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St Clement Church Sixth Sunday of Easter Community Service

Good morning

There are times, having looked at the weekly Gospel reading, when I wonder why it has been chosen for that particular week.

This week is one of those. At least it was initially. I wonder whether you agree!

With love to you all

Liz

Let us pray

Father God, we gather today under your care and protection.

Thank you for your loving kindness that never fails us.

We thank you for those with us and those sharing this worship at home, that you will guide our thoughts and actions to bring you glory.

Strengthen us and fill us with your peace.

Amen

We say together

Dear Lord, as we rise to meet each day, please let us be filled with Your spirit.

Wherever we go, let us spread love, joy, peace, goodness, and faithfulness.

Let us desire to become more like you and to worship you in all we do.

Help us desire these things so much more than the sin that entices us.

Thank you for always going before us.

In Jesus’ name. Amen

Hymn: 137 Come down, O love divine

Prayer of Penitence

Gracious Lord, give us courage to seek forgiveness. Remind us that confession is never a mistake; it frees us from the chains of the enemy.

We know that we cannot hide our hearts from you. Help us to let go of our bitterness and fear, and purify us with the knowledge that you have taken away every sin, in your name.

Have mercy on me O God, according to your merciful love; turn your face from my sins and blot out my guilt; create a pure heart in me, O God, renew an upright spirit deep within me.

Lord Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Amen

Collect for Sixth Sunday of Easter

God our Redeemer, you have delivered us from the power of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of your Son: grant, that as by his death he has recalled us to new life, so by his continual presence in us he may raise us to eternal joy; 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:

Acts 10. 44 - 48

1 John 5. 1 - 6

Hymn: 484 The Church’s one foundation

Gospel: John 15. 9 - 17

(Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John

Response: ‘Glory to you O Lord’)

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love.

If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.

I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.

This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

You are my friends if you do what I command you.

I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father.

You did not choose me but I chose you.

And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name.

I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.

(This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.)

Reflection

We have gone through the six weeks of Lent; experienced the excitement and then the agony of Holy Week and for five weeks we have been celebrating the Resurrection – ‘Christ is Risen, Alleluia.’ So, Easter Six, just before Ascension Day, what would you expect the Gospel to be today? Not what it is, I’m sure. We go back to the Upper Room on Maundy Thursday evening. Is it just me that finds this rather bizarre? Or is it?

“You did not choose me,” says Jesus to His disciples, “but I chose you.”

It’s true, isn’t it, Jesus chose His disciples, and when He did, He is continuing a long tradition that we see throughout scripture, and throughout the history of the church, of God choosing the unlikeliest of people to accomplish surprising tasks.

If we look back through the Old Testament, we see Noah, Abraham and Sarah, Joseph and his coat of many colours, Moses; David, the youngest son of Jesse, who killed Goliath and was chosen by God to be king - all such unlikely people.

Don’t let’s forget Mary, the young virgin from the small town of Nazareth, of all places, that no one would expect to become the mother of God’s Son. Such an unlikely, unexpected choice, but Mary has a remarkable faith, an open heart, and a willingness to do whatever God asks of her. She turns out to be the perfect choice, but only God could know that.

So, Jesus is continuing a long tradition started by His heavenly Father, to make unlikely choices to do God’s work. Fishermen, a tax collector – there isn’t a religious leader to be seen; no experts in God’s teachings, no scholar.

Let’s be honest, if anyone was asked to choose a team to start the Church, the disciples wouldn’t even have made the reserve squad. They only have one thing going for them: Jesus chose them.

There in that upper room, right before He is arrested, Jesus reminds the disciples that He chose them. They are scared, anxious, confused and He’s just told them that one of their own is going to betray Him. They’ve also heard Jesus say that Peter, their leader will soon deny even knowing Him.

Jesus commands them to love one another and reminds them ‘to abide in Him.’ He tells them that He will be leaving soon, to prepare a place for them. They really don’t know what all this means. They need to be reassured and reminded that Jesus has chosen them.

I’m sure they don’t feel at all qualified or confident in what Jesus is asking them to do.

I wonder how often in the future they will be drawn back to those words; ‘I chose you.’

When they are ignored or laughed at; when they are hated and persecuted; when they are imprisoned and some are even killed; how many times do they remind themselves that God’s own Son chose them, and He chose them for a reason. Jesus chose them and entrusts them with His mission – to go and bear the fruit of the kingdom.

But, what about us?

Yes, the disciples were chosen by God’s Son, but they’re not the only ones. Each and everyone of us has also been chosen by God for a particular purpose in this world.

When we are baptised and the water is poured over us, that is when Jesus chooses us to bear the particular fruit that only we can bear; to do the particular task that only we can do. We do not choose this, but Jesus chooses us and appoints us for this holy task.

We all have our moments of doubt, of course. Moments when we wonder what in the world we are doing with our lives; what on earth we are really here for. At least I do. Don’t you?

If we think about it hard enough; if we ask the questions long enough; we’ll eventually get back to the words we heard in today’s Gospel reading, the words, ‘You did not choose me but I chose you.’

We have been chosen to bear the fruit of God’s love in this world, and to bear it in a way that no one else can.

What a time to bear this fruit. What an important time for us, as God’s chosen, to bear the fruit of God’s love in this world. It’s been a tough few years hasn’t it? None of us has escaped unscathed: the covid pandemic, economic challenges, a rise in mental health issues and a lessening of hope in the future as we see war in Ukraine, Israel and Palestine – all rather too close for comfort.

Our world needs hope. Our world needs healing. Our world needs to be reminded of God’s love for us all.

Who knows, perhaps we have been chosen for just such a time as this.

If ever there is a time for the Church to be the Church, it is certainly now. We are the Church. We are the ones that, for whatever reason God has chosen for this task. We are God’s surprising choices to accomplish this unexpected task, of bringing healing and hope to this troubled world.

‘You did not choose me, but I chose you, and appointed you to go and bear fruit.’

Perhaps, as we come to the end of the Easter season, with Ascension Day, when our Lord finally leaves this earth, so close, it’s not so strange to return to the Upper Room and be reminded, and indeed reassured, that we are chosen, just like the disciples, to bring the light of Jesus into our world and bear the fruit of His love.

Amen

Let us declare our faith in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ

Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures; he was buried; he was raised to life on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures; afterwards he appeared to his followers, and top all the apostles: this we have received, and this we believe.

Amen

Hymn: 431 O Thou who camest from above

Intercessions

INTERCESSIONS

Almighty God, on this Rogation Sunday, we give thanks for the bounty of this world that you created. We give thanks for the sun and the rain that create the environment needed for plants to grow; we give thanks for the farmers, the horticulturists, the gardeners, and all those who work so hard to ensure that we have enough to eat. As we give thanks, we bring before you all those in this country and around the world who do not have enough to eat. May the wealthy countries help those countries who cannot grow sufficient food because of drought and natural disasters. May we all, be aware of those around us, in need, and may we all do what we can, to help them.