St Clement Church Community Easter 5 Service
Good morning
I suspect that many of us sat and watched rather a lot of television, yesterday! With all the ‘pomp and circumstance,’ it is easy to forget that the whole event revolved around the acknowledgement by the Chapel Royal Choirboy’s ‘Greeting the King’:
‘Your Majesty, as children of the Kingdom of God we welcome you in the name of the King of Kings.’
The King replied: ‘In his name, and after his example, I come not to be served but to serve.’
An earthly monarch is only here at the blessing of the King of Kings.
With love Liz
Let us pray
As we gather here in the safety of your eternal love, we thank you for fellowship and family. We ask that you will strengthen us, restore us, and inspire us with your love. Lord, fill us with your peace so that as we journey onwards, we pour out your love and grace to others. We ask that our souls catch the wind of your Spirit so that we take your promises to all the earth.
Amen
Hymn: 702 Through all the changing scenes of life
A prayer of Penitence
The Lord is full of compassion and mercy slow to anger and of great kindness.
He has not dealt with us according to our sins nor rewarded us according to our wickedness.
For as the heavens are high above the earth so great is his mercy upon those who fear him.
Holy God Holy and strong Holy and immortal have mercy upon us.
As far as the east is from the west so far, has he set our sins from us.
As a father has compassion on his children so is the Lord merciful towards those who fear him.
Bless the Lord, O my soul and all that is within me bless his holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul and forget not all his benefits.
Amen
The Collect for the Coronation
Lord, enthroned in heavenly splendour: look with favour upon thy servant Charles our King, and bestow upon him such gifts of wisdom and love that we and all thy people may live in peace and prosperity and in loving service one to another; to thine eternal glory, who with the Father and the Holy Spirit reigns supreme over all things, one God, now and forever.
Amen
Readings
Acts 7. 55-60 Colossians 1: 9-17
Hymn: 502 O Jesus I have promised
Gospel Reading: Luke 4: 16 – 21 (Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke Response: Glory to you, O Lord)
When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’ After he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, ‘Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’
This is the Gospel of the Lord. Response: Praise to you, O Christ
Reflection
Most of us, with the exclusion of a few, will have some memory of the Coronation in 1953. My family didn’t get a television until 1959 so, I didn’t see anything of the day’s events until I was taken to the cinema and saw it on Pathe News. However, I do have a memory of that day because I was sent to bed at 4:30 pm – the insult! But, I was got up again at 10:00pm and taken down to Malpas Road to see the fireworks that were set off across the water in Newham. I well remember the last firework tableau – it was of the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh (as he was then), Charles and Anne. I can still see it so clearly!
Now, I don’t know if you watched the televised Coronation service and the processions yesterday, but I suspect that most of you did. When I asked my elder son if he would be watching, he looked at me and said, ‘Mum, I’m working – all weekend!’ I suspect for him, and many other NHS staff, there was little time to ‘stand and stare!’
However, to get back to today’s Gospel reading, it is the one that was chosen to be read at the Coronation of King Charles 111, yesterday.
In His travels around Galilee, Jesus finally comes back to His hometown, Nazareth. Nazareth is an agricultural village that sits on a major trade route and is close to the Galilean capital, Sephoris, which is being rebuilt during the time that Jesus is growing up.
When it is the Sabbath, Jesus does what He usually does, He goes to the synagogue. When He is there, He stands up to read, which is the normal practice for reading Scripture in the synagogue, and He is handed the scroll of Isaiah. He opens it, and chooses the place He wishes to read from. Most likely, those who know Jesus from His time growing up in the town are not surprised by His ability to read Hebrew.
Here we see the customs and habits of Jesus. He is one who regularly participates in the religious life of His community; He is a reader who contributes to the reading of Scripture in worship; and He is a teacher.
Jesus chooses to read from Isaiah 61: verses 1 and 2. He reads a quotation that refers to the Spirit of God, the same Spirit that brings Him to Nazareth. In this quotation, the Spirit of the Lord is resting on the speaker for the purpose of proclaiming good news to the poor – to those who are economically disadvantaged and marginalised. Along with the poor as a broad group, good news is also proclaimed to specific groups of people: prisoners, the blind, and the oppressed. What is this good news? It is news that this is the “year of God’s favour.’ Interestingly, in Old Testament times, every fiftieth year is a year of jubilee. A trumpet is blown. Throughout the whole land, the liberty of Hebrew slaves, the cancelling of debts, and the restoration of possessions to their original owners is proclaimed. No doubt this is a favourable year of the Lord.
When He finishes reading, Jesus sits down (the usual position for a teacher,) and the congregation fix their eyes on Him to hear His teaching. Jesus begins explaining the Scripture by telling them that today, when they hear the Scripture read, it is fulfilled in their presence. Jesus Himself is the fulfilment of the prophesy. In the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus is the one who has been chosen (anointed) to preach and proclaim the good news of God. He is the Messiah.
This is the mission of Christ. His mission is to reach out to the poor, to deliver the captives, to restore sight to the blind, and to lift-up the downtrodden. This mission is as relevant today as it is in Jesus’ time and we should commit ourselves to fulfilling His mission.
If we read on, we would see that the congregation in the synagogue is appalled by His claim. He is Mary and Joseph’s boy, a carpenter’s son, a nobody. How dare he claim to be the chosen one. So, he is cast out of the synagogue and Nazareth and nearly stoned to death.
I wonder - how many times have we felt downtrodden and broken? Let’s face it, the circumstances of life take their toll. We don’t know whether or not we can get up and go again, but, we must remember that Jesus identifies with each, and every one of us, in every moment of brokenness. He understands.
There is a song that expresses the concern that Jesus has.
And Jesus said, ‘Come to the water Stand by my side. I know you are thirsty You won’t be denied. I’ve felt every tear drop when in darkness you’ve cried. And I strove to remind you that for those tears I died.’
So, why were these few verses in Luke chosen to be read at the coronation? I don’t know, but maybe, it’s because of the words, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me …” And, as we know, our Lord said that He came not to be served but to serve. During yesterday’s service, in the ‘Greeting and Introduction’ the Archbishop of Canterbury said that they were there to witness with joy the King’s ‘crowning and anointing, as he is set apart and consecrated to the service of his people.’ So, King Charles took the oath and was anointed to be a servant of his people. He certainly saw, over the last seventy years, how seriously his mother took that oath. We pray that he too will honour it in the years to come.
The end of the Archbishop’s words were: ‘Let us dedicate ourselves alike, in body, mind, and spirit, to a renewed faith, a joyful hope, and a commitment to serve one another in love.’
May those be our words of commitment.
Amen
Affirmation of our Faith
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father
God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, was incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit the Lord, the giver of life who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified. He has spoken through the prophets. We believe in one holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen
Hymn: 73 Christ is made the sure foundation
Intercessions by Helen Dunbar
Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life, through whom we can come into the presence of God for ever.
As living stones, let us pray for the building up of God’s Church, and for the world God loves.
Dear Lord, our life is in your hands, and we offer you all that we are, all that our past has made us, and all that we may become. Build us up in the power of your Spirit into a spiritual temple where you are glorified day after day, in all our praise and worship, and in our love for one another.
Lord in your mercy; hear our prayer.
Dear Lord, we ask your blessing on our new crowned king; give your servant King Charles strength, courage and wisdom to carry out his duties and grant him always the assurance of your presence, your power and your love. We ask that you bless Camilla, our Queen Consort in her role, as she supports King Charles. We ask you to bless William, Prince of Wales, the Princess of Wales, and all the generations of the Royal Family. Grant to them joy and peace on this day, and inspire them by your Spirit in their work.
Lord in your mercy; hear our prayer
We pray for all countries where there is difficulty; for war torn countries, places suffering from natural disasters such as earthquakes, famine and drought. We pray for the aid agencies working in really difficult circumstances; for those helping to find a place of safety for people fleeing from danger. We pray that you will guide all leaders to use their powers for good, to be wise and fair, and to look at the needs of all their people. We pray for all those who are negotiating behind the scenes to help bring peace and stability.
Lord in your mercy; hear our prayer
We ask Lord, for your blessing on all church leaders, for Archbishop Justin, Bishops Philip and Hugh and strengthen all who are called to be leaders of your people. We also ask for your blessings on Revd Diane, Ken and all the family.
We pray for ourselves at St Clement and the surrounding area, for all we know and all those who need our love and support. Please God help us in all we do today and help us to make the right decisions, giving us patience and understanding and the ability to see the bigger picture.
Lord in your mercy; hear our prayer.
Lord, we pray that you are able to provide solace and inspiration to those who feel detached from you at this moment and those who feel that you may not be present in their daily lives, or find it difficult to turn their thoughts towards you. We pray that they are able to once again experience your ever present and glorifying nature and realize that you had never left them, but were always there, waiting.
Lord in your mercy; hear our prayer.
We pray for the weak and vulnerable, for those who must live depending on others for every need, and for those who are bullied, or constantly despised. We pray for a greater reverence, one for another, for a greater willingness to uphold and encourage one another; we pray for healing and wholeness. We remember the sick and suffering in the parish and beyond, all those recovering from and awaiting surgery and we ask God’s blessing and comfort on them. We pray for Reverend Diane and Ken, Terry and Dot, Rob and Alison, Margaret, Sylvia, Hilary, Stephen, Brian, Terry and Annie, Sandra and Barrie, Alison and family, Rupert and Linda; all those known to us and all who have no one to pray for them.
We pray for those who have died, and for all who are grieving for loved ones and find it difficult to cope with the great sorrow and loss they feel; we commend their loved ones to your unfailing care which lasts throughout this life and on into eternity.
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.
Notices
The Peace Peace from Jesus Christ who is our peace. Peace from the Holy Spirit who gives us life. The peace of the triune God be with us always.
Hymn: 159 Forth in thy name, O Lord, I go
Blessing
May the grace of God uphold you the peace of God surround you the love of God flow from you and the strength of God protect and bring you safely through this day.
Amen