St Clement Church Community Sunday Service
Good morning to you all as we celebrate the 19th Sunday after Trinity, whether in your own home or our church building. My family and I thank each and every one of you for the messages of condolence we’ve received. Mum’s funeral will be 11.30 Friday 16th October, I know you’ll be holding us in your thoughts and prayers if you’re unable to attend with us in person. As you can imagine, Mum left me quite a few instructions as to how the service was to go, I shall do my best to follow them……
May Christ’s love sustain you today and always.
With much love and prayers,
Rev Di and family xx
Let us pray;
God, our Judge and Saviour, teach us to be open to your truth and to trust in your love, that we may live each day with confidence in the salvation which is given through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Hymn: ‘When Morning Gilds the Skies’
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 the 19th Sunday after Trinity
Faithful Lord, whose steadfast love never ceases and whose mercies never come to an end: grant us the grace to trust you and to receive the gifts of your love, new every morning, in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Readings: Isaiah 25. 1-9 Philippians 4. 1-9
Hymn; ‘O Praise ye the Lord’
Gospel Reading: Matthew 22. 1-14
(Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.
Response: ‘Glory to you O Lord.’)
Once more Jesus spoke to the chief priests and Pharisees, in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come.
Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.’ But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them.
The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.’ Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad, so the wedding hall was filled with guests.
“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.”
(This is the Gospel of the Lord. Response: ‘Praise to you, O, Christ’)
Reflection
Have you ever gone to a social function and found that you’ve got the dress code totally wrong? I Have. I know I’ve told this story before, but one example is the very first time I attended a formal luncheon in the wardroom at Culdrose. It was tipping down with rain, and I was absolutely drenched by the time I’d run over from chaplaincy.
There was a steward waiting by the wardroom door and he said quietly; ‘Your coat Bish…’ (The nickname for RN chaplains) ‘Yes my love’ I replied, ‘soaked, isn’t it?’
He studied me for a further moment, with hindsight, I think he was searching for divine inspiration, and then said; ‘shall I take your coat Bish?’ Looking at him in his lovely white jacket and immaculate black trousers I said; ‘No, you’ll spoil your clothes my angel, don’t worry, I’ll just chuck it over the back of my chair……’
Luckily, the lead chaplain came to the steward’s rescue and muttered to me; ‘give him your beep beep coat.’ I now know that outer clothing, wet or otherwise, isn’t allowed in the wardroom……Oops.
That was a while ago, but I got it wrong during those dark days of Covid too.. First day on base during lockdown, I threw my stuff into the chaplaincy office and saw orders on the desk. Well, I must admit I didn’t look at them but went straight out to take 0800 Morning Prayer. So far so good. However, after the service I decided to pop over to the shop, to see the staff there and have a coffee.
I put on a mask (my light green chicken one) before I went into the shop, and who should be in there, but the Standing Officer of the Day. After looking at me quizzically he asked if, by any chance, I’d read orders. Well, I couldn’t lie, could I? ‘Nope’ I said, ‘I thought I’d get a coffee first’
He then asked if I had another mask I could wear. ‘Of course, my love,’ I replied, ‘one in each pocket me.’ So, I took off my chicken mask and put on my brightly coloured cat one. After a long pause he said; ‘I haven’t seen you’ and walked out.
My friends in the shop were laughing their socks off but wouldn’t tell me why. On my return to the chaplaincy office I thought I’d better look at orders and happened to notice that masks worn when visiting buildings or sections must be of a plain black or navy material……Oops again!
But being improperly dressed can be a nightmare, literally.
Ever had a bad dream about it? Waking up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat after dreaming you were going about your business, only to realise you’re standing before God and everybody else in your pyjamas or even worse, your birthday suit!
Well, today’s sermon is about being properly dressed.
But it’s not about what you wear to church, or at work or home. It’s about being clothed in the righteousness of God.
And what I hope we’ll get out these words is this; while God is perfectly willing to clothe us in the garments of Christ, it’s up to us put them on and wear them faithfully for his glory.
Today’s Gospel comes from a couple of parables neatly tied together. The first has to do with a king who wanted to give a big wedding banquet for his son, so he invited all his friends and political allies. It was to be a royal, festive occasion, but as the servants returned from the neighbouring kingdoms, they only brought back rejections.
The king thought there must be some mistake because in those days, to reject a royal invitation was like a declaration of war, so he gave his allies the benefit of the doubt and sent servants back to say that the wedding banquet was prepared and for them to come at once.
But the would-be guests not only refused the second invitation, they made light of it and killed the king’s servants.
When word got back to the king, he was furious, he summoned his troops and went to war against his now-declared enemies, and once they were defeated, he returned to his kingdom more determined than ever to give his son a proper wedding banquet.
He sent his servants out to invite people off the streets to come to the palace, and sure enough, common folk couldn’t believe their good fortune and poured into the palace to celebrate the marriage of the prince.
In the context of Matthew’s gospel, in the parable the King is God, the Prince is Jesus, the ‘invited’ were the Jews, and the common folk were the Gentiles.
This paints the picture how God offered the feast of salvation to the Gentiles: the Jews had refused the invitation. But the same can happen to us, the kingdom of God is at hand; the table is spread, the banquet hall must be filled and if we’re not willing to accept the invitation, our seat will be given to someone else.
Whatever our excuse, the kingdom must go on. God is at work reconciling the world to himself and if for whatever reason, we’re unwilling to be part of this ministry, God will choose others to do his bidding.
The Good News is the Kingdom of God is at hand, and we’re the honoured guests, but the word to the wise is; dress accordingly, and that’s where the second parable comes in.
According to Matthew, as the king mingled with his guests, he noticed a man who wasn’t wearing a proper wedding garment, he’s as out of place as I was about to be in the wardroom, and the shop on base.
The difference is, he wasn’t clueless like me, he was disrespectful.
In Jesus’ day, guests coming to a royal banquet were expected to wear festal garments. For the wealthy, that meant embroidered robes and gowns adorned with precious jewels. For the poor, it meant the best clothes they had, freshly washed. If they could afford it, they’d wear white, and, if they couldn’t, they’d wear as close to white as possible.
Wearing festal garments indicated the person’s full participation in the joy of the wedding, and the implication was that anyone who wasn’t wearing such garments had come along just for the ride. Not there to honour the king and celebrate the marriage of the prince, but only there for the free food and drink.
The way this man was dressed could even be interpreted as a sign of disdain, so the king had every reason to throw him out. But there’s more. In the Bible, clothes have a symbolic meaning. They’re a sign of being dressed in the righteousness of God.
To be clothed in the righteousness of God is to be devoted to the teachings of Jesus and filled with his Spirit, just as Paul told the Ephesians: “Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil, having the belt of truth buckled around your waist, and wearing the breastplate of righteousness.
The Good News is that God supplies all the clothes we need to fight the sin of injustice and oppression, self-centeredness and greed, and he gives such clothes as a free gift. The catch is, we have to be willing to wear them, not only on a Sunday morning, but throughout the week.
And let’s be honest, that’s not always easy. We gather on Sundays here and in our own homes, to praise God and to talk about the forgiveness Christ offers, yet no sooner than we walk out the door, or get up to make a cup of tea, our vision is blurred by the realities of life; anxiety, stress, conflict and anger.
And before we know it, we’re so caught up in the rat race that we’re just like everybody else – clothed in the ways of the world rather than the righteousness of God. The crux of the matter is this: God wants to clothe us in garments of Christ, but God leaves it up to us to put them on, and here’s the bottom line: We all know how embarrassing it would be to show up at a social function wrongly dressed, but what we need to remember is that the greatest social function of all – the Kingdom of God – is here and now, and we’re expected to dress accordingly. So, put on the garments of Christ; let us clothe ourselves in compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience and love … and in so doing, honour and glorify the king.
As in the words of the hymn;
“Dear Lord and Father of mankind, forgive our foolish ways;
reclothe us in our rightful mind, in purer lives thy service find,
in deeper reverence, praise.” Amen.
Hymn; ‘Alleluia, sing to Jesus’
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
Dear Lord, as we quietly bow our heads, we know that we can do nothing on our own, please may we bring all our hopes, fears and endeavours and lay them before you so that we may know that with your blessing we may live our lives in your name.
As autumn draws in with its changing colours, its chilly, misty mornings and nature prepares for winter, we give thanks for the beauty of the county in which we live. We are fortunate that we live in such a temperate climate, away from earthquakes, volcanoes and other extremes of nature. This year we have experienced something of what climate change means … much higher temperatures and a lack of rain during the summer months. May we be true and caring custodians of creation so that future generations may also be able to enjoy its wonders.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
Dear Lord, it is too easy to become ‘comfortable’ in all aspects of our lives. Please help us to be aware of the challenges around us and may we be willing to respond to them, secure in the knowledge that You will guide us if we only put our trust in You.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
Lord, we pray for our troubled world. There is so much mistrust, unfairness and violence. May the leaders of nations, and all in authority, work for the good of their people and not for their own power and importance. As a world population we should be working together to protect our Father’s creation; not be destroying it for our own selfish demands. We should be offering a hand of friendship and support to all in need, no matter what their colour, their nationality, their traditions or their situation. We are all equal and deserve a fair share of the world’s resources and an equal say in how to work in unity.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
Lord, we bring before You all those known to us who are in need of special help at this time … those who are homeless, hungry, lonely, afraid, or who are suffering in body, mind or spirit; may they know that You are with them always and if they put their trust in You they will be given the strength to face whatever may be ahead. ahead. We especially bring before You: Ken and Reverend Di, Sabie, Brian, Susan, Jan, Daphne and David, Dot, Pam and David, Mary, Michael and Patricia, Sandra, Alison and Rob, Jeremy, Anita and Stephen, Callum and Elaine, Barbara, Roger and Helen, Lorrie, Jeanette and Dave, Kate, Katharine, Margaret, Sue and Martin, Fiona, those known to each of us and those with no one to pray for them.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
Lord, we bring before You all those who have left this life to join You in Your eternal kingdom. We pray for all those who are grieving their passing. May they all feel Your love and support in the days ahead. We remember those whose year’s mind occurs at this time: Cedric Davies. Reverend Harold Stribley, Peter Williams, Kitty Hill
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
Dear Lord, as we face the coming week, may we do all things in Your name and live our lives as You would have us live them, so ensuring that each small deed we do in Your name makes this a better world.
Rejoicing in the fellowship of St Clement, St Andrew and St Allen 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; ‘Dear Lord & Father of Mankind’
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.