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:
Brothers and sisters, as we prepare to celebrate, let us call to mind our sins.
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 God, you have broken the tyranny of sin and have sent the Spirit of your Son into our hearts whereby we call you Father: give us grace to dedicate our freedom to your service, that we and all creation may be brought to the glorious liberty of the children of God; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord. Amen
Jeremiah 28:5-9
Jeremiah reading
Then the prophet Jeremiah replied to the prophet Hananiah before the priests and all the people who were standing in the house of the Lord. He said, “Amen! May the Lord do so! May the Lord fulfill the words you have prophesied by bringing the articles of the Lord’s house and all the exiles back to this place from Babylon. Nevertheless, listen to what I have to say in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people: From early times the prophets who preceded you and me have prophesied war, disaster and plague against many countries and great kingdoms. But the prophet who prophesies peace will be recognized as one truly sent by the Lord only if his prediction comes true.”
This is the Word of the Lord Thanks be to God
Romans 6: 12-end
Romans reading
Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.
What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew
Matthew reading
Glory to you, O Lord.
Jesus said to the twelve: “Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. 41 Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. 42 And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.”
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
Sermon
Sermon audio
We’re going to talk today about slavery. Not because it is a hot topic at the moment, and not just because the Apostle Paul uses the notion of slavery in an extraordinary way in the passage we have just read, and not because the Matthew text is more than a little obscure. No, it is purely a vehicle for a very old joke. St Augustine was walking through the slave market in Rome one day when he spotted some very fair, pale-skinned slaves. When he asked where they were from, the reply was, “Sunt Angli”, to which the saint retorted, “non Angli sed angeli”, which, being translated, means, “not Anglians but Anglicans.”
Actually, we are going to talk about slavery, because we must. There is a daily conversation now about the legacy of slavery, of which our nation was the foremost in its development in the 18th century, and the legacy of colonialism, of which our nation was also the foremost in its development in the 18th & 19th century until it was dismantled in the 20th. It is inescapable, and we must confront it, and it is constantly before us when we read our Bibles, so we must fully understand it if we are to approach our God in worship and service.
There is a major difference between slavery in Jesus & Paul’s day and the 18th century. Yes, it was institutionalised in the ancient world, and yes it was unutterably wicked, but it was not industrialised as it was in the 18th century. Estimates of slaves in the ancient world vary, but it could rise to as high as 50% of the population in moments of extreme stress like famines, but it could also fall as low as 20% in times of prosperity. Slaves in the Graeco-Roman world could buy their freedom, and most were encouraged to do so. Slave owners in the Caribbean and the southern states of America had no intention of enabling that to happen until forced to by law.
So what exactly is a slave? A slave is human property – a human being who belongs to someone else, in the same way as we own a car. They could be bought in the same way as we would buy food or clothes, and their owner could then sell them on, as we can with any of our possessions.
Paul takes what is a commonplace experience for the congregation in Rome and uses it to describe both our relationship to sin and our relationship to God. The difference is not that the slave has been transferred from one form of ownership to another, it is that God has intervened to break the slave link to sin, and to liberate us to righteousness. Why? Because he loves us. Because he wants to. After much too-ing and fro-ing, Paul reaches his great conclusion: “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”. Note the difference – sin produces wages, but God offers life as a gift to us in Jesus Christ.
The freeing of a slave was called “manumission” – literally, the giving of a hand. While a slave, no physical contact would happen between slave and master. Once free, hands could be clasped. Paul is saying that in Jesus Christ’s life, death and resurrection, God is extending his hand to us, to set us free. That hand is forever extended to us, and we grasp it when we confess and are forgiven, when we pray, when we worship, when we feel the Spirit’s power at work in us.
We who have been freed from such a slavery are therefore called to do several things. Firstly, people need to know that God is offering his hand to them in love and grace, and they need to see that grace at work in us and hear about that love from us. Secondly, we are to walk in that freedom with responsibility, so that we do not surrender our freedom for slavery to sin. Thirdly, we are to reflect this liberating God to the world.
Which one of those challenges us the most? The Gospel passage has much to say about that. Jesus is preparing his disciples for mission, for going out to preach this liberating love of God and to demonstrate it by liberating people from all sorts of disease and physical oppression. Last week we read Jesus’s words about division. This week we read Jesus’s words about reward – but what sort of reward is on offer? A prophet’s reward? Think of Jeremiah, who burnt inwardly if he didn’t speak, and was mocked and ill-treated if he did speak. That is not too enticing a reward, is it?! And the cup of cold water offered to one of these little ones gets you known as a disciple – a follower of Jesus, a member of a feared and often outlawed cult within 1st century Palestine. That’s no great reward either – that way persecution lies.
It is the same with embracing our slaving and colonial past. We did not do these things, and we can possibly claim that none of our forbears were involved in any of it either, but we cannot ignore its effect and its continuing influence in our world, and the privileges we enjoy do take some of their origins in past evils. But we can look for positive examples of dealing with this legacy, and perhaps the best for us here is the Barn Church. The families who gave both the building and the land on which the Barn is built were bankers, who supported Wilberforce financially as he laboured to get his anti-slavery legislation through parliament. Once that was achieved, they turned their attention to churches. The growing working class in London could not afford to pay pew rent in the older churches so they had to stand all the way through services. The Hoare family built new churches which were not dependent on pew rent, and the Barn is the last in a long line of such inclusive and liberating buildings.
Money can be clean, wealth can be used for good rather than evil, conscience can triumph over evil. May God give us grace to rejoice in his free gift of eternal life, that we may live that liberated life in his world, and commend his love to everyone we meet.
Prayers – with thanks to Paul Gregorowski
Intercessions audio
Lord open our eyes so that we may see our sisters and brothers throughout the world. Open our ears so that we may hear the cries of the hungry, the lonely and the hurt. Open our hearts so that we may care for the frightened, the oppressed and the poor. Help us to trust in your inexhaustible love so that we may be freed from our insecurities and fears to become as generous, forgiving and kind as you wish us to be.
LORD IN YOUR MERCY HEAR OUR PRAYER
Please bless your Church worldwide and in Kew. May we be true to your command to love one another and to spread your joy in the world. Bless all church leaders and heal the divisions that hurt you and hinder your work. Be with Father Peter, Michael and Richard and all who serve you at the Barn and
St Luke’s as we look forward to the day when we can all worship together again. And please bless all our children, in Junior Church, the nursery and Green Park School. You spoke of them as the kingdom of Heaven. Let us remember your words.
LORD IN YOUR MERCY HEAR OUR PRAYER
Lord please bless your world at this time of crisis and fear. Be with those affected by the Corona Virus, all refugees, asylum seekers and political prisoners, all those living under dictatorships or with the threat of famine and war, and all those without hope. Touch the hearts of all leaders so that your rule of love may prevail. Bless the Holy Land and all other nations that desperately need your help at this time. And we pray for racial justice throughout the world. Let us each hold up to God any country or cause that we care about and which particularly needs our prayers. Please be with them Lord. And when this
is all over may we use the lessons of this disaster to work for a better and fairer world.
LORD IN YOUR MERCY HEAR OUR PRAYER
Lord please bless our neighbours in Kew. May we be a true community. Protect the little businesses at risk. Be with the doctors, nurses and carers who show such incredible courage and devotion to us all. And
please be with all those who find the lockdown a terrible trial.
LORD IN YOUR MERCY HEAR OUR PRAYER
Lord of the cross please bless all who are sick or suffering at this time. Hold them, comfort them and bring them peace, and bless those who care for them. Today we pray especially for Julia Holboro, Annie Kunz, Gill Risso-Gill, Luci Mitchell-Fry, Joan Pritchard, Johanna Procter, Kevin Willoughby, Max Weston
LORD IN YOUR MERCY HEAR OUR PRAYER
Risen Lord we commend to your boundless mercy all those who have died, and we pray for those who mourn. Today we pray for Mary Smith, Pattie Johnson, Norma Williams, Eric Ewington, Ted Wheadon, Graham Foulis Brown. And in a moment of silence we remember all those whom we love who have died before. Lord hold them in your everlasting arms.
LORD IN YOUR MERCY HEAR OUR PRAYER
We end with a prayer by a priest in South Africa during the apartheid years, as topical now as it ever was. Lord let the world be changed for I long to see the end of poverty and fear.
Let kindness prevail for I long to see justice for the broken and oppressed.
Let my life be changed for I long to bring hope where it is needed most.
Trusting in your love I wait in confidence for the day when you make all things new.
Merciful Father, accept these prayers for the sake of your Son Our Saviour Jesus Christ, Amen.
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. Therefore with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven, we sing for ever 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.
Blessing
The love of the Lord Jesus draw you to himself, the power of the Lord Jesus strengthen you in his service, the joy of the Lord Jesus fill your hearts; 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.
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord. In the name of Christ. Amen.
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:
Brothers and sisters, as we prepare to celebrate, let us call to mind our sins.
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
O God, the strength of all those who put their trust in you, mercifully accept our prayers and, because through the weakness of our mortal nature we can do no good thing without you, grant us the help of your grace, that in the keeping of your commandments we may please you both in will and deed through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord. Amen.
Jeremiah 20: 7-13
Jeremiah reading
You deceived me, Lord, and I was deceived; you overpowered me and prevailed. I am ridiculed all day long; everyone mocks me. 8 Whenever I speak, I cry out proclaiming violence and destruction. So the word of the Lord has brought me insult and reproach all day long. 9 But if I say, “I will not mention his word or speak anymore in his name,” his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot. 10 I hear many whispering, “Terror on every side! Denounce him! Let’s denounce him!” All my friends are waiting for me to slip, saying, “Perhaps he will be deceived; then we will prevail over him and take our revenge on him.”
11 But the Lord is with me like a mighty warrior; so my persecutors will stumble and not prevail. They will fail and be thoroughly disgraced; their dishonor will never be forgotten. 12 Lord Almighty, you who examine the righteous and probe the heart and mind, let me see your vengeance on them, for to you I have committed my cause.
13 Sing to the Lord! Give praise to the Lord! He rescues the life of the needy
From the hands of the wicked.
This is the Word of the Lord Thanks be to God
Romans 6: 1-11
Romans reading
What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John
Glory to you, O Lord.
Matthew 10: 24-39
Matthew reading
Jesus said to his disciples,“The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household! 26 “So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. 28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. 32 “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven. 34 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to turn “‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law— 36 a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’ 37 “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
Sermon – Richard Austen
Sermon
It is widely held by Biblical scholars that, while Matthew’s Gospel is the first which we find in the New Testament, it was actually written down about fifty years after Jesus ascended into Heaven. In the verses we have heard today, Matthew appears to collect together a number of related sayings of Jesus having to do with committed discipleship in the face of conflict.
Much of this passage is about persecution and suffering for being a follower of Christ.
Ever since Christianity came to these shores, and certainly since the arrival of St Augustine in 597, Christianity has been the norm, the mainstream in England, right up until recently.
Christians were not maligned for their faith here. Nobody threatened their lives. Being a Christian did not require cross-bearing, it was just the thing to do and in some eras you were persecuted if you were not, at least nominally, a Christian. There was persecution elsewhere in the World, there still is, but here in England life has always been relatively easy for Christians.
But even here things are changing, we are no longer the norm really. Just after Easter I read a circular from the local Council. In it it said that “Holy week and Passover are over and we approach the Holy Month of Ramadan”. No mention of Easter, the most important festival in the Christian calendar and Christianity was clearly just another religion. It seemed that, to the writer, Easter was perhaps just about bunnies and chocolate and not worth mentioning and maybe not even a religious festival at all. Our biggest challenges are probably going to be overcoming such ignorance, more than anything else.
The media delights in portraying Christianity in a negative light, but would not dare to make fun of other religions. It ignores the church’s good work, but delights in reporting its misdeeds. I have often wondered why this might be and I have a few thoughts. A lot of people who mock Christianity come from Christian backgrounds and traditions. They have decided they are far too sophisticated to believe all this nonsense and wonder how intelligent people like us could possibly do so. So we are fair game for ridicule. And it is safe to knock our faith, while it is not safe to knock others. But equally it is perhaps almost patronising to people of other faiths, almost treating them as if they are less sophisticated and need humouring when those who would mock us appear to treat them with deference. This actually dishonours other faiths as well as ours. No faith should be dishonoured. But people of my generation who have rejected Christianity do mostly know something about it. It is the succeeding generations who have not been taught about it by their non believing parents, who I worry about. To them Christianity, if it even crosses their radar, really is just another religion. It is all rather sad.
So perhaps we might be nearing the time when we will find our faith to be a mystery to many people and difficult to witness to. In the future some of the difficulties and challenges which Jesus speaks about in this Gospel passage might become more real to western Christians, just as they are to so many of our brothers and sisters throughout much of the World. Christians might learn again what it means to suffer with Christ—to bear a cross—to be persecuted—to find families divided over issues of faith—to suffer abuse and ridicule.
Just as Jesus faced opposition and, ultimately, the cross, so Jesus’ disciples will face persecution. And he meant us as well as those in say Pakistan or Vietnam or Indonesia or China and many other places.
So, what should we do? Well we are not to tiptoe around the truth in the fear of inviting mockery or persecution. We should not be silent. We should wear our faith with pride. God loves us and God will protect us and has a place waiting for us with him in Heaven. We should proclaim our faith from the rooftops as Jesus tells us to do.
Moving on, many Christians today tend to think of God’s love rather than God’s judgment. However, this passage and many others like it make it clear that God will reward the faithful and punish the unfaithful. Perhaps in some ways we have lost our sense of awe in God’s presence. It is important, however, to fear and respect God for he has ultimate authority over everything. He is our Lord and friend, but he is not our mate. He is compassionate and full of love, but he must be treated with reverence and respect. And he demands that we do not deny him, that we stand up for him. If we acknowledge Jesus before other people, Jesus will acknowledge us before the Father in heaven. However, if we deny Jesus before other people, he will deny us before the Father. It is a bit like a courtroom with Jesus in the role of potential Barrister. If Jesus is our Barrister, we cannot lose. If Jesus declines to take on our defence, we cannot win. Thus, our actions in this life have eternal consequences, because Jesus is watching us and assessing us. It is not all a free lunch, it involves commitment and respect and a public witness of allegiance to him, even in the face of opposition or even persecution.
Jesus requires us to take up our cross and follow him. It is not an easy command to follow. But many have done so over the centuries and many have sacrificed much for Jesus – even lost their lives, or their livelihoods, their freedom, their families. But they are the ones who have found their lives, their salvation and their joy. The sacrifices we need to make are probably not quite so dramatic. But we do need to follow their example, loving, serving, honouring our Lord in whatever way we can and never, ever denying him. Hallelujah!
Prayers – with thanks to Liz & Alex Coulson
Prayers
Let us pray for the Church, for worshippers of the Lord Jesus Christ, for followers of other faiths, for those who are beginning their journey in faith, and for those for whom religion is not a part of their daily lives.
We pray for Father Peter and the wonderful support network of St Luke’s and The Barn, we pray for everyone who helps deliver these services physically and digitally and we pray for the entire community that says hello in the street, gives a passing nod or wave.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer
We pray for understanding, learning and knowledge to accept new lessons and to comprehend that which we have not before. We pray for compassion and for the willingness to change and we give praise to the Lord to help us in this never-ending journey. Grant us the ability, not to judge, but to listen and then to act in God’s name to help heal society and to welcome all of our neighbours, all of God’s children, near and far.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer
We pray for families and children across the country who, especially during lockdown without the regular provision of free school meals, struggle to put food on the table. We give thanks to those that provide support to these families; we pray for those who contribute with time and energy, through donations, and through love and compassion.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer
Grant us the power to acknowledge our past and change our future. We pray for the Black community in our country, in the United States and across the world. Black Lives Matter and we pray for those that have suffered and died at the hands of police brutality and all forms of racism. Help us to learn and guide us towards an educated understanding and real empathy for those who have and who continue to suffer, in a way it is so hard for many of us to comprehend.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer
Let us give thanks for all of our emergency services, care givers, and essential workers that keep us going through good times and bad. Let us pray for those that care for others and let us pray for the sick, we pray especially today for Julia Holboro, Annie Kunz, Gill Risso-Gill, Luci Mitchell-Fry, Joan Pritchard,
Johanna Procter, Kevin Willoughby, andMax Weston.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer
We pray for those that mourn, and may God grant them the ever-lasting strength of faith and courage. Let us pray especially for those in our community that have died, we remember today Mary Smith, John Axell, Pattie Johnson, Norma Williams, Rex Thorne, Gulam Abu Saleh, and Barbara Edwards.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer
Lord, grant us the serenity to find and create happiness in ourselves, and those around us. We ask for the strength to share the love of God to bring us all closer together in understanding and fellowship.
Merciful Father, accept these prayers for the sake of your Son Our Saviour Jesus Christ, Amen.
And now we give you thanks, most gracious God, holy and undivided Trinity:
because your have given us the light of the knowledge of God in the face of Jesus Christ,
that we may grow into your likeness and be changed from glory to glory. Therefore with angels
and archangels and with all the company of heaven, we sing for ever 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.
Blessing
The love of the Lord Jesus draw you to himself, the power of the Lord Jesus strengthen you in his service, the joy of the Lord Jesus fill your hearts; 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.
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord. In the name of Christ. Amen.
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:
Brothers and sisters, as we prepare to celebrate, let us call to mind our sins.
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
O God, the strength of all those who put their trust in you, mercifully accept our prayers and, because through the weakness of our mortal nature we can do no good thing without you, grant us the help of your grace, that in the keeping of your commandments we may please you both in will and deed through Jesu Christ your Son our Lord. Amen.
Our readings today have been recorded for us by Euan, Callum and Paula Brackenridge
Exodus 19: 1-8
Exodus audio
On the first day of the third month after the Israelites left Egypt—on that very day—they came to the Desert of Sinai. 2 After they set out from Rephidim, they entered the Desert of Sinai, and Israel camped there in the desert in front of the mountain. 3 Then Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: 4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, 6 you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.” 7 So Moses went back and summoned the elders of the people and set before them all the words the Lord had commanded him to speak. 8 The people all responded together, “We will do everything the Lord has said.” So Moses brought their answer back to the Lord. 9 The Lord said to Moses, “I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear me speaking with you and will always put their trust in you.” Then Moses told the Lord what the people had said.
This is the Word of the Lord Thanks be to God
Romans 5: 1-8
Romans audio
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. 6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John
Glory to you, O Lord.
Matthew 9: 35- 10:8
Matthew audio
Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. 2 These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. 5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. 6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. 7 As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
Sermon – Michael Tonkin
Sermon audio
You will all know by now that Kew Gardens are once more open to visit, which is great news. Carolyn and I have visited twice and our first visit was, for both of us, the furthest we have been since March and the start of the ‘lockdown’. It is fair to say we were a little apprehensive at this first ‘long distant’ outing, and a little unsure how the ‘outside world’ would be and seem after so long out of public view.
I feel sure that those twelve disciples would have had the same anxieties on being sent out by Jesus on their own to proclaim, “The kingdom of heaven has come near.” as we have just heard in today’s Gospel reading. They were just everyday folk, not great evangelists, they depended on Jesus for guidance, leadership and reassurance, to think of going out, even among their own people, must have indeed seemed very daunting
But were they actually on their own? We are told that Jesus “gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness.” Surely this power that was instilled in them was that of The Holy Spirit, and would work through them, by that power granted to them all by Jesus.
Probably, the one thing that the disciples did need was faith; faith in the one who had called them out of their everyday lives, the one who had that great power of healing, understanding, gentleness and love, Jesus Christ. That same faith that Paul wrote about to the young church community in Rome:
“Since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God.” “Sharing the glory of God” as those twelve disciples were to do, with the power instilled in them by Jesus.
I wonder how many of us, gathered as we are, hope to go out later today, or even during this coming week in the hope and desire “of sharing the glory of God“?
It is, if we are honest, one of those things that in theory sound great, but actually in practice often slips us by. That is not to say that we won’t be good Christians in the way we behave, or in the many good acts of help and kindness we may do. But how often are those acts ended by words like, “may God go with you”? Interestingly, the lady who used to be outside Tesco Express in Kew village before this Pandemic, selling the Big Issue, would always thank God for your kindness when one bought a copy of the magazine, or even bless you when she saw you walking by. Perhaps she was a worshiper of a different faith, yet with the same universal God? We are all, at times, far better at being Christians than actually proclaiming it!
It has been an interesting observation nationwide, how many more people are actually happy attending Zoom Services, in these times we are living in, than would actually turn out for a Sunday Service in church. There is maybe a certain feeling of security and distancing from being in ones own surroundings, of being part of something without fully committing to it. After all, one has only to press the button to escape, no filing past the vicar or excusing oneself from coffee.
We are so lucky that in this country we can live our Christian lives without the fear of persecution, which is not the case in so many other parts of the world. Those twelve disciples, in the years ahead, would face in many cases persecution and death, as did the Apostle Paul and many more in that young church in Rome. Paul writes of the suffering that new followers of Christ would have to bear, but as he wrote, “suffering produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.”
“God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.”
That fact is as true today as it was when Paul wrote to the church in Rome. We today have that same Holy Spirit within us as we go about our daily lives. Maybe, we should all have the courage and excitement to let that gift of the Holy Spirit be apparent and known to those we meet? For as the psalmist wrote in today’s Psalm 100:
“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and bless his name.
For the Lord is gracious; his steadfast love is everlasting, and his faithfulness endures from generation to generation.” Amen.
Prayers – with thanks to Diane Morris
Prayers audio
Let us pray for the whole Church of God in Christ Jesus. Give those who lead us vision, wisdom and understanding. We pray for Pastor Peter, Readers Richard and Michael, and all who are making our worship possible. Give them compassion, wisdom and the mind of Christ. Let us celebrate today that the Church will soon be open for individual prayer, while we continue with the innovative use of technology to bring us all together. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Grant that we and all who confess thy name be united in thy truth, live together in thy love, and go forth in the world. O eternal Son of God, who came from the Father, the fountain of light, to enlighten the darkness of the world, shine upon us today that in whatever we do shall reflect your light, for your Name’s sake.In this time of uncertainty about the future, we pray for strength, we pray that your Spirit is with us.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Let us pray for the needs of the world, for peace in the Middle East, in Sudan, Libya, and the Yemen; with Covid-19 infections rising in Latin America and in Bangledesh, India and Pakistan where people are struggling for help.The legacy of George Floyd has inspired protests all over the world and sparked global soul searching.Let us pray for amicable solutions, understanding and compassion. Let us pray for stability at home , for our political leaders and their advisors at a time of fear and uncertainty We pray for our country, may people of whatever creed or colour enjoy the same freedom and respect, with justice being upheld for all. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Give grace to us, our families and friends, and too all our neighbours in Christ, that we may serve him in one another, and love as he loves us. Forgive our enemies, and help us to forgive, as we hope to be forgiven. Let us be aware of the lonely, the neglected and unloved, especially those in these times who find themselves isolated.Let us celebrate the ‘social bubble’ of the single household, which will bring comfort to many. We pray for all those missing school, those who are worried about their jobs and their financial future and ask that they are not forgotten. Let us pray for all our family and friends throughout the world.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Let us pray for the sick. We pray today for Alan Hay, Julia Holboro, Annie Kunz, Luci Mitchell – Fry, Joan Pritchard, Johanna Procter,Kevin Willoughby and Max Weston.
Let us give thanks to all the medical help and the carers, professional and voluntary.
God our Father, who is the source of all life and health, all strength and peace: Teach us to know you truly; take from us all that hinders the work of your healing power; all our sins, all our anxieties and fears, all resentment and hardness of heart; and help us to learn to enter stillness and peace with you, and to know that you are our healer and redeemer; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Save and comfort those who suffer, that they may hold through good and ill, and trust in thy unfailing love.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer
Grant, O Lord, to all who are bereaved, for those families who relatives have passed away. Give them the spirit of faith and courage, that they may have strength to meet the days to come with steadfastness and patience; not sorrowing as those without hope, but in thankful remembrance of your great goodness in past years, and in the sure expectation of the joyful reunion in heavenly places: and this we ask in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. We remember today Gulam Abu Saleh,Mary Smith, John Axell, Joy Dyer, Pattie Johnson, Norma Williams and Rex Thorne
Hear us as we remember those who have died in faith, and grant them a share in thy eternal kingdom.
Merciful Father: accept these prayers,for the sake of thy Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. AMEN
And now we give you thanks, most gracious God, holy and undivided Trinity:
because your have given us the light of the knowledge of God in the face of Jesus Christ,
that we may grow into your likeness and be changed from glory to glory. Therefore with angels
and archangels and with all the company of heaven, we sing for ever 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.
Blessing
The love of the Lord Jesus draw you to himself, the power of the Lord Jesus strengthen you in his service, the joy of the Lord Jesus fill your hearts; and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen.
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord. In the name of Christ. Amen.
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:
Holy, holy, holy. When our eyes have seen the Lord of hosts, we echo the words of Isaiah, “Woe is me! I am doomed.” We long for the fire of God’s cleansing to touch our unclean lips for our iniquity to be removed and our sins wiped out. So we meet Father, Son and Holy Spirit with confession on our lips.
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
Holy God, faithful and unchanging: enlarge our minds with the knowledge of your truth, and draw us more deeply into the mystery of your love, that we may truly worship you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen
Isaiah 40: 12-17, 27-end
Isaiah reading
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance? Who can fathom the Spirit of the Lord, or instruct the Lord as his counselor? Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge, or showed him the path of understanding?
Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales; he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust. Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires, nor its animals enough for burnt offerings. Before him all the nations are as nothing; they are regarded by him as worthless and less than nothing.
Why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God”? Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
This is the Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
2 Corinthians 13: 11-end
Corinthians reading
Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All God’s people here send their greetings. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John
Glory to you, O Lord.
Matthew 28: 16-20
Matthew reading
Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
Sermon – Revd Canon Nicholas Darby– Revd Canon Nicholas Darby
Sermon audio
Thank you for inviting me to contribute to your worship this morning, Trinity Sunday.
Trinity Sunday is the only Sunday in the year which focuses on a doctrine rather than an event, when we’re encouraged to think a bit about the Christian understanding of God.
You might think that holding to a view of God as Trinity as complicating things unnecessarily or posing the main obstacle to shared understanding with Muslims and Jews. We may have some sympathy with the lady in Stevie Smith’s poem who dismissed God-talk as idle speculation. ‘ Mrs Simpkins, having nothing else to do, Decided that the Trinity wasn’t true, Or at least but a garbled version of the truth And that things had moved on since the days of her youth’.
Well, it is important, and today, Trinity Sunday, we try to summarise what we can say about God, the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. It’s an impossible yet necessary task. It is necessary for at least 3 reasons. First, our belief about God is not simply a matter of opinion, it is about truth. It seems to me that the best and ultimately the only reason for being a Christian is because we believe it to be true. Our faith may make us better people;it may bring comfort, it may be enjoyable, but the only satisfying reason is because it is true. Otherwise religion becomes privatised, as we say today, no more than of personal opinion – I can follow my God, while you follow yours – and we know what disasters, distortions and terrors that can lead to. The Christian faith has a particular understanding of God – Trintarian which distinguishes us from the other great Abrahamic faiths -0 Judaism and Islam. We do people of other faiths a disservice- and indeed ourselves if we say that all religions are the same, and ignore our differences.
Second, our understanding of God must have some continuity with the God of the Bible and the first Christians- their God and our God is essentially the same ( which is why the say the creed week by week. ‘ We believe in one God’ ‘ We believe in one Lord Jesus Christ’. ‘We believe in the Holy Spirit’.Together as part of the church, we embrace for ourselves a list of beliefs that point to truths which no words may encompass. We read the signposts pointing us in the right direction towards God, and away from concepts that might lead us astray or leave us with a distorted idea of who he is.
Belief about the Trinity didn’t fall as some fully formed philosophical concept from the deliberations of a working party of theologians. It came out of the prayers and reflections of a community of faith over several centuries – ordinary people who encountered God in their lives – an experience which at times was deeply held and sometimes fiercely defended.
The early Christians came to understand that with Jesus- and his risen life, that had experienced a little of the Kingdom of God. Jesus showed the human face of God himself, But it didn’t stop there. The New Testamentparticularly the Acts of the Apostles tell us that even after Jesus’ acension they still knew the presence of God with them, guiding their life and work together, enabling, empowering and enlivening them – as the spirit of God in their midst. Their God is our God!
Today’s scripture readings hint at how the idea of the Trinity is beginning to emerge – it’s there implicitly in both the epistle and the gospel. ‘ Jesus takes his leave of the disciples at the Ascension with these words;” Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the holy Spirit’. And in the epistle, P:all signs of his letter to the Corinthians with that formula which the church has used ever since.: “ the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you’.
And thirdly, the Trinity is important because it gives us a precious insight into God’ nature. God is love and so at the heart of God himself is relationship – mutuality, community, a giving and receiving . Unity, yes, but not static, its dynamic – the Father ( giving love), Jesus ( receiving love ) and the spirit communicating love. Thinking of God in this way enriches our understanding of his nature. God isn’t an object – he is love, which implies movement, community, relationship.
But all this remains rather abstract unless it connects with us. And the connection is this – Jesus relationship with God is opened up to us too.We are invited to join in the relationship of love that flows within the life of god himself. These things are more effectively conveyed by metaphor, analogy, or visually rather than words alone., and here is one well-known exampleRublev’s icon of the Trinity. ( clear relationship between the three persons, open at the front drawing the viewer, you and me to participate in the life of the Trinity)
I have suggested why the idea of the Trinity is important for us. I haven’t explained the Trinity – but I don’t think it isn’t a matter for explaining. It is a mystery – a truth which in the end we can only contemplate and worship.
Prayers – with thanks to Michael Tonkin
Prayers audio
The mystery of God, Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier, is beyond our human understanding, yet closer to us than breathing.
Let us pray for the Church throughout the world, for those of other faiths and beliefs. May the power of the Holy Spirit help to break down barriers between different peoples allowing the love of God to bring us all closer together in understanding and fellowship.
Lord in your mercy…. hear our prayer.
We pray for the Power of the Holy Spirit to allow us to see the world and its needs and problems through the eyes of love, hope, justice and mercy; for the grace to abandon prejudice and build bridges of reconciliation. We remember those Christians being persecuted and driven from their homes in so many parts of our world, because of their beliefs. We pray for the power of The Holy Spirit to bring peace and understanding in the Middle East, in Sudan, Libya, Yemen and between all warring factions.
Lord in your mercy…. hear our prayer.
We pray for our country, may all people of whatever creed or colour enjoy the same freedom and respect, with justice being upheld for all. May our Politians also look beyond their own party political wellbeing to the good of the whole country and those they are meant to represent. As we hopefully move slowly out of the grip of the coronavirus may our prayers be directed to those parts of the world where this Pandemic is still at it’s worst and many third world countries struggle to contain it.
Lord in your mercy…hear our prayer.
We ask for a spirit of loving-kindness to fill our homes. May those children now allowed back to nurseries and schools do so in a spirit of excitement and enjoyment in a safe environment. We also pray for those children still left at home where learning opportunities are not always easy. Encourage us all in an outgoing spirit of love, and let us all be aware of the lonely, the neglected and the unloved, especially those in these times who find themselves isolated at home without family or friends at hand.
Lord in your mercy…. hear our prayer.
We pray for the power of the Holy Spirit to restore those who are sick to wholeness and wellbeing. For courage and patience in all who are suffering, and understanding and kindness for all who are called to care and look after those in need. For all our Nurses and Doctors in the NHS and all those carers in many different environments.
We pray especially today for Alan Hay, Julia Holboro, Annie Kunz, Luci Mitchell-Fry, Joan Pritchard, Johanna Procter, Kevin Willoughby and Max Weston.
Lord in your mercy…..hear our prayer
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We pray for those who walk the dark journey of death and all who mourn and are distressed or angry with God for their loss. May those who mourn be comforted with our Lord’s promise that all those who ‘die in Christ’ are now at rest in the peace and joy of heaven. We remember today Mary Smith, John Axell, Joy Dyer, Pattie Johnson, Norma Williams and Rex Thorne.
Lord in your mercy…. hear our prayer.
We ask for a deeper knowledge and love of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the One God, who knows and loves us completely.
Merciful Father, accept these prayers for the sake of your Son Our Saviour Jesus Christ, Amen.
And now we give you thanks, most gracious God, holy and undivided Trinity:
because your have given us the light of the knowledge of God in the face of Jesus Christ,
that we may grow into your likeness and be changed from glory to glory. Therefore with angels
and archangels and with all the company of heaven, we sing for ever 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.
Blessing
May the Spirit, who hovered over the waters when the world was created, breathe into you the life he gives. Amen.
May the Spirit, who overshadowed Mary when the eternal Son came among us, make you joyful in the service of the Lord. Amen.
May the Spirit, who set the Church on fire upon the day of Pentecost, bring the world alive with the love of the risen Christ. Amen.
And the blessing of God almight, the +Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, be with you and those you love, today and always. Amen.
Filled with the Spirit’s power, go in the light and peace of Christ. Alleluia!
Our worship together is in the name of the + Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you:
and also with you.
Jesus Christ, whom we worship, is our crucified, risen and ascended Lord and we have walked with him through his journey of love. We have faced the agony of his suffering and death on the cross. We have rejoiced at his bursting free from the bonds of death. We have enjoyed his risen presence with us and his revelation of himself through the breaking of bread. We have seen his return to the throne before which every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that this Jesus is Lord. And now, with the followers of his own time, we await the coming of the promised Holy Spirit, his gift to his people, through whom we make Christ known to the world.
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:
The Spirit of Truth will convict the world of guilt about sin, righteousness and judgement. We have grieved the Holy Spirit, so we 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 that the Spirit will work through our lives to bring Christ to the world.
Holy Spirit, sent by the Father, ignite in us your holy fire: strengthen your children with the gift of faith, revive your Church with the breath of love, and renew the face of the earth, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Acts 2: 1-21
When the day of Pentecost came, the disciples were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” 13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.” 14 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. 15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 “‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. 19 I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. 20 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. 21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
This is the Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
1 Corinthians 12: 3-13
Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. 4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. 7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John
Glory to you, O Lord.
John 20: 19-23
On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
Sermon
We have waited a long time for this day. We started back in December, on Advent Sunday, when the great season of waiting begins with a church empty of decoration and a stripped-back liturgy. The promise of God to humanity then grows as the seasons roll from one to the other: first a son is born, then he is baptised and presented to the world as Messiah, only for him to take us into the wilderness for 40 days of self-denial and self-examination. Then come suffering, betrayal, rejection and death on a cross, and burial in a stranger’s tomb. We have celebrated his resurrection, we have wondered at his Ascension and now we come to the fulfilment of yet another promise – the gift of the Holy Spirit. However, just like all the other fulfilments, this one is more than a little strange.
At the top of your liturgy today is a modern Russian icon for Pentecost. It shows in stylized form 10 of the disciples, heads surrounded with haloes, each one holding a flame within it. Four of these saints are holding books – who might they be? One is holding a scroll – who is he? They look this way and that, amazed at what they are experiencing and seeing on each other. Is this how you envisaged the event, as it was read to us this morning? The “violent wind” is a little difficult to portray in such a static representation, maybe, and the interior of the room is very Russian Orthodox in character, but the purpose of an icon is not for us to look at its surface but to pass through the depiction of saints receiving the Holy Spirit to the very presence of God himself. It is like George Herbert’s idea of glass – we can simply look at the piece of glass in the window frame, or look through it “and then the heav’n espy.” Look again at the icon. It is full of human emotion, despite the very still faces and vague gestures, but the radiating lines on the floor and the walls of the room lead us upwards, between the gathered saints, to God. Our eyes are carried up and through the drapery beyond the stage to the reality of the divine.
Pentecost not only leads us upwards to God, though: it is designed to lead us outwards, to the rest of the world. Chris Lynch did a magnificent job with reading all the places from which the crowd in Jerusalem had gathered, so I thought it would be a good idea to find out where they are. I don’t know if you like early evening game shows on TV, but Richard Osman’s House of Games on BBC2 has a round called, “Where’s Kazakhstan?”, during which contestants have to identify towns or venues on a blank map. So here is a map of the Mediterranean world at the time of Pentecost. I have therefore renamed this, “Where’s Cappadocia?”. The green sections at the top represent the barbarian hordes. The red sections are the Roman Empire, the pink are client kingdoms of Rome, and the yellow area is the Parthian Empire, but important, because the Jewish Diaspora, which is fully represented in Luke’s account of Pentecost, goes as far as ancient Babylon – many families stayed there, and are still there, after the Babylonian Exile in the 7th Century BC.
Where did all these people come from? Answer, just about every corner of the Roman world. You can see that from Rome in the west to the land of Elam in the east, from Pontus by the Black Sea to Libya and Egypt in the south, faithful Jews had travelled to fill the Temple on this particular festival – fifty days after Passover, and the first of the barley harvest celebrations. Remember, these are Jews who live outside Israel, in Jerusalem for worship. The disciples making a cacophanous racket, first thing in the morning, would have drawn the crowd, and Peter’s words to them about the Messiah and the gift of the Holy Spirit would have struck a chord with all those who longed for the Messiah’s coming.
I want us now to look at a different sort of picture: Babel, by Pieter Bruegel the Elder. The half-finished skyscraper as imagined by Bruegel comes from the story in Genesis 11, when the people on earth rebelled against God and built a tower to reach up to heaven to take God down and replace him with themselves. God confounds their plans, and scatters them across the globe, confusing their languages, so that they could no long understand each other when they meet. A fine mythological account of diversity of speech, you would rightly say, but why bring it up here?
Because Luke wants us to make that connection. Here in Jerusalem are people from all round the world, who all speak different languages, suddenly able to understand one person who is speaking to them, in the power of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost has started the process of healing Babel. Our scattered peoples are being brought back together into one people, the people of God, by the gift of the Holy Spirit. Just as Christ’s 12 apostles will rebuild the Israel of God as a people who do not need a temple in Jerusalem but can worship him anywhere, so the Holy Spirit will use those 12 apostles to re-unite in one voice the peoples of the world in the worship of God and the service of others. For Luke, the Church is the new creation, the redemption of Adam, the recreation of the Garden of Eden. And just as the Spirit was present at the creation of the world (Genesis 1:1), so the Holy Spirit is present as that process of re-unification gets under way on the day of Pentecost.
We are scattered through Kew and elsewhere because of a deadly virus, shut up in our homes, locked out of our churches. Yet we are brought together as we worship, our language is united as the Spirit pours through us, our prayers are united as we share our common desires and concerns for those we love and for all God’s world.
To mark that unity, and that challenge to take that unity of love and care out from ourselves and into the world to heal it and recreate it, we will finish with a mass candle lighting session. I hope you have candles and matches, as we will shine out with the light of Christ, and dare to take it out into a frightening and as yet unknown world. We, God’s united people, will have to help rebuild it after lockdown. We, God’s united people, will be those who will call for the grace, mercy and generosity that have been demonstrated at local level so powerfully through this lockdown, to be made permanent in government social policy, health policy, housing policy, transport policy, employment policy, tax policy – you name it, what we have engineered and prayed for through this time of lockdown has to be made a permanent feature of our reconstructed society, and the Holy Spirit will lead us in that effort. We are not alone, we are united in God, through the Holy Spirit who binds us to him for ever. Alleluia!
Prayers – with thanks to Harriet Grace
On this Sunday of Pentecost when the disciples were filled with the holy spirit and spoke in tongues, and the crowds outside heard them speaking in their own languages, let us dwell on what this means: the idea that through the disciples, God was reaching out to each one of us, and that we were special enough to be spoken to in a language we would understand. Lord in your mercy hear our prayer…
In this pandemic time of uncertainty about the future we pray for strength to live with not knowing. There are so many things we cannot know. We are being tested in a way we may not have imagined possible. We may find it hard to cope; it may feel unbearable. We pray that your spirit is within us and we can believe you are there; and never feel cut off from your loving presence. Lord in your mercy hear our prayer…
As we come to the end of week ten and lockdown starts easing, we pray for all those who are ill with the Coronavirus at home or in hospital and ask for their quick and full recovery. We pray for their loved ones who may be isolated from them and are living in anguish. Help us to stay with what is happening now and offer our support where we can. We pray that we remember those with underlying conditions or with disabilities who may die when they did not need to; for those who have been self-isolating and have not seen another person for weeks and are now fearful of doing so; for the woman I saw on Thursday who stood at a social distance and told me she was homeless and asked for money. I had none and felt helpless, suspicious and fearful. Grant us your healing love. Lord in your mercy hear our prayer…
We pray for the schools and nurseries who this week will open their doors to some of their pupils and infants. We pray in particular for Queen’s School and for the Barn Nursery and all the teachers and staff who with courage, planning, and foresight are making this possible. We pray that this will safely enhance the lives of all involved and will be a stepping stone to a world where children and students can learn and grow together again. We pray for all those worried about their jobs and their financial future and ask that they are not forgotten; and that our attempt to get back to a new normal will continue successfully.
Lord in your mercy hear our prayer…
We thank you for all the good things during this time, that can feel like miracles: the key workers in hospitals – the doctors, the nurses, the cleaners who go in at dawn every day to make hospitals safe, the cleaner at the Royal London Hospital who spoke to Clive Myrie on BBC news and who radiated a spirit of giving. We pray for care workers and thank them for their loving attention, including my granddaughter, who has had mental health issues and who has been working successfully in homes looking after the elderly and has found healing. We thank you for all that we may have learned at this time right down to the Zoom technology and the App required to record these prayers. We thank you for the blessing of sunshine, flickering shadows and light pouring on to us day after day. Lord in your mercy hear our prayer…
We pray for all those who are sick in mind, body or spirit and all those caring for them. In particular: Alan Hay, Julia Holboro, Annie Kunz, Luci Mitchell-Fry, Joan Pritchard, Johanna Procter, Kevin Willoughby, Max Weston
We pray for those who have died and for all those left behind mourning their loss. In particular: John Axell, Joy Dyer, Pattie Johnson, Norma Williams, Rex Thorne, and for those known to us who have died recently and not so recently. Lord in your mercy hear our prayer…
We thank Peter and all at The Barn and St Luke’s who work hard to bring the church to the congregation in their homes, and pray for us all.
Merciful Father, accept these prayers for the sake of your Son Our Saviour Jesus Christ, Amen.
God has made us one in Christ. He has set his seal upon us and, as a pledge of what is to come, has given us the Spirit to dwell in our hearts. Alleluia.
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, through Jesus Christ our Lord. We give you thanks that, after he had ascended far above all heavens and was seated at the right hand of your majesty, he sent forth upon the universal Church your holy and life-giving Spirit: that through his glorious power the joy of the everlasting gospel might go forth into all the world. Therefore we join with angels and archangels and with all those in whom the Spirit dwells, to proclaim the glory of your name, for ever praising you and saying:
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.
Blessing of Light – please light your candle at this moment
Blessed are you, sovereign God, overflowing in love. With Pentecost dawns the age of the Spirit. Now the flame of heaven rests on every believer. Strong and weak, women and men tell out your word: the young receive visions, the old receive dreams. With the new wine of the Spirit they proclaim your reign of love. Amid the birth pangs of the new creation the way of light is made known. Source of freedom, giver of life, Blessed are you, +Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Blessed be God for ever.
Commission
For fifty days we have celebrated the victory of our Lord Jesus Christ over the power of sin and death. We have proclaimed God’s might acts and we have prayed that the power that was at work when God raised Jesus from the dead might be at work in us. As part of God’s Church here in Kew, I call upon you to live out what you proclaim.
Empowered by the Holy Spirit, will you dare to walk into God’s future, trusting him to be your guide?
By the Spirit’s power, we will
Will you dare to embrace each other and grow together in love?
By the Spirit’s power, we will
Will you dare to share your riches in common and minister to each other in need?
By the Spirit’s power, we will
Will you dare to pray for each other until your hearts beat with the longings of God?
By the Spirit’s power, we will
Will you dare to carry the light of Christ into the world’s dark places?
By the Spirit’s power, we will
Blessing
May the Spirit, who hovered over the waters when the world was created, breathe into you the life he gives. Amen.
May the Spirit, who overshadowed Mary when the eternal Son came among us, make you joyful in the service of the Lord. Amen.
May the Spirit, who set the Church on fire upon the day of Pentecost, bring the world alive with the love of the risen Christ. Amen.
And the blessing of God almight, the +Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, be with you and those you love, today and always. Amen.
Filled with the Spirit’s power, go in the light and peace of Christ. Alleluia!
Picture: The Ascension of Christ, on an added leaf in the Galba Psalter, Reims (France), 1st quarter of the 9th century (additions England, 1st half of the 10th century):
Audio service
Our worship together is in the name of the + Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you:
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 has gone up on high, leading captivity captive and bringing gifts to us. As we prepare ourselves to meet him here in the courts of heaven, let us call to mind our many failures and sins.
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
O God the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son, Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven: we beseech you, leave us not comfortless, but send your Holy Spirit to strengthen us and exalt us to the place where our Saviour Christ is gone before, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Acts 1: 6-14
Then the disciples gathered around Jesus and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city. When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.
This is the Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
1 Peter 4: 12-14; 5: 6-11
Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John
Glory to you, O Lord.
John 17: 1-11
Jesus looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one.
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
Sermon from Richard Austen
Sermon
Today’s Gospel is a plea from Jesus to God himself on our behalf, demonstrating yet again his care for his people. But today I want to focus more on the Epistle. Peter is talking about the sufferings Christians will undergo for the sake of Jesus and, it has to be said, that a lot of what he says could be interpreted for the sufferings people are going though in a different form at present. “Do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you”; “Your brothers and sisters throughout the World are undergoing the same kinds of suffering” and, almost echoing the Government, “Keep – or stay – alert”!
While researching this sermon I came across some words from Malcolm Muggeridge, the journalist and broadcaster who died in 1990. Some of us may remember him and recall that he was a man who changed from being a Communist and agnostic to being an enthusiastic advocate for Christ. In an interview towards the end of his life Muggeridge said: “As an old man, looking back on one’s life, it’s one of the things that strikes me most forcibly – that the only thing that’s taught me anything is suffering. Not success, not happiness, not anything like that. The only thing that really teaches one what life’s about is suffering”. He was probably right about that. Do we learn very much about the important things in life from good health, happy days, money in the bank, and good fortune. We enjoy and value those things, but maybe we don’t learn so much from them. It seems that we all have to encounter some form of hardship or misery to learn the lessons God has for us.
This is a theme that runs through 1 Peter. Suffering is inevitable and we have lessons to be learned from it. Peter urges us to respond to suffering in a godly fashion. There are perhaps four things we can learn from this today:
Firstly, hard times develop our character
Discipleship is tough. Suffering is part of the Christian life, even painful suffering. Believers in some other parts of the world understand this better than we do. I have referred before to Release International, which campaigns for persecuted Christians throughout the World. It was founded fifty years or more ago as the Christian Mission to the Communist World, by Richard Wurmbrand, a Romanian Pastor who spent many years in prison because of his faith. As the scope of this organisation widened to support Christians in many different countries, from Pakistan to Iran, India to Nigeria and many others, the name was changed. But the theme was the same – supporting those who were suffering for their faith in Jesus. It would be true to say that living for Christ is the best life you can have, but an integral part of it is suffering in one form or another. However, most of us probably don’t think that way. We are surprised when trials come, how they come, and where they come from. We think we do not deserve them. But when they do happen, we probably emerge from them as stronger, better and more understanding individuals.
Secondly, hard times bring us closer to God.
By suffering for his name’s sake, we participate in Jesus’s own sufferings and become closer to him and are blessed by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Many in the World do not love him, in fact some actively hate him, which is why Christians are persecuted and martyred today and have been since the beginnings of our faith. So, when we suffer for him, we find blessing. Our sufferings join us with Jesus in a way that nothing else can. Peter wants us to understand that nothing moves us closer to Christ than when we go through hard times. It’s not that suffering in and of itself brings us to Christ; it’s what suffering does to us and in us. When we are at rock bottom, that is when we cry out to God for help. Many of us can identify with that well-known story about the footprints in the sand. At first there were two sets of footprints—ours and the Lord’s. Then there was only one set. And when we asked God why he left us alone when we needed him most, he replied, “When you saw only one set of footprints was when I carried you.” God intends that our hard times should move us from where we are to where Christ is.
Thirdly, suffering should lead to self-examination.
We need to look at ourselves seriously. Are we living our lives as Christ would have us do? Are we proud of being a Christian? There are plenty of people out there who will make fun of us for being Christians and are we a little inclined to hide our faith for fear of mockery or rejection or being thought a little weird? Are we trying to avoid the suffering of being a Christian for fear of the reaction of others? Peter’s answer to that is clear: “Do not be ashamed.” Peter had known shame himself on the night before the crucifixion, when he denied Christ three times. He was ashamed of that and he was keen that other Christians should not go through such shame, but instead that they should be proud and confident in the name of Jesus.
Fourthly, suffering can teach us to trust God in new ways.
Suffering can make you stronger. That perhaps is a different experience for different people, but whatever else, it will certainly make you more experienced and perhaps more understanding of the problems of others. And sometimes it can make us realise that we cannot handle everything on our own. Instead of trying to work out how to solve our own problems, we need to trust in God, to cast all our anxiety on him, because he cares for us. What a wonderful instruction and relief.
So to summarise: We are loved by God; Suffering for Christ brings us closer to him; We must never be ashamed of Jesus; God uses suffering to strengthen us; We must commit our lives to God and continue to serve him. Never be surprised by hard times. Never be ashamed of Jesus and never fail to put your trust in God, who uses suffering to help us grow and make us better Christians. Hallelujah!
Teach us Good Lord to serve thee as thou deservest: To give and not to count the cost; To fight and not to heed the wounds; To toil and not to seek for rest; To labour and not to ask for any reward save the joy of knowing that we do thy will. Amen
Dear Lord, we miss seeing our friends from church and the loss of the routine of church services particularly over Easter had a profound effect on all of us. We are so grateful to Peter Hart and the Parish Office for arranging services on Zoom so that we can see and hear how our friends are keeping under lockdown. We pray for good health for everyone wherever they live and in every parish in London, especially this borough of Richmond.
Lord in your mercy, Hear our prayer
We are all extremely grateful to the NHS for excellent care all our lives and now with all the hard work over the Corona virus they have truly excelled and deserve all the new clinics and hospitals which we hope they will get thanks to the money raised by Sir Tom and many others. We pray that very soon there will be no more deaths of both patients and staff from the virus. Lord in your mercy Hear our prayer
Dear Lord we pray for all our schools which have had to close at this time and that the boys and girls are enjoying time at home with school work coming in on-line in the morning and playtime in the afternoon. We pray for all the teachers especially Mary Noyes, Jane Corpetti and Diana Ormond and all others known to us who are longing to come back and start the next lessons. Lord in your mercy Hear our prayer
We pray for all those people who are very ill with other physical and mental issues and need the constant care of doctors and nurses in hospital as well as in the home with families and carers, keep them close in your loving arms O Lord and give them all the strength they need to face the future. We think especially of: Alan Hay, Julia Holboro, Annie Kunz, Luci Mitchell-Fry, Joan Pritchard, Johanna Procter, Kevin Willoughby, Max Weston
Lord in your mercy Hear our prayer
We pray for those who alas are no longer with us but live with you in heaven. Mary Smith, John Axell, Joy Dyer, Revd Peter Holmes, Pattie Johnson, Norma Williams, Rex Thorne May they rest in peace and rise in glory. We also remember with sadness and joy Nigel Blake, as the anniversary of his death falls this Wednesday. Lord in your mercy Hear our prayer
Merciful Father, accept these prayers for the sake of your Son Our Saviour Jesus Christ, Amen.
The Peace
God has made us one in Christ. He has set his seal upon us and, as a pledge of what is to come, has given us the Spirit to dwell in our hearts. Alleluia.
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, through Jesus Christ our Lord. For he is our great high priest who has entered once for all in to the heavenly sanctuary, evermore to pour upon your Church the grace and comfort of your Holy Spirit. He is the one who has gone before us, who calls us to be united in prayer as were his disciples in the upper room while they awaited his promised gift, the life-giving Spirit of Pentecost. Therefore all creation yearns with eager longing as angels and archangels sing the endless 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.
May the Spirit, who hovered over the waters when the world was created, breathe into you the life he gives. Amen.
May the Spirit, who overshadowed Mary when the eternal Son came among us, make you joyful in the service of the Lord. Amen.
May the Spirit, who set the Church on fire upon the day of Pentecost, bring the world alive with the love of the risen Christ. Amen.
And the blessing of God almight, the +Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, be with you and those you love, today and always. Amen.
