St Clement Church Community Sunday Service 13.6.21
Good morning to you as we celebrate our 2nd Sunday of Trinity Service.
I hope you’ve all had a good week even if the county is in G7 chaos!
We are holding a Eucharist in our church building at 10.15, this Service of the Word is for those who aren’t able to be with us in person, but will be worshipping with us in spirit.
Much love and prayers and may Christ’s love sustain you always.
Rev Di and family xx
Let us pray;
O Lord, open our eyes to see what is beautiful, open our minds to know what is true, and our hearts to seek what is good, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Our prayers of Penitence
Let us examine our lives in the light of St Paul’s teaching about the nature of love:
‘Love is patient, love is kind, is not envious, or boastful, or arrogant or rude. Does not insist on its own way, is not irritable, or resentful and does not rejoice in wrongdoing…..’
We confess to God that our attitudes and behaviour often fall short of these standards:
Most merciful God, we confess that we have not loved you with our whole heart, nor have we loved our neighbours as ourselves.
We ask that in you 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.
Let us pray our Collect for the 2nd Sunday after Trinity
Faithful Creator, whose love and mercy never fails: deepen our faithfulness to you and to your living Word, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Readings:
Ezekiel 17.22-24
2 Corinthians 5.6-10, (11-13), 14-17
Gospel: Mark 4.26-34
(Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark.
Response: ‘Glory to you O Lord.’)
Such a large crowd gathered around Jesus that he got into a boat and began to teach them using parables.
Jesus said, ‘The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how.
The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come.’
He also said, ‘With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.’
With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; he did not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything in private to his disciples.
(This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.)
Reflection
Jesus may have been brought up to be a carpenter, yet the parables he often used suggest he was a great observer of the created world around him. Unfortunately though, many people aren’t so observant, they rarely give nature a second thought, and are probably much more impressed by its outcomes, rather than the single seeds from which the beautiful living products are produced.
For instance, whilst most of us are impressed by a giant horse chestnut or oak tree, we might walk straight past a Conker or Acorn on the ground without noticing them.
St Julian of Norwich described the hazelnut as; ‘The sum of all that is’
and I always carry one in my coat pocket. There’s a lovely poem by Muriel Stuart that reflects St Julian’s words; ‘The Seed Shop’ which I share with you now:
Here in a quiet and dusty room they lie,
faded as crumbled stone or shifting sand,
forlorn as ashes, shrivelled, scentless, dry -
meadows and gardens running through my hand.
In this brown husk a dale of hawthorn dreams;
a cedar in this narrow cell is thrust
that will drink deeply of a century's streams;
these lilies shall make summer on my dust.
Here in their safe and simple house of death,
sealed in their shells, a million roses leap;
here I can blow a garden with my breath,
and in my hand a forest lies asleep.
Beautiful words, and how true.
Of course we might notice that Jesus was, dare I say it, actually not quite correct when he claimed the mustard was the smallest of seeds. There are certainly smaller, as any orchid grower would tell you.
Nor does the mustard seed grow to be a mighty tree. Nevertheless, daring to point this out is to miss Jesus’s point entirely, but might give me something to debate with him when we meet in glory!
But even today seeds are strange things of wonder, there’s always more to discover about each tiny part of a small seed, especially the part carrying all the genetic information to grow into a shrub big enough for birds to nest in its branches.
Life itself is indeed mysterious.
That seeds have the potential to grow into something complex and wonderful is essentially beyond our understanding, no matter how much we might now know about Chromosomes, DNA and genes.
But like many of Jesus’s parables there are strange twists in this story, and parts we might miss if we don’t look closely enough.
For example, the part where Jesus refers to the variety of birds sheltering in the branches, can be taken, as first glance, simply as an indication of the size of the mustard shrub.
But this description of the many birds was used in those days by the Pharisees as a code to refer to those who lived as foreign neighbours to the Jews.
And the mustard plant being referred to as offering the birds shelter becomes a way of saying that the kingdom of God has something to offer to those of different faith, culture and race.
For the early Christians, many of whom were Jews, this would have been disturbing teaching, and even today, in view of the prejudice often expressed between different faiths, the mustard plant giving shelter to the birds of the world has an important message to all humanity.
Jesus saw potential in the tiny seed of the mustard seed, just as he saw the potential in some remarkably unlikely followers who, as his first disciples, found themselves entrusted with the next stage of growth. Might it be that, with the help of this parable, we too might see that despite our humble, small beginnings, we too are needed to ensure that God’s kingdom continues its mysterious growth.
Amen.
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
Let us now offer our prayers before the throne of grace, confident that the Lord hears the cries of his people.
As the summer seems at last to cheer us with warmth and light, and Cornwall fills with visitors, we give thanks for signs that the worst of the pandemic may now have passed in Britain, allowing us opportunities for greater freedom of movement and social interaction, and enabling us to see again, and to hug again, our family and friends.
Help us to be generous in welcoming those who fill our car parks and beaches and block our roads and shops in their urgent need to escape to the beauty and freedom which we have had around us throughout the months of the pandemic. Their need is great and our blessings many in this county; help us to see and enjoy their relief and enjoyment.
Help us, Lord, to love one another.
Lord, in your mercy Hear our prayer
As the G7 Summit of world leaders draws to its close, we pray especially for all those involved in or affected by it.
Help those living or working in the areas made busiest by the expected influx to continue to find energy and patience to adjust to the sudden pressures in their lives, and give to the politicians, security and support staff, journalists, and accompanying visitors an understanding of the impact of their arrival on our small communities. Help us, Lord, to love one another.
As the final meetings of the Summit take place, we ask you to be present in the hearts and minds of these powerful people who hold our futures in their hands, that they may find inspiration in the beauty of their surroundings here to work towards the protection and conservation of your Creation, this planet on which we are blessed to live.
Help them all to work together with an open mind and a positive spirit,
addressing the international problems they face with love and tolerance and compromise, and concluding their conference with shared aims of peace and justice for the good of all people.
Help them, Lord, to work with one another with love and understanding.
Lord, in your mercy Hear our prayer
We pray for our Queen as she continues, in her bereavement, to offer to her people that strength, support and example for which she has been known for so many years.
We ask your blessing on all her family and especially at this time on her new great-granddaughter Lilibet and Lilibet’s parents Harry and Meghan. Lord, our Royal Family has great power for good in this land and beyond, especially through their extensive work with so many charities. Help all the Queen’s family to work with these charities, and with each other, with love and understanding.
Lord, in your mercy Hear our prayer
Lord, we pray for your Church, both here and abroad, for Archbishop Justin, for our Bishops Philip and Hugh, and for our hard-working and loving Reverend Diane.
So many churches and parishes throughout the country are facing practical and spiritual challenges arising from the ageing and diminishing congregations of people who find the time and the commitment to join in worship each Sunday and who support the ongoing work of the Church with their gifts and their labour.
We pray for all those whose health no longer permits them to come to church, and for those who no longer have a church accessible to them without depending on others for assistance.
We think of the many older church members who feel frustrated and helpless that they are no longer able to make the contribution they have always made in support of their church communities and Sunday worship. Help them to know that they are still loved and valued, and their hard work remembered by us.
We ask for your blessings of strength and wisdom for those taking on new roles in their congregation or facing difficult decisions about conflicting priorities in their lives.
Almighty Lord, inspire in our Church leaders your great love and wisdom
That enables imaginative thinking and a clear understanding of the differing needs and wishes of their people. Chip away from your Church all complacency and despondency that we and our Church leaders may see again with the freshness and wonder of deepened faith.
We offer thanks for the very welcome new members of our congregation at St Clement and for those whose long-term commitment to our church creates a core on which we all depend.
Help us to work for the health and unity both of our small church community and of your wider Church in the UK and beyond.
Inspire us to encourage others to join us, and help us to work together with love and understanding.
Lord, in your mercy Hear our prayer
For so many people the joy of long days and summer weather, and greater freedoms after the months of strict lockdown, is tarnished by the loss or ill-health of loved ones, by loneliness, by declining health,
by homelessness or poverty, by mental challenges or emotional turmoil.
Help us we pray to see ways to support them, and all in sickness or distress, with love and understanding.
Especially we pray for: Sandra, Derrek, Ken and Di, Rupert and Linda, Brian Dobson, Martin and Liz, Daniel, and in the quietness of our hearts all those we know and all who have no one to pray for them.
We pray for all those who have passed on into your eternal presence, for those nearing the end of their earthly life, and for those who mourn.
Especially we pray for: We pray for Susan (sister of Penny) and her family.
Lord, in your mercy Hear our prayer
As we go about our daily lives, adjusting constantly to challenges and change, fill our hearts, oh Lord, with strength and hope, with wisdom and compassion, and with love and understanding for all around us.
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.
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, to the end of the age.
Amen.