Morning Service for Trinity 18 2022
HYMN – Lord the word abideth NEH 407/AMR 250 Ravenshaw
1 Lord, thy word abideth,
And our footsteps guideth;
Who its truth believeth,
Light and joy receiveth.
2 When our foes are near us,
Then thy word doth cheer us,
Word of consolation,
Message of salvation.
3 When the storms are o’er us,
And dark clouds before us,
Then its light directeth,
And our way protecteth.
4 Who can tell the pleasure,
Who recount the treasure
By thy word imparted
To the simple-hearted?
5 Word of mercy, giving
Succour to the living;
Word of life, supplying
Comfort to the dying.
6 O that we discerning
Its most holy learning,
Lord, may love and fear thee,
Evermore be near thee!
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
Almighty and everlasting God,
increase in us your gift of faith
that, forsaking what lies behind
and reaching out to that which is before,
we may run the way of your commandments
and win the crown of everlasting joy;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord. Amen.
FIRST READING – Jeremiah 31.27-34
The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of humans and the seed of animals. And just as I have watched over them to pluck up and break down, to overthrow, destroy, and bring evil, so I will watch over them to build and to plant, says the LORD.
In those days they shall no longer say: “The parents have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.” But all shall die for their own sins; the teeth of everyone who eats sour grapes shall be set on edge.
The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the LORD. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, “Know the LORD,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.
HYMN Father hear the prayer we offer NEH 357/AMR 182 – Sussex
1 Father, hear the prayer we offer:
Not for ease that prayer shall be,
But for strength that we may ever
Live our lives courageously.
2 Not for ever in green pastures
Do we ask our way to be;
But the steep and rugged pathway
May we tread rejoicingly.
3 Not for ever by still waters
Would we idly rest and stay;
But would smite the living fountains
From the rocks along our way.
4 Be our strength in hours of weakness,
In our wanderings be our guide;
Through endeavour, failure, danger,
Father, be thou at our side.
GOSPEL – Luke 18.1-8
Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my opponent.’ For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, ‘Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.’ ” And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
SERMON
Jeremiah continues his vocation to bring hope to the exiles in Babylon. He knows that the temple and the whole structure of the practice of the faith of Israel has been destroyed so looks ahead to the idea of a new covenant between Israel and her God, a covenant based on personal responsibility and a relationship between each person and their God. Not a relationship based on nationhood and inheritance, Law and its interpretation, but one based on a personal connection and moral conscience. But it was a vision of something new that seemed to have been forgotten when the exiles returned. They rebuilt the temple and went back to the old covenant laws and sacrifices, with even a new zeal to restrict the nation to only the Hebrew people – foreign wives taken were to be returned, along with the children of the marriages. The new covenant would have to wait another 450 years to come to fruition.
At first sight this parable from Luke’s gospel is rather uninteresting, being merely an exhortation to be continuous and persistent in prayer – wise teaching for sure, but it is odd that the parable seems to compare God to an unjust judge. However, Luke wraps it in a context irresistibly focussed on the need to pray. As he does so often, he feels bounden to help his reader and put the parable within an interpretive framework, in other words, he has to try and explain it. But if the parable is cut from this surround then perhaps, left to itself, it may say something wholly different, and perhaps more interesting.
Hear the story on its own:
In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my opponent.’ For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, ‘Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.’
The judge is without honour, shameless in fact. It is the widow’s right to demand the protection from the judge for he stands in the place of God to administer justice under the Law – and widows, orphans and foreigners are given special protection under the Law (eg Ex. 22.21-24, 2 Chron 19.6-17). But the judge is shameless and will not act for the widow – this would be a scandal to the first hearers of the parable. He only gives in because she ‘wears him out’ – hypōpiazō – under the eye – it literally means to give someone a black eye! A boxing term for being beaten up, bruised black and blue – figuratively one assumes in this instance! This widow is not so weak or helpless, she has spirit and fight in her and will not give in, she (again literally) keeps coming.
If we add the usual beginning to a parable, ‘the kingdom of God is like…’ the story becomes even more shocking. How can the kingdom of God, or the rule of God, be like a widow who will not give up demanding justice from an unjust judge? But then we remember other parables, such as the mustard seed which, when allowed to go to seed, will keep on coming up – a perpetual weed that flavours the corn irresistibly and keeps on coming. And then we get the idea that the kingdom of God, that state of existence that happens when people show compassion and forgiveness to one another, regardless of race or creed, will not give up, it will persist against whatever barriers are put in its way. And it will keep coming.
Surely this is a parable worth hearing. This is real persistence, not just in prayer, but a tenacious holding on to all that Jesus taught, and a faith that it will make a difference, even though our numbers be small our influence can be significant if we don’t give up.
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 What a friend we have in Jesus H&S 102 – Converse
1. What a friend we have in Jesus,
all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
all because we do not carry
everything to God in prayer!
2. Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged:
take it to the Lord in prayer!
Can we find a friend so faithful,
who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness –
take it to the Lord in prayer!
3. Are we weak and heavy-laden
cumbered with a load of care?
Jesus only is our refuge,
take it to the Lord in prayer!
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?
Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In his arms he’ll take and shield thee,
thou wilt find a solace there.
PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION – Christine Hill
Dear Father, we come to you again, boldly – to offer you our thanks and bring our concerns, knowing that you will graciously hear us as we pray in faith.
We thank you that we are able to worship you in freedom, that we share the same love of the Lord Jesus with Christians around the world. We thank you that the knowledge of your kingdom is growing in many areas of the world, but we also pray for those who are persecuted because of their faith, those who have lost their faith, or have never known the love of our Lord Jesus. We pray for our own Diocese, our benefice and for William as he continues to lead and support us all.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We pray and thank you for your world, for its beauty and its splendour, and for all that is good and honourable within it. And Lord, we pray for global peace…. for an end to the terror between Ukraine and Russia –an end to the conflicts in Afghanistan, Syria and Palestine—and a restoration to peace and justice for all nations. We pray for our own country, our new King Charles, all those who have responsibility for leadership, and we ask that you guide them in wisdom, fairness and justice for all.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We pray for our local communities, for our friends and neighbours, our families, and for those we meet day by day. Keep us mindful of each other, aware of others anxiety or fear, finding time to listen, and opportunities to help.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We entrust into your loving care those we know who are ill in body, mind or spirit, remembering especially Emma Collins and Roger Lowman. We lift to you any who we know to be lonely, grieving, or in any kind of trouble. Let them be aware that they are not alone and keep them close in their need.
We pray for those who have died – those in the petrol station in Ireland, those children in Thailand – and we pray for grieving families who really need to be aware of your comforting presence at this time. Hide them under the shadow of your wings and keep them safe.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
As we go into another new week, keep us faithful, keep us loyal, keep us cheerful, and ever grateful for all your grace and mercy.
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
Go forth into the world in peace;
Be of good courage, hold fast that which is good,
render to no one evil for evil; strengthen the fainthearted,
support the weak, help the afflicted, honour all people,
love and serve the Lord, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit;
And the blessing of God Almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
be among you and remain with you always. Amen.
HYMN – Christ triumphant, ever reigning H&S 20 – Guiting Power
1. Christ triumphant, ever reigning,
Saviour, Master, King,
Lord of heaven, our lives sustaining,
hear us as we sing:
Yours the glory and the crown,
the high renown,
the eternal name!
2. Word incarnate, truth revealing,
Son of Man on Earth!
Power and majesty concealing
by your humble birth:
Chorus
3. Suffering servant, scorned, ill-treated,
victim crucified!
Death is through the cross defeated,
sinners justified:
Chorus
4. Priestly King, enthroned for ever
high in heaven above!
Sin and death and hell shall never
stifle hymns of love:
Chorus
5. So, our hearts and voices raising
through the ages long,
ceaselessly upon you gazing,
this shall be our song:
Chorus