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.
Hymn: Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgHrNNM23p8
Let us pray
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
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
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.
This is the Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
Hymn Taize chant: Laudate dominum https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwRMT2_pi9c
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John
Glory to you, O Lord.
Matthew 28: 16-20
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
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
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.
Hymn: Come ye faithful, raise the anthem https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QouTkHnFLzw
The Peace
Peace to you from God our heavenly Father.
Peace from his Son Jesus Christ, who is our peace.
Peace from the Holy Spirit, the life-giver.
The peace of the Lord be always with you: and also with you.
Be present, be present, Lord Jesus Christ, Our risen high priest;
Make yourself known in the breaking of bread
Hymn: I bind unto myself (St Patrick’s Breastplate) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAHbxF_bOOo
The Lord be with you
and also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give thanks and praise.
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!
Thanks be to God. Alleluia!
Hymn: Praise the Lord! Ye heavens adore him https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_v70rhDwfA