St Clement Church Community Michael and All Angels Service

 

Good morning to you all as we celebrate the feast of Michael and All Angels. We will be holding our Eucharist service in church, if you’re unable to be with us in person I hope you join us with this service of the Word.  May Christ’s love sustain you always. 

With much love and prayers,

Rev Di and family xx

 

Let us pray;

Father in heaven, by his blood your Christ has ransomed us to you and has made us a kingdom and priests to you, our God. As the angels minister to you in heaven, strengthen your Church to serve you here on earth. Amen.

 

 

Hymn: 'Angel voices ever singing'

 

Our prayers of Penitence

We have come to Mount Zion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to myriads of angels, to God, the judge of all, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant.

Let us therefore confess our failings to the Lord:

 

When our deeds do not match our words:

Lord, have mercy.

When we let evil go unchallenged, and are afraid to speak the truth: Christ, have mercy.

When we are preoccupied with ourselves, and give little attention to others:

Lord, have mercy.

When we trust in earthly treasures more than in God’s unfailing care:

Christ, have mercy.

 

May our almighty and merciful Lord grant us pardon and forgiveness of all our failings, time for amendment of our lives and the grace and strength of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

 

Let us pray our Collect for the feast of Michael and All Angels

Everlasting God, you have ordained and constituted the ministries of angels and mortals in a wonderful order:

Grant that as your holy angels always serve you in heaven, so,

At your command, may they help and defend us on earth;

Through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. 

 

 Readings:

Genesis 28. 10-17

Revelation 12. 7-12

 

Hymn: ‘Father Hear the Prayer we Offer'

 

Gospel:  John (1. 47-end)

(Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John.  Response: ‘Glory to you O Lord.’)

 

When Jesus saw Nathanael coming towards him, he said of him, ‘Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!’ Nathanael asked him, ‘Where did you come to know me?’ Jesus answered, ‘I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.’ Nathanael replied, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!’ Jesus answered, ‘Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.’ And he said to him, ‘Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.’

 

(This is the Gospel of the Lord.  Response: ‘Praise to you, O, Christ’)

Reflection

Today is the feast of Michaelmas or St Michael and All Angels. And although it’s the feast day of St Michael the Archangel, he now shares his festival with the other named Archangels, Gabriel and Raphael.

St Michael is also one of the three patron saints of Cornwall, along with St Piran and St Petroc, and is the patron saint of fishermen, said to have protected mariners by guiding them to safety.

And as the date falls near to the equinox, the festival is also associated with the start of autumn in the northern hemisphere, and the autumn term of many British universities.

The Angel Michael is mentioned in the books of Daniel, Jude and Revelation in the Bible, as the leader of God's armies against Satan, but what are we to make of angels?

Here we are making a bit of a song and dance (well OK, not a dance - not quite, at St Clement's) about the feast of St Michael and all Angels, but why?

Well, traditionally it’s not only been an important day in the year for the church, but also for the secular world, as in the past Michaelmas was one of the quarter days when rents and tithes were paid, and the law term is still known as Michaelmas in some universities.

Such traditions are all well and good, but they don’t help us to understand about angels, do they? A lot of folk would deny that Angels even exist, but the Bible tells us pretty firmly they do.  Artists and hymn writers and poets, and those holy people who paint icons are quite sure they do.

And many religious faiths believe they do.

And even if folk think they don’t believe in angels, just try dropping; "Hark the Herald Angels sing" from the Christmas festivities and we'd be in serious trouble.

Let’s face it, angels are already appearing on some Christmas cards and suchlike in the shops, just in case they’re late for Christmas, as there are only three months to go!

But, sad to say, even if some universities still keep the Michaelmas term, Michaelmas has lost it's standing as a quarter day when business was transacted, so it’s fading from secular memory.

Even Marks & Spencer have downgraded St. Michael - maybe that's why they aren’t doing quite as well nowadays!

And even in some Churches, angels went out of favour in the 1960’s.

To those clergy who trained on certain theologies, (not me I might add) angels became an embarrassment and so were the first to go in the attempt to recover the historical Jesus, uncluttered by later myths.

Certainly, the popular image of winged creatures with harps can get in the way of proclaiming the faith, but just because the academics might be uncomfortable with the presence of angels, we shouldn’t dismiss the fact that Biblical tradition acknowledges their presence.

So what are angels? Angels make several appearances in Bible stories. Sometimes they’re human figures. Later in the Biblical tradition they’re portrayed as spiritual creatures. But the biblical writers were less concerned with what angels are, more with, what they do.

If you like expensive cars here is an easy way to remember - BMW.

B. Angels fight in the battle against evil. Revelation describes; 'war in heaven' when Satan was defeated by Michael the archangel.

And if you’ve been to Coventry Cathedral, you’ll have seen the famous image of St. Michael destroying Satan. It’s a powerful testimony to the hope that out of the evil and suffering of war comes the possibility of reconciliation.

It’s an image that strengthens our faith that we are not alone in adversity and that spiritual forces are standing with us against evil.

Going along with the BMW theme; M. Angels are God's messengers. Mary received the message that she was going to be the mother of Jesus from the Archangel Gabriel.

In the Old Testament, human beings who delivered a message from God were seen as angelic. Thus, we can say that one of those little nudges we get from time to time, perhaps that we ought to pursue a particular course of action, maybe to ring or go and see a particular person for instance, is a message from God, delivered by an angel.  Many a time that has happened to me, and I’ve found the person to be in need.

And lastly; W. Angels worship God. When we worship, we never do so alone. We always do so in the company of others, with saints and angels.

Some churches might only share the Eucharist with two people and a dog, but they also share it with the whole company of heaven, in our liturgy we can find many such references to angelic accompaniment, often obscured by familiarity.  Worship, giving God his worth, is as vital for us as it is the angels. Without it there is an empty gap.

More dangerously we can begin to worship something else, all the evil that life constantly throws at us.

Quite how we wish to interpret the Biblical stories of angels and our own experiences of them is a personal matter.

Some folk will hold a more literal interpretation than others. But what is important is that we hold fast to the spiritual reality of them.

We should remember that the angels share in a spiritual battle that Christ has already won, that angelic messengers point us to Christ and that angels share with us in the worship of Christ.

So have we seen any angels recently? If we’ve seen someone fighting a battle against evil, if we’ve received a life-changing message or help from a stranger, if we have shared in worship, then we have done so unawares. Amen.

 

 

Hymn; ‘'Dear Lord and Father of Mankind' 

 

Affirmation of our faith

Let us declare our faith in God.

We believe and trust in God the Father, source of all being and life, the one for whom we exist. 

We believe and trust in God the Son, who took our human nature,

died for us and rose again. 

We believe and trust in God the Holy Spirit, who gives life to the people of God and makes Christ known in the world. 

This is the faith of the Church. This is our faith.

We believe and trust in one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 

Amen.

 

Our Intercessions this week are written by Liz Davies

Father in heaven, on this, the Feast of St Michael and all angels,
we remember that Your Son promised to your children the care of the guardian angels who look upon your face. You give your angels charge over those who trust in you to guard them in all their ways.
The angels sing by day and night around your throne: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty.’
With Michael, prince of angels, who contends by your side; with Gabriel, your herald, who brings good tidings; with Raphael, the protector, who ministers your healing, and with the whole company of heaven we worship you,

we give you glory, we sing your praise and exalt you for ever.
Lord, hear us: Lord, graciously hear us.

Dear Lord, as we gather our thoughts in the quietness of this place, remind us that praying is also about being ready to listen. Sometimes You speak in wonders, unmistakable and clear; sometimes You speak in whispers, still and small and scarcely heard; sometimes You speak in silence breaking through our loud and noisy world.
May we remember when we struggle to think of what to say in our prayers, that if we are quiet and listen, we are praying.
Everlasting Lord, we come before You with our ‘baggage,’ our worries, our anxiety, and our fears. Some of us are tired, some of us are in pain, some are sad and some are angry; and so, as we place our burdens before You, help us to learn from You and to trust in You, so that in serving You we may find the rest that You have promised.

Lord, hear us: Lord, graciously hear us.

Lord, you call us to follow and warn us of the cost of discipleship. We pray for all people who seek to follow Your way in their lives. Let Your Church speak Your Word of truth with confidence and in unity so that those who are searching and listening will be able to see and hear clearly Your message of love and peace.
We pray for Archbishop Justin, Bishop Hugh and especially for Your blessing on our own much-loved Reverend Di – may she be given strength and comfort in all that she faces each day as she helps so many through the dark times of their lives.
Lord, we ask You to make the doors of this church wide enough to receive all who need human love and fellowship and Your loving care. May they be narrow enough to shut out all that creates discord or division.
We pray that what takes place in our worship and other activities here week by week may never be a stumbling block to those who gather here in Your name.
Lord, hear us: Lord, graciously hear us

Lord, we live in a troubled and dangerous world. We pray that the leaders of all nations will base their decisions on the law of justice and moral integrity that You have planted in every human heart. May they always put the needs of their peoples and the care of Your creation first and foremost.
May all nations be willing to live in peace with their neighbours and their borders.
We pray that all organisations that use violence and warfare to undermine national securities may put down their weapons and be willing to talk negotiation and peace.
May we all learn to be individuals who care for each other; who share with those less fortunate than ourselves; who offer the hand of friendship to those who are lonely; who help to calm troubled waters at times of dissent and disagreement and who are always willing to put others before ourselves.
Lord, hear us: Lord, graciously hear us

Gracious Lord, may Your love and compassion be sensed and felt by all who are sick, who are lonely, who are in torment, who are afraid; those who are poor and those who are oppressed. May all, in any kind of need, know the warmth of Your care and love.
We pray for all those who need our prayers at this time and ask your blessing on them, especially those known to us – Ken and Revd Diane, May, Susan, Lauren, Lynda, Terry and Dot, Margaret, Maureen, Pam and David, Barrie and Sandra, Michael and Patricia, Rob and Alison, Stella, Jeremy, William, Jane, Anita and Stephen, Callum and Elaine, Andy, Sue, Ann, Sue and Martin, Margaret and John, Brian and Nicola, Jane and all those who have no one to pray for them.
Lord, hear us: Lord, graciously hear us

Merciful Lord, we pray for all those whose earthly journey has come to an end. Welcome them into Your Heavenly Kingdom and grant them eternal peace. Comfort and sustain all those grieving for loved ones and may they know that they are never alone, we especially remember Jan and her family this week.
Lord, hear us: Lord, graciously hear us

Faithful Lord, be alongside us in the week ahead. May we always be willing to offer a helping hand to anyone in need, a kind word or smile to those we meet. Help us to be good-tempered and considerate, to be hard-working and diligent in all that we do; to never speak hastily and to always act kindly to those we love and especially to those we find it difficult to like.

 

Merciful Father: accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen

 

Gathering our prayers and praises into one, let us pray with confidence as Jesus taught us;

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.

 

Hymn; 'Ye Holy Angels Bright'

 

The Peace

Hear again the song of the angels:

‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace.’

May the peace of God be always with us.  Amen.

 

Blessing

May God keep us in the fellowship of his saints;

Christ protect us by the ministry of the angels;

The Spirit make us holy in God’s service;

And may the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among us, those whom we love, and remain with us always.  Amen.