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St Clement Church Community Fourth after Trinity Sunday Service

Good morning

‘Welcome’ – I wonder, what does that word mean to each of us? Are we always as welcoming as we should be? This week, I am going to look at how I measure up to always being ‘welcoming’ – will you join me?

With love to all

Liz

Let us pray;

Heavenly Father, we come before you today in humility and faith. We thank you for all you have given us and the many blessings in our lives. We ask for your guidance and strength. Show us the way and fill us with courage and wisdom. Help us to remember your love and grace and to be faithful in our service to you. Give us the patience and understanding to face life’s challenges with grace. We ask these things in your name.

Amen

We say together:

Dear Lord, as we rise to meet each new 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: 427 O praise ye the Lord

Prayer of Penitence

Seek the Lord while he may be found call upon him while he is near.

Let the wicked abandon their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts.

Turn back to the Lord, who will have mercy to our God who will richly pardon.

Lord God, we have sinned against you we have done evil in your sight. We are sorry and repent. We are sorry and repent. Have mercy on us according to your love. Wah away our wrongdoing and cleanse us from our sin. Renew a right spirit within us and restore us to the joy of your salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Let us pray our Collect for the Fourth Sunday after Trinity

O God, the protector of all who trust in you, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy; increase and multiply upon us your mercy; that with you as our ruler and guide we may so pass through things temporal that we lose not our hold on things eternal; grant us this, heavenly Father, for our Lord Jesus Christ’s sake, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Amen.

Readings:

Jeremiah 28. 5 - 9

Romans 6. 12 -23

Hymn: 390 Jesus, where’er thy people meet

Gospel: Matthew 10. 40 - 42

(Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.

Response: ‘Glory to you O Lord.’)

Jesus said to the twelve: ‘Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple – truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.’

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

Reflection

Unlike Di, last week, just for once, I have been blessed with a very short and simple Gospel reading this week.

‘Whoever welcomes you welcomes me,’ Jesus says to his disciples, ‘and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.’

We all like to think that we would welcome Jesus if he showed up on our doorstep, don’t we? We would recognise Him immediately, and we’d welcome Him into our homes with joy. More than likely we’d find some way to set out a meal for Him, knowing that good food usually makes for good conversation, and the Gospels all tell us that Jesus likes to eat with people.

But, what if Jesus showed up at our door when the larder is empty? What if the beds aren’t made, and the place is a mess? What if there is no place for Jesus to sit, because every seat is piled high with newspapers, unfolded laundry – stuff … you get the idea. What if you haven’t dusted or vacuumed for weeks, and there are dirty dishes in the sink? What would your welcome to the King of Kings look then then?

Sometimes our dreams don’t match reality. Sometimes we don’t see things the way they really are.

There were two children, Ruth and Daniel. They were Jewish and Passover was their favourite holiday because there was always so much to do. The day before the Seder they helped sweep the house clean of all bread crumbs, they helped set the table with special Passover dishes, and put an extra chair and cup for Elijah the prophet. Then on the evening of the Passover the relatives arrived and the Seder began just after sunset.

One year, when it came to the place in the Seder when their father poured wine into Elijah the Prophet’s goblet, he asked the children to go and open the door for him. This was one of their favourite parts because it was so mysterious. They ran to the door and looked up and down the street. They didn’t see anyone except the new children from next door. They had just arrived from Sudan and were playing on the pavement. No Elijah.

Ruth came back to the table feeling sad. ‘Where is Elijah?’ she asked. ‘Every year we pour him wine and open the door but he never comes. What does he look like? Will he ever come to Passover?

Her parents looked at Grandmother.

‘I have seen him,’ she said, ‘though I didn’t realize it at first. Elijah comes in many guises.

I saw him long ago when I was about your age. One cold day just before Passover I was looking after my younger brothers and sisters while mother had a rest, when there was a knock at the door. I opened the door and there stood a beggar. He was dressed in rags and had an old sack on his back. His shoes were full of holes. ‘May I come in and sit by your fire and have some food?’ he asked. ‘I am so cold and hungry.’ I knew we were not a wealthy family. My parents worked hard and still had barely enough for a simple meal, let alone a Passover feast. ‘We have nothing extra for you,’ I said, and I shut the door. I peeped out of the window and saw the beggar walk to our next-door neighbour’s house. The neighbours had even less than we had, since the father had died. The mother worked very hard taking in sewing but she had many mouths to feed. I was sure that she would turn the beggar away. But I saw her open the door and invite him in. The next day, my mother was cooking our Passover meal and I was setting the table. Suddenly there was a cry from the kitchen. Our dog had grabbed the chicken from the table, knocking over the apple-raisin pudding my mother was making. When my father arrived home, he found us sitting and crying. There was no money to buy another chicken or to make another dessert to celebrate our Passover. We were still sitting and crying when we heard a knock at the door. It was our poor neighbour. She smiled at us and said, ‘It seems that misfortune has come to you. I would like to invite you to celebrate Passover at our home this evening. I don’t have much, as you know, but somehow, I was able to make more matzoh balls than usual from my flour, and my soup kettle is full.’ My parents thanked her and promised to bring the foods that they had prepared that had not been spoiled. After our neighbour had gone, my mother asked me, ‘Who was it that knocked at our door yesterday when I was resting?’ I said, ‘It was a beggar. I told him that we didn’t have enough and sent him away.’ ‘Where did he go?’ she asked. ‘To the neighbours,’ I shrugged. My parents looked at each other. ‘Do you know who that beggar was?’ my father asked. ‘No,’ ‘That was the prophet Elijah,’ said my mother. ‘He comes to see if we are helping to make the world a better place by being welcoming and generous.’ ‘We had a wonderful Passover with our neighbours. We found that when we shared, there was plenty for all. When it came to the part in the Seder where my father poured wine into Elijah’s cup, I asked if I could go and open the door for Elijah. My parents smiled. Grandmother finished the story by saying, ‘I didn’t see Elijah again, but ever since then, I try to treat everyone as if they were Elijah, and I find there is always enough.’ When Grandmother’s story was finished everyone was quiet. Then, Daniel asked, ‘What do you mean that you treat everyone like Elijah, Grandmother?’ Grandmother looked at them and asked a question: ‘What was the last kind and welcoming thing that you did for someone?’ ‘I helped my teacher to carry some books because she was tired,’ Daniel replied. ‘I invited the new girl at school to play with me and my friends,’ said Ruth. ‘How did it feel?’ asked Grandmother. ‘Good.’ ‘Warm and happy,’ they replied. ‘That’s how it feels to treat everyone like Elijah,’ said Grandmother. Ruth jumped up from the table. ‘I think Elijah would like us to invite our neighbours to celebrate Passover with us. Can we invite them to our Seder?’ Mother and Father looked at each other and smiled. The neighbours weren’t Jewish. They had recently arrived from Sudan. This was exactly the spirit of welcoming that Elijah taught. ‘Yes, go and tell them that if they would like to join our Seder meal, they will find the door open.’

When we welcome Christ, Christ welcomes us. The prophet’s welcome is the welcome Jesus extends to us. We are welcome in God’s presence, through his Son. The prophet’s reward is living in God’s holy presence for all eternity.

Sometimes our dreams don’t match reality. Sometimes we don’t see things the way they really are in God’s amazing, fabulous design. Our dreams are too small, our vision is too limited.

May we open our doors and welcome in all, whoever they may be, because it is only by welcoming others that we will be welcomed into our Lord’s eternal kingdom.

Amen

Affirmation of our faith

Let us declare our faith in God.

We are not alone. We live in God’s world.

We believe in God who has created and is creating, who has come in Jesus, the Word made flesh, to reconcile and make new; who works in us and others by the Spirit.

We trust in God.

We are called to be the Church:

to celebrate God’s presence,

to live with respect in Creation,

to love and serve others,

to seek justice and resist evil,

to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen,

our judge and our hope.

In life, in death, in life beyond death,

God is with us.

We are not alone.

Thanks be to God

Amen.

Hymn: 391 King of glory, King of peace

Our Intercessions this week are written by Helen Dunbar

Holy God, you are the focus of our love and worship, because you alone are the Lord who has made us and rescued us. May we not return to the slavery of sin but live in your freedom, serving you with joy, in thankfulness for all you have done for us.