St Clement Church Community Sunday Service 23.10.22
Good morning to you all as we celebrate our Service commemorating Bible Sunday, whether in your own home or our church building.
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 of yesterday, today and forever, we thank you, that in you we may affirm our heritage and forge new paths. Pour you blessing upon your church as we commemorate the past, seek your will in the present and lay our plans for the future before you. Amen.
Hymn: ‘Praise my soul the King of Heaven’
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 Bible Sunday
Almighty God, We thank you for the gift of your Holy Word. May it be a lantern to our feet, a light to our paths, and a strength to our lives. Take us and use us to love and serve all people in the power of the Holy Spirit, and in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Readings:
Isaiah 45. 22 - end
Romans 15. 1 - 6
Hymn; ‘At the name of Jesus’
Our Reading is taken from the Gospel of Luke 4. 16 - 24
(Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.
Response: ‘Glory to you O Lord.’)
When Jesus 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.’
And 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.’
All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, ‘Is not this Joseph’s son?’ He said to them, ‘Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, “Doctor, cure yourself!” And you will say, “Do here also in your home town the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.” ’ And he said, ‘Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s home town.
(This is the Gospel of the Lord. Response: ‘Praise to you, O, Christ’)
Reflection
A woman is sitting on the train, reading her Bible.
A man sitting next to her, seeming amused, asks her: “You don’t really believe what it says in there do you?” “Every word”, she replies.
“OK’’, he asks. ‘’How about the Noah story, the flood, the animals – do you believe that?” “Absolutely”, she replies.
“What about God creating the universe in six days?”
“All true, I believe every word.”
“What about Jonah – how could a man live for three days in the belly of a whale?” he asks. “Yes, I believe that too”, she says.
“Well, how could that be? How could he breathe?”
“I don’t know”, she said. “When I get to Heaven, I’ll ask him.”
“Ah, but what if he’s not in Heaven?” the man asks.
The woman replies: “In that case, you can ask him.”
Interpreting the Bible today:
We can laugh at the joke, but have you ever had conversations like that, or found yourself asking those sort of questions?
For instance, for the past 4 years now, yes, 4 years! I’ve been having discussions with an atheist who, for the sake of his fiancée, wants to marry in Church. Honestly, it’s getting to the stage where I’m very close to telling his fiancée to find somebody else.
One of his problems, and trust me, there’s many, isn’t that he believes science has disproved the existence of God, but that he finds the Bible totally incomprehensible.
He accepts that not all Christians take every word of the Bible as literally true, and that there are different traditions within the Church towards understanding the scriptures, but he struggles with the tricky bits, that if we’re honest, we probably struggle with too.
For example, parts of the Old Testament. Such as the Fall of Jericho for example, where Joshua’s army are told to slaughter every living thing in the city. The section ends with the verse: “So the Lord was with Joshua.’’
Excuse me? Did God really tell Joshua’s army to slaughter every living thing, including innocent women, children and livestock?
If so, how do we reconcile this God with a God who, according to Psalm 103, is “gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love”? The God of the New Testament, who; “so loved the world that he sent his only Son…not to condemn the world but to save it”?
Today is Bible Sunday, a good time to reflect on how the Bible is interpreted in relation to our modern world, a tricky subject, because even Christians can’t agree about their understanding of the written Word.
So what can we agree on? What are the aspects of our faith that are non-negotiable? The Creed captures the essentials of our faith, and most Christians can unite on that. But other issues aren’t so clear cut and many equally sincere Christians hold opposite views of these.
And the danger is that the Church can become so bogged down in arguments that it loses sight of the main purpose for its existence, to be part of God’s mission in the world, bringing people to Jesus Christ.
But what are the timeless, unchanging truths in the Bible? And how do we express them in the kind of language that modern people understand?
During ministry training, we were asked to prepare a sermon on a gospel passage and it was fascinating to hear the different views that came out of it. God had something unique to say through each person but he also used the experiences, personalities and backgrounds of each, and whilst I wouldn’t presume to compare ordinands with the patriarchs, prophets and apostles, in a way that’s how the Bible was written, God inspiring his word through many different people, from many different backgrounds.
We can all read a well-known Bible passage and suddenly see something we’ve never seen before, and this is because we read it from where we are in life at the time, bringing our own context and perspectives with us.
The Bible is God inspired, but also human. God used human beings through which to speak, and as we read the Bible and interpret it anew, we need to understand that we’ll never extract all its meaning, but accept that it’s a living word which continues to teach constantly.
To quote from the minister Rob Bell; “When you embrace the text as living and active, when you enter into its story, when you keep turning the gem, you never come to the end”.
Jesus is the Living Word.
In our gospel reading Jesus rebukes the Pharisees for being so bogged down in the word of God that they can’t recognise him, the Word made flesh.
And sadly in this day and age, it’s possible for some people to know the Bible like the back of their hand, to be able to quote it word for word, but still not know Jesus, the living Word, in their hearts.
Going back to my atheist acquaintance that wants to marry in Church, his problems in making any sense of the Bible stem from his baggage and preconceptions that he’s bringing with him as he reads it.
It might also be that he’s not reading with an open mind, but God has a habit of catching people unawares, and I hope that as this person argues the parts of the Bible he says undermines its truth, it just may be that one day he’ll meet the Living Word, Jesus.
The writer, Victor Hugo, says: “I have found in the Bible words for my inmost thoughts; songs for my joy, utterance for my hidden griefs and pleadings for my shame and feebleness”.
It’s an amazing Book, divinely inspired, yet provoking a whole range of reactions, from love and reverence, to confusion, bewilderment, anger, division, and even hatred. And I dare I ask, how often do we read it?
The Bible Society reports that only a small percentage of churchgoers read their Bibles, and yet, in Third World countries people will walk for two days to get a copy of it. If we’ve been Christians for a long time, can the Bible teach us in fresh ways? Can we read it and attempt to discern what God might be saying to today’s world and engage confidently in discussion with a lost generation of people who won’t come near church? From this Bible Sunday we should make it so. Amen.
Hymn; ‘All people that on Earth do dwell’
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 Helen Dunbar
Let us pray to the God who made us and sustains us.
Dear Lord, look with mercy on your Church, with all our faults and failings, missed opportunities and misunderstandings, as we learn to be truly your body on earth.
Lord hear us, Lord graciously hear us
Lord, we thank you for all those who spend their lives trying to make ours better – for those in public service, for all people who commit themselves to charitable works, and for all those who help others to find you.
Lord God, we pray for all who work for peace and unity, and for all world leaders that they will continue to seek an end to the suffering caused by war and violence, injustice and inequality, disease, prejudice, poverty and hopelessness and bring healing to the world. We especially bring before you the people of Ukraine suffering continued destruction of their country, not knowing where to go to escape the random bombing of their towns and villages.
Lord hear us, Lord graciously hear us
Help us to reach out to all who are in need of compassion and understanding. We pray for all those coping with stressful situations, whether in the workplace or at home, or in life generally and feeling the world is a dark and dreary place.
Dear Lord, surround them with your love in their times of trouble and help them to reach a better place.
We pray for the grace to listen to one another and respond to one another’s needs; we pray for a spirit of co-operation and generosity in our homes and neighbourhoods.
Lord hear us, Lord graciously hear us
Bless and guide King Charles111. Bless all the royal family and be their light and guide in all that they are called to be and do in life. Enfold them in your love now and always.
Lord hear us, Lord graciously hear us
We pray for those who are sick or struggling at this time whether in body, mind or spirit. We take time to think of those we know who are in need of your comforting presence and know that in your hands they are safe and loved.
We bring before you those known to us: Ken and Diane, Rob and Alison, Daphne and Dave, Mary Channel, Margaret, Ted and Felicity, Terry and Dot, Sally, Gavin, Paul and Jan, Stephen, Lyn, Maureen, Sue, and Ollie.
Lord hear us, Lord graciously hear us
Lord, we pray for those nearing the end of their earthly life, and all who now share your glory. We pray for their loved ones as they mourn their loss, whether recently or as an anniversary is remembered. We especially remember today Katie, who departed this earthly life Tuesday morning, a much-loved young person who leaves behind a grieving family.
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; ‘Guide me o thou Great Redeemer’
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.