St Clement Church Community Sunday Service
Good morning to you all as we celebrate our service, the 11th Sunday after Trinity. I shall be taking our Eucharist service in church using our usual service booklets, if you’re unable to be with us in person I hope you will join us in worship at home 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;
Almighty God, you search us and know us: may we rely on your strength and rest on you in weakness, now and in all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Hymn: ‘New Every Morning is the Love’
Our prayers of Penitence
Let us recognise those failings in us that undermine relationships, and cause hurt to others…..
We confess the failings that bring hurt and betrayal upon those who trust us. Lord, have mercy.
We confess the failings that cause love to grow cold, and attitudes to harden. Christ, have mercy.
We confess the failings that impede the way to forgiveness and reconciliation. Lord, 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 11th Sunday after Trinity
God of Glory, the end of our searching, help us to lay aside all that prevents us from seeking your kingdom, and to give all that we have to gain the pearl beyond all price, through our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
Readings:
1 Kings 19. 4-8
Ephesians 4.25 – 5.2
Hymn; ‘Alleluia Sing to Jesus’
Gospel: John 6. 35, 41 - 51
(Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John.
Response: ‘Glory to you O Lord.’)
Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, ‘I am the bread that came down from heaven.’ They were saying, ‘Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, “I have come down from heaven”?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Do not complain among yourselves. No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. It is written in the prophets, “And they shall all be taught by God.” Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me.
Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.
I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.’
(This is the Gospel of the Lord. Response: ‘Praise to you, O, Christ’)
Reflection
A burglar was arrested and appeared before a judge. The judge found him guilty and before he sentenced the burglar, the judge asked him if he had anything to say in his defence. The burglar said, “Well, Your Honour, you know how it is. The more a man has, the more he wants”. The judge replied, “Is that so? Well, I tell you what I’m going to do.
I’m going to sentence you to 15 years in jail.
How many more would you like?”
But it does often seem as though the more people have, the more they want, they’re always hungry for more, so “The people are very hungry” could be the title of this sermon.
The Church Times recently published an article about the things and experiences very wealthy people are buying. Once they get their mansions, their limousines and their lifetime supply of money, you’d think they’d be happy, wouldn’t you? But it appears that even though they have all those luxuries, they still search for more. They’re booking trips on spacecraft, they’re booking morbid passages on deep-sea submersibles to visit the site of The Titanic, they hire someone to teach them how to drive a race car or fly a plane. We’re living right now in the midst of the greatest affluence the western, and parts of the eastern world has ever known.
In this country it seems that everywhere we look, luxurious homes are being built, so much so that there’s a shortage of housing for first-time buyers or families on low incomes. But we’re not only setting records for luxurious homes, we’re also setting records for crime, drug and alcohol dependency, the destruction of the countryside, and a whole host of other problems, including the recent riots in our towns and cities.
Many years ago, the politician Enoch Powell once said; ‘Under the rule of money, life will fall to its lowest value.” He also predicted what the future of this country would look like, but I shan’t go into that…….Food for thought indeed.
Some people may live in the utmost comfort, with not having to worry where the next meal is coming from,
unlike many of our pensioners who this winter will be making choices whether to heat a room in their home or eat a hot meal, but don’t start me off on that one either….
Money, however, certainly doesn’t solve all of life’s problems, we live surrounded by great wealth, but “the people are very hungry for more.” Millions of people around the world attend church on a Sunday morning. They do so for various reasons, perhaps they go out of habit, after all, it isn’t a bad habit to have. But I doubt that is the case, people come to church to be fed, we come because we have a need that nobody else, or nothing else, fills for us.
We come into the Lord’s presence to seek his blessing and to share communion at the Lord’s Table, we come because we are hungry.
Jesus knew something about hungry people, when he saw the hungry crowd on the mountainside, he fed them. He had only a poor little boy’s packed lunch, but in his hands that tiny amount of food fed thousands.
But Jesus also knew that we can fill our stomachs and still be hungry.
We can eat in the finest restaurant and not be satisfied, we can live in the most luxurious home and not know love, we can drive the most expensive car, and find ourselves going in the wrong direction.
There’s a verse in the Old Testament where Moses had called all the Israelites together and said, ‘’God humbled you, and allowed you to be hungry, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread only, but lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of God”
Hence telling them that they needed bread to eat, but also to thrive they needed the Word of God.
But folk nowadays don’t really have that same kind of regard for words, said or written. “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me,” we say. But words do hurt us. Some of our greatest pain comes from words, the truth is that “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can REALLY hurt me.”
But if words can hurt, they can also help us, there are countless stories of people whose lives were turned around by the right word from the right person at the right time. We’ve all experienced the power of words, gentle words soothe us, forgiving words heal us, encouraging words motivate us. If a word from a friend or loved one can save us, just imagine what a word from the Lord can do.
“Man does not live by bread only, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” It was by a word from God that the world was created, it is by the Word of God that we are fed.
And Jesus is that Word. We read in John 14; “The Word became flesh and lived among us.’’ Jesus is God’s gentle Word, Jesus is God’s forgiving Word, Jesus is God’s encouraging Word, Jesus is God’s saving Word.
In our Gospel lesson today, Jesus puts it this way, he says, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will not be hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty” Just as we make bread from wheat to fill our stomachs, God made bread from flesh to fill our souls. When Jesus said, “I am the bread of life,” he was saying, I am the way—the only way—by which spiritual nourishment can be received, and we need such nourishment if we are to follow God’s path and do his work.
By his body Jesus provides the bread which we receive in faith, as a real way of being united with him, and united together in a life that will not fade or disillusion us but will keep us fed for all eternity.
Let us keep the feast. Amen.
Hymn; ‘Father Hear the Prayer we Offer’
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
In the quietness of this ancient place and away from the busyness of the world around us, we offer our prayers to Almighty God. Dear Lord, we have so much to give thanks for and yet, so often we forget to say ‘thank you.’ Not far from us, are those who are homeless, hungry, neglected, and unloved. Open our eyes to the needs of those less fortunate than ourselves and in whatever small way we are able, to give our help. We thank you for all your goodness to us, so freely given, but unearned. May we willingly take steps to pass it on, to share your loving kindness given to us, amongst others.
Lord, hear us; Lord, graciously hear us
We live in a troubled world where there is so much unrest, violence, injustice, and hardship. We pray that the turmoil in the Middle East will not escalate into a multi country full-scale war. May everyone take a step back and take time to find a resolution without the use of missiles and further loss of life. We pray for the people of Ukraine as they continue to fight for the right to be an independent country not controlled by Russia. They have paid a high price with so much loss of life and destruction. May all countries – however large or small, all leaders, and all governments across the world make a determined effort to work for peace where all nations can live in harmony with each other and not subject to the dominance of any other.
We pray for our own country where tragedy became an excuse for unwarranted violence and destruction. We live in a multi-cultural society brought about by our own history. Help us all to value each other and to celebrate the varied diversity and culture.
Lord, hear us; Lord, graciously hear us
We give thanks for the Olympic Games held in Paris. For a short time, sportsmen and women joined together to challenge one another and themselves and then to celebrate their achievements. We give thanks for the efforts of every one of them, showing the world that it is possible to work together, and giving such excitement and pleasure to not only those there, but also to so many millions around the world. May the forthcoming Paralympic Games be just as inspiring.
Lord, hear us; Lord, graciously hear us
We pray for your Church across the world and its many and diverse styles of worship. We pray that as a Church we may be united in our endeavours to work for peace, between countries, between communities, within families and within ourselves. Our Lord Jesus Christ is the bread of life – may we ‘taste’ and be filled with His power to live our lives as He would have us.
Lord, hear us; Lord, graciously hear us
We give thanks for the wonder of creation – for mountains and valleys, for plains and moors, for oceans, rivers and streams, for the multi flora and fauna across the world. We are but custodians for a short time. It is our responsibility to ensure that we can hand over a thriving natural world to future generations. Help each one of us to do our bit to protect all aspects of nature.
Lord, hear us; Lord, graciously hear us
Dear Lord, we bring before you all those who are suffering in any way; those who are frightened or afraid, those who are lonely, those who are in pain, those for whom life is a black bottomless pit, those who are coming to the end of their life’s journey.
Be with them, comfort them and give them the strength to face whatever is ahead of them. We especially remember: Ken and Reverend Diane, May, Susan, 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, Ann, everyone known to us and those who have no one to pray for them.
Lord, hear us: Lord, graciously hear us
We bring before you all those whose earthly sojourn is now over. Welcome them with open arms into your eternal kingdom and give them peace. We remember also those whose year’s mind occurs at this time.
Lord, we believe and trust that our loved ones who have gone before us are now safe and at peace. Be with those who are left behind. Comfort and sustain them as they move forward in their lives without those they love.
Lord, hear us; Lord, graciously hear us
Dear Lord, as we leave this place today; walk with us; guide our footsteps, our thoughts, and our actions through the week ahead. Give us the strength to challenge injustice and may we offer a friendly and welcoming hand to all we meet.
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; ‘Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise’
The Peace
We are the body of Christ. In the one Spirit we were all baptised into one body. Let us then pursue all that makes for peace and build up our common life. May the peace of God be always with us. Amen.
Blessing
May God the Holy Trinity make us strong in faith and love, defend us on every side and guide us in truth and peace. And may the presence of God watch over us, the power of God protect us, those whom we love, and may we never forget that wherever we are, God is with us always.
Amen.