St Clement Church
Twelfth Sunday after Trinity Community Service
Good morning
We share our worship today remembering Mary, the mother of our Lord.
Would that I had the total faith and understanding of God that she had, and at such a young age.
My love to you all
Liz
Father God, we gather here today under your care and protection. Thank you for your loving kindness that never fails us. We thank you for those sharing this time with us, that you would guide our thoughts and actions to bring you glory. Strengthen us and fill us with your peace. May we love and serve each other as Jesus has shown us. Fill us with the Holy Spirit to do your good work on earth.
Amen
We say together:
Heavenly Father, we gather in your presence, a family of believers, grateful for this time of worship. We come with hearts ready to sing your praises and to listen to your Word. Fill this place with your Holy Spirit and prepare each of us to worship you in spirit and in truth. May all that we say, sing and do glorify you and draw us closer to your only Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. Amen
Hymn: 238 New every morning is the love
Our Prayer of Penitence:
Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart, we have not loved our neighbours as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us, that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen
The Collect for the Blessed Virgin Mary
Almighty God, who looked upon the lowliness of the Blessed Virgin Mary and chose her to be the mother of your only Son: grant that we who are redeemed by his blood may share with her in the glory of your eternal kingdom; 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:
Isaiah 61. 10 - 11 Galatians 4. 4 - 7
Hymn: 188 Ye who own the faith of Jesus (omit verses 5 & 6)
Gospel: Luke 1. 46 - 55 (Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke. Response: ‘Glory to you O Lord.’)
Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich empty away.
He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.
(This is the Gospel of our Lord. Praise to you, O Christ)
Reflection
You may wonder why, at the beginning of September, we have a Gospel reading that we associate more with just before Christmas. Well, tomorrow, 8th September, is celebrated as the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
So, to our reading - how does a simple, uneducated, young girl of about 14 years of age come up with words like this?
How does she have such faith that she not only accepts what she is told by the Angel Gabriel but she willingly does so, knowing as she must, the future disgrace that she will face?
Whilst the words are, of course, a translation, they show a remarkable maturity of thought and songline.
Are you familiar with songlines? If you have visited Australia, you may well have done so. Songlines are part of aboriginal life. The aborigines tell a creation story in which creation ancestors wandered the continent singing out the name of everything that crossed their path – birds, animals, plants, rocks, caves, desert brush, waterholes – so singing the world and all creation into being. It’s akin to Adam naming animals. The paths their ancestors charted are called songlines.
Their songlines form a web over aboriginal Australia. By singing the songline one can navigate the land and traverse long distances because the sung word corresponds to a particular feature or landmark. Songlines are routes through sacred time and space and the means by which the people locate themselves, orient their lives, and navigate the continent.
Reading today’s Gospel, surely the Magnificat is Mary’s songline. She doesn’t sing of animals, plants, rocks, caves, or waterholes. The Magnificat is a songline for the inner landscape; it is so deep and so rich. Nearly every word that Mary speaks is taken from the Old Testament as she weaves a beautiful tapestry of praise. Mary sings of celebration and thanksgiving, blessedness, compassion and hospitality, mercy and justice, nurtured life and fulfilled promises. It’s Mary’s psalm of praise and exaltation of God. It is the outpouring of Mary’s soul as she worships the Lord.
Mary shows that you cannot worship God if you don’t know God. You cannot exalt God or magnify him if you have no idea what he has done or what he has promised to do. You cannot obey him (the fruit of true worship) if you don’t know what he has commanded. True worship begins with the head, turns the heart to God, and flows through the hands in obedience. But, it always begins with the head. Mary’s songline reveals what she knows, believes, and trusts about God’s person, works and promise concerning her son.
Mary knows who and what she is before a holy God.
She admits that she is a sinner in need of salvation and is nothing special even when compared to other people. She states the obvious fact that she is humble, lowly, uninteresting, and unimportant. Yet God has regarded her, literally looked upon her, and from this point forward all generations will consider her as blessed.
I’m sure you know Mary’s songline well. You’ve heard and sung it countless times. But, I wonder – what is your songline? Do you remember the first time you heard it, where you were, what you were doing? Or, has it been an old familiar tune, one that’s always been there? What is the songline that has brought you to this place, today?
Everyone has been given a songline to sing. We can hear them throughout today’s readings. Indeed, throughout the Bible people have had their songlines and these songlines have shaped us, just as the songlines from the Old Testament shaped Mary. We need each other’s songlines, but we also need to know our own songline. So, what is your songline? In what ways will you offer it to others and the world? In what ways will you open yourself to hear others’ songlines?
In every life there is a songline waiting to be sung. We all have one. We may all sing in different keys and use verses particular to our lives but it is the same song. It is the primordial melody of God carrying God’s eternal Word for each of our lives.
We are the singers but not the composers. The songline of our life was written “In the beginning” when God opened the womb of creation and said “Let there be.” Isn’t that the context for today’s gospel? It’s the meeting of Mary and Elizabeth. Two women pregnant with life, faith, and fulfilled promises. One is unmarried, too young, and too virginal to be pregnant. But she is. The other is married, too old, and too barren to be pregnant. But she is. Mary and Elizabeth give themselves to God, making a life profession. That is their songline.
But, what about each of us?
We may not have a good voice. We may not have a poetic way of saying things. It doesn’t matter. God made us, and he loves to hear us sing and give praise to his glory – just as Mary did.
God gave us the wonderful gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. So, what do we give to Almighty God? We give him praise. We give him thanks. That’s what he wants. We must learn a lesson from Mary – sing praise and thanks to God in each of our songlines.
Amen
Let us declare our faith in God
We believe in God the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named.
We believe in God the Son, who lives in our hearts through faith, and fills us with his love. We believe in God the Holy Spirit, who strengthens us with the power from on high. We believe in one God; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen
Hymn: 186 Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord
Our Intercessions by Daphne Hawkins
In the power of the Spirit and in union with Christ let us pray to the Father.
Merciful Father, as we gather together this morning, may we accept this day given to us, Lord. May it be a gift to be treasured, a life to be enjoyed, a trust to be kept, and a hope to be fulfilled.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
Lord, we pray for your Church world-wide; guide and direct it with your unfailing care. May it grow in numbers and strength bringing the Good News of Jesus Christ to all people whoever and wherever they may be. May all bishops, priests and church leaders find vision and hope in their daily task of leading us all on our earthly journey.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
Dear Lord, bless and guide King Charles and all the royal family. May they continue to carry out the duties and traditions so loved by so many both here and in the Commonwealth.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
Merciful Father, we pray once more for our broken world. We pray for all people suffering the effects of terrorism and war. We cannot conceive the minds and hearts of those so full of hatred and revenge causing so much pain and suffering on the innocent people caught up in the hostilities. We can only pray that leaders and heads of state may find every peace-making initiative to bring an end to these devastating, evil acts of violence.
Dear Lord, hear our prayer for peace.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
Lord, we pray for Reverend Diane, Father David, and dear Liz who all contribute so much to our Christian path of understanding here in our beloved St Clement Church. We also remember all who work so hard in all the ‘behind the scenes’ to keep our church safe, clean, and welcoming to everyone; the officers in the PCC who deal with all the endless requirements needed in the modern management of church affairs.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
Dear Lord, we pray for our families and friends, our children going back to school, college, or university; those in our country who find life difficult at this time; those with homelessness, financial and social problems. Please give them all guidance to find help in their needs. May those in authority provide the help and support needed to the fragile and vulnerable in their care.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
Merciful Father, we bring to you all who are in trouble, sorrow, need or sickness or any other adversity; those with no one who cares. From our church and community:
Reverend Diane and Ken, Brian, May, Susan, Tony, Jan, Lynda, Dot, Maureen, Jan, Pam and David, Sandra, Roger, Michael and Patricia, Rob and Alison, Mary, Jeremy, Anita and Stephen, Callum and Elaine, Sue and Martin, Margaret and John, Barry, Coral and Paul, Barbara, Simone, Laurie, and Dinah.
Comfort and heal all who are in a dark place at this time. Lay your healing, comforting hands on them. Give them hope and peace in their time of need.
We pray for those whose earthly journey has come to an end. May they be with you.
We bring to mind those we love but see no more, at rest in peace with you.
We remember those whose year’s mind occurs at this time: Albert Victor Gould, Joyce East, Leslie Clemens, Father Keith Elvin, Cecily Drew.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
Rejoicing in the fellowship of St Andrew, St Allen, St Clement, and the blessed Virgin Mary, we commend ourselves and the whole of creation to your unfailing love.
Merciful Father: Accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen
We say together:
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 Magnificat – an acrostic
My soul magnifies the Lord, And my spirit rejoices in my Saviour!
Generations will call me blessed,
Naming God as holy and mighty.
In strength he has scattered the proud,
Fed the hungry and left the rich empty.
Israel will see his mercy again.
Children of Israel, you know what he promised
Abraham and his offspring for ever?
This is happening now.
The Peace
Jesus said: ‘Love one another. As I have loved you, so you are to love one another.’
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
Hymn: 185 Sing we of the blessed Mother
The Blessing
May the love of Jesus Christ bring us wholeness. May the grace of God the Father grant us peace. May the breath of the Holy Spirit instil passion. May the unity between them give us strength for this and every day. Amen