Morning Service for Trinity 11 2023
HYMN Let us, with a gladsome mind NEH 397 – Monkland
1 Let us, with a gladsome mind,
Praise the Lord, for he is kind:
For his mercies ay endure,
Ever faithful, ever sure.
2 Let us blaze his name abroad,
For of gods he is the God:
For his mercies ay endure,
Ever faithful, ever sure.
3 He with all-commanding might
Filled the new-made world with light:
For his mercies ay endure,
Ever faithful, ever sure.
5 And the horned moon by night,
Mid her spangled sisters bright:
For his mercies ay endure,
Ever faithful, ever sure.
6 All things living he doth feed,
His full hand supplies their need:
For his mercies ay endure,
Ever faithful, ever sure.
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
O God, you declare your almighty power
most chiefly in showing mercy and pity:
mercifully grant to us such a measure of your grace,
that we, running the way of your commandments,
may receive your gracious promises,
and be made partakers of your heavenly treasure;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord. Amen.
FIRST READING – Genesis 45.1-15
Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, “Send everyone away from me.” So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it. Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, so dismayed were they at his presence.
Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come closer to me.” And they came closer. He said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years; and there are five more years in which there will be neither ploughing nor harvest. God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God; he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay. You shall settle in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children, as well as your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. I will provide for you there—since there are five more years of famine to come—so that you and your household, and all that you have, will not come to poverty.’ And now your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that it is my own mouth that speaks to you. You must tell my father how greatly I am honoured in Egypt, and all that you have seen. Hurry and bring my father down here.” Then he fell upon his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, while Benjamin wept upon his neck. And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them; and after that his brothers talked with him.
HYMN O for a closer walk with God NEH 414 – Strachathro
1 O for a closer walk with God,
A calm and heavenly frame;
A light to shine upon the road
That leads me to the Lamb!
2 Return, O holy Dove, return,
Sweet messenger of rest;
I hate the sins that made thee mourn,
And drove thee from my breast.
3 The dearest idol I have known,
Whate’er that idol be,
Help me to tear it from thy throne,
And worship only thee.
4 So shall my walk be close with God,
Calm and serene my frame;
So purer light shall mark the road
That leads me to the Lamb.
GOSPEL – Matthew 15.21-28
Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.” But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, “Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” He answered, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed instantly.
SERMON
The story of Joseph and his technicolour dream coat is one that still told and still known, largely thanks to Andrew Lloyd Webber. Its a story which has everything, avarice, greed, jealousy, sibling rivalry, sex, politics, and power – no wonder it’s so popular – but in the end it’s a story of just what the presence of faith can do in a human life – to transform a curse into a blessing, tragedy into victory, despair into hope , and, finally , death into salvation.
To be reminded of Joseph is to be reminded of the potential part God might play in a human life, not to save it from difficulty and darkness, but to open new possibilities, new ways of seeing and understanding that can lead to salvation and resurrection… here and now – as well as then and for ever.
The gospel reading also was focused on the destiny of the Jewish people. The Canaanite woman, the Gentile from the ancient Philistine strongholds of Tyre and Sidon runs into a racial brick wall. It didn’t matter how convinced you were of the notion of one God, nor how faithful you were to Yahweh , the teaching of the prophets, and even the keeping of the law – if you weren’t born from a Jewish mother you couldn’t be one of the people of God.
Jesus seems to go along with this – he and all that he’d come to bring was for God’s ancient people – he was part of their story, the redemption of their mess, the healing of their ills. And yet he does heal the woman’s daughter. The faith that had led her to Jesus, caused her to persist in her cry, was answered. It could not be fruitless because the true criterion to be one of the people of God was faith, not birth; and we are reminded that God’s way is to bring new possibilities, new hope, new beginnings – and that what allows God to work in a human life , what opens the door to his grace and life is faith. So we are baptised into a life of faith, to live in that faith and be transformed by it.
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 Jesus, good above all other NEH 387 – Quem Pastores
1 Jesus, good above all other,
Gentle Child of gentle Mother,
In a stable born our Brother,
Give us grace to persevere.
2 Jesus, cradled in a manger,
For us facing every danger,
Living as a homeless stranger,
Make we thee our King most dear.
3 Jesus, for thy people dying,
Risen Master, death defying,
Lord in heaven, thy grace supplying,
Keep us to thy presence near.
4 Jesus, who our sorrows bearest,
All our thoughts and hopes thou sharest,
Thou to men the truth declarest;
Help us all thy truth to hear.
5 Lord, in all our doings guide us;
Pride and hate shall ne’er divide us;
We’ll go on with thee beside us,
And with joy we’ll persevere!
PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION – Mary Hinton
In your loving kindness, O God, have mercy and hear our prayers.
Lord, we pray for our divided world, which is much in need of justice and peace. We keep in our thoughts those who live under abusive and corrupt regimes.
Recent natural and man-made disasters have been on an apocalyptic scale, we commend to your loving care those whose lives have been so violently overturned.
Lord, have mercy on desperate migrants, victims of unscrupulous and greedy criminals.
Lord, grant to those who carry the weight of government, wisdom and discernment, that they may endeavour to avoid the errors which cause suffering.
Lord in your mercy – hear our prayer.
Lord, as Peter reached out to you across the stormy water, help us in your church to do the same. May we be constant in our faith and ready to do your will.
We pray for all who minister in your church, remembering Justin our Archbishop and all the clergy and laity who minister among us. We pray particularly for Philip Mounstephen, Bishop of Truro, who is soon to be the next Bishop of Winchester. We give thanks for all the many ways William our Rector contributes to our church life. We pray for Myra, our lay worship leader, as she prepares to move away. As a benefice we give thanks for the work of so many church and non church members who sustain the life of our churches.
Lord in your mercy – hear our prayer.
Lord give grace to us, our families, friends, and neighbours. May we be mindful of the needs of others in these challenging and difficult times. We give thanks for the work of the Basics Bank, Night Shelter and Trinity Centre, who reach out to those struggling to cope.
We pray for our young people who have sat exams and are now receiving results which will move them on to new beginnings.
Many are away on holiday, may they return refreshed and in safety.
Lord in your mercy – hear our prayer.
We remember in our prayers all who are sick in mind, body or spirit and all who care for them, remembering especially Jeannie Brittan.
Lord, pour out your healing spirit on all those who are in need. In a moment of quiet we call to mind those known to us personally……….
Lord in your mercy – hear our prayer.
We remember with thanksgiving all those we love, but see no more. May they rest in peace. Lord, comfort and guide those who mourn, may they find support in thee.
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 All hail the power of Jesu’s name NEH 332 – Miles Lane
1 All hail the power of Jesu’s name;
Let angels prostrate fall;
Bring forth the royal diadem
To crown him Lord of all.
2 Crown him, ye morning stars of light,
Who fixed this floating ball;
Now hail the Strength of Israel’s might,
And crown him Lord of all.
4 Ye seed of Israel’s chosen race,
Ye ransomed of the fall,
Hail him who saves you by his grace,
And crown him Lord of all.
5 Hail him, ye heirs of David’s line,
Whom David Lord did call;
The God incarnate, Man divine,
And crown him Lord of all.
6 Sinners, whose love can ne’er forget
The wormwood and the gall,
Go spread your trophies at his feet,
And crown him Lord of all.
7 Let every tribe and every tongue
To him their hearts enthral,
Lift high the universal song,
And crown him Lord of all.