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St Clement Morning Prayer Service for the late Queen Elizabeth II 19.9.22

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St Clement Evening Commemoration Service and Vigil for the late Queen Elizabeth II Sunday 18.9.22

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St Clement Church Community Service of the Word for Sunday 17.7.22

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St Clement Church Community First Sunday after Trinity Service Good morning and welcome to everyone who joins us in our humble Service of the Word, be it here in St Clement Church or in the sanctum of our homes. May the God of mercy and the Holy Spirit be with us. Today we celebrate Father’s Day and families everywhere make an effort to show appreciation for all the things their Dads have done for them. Loving Dads deserve a little ‘thank you’ all year round but it is nice to join in the fun of Father’s Day. Daphne – Worship Leader Let us pray; There is a time for silence and a time to talk. Dear Lord, teach us the silence of humility, the silence of wisdom, the silence of love, the silence of perfection, the silence that speaks without words, the silence of faith. Lord, in silence may we listen to the Holy Spirit that is in us and with us always. Amen Hymn: 385 Jesu the very thought of thee Let us call to mind our sins and failure to value the love of others and the greatest failure of all, to love as Christ has loved us. Prayer of Penitence Father, we have sinned against you and come to you in sorrow and shame. For turning away from you and ignoring your will for our lives. For behaving just as we wish, without thought for you. For failing you in what we think or say. For letting ourselves be drawn by temptation in the world around us. For living as if we were ashamed to belong to your Son. We ask your forgiveness. May God our Father with Jesus Christ, his Son, have mercy on us. May we be forgiven of all our sins. In the power of the Holy Spirit may we never be separated from the love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord.1 Amen. Let us pray our Collect for First Sunday after Trinity O God, the strength of all those who put their trust in you, mercifully accept our prayers and, because through the weakness of our mortal nature we can do no good thing without you, grant us the help of your grace, that in the keeping of your commandments we may please you both in will and deed; 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: Isaiah 65. 1-9 Galatians 3. 23-29 Hymn: 484 The church’s one foundation (omit verse 3) Gospel: Luke 8. 26 – 39 (Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John. Response: ‘Glory to you O Lord.’) Jesus and his disciples arrived at the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. As he stepped out on land. A man of the city who had demons met him. For a long time, he had worn no clothes, ‘What do you have to me he had worn no clothes, and he did not live in a house but in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he fell down before him and shouted at the top of his voice, ‘What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me’ – for Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many times it had seized him; he was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the wilds.) Jesus then asked him, ‘What is your name?’ He said, ‘Legion;’ for many demons had entered them. They begged him not to order them not to order them to go back into the abyss. Now there on a hillside a large herd of swine was feeding; and the demons begged Jesus to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. Then the demons came out of the man and went into the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned. When the swineherds saw what had happened, they ran off and told it in the city and in the country. Then the people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed. Then all the people of the surrounding country of Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear. So, he got into the boat and returned. The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him; but Jesus sent him away, saying, ‘Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.’ So, he went away, proclaiming throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him. (This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.) Reflection This morning, most of the congregation, especially those dads among us, will know it is a special day, ‘Fathers Day.’ Until recently, I thought ‘Fathers Day’ was a fairly modern celebrated event, but I was ill informed. There are suggestions that the idea of ‘Fathers Day’ may have originated in in pagan sun worship – some see the sun as the Father of the universe. As the summer solstice occurs around the same time of year as Father’s Day a link is often seen between the two. As often happens, the idea to celebrate fatherhood comes from the United States. A woman called Sonora Smart Dodd was inspired by the celebration of Mothers Day. She planned to introduce a day to honour fathers and this has been celebrated in America since 1910. Fathers Day in this country is thought to have been inspired by the American celebration and arrived here in the mid twentieth century. The older of us here in church will be very much aware of the different role the modern-day father plays in family life. There was a time, and I remember it especially in my grandparents’ home that there were two separate roles for the father and mother to adhere to. The man was expected to provide a home and work to support his wife and children. The woman was solely responsible for running the household – she cleaned, did the laundry (by hand, I may add,) the shopping, the cooking and looked after the children providing their every need. The husband often worked a six-day week and long hours. Children were often still in bed he left for work back in bed and already asleep before he returned. Sunday was often the only day the family was together and most families attended church regularly on Sunday mornings. The outbreak of the Second World War brought great change to family life. All women, including mothers who had relatives or friends who could provide child care, were expected to fill vital jobs left vacant by the male work force who were sent to war to fight for our freedom. After the bitter war was over and so many men had lost their lives, or were so badly injured they could not return to the work place, women continued to work outside the home. Many enjoyed the new experience and the freedom it offered. Times had changed, new technology was available and families wanted to be able to afford the items available to make their lives easier. This is when the father’s role in the family changed. It became necessary for Dad to help with household chores and look after the children. Today, family life is very different. Parents share responsibilities of both bringing in an income and sharing household duties, shopping and looking after the family. Today’s dads share everything with mums and have the same close bond with their children and that remains for ever. Most of us, here this morning, are older and hold onto the wonderful memories we have of our own fathers and will always miss them. My own dad was a kind and gentle man with a great faith in God. This has been nurtured in my sister and me. He also had a great sense of humour. When he slipped away from us at the hospice, the Catholic priest gave us words of comfort. On the previous day he recalled talking with Dad, telling him he was a new young priest, not very well off and known in the area as the ‘priest on a bike’ as he couldn’t afford a car. Dad’s response was, ‘That doesn’t matter, Christ only had a donkey.’ Today, it doesn’t matter how fancy the card or expensive the gift, the most important thing to remember is ‘How big is the hug?’ I hope today will be happy for you all. Life’s pattern has been the same from the beginning. Fathers all over the world have mostly provided a safe, secure home. They have looked after and cared for, fed and nurtured, guided and protected, loved and made sacrifices for their children and taught them as how to go out into the wide world. Doesn’t this sound familiar? God, our heavenly Father, provides our every need. He guides and protects us and he guides and protects us. He made the supreme sacrifice on the cross to forgive our sins. He laid the ground rules and set the example and after two thousand years, thankfully, fathers everywhere strive to follow his lead. May this always be. Amen Affirmation of our faith Let us declare our faith in God. We believe in God the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. We believe in God the Son, who lives in our hearts through faith, and fills us with his love. We believe in God the Holy Spirit, who strengthens us with power from on high. We believe in one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen. Hymn: 357 Father hear the prayer we offer Our Intercessions for this week In the power of the Spirit and in union with Christ, let us pray to the Father. Father, we thank you for your presence as we gather here at St Clement and are joined in unity and spirit with all who share this service wherever they may be. We worship together and ask you hear our prayer. We pray for the world-wide Church, all church bishops and leaders, all faiths and creeds, for all who spread the good news of Jesus Christ. We especially pray for our diocese and our Powder Deanery as we plan the way forward. We pray that the future decisions, challenges and changes will strengthen our Church and provide services and facilities for the needs of the community. May the doors of our church be wide enough to embrace all who come. Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer O God, we humbly bring to you the plight of our broken world. We pray for all victims of the cruel and violent war which still ravages Ukraine. We pray for an end to the devastating situation and ask that world leaders will strive to find a solution to bring peace to this conflict. We pray for all people who still suffer homelessness, cold, hunger, cruelty and the lack of basic necessities in which to lead a normal existence. May governments and those in power find compassion in their hearts to look after the poor, helpless and vulnerable. May our own troubled government put aside unproductive concerns and concentrate on the needs of the country suffering from the results of an unprecedented situation. Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer Lord, we pray for our little church and our dear Reverend Diane and her loyal family. We pray for Helen and Barrie our new Churchwardens – will you give them strength and vision as they carry out the tasks ahead of them. We pray for the whole of the PCC in the days ahead and the responsibilities to make our church grow in strength and number. Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer We pray for our dear Queen, for her health and strength to continue her long and faithful reign. We also pray for the Royal Family as they carry out their duties to help and support Her Majesty. Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer Dear Lord, we bring to you all who are sick in body, mind and spirit. Our hearts and prayers are with those unknown to us, so many desperate, unloved souls locked in a dark existence. Those dear and near to us: Diane and Ken, Terry and Dot, Margaret, Ollie and his family, Brian, Sally, Gavin, Paul and Jan. Lord, to all who are suffering, alone, in trouble, doubt and despair, may they know the comfort of your presence and peace from your healing hands that brings light and hope to them in the days ahead. Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer We pray for all whose earthly journey has come to an end; welcome them, Lord, to your kingdom to rest in peace with all who have gone before in life eternal. Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer 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. Notices Words of Martin Luther King And now to him who is able to keep us from falling, and lift us from the dark valley of despair to the bright mountain of hope, from the midnight of desperation to the day break of joy, to him be power and authority for ever and ever. The Peace God has called us to live in peace. May the peace of the Lord be always with you. Hymn: 353 Dear Lord and Father of mankind Almighty God, we thank you for your gift of the Holy Word. May it be a lantern to our feet, a light to our path and strength to our lives. Take us and use us to serve in the power of the Holy Spirit and in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen Blessing May we go into the world to walk in God’s light Rejoice in God’s love and to bring compassion, patience and love to all we meet on life’s journey. Amen St Clement Church Community First Sunday after Trinity Service of the Word

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