St Clement Church
The Second Sunday before Advent Community Service
Good morning
Falling temples – rather out of my comfort zone … I am not a builder.
But, yet again, what seems to be straightforward, is not so.
Our Lord is talking about much more than a stone building. He is talking about us!
My love to you all
Liz
Into your presence we come, God of Grace and Peace, who was, and is and ever shall be the Eternal One.
Into fellowship we come, bound together in the love that died and rose again for us, our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Amen
We say together:
We meet together in the presence of a God whose love is freedom. Whose touch is healing, whose voice is calm.
We meet not in our own strength but in the knowledge that God’s Spirit abides within us in our worship today and in our daily lives when we depart from this place.
The blessing received is shared, in the hope that others may be drawn to the God we serve. Amen
Hymn: 79 Christ whose glory fills the skies
Prayer of Confession
Most merciful God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we confess that we have sinned in thought, word and deed.
We have not loved you with our whole heart.
We have not loved our neighbours as ourselves.
In your mercy forgive what we have been,
help us to amend what we are,
and direct what we shall be;
that we may do justly, love mercy,
and walk humbly with you, our God.
Amen
The Collect
Heavenly Father, whose blessed Son was revealed to destroy the works of the devil and to make us children of God and heirs of eternal life: grant that we, having this hope, may purify ourselves even as he is pure; that when he shall appear in power and great glory we may be made like him in his eternal and glorious kingdom; where he is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Amen
Readings:
Malachi 4. 1 – 2a
2 Thessalonians 3. 6 - 13
Hymn: 189 God is working his purpose out
Gospel: Luke 21. 5 - 19
(Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke. Response: ‘Glory to you O Lord.’)
When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, Jesus said, ‘As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.’
They asked him, ‘Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?’
And Jesus said, ‘Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say, “I am he!” and “The time is near!” Do not go after them.
When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.’
Then he said to them, ‘Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven.
But before this all occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name.
This will give you an opportunity to testify.
So make up your minds not to prepare your defence in advance; for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death.
You will be hated by all because of my name. But not a hair of your head will perish.
By your endurance you will gain your souls.’
(This is the Gospel of our Lord. Praise to you, O Christ)
Reflection
We may not like it, we may deny it, we may resist it, but the reality is that things are changing. Our world is changing, our church is changing, our lives are changing. Sometimes changes are welcome. But there are days when change brings loss or the fear of loss. There are days when our life is forever changed, the world is different, and nothing is like it used to be.
You and I know those days. We could each tell stories about those days. They are the stories about the death of a loved one, the diagnosis, the divorce, the business that failed, the job that was lost. They are stories about the day that you realised that the life you were living was not the life that you wanted, the day someone confronted you with your addiction, the day you became the parent and caretaker of your own parent. They are stories of dreams and hopes that never came true.
These are the days when the temples of our life and world fall. It’s not just our individual temples, however. As a parish we are having to face the reality that our church way of life is changing. For many people the Church of England is not the church that they remember. It’s not like it was when they were growing up. Things have changed. For them the temple is falling. As a country the temple of our economic system is in ruins. We can no longer count on investments, (if we have any) that will grow every year. The job market is unstable. Globally we read of wars, plagues, famines, and more and more disasters. Nations have risen against nations, kingdom against kingdom, religion against religion. Security, peace, and diplomacy have given way to fear, violence, and terrorism. Temples are falling everywhere.
We all have temples. Some have been given to us, others we have built for ourselves. Sometimes our temples are people, places, values and beliefs, institutions, dreams. Regardless, they are the things that we think structure and order our lives, give meaning and identity, provide security and stability. At least we think they do, until they fall.
In today’s gospel some were talking about the temple, its beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God. It is what structured their community. It gave identity and meaning. It was the centre of Jewish life. Jesus looks at it and says, “The days will come when not one stone will be left on another; all will be thrown down.” Jesus is speaking about more than just the physical temple in Jerusalem. The Jerusalem temple includes every temple you and I have.
So, what do we do on the day the temple falls?
Change has a way of pushing us into the future. What will happen now? What do I do? How do I get through this? If we’re not careful we will soon be living in a future we don’t yet have. We will be living in a future created in our heads. That is not Jesus’ response. When Jesus describes things that will happen, he is not asking us to speculate about the future. He is offering signs that call us to be faithful in the present.
When a temple falls some people simply give up and walk away in despair. They see nothing left. All is lost and the situation is hopeless. That is not Jesus’ response. Some will become angry, resentful, and fight back. Others will say this is God’s will or maybe even God’s punishment. Many will look for easy answers, quick fixes, something that will prop up the old structures and ways of doing things. Again, these are not Jesus’ response.
Jesus’ response is just the opposite. Be still, be quiet, don’t be led astray. Don’t let your life to be controlled or determined by fear. Don’t listen to the many voices that would cause you to run and go after them. Endure, he says, be faithful, steadfast, persevere here and now. Jesus is calling us to be present and faithful in whatever circumstances we find ourselves. If we can’t find God here, in our present circumstances, even in the midst of our temple ruins, we will find God nowhere.
Endurance, perseverance, stability are the ways in which we offer God the fallen stones of our temples. Stone by stone God rebuilds our life. Stone by stone God restores the original beauty of our life and world. Stone by stone a new temple arises from the rubble. Stone by stone we become the temple of God. We no longer have temples. We no longer need them. We are the temple. That is the story that needs to be told.
We can all tell the story of the day our temple was destroyed. Too often, however, we believe and live as if that is the end of the story. It will be if we run away, blame others, respond with anger, or try to put it back like it used to be. But it doesn’t have to be the end of the story. The greater story is how we discovered God next to us in the temple ruins and how, stone by stone, God rebuilt what we couldn’t. It is the ongoing story of God recreating life out of loss and ruin, a story of God rejoicing and delighting in his people.
This story is the holy gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to you. It is real, sacred, and true.
Trust that story, tell it over and over to yourself, proclaim it to all you see, and then go live that story.
Amen
Let us declare our faith in God
Do you believe and trust in God the Father, source of all being and life, the one for whom we all exist?
We believe and trust in him.
Do you believe and trust in God the Son, who took our human nature, died for us and rose again?
We believe and trust in him.
Do you believe and trust in God the Holy Spirit, who gives life to the people of God and makes Christ known in the world?
We believe and trust in him.
This is the faith of the Church.
This is our faith.
We believe and trust in one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Amen
Hymn: 400 Lead us Heavenly Father, lead us
Our Intercessions
Dear Lord, as we gather our thoughts to offer You our prayers, we thank You for the opportunity to be still, to let our thoughts wander, to open our hearts to You and to listen for Your voice.
Dear Lord, in the calm and peace of this time, we bring before You all those around the world who are suffering through man’s inhumanity to man. We ask Your blessing on all those who cannot live in peace and harmony; those who are constantly in fear of violence in all its forms; those who are suffering through hunger and lack of medical care; those who are tortured for their beliefs or just for the satisfaction of their tormentors.
We bring before you all those who have, and are, suffering from the natural disasters that have struck across the world. May those countries which have not had to face such devastation come to the aid of those who have.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
Dear Lord, we pray for all people in war-torn countries; remembering especially the people of Ukraine, those in Sudan and Lebanon and all other countries where unrest is rife.
We pray that all those in authority may always seek the good of the people that they represent and not their own importance and dominance. We pray that ideology should never be at the expense of the welfare of ordinary families.
We pray that, in this country, we may all be willing to live together in friendship, acknowledging and celebrating our differences, and willing to work for the common good.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
Dear Lord, forgive us when we waste our lives by being too busy to appreciate and enjoy Your creation. Teach us to make spaces in the day to do the things we most enjoy; just as You rested from Your work. Help us to practise the discipline of recreation and help us to become Your hands and feet in our streets so that our neighbours will one day ask us to tell them more about You.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
Dear Lord, help us to see and understand that it is only through Your grace that we receive Your justice which is over and above what we deserve. May we truly put our trust in you so that when our temples fall, we are willing to accept your hand to help us rebuild from the ruins to become your temple.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
Lord, we bring before you all those who are suffering or struggling in any way, whether in body, mind, or spirit. Enfold them in your loving arms so that they know that they never have to face things alone. We especially bring before You: Reverend Diane, Ken, Brian, May, Susan, Tony, Jan, Lynda, Dot, Maureen, Pam and David, Sandra, Roger and Helen, Michael and Patricia, Rob and Alison, Mary, Jeremy, Anita and Stephen, Callum and Elaine, Sue and Martin, Margaret and John, Coral and Paul, Barbara, Simone, Felicity, Dinah, Daphne and David, Liz, David and Jeanette, Stanley, Carol, John, all those known to each of us and those who have no one to pray for them.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
Lord, we remember in Your presence all those who have died, and particularly those we have known and loved. Thank You for them and thank You for Your promise of eternal life and peace.
Be close to those who are recently bereaved - strengthen them with the knowledge that You are always there to lean on, and if things get too much to bear, that You will carry them through the difficult times.
We remember all those whose year’s mind occurs at this time.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
Dear Lord, we do not always live our lives as we should; we do not always treat others as we would be treated; we do not follow in Your way as we should. We ask Your blessing on each, and every one of us; lead us along the paths You would have us follow; stretch forth Your hand when we falter, and may we feel Your presence, at all times.
Dear Lord, we believe, help our unbelief. We listen, please help us to hear. We look, please help us to see, and in so doing, let us be true and faithful followers of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Rejoicing in the fellowship of St Andrew, St Allen and St Clement and all Christian people 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 Living Temple by Oliver Wendell Holmes Senior
Not in the world of light alone,
Where God has built his blazing throne,
Nor yet alone in earth below,
With belted seas that come and go,
And endless isles of sunlit green,
Is all thy Maker’s glory seen:
Look in upon thy wondrous frame, -
Eternal wisdom still the same!
The smooth, soft air with pulse-like waves
Flows murmuring through its hidden caves,
Whose streams of brightening purple rush,
Fired with a new and livelier blush,
While all their burden of decay
The ebbing current steals away,
And red with Nature’s flame they start
From the warm fountains of the heart.
No rest that throbbing slave may ask,
Forever quivering o’er his task,
While far a wide a crimson jet
Leaps forth to fill the woven net
Which in unnumbered crossing tides
The flood of burning life divides,
Then, kindling each decaying part,
Creeps back to find a throbbing heart.
Be warmed that with unchanging flame
Behold the outward moving frame,
Its living marbles jointed strong
With glistening band and silvery thong,
And linked to reason’s guiding reins
By myriad rings in trembling chains,
Each graven with the threaded zone
Which claims it as the master’s own.
See how yon beam of seeming white
Is braided out of seven-hued light,
Yet in those lucid globes no ray
By any chance shall break astray.
Haek how the rolling surge of sound,
Arches and spirals circling round,
Wakes the hushed spirit through thine ear
With music it is heaven to hear.
Then mark the cloven sphere that holds
All thought in its mysterious folds;
That feels sensation’s faintest thrill,
And flashes forth the sovereign will;
Think on the stormy world that dwells
Locked in its dim and clustering cells!
The lightning gleams of power it sheds
Along its hollow glassy threads!
O Father! Grant thy love divine
To make these mystic temples thine!
When wasting age and wearying strife
Have sapped the leaning walls of life,
When darkness gathers over all,
And the last tottering pillars fall,
Take the poor dust thy mercy warms,
And mould it into heavenly forms.
The Peace
Jesus says: ‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
Do not let your hearts be troubled,
Neither let them be afraid.’
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
Hymn: 200 Great is Thy faithfulness
The Blessing
As we take our worship, praise, and prayer from this place and into our daily lives,
may our lives be sustained through the love of our Heavenly Father.
May we feel the presence of our Saviour walking beside us,
and know the power of the Spirit in both our actions and our words.
Amen