virus just be gone.
We are sorry for being bad,
Let us be happy and not sad.
Thank you for everyone and everything in our lives.
Amen
Please remember especially in your prayers through this week:
The Sick: Alan Hay, Julia Holboro, Annie Kunz, Lisa McTaggart,
Joan Pritchard, Johanna Procter, Kevin Willoughby, Max Weston
Those who have died: Mary Smith, Shelagh Cochrane, Norma Williams
Merciful Father, accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen
The Peace
The risen Christ came and stood among his disciples and said, “Peace be with you.” Then they were glad when they saw the Lord, Alelluia. The peace of the Lord be always with you: and also with you.
Be present, be present, Lord Jesus Christ, Our risen high priest;
It is indeed right , our duty and our joy, always and everywhere to give you thanks, almighty and eternal Father, and in these days of Easter to celebrate with joyful hearts the memory of your wonderful works. For by the mystery of his passion, Jesus Christ, your risen Son, has conquered the powers of death and hell and restored to women and men the image of your glory. He has placed us once more in paradise and opened to us the gate of life eternal. And so, in the joy of this Passover, earth and heaven resound with gladness, while angels and archangels and the powers of all creation sing for ever the hymn of your glory.
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. +Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
As our Saviour taught us, so we pray
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.
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 of God almighty, + the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen.
