Morning Service for 3rd before Advent 2022
HYMN Christ is the world’s light H & S 19 Christe Sanctorum
1. Christ is the world’s light, he and none other;
born in our darkness, he became our brother.
if we have seen him, we have seen the Father:
Glory to God on high.
2. Christ is the world’s peace, he and none other;
no man can serve him and despise his brother
who else unites us, one in God the Father?
Glory to God on high.
3. Christ is the world’s life, he and none other:
sold once for silver, murdered here, our Brother he who redeems us, reigns with God the Father:
Glory to God on high.
4. Give God the glory, God and none other:
give God the glory, Spirit, Son and Father:
give God the glory, God in Man my brother:
Glory to God on high.
PRAYER OF PREPARATION
Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open,
all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hidden:
cleanse the thoughts of our hearts
by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,
that we may perfectly love you,
and worthily magnify your holy name;
through Christ our Lord. Amen
PRAYERS OF PENITENCE
We recall our Lord’s command to love and in a moment of silence we confess
the many ways we fail to keep his command:
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
May the God of love and power
forgive us and free us from our sins,
heal and strengthen us by his Spirit,
and raise us to new life in Christ our Lord. Amen.
THE COLLECT
Heavenly Lord,
you long for the world’s salvation:
stir us from apathy,
restrain us from excess
and revive in us new hope
that all creation will one day be healed
in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
FIRST READING – Job 19.23-27a
“O that my words were written down! O that they were inscribed in a book! O that with an iron pen and with lead they were engraved on a rock forever! For I know that my Redeemer lives, and that at the last he will stand upon the earth; and after my skin has been thus destroyed, then in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see on my side, and my eyes shall behold, and not another.
HYMN God forgave my sin in Jesus’ name H&S 35
1. God forgave my sin in Jesus’ name;
I’ve been born again in Jesus’ name,
and in Jesus’ name I come to you
to share his love as he told me to.
He said:
‘Freely, freely you have received,
freely, freely give;
go in my name and because you believe,
others will know that I live.’
2. All power is given in Jesus’ name
in earth and heaven in Jesus’ name;
and in Jesus’ name I come to you
to share his power as he told me to.
Chorus
GOSPEL – Luke 20.27-38
Some Sadducees, those who say there is no resurrection, came to him and asked him a question, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no children, the man shall marry the widow and raise up children for his brother. Now there were seven brothers; the first married, and died childless; then the second and the third married her, and so in the same way all seven died childless. Finally the woman also died. In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had married her.”
Jesus said to them, “Those who belong to this age marry and are given in marriage; but those who are considered worthy of a place in that age and in the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. Indeed they cannot die anymore, because they are like angels and are children of God, being children of the resurrection. And the fact that the dead are raised Moses himself showed, in the story about the bush, where he speaks of the Lord as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Now he is God not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all of them are alive.”
SERMON
In our passage from the book of Job, Job is utterly alone, abandoned by God, in this depth of despair he distills his faith into its essence. When all is gone there is still God and he will be his defender. The ‘Redeemer’ was a next of kin who in Jewish custom of the day was obliged, if he had the means, to redeem his relative from poverty or even slavery by paying the redemption price. Job’s declaration is that when all else has failed, there is still God and he will, ultimately, be on his side. Three times he declares that he will ‘see’ God.
The book of Job can be understood as a thought experiment, a long ‘what if’, running through ideas and arguments that could explain why there is suffering in the word. All are, of course, found wanting against the logic of the character Job, who is unshakable in his belief that he has done nothing wrong and that his extreme suffering is undeserved. In the end the author can only show up the crass explanations for what they are – insulting to the sufferer. His answer to the question ‘why suffering’ is to declare it beyond our place or intellect to know, but that in the end there will be God and that his is faithful as well as omnipotent. The writer cannot get away from the notion that ultimately God is the author of all things, good and bad, and cannot be questioned.
Our gospel passage this morning is the infamous attempt by the Sadducees to challenge the idea of resurrection, of a recognisable life after death. It appears to be a ridiculously abstruse point from Deuteronomy 25.5 – a reductio ad absurdum. The Sadducees held the view that the Torah, the five books fo Moses, were literally and infallibly true and consequently this was the only authority that mattered. Of course, the concept of levirate marriage (a hot topic for Henry VIII), ie., a man marrying his dead bother’s wife, maintained the family’s protection for the widow and any children – it was a practical and compassionate answer in a society a very long way from a welfare state. Either of the parties were allowed to refuse to go through with the marriage. The Sadducees, however, use it to show a logical inconsistency within the idea of resurrection – how would society be organised in such an existence where multiple men have a claim on the same woman?
Jesus counters their argument by dismissing the notion that a second life need be like the first, and going to their own point of authority and reminding them that God is defined as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the present tense, ‘I am…’ not ‘I was…’. So Jesus concludes that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are an ‘is’ and not a ‘was’ – that is, living and not dead!
Luke and Matthew in their gospels copy Mark’s account almost word for word – almost; and it is of passing interest to note how Luke changes the text in Mark in a couple of places, adding ‘those considered worthy of a place in that age…’; a fascinating caveat to sharpen the criteria for who is to be resurrected. Although Luke then more generously adds to ‘Now he is God not of the dead but of the living..’ the words ‘for in his sight all are alive.’
The whole account to me is a cautionary tale to those tempted to take scripture literally, outside of context, authorship, or common sense. It is a lesson many Christian preachers would do well to revisit! The very preaching of Jesus went beyond his own people’s understanding of the nature of God which they found in their scriptures, to a point which shocked and disturbed them – especially the religious professionals.
We should be prepared for the same shock and disturbance when new science and new understanding of how human beings function lead us to question old certainties and old judgements of right and wrong – clean and unclean (to use an old term but a notion still embedded in our reactions). The question of why Church of England clergy, unlike those of the Methodist church and the Church of Scotland, are still prevented by law from marrying same-sex couples is for me just such an issue of new science and new understanding challenging old certainties and old judgements.
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH
Let us declare our faith in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ:
Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures;
he was buried; he was raised to life on the third day
in accordance with the scriptures;
afterwards he appeared to his followers,
and to all the apostles: this we have received,
and this we believe. Amen. 1 Corinthians 15.3-7
HYMN Among us and before us, Lord, you stand H&S 5
1. Among us and before us, Lord, you stand
with arms outstretched and bread and wine at hand.
Confronting those unworthy of a crumb,
you ask that to your table we should come.
2. Who dare say No, when such is your resolve
our worst to witness, suffer and absolve,
our best to raise in lives by God forgiven,
our souls to fill on earth with food from heaven?
3. Who dare say No, when such is your intent
to love the selves we famish and resent,
to cradle our uncertainties and fear,
to kindle hope as you in faith draw near?
4. Who dare say No, when such is your request
that each around your table should be guest,
that here the ancient word should live as new
‘Take, eat and drink – all this is meant for you.’
5. No more we hesitate and wonder why;
no more we stand indifferent, scared or shy.
Your invitation leads us to say Yes,
to meet you where you nourish, heal and bless.
PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION – Jenny Walmsley
Next week we will be remembering those who gave their lives for their countries knowing that this is still happening today, especially in Ukraine. Let us pray for all those who have lost loved ones through conflict, and we also pray for all who have been forced to become refugees and leave their security and their homeland. We have been fortunate to live in a peaceful nation for over seventy years, let us give heartfelt thanks and show compassion for those who have not enjoyed that good fortune.
Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
We pray for the church throughout the world, the great family of which we are a part. Let our church leaders and our Government take a positive lead in the climate change conference and not squander the resources of this fragile earth. We pray that all the world leaders will look for ways for everybody to live a more equitable life. Give strength and wisdom to William, our rector, and to everybody connected to the churches in our benefice.
Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Lord Jesus, you came into the world and lived in a human family, so you know the ups and downs of a normal family life. We pray for our own families and especially our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren as they grow up, that they might learn how to face the difficulties and celebrate the joys of everyday life. We remember the many families this year who are caught in financial difficulties and those who face unemployment and hardship, may they have the constant comfort of your love and care in their uncertain lives.
Lord Jesus Christ, you know what suffering means; you know what it is to feel weary in mind and body. In your love for us, you identified yourself with the weak and sick, and wept for our suffering. In your mercy relieve the discomfort of all who are ill in body or mind with your healing presence.
In our benefice we pray for Roger Lowman and Jeannie Britton and also for the families of the recently departed John Gillings and Muriel Wilmshurst.
And we remember anyone known to us who is in special need of our prayers at this time. Let us think of them all now in a moment of silence …….
Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
We thank you wholeheartedly for all the many blessings you bestow upon us and we pray for your strength and support.
Holy God, giver of mercy and comfort, we are living in uneasy times, and our tendency is to hoard, hold back, and hide from the uncertainty of the world. Help us to see your light that shines through, even in unsettling times, to help us find our way to you. We pray that light will overcome darkness; hope will overcome despair; compassion will overcome injustice; and love win over hate. In thankfulness, we give; and in thankfulness, we pray.
Merciful Father, accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ, Amen
As our Saviour taught us, so we pray:
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come, your will be done,
on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours
now and for ever. Amen.
BLESSING
The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make his face to shine upon and be gracious unto you.
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
The Lord God almighty, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
the holy and undivided Trinity, guard you, save you,
and bring you to that heavenly city,
where he lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen
HYMN Shine, Jesus, shine H&S 63
1. Lord, the light of your love is shining,
in the midst of the darkness, shining;
Jesus, Light of the world, shine upon us,
set us free by the truth you now bring us –
shine on me, shine on me.
Shine, Jesus, shine,
fill this land with the Father’s glory;
blaze, Spirit, blaze,
set our hearts on fire.
Flow, river, flow,
flood the nations with grace and mercy;
send forth your word,
Lord, and let there be light.
2. Lord, I come to your awesome presence,
from the shadows into your radiance;
by your blood I may enter your brightness,
search me, try me, consume all my darkness –
shine on me, shine on me.
Chorus
3. As we gaze on your kingly brightness
so our faces display your likeness,
ever changing from glory to glory,
mirrored here may our lives tell your story, shine on me, shine on me.
Chorus