Welcome to our service - 14 February
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. 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.
Notices
Due the current lockdown the PCC have decided to suspended public worship for the foreseeable future. We are also unable to offer private prayer in the church building.
Please don’t hesitate to ring Alistair (07769 213 581) if you have any questions or would like support.
SERVICE
Opening
Alleluia, alleluia.
The word of the Lord endures for ever.
The word of the Lord is the good news announced to you.
Alleluia, alleluia.
SING: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQeIGbKqiw8
And can it be that I should gain
an interest in the Saviour's blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain?
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! how can it be
that Thou, my God,
shouldst die for me!
2 'Tis mystery all! The Immortal dies;
who can explore His strange design?
In vain the first-born seraph tries
to sound the depths of love divine.
'Tis mercy all let earth adore,
let angel minds inquire no more.
3 He left His Father's throne above -
so free, so infinite His grace -
emptied Himself of all but love,
and bled for Adam's helpless race.
'Tis mercy all, immense and free;
for, O my God, it found out me!
4 Long my imprisoned spirit lay
fast bound in sin and nature's night;
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray -
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
my chains fell off, my heart was free.
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.
5 No condemnation now I dread;
Jesus, and all in Him is mine!
Alive in Him, my living Head,
and clothed in righteousness divine,
bold I approach the eternal throne,
and claim the crown,
through Christ, my own.
Charles Wesley (1707-88)
CONFESSION
We meet to celebrate the coming of Christ into the world. The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory.
The sacrifice of God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart God will not despise.
Therefore, let us come to the Lord, who is full of compassion, and acknowledge our transgressions in penitence and faith.
O King enthroned on high, filling the earth with your glory:
holy is your name, Lord God almighty.
In our sinfulness we cry to you to take our guilt away,
and to cleanse our lips to speak your word,through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
ABSOLUTION
May the Father of all mercies
cleanse us from our sins,
and restore us in his image
to the praise and glory of his name,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
GLORIA
Glory to God in the highest,
and peace to his people on earth.
Lord God, heavenly King,
almighty God and Father,
we worship you, we give you thanks,
we praise you for your glory.
Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father,
Lord God, Lamb of God,
you take away the sin of the world:
have mercy on us;
you are seated at the right hand of the Father:
receive our prayer.
For you alone are the Holy One,
you alone are the Lord,
you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ,
with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God the Father.
Amen.
COLLECT
Holy God,
you know the disorder of our sinful lives:
set straight our crooked hearts,
and bend our wills to love your goodness
and your glory
in Jesus Christ our Lord.
SING: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZugvUQ4m90U
Be still,
for the presence of the Lord,
the Holy One, is here;
come bow before Him now
with reverence and fear:
in Him no sin is found -
we stand on holy ground.
Be still,
for the presence of the Lord
the Holy One, is here.
2 . Be still,
for the glory of the Lord
is shining all around;
He burns with holy fire,
with splendour He is crowned:
How awesome is the sight -
our radiant King of light!
Be still,
for the glory of the Lord
is shining all around.
3. Be still,
for the power of the Lord
is moving in this place:
He comes to cleanse and heal,
to minister His grace -
no work too hard for Him.
In faith receive from Him.
Be still,
for the power of the Lord
is moving in this place.
David J Evans (c) 1986 Thankyou Music
READINGS
James 4:1-10 New International Version - UK
What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us? But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:
‘God opposes the proud
but shows favour to the humble.’
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
Matthew 7:7-11 New International Version - UK
‘Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
‘Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
TALK by Peter Smithers
Let me tell you a story…
Little Jimmy was playing in the garden when he fell and grazed his knee quite badly. Blood was running down his leg and he was in a lot of pain. He ran into the house with tears streaming down his face. He quickly found his mum and said,
“Most loving and caring Mother. I am eternally grateful for all your kindness and sympathy towards everyone in the family, and especially for the way you look after me. I know that you do all you can to help us when we get ill or hurt ourselves. Because of these amazing truths I’m coming to you now with total confidence. I fell down and grazed my knee and it really hurts. Could you sort it out. I ask this, not because I’m a good child, but because you’re a wonderful Mum.”
I’m sure you’ve recognised that is pure fiction - this event NEVER happened.
What’s more likely is that he just cried out, “Mummy”. When he got into her arms, he might have added “It hurts! Make it stop.”
This is a bit similar in the Lord’s Prayer. It’s incredibly brief, and one of the briefest bits is what we’re considering today… “Give us today our daily bread”
This helps us to see that our words as we talk to God don’t have to be long or complicated. While it’s fine to ask God for things in longer ways, we are also encouraged to do so in short and simple ways.
In the Bible, Jesus talked about prayer many times. Each time he will have used different words and ways of describing things. This is true of the Lord’s Prayer, too. In Matthew’s gospel we have him early on in his ministry saying “Give us today our daily bread”. In Luke, maybe a year or so later, he is recorded as saying, “Give us each day our daily bread”. In the original Greek the form of the word behind “Give” is also slightly different. “Give us today” is a request for the immediate - what we need in the here and now. “Give us each day” is us asking for ongoing help in the long term. Both of these are important ways of praying: “Give me the right words to answer my colleague now” and “Help me to learn how to always talk to my colleagues helpfully”.
These are the words that are different. All the other words are the identical.
“Give us today our…”. The words “us” and “our” means both “you/your” and “me/my”. We are encouraged to ask for things both for others and ourselves. Indeed, when we say these words in a meeting together, we are actually praying for each other. Sometimes we find it easier to pray for others than for ourselves. But Jesus is encouraging us to do both.
Then there’s this word “daily”. Bible translators have a bit of a problem here. No-one really knows exactly what it means. In all the millions of bits of old Greek literature that we have available - epics, poems, letters, contracts, shopping lists, even the rest of the Bible itself - this word never appears. So we have got nothing to cross-reference to. We can’t even work it out from the different bits of the word. It’s “epiousion”. But is the first bit “ep” or is it “epi”? There are at least ten different meanings proposed by scholars. But it’s a bit like the insurance advert where the interrogator asks, “Do your door locks conform to British Standard 3621?” The man replies “I don’t know… Nobody knows!” Sometimes, as followers of Jesus, we feel we need to be able to explain everything or to understand all the important things about prayer. This word gives us permission to admit, without feeling ashamed, “I don’t know”.
Then we end with the word “bread”. This was the staple food in Palestine. No potatoes, rice or yams - just bread with every meal. It’s what they needed day in and day out. So this encourages us to pray for our most basic needs - strength to get through the day, money to pay the bills, coping with pain from harsh words. But we can also pray for the bigger things. The word “bread” can mean much more. An Asian might invite you to their home. The Urdu phrase translates “Come and eat a chapatti”. But when you sit down, you may be served a veritable feast! So we can ask God for the “bigger” things, too: safety for our families and friends, help finding the right job, and even world peace. There is nothing that we can’t ask God for. We may not always get exactly what we ask for, but Alistair is going to deal with the thorny topic of unanswered prayer in a fortnight’s time. So make sure you read his talk.
In the meantime, as we ask God for things, let’s…
feel free to keep it simple
talk to him about the immediate and the long-term
ask him for help for others and for ourselves
not expect to understand everything
ask for the little things, and the big ones too
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 John Gough
An opening prayer by the late David Adam rector of Lindisfarne.
You Lord are in the world Your Presence Fills it Your Presence is Peace.
You Lord are in this place Your Presence Fills It Your Presence is Peace.
You Lord are in my life Your Presence Fills it, Your Presence is Peace.
You Lord are in my heart Your Presence fills it Your Presence is Peace.
Lord we pray for our world and the struggles that people are facing from the effects of the Covid virus, the loss of loved ones, the long term effects of the virus that are leaving many people feeling weak and tired. May your presence bring peace to grieving families, bring healing and recovery to all who are suffering, Bring hope to all who have been inoculated and those still waiting.
There are many of our brothers and sisters in Christ across the world who live in countries where they are persecuted for following Christ, many are arrested and imprisoned, tortured or executed, but the numbers of new followers do not diminish, but grow. For where ever they are they know that you are in their lives, your presence is all around them and will bring them eventually to a place of peace.
Lord we pray for all in government that you will guide them and inspire them in all of their decision making that will bring help and relief to the many people who have been made redundant, businesses that have gone and will not open again, that they can be supported until a time that restrictions can be relaxed and a slow and steady renewal can take place. Lord we pray for our children who are living through home schooling and the difficulties that this brings for them, their parents and teachers. We ask that there will be a program set out so that they are able to catch up with work that has been missed and there will be no adverse or long term effects of their development. Fill their hearts and their lives with your presence and peace.
Lord we pray for our church here in Greystones, we give thanks that we are able to worship via zoom or on line, and ask that you bless the work of Alistair and Catherine as they lead us in our worship. Thank you that he PCC can meet on zoom and that you will grant them wisdom in all of their deliberations and discussions of the churches business. We praise and thank you that the Alpha course is taking place on zoom, we pray that you will direct the words of the leaders as they lead the discussions, and pray that all who are new to Alpha or are doing it as a refresher will have their hearts touched by your spirit.
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=MO1G-o7Yj-c
Beauty for brokenness,
hope for despair,
Lord in Your suff'ring world
this is our prayer.
Bread for the children,
justice, joy, peace,
sunrise to sunset
Your Kingdom increase.
2. Shelter for fragile lives,
cures for their ills,
work for the craftsmen,
trade for their skills.
Land for the dispossessed,
rights for the weak,
voices to plead the cause
of those who can't speak.
God of the poor,
friend of the weak,
give us compassion we pray.
Melt our cold hearts,
let tears fall like rain.
Come change our love
from a spark to a flame.
3. Refuge from cruel wars,
havens from fear,
cities for sanctu'ry,
freedoms to share.
Peace to the killing fields,
scorched earth to green,
Christ for the bitterness,
His cross for the pain.
4. Rest for the ravaged earth,
oceans and streams,
plundered and poisoned,
our future, our dreams.
Lord end our madness,
carelessness, greed.
Make us content with
the things that we need.
God of the poor….
5. Lighten our darkness,
breathe on this flame,
until Your justice burns
brightly again;
until the nations
learn of Your ways,
seek Your salvation
and bring You their praise.
God of the poor…………….
Words and Music: Graham Kendrick
(Copyright © 1993 Make Way Music)
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.
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=AvMeTWAiUz8
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 the blood I may enter Your brightness,
Search me, try me, consume all my darkness
Shine on me, shine on me.
Shine, Jesus, shine...
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.
Shine Jesus, shine...
Graham Kendrick (c) 1987 Make Way Music/Thankyou Music
FINAL BLESSING:
The love of the Lord Jesus draw you to himself,
the power of the Lord Jesus strengthen you in his service,
the joy of the Lord Jesus fill your hearts;
and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, be upon you and remain with you always. Amen