Welcome to our service - 30 May
This service sheet can be used individually or with households.
We would encourage you to say (or even sing) hymns and songs out loud.
Prayers, other liturgy or readings can be said out loud or silently, corporately or individually.
If you are able, we would also like invite you to join us for our main Sunday service, 10am, live on Zoom and in the church. Even if you have never been to St Gabriel’s before we would love you to join you. Please get in touch with the vicar Alistair (vicar@saintgs.co.uk) and he will send you the Zoom details.
Please join us for public worship in the church building this Sunday at 10am or 11:30am.
OPENING
SAY:
Alleluia, alleluia.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
one God, who was, and who is, and who is to come, the Almighty.
Alleluia, alleluia
Faithful One, whose word is life: come with saving power to free our praise, inspire our prayer and shape our lives For the kingdom of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
SING: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcHXOnKZ3ME
Jesus shall reign where'er the sun
does His successive journeys run;
His kingdom stretch from shore to shore,
till moons shall rise and set no more.
2. To Him shall endless prayer be made,
and princes throng to crown His head;
His name, like sweet perfume, shall rise
with every morning sacrifice.
3. People and realms of every tongue
dwell on His love with sweetest song;
and infant voices shall proclaim
their early blessings on His name.
4. Blessings abound where'er He reigns;
the prisoner leaps to lose his chains,
the weary find eternal rest,
and all the sons of want are blest.
5.Let every creature rise and bring
the highest honours to our King;
angels descend with songs again,
and earth repeat the loud 'Amen'.
Isaac Watts (1674-1748)
PRAYER OF PREPARATION
Holy, holy, holy.
When our eyes have seen the Lord of hosts,
we echo the words of Isaiah,
‘Woe is me! I am doomed.’
We long for the fire of God’s cleansing to touch
our unclean lips, for our iniquity to be removed and our sins wiped out.
So we meet Father, Son, and Holy Spirit with confession on our lips.
CONFESSION
Father, you come to meet us when we return to you:
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, you died on the cross for our sins:
Christ, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Spirit, you give us life and peace:
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
ABSOLUTION
May the Father forgive us by the death of his Son
and strengthen us to live in the power of the Spirit all our days.
Amen.
COLLECT
Holy God,
faithful and unchanging:
enlarge our minds with the knowledge of your truth,
and draw us more deeply into the mystery of your love,
that we may truly worship you,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
SING:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQkzHwz2eLE&t=148s
I will offer up my life in spirit and truth,
Pouring out the oil of love
as my worship to You.
In surrender I must give my every part,
Lord receive the sacrifice of a broken heart.
Jesus, what can I give, what can I bring,
to so faithful a friend,
to so loving a King?
Saviour, what can be said,
what can be sung,
as a praise of Your name
for the things You have done?
O, my words could not tell, not even in part,
of the debt of love that is owed
by this thankful heart.
2. You deserve my every breath
for You've paid the great cost,
giving up Your life to death,
even death on a cross.
You took all my shame away,
there defeated my sin,
opened up the gates of heaven
and have beckoned me in.
Jesus, what can I give,
Matt Redman: (c) 1994 Unveiled Music/Kingsway's Thankyou Music
READINGS
Isaiah 6:1-8 New International Version - UK
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: with two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another:
‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory.’
At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.
‘Woe to me!’ I cried. ‘I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.’
Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, ‘See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.’
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’
And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’
John 3:1-17 New International Version - UK
Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.’
Jesus replied, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.’
‘How can someone be born when they are old?’ Nicodemus asked. ‘Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!’
Jesus answered, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, “You must be born again.” The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.’
‘How can this be?’ Nicodemus asked.
‘You are Israel’s teacher,’ said Jesus, ‘and do you not understand these things? Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven – the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.’
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
This the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
TALK written by Hannah Chester
I passed my driving test this week. It’s been a really long road, excuse the pun, but after years of picking it up and putting it back down, I finally passed it. It’s interesting going driving with your instructor and then going driving with a parent or friend, and then on your own. If you can cast your minds back to when you learnt how to drive, you’ll remember that there’s a difference between driving to pass your test and then what you learn when you actually get out on the road for yourself. It’s not like the things you learn in your driving test are wrong, but there’s an element of driving you only learn over time. But there’s also the building confidence you find when you’ve been on the road for longer. What I’m trying to say here, from a gal that’s only just got on the road properly, I’m learning as I go and I suspect that I’ll always be learning. The roads change and no one place is different and for that reason, I’ll always have to adapt and be learning how to drive in particular situations.
Alistair used a car analogy last week, and as this talk is the part 2 to that one, and my newly celebrated pass, I’m going with it.
Jesus in this passage in John talks about being born again spiritually. This guy Nicodemus is so confused at what he’s saying, he’s only looking at the worldly way to be born again, which as he says, isn’t possible. You can’t be born again from your mother’s womb. But Jesus asks him to turn his mind to the spiritual, to look further than what is in front of him and to think about how to be born again in the spirit.
And just like driving, being born again and then living life in the spirit is about a continual process of learning and adapting. No, we can’t go back to our mother’s womb to be born again in this world, but we can go back to our father, in heaven to be born again in to the world spiritually.
In our Isaiah passage, Isaiah has a pretty full on version of the experience I’m talking about. He sees God in all his glory and seraphim flying around him and he is completely overcome standing in the presence of the Lord. God cleanses him, renews him by the seraphim touching his mouth with hot coal and suddenly his will to serve God increases. There’s a no brainer answer to God’s question. God asks, ‘who shall I send, whom shall go for us?’ And Isaiah doesn’t hesitate in volunteering himself.
We might find it daunting to find God’s will for us here, how do we go out into the world and how do we know what to do when we get there? Or maybe you’re willing but just have no idea what next. But here in this passage it shows us that when we simply meet with God and stand in his presence, we are transformed by that alone.
Isaiah has no worries, no qualms about volunteering himself and it’s because when we meet with God continually, when we do that before anything else, we are cleansed, renewed, transformed but then importantly, we are in tune with God’s heart.
This means that when we are feeling lost or unsure we have the ability, and are encouraged to, to continually go back to God and be filled with the Spirit to be better equipped to go out into everyday life. Take the ‘again’ part in John very literally, we need to be going back again and again to God and it’s there we find purpose and a sense of direction.
I want to just talk about King Uzziah for a moment. At the start of our passage, he’s mentioned ‘In the year King Uzziah died..’. It seems like a random thing to draw on, it feels more like a context help and a way to set the scene- but go with me.
Whilst I looked into it a bit more, I found that Uzziah had been a great king. 2 Kings 15:3 says, ‘he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father Uzziah had done..’
2 Chronicles 26:8 says of Uzziah, His fame spread as far as the entrance of Egypt, for he became exceedingly strong.
But then Uzziah also died pretty tragically and suddenly.
So actually saying in the year King Uzziah died is to say a lot. It’s to say that a great and wise king died, and more, a great and wise king who had a tragic end died.
Isaiah had good reason to feel discouraged and disillusioned at the death of King Uzziah. Where was the Lord in all of this?
Perhaps you relate to Isaiah at this point, maybe lockdown and the pandemic has left you feeling a bit discouraged and disillusioned. Maybe you yourself feel a bit lost, and maybe you want to be filled with the spirit but just don’t really know where to go with that. Maybe you find yourself asking, where is God now?
Where is the Lord in all this?
Isaiah 6:1 ’In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne;’
Where was the Lord in all this? The Lord was sitting on a throne! God was still enthroned in heaven and was still in charge of all creation. Isaiah may have been depressed or discouraged because a great leader of Judah was no longer on the throne. God in heaven now shows Isaiah, “Don’t worry about it, Isaiah. Uzziah may not be on his throne, but I am on My throne.
God’s on His throne. In the midst of anything you might be going through, He’s on his throne.
This is the God we can come to in our lost and discouraged hearts, and he transforms us and gives us direction. We are born again in this God.
Along with continually being born in the spirit, we can be in comfort that whatever place we’re coming from and wherever we feel then lead into, God is the one on the throne and God is the one in control. Being born again in his spirit is the ultimate safety. Amen
THE APOSTLES’ CREED
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth
I believe in Jesus Christ,
his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand
of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
Amen
O LORD, HEAR MY PRAYER,
O Lord, hear my prayer:
When I call answer me.
O Lord, hear my prayer,
O Lord, hear my prayer:
Come and listen to me.
Jacques Berthier/Taizé.
Copyright © 1982 Ateliers et Presses de Taize (France).
PRAYERS - written by Linda Chambers
You may like to pause where indicated at the end of each section to bring to God your own concerns …
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”
Today we give thanks for the mystery of the Trinity, one God in three persons. We rejoice that you are our Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer. We pray that we may give ourselves in love and service to you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
God our Father, we give you thanks for creation, for the beauty, wonder and order of our universe. We pray for areas of creation spoiled and desecrated by greed and insensitivity, for people groups around the world misused, exploited and abused by others, for all who suffer from conflict or oppression, for places of deprivation or poverty in our own city. PAUSE
We pray for the work of your church in conservation and preservation, that we may reflect your love for the world. We pray for Climate Sunday next Sunday and the preparations for our worship and activities in Bingham Park. Bless our partnership with All Saints as we explore their church yard together and discover the amazing biodiversity of your creation. PAUSE
Lord God … Receive our prayer
Jesus, our Redeemer, we thank you for rescuing us from the powers of darkness and for your gift of eternal life for those who believe in you. We pray for those who struggle to believe, those who have turned away and no longer believe and those for whom life seems meaningless. Open their hearts and minds to hear your call and your promise of eternal life and a share in your kingdom. PAUSE
We pray for all emergency and rescue services on land, in the air and at sea, for all who risk their lives and give their lives in the service of others. We pray for all who are seeking to bring healing and peace into the world’s troubled places and into the lives of others, all who are working for unity and harmony. PAUSE
Lord God … Receive our prayer.
Life-giving Spirit, you sustain and energise us in our personal lives and in our life together. Thank you for our Annual Meeting last week and those who contributed to the Annual Report. Guide Alistair and the PCC in the coming year in all their deliberations and decision making. We pray for our weekly services, the Bible Course on Thursday evenings and the ‘Bless Greystones’ initiatives. Encourage and inspire Hannah as she works alongside us and bless her plans for future ministry.
PAUSE
We pray for all who serve in our Diocese - our two Bishops, Archdeacons, Area Deans and those based at Church House. Strengthen us to play our part in the Diocese, that together we might flourish and grow in the service of others to your praise and glory. PAUSE
Lord God … Receive our prayer.
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” AMEN
LORD’S PRAYER
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
SING: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4IgusP8Z8w
All I once held dear,
built my life upon,
all this world reveres,
and wars to own;
all I once thought gain
I have counted loss,
spent and worthless now,
compared to this.
Knowing you, Jesus, knowing you,
there is no greater thing.
You're my all, you're the best,
You're my joy, my righteousness
and I love you, Lo
2. Now my heart's desire
is to know you more,
to be found in you
and known as yours.
To possess by faith
what I could not earn -
all surpassing gift
of righteousness
Knowing you, Jesus, knowing you...
3 Oh to know the power
of your risen life,
and to know you in
your sufferings.
To become like you
in your death, my Lord,
so with you to live
and never die.
Knowing you, Jesus, knowing you,
there is no greater thing.
You're my all, you're the best,
You're my joy, my righteousness
and I love you Lord, love you Lord.
Graham Kendrick (c) 1993 Make Way Music
Copyright 1974,75 Celebration/The community of celebration
OFFERTORY - Take a moment to consider how you are going to continue to give to the life of the church and support other aid agencies and mission organisations.
SAY:
Yours, Lord, is the greatness, the power,
the glory, the splendour, and the majesty;
for everything in heaven and on earth is yours.
All things come from you,
and of your own do we give you.
SING: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spE-BE23qxA
Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
in light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
most blessèd, most glorious,
the Ancient of Days,
almighty, victorious,.
Thy great name we praise.
2. Unresting, unhasting,
and silent as light,
nor wanting, nor wasting,
Thou rulest in might;
Thy justice like mountains
high soaring above,
Thy clouds, which are fountains
of goodness and love.
3. To all, life thou givest,
to both great and small;
in all life thou livest, the true life of all;
we blossom and flourish
as leaves on the tree,
and wither and perish,
but nought changeth Thee.
4. Great Father of glory,
pure Father of light,
Thine angels adore Thee, all veiling their sight;
All laud we would render;
O help us to see
'tis only the splendour
of light hideth Thee.
5. Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
in light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
most blessèd, most glorious,
the Ancient of Days,
almighty, victorious,.
Thy great name we praise.
Words: Walter C Smith (1824-1908)
Music: Welsh hymn melody, Roberts’ Canradau y Cyssegr
BLESSING
Blessing and honour and thanksgiving and praise,
more than we can utter, more than we can conceive,
be to you, most holy and glorious Trinity,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
by all angels, all people, all creatures,
for ever and ever. Amen.