St Clement Church Community Sunday Service
Good morning to you all as we celebrate our Sunday service, whether in your own home or our church building. This Sunday 10th October we shall be holding our Eucharist service in church using our usual service booklets. If you’re unable to be there 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;
God, our Judge and Saviour, teach us to be open to your truth and to trust in your love, that we may live each day with confidence in the salvation which is given through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Hymn: ‘O love divine how sweet thou art ’
Our prayers of Penitence
As we join in worship today, let us seek the renewal of our lives in the light of God’s love for us, revealed by Jesus Christ:
Jesus, Saviour of all, who revealed the breadth of God’s love, forgive us when we fail to show care to those who are different….
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, Son of God, who revealed the depth of God’s love, forgive us when we are too busy to pray, or to seek God’s will….
Christ, have mercy.
Jesus, Son of Man, who revealed the cost of God’s love, forgive us when we have made light of our failings….
Lord, have mercy.
May Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our failings, and bring us to everlasting life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Let us pray our Collect for the 19th Sunday after Trinity
Faithful Lord, whose steadfast love never ceases and whose mercies never come to an end: grant us the grace to trust you and to receive the gifts of your love, new every morning, in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Readings:
Amos 5. 6-7, 10-15
Hebrews 4. 12 - end
Hymn; ‘When morning gilds the sky’
Our Reading is taken from the Gospel of Mark 10. 17-31
(Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark.
Response: ‘Glory to you O Lord.’)
As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, ‘Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.
You know the commandments: “You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honour your father and mother.” ’
He said to him, ‘Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.’ Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, ‘You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.
Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, ‘How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!’ And the disciples were perplexed at these words.
But Jesus said to them again, ‘Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.’
They were greatly astounded and said to one another, ‘Then who can be saved?’ Jesus looked at them and said, ‘For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.’
Peter began to say to him, ‘Look, we have left everything and followed you.’ Jesus said, ‘Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields, with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.’
(This is the Gospel of the Lord. Response: ‘Praise to you, O, Christ’)
Reflection
Most of us do not want to be called a follower. Business corporations and church congregations look for leadership qualities; young people often aspire to be leaders. Obituaries usually draw attention to the leadership the deceased has shown. We value strong leaders in government, in the community, in the Christian Church.
We do not usually seek followers.
There’s a delightful story about a young man applying for admission to a very high ranked university which admitted only 250 students per class. The boy's parents got a questionnaire to fill out, in which, among other questions was this one: “Is your son or daughter a leader or a follower?” The parents pondered the question honestly and concluded that while their son was a very able student, he was probably more a follower than a leader, and this is what they indicated on the form. In due time, they received a letter from the university admissions office. Their son had been accepted with the added note, “We are pleased that in a class of 249 leaders, we will have one follower!”
It is doubtful that any of the disciples saw themselves as leaders. Jesus never asked them to be, but called them to be faithful followers. Jesus was himself the leader and they were asked to believe in Him and follow Him.
In the Christian Church I think we need fewer people who perceive themselves as leaders, and many, many more people who are willing to be followers first. It is impossible to be a true leader in the Christian Church without first being a follower of Christ.
In our Gospel for this morning, we see a man of faith who came to Jesus, and asked: “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life.”
We might wish Jesus had answered him, “Simply believe.”
But Jesus doesn’t make it so easy and replies; “Keep God's Law, free your life from bondage to money and possessions, and follow me.”
The man said that he’d kept the commandments from boyhood, and the response of Jesus is wonderful. He looked at him and loved him, (though quietly I think he might have been thinking; ‘you twit, how can I make you understand!’) Jesus told him, “Sell what you own, give the money to the poor, then come, follow me.”
Well, we read that the man wasn’t impressed by this, and went away grieving—or as it used to be translated, “His countenance fell—for he had many possessions.’’
The earliest name for Christians was; “People of the way.” A name that suggests we’re on a journey through life, and we have a choice, we can walk with God along that path, or on our own. Quite relevant for our Deanery actually, as we prepare for our part of the Bishop’s ‘On the way’ initiative.
Christianity though, is more than a moral philosophy. Christians are meant to be people who are willing to follow Jesus to the cross. And Jesus, in our Gospel reading today, is clear about what that cross may be for people who have more than enough to live on.
When people have an excess of material goods, the way of obedience is to share with those who don’t have enough.
In the words of a once famous insurance advert; ‘It’s Simples!’ The answer is very clear: sell what you have and give to the poor, that’s the way to have treasure in heaven.
For instance, literally, for God’s sake, our Leaders should agree to distribute the huge stockpiles of food in Europe and America and end all the world’s hunger for good. It’s not rocket science!
By God's grace we receive everything we need for abundant life: food, clothing, a home, family and friends.
And Jesus isn’t saying that those material blessings are wrong, but rather that they’re God's gifts to share with those in need. Those who have been richly blessed should use those resources to bless others.
To whom much has been given, much is expected.
But Discipleship also means giving our abilities. It means taking a stand on moral and religious issues, including the tradition of our worship. It means caring about the neighbour in need and being willing to identify with the poor.
It means standing with the oppressed, not the oppressor. It means being willing to see the third world farm labourer who produces western society’s out of season food as a brother, and the person selling the Big Issue in town as a fellow child of God.
But humanity prefers the rich—money and power is respected.
Most organizations and communities would be delighted to welcome this man who’d come to Jesus. He had many gifts—he was rich and far better educated than the Galilean fishermen who were following Jesus, more acceptable and upstanding than the publicans and tax-collectors who’d become disciples. And far more influential than a dinosaur of a simple parish priest….
But Jesus didn’t need a rich influential man, however strictly he adhered to the Law of Moses, he wanted a humble follower.
And he wants us to follow too—to follow him with humility, not looking back at what we might have given up to do so, but looking forward as we walk the way of Christ, truly enabling the first to be last, and the last to be first. Amen.
Hymn; ‘Love divine, all loves excelling’
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 Alison Hill
In our need and human weakness,
Let us come to Almighty God with our prayers.
Lord, we live in a county of great beauty and a land of freedom, and yet our world seems often to be full of challenge and confusion.
We face issues of poverty, inequality, violence, the twin crises of climate and environment, and the continuing pandemic worldwide.
In so many issues we seem to be led away from co-operation and mutual support and into disagreement and conflict.
Grant to those whose task it is to find solutions to humanity’s problems large and small the strength to acknowledge the needs of others, the wisdom to find and implement positive ways forward and the love to work together for the good of all.
We pray for all in government and in positions of leadership, authority and example and we ask your blessing on our Queen and all the Royal Family. Father, we ask for your strength in all conflict and adversity.
Lord, take us by the hand And lead us with your strength.
When we feel neglected or misunderstood, when we are obliged to take a different path from the one we believe should be followed; when our opinions or attempts to do good are seen as worthless or wrong; when we feel exploited, misused or bullied, grant us strength to stay calm in the face of conflict and to know your love for us.
Lord, take us by the hand And lead us with your strength.
When we are faced with changes that we do not agree with or do not like, when we find ourselves deeply involved in a way forward that troubles us, grant us wisdom and courage to know when to make a stand and strength to move on when know we must.
Lord, take us by the hand And lead us with your strength.
We pray for your strength in sickness, in despair, and in any other adversity. Healing God, lay your hands on all those who suffer so that they may know the blessings of your presence and find wholeness and peace in your love. Watch over, we ask, all those known to us whose lives are particularly challenging. Especially we pray for Diane and Ken; Rupert and Linda; Margaret; Brian; and Ollie.
Lord, take them by the hand And lead them with your strength.
We pray for your strength in death and in bereavement.
In your unchanging love receive all those who have died in faith that they may rejoice in you forever. Have mercy on those who have died without knowing you and on those who have died alone, their passing unnoticed except by you.
Be with all those who mourn, and with those who face their own or a loved one’s imminent death. We especially we pray for Liz.
Lord, take us by the hand And lead us with your strength.
Lord, when we ourselves are busy, stressed, overtired or depressed, grant us strength to notice others who are suffering or in need, and give us your boundless grace to find the time, the energy, and the love to offer our help and to walk beside them in their trouble.
Lord, take us by the hand And lead us with your strength.
Merciful God, grant to us all we pray; strength in adversity and the knowledge of your boundless grace, that we may never lose sight of your glory, your peace and your great love for us all.
Lord, take us by the hand And lead us with your strength.
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; ‘Jesus shall reign’
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.