St Clement Church Community Sunday Service
Good morning to you all as we celebrate our Sunday service, whether in our church building or your own home.
Last Sunday our choir sang the hymns, this Sunday we’ll all be singing! Our grateful thanks go to Terry and Martin for enabling us to listen to recorded hymns during these past months.
Please continue to keep yourselves safe when you go out and about, our county is very busy at the moment with holiday makers and
Covid hasn’t gone away even if restrictions have been lifted.
Much love and may Christ’s love sustain you always.
Rev Di and family xx
Let us pray;
Lord Jesus Christ, give us the desire to seek first God’s will in all things. Help us to listen to your Word, and show forth your love, in lives of service and sacrifice.
Amen.
Hymn: ‘Jesus shall reign’
Our prayers of Penitence
Christ the light of the world came to dispel the darkness of our hearts. In his light let us confess our failings:
Jesus, Emmanuel,
Forgive our ungrateful hearts…..Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, Son of God,
Forgive our self-centred lives…..Christ, have mercy.
Jesus, Prince of Peace,
Forgive our bitter conflicts…..Lord, have mercy.
May Almighty God, who sent his Son into the world to save us, bring us his pardon and peace, now and for ever. Amen.
Let us pray our Collect for the 10th Sunday after Trinity
Lord of heaven and earth, as Jesus taught his disciples to be persistent in prayer, give us patience and courage never to lose hope, but always to bring our prayers before you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Readings:
1 Kings 19. 4-8
Ephesians 4.25-5.2
Hymn; ‘Immortal, invisible, God only wise’’
Gospel: John 6. 35, 41-51
(Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John.
Response: ‘Glory to you O Lord.’)
Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, ‘I am the bread that came down from heaven.’ They were saying, ‘Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, “I have come down from heaven”?’
Jesus answered them, ‘Do not complain among yourselves. No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. It is written in the prophets, “And they shall all be taught by God.” Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me.
Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life.
I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.’
Reflection
A burglar was arrested and appeared before a judge. The judge found him guilty and before he sentenced the burglar, the judge asked him if he had anything to say in his defence.
The burglar said, “Well, Your Honour, you know how it is. The more a man has, the more he wants”. The judge replied, “Is that so? Well, I tell you what I’m going to do. I’m going to sentence you to 15 years in jail.
How many more would you like?”
But it does often seem as though the more people have, the more they want, they’re always hungry for more.
So, “The people are very hungry.” Could be the title of this sermon.
We’re living right now in the midst of the greatest affluence the western, and parts of the eastern world has ever known.
Everywhere we look, luxurious homes are being built, so much so that there’s a shortage of building materials. Factories can’t keep up with the demand for wall boarding, timber and cement.
But we’re not only setting records for luxurious homes, we’re also setting records for crime, drug and alcohol dependency, the destruction of the countryside, and a whole host of other problems.
Many years ago, the politician Enoch Powell once said; ‘Under the rule of money, life will fall to its lowest value.” Food for thought indeed.
Some people may live in the utmost comfort, with not having to worry where the next meal is coming from, but money certainly doesn’t solve all of life’s problems, the Covid pandemic has certainly proved that.
We live surrounded by great wealth, but; “the people are very hungry for more.”
Millions of people around the world attend church of a Sunday morning. They do so for various reasons, some go out of habit, after all, it isn’t a bad habit to have. But I doubt if it is out of habit.
People come to church to be fed, we come because we have a need that nobody else, or nothing else, fills for us.
We come into the Lord’s presence to seek his blessing and to share communion at the Lord’s Table. We come because we are hungry.
Jesus knew something about hungry people. When he saw the hungry crowd on the mountainside, he fed them. He had only a little boy’s packed lunch, but in his hands that tiny amount of food fed thousands.
But Jesus also knew that we can fill our stomachs and still be hungry.
We can eat in the finest restaurant and not be satisfied, we can live in the most luxurious home and not know love, we can drive the most expensive car, and find ourselves going in the wrong direction.
There’s a verse in the Old Testament where Moses had called all the Israelites together and said; ‘’God humbled you, and allowed you to be hungry, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread only, but lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of God”
Hence telling them that they needed bread to eat, but also to thrive they needed the Word of God.
But folk nowadays don’t really have that same kind of regard for words, said or written. “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me,” we say.
But words do hurt us. Some of our greatest pain comes from words. The truth is that, “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can REALLY hurt me.”
But if words can hurt, they can also help us. There are countless stories of people whose lives were turned around by the right word from the right person at the right time.
We’ve all experienced the power of words. Gentle words soothe us. Forgiving words heal us. Encouraging words motivate us. If a word from a friend or loved one can save us, just imagine what a word from the Lord can do.
“Man does not live by bread only, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” It was by a word from God that the world was created. It is by the Word of God that we are fed.
And Jesus is that Word. We read in John 14; “The Word became flesh, and lived among us.’’
Jesus is God’s gentle Word. Jesus is God’s forgiving Word. Jesus is God’s encouraging Word. Jesus is God’s saving Word.
In our Gospel lesson today, Jesus puts it this way. He says, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will not be hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty”
Just as we make bread from wheat to fill our stomachs, God made bread from flesh to fill our souls. When Jesus said, “I am the bread of life,” he was saying; ‘I am the way by which spiritual nourishment can be received.’
And we need such nourishment if we are to follow God’s path and do his work. By his body Jesus provides the bread which we receive in faith, as a real way of being united with him, and united together in a life that will not fade or disillusion us, but will keep us fed for all eternity.
Let us keep the feast. Amen.
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.
Hymn; ‘Angel voices ever singing’
Our Intercessions this week are written by Daphne Hawkins
In the power of the Spirit and in union with Christ, let us pray to the Father.
Most merciful God, please give us a sense of your presence as we gather for worship and prayer. Grant us gratitude as we remember your goodness, penitence as we remember our sins, joy as we remember your love for us. Enable us to lift up our hearts in humble prayer and praise knowing you will always be our guide and our light.
Lord, in your mercy Hear our prayer
Dear Lord, we pray for our church world-wide, for all faiths and creeds who strive for peace and good for all people. We pray for all bishops and priests who lead us on our earthly pilgrimage. Give them strength and vision to cope with the demands and challenges that social, financial and the pandemic have all contributed to making their daily tasks even greater.
We especially pray for our own Reverend Diane, her work in our church and her dedication to our very wide community, her support of our Naval personnel and family needs.
Lord, in your mercy Hear our prayer
Lord, we pray you will continue to strengthen, support and guide all world leaders, and especially our own government on decisions and the way forward as we continue to struggle with the Covid virus and its variants. May we all consider our responsibilities to not just ourselves, but our families and all people we encounter each day. Remembering those who are still at risk and vulnerable. Please be with us and guide us as we begin to live a more normal life.
Lord, in your mercy Hear our prayer
Lord Jesus, we pray for the safety and well-being of all who visit our county to find respite and enjoy our coast and countryside. May we share the beauty and all the pleasure of Cornwall with so many whose urban surroundings have made the last eighteen months even more difficult to get through than ourselves.
Lord, in your mercy Hear our prayer
Dear Lord, please open our eyes to the need for us all to make a greater effort to preserve our environment, our wild life, our rivers. Our oceans are at risk from our pollution. The responsibility lies with each of us to change our wasteful and thoughtless way of life. Let us consider our future generations and the legacy we pass on to them.
Lord, in your mercy Hear our prayer
Dear Lord, may we bring to you all who are suffering in body, mind or spirit at this time. We especially remember Reverend Diane and dear Ken, Rupert and Linda, Margaret, Brian, Martin and Ollie. We ask you will be with those unknown top us whose need is just as great. For those with no one who cares or loves them or even to say a prayer for them.
May they all know you are always with them and in the darkest days you bring them comfort, love, light and hope in the days ahead.
We remember those whose earthly journey has ended and are at rest and peace with you. We also remember those we love but see no more and those whose anniversary falls at this time.
Lord, in your mercy Hear our prayer
Lord, be with us this day, within us to purify us, above us to draw us up, beneath us to sustain us, before us to lead us, behind us to restrain us, and around us to protect us.
Rejoicing in the fellowship of St Andrew, St Clement and the Blessed Virgin Mary, we commend ourselves and the whole creation to your unfailing love.
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; ‘Father, hear the prayer we offer’
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.