Morning Service for Trinity 2 2022
HYMN THOU didst leave thy throne and thy kingly crown NEH 465 – Margaret
1 THOU didst leave thy throne
and thy kingly crown
When thou camest to earth for me;
But in Bethlehem’s home was
there found no room
For thy holy nativity:
Refrain:
O come to my heart, Lord Jesus;
There is room in my heart for thee.
2 Heaven’s arches rang
when the angels sang,
Proclaiming thy royal degree;
But in lowly birth didst thou come to earth,
And in great humility: [Refrain]
3 Thou camest, O Lord, with the living word
That should set thy people free;
But with mocking scorn and with crown of thorn
They bore thee to Calvary: [Refrain]
4 When all heaven shall ring,
and her choirs shall sing,
At thy coming to victory,
Let thy voice call me home, saying,
Yet there is room,
There is room at my side for thee: [Refrain].
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
Lord, you have taught us
that all our doings without love are nothing worth:
send your Holy Spirit
and pour into our hearts that most excellent gift of love,
the true bond of peace and of all virtues,
without which whoever lives is counted dead before you.
Grant this for your only Son Jesus Christ’s sake, Amen.
FIRST READING – Psalm 77
I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, that he may hear me.
In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord;
in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying;
my soul refuses to be comforted.
I think of God, and I moan; I meditate, and my spirit faints.
Selah
You keep my eyelids from closing;
I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
I consider the days of old, and remember the years of long ago.
I commune with my heart in the night;
I meditate and search my spirit:
“Will the Lord spurn forever, and never again be favourable?
Has his steadfast love ceased forever? Are his promises at an end for all time?
Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger shut up his compassion?”
Selah
And I say, “It is my grief that the right hand of the Most High has changed.”
I will call to mind the deeds of the LORD;
I will remember your wonders of old.
I will meditate on all your work, and muse on your mighty deeds.
Your way, O God, is holy.
What god is so great as our God?
You are the God who works wonders; you have displayed your might among the peoples.
With your strong arm you redeemed your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.
Selah
When the waters saw you, O God, when the waters saw you, they were afraid;
the very deep trembled.
The clouds poured out water; the skies thundered;
your arrows flashed on every side.
The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind;
your lightnings lit up the world; the earth trembled and shook.
Your way was through the sea, your path, through the mighty waters;
yet your footprints were unseen.
You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron..
HYMN Lord of our life – NEH 404 Iste Confessor
1 Lord of our life, and God of our salvation,
Star of our night, and hope of every nation,
Hear and receive
thy Church’s supplication,
Lord God Almighty.
3 Lord, thou canst help
when earthly armour faileth,
Lord, thou canst save
when deadly sin assaileth;
Christ, o’er thy rock
nor death nor hell prevaileth;
Grant us thy peace, Lord.
4 Peace in our hearts,
our evil thoughts assuaging;
Peace in thy Church,
where brothers are engaging;
Peace, when the world
its busy war is waging:
Calm thy foes’ raging.
5 Grant us thy help
till backward they are driven,
Grant them thy truth,
that they may be forgiven;
Grant peace on earth, and,
after we have striven,
Peace in thy heaven
GOSPEL – Luke 9.51-62
When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him; but they did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” But he turned and rebuked them. Then they went on to another village.
As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
SERMON
The Christian faith, with its roots in Judaism, offers no easy answers to life’s problems. Psalm 77 which we heard this morning makes that very clear.
These are the words of a suffering man, or woman, I guess, the situation he finds himself in is enough to cause him to doubt God’s care and faithfulness. He is inconsolable, all that spiritual comfort, all the platitudes and pietistical words have drained away, he feels rejected and unloved, forgotten – merely the victim of a wrathful God. This is honest, this is real, we know this is how it feels… sometimes.
But the Psalmist is a man of stubborn faith, someone who knows that God is faithful, that God does love him and accepts him – even if all the signs are to the contrary. He understands that he cannot blame God for the way things are for him at this moment, or at any particular moment in time.
As with a great deal of Hebrew poetry the middle verses are where the heart beats of the piece. They mark here a point of transition, the man finds a new way to see his situation, to restore balance and coherence in his thinking. He simply reminds himself of the context of his relationship with God. He reminds himself, he remembers, the past. He remembers what God has shown himself to be, and in that memory understands that this moment of suffering is but a moment in time and cannot be used to call doubt on the goodness of God.
And the way out of the slough of despond is, this man discovers, in faithful memory.
It is quite clear from the Psalm that in the first 11 verses the poet’s attention is firmly upon himself. I, I, I is all he can think about, at the point of transition the Psalmist looks away from himself and instead looks toward God. The last personal pronoun is in the 12th verse “I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds.” In meditating upon God the ‘I’ turns to ‘your’, the focus is changed and with it the effect of this man’s tragic situation. He looks up from the ditch and sees a brighter day dawning.
Almost in passing, during a recital of God’s power and care for the world the poet notices that God works in ways that are hidden, unseen but to the eye of faith, even overlooked entirely to those who do not know the ways of God. “Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen.” Your footprints were not seen. The work of the faithful is faith; the response that God looks for is the response of relationship, of commitment, of openness. There is no, and in my view there will never be, any proof in this world of the existence of God, he is demonstrated only in relationship, understood only in prayer and meditation, the footprints he leaves are only in the hearts of men and women.
Both our Old Testament and Gospel readings were all about commitment; faithfulness to a relationship, not a comfortable one, but a real relationship of demand and love. What God has always required of his people Israel and of us is to be first – to love him beyond all other loves, even beyond that of family. This has often been confused and used as an excuse for people to be drawn away by manipulative religious leaders from their family and friends. This isn’t the point, it’s not that the love of God should cause us to treat our families less well, it is rather that in all things God becomes the priority. It is a matter of orientation and motivation. The point is not that we treat our families any the worse, but rather that our love for them is found within the greater love of God. Our relationship with God becomes the context for our whole lives, not just a fraction of them, not just a slot in the week, we must, in the end, love the Lord our God with all our heart, and soul, and mind, and strength – therein lies the only way to salvation, that is, true happiness.
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 – Claire Cooper
Let our hearts be glad and our tongues rejoice. When we walk in companionship with the Lord we are filled with joy in his presence. Amen.
Lord we pray for the continued conflict in Ukraine and all those who have been displaced as a result. We pray for anyone who has arrived in the UK as refugees, that they are made to feel welcome. We also remember those affected by the earthquake in Afghanistan.
Lord in your mercy hear our prayer
This week we have seen some tension around the rail strike. As people react to this situation and with potential for other pay disputes we ask for calm and fair negotiations. We pray for those who mediate disputes and look to resolve them. May they listen carefully and speak with wisdom.
We also pray for those who are anxious about the cost of living. Help all who are struggling and worried about what the future holds. We pray for those charities supporting families in crisis such as the food banks.
Lord help those in positions of power to make fair and well thought through decisions regarding our nation’s financial situation.
Lord in your mercy hear our prayer
We pray for the primary schools in our Benefice, many of whom are going through a period of transition with new senior leaders and teachers. We pray for the staff leaving and for those taking their place and wish them all well in their new roles. We pray for the pupils, remembering those who are enjoying their last few weeks in Primary school before transitioning to Senior schools. We remember those pupils who are still finishing their exams and pray that they have been able to demonstrate their full potential, enabling them to pursue the next phase of chosen education or employment.
Lord in your mercy hear our prayer
We pray for anyone who is sick in mind, body or spirit. Lord let them feel your presence and lift their spirits. In a moment of silence, we remember particularly those who are ill in our Benefice and ask that you support and protect them and their family, friends and carers.
We pray for all those who have lost their lives in recent weeks. We remember the family and friends who have lost loved ones recently and we ask that your presence brings them comfort, strength and hope in their grief. We remember particularly Penny Neyroud, Jean Mounter, Donald May and Pamela Britton.
Lord in your mercy hear our prayer
Lord we pray for William, the Rector of our Benefice as he is busy serving our church community. We also give thanks for Keith, Warwick and any others who minister for us in our churches. We are grateful to all who help to run our churches, whether seen or unseen.
Lord in your mercy hear our prayer
Lord, there is so much competition for our time and attention, With all that we juggle each week help us to make space for you. Loving Father, be with us this week as we follow you.
Amen.
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 Glorious things of thee are spoken NEH 362 – Abbot’s Leigh
1 Glorious things of thee are spoken,
Sion, city of our God;
He whose word cannot be broken
Formed thee for his own abode:
On the Rock of Ages founded,
What can shake thy sure repose?
With salvation’s walls surrounded,
Thou may’st smile at all thy foes.
2 See, the streams of living waters,
Springing from eternal love,
Well supply thy sons and daughters,
And all fear of want remove:
Who can faint, while such a river
Ever flows their thirst to assuage?
Grace, which like the Lord the giver,
Never fails from age to age.
3 Saviour, if of Sion’s city
I through grace a member am,
Let the world deride or pity,
I will glory in thy name:
Fading is the worldling’s pleasure,
All his boasted pomp and show;
Solid joys and lasting treasure
None but Sion’s children know.