ST CLEMENT CHURCH
THIRD SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY COMMUNITY SERVICE
Good morning
So many lines in the sand … which should we follow? Do we follow an easy and comfortable one or the true one that will be a challenge and often painful one?
My love to you all
Liz
Bless us as we meet together, dear Lord, we pray.
Bless the singing of your praise, the reading of your Word,
The sharing of our fellowship, the prayers that will be heard.
Bless us as we meet together, dear Lord we pray.
Amen
We say together:
Lord God, in a universe that seems so immense it is easy to feel insignificant as we are gathered here today. Yet we know that we are precious in your sight – unique individuals loved and blessed in so many ways. We stand in awe of the one who has created all things and dedicate this time and all our days to your service. Accept this offering we pray, our sacrifice of praise and worship. Amen
Hymn:
Prayer of Confession
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
Almighty God, you have broken the tyranny of sin and have sent the Spirit of your Son into our hearts whereby we call you Father: give us grace to dedicate our freedom to your service, that we and all creation may be brought to the glorious liberty of the children of God; 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:
Jeremiah 20. 7 - 13
Romans 6. 1b - 11
Hymn:
Gospel: Matthew 10. 24 - 39
(Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew Response: ‘Glory to you O Lord.’)
Jesus summoned the twelve and sent them out with the following instruction: ‘A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household!
So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground unperceived by your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.
Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven.
Do not think I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.’
(This is the Gospel of our Lord. Praise to you, O Christ)
Reflection
‘Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven.’
The gospel reading today and those of the last few weeks are particularly challenging. I have struggled with them … not because of how to interpret the truth of them but that truth in my life, struggling with what that truth reveals about us and our country, struggling with what that truth is asking of us, and struggling with what I say to you.
I want to be true to the truth but I also don’t want to be inconvenienced or uncomfortable, challenged to change, or risk disapproval and being criticized personally or as a preacher. I suspect you feel the same as a hearer of the gospel.
Don’t you sometimes just want an easy, feel-good gospel? Sometimes I want a gospel that affirms our life as it is and leaves us alone. I want a gospel that’s easy to talk about, easy to hear and easy to live.
None of that, however, is likely to happen today. Jesus has taken his sword and drawn a line in the sand.
The line Jesus draws is a line acknowledging him before others and denying him before others. I’m not talking about whether we read the Bible, go to church, say the creed, or put Jesus stuff on our social media. I’m talking about how we live, what we say and don’t say, what we do and don’t do, the policies we enact or support and the ideas behind them. I’m talking about where and with whom we make our stand today.
There are, however, other lines in the sand. Jesus isn’t the only one who draws lines. Some we have drawn for ourselves and some have been drawn for us by others. They’re not hard to see.
Look at the lines that have been drawn about racism. Think about who is and who isn’t welcome in this country and why. Lines run through poverty, violence and injustice. They run through the lack of equality, education and healthcare.
What does the line that Jesus draws have to do with these situations or any other situation where you see lines being drawn? What do those situations look like when we acknowledge Jesus in them? When we deny him in them?
The line Jesus draws with his sword intersects every one of the issues I mentioned and more. It intersects the lines you and I see being drawn in our country today. It runs through your life and my life. It runs through our thoughts, words and deeds.
For Jesus there is only one line that matters. That’s why I struggle with today’s gospel. It holds before us a set of values, a way of being, a truth that we either acknowledge or deny. We can’t straddle that line – one foot here, the other there. There is no middle ground on which to stand, and we can’t gerrymander the line to make life easier.
Jesus’ sword cuts through everything. The line He draws runs through every single grain of sand in our life. That line reveals and calls us into a greater priority, a higher authority, a truer identity. Where we stand in relation to that line will determine who we are, the values we hold, and how, or even if, we love our neighbour.
If you want to know where Jesus stands, what He stands for, and with whom He stands, look for the places of brokenness and dis-ease, look for love, justice, compassion, peace. Look for people who are hurting, marginalized, oppressed, devalued. That’s where we see Jesus drawing a line in the sand and taking a stand.
What line is Jesus drawing in the sands of our life today? What is being revealed to us? What is being asked of us? Are we acknowledging Jesus? Are we denying him?
These are the questions I ask myself. I think we all need to be asking ourselves these questions every day of our life because we all stand somewhere. We all take a stand by our actions and inactions, by our words and our silence, by our thoughts and intentions.
When we look at the line Jesus has drawn in our life today –
- Where do we stand?
- For what do we stand?
- With whom do we stand?
In the Jewish tradition there’s a collection of ethical teachings. In it, one of the rabbis says this. “It is not your responsibility to finish the work of perfecting the world, but neither are you free to desist from it.”
These words are an invitation to truthfulness, authenticity, honesty and integrity. They hold a vision of the work before you and me. I trust those words will lead all of us to a life worthy of Jesus.
The line has been drawn.
Amen
Hymn:
Our Intercessions
Everlasting God, we come before you this Sunday morning in love and fellowship whether in our own homes or gathered together here in our little church of St Clement. Hear us now as we bring before You our cares and needs.
We pray for Your Church throughout the world, for Christians everywhere worshipping in their own homes, meeting in small house groups, in rural and town churches and in great city cathedrals. Grant that we and all your people may grow in faith and show in our lives the love we see in Jesus.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
Lord God, we give you thanks for our church here at St Clement. We pray for our own Reverend Di that she may be given strength to cope with all that she is asked to do and enfold her and Ken in your ever-loving arms. We pray for Father David who is such an important part of our church community and give thanks for all he does for us. We ask your blessing on us all, that we may be true disciples and live our lives as you would have us do. May we offer a warm welcome and the hand of friendship and love to all who enter these doors.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
God the Creator, we give you our thanks for all the wonders of the world that you have created. We live in a wonderful part of the United Kingdom with its mighty cliffs of the North coast, the sheltered bays of the South coast, golden beaches, open moors, woodlands, streams and rivers. We thank you for its varied flora and fauna. May we as custodians of your creation ensure that we protect and care for it so that future generations may enjoy and wonder at all its facets.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
Father God, we pray for those whom we love, family and friends who are special people in our lives wherever they may be. We pray for their hopes, their fears, their problems, and their needs, but most of all we thank you for each one of them and for what they give and mean to us.
Blessed Lord, in the comfort of your love, we lay before you the memories that haunt us, the anxieties that perplex us, the despair that frightens us, and our frustration at our inability to think clearly. Help us to discover your forgiveness in our memories and know your peace in our distress. Touch us, O Lord and fill us with your light and hope.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
Lord, today Father’s Day is being celebrated. We bring before you all fathers and those who have in any way given fatherly care. We give thanks for our fathers and pray for those who have sadly not had a loving father/child relationship.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
Dear Lord, we bring before you all those who are suffering in body, mind, or spirit. Touch them with your healing hands; heal any broken hearts. Fill them with peace and joy that we know can only come from you at difficult times. Walk closely beside them during their journey to healing and recovery that is possible through your power alone.
We especially bring before you: Reverend Di, Ken, Sabie, Brian, Susan, Lauren, Lynda, Sandra, Daphne and David, Pam and David, Dot, Maureen, Mary, Rob and Alison, Catherine, Jan, Anita and Stephen, Michael and Patricia, Jeremy, Felicity, Callum and Elaine, Barbara, Roger, Lorrie, Jeanette and David, Kate, those known to each of us and those who have no one to pray for them.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
Merciful God, into your caring hands we commit those who have died and we pray for all those who are mourning the loss of loved ones.
We remember those whose year’s mind occurs at this time …
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
Dear Lord, as we leave today, we put our trust in you because we know that you will never leave us. Be our guide in everything that we do. You are our shepherd and so we shall lack nothing. Quiet our minds and bring tranquillity to our hearts. Give us clarity as individuals about what each of us needs to do as your disciple in the days and weeks ahead.
Rejoicing in the fellowship of St Andrew, St Clement, St Allen and all your saints, we commend ourselves 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
In God’s Sight
Before the world began to spin,
And oceans found their place,
He knew the depths of who you are
And framed your every grace.
No two are made the self-same way,
No soul a mere design;
Your fingerprints, your quiet hopes,
Are brilliantly divine.
Not measured by the world’s applause,
Nor weighed by what you do,
You are a masterpiece of love,
For he delights in you.
So hold your head in quiet peace,
Let every doubt depart;
You are a treasure, deeply known,
And precious to his heart.
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 us.
Hymn:
The Blessing
May the grace of God uphold you,
the peace of God surround you,
the love of God flow from you,
and the strength of God protect
and bring you safely through this day. Amen