St Clement Church Community Seventh after Trinity Sunday Service
Good morning – hopefully on this Sunday morning there is a clear blue sky, the sun is warm and it really does feel like summer!
Certainly, when the weather is fine it lifts our spirits – something we all need.
As restrictions ease tomorrow, PLEASE still take care – Covid has NOT gone away.
My love to you all
Liz
Let us pray;
This is your day and we shall praise you!
This is your day and we shall declare your name!
This is your day and we shall worship a Risen Saviour and our King.
Amen
We meet as family in the presence of our heavenly Father.
We meet as brothers and sisters in Christ, accepting the responsibility that this places upon us – to love one another as you have loved us.
We meet as your lights in this dark world, and pray that through our words and our lives others may be drawn into your family and accept you as their Saviour and Lord.
Amen
Hymn: Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart
Amen
Prayer of Penitence
You have given us: a world of beauty and we have spoilt it.
A world to feed us and so many go hungry.
A world of riches and we are unwilling to share.
A world to care for and we think only of ourselves.
Forgive us, gracious God for those times your heart is saddened by our selfishness.
For those times we have no thought for others, no cares but ours.
Enable us to see this world anew as a gift from you, to be shared and nurtured, and those who live upon it to be loved and cared for.
We ask this that your name may be glorified, through the beauty of this world and the service of our lives.
Amen.
Let us pray our Collect for the Seventh Sunday after Trinity
Lord of all power and might, the author and giver of all good things: graft in our hearts the love of your name, increase in us true religion, nourish us with all goodness, and of your great mercy keep us in the same; 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 23. 1 - 6
Ephesians 2. 11 - end
Hymn: I heard the voice of Jesus say
Gospel: Mark 6. 30 – 34, 53 - end
(Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark.
Response: ‘Glory to you O Lord.’)
The apostles returned from their mission. They gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, ‘Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.’ For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves.
Now many saw them going and recognised them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat.
When they got out of the boat, people at once recognised him, and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was.
And wherever he went into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the market-places, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.
(This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ)
Reflection
Tom had had a really stressful week. In fact, he had had an awful month. He was tired, grumpy and when he flopped down on the settee when he arrived home, close to tears. So, as he had the next day all to himself, he decided that he would get up early, go for a drive in the country, find a ‘hidden’ country pub for lunch, go for a long walk and then pick up an Indian meal on his way back for supper – the perfect day to unwind.
So, next morning, having over-slept, he rushed out to the car and set off. He was well out into the country when ‘bump’ and then ‘pssssh’ – he had a flat tyre. Typical! He opened his boot and realised he’d lent his jack to a neighbour who hadn’t returned it. Ring the AA – now where was his mobile? He searched every pocket then realised he’d left it on the bedside table …
I wonder, how often have you made plans and then something happens to change everything?
We’ve all made plans – maybe it is for an hour, a day, a weekend, a holiday, our work, our finances, our family. We’ve all experienced unforeseen circumstances that change them or the unexpected happens.
Everyone of us could probably say about today’s Gospel, ‘I’ve been there – that’s just the sort of thing that happens to me – something always occurs to spoil my carefully laid plans!’
Today’s Gospel describes the pressure in which we all live – it’s the same pressure in which Jesus and His disciples lived.
The apostles have just returned from teaching, casting out demons and curing the sick. They’re telling Jesus about everything they taught and did.
Jesus says ‘Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest awhile.’
Notice that He says ‘Come away.’ He is inviting them to come with Him so that they will be alone together.
‘to a deserted place’ – being with others can be great BUT we also need time alone; time to recharge our batteries, time to be alone with Jesus and no one else.
‘all by yourselves’ - He again emphasises the need to be alone.
‘and rest awhile’ – This isn’t about being lazy, it’s about taking time out from our busy lives to spend time quietly, alone and away from the distractions of mobiles, emails and other things that stress us out.
Jesus has made plans for His disciples and He expects that things will go as He planned. A boat ride across the lake will take them to a quiet place and give them time to eat and rest. Or so He thinks! His plans are interrupted by the many people who run ahead to meet Him and the disciples as soon as the boat lands. His expectations are not met. There is no quiet; there is no rest. There is only the great crowd of people, lost like sheep without a shepherd, interrupting what He has planned.
Hasn’t that happened to you? The circumstances may be different but we all know what it’s like to have life interrupted. What’s that saying about ‘The best laid plans of mice and men?’
We all live in the stress between our plans and interruptions, our expectations and the unexpected, life as we want it to be and life as it happens. Every one of us could tell a story about that. It happens in small ways and in large ways. It’s finding you’ve run out of milk for breakfast; it’s a day that has nothing on the calendar that turns into a day of one thing after another; it’s a health diagnosis that interrupts retirement plans; it’s a shattered dream, a death. Our life plans get interrupted in a thousand different ways and the unexpected happens all along life’s way.
I wonder – what are the plans that you have for your life – and what are the interruptions or unexpected happenings with which you are dealing? AND, perhaps more to the point, where is God in all this for you and indeed, for me?
When our life plans are ‘interrupted’ it’s easy and very tempting to work harder to make it happen, to reinforce our boundaries, to blame others, to rage about things not working out, or to pray that God will make it all go the way we want it to go. But Jesus doesn’t do any of that. He doesn’t turn the boat around when He sees the crowd. He doesn’t get angry or resentful. He doesn’t blame or complain. He doesn’t ignore or deny the interruption. He simply accepts what it is.
We tend to think that our plans and what happens to ‘interrupt’ them are in opposition – they work against each other – but what if one is not necessarily better or more important than the other? What if both the plan and the interruption are of equal importance? What if we trusted that God’s spirit is present and moving in both?
Everyday life is where God shows up. It’s where we learn about ourselves. It teaches patience and offers opportunities to soften our hearts and act with compassion; we learn to love and to forgive and we practice faithfulness and hope amidst the uncertainty of life.
All along life’s way Jesus is present and faithful to whatever, or whoever is before Him, whether planned or unexpected. This is not just about tending to the lives of others but also how we tend to our own lives. That’s how Jesus tended to His life. He knows the spirit of God ‘blows where it chooses.’ This means we are always seeing the movement of the spirit in our lives, in plans and interruptions alike.
So, when our plans are ‘interrupted’ in what way is God present and calling?
Yes, we have hopes and plans for ourselves and our lives (no matter what age we are) but let’s not forget that God also has hopes and desires for us and for our lives.
And Tom? Well, he was in work on the Monday morning and when asked, ‘How was your weekend?’ He replied with a grin and a twinkle in his eye. So, just maybe, for him, the unexpected was better than the most carefully laid plans – and so it could be for us.
Amen
Martin will play: Nun Bitten Wir Den Heiligen Geist (Now we implore thee, Holy Ghost) by Dietrich Buxtehude
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 in God the Holy Spirit who gives life to the people of God and makes Christ known to 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: Come, gracious Spirit, heavenly Dove
Our Intercessions this week are by Daphne Hawkins
In the power of the Spirit and in union with Christ let us pray to the Father.
As we gather together this Sunday morning at our beloved St Clement Church or join in spirit from our homes, we are mindful of your presence with us always as we pray in faith.
We pray for the wide world Church and the challenges faced in this modern world. We pray for Archbishop Justin, Bishops Philip and Hugh and Reverend Diane our own dear priest. Give them strength and guidance to lead us on our earthly journey in peace and love.
Lord, in your mercy Hear our prayer
We pray for all world leaders and governments and those in authority in this country. We are experiencing the most difficult situation in living memory and ask for your help and guidance to emerge a stronger, more understanding, patient and compassionate nation.
We pray our leaders will act fairly and honestly looking after those most vulnerable and in need.
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer
Lord, we pray for Elizabeth our much-loved Queen and her family as she continues to carry out her many duties in spite of her grief in her great loss of her dear Prince Philip. We pray for Royal Family who are working so hard at this time to stay in touch with the nation’s needs.
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer
Lord, we pray for all families who have lost loved ones as a result of the pandemic and for all who still risk their lives every day and night, nursing, caring and providing our food and everyday needs. Please keep them safe and bless them and give them courage to carry on. Lord, we bring to you those we know of who need your prayers: our very dear Ken and Diane, Rupert and Linda, Barrie and Sandra, Martin and Liz, Margaret, Brian, Archdeacon Paul and Ollie who is 22, and urgently needs a kidney transplant.
We also bring to you those whose troubles are unknown to us and those with no one to care or even pray for them.
Comfort and heal them all. Give them courage and hope and the peace and joy of your healing arms around them always.
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer
Dear Lord, welcome into your eternal kingdom those whose earthly journey has ended, may they be united with those who have gone before them and share in the everlasting rest and peace of eternal life.
O God our Heavenly Father, we thank you for keeping us safe through the past night. Send us faith this day with thy blessing. Help us all to do our duties and to always help anyone around us in need.
May we spread goodness and happiness wherever we go. Will you be with us and guide us always.
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 our risen Lord 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.
Expect the Unexpected by Susan T. Aparejo
When the sun rises,
you never expect it rains,
when the weather is good,
you never expect there’s a storm,
when there’s peace
you never expect there is trouble,
and when there’s happiness,
you never expect there’s sadness.
Life is full of surprises.
Impossible becomes possible,
white transforms to dark,
friends turn to enemies,
love changes to hatred,
Christianity converted atheist,
laughter has its tears,
so, expect the unexpected.
Notices
Hymn:
The Peace
God, teach us what it means to have faith in silence. When we face trials that are beyond our understanding, help us find peace.
Help us to be joyful in hope, patient in affliction and faithful in prayer.
You set all things in accordance to your time.
Remind us to wait patiently and find peace in your plan.
Let us greet one another as a sign of God’s peace.
The Blessing
May the Father’s hand keep us from stumbling,
the footprints of Jesus give us confidence to follow,
and the fire of the Spirit keep us warm and safe
in our walk with God this day.
Amen.