St Clement Church Community Sunday Service
Good morning to you all as we celebrate our Third Sunday of Epiphany Service. I hope you are continuing to keep safe and well and may Christ’s love sustain you always.
Much love to you all,
Rev Di and family xx
Let us pray;
God of all mercy, your Son proclaimed good news to the poor, release to the captives, and freedom to the oppressed: anoint us with your Holy Spirit and set all your people free to praise you in Christ our Lord. Amen.
Hymn; ‘Lord of all hopefulness’
Our prayers of Penitence
During the season of Epiphany, 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 sins…
Lord, have mercy.
May Almighty God, have mercy upon us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Let us pray our Collect for today
Almighty God, whose Son revealed in signs and miracles the wonder of your saving presence: renew your people with your heavenly grace, and in all our weakness sustain us by your mighty power, 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:
Nehemiah 8. 1-3, 5-6, 8-10
1 Corinthians 12. 12-31a
Hymn; ‘Glorious things of Thee are spoken’
Gospel Luke (4. 14-21)
(Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.
Response: ‘Glory to you O Lord.’)
Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.
When he 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.’
(This is the Gospel of the Lord. Response: ‘Praise to you, O, Christ’)
Reflection
Luke’s Gospel tells us of the first act of public ministry of Jesus.
So let’s consider what Jesus says in his inaugural address in his hometown synagogue.
Following his baptism and time in the wilderness, Jesus returns to his home country, Galilee, where stories have been spreading about his healing miracles and synagogue teaching.
So when he comes back home, it’s quite a big day in the synagogue. Everybody’s there, eager to hear and see the local boy who’s been away making a name for himself. And when Jesus enters the synagogue that Sabbath morning, he’s asked to read the lesson from the prophets.
Now, unlike us, there’s no lectionary to consult to determine the reading; the choice is totally up to him. Nor is there a book to flip through, instead, a bulky scroll is brought to him, and placed on the lectern. And Jesus, searching for the text he wants, unrolls it to a place near the end of the scroll, and reads aloud these words:
“The Spirit of the Lord is on 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.”
Finished with these few verses, Jesus rolls up the scroll, returns it to the attendant, and takes his seat.
It was the custom for teachers to sit, rather than to stand, so when Jesus sits, everyone looks at him, expecting some new commentary or explanation of the well-known text.
I imagine Jesus looking around at them, those familiar faces from his early years, older in appearance than before: his childhood friends, now present with their children; the parents of his friends, now senior citizens. And he begins with a stunning sentence: words that remain just as provocative in our own time.
He overthrows the expectations of the people around him by saying: “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
Jesus does the unexpected, the unimaginable, on that memorable Sabbath morning in Nazareth. In today’s jargon, he claims for himself the ancient prophetic words as his own mission statement.
The reason God’s Spirit came down on him at his baptism was to empower him to do precisely this: To bring good news to the poor, proclaim release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, let the oppressed go free, and proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.
Jesus takes all this as his mission statement, and isn’t content to leave it as only a string of high-sounding words. Everything that follows in his life, as presented to us in the Gospels, amounts to the living out of the prophecy he claimed for himself that Sabbath morning in Nazareth.
And he kept doing these things every chance he got, until finally it killed him. Killed by those who thought his murder would protect their comfortable, unfair advantage, and no longer make them question their complacency, and their infidelity to God.
They’re wrong, of course. Jesus rises from the dead, and continues today to do what he talked about that Sabbath morning long ago, through his mystical body, the Church.
The poor gain hope, whether it’s their souls or their bodies that are starved. The captives experience freedom, from whatever held them prisoner, be it lack of hope, bereavement or loneliness, to lead their lives to the full. The blind receive sight, whether by the skill of cataract surgery, or the scales of prejudice falling off the eyes of a bigot.
The oppressed are set free, whether oppression is an unfair, enforced regime, or an ill-suited dependence.
When Jesus reads that passage in the Nazareth synagogue, he announces a mission statement for himself and for his body the Church.
And we haven’t forgotten this here at St. Clement’s.
The risen Christ is busy at work in this congregation.
For example; there are people in our local community who are fed by the donations we make to the Foodbank.
There are people in this church this morning because somebody who already attended here spoke to them a word of Good News, and walked with them on their journey to Christ.
These are only two examples, there are many more, some that go unrecognised, but are no less important in the eyes of God.
And who knows what new examples of living out the mission statement of Jesus will appear in the months and years ahead, if God willing, the ‘On the Way’ initiative we are about to embark on allows our continued ministry here?
Today’s reading from First Corinthians is another important passage about how the Body of Christ, the Church, is to live out the mission statement of Jesus.
Number One. All members of this Church have gifts for ministry.
Number Two. The members of this Church have different gifts for ministry; we are not clones of each other.
Number Three. The different gifts come to life in the context of the whole.
We are all equal, no one is more important than the other, we cannot function without each other. But as I mentioned earlier, we are about to start the ‘On the Way’ initiative and the only way we are going to survive it is by pooling our different gifts and talents to present a valid reason for our continued presence here. A date will shortly be set for an evening consultation meeting with the ‘On the Way’ team and I hope as many of you as possible will attend it.
Jesus read the old words from Isaiah and claimed them for his own. And we can do the same. Now, this is a scary moment for you.
Please stand and repeat after me, line by line;
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim
release to the captives,
recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”
Today, this scripture has been fulfilled in our hearing. Amen.
Hymn; ‘Be Thou my vision’
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 Liz Davies
To God who welcomes all in love, let us pray for the good of the Church and the concerns of all those in need.
O God, you spoke your Word and revealed your Good News in Jesus, the Christ. Fill all creation with that Word again, so that by proclaiming your joyful promises to all nations and singing of your glorious hope to all peoples, we may become one living body, your incarnate presence on earth.
Lord, hear us Lord, graciously hear us
God of every land and nation, you have created all people and you live among us in Jesus Christ. Listen to the cries of those who pray to you, and grant that, as we proclaim the greatness of your name, all people will know the power of love at work in the world. Holy God, although we are sometimes separated by language and culture from the people we live amongst, we long to see your will done here on earth as it is in heaven.
We pray for our neighbours, not only with words, but day by day, moment by moment, in the things we do and the way in which we do them.
Lord, hear us Lord, graciously hear us
God, you speak to us in many ways: through the rushing of the wind or in a still small voice, in Scripture’s Word or through your Grace and we in turn find many ways, to hear the world’s insistent voice break through the silence and take your place. Forgive our sin.
Help us to hear your voice above the clamour of this world, to recognise the difference and follow only you.
Lord, hear us Lord, graciously hear us
Generous God, for all that sustains us; air to breathe, warmth and light, food to eat, water to drink, we offer you our thanks and praise. For spiritual gifts that bind us together; one people, one body, empowered for service we offer our hands and voices. For the Good News of the Gospel; healing and wholeness, freedom and justice we offer our hearts in your service.
Lord, hear us Lord, graciously hear us
Holy God, you gather the whole universe into your radiant presence and continually reveal your Son as our Saviour.
Bring healing to all wounds, make whole all that is broken, speak truth to all illusion, and shed light in every darkness, that all creation will see your glory and know your Christ.
Abundant God, be with those of us that desire and need your restoration and healing. As we remember the way your Son Jesus Christ cast out demons, we remember today all those who live in the depths of depression and mental illness especially when it comes from the fear of the ongoing Pandemic. We ask for your blessing and healing touch upon them. Be with all who are struggling with illness, loneliness and the fear of the unknown. Enfold them in your loving arms and let them feel the assurance that they are never alone. We remember especially: Ken and Diane, Daphne and Dave, Ollie, Margaret, Brian and all those who have no one to pray for them.
Lord, hear us Lord, graciously hear us
Merciful God, your love reaches beyond the grave. At the end of our days on earth be with us and with those whom we love. May those who have gone before us rest in your eternal peace. We remember before you those who have died and we pray for all whose life is saddened by the death of a loved one, be with them in their loneliness.
Lord, hear us Lord, graciously hear us
Faithful God, we pray for ourselves; as we go from your house today to start the week ahead, we ask that in all we do, we may walk more closely with you at our side safe in the knowledge that your fatherly love and care knows no bounds.
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; ‘O for a thousand tongues to sing’
The Peace
Our Saviour Christ is the Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end.
May the peace of God be always with us.
Amen.
Blessing
May Christ the Son of God perfect in us the image of his glory and gladden our hearts with the good news of his kingdom; and may the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among us, those whom we love, and remain with us always.
Amen.